Growing as a Leader with Common Purpose – The UWE Bristol Future Leaders Experience

Common Purpose is a global not-for-profit organisation that focusses on delivering compelling leadership programmes that aim to develop leaders who are capable of being empathetic, open, and agile across diverse cultural, institutional and social boundaries.

I became aware of the Future Leaders Experience from an email sent by the UWE Bristol Go Global Team. This email highlighted the benefits of this experience and explained that despite this being a short programme, running from the 5^th of June until the 7^th of June 2024, the amazingly intelligent hosts will be able to bring a sense of community and empowerment to the group during this time. There were around 50-60 students present for this programme, from all walks of life, all ages, and a variety of different degrees, that with the help of the hosts became a close-nit, supportive group that allowed growth at every level.

Guest Speakers

Aside from the incredible hosts Roeshawn Davidson, Anna Colao and Evelyn Craig, a number of outstanding leaders had kindly given up their time to come and meet with us. These included people such as Mau Nteteka (Guards Manager of the Great Western Railway) and Sandy Ruthven (CEO of Severn Wye Energy) as well as getting the chance to meet and speak with Keith Scholey (co-CEO of Silverback Films – producer of Our Planet). All the leaders that attended this event shared a variety of essential and important information and knowledge that I will take with me into future leadership roles.

There was such a range of leaders that we were fortunate enough to meet and engage with, thanks to the Common Purpose hosts, that shared personal experiences with either facing diversity in their workplace or having to be agile in the face of sudden changes to a long-term plan. Each experience shared opened our eyes to what being a leader can really be about and allowed us to understand which of these skills we personally needed to develop. These opportunities were a once in a lifetime experience for me and are one of the many reasons why this experience was so invaluable. Another positive to come from this experience was the ability to network and connect, not only with each other, but with the inspiring leaders that came to visit. Not to mention the opportunity to gain an important micro-credential in Inclusive Leadership.

Participants on the UWE Future Leaders Common Purpose programme (2024). Image provided by Lilli Wild

The experience itself

The hosts ability to create a safe space that promoted growth and development within such a short period of time was outstanding. This inspired such motivation throughout the group, and along with connecting and getting to know each other, there was a strong sense of willingness and motivation to develop essential leadership skills. The three days focussed on developing empathy, practicing openness, and understanding and enacting agility – three vital qualities of a successful future leader. This experience really gave me a deeper understanding about the type of leader I currently am, as well as highlighting small steps I can take towards developing a wider set of leadership skills required by future leaders.

Future Common Purpose events

When I next see an opportunity to take part in an event ran by Common Purpose I know I will be quick to either apply for the role myself, or reach out to someone I know that could benefit from the event they are running since I truly believe that in a short space of time, this organisation has the ability to influence outstanding change within the community. If there is one take away from this article, it is that Common Purpose is an organisation to keep an eye out for, and that when an opportunity like this one comes up, you should take it, as you never know what incredible experiences you could gain by the end of it.

Article edited by Emmanuel Adukwu

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