Leeds to NYC

In 2016, during my final year at The University of Leeds, I was presented with an opportunity to be part of a leadership programme. The programme consisted of two days in Leeds and 6 days in New York. Yep, you heard right, a trip to New York. I had visited the incredible city once before for my 21st birthday, and as the cliches say, I fell in love with Manhattan. All I had to do was create a 2 minute video answering three questions. That in itself is enough to put you off, trust me I understand, but nothing worth having comes easy. I had the help of my two housemates to make the video creative, despite them laughing at me throughout the whole thing. The University received over 300 applications, and I was incredibly proud to be one of the 17 selected to be part of the programme.

The University partnered up with a company called Common Purpose, a global organisation that develops leadership skills in companies and academic institutes across the globe. Smart Cities was the focal point of the programme (you can find out more about Smart Cities in the link at the end of this article) and this looked at challenges to become one. Our research and meetings with different businesses highlighted key themes, such as transport, healthcare, poverty and inequality. These findings led us to deliver a pitch to business leaders of Leeds and New York, where we planned solutions to tackle Smart City challenges. All very overwhelming.

However, the university did not run this programme in aim of tackling the smart city challenge. The two main areas of development for students were;

leadership

&

cultural intelligence.

During our time in New York, we had to think about the kind of leader we are, whether we lead from the front or the back, and we constantly reflected on how we can improve or take a different role in the group.

Here’s my three key takeouts from the programme:

1. Team work makes the dream work

We were all completely different, and this was on purpose. Students on the programme were chosen from almost every school in the university, ranging from business, to food technology, to english literature. Every one of us had a different skill set. Little did we know, this was because having a variation of skills, knowledge and experience makes a team strong and efficient, and this was reiterated by every single leader, entrepreneur or businessperson. Build a team of people who have skills that you do not.

2. Be a leader, not a manager

Sometimes the biggest act self-fulfilment comes from not achieving something yourself, but helping others achieve something instead. Being a manager is about getting people to do things, being a leader is about making people want to do things for you, and do them well. A leader makes a person grow and flourish.

3. Keep an open mind

Being aware of others around you is critical. We all have different opinions, different viewpoints and different beliefs. If we analyse people, we are being intelligent and inquisitive, if we judge people, we are fools. I learnt in New York that you can’t judge somebody because they are different to you, and actually, it is so incredibly interesting listening to others and accepting them for who they are.

Charlie Farlie x

What makes a city smart? - http://commonpurpose.org/knowledge-hub/all-articles/smart-cities-cities-as-magnets/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh6kElZL_ug