I spent a couple of hours this afternoon as a speaker at a Common Purpose "Profile" course here in Bristol. It was a really interesting course with a compact and bijou class size of just 15, drawn from a wide range of public sector, private sectory and no-for-profit organisations from the greater Bristol area. Here's some more information about Common Purpose.
Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change - in their workplaces and in their communities. The organisation began in 1989 with four staff, a small office off Oxford Street and a big idea. As a not-for-profit it offers a wide range of open and customised programmes designed to suit every kind of leader.
Common Purpose believes that:
- the problems that most need solving cross boundaries - and the way to solve them is to do the same
- leaders are most effective when they broaden their horizons and their networks
- real change doesn’t just happen: leaders need to make it happen
They aim to deliver unique leadership development programmes which:
- are rooted in real life, not in the classroom
- attract leaders from unexpected places
- involve participants in a wide range of unfamiliar leadership situations
- prize diversity as a source of creativity and deeper problem-solving