Overview
FOR OXFORDSHIRE BUSINESS LEADERS ONLY
Great leadership skills are increasingly important. The need to be resilient, to lead and to support our staff well, is critical for our businesses. A safe, friendly environment facilitating purposeful networking and trusted support from specialists and fellow Oxfordshire business women.
Being part of this group of leaders will give you a time efficient opportunity to step back, pinpoint what you’d really like to improve, identify solutions and implement them. Many of our past peer group members have been surprised, relieved and inspired to find that we all share similar challenges, no matter what type or size of business we work in.
Perhaps some of the following examples of what leaders often experience will resonate with you:
People
Leading people can have wonderful results that support our businesses and help us to enjoy work. It can also leave you wondering why people aren’t working as you had hoped or how can you get more of the right things done well, and on time. Great leadership also enhances our client and supplier relationships.
Perspective
Working as leader in a small organisation is likely to mean you’re working through things on your own or with a small team. This can mean we have limited opportunities to find out about other approaches, to benefit from other leaders’ experience and to hear fresh perspectives.
Precious time
Time is often tight. Leading people takes time and often we can find ourselves solving problems for our staff and having limited time to do our own work. The busyness of the day-to-day can make stepping back seem like a luxury.
OxLEP Business are inviting ambitious and passionate Business leaders to join this Peer Network and improve their leadership. Peer group sessions use a structured approach that keeps us focussed whilst allowing everyone to discuss what is important to them. Each group member is able to offer and obtain insight and advice. It is a very respectful yet relaxed forum.
Eligibility
• You must be an Oxfordshire business, established and trading for 12 months+
• You must have at least 2 employees (including yourself)
• An ambition for growth or innovation
• Must be able to commit to all the sessions
The group will meet fortnightly on zoom on Tuesdays between 08-10am (5 Sept, 19 Sept, 3 Oct, 17 Oct, 31 Oct, 14 Nov, 28 Nov, 12 Dec)
Your Facilitator
Paula Nickson is a business innovator specialising in using professional coaching to unlock the potential in people and their businesses. Her career features leadership in public, corporate, SME and 3rd sector organisations. Paula has also been the CEO of a successful social enterprise for the last 7 years. Paula’s clients are leaders in multiple sectors of business. They range from small to large enterprises and from brand new to fully established companies. What they all have in common is an appetite to move forwards, with clear energetic, integrity.
Paula has been coaching in her various roles over the past 20 years and has been practicing as an independent professional coach (ICF approved certification) since 2015.
Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) scheme
The Growth Hub programme operates a Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) scheme. All SMEs which receive support under this programme are being aided under the UK Subsidy Control Act (2022) and The Subsidy Control (Gross Cash Amount and Gross Cash Equivalent) Regulations (2022 No. 1186).
MFA allows a beneficiary to receive up to £315,000 of Subsidy over a three-fiscal year period (i.e. the current and previous two fiscal years). The value of MFA given is the gross cash amount or the gross cash equivalent of the subsidy. The maximum MFA value of this event if all sessions are attended is £6507.
