As part of our on-going commercial partnership with the League Managers’ Association, we were invited to be an Event Partner at the recent Annual Conference at the Emirates’ Stadium, which focussed on ‘Understanding World Class Leadership’.

We sent a group of managers from five different departments at ITC, myself included, to learn more about the parallels between sport and business leadership, the challenges faced and how they are approached. Over 250 delegates attended the day-long event at the superb Emirates Stadium to hear key-note speeches and Q&A sessions delivered by some exceptional leaders in business and sport.

Richard Bevan, chief executive of the LMA said, “Our conference provides a fascinating insight into the twin disciplines of leadership and management from both business and football. Our aim is to build on our initial success over the past three and cement the position of the LMA's Annual Conference as a landmark business event for those working in the corporate, football or sporting worlds.”

Now I'd be lying if I said I enjoy the prospect of sitting in a room while people talk at me about 'stuff' that only serve to highlight my flaws. So when I was asked along to the conference at the Emirates Stadium my excitement may have been muted at best. We bundled ourselves into a French hatchback, (don’t believe a word a car manufacturer tells you about their product seats 5 adults….they don’t) and we set off from Chester into the morning sun and arrived in time to have a light snackette and meet one of the afternoon's speakers, ex Red Arrows pilot, Justin Hughes.

On second glance, maybe today wouldn’t be so bad… Red Arrows, football and some pretty major heavyweights of the sporting world in one room addressing the major issues around leadership. Our first speaker, Jeff Grout, spoke about 'What do leaders really do' and rather than what sometimes happens - I switch off and begin planning my weekend's activities (with a new baby in the house it generally consists of sleeping at the moment) - something else happened this time. It was really good stuff and coming from the world leaders in their fields, it would be foolish for me to not to listen and learn from their experiences.From the pinnacle of our armed forces with the Red Arrows, Justin Hughes, to an ex England Cricket captain and Ashes winner, Michael Vaughan, we were treated to some revealing insights into management and leadership. We were also entertained by the likes of Gordon Strachan, Gareth Southgate, the current Chairman of the FA, David Bernstein, Roy Keane, the President of the AA, Edmund King and last but by no means least, Dr Steve Peters. And this is where it all changed for me - through a, quite frankly, fascinating speech into how the brain works.

I somehow learnt nothing I didn't already know but everything I wanted to. The only think stopping us from doing anything we want to do is ourselves, our own experiences, our own perceptions. You just need to control these thought processes. Through this incredibly simple approach you can not only learn to manage and lead others, but more importantly you can manage yourself and become the person you want to be. Roll on the next LMA Conference, I'm the first on the waiting list…

Andrew Burton – Sports Product & Operations Manager
Published: 20 October 2011