All eight Directors have experienced the four-day Happy Leadership Programme and all front-line managers have attended the two-day Managing for the First Time course.
Both programmes are based upon the ideas in The Happy Manifesto of giving people trust and freedom within clear guidelines.
“The only criticism I have had is to ask why we didn’t do it sooner. I read The Happy Manifesto some years ago and it absolutely fits with our values. One colleague asked why it took so long to do this.”
Feeling trusted gives you more energy
“People feel more trusted. They feel confident in making their own decisions,” explains Amanda Seddon, UK Technical Team Director.
“Feeling trusted makes you feel so much more powerful. You have so much more energy. And it’s infectious,” says Zoe Jorden, New Business Development Director. “And that brings accountability too, with clear responsibilities.”
“It has given us the tools to let people know that we trust them,” continues Amanda. “They know what the boundaries are, and they can work within them, using their judgement.”
Not easy but it makes sense
“I don’t think it’s an easy programme. It challenges a lot of things but makes an awful lot of sense. You can see the difference. Yesterday somebody asked me ‘can you double-check this?’. I said ‘why? I trust you’. Even down the phone line I could feel her sense of pride.”
“Another benefit of the programme is that it has brought the team together and given us time to really get to know each other,” explains Claudine Lefebvre, International and Regulatory Team.
Would it be useful for others? James is clear: “Would I recommend the programme to others? 100%, it’s worth doing.”
