Intro: On Friday morning I pick up the phone to Tracey, I am keen to speak to her in depth about her vision for MWH. Tracey had pulled together the EMEA summit and had asked Karen Cove from Q. Learning to be one of the main guest speakers at the summit. She had clear objectives about what she wanted for the day and what was needed to support the EMEA leadership team. Tracey had seen the importance of past summits, and the impact they have on leaders, and she knew that this was an important day to get some key messages across.

As I begin talking to Tracey, I noticed how enthusiastic she was for MWH and the future of the company. Whilst in the middle of a global recession, Tracey was not shaking alongside all the current media hype, she was looking to the future and looking to what would be needed from the EMEA leaders to lead successfully through the times that lay ahead. The EMEA summit was an important day, to pull the team together, and provide a forum in which they could be mutually supportive.

In the following article, I am going to gain the perspectives on the summit, from Tracey who organised the event, Karen who spoke at the event, and the MWH staff members who attended the event, to get the full picture as to how the day went.

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Questions: Question; So Tracey the MWH EMEA 2009 Summit took place recently, and was titled “Successful leadership through changing and challenging times” – why had you decided to have the summit focused around this topic?

Answer; I wanted the title of the day, and the day’s agenda to reflect exactly the impact that I wanted it to have on our leaders. I wanted them to understand that the world is changing, and our clients our changing. Nobody has managed through times like this before, and it’s hard. We now have different Business Unit Directors. I wanted the leaders to feel that they were in a team, to feel that they were supported, and that there were others there that they could talk to.

Question; So Tracey how do you feel the day went overall?

Answer; The summit went really well, it was exactly what I wanted it to be, which was interactive, motivating, and supportive. The overall outcome I wanted was morale boosting - and I felt this was achieved.

Question; You asked Karen Cove Director of Q. Learning, to speak at the summit on three different topics including “Impact of leadership language, attitude and behaviour” and “Understanding the challenges we face” and “Preparing for 2009 and beyond” why did you choose Karen and Q. Learning to speak on these topics?

Answer; I chose Q. Learning and Karen to speak because I had been on training courses with Q. Learning before, they had been good, and after speaking with Karen Cove and David Nickols (MWH EMEA President), I thought that having Karen on the day would be right, and beneficial to the day. I also felt that having someone external would be good for the staff, because they can draw different opinions and views from the group than someone who is internal.

Question; Tracey what did you think Karen brought to the summit?

Answer; I thought Karen’s presentation style was more interactive, which was what I wanted. We had round tables, which meant it felt more like a training exercise, and this also created good interactions within the groups. Karen’s pieces were experiential which meant individuals were made to think and feel for themselves. I liked the exercises Karen did, everyone found Karen very personable, and Karen had a way of putting everyone at ease. Karen created a relaxed, open, trusting environment where people could participate.

Question; Was there anything that happened on the day that surprised you, or that you were not expecting?

Answer; Yes I was quite surprised that so many people did get involved and participate. I thought there might have been some scepticism. I was really pleased that people took the day seriously, and that the summit has had a good effect.

I also caught up with Karen Cove, and got her views on the summit;

Question; Karen what did you think of the summit, and of being asked to speak on the day?

Answer; The summit was an amazing and inspirational day. I spent the summit day with a room full of leaders from across the EMEA region, they are unbelievably passionate about what they do, and they are capable both as individuals and as a team. What struck me was the interest that each leader has in what others are doing. The summit created energy and strength within the team. I also felt really proud because Q. Learning has worked with many of these leaders over the last 8 years or more.

Finally what did the MWH leaders think of how the day went? Well most people rated their needs as being met, the delivery of the performances, and their enjoyment of the day very highly, with the biggest percentage scoring near to excellent. Most people really enjoyed the sessions, particularly the session’s lead by Karen, which were given very high scores from individuals who really enjoyed the topics and discussions that Karen covered. Some of the comments include; “In this very gloomy recession time I felt generally uplifted and encouraged at the status of the company and EMEA's position looking forward” and “Exploring the 'softer' side of things with Karen's facilitation! It made the event less dry and I think helped to create stronger relationships.” also “I thought it was a good mix of realism and positivity.” as well as “stay focused on priorities, work together as 'one team ', communicate better and spend more time with clients” finally “Clear message to be positive in leadership.”


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Can we help at your event?: Q. Learning would be delighted to be asked to speak at your important summits and events. If you would like one of Q. Learning’s consultants to speak at an event you are hosting, then please get in touch with Clare Gosling on clare.gosling@qlearning.com. To see images of Karen speaking at the EMEA summit click here
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