Three Unmissable Talks from London Bravest Conference 2019

Earlier this month Blackhawk Network were proud sponsors of the Bravest conference; an event that champions and celebrates fearless trailblazers in our society, to inspire the world of marketing to do and be better.

We have recapped our top takeaways and standout moments to share with you.

What is bravery in the workplace

Dan Cable, Professor of organisational behaviour, London Business School kicked off the day with his take on bravery. Dan explained that when we bring our best self to work, we encourage others to do the same.  He went on to highlight that work can often become the commute to the weekend, where we assume a state of complacency.

Interestingly, Dan presented a few studies he conducted with healthcare professionals where employees were tasked with creating their own job descriptions. This exercise, directed at better recognising people’s unique skills and expertise, notably improved employee recognition and happiness.

Valuable lessons in courage

Drew Povey, known in the media as the headmaster in the Channel 4 documentary series, Educating Manchester imparted his wisdom with his framework for driving sustainable change.

Drew’s talk broke down the steps needed for leadership success and proved that ordinary people really can achieve extraordinary things.  Simple but clear, Drew’s courage framework lays out each step needed for management change, that can be applied to any business or initiative.

The art of pausing

Creative business thinker, Robert Payton presented provocative thinking around the always-on mentality in the modern workplace. With the spike of career burn out, and the rise mental health issues, Robert is calling on us to take the time to pause.

A simple way to implement the habit of pausing is to adopt the ‘take five method’, setting aside a five-minute break each day where you are separated from your colleagues, family or friends in a quiet place. This creates a constructive descent from the stresses of the day where you transition from one mindset to another.

We hope this gave you a flavour of what the Bravest London conference was all about, and that you feel as inspired and motivated to make changes in your own businesses as we do.

It’s been a pleasure to be a part of this cause as it speaks to our core brand values of making valuable connections between people and brands, so we were honoured at the chance to support The Marketing Society in the third year of its Bravest series.

By Anna Jaycocks, Marketing Director at Blackhawk Network Europe