Exercise Resilient Way kickstarts our future leaders’ journey

The next generation of our leaders recently embarked on the first stage of a new programme designed to nurture talent and build future leadership capability across the business.

Twenty colleagues from departments across the company took part in Exercise Resilient Way, a two-day event held on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire, designed to challenge their teamwork, communication and decision-making skills.

The exercise was led by our military veterans, whose experience of leading teams, adapting under pressure and building trust in demanding environments provided valuable insight for participants as they explored their own leadership potential.

Day one involved six command decision scenarios tackled in small groups, requiring participants to analyse situations, make decisions under time pressure and work collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes.

That was followed by a night of camping on the estate, with day two bringing a physical resilience challenge designed to promote trust, communication and shared accountability, before concluding with a crisis simulation exercise and reflection on lessons learned throughout the programme.

It was the first in a series of development experiences for the first Leaders of the Future cohort, a 12-month programme launched this year to support high-potential colleagues in strengthening their leadership capability and preparing for more senior roles.

Alongside developing greater self-awareness and confidence in their own leadership style, participants will gain broader insight into our business, our clients and the challenges and opportunities shaping our future strategy.

By investing in our future leaders, we are strengthening our leadership pipeline and developing the skills that help individuals and teams perform at their best. The programme focuses on capabilities that are often difficult to develop through traditional training alone, including resilience, communication, collaboration and the ability to lead effectively through change and uncertainty.

Rachael Smith, People & Culture Executive Director, said: "As evidenced by our recent Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award, we have a thriving network of veterans across the company. They bring a wealth of experience in leadership, teamwork, resilience and communication, all of which are highly relevant in a construction environment and invaluable to our participants as they begin their own leadership journey.

"Exercise Resilient Way is not about creating military leaders in construction. It is about helping our people develop the confidence, self-awareness and leadership capability needed to bring out the best in those around them, particularly when faced with pressure, uncertainty and change.

“It was fantastic to see our Leaders of the Future tackle the first module with such enthusiasm, energy and commitment. Throughout the exercise they were challenged to communicate effectively, build trust quickly and work together to solve problems; all essential skills for leading high-performing teams.”