As a speaker at the ALCHEMISTS FORUM in Belfast earlier this month I was very impressed by, not only the set up of the day, but the quality of the members that Alan has attracted to the Group. This Forum gives the group of CEO's and MD's the opportunity to discuss completely openly their day to day issues and plan strategically without prejudice, they offer a huge amount of support to each other - invaluable, and importantly the trust and respect was evident, as well as a good deal of humour. I would definitely recommend giving it a trial.

I was introduced to Alan whilst seeking to leave a long and successful public sector career and move into a commercially focused role. Ideally, I was seeking something senior, challenging and - crucially - that would necessitate the use of my broad spectrum of skills and experience, rather than a single, deep expertise. During my time with Alan, he gave me cause to think hard about a number of things, some of which really came as a revelation and very much helped shape the decisions I made thereafter. First, he taught me that networking is not about the immediate exchange or a 'quid pro quo' as such. It was about 'paying it forward' though. This genuinely helped me overcome my fear of the process. Second, he was very clear that career success is in no small part down to being comfortable with the culture of the organisation you are in. He commended me to find my "Culture+1". From that point on, I knew that whilst certain roles would meet my criteria regarding the role, seniority, responsibilities, remuneration etc they wouldn't offer a good cultural fit. I cannot say enough how important that nugget of wisdom has been since. I've had the opportunity since to bring some of my team to one of Alan's Lego Serious Play events and found even more career enhancing wisdom. The Lego model of myself leading across a bridge and making sense out of chaos still sits prominently in my office to remind me of my role. If you are unsure about something in your career - perhaps even unsure what it is you're unsure about - I can highly recommend Alan as the kind of professional who will absolutely help you unlock your potential.

As a speaker at the ALCHEMISTS FORUM in Belfast earlier this month I was very impressed by, not only the set up of the day, but the quality of the members that Alan has attracted to the Group. This Forum gives the group of CEO's and MD's the opportunity to discuss completely openly their day to day issues and plan strategically without prejudice, they offer a huge amount of support to each other - invaluable, and importantly the trust and respect was evident, as well as a good deal of humour. I would definitely recommend giving it a trial.

I was introduced to Alan whilst seeking to leave a long and successful public sector career and move into a commercially focused role. Ideally, I was seeking something senior, challenging and - crucially - that would necessitate the use of my broad spectrum of skills and experience, rather than a single, deep expertise. During my time with Alan, he gave me cause to think hard about a number of things, some of which really came as a revelation and very much helped shape the decisions I made thereafter. First, he taught me that networking is not about the immediate exchange or a 'quid pro quo' as such. It was about 'paying it forward' though. This genuinely helped me overcome my fear of the process. Second, he was very clear that career success is in no small part down to being comfortable with the culture of the organisation you are in. He commended me to find my "Culture+1". From that point on, I knew that whilst certain roles would meet my criteria regarding the role, seniority, responsibilities, remuneration etc they wouldn't offer a good cultural fit. I cannot say enough how important that nugget of wisdom has been since. I've had the opportunity since to bring some of my team to one of Alan's Lego Serious Play events and found even more career enhancing wisdom. The Lego model of myself leading across a bridge and making sense out of chaos still sits prominently in my office to remind me of my role. If you are unsure about something in your career - perhaps even unsure what it is you're unsure about - I can highly recommend Alan as the kind of professional who will absolutely help you unlock your potential.

As a speaker at the ALCHEMISTS FORUM in Belfast earlier this month I was very impressed by, not only the set up of the day, but the quality of the members that Alan has attracted to the Group. This Forum gives the group of CEO's and MD's the opportunity to discuss completely openly their day to day issues and plan strategically without prejudice, they offer a huge amount of support to each other - invaluable, and importantly the trust and respect was evident, as well as a good deal of humour. I would definitely recommend giving it a trial.

I was introduced to Alan whilst seeking to leave a long and successful public sector career and move into a commercially focused role. Ideally, I was seeking something senior, challenging and - crucially - that would necessitate the use of my broad spectrum of skills and experience, rather than a single, deep expertise. During my time with Alan, he gave me cause to think hard about a number of things, some of which really came as a revelation and very much helped shape the decisions I made thereafter. First, he taught me that networking is not about the immediate exchange or a 'quid pro quo' as such. It was about 'paying it forward' though. This genuinely helped me overcome my fear of the process. Second, he was very clear that career success is in no small part down to being comfortable with the culture of the organisation you are in. He commended me to find my "Culture+1". From that point on, I knew that whilst certain roles would meet my criteria regarding the role, seniority, responsibilities, remuneration etc they wouldn't offer a good cultural fit. I cannot say enough how important that nugget of wisdom has been since. I've had the opportunity since to bring some of my team to one of Alan's Lego Serious Play events and found even more career enhancing wisdom. The Lego model of myself leading across a bridge and making sense out of chaos still sits prominently in my office to remind me of my role. If you are unsure about something in your career - perhaps even unsure what it is you're unsure about - I can highly recommend Alan as the kind of professional who will absolutely help you unlock your potential.