“Leadership and Learning are indispensable to each other” —John F Kennedy
As I moved from the role of Project Co-ordinator to Assistant Producer at 20 Stories High I knew this transition would require more responsibility and a step up in the skill of leadership therefore I jumped at the chance when Leanne approached me about completing Leadership Training with a theatre company called Slung Low.
Slung Low is an award-winning theatre company specialising in making epic productions in non-theatre spaces, often with large community performance companies at their heart. Similarly to 20 Stories High they also believe that access to culture is a fundamental part of a happy life and so through their amazing work they act towards representing, including and celebrating the full diversity of Leeds.
As part of their learning offer, Slung low has The Leadership Academy which is a 5 day residential course in North Yorkshire, exploring values based leadership through outdoor activity, visiting guests and adventure training.
In the weeks, days and even hours leading up to the trip a lot of what we would exactly be doing as part of the residential was a mystery. Looking back now I think the mysterious aspect to the residential is a good approach because if I’d known what I know now my excitement would have definitely been replaced with needless anxiety.
I would have felt anxious if I’d been aware of exactly how intense the activities would be and how much I would be stretched mentally and physically however the anxiety would have been needless because I knew I was safe and I felt completely supported by the brilliant Slung Low team as well as the other amazing participants, I became friends with throughout those 5 days.
OUR LITTLE GROUP:
Our little group included Janice from Asylum Theatre based in Ireland, James from Citrus Arts UK based in South Wales Valleys, John who amongst his many other talents is a stage manager in Brighton People’s Theatre and the similarly skilled and experienced Sue who is a community leader based in a church in Bromley By Bow, London.We were a diverse group of participants from different parts of the UK and connected to the arts in different ways. Although the types of work we do and the communities we serve are different, during our time together we found out that we have very similar values which is probably a big reason why we all got on so well and were able to support each other through the intense but mightily fun week so brilliantly.
As mentioned, a lot was kept under wraps and out of respect for the amazing Slung Low and their process I’ll try not to share too much in this blog but two things we did know about before arriving at the beautiful cosy farmland accommodation was that we’d be completing the BIG 5 at How Stean Gorge and learning about different types of leadership. What I wasn’t quite sure of though was how the two would relate to each other but by the end of the trip I had a much better understanding of this and who I am as a leader.
THE BIG 5:
I knew The Big 5 involved some element of risk as we had to sign a waiver beforehand and make sure we had certain safety kit on and as someone that would describe myself as a mini thrill seeker, I was really excited about it, but I didn’t realise the extent at which the activities would push me both mentally and physically.
The Big 5 activities includes: Canoeing, Caving, Gorge Walk (Ghyll Scrambling), Abseiling and Via Ferrata (High Ropes Course) however the gorge walking and Via Ferrata were definitely the two activities that were the most terrifying yet exhilarating for me and the ones I learnt the most from. During the gorge walk we were taught to step into the deepest parts and where the water was rushing because that would be the safest and easiest way up the gorge. Having to step into the unknown and deepest, scariest looking parts taught me that sometimes in life it’s best to take a risk and take the path that you may think is scariest or most difficult rather than taking what looks to be the easy path (the stones) as you may end up on slipping back down and you’ll have to use twice the amount of energy to get back where you could have been if you’d taken the perceived riskier more difficult route.
As the final activity of the day, we did the Via Ferrata (High Ropes Course) and alongside the big walk we did at the end of the week, these two activities are definitely the scariest, most difficult activities I’ve done in my life so far (and I’ve done bungee jumping before). From Via Ferrata and the big walk, I learnt to have more confidence in myself as I can do difficult things, that I work well under pressure and as part of a team, that failure or giving up wasn’t an option for me as well as what my coping mechanisms and strategies are. I now look forward to taking part in rock climbing classes and going on hikes to continue to build on the skills I learnt as part of this residential and this is because of how supported I felt by Morven and James from Slung Low and the other participants.
NAVIGATION SKILLS & GUEST SPEAKERS:
Alongside outdoor activities in the daytimes we also had crash courses lead by members of the Slung Low team learning how to read a map, use a compass, organise a kit list and verify locations using IOS locate (which I’d defo recommend downloading on your phone, absolute life saver ). It was a nice revisit of some skills I’d learnt during my geography days at school, but it also felt very good to learn a lot of new skills which would prove useful towards the end of the week when we did The Big Walk (Do the training to find out more ).
We were also blessed to have talks and receive advice from guest speakers over the 5 days including: Kully Thiarai and Nickie Miles- Wildin who shared their experiences as artistic directors and CEO’s and absolute leaders in many different areas of the arts. They graciously answered questions we had and gave us honest advice on the types of leaders we could become and what to expect in those types of roles. We also had a talk from Saad Eddine Said who is the Artistic Director and CEO of New Arts Exchange in Nottingham.
I really loved hearing about the work Saad and his team are doing and especially found the idea of creating a ‘citizen assembly’ very impactful and exciting. I think his commitment to re-thinking about the creative sector with a business eye whilst also being rooted in values and making the community we serve central to the decision making great.
I found it very thought provoking when Saad spoke about how the board members of companies may not be totally representative of the communities our organisations wish to serve as they usually consist of members who already have some sort of interest in the arts and have the time and financial freedom to be able to volunteer as a board member compared to creating a citizen assembly in which members are randomly selected and invited to join from a cross section of sectors in the community and are paid as core members of the organisation whom are central to the decision making of the organisation or company. I think having the capacity to be able to pay community members as integral parts of a creative organisation could be game changing.
I also found his ideas of how to change the culture of an organisation through changing structure, recruitment, collaboration and standing firm in your values as a leader really insightful.
As well as talks from guest speakers we also had leadership sessions lead by different members of the Slung Low team like Alan and Matt. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to create our own leadership code and some of my values as a leader include: Training others, Honesty, Encouragement, Vision, Adaptability, Consultation, and having Compassion. During the course we found out how helpful acronyms can be when it comes to leadership and after much deliberation I decided on the acronym ‘THEVACC’ with ‘ATECCTV’ as a close 2nd to represent my leadership code.
At the end of the trip we were also offered a variety of free books covering different types of leadership and I’m currently really enjoying reading the book ‘ The Club on the Edge of Town’ by Allan Lane.
In the evenings we’d go down to the renovated barn and all have a hearty, flavourful meal together prepared by the amazing Joanna as the fire cracked and popped behind us and Alan’s dog, Bolt squeezed himself around our legs and became a warm, fuzzy rug keeping people’s feet warm under the table.
I really look forward to taking all I’ve learnt from my time at Slung Low into my future practice from the outdoor activities, navigation skills, the guest speakers, leadership sessions and other participants. I know that my leadership style will be ever evolving as I progress in my career but what I’ve learnt from my time at Slung Low will be core in my practice as a producer, workshop facilitator, writer and actor. I would definitely recommend taking part in Slung Low residential training if you get the opportunity.
Photographer credit : James Phillips
