New Year - New Opportunities.

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It was fantastic to see many of our Consult Yorkshire colleagues in attendance for our first official meeting of 2021.

The opportunity to meet remotely was warmly welcomed, especially during a month where Yorkshire has seen some very ‘interesting’ weather and travel conditions.

Following on from our regular informal networking and introductions, we moved on to the Skills Share section of the meeting.

This month we welcomed our guest speaker Katie Wytwyckyj - a Business Engagement Officer from the PAPI Project based at the University of York.

The PAPI project is a Product and Process Innovation program that provides funding to support innovation and business growth (ERDF) to eligible SMEs.

PAPI assists SMEs that are based in North & West Yorkshire and are looking to innovate through the development of a new product or service.

During her presentation, Katie covered the following key areas:

  • Geographic areas served by the project.

  • Key sectors supported.

  • Size of grant funding available.

  • The provision of fully funded Innovation workshops.

  • The grant application process.

  • Case studies of previously successful applicants.

The presentation was well received by members of Consult Yorkshire, many of whom are based or have clients that are based within the program catchment area.

Aside from our guest speaker, we had a couple of existing members who discussed new projects that they are developing. It’s always inspiring to see fellow consultants and freelancers proactively making positive steps into new ventures.

Perhaps the key takeaway from our January meeting should be:

Even though the whole world is currently experiencing a major global challenge, a regional network of likeminded professionals can still provide the support & feedback to help you onto the next stage of your professional development.

If you are a Yorkshire based Freelancer or Independent Consultant and are looking to connect with friendly and forward thinking like minded professionals, then please do get in touch with our team.

Alternatively, if you would like to find out more information about the PAPI Project, please use the following contact details:

Tel: 01904 328076
Email: papi-project@york.ac.uk

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How to bridge the leadership gap

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How to bridge the leadership gap

A guest post by Andy Radka of Creative Partners innovation and enterprise ltd.

Which gap exactly?  The gap between knowing what leading is all about, and putting this into practice!  This is the critical space we need to work in to find ways to bridge the ‘knowing – doing gap’ which can plague both individuals and organisations seeking to strengthen their leadership capability.

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Time to fathom the depths

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Time to fathom the depths

Is it just me, being one of the last of the baby-boomers?  Am I just out-dated at my age in this age?   Or, is anyone else worried by the lack of depth around the serious and important topics, projects, and themes in our work lives, and indeed in wider society?  Don’t we all need to spend more time to do things properly?

I have just watched on TV the crew of a high-speed RNLI lifeboat slow down to almost a stop to take depth soundings as they enter a narrow and dangerous cove.  Yes, their mission is urgent, but unless they stop to fathom the depth their urgent mission itself is in jeopardy.  This got me thinking: how little time is spent fathoming the depths of complex and challenging business changes before we speed ahead at full throttle.

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