Lane4 2009 Annual Conference
Lane4`s Annual Conference, 11 November 2009 - Fragile to Agile: Stories of Resilience
Lane4's Annual Conference 2009: From Fragile to Agile: Stories of Resilience
The business community has been rocked to its core. Of that we can be sure. Few have been immune to the economic upheaval that's penetrated almost every industry sector over the last eighteen months. With this stark and unavoidable backdrop, Lane4's fifth Annual Conference explored extraordinary stories of resilience from many walks of life.
"I urge you to go away and consider your new normal" finished Adrian Moorhouse, Lane4 Managing Director, as delegates began to reflect on the collection of stories they had heard.
The day began with LOCOG Chairman, Sir Keith Mills, sharing the challenges and resilience needed in the lead-up to London's victorious 2012 bid. "You will succeed or fail based on the quality of the leaders you have".
"You can have the best crew in the world but if the captain doesn't know where he's going then you don't stand a chance. From our receptionist to the people responsible for paying suppliers, I made sure that everybody knew the importance of their role and how they could help us win."
Closing a session laced with honesty and edge, Sir Keith believes that resilience is about never giving up. Facing his challenges head on, his approach is always to be on the offensive with 'attack as the best mode of defence'.
Having heard and relived the euphoria of 6 July 2005 when London celebrated its successful Olympic bid, the next session transported us to events of the very next day when Gill Hicks sat one seat away from the suicide bomber on the Piccadilly tube line on route to another ordinary day at work.
"Find somebody whose view you oppose and listen until you understand them" she asked. Describing the many, seemingly minor, decisions she made on that fateful morning, a very real picture was painted of how the choices we make everyday can impact our lives forever.
Gill now sees her life in two distinct sections. Normal before 7 July 2005 and her 'new normal'. Her life is transformed, punctured by terrorism that many of us can not even imagine, yet reshaped by the unconditional love of humanity.
Next followed a series of breakout sessions including former sprinter Mark Richardson reliving the months following his failed drugs test and the subsequent battle to clear his family name. Dr. Tara Jones teamed up with CRH's HRD Michael Stirling to explore the organisation's commitment to leadership development during recession and Matt Rogan told a nostalgic tale of the social, political and economic challenges of London's last Olympic Games in 1948. Drawing the parallels between then and now, he talked about our current economic climate, the population's health and the implication of war.
Marko Ilincic, Managing Director at Lego took to the stage next for the day's penultimate plenary session. "You can't execute without a plan", he began as he proceeded to describe Lego's staggering turnaround over the last five years. Punctuating his story with 'defining moments', including every member of staff spending time on shop floors, he candidly shared stories of his directive leadership which, while necessary at first, threw up a number of challenges as the turnaround was delivered. "Leaders need to be agile, being flexible to changing circumstances."
As the afternoon swept by, three more breakout sessions ensued covering psychological momentum, the use of elite sport as a powerful metaphor for business and how Microsoft Advertising has improved the performance of global sales managers with its More Than Coaching Programme.
Lane4's Asia Practice Director, Paul-Jewitt Harris took delegates with him during his dynamic and engaging commentary of agility in sport, nature and business with diverse inspiration drawn from Charles Darwin, ice-hockey star Wayne Gretzky and the human brain.
And so it was left to Adrian Moorhouse to draw together the day's themes in his closing remarks. Stories from the heart, being on the offensive when times are tough and constantly challenging yourself to adapt, be agile and stay resilient had resonated.
In the words of Charles Darwin himself, it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.
Click here to read Gill Hicks' amazing story.
2009-11-12