Vocal Leadership Vital for Paving Path to Progress 

What does courageous leadership look like in the day-to-day workings of modern business? 

Is it purely keeping pace with the winds of change, or fostering out-of-the-box thinking within teams? Perhaps it’s a willingness among leaders to be open-minded and enabling business decisions rooted in principle, even if those same decisions prove unpopular. The answer, of course, is all the above. And even more still.   
Leadership defined by courage and purpose will take centre stage next month at the Women in Business Voices of Leadership Conference, where speakers including Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds and US-based CEO of Corporate Directors Forum, Jessica N. Grounds, will spark discussions of conviction, resilience, vision and courage to a crowded room of 400 delegates. 

Distinguished leadership figures from local and international arenas feature on the full-day agenda, with panel sessions throughout the conference aimed at championing new voices – new perspectives – across a broad range of disciplines. One such theme that looks at leadership through a slightly different lens is ‘Claiming Your Space’, which presents a platform to those voices already making an impact in their respective fields, whether it’s in the room or at the top table. 

There’s no question that leadership looks different when it’s embodied by people not normally in that space or sector. A tech disruptor, for example, or an international voice with the ability to enrich a company’s perspective through lived experiences. In many cases, they stand alone as the sparks of progress. The architects of positive change. 

In many ways, ‘Claiming Your Space’ shines a spotlight on those impactful voices within leadership, including Michele Larmour, Cushla Rice, Micky Murray and Wojdan Omran, who each embody not just initiative but the courage to enter and indeed thrive in places where difference is not always welcomed. 

Michele Larmour, for example, spent more than three decades at the frontier of change within UK policing, while Micky Murray made history last year when he became the first openly gay man to hold the office of Belfast’s Lord Mayor. In hindsight, we can rightfully celebrate the accomplishments as positive progress, but in the moment, each step forward – no matter how big or small – requires a degree of courage. 

Change is supposed to feel new and novel. Sometimes disarmingly so. It’s not so much about throwing caution to the wind, as navigating the inevitable storm with careful calculation. Challenge and change are wrought-iron constants in the world of business, that much we know. When our changing world demands so much more than a ‘business as usual’ approach, we need fresh perspectives and novel thinking to accelerate positive progress and create long-lasting impact. 

That takes courage. Courage that will ring out across Belfast next month at our flagship Voices of Leadership Conference. Last remaining tickets are still available, just click here.
Come along and see first-hand how courage shapes the many forms of leadership.