"There are so many things that I learned and have taken away from this program that it is difficult to list them and do it justice!..."

Kerry Edwards | Senior Accredited IT Specialist, IBM | United Kingdom

Some of the highlights include the philosophy behind "bringing the future to the present," knowing what you want to achieve and mapping your route to get there now; that negotiating really is about win:win, that with effort and communication both sides can walk away with a smile; that coaching is not about suggesting answers, it is about asking questions and listening hard, helping to guide your protégé to their own conclusions.

Alongside the clear business sessions, including finance and strategy, there were also simple tips and enablers such as QTIP - Quit Taking It Personally - as well as plenty of chances to gain insights from many leaders. While I felt the entire content of the course would be equally suited to male and female professionals, having this opportunity to spend several days in an all female working environment was an unexpected pleasure.

The subject of the "Impostor Syndrome" whereby minority groups often experience self-doubt was something of a revelation to me. I really did start to wonder why the balance between the numbers of men and women particularly in leadership positions in our companies is so askew. This experience has both acted as an enabler for me in that it has provided access to a new set of skills that are easily transferable to the work place, and has left me with a personal commitment to understand our diversity challenges and help to redress the balance.