Leadership development organisation LeaderShape Global is supporting the local community by donating 10% of any fees received from work commissioned or referred by members of OCF’s responsible business group Reciprocate. Any funds raised will go towards Reciprocate’s mission of empowering members to offer their time and talents to local charities.
LeaderShape, a member of the Reciprocate responsible business group since November 2015, is an Oxfordshire-based business with a global culture that operates without borders. They develop people around the world who can lead beyond their ego to be radical, ethical and authentic, using various techniques including coaching, mentoring and facilitation. The company’s Chairman John Knights comments: “LeaderShape doesn’t fit into the mould of a normal company in that we don’t have an office and we don’t have employees. But we do have a lot of experienced faculty members spread across the country with a concentration in Oxfordshire. The way we normally get involved in doing social responsibility tends to be offering worthy organisation or individuals free services (such as coaching). Previously we worked with the Samaritans executive team for example.
“We were really keen to find a way to contribute to Reciprocate, so we have devised a couple of slightly different ideas, including running a free one-day MasterClass for senior leaders of Reciprocate member companies, and donating a portion of any fees received via Reciprocate referrals.”
The first LeaderShape masterclass for Reciprocate members took place on 22nd June 2016 and was attended by leaders from 16 different member organisations, and generously hosted by Freeths. The purpose of the day was to help attendees look at how they need to develop their own leadership skills in order to maintain a sustainable ethical, caring culture in their organisations. Feedback from the masterclass was very positive, with participants rating the importance of the topic with a score of 9.54 out of 10 and the overall value of the training at 8.77. Testimonials from participants were glowing, as they commented:
- “Thought-provoking and a good pace throughout the day. Interactive and enjoyable due to blend of participants. Interesting to explore aspects deeper and to find time to read more into the subjects.”
- “Wonderful group of people. Great balance of presentations of ideas and discussion.”
- “Really powerful – and timely. The programme seems to be right for the 21st century NOW. This programme should be more widely available within organisations.”
Reciprocate members can look forward to further training opportunities from LeaderShape in future, and can now refer colleagues to LeaderShape in the knowledge that 10% of the fee will go back towards helping the community. Any donations made in this way will help Reciprocate (hosted by Oxfordshire Community Foundation) to support businesses with best-practice advice and collaborative projects, and to facilitate more volunteering opportunities for employees. To make a referral to LeaderShape, please contact John Knights at jknights@leadershapeglobal.com.