Jumping into January

Written by Kim Cordell  |  Product Development Administrator, European Medical Journal  |  @EMJ_Kim

At the beginning of 2018, millions of people around the world resolved to change themselves for the better as soon as the clock struck midnight on the 31^st December 2017, and so we feel it would be wrong if we didn’t hop on the ‘New Year, New You’ bandwagon!

We get it. You start the year raring to go, with multiple resolutions for how you plan to change yourself for the better, but, as time passes, your motivation dwindles and your resolution inevitably stops being a passionate idea and instead becomes a discarded thought in a dusty corner of your mind, usually around mid-January. Here at EMJ, that is not the case; we’ve got a team of gold-medal winners who are keen and eager to get going and conquer the year ahead.

December marked the final session of EMJ’s inaugural Future Leaders course, run by Fluid Business Coaching’s Andy Sleet, so keep reading if you want to see the team’s words of wisdom on the sessions, which took place over 6 months, and what we think it takes to make sure your goal is achieved.

Confidence: I think I speak on behalf of all members of the Future Leaders course when I say that one of the biggest takeaways from the sessions was the sense of empowerment we found. Sessions were spent discussing more topics than I can list here, and how these ideas could be turned into reality, leaving us itching to get back in the office and make things happen. Mark Wilkes, Editorial Assistant, remarked: “I felt like my ideas now had an outlet and were being listened to, leading to a virtuous spiral of motivation and idea generation.” Sadia Rob, Executive Assistant, supported this by saying: “Future Leaders gave me the confidence to turn my ideas into reality.”

Communication: With the EMJ team split between two offices in Chelmsford, Essex, and London, the Future Leaders course offered a great opportunity for the seven team members to build a strong rapport. Coming together once a month from across different departments to idea generate and bounce ideas across the team offered new perspectives on various subjects discussed in the sessions; everyone brought something unique to the table and this helped strengthen the working relationship between teams. Jess Redfern, Publishing Assistant, remarked: “The network between the cohort has flourished over the past 6 months, and I feel like I have gained a whole new team full of wonderful and inspiring people.”

Personal Development: Millie McGowan, Project Manager explained that the Future Leaders course was a demonstration of “the investment EMJ have made in our development.” After all, what’s the point in building a team, if you’re not always pushing them to be the best individuals they can be, and therefore building the best company you can?  Katie Earl, Editorial Assistant stated: “The Future Leaders course has been invaluable in my personal development, taking me from being quite shy to someone who feels empowered to make positive changes in the organisation. I can’t wait to see how everything we’ve learnt will come into practice and continue to make EMJ such a great place to work.”

So, if you’re looking to make 2018 your year, we say go for it. Follow in the footsteps of our Future Leaders and begin your journey towards reaching your goal: you never know where it will lead you. As Dr Seuss once said: “You’ll never get bored when you try something new. There’s really no limit to what you can do.”¹

References

1. Metro. New year quotes, messages and greetings perfect for NYE 2016. 2016. Available at: http://metro.co.uk/2016/12/30/new-year-quotes-messages-and-greetings-perfect-for-nye-2016-6351864/. Last accessed: 5 January 2018.