Day in the Life – Sam Jordan

Our Day in the life series gives you a peak behind the curtains of Leadership Trust. In today’s blog post, we are thrilled to follow Sam Jordan, our Open Programmes Coordinator as she works from home in the Herefordshire countryside.

My day starts with the familiar sounds of my 14 year old Staffie called Paddy, kindly yawning loudly at around 05:45, followed by a good shake and what I can only describe as, a half bark, to ensure I’m awake.  This is closely followed by the alarm at 6.  There is nothing I like more than a good brisk walk early in morning to blow the cobwebs away and gather my thoughts.  I have to say that as I do love my very demanding and totally spoilt dog!  I then sit and have breakfast and a much-needed coffee with my husband, Paddy of course has already had his breakfast.  After I have waved my husband off on his day, I pat the dog and get ready for the day ahead.

08:30

I settle at my desk to check my emails for any that require an immediate response.  I answer queries which may come from colleagues, client contacts regarding their bookings or from delegates due to attend a course.  Today l will be arranging coaching appoints for delegates as part of the Coaching Skills for Leaders online course.  I’ll be checking the progress of a leadership audit and sending reminders to participants. I have a wide variety of requests to respond to, colleagues requiring an update on course numbers, current client bookings or updates on provisional bookings.  I have been contacted by two former delegates asking for replacement course attendance certificates, which we are happy to provide.

Interestingly, we often receive calls from past delegates who are now in a position to send their employees on the Leadership in Management course.  It’s really nice to speak to them and have them tell me about their own experience which has stayed with them throughout their career. I have to admit, I do love speaking to people on the phone, that’s the customer service person in me.

12:00

I nip home for a lunch break and take Paddy for a short walk.  He makes me laugh as I am greeted at the door with excitement, although I think it’s more about the food goodies he is about to get rather than seeing me.

12:30

Back at my desk ready for our department meeting, at present, done via Microsoft Teams.  We have a round-up of what we are currently working on and anything we need some assistance with.  We discuss upcoming courses and actions that need to be taken in preparation.  After the meeting it’s back to process some bookings confirmed by client contacts, liaise with the finance office to raise the invoices.  The joining information is then sent to the delegates in preparation for the course.

 

Course management in the PM

Our courses are currently online; which is something alien to a lot of organisations I imagine.  Although challenging at times it’s been interesting to learn new ways of working.  I have discovered it’s been good for me to get out of my comfort zone; it’s the only way to learn new skills and keep your job interesting. I’ve learnt so much from my colleagues and also from members of our faculty. It feels like a lot has been accomplished in a short space of time. I think why I love my job so much is because of the fact that what we do at the Leadership Trust impacts on people’s lives in such a huge positive way. The bonus is I get to be part of that and hear about it first hand from some the delegates.

Our Leadership in Management is our flagship course. For those attending it can cause some fear or apprehension of the unknown.  Part of my responsibility is to ensure the delegates are fully prepared for the residential. Sometimes it’s not just about practical preparations; it can often mean reassuring them that they don’t have to be physically fit to attend.  The reference to “activities” tend to give people the thought that you need to be an athlete. Of course, they don’t; the course is so much more than just the activities.  I do get to meet the delegates on the Monday morning of the course. That is my favourite part of my job, putting faces to names.  They start off a little nervous but an hour into day one and the nerves are gone and they are soon fully immersed.

5pm

I round off my day by ensuring I have responded to emails and provided our clients with the information they needed.  I prepare my notes for the morning and end my day at around 5pm.

After work I walk Paddy, taking in the peaceful surroundings of the Herefordshire countryside.  Outside of work I like to spend time in the garden, which is pretty much a blank canvas. We only moved to our current home 18 months ago.  Me and hubby love to go walking and just being in each other’s company. Sadly we can’t always take Paddy as his old legs won’t carry him far. We enjoy being close to nature it’s important to us and great for the sole.  We used to both ride motorcycles which I miss immensely, so for now, I am going back to horse riding.  It’s been 20 years since I was on horse; this will be painful…

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