SFHA Annual Conference Speaker Interview: Ian Rothwell

Posted Tuesday 10th May by Admin User

Ahead of our Annual Conference, taking place on 14 and 15 June at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow, we asked our speakers  what they'll be discussing during their session and simple actions we can take to make a difference in our organisations. Ian Rothwell, Managing Director at RW Learning shared his thoughts with us. 

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What are you discussing at the conference and why is this an important issue? 

I’ll be discussing the increasing need to build resilient organisations by improving personal resilience, that will in turn boost resilience in communities. The sector is under increasing pressure to build, to retro fit and to deal with poverty whilst now facing the cost of living crisis imminent in communities.  Never has there been a time to put resilience on the map and build strategies to equip people in the sector to have sustainable healthy workplaces and be able to cope with setbacks.

What does a resilient organisation look like to you? 

A resilient organisation is one where it is agile enough to respond to unforeseen challenges and bounce back, while at the same time being robust and able to bounce forward and learn from mistakes so as to build proactive strategies for the future. It’s where resilience is taken seriously and part of the organisation’s strategy as well as its learning programmes. Lastly, successful organisations do exceptionally well as developing their leaders and managers to create resilient cultures and demonstrate resilient leadership.  

Has the pandemic changed our working practices forever? 

Yes, and now it’s starting to change it for the better now we have readjusted and not in ‘panic mode’.  Some of our new working practices have meant we can take more control of our day (yet we might not always see this). This can result in creating more breaks in the day, more concentration, more focus and more sustainable energy as we navigate through the day. But, this can take time and commitment to build, but it will certainly increase resilience levels!

What simple actions can organisations take to make a difference to staff wellbeing?  

First step – put it in your strategy and socialise it with the Board. Involve the Board with the strategic development regarding building a resilient organisation. Don’t just make it an initiative, make it part of your objectives, educate leaders and managers, find great examples or resilience in the organisation and show it off. Build development programmes across all levels, but let the business own the interventions, not the consultants.

SFHA Annual Conference

14 and 15 June 2022, Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow

Ian will be speaking during the 'How to build resilience in your organisation' workshop on Wednesday 15 June.

Click here to book