Cultural Cookbook Volume 9 - Supporting Legendary Leaders

I’m Rob and I’m a Schemes Development Manager at AXA UK. I recently went along to a workshop with other leaders at AXA to discuss how we lead our teams to give them clear goals, create a culture of trust, and build collaboration. So, I wanted to share my experience of this leadership workshop and give my recipe for creating a great working culture for everyone. For me, that starts with making sure that your leaders are always learning and improving. 

Ingredients 

• Top-notch learning experiences – support all leaders to improve, from the most senior ones to brand new leaders 

• A culture of kindness – lead with positivity and support your team to grow 

• An open mind – always acknowledge that there’s room for improvement 

• Support your people – actively support colleagues’ wellbeing and career development 

Method 

Step 1: Talk openly about how you work 

This leadership workshop was unlike any I’ve done before. It was so engaging and largely made up of group work and discussions.  It was interesting to see how people approach things in different ways, but always with the same desired outcome. We had such an engaged group from all levels of the business, and we spent a lot of time reflecting and discussing what we were learning. 

Step 2: Be open to improvement 

I used to think I was a great listener, but this training has opened my eyes to the fact that I still need to improve. Let’s face it, there’s always room for improvement. It was interesting to reflect on our communication styles and the different way to approach things. It was really thought-provoking. 

Step 3:  Focus on leading with kindness  

We focused on taking a kind and positive approach to leadership, and that really resonated with my beliefs and how I like to approach things. It's all about growing together and giving our colleagues the self-belief to grow too. As a business we’re so forward-facing and taking huge strides to develop our people and this course epitomised that. 

Step 4: Support leaders of all levels to keep learning 

It was so refreshing to be in a room with leaders of all levels, from senior leaders to people who were new to the role. It was great that it wasn’t segmented, and it really goes to show that leaders of all levels at AXA are supported to grow and improve. 

Step 5: Build a supportive, collaborative culture 

We’re in a company where people genuinely care about your wellbeing both mentally and physically and people can grow and develop. There are so many opportunities to progress in your careers.  

I think it’s easy to talk the talk, but we really do encourage people to work together and do right by our customers. I’m honestly proud to say I work at AXA. 

Bon appétit!