“SINCERITY is the key to success. Once you can fake that you’ve got it made.”
Credited to Groucho Marx, the quote above raises a smile.
I’ve always thought that away from the world of showbiz, in the real business world you’ll always get found out if you fake it.
But if you really are authentic, honest and empathetic, then, combined with talent, you’ll be a success.
Someone who truly fits that bill is Carla Stockton-Jones.
Once a director at Sky, she was the first woman to run a UK public transport business when she became managing director at Stagecoach and this year joined fast-growing domestic energy services business Hometree.
When Carla was asked to speak to a UK Israel Business breakfast event last week, organisers Jane Clynes and Colin Glass asked me if I would compere it.
Not a difficult decision given Carla’s inspiring story and positive outlook on life and business made my job interviewing her very easy.
The event in Leeds was introduced by Jane Clynes, sponsored by furniture business Shackletons, whose CEO is Donna Bellingham and featured Carla as the guest speaker.
I opened with an apology.
The audience were presented with three dynamic women and me, an undynamic man.
During our conversation Carla talked about the power of connections and value in having an open mind to meet new people and think differently.
She reflected on the valuable guidance she gained from her friends and contacts and kindly credited me with giving her advice before she got her current role with Hometree.
She talked about her three focus points being husband, children and work. If one of those is out of balance she makes sure she deals with it.
Carla briefly talked about her strong Christian faith but she is no preacher.
I brought up the fact that when she was at school her ambition was to become a nun.
She nodded with a smile.
“Yes I did! All my friends had posters of Nik Kershaw and Duran Duran on their walls, I had pictures of The Holy Mother!
“But I realised from talking to Colin Glass today it is a good thing I didn’t become a nun because he bought the convent I would have joined!”
Colin Glass buying a convent?
Well he is a big fan of The Sound of Music.
Although for Colin it’s not so much Climb Every Mountain as twice round Golden Acre Park lake ‘net walking’.
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AFTER a successful event and some generous credit from Carla for giving good advice, you’d have thought I’d have been on a high.
Sadly I was left distinctly feeling like I was going down in the world.
During the Q&A with Carla my stool started dropping, leaving me about a foot lower looking up at her.
It brought to mind that Morecambe & Wise sketch with Roy Castle where they are sitting on stools singing ‘Side by Side’ with Eric’s stool going up and down during the song.
And then in the group photograph at the end of the event I sensed some movement from the chap next to me.
Each time the very engaging photographer David Cole prepared to take a photo, this bloke stretched up on his toes so he towered above me.
Now I’m not the tallest fella in the world but I thought it was a bit much.
When it comes to these situations, I’m of the Eric Morecambe school of thought.
As he and Ernie helped Penelope Keith hitch up her dress and clamber down a half-finished staircase on their Christmas show, he looked at the camera, raised his glasses and said: “Dignity at all times.”
THERE aren’t many major business events in Leeds that I haven’t been to over the years.
But until last week Crypt Factor was one of them.
The event, which raises big bucks for the St George’s Crypt homeless charity and the Yorkshire Property Charitable Trust, is an ‘X Factor’ style singing contest featuring members of the city’s commercial property community.
I always thought it was an opportunity for the movers and shakers in the property world to schmooze, booze and indulge in a spot of karaoke.
So despite my table hosts Ann Seddon of Ayre Event Solutions, the AV supplier we use for our events, and Lisa Turton of the Leeds first direct arena, assuring me it was going to be a great evening, I sat in a taxi on the way to the event at Elland Road not feeling a great deal of pent up excitement and anticipation.
How wrong I was.
The event was slick, fun, loud and attracted almost 1,000 people to the Centenary Pavilion to hear eight acts who all gave excellent and energetic performances.
Even the three judges, Craig Burrow from Town Centre Securities, Dawn Allen of Pinsent Masons and Garry Howes from GV&Co performed songs too.
I can’t remember the song Garry did, but his hair and teeth did put me in mind of the Bee Gees.
Reflecting on why I had never been to Crypt Factor, despite it running for 16 years, I realised that my former colleague at TheBusinessDesk.com, Ian Briggs, had always told me it was the kind of event I wouldn’t enjoy and he’d volunteer to go instead.
In fact Briggo, who has now embraced a beard and knitwear and does PR, ended up performing in a “boy band” in Crypt Factor.
I’m not sure whether he revealed his infamous “wolf” tattoo during the performance.
Probably not, as most people who’ve seen it mistook it for a border collie.
Given the involvement of Ayre Event Solutions, the production was top quality and the show was great fun.
It was won by Andy Dabbs from Whittam Cox Architects with a great rendition of Piano Man by Billy Joel – playing both the guitar and harmonica.
But it could have easily been several of the other acts such as Helen Walker singing Someone Like You by Adele.
She was accompanied on guitar by her colleague from architecture firm Bowman Riley, Colin Briggs.
Wearing a baseball cap and bright patterned bomber jacket, he put me in mind of a young Timmy Mallett.
The sell-out event saw Crypt Factor reach the milestone of raising more than £1m for charity since it was launched by Yorkshire property “legends” Richard Lewis, Paula Dillon and Jonathan Morgan.
It was great to catch up with Richard and Paula and see talented photographer Simon Dewhirst, capturing images of the event for posterity.
The total raised was boosted by Lisa Turton from first direct arena donating a box for 16 people for a range of performances at the venue.
It was auctioned by James Pank from Auction House and sold for £6,000 to my fellow table guest Dave Jones from Reward Finance Group.
Given Dave has held debenture seats at the arena since it first opened, it was particularly charitable of him.
And even more generous, kind and thoughtful if the big man invites me to join him in the box.
IF those close advisers to the prime minister who reportedly placed bets on the election date had put as much time into studying the weather forecast as they did perusing gambling odds then perhaps their boss wouldn’t have ended up like a drowned rat in Downing Street when he announced the election.
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AS I stood chatting to guests at a charity event the other day the arrival of a fellow guest suggested things could go south rapidly, well certainly for me.
Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan approached me with a fixed grin, which I thought was positive until he raised his fist as he got closer.
As he got within punching distance he dropped his fist, put his arms out and exclaimed: “Come on, give me a hug!”
Now I’m not that comfortable with public displays of affection at the best of times (ask my wife), but when the man that runs the fourth biggest city in the UK wants a cuddle, you can’t really say no.
Particularly when the last thing I wrote about him wasn’t very complimentary.
After an awkward hug I told Tom that what I wrote about him wasn’t personal.
“It was just that when you announced you were leaving your role the reaction was more like you had died or retired, I just provided a bit of balance to all that,” I explained.
He smiled, said he understood and has even been sending my blog out to his contacts.
If he has then I notice that none of them have so far signed up to a paid subscription.
Tom’s cheque must be in the post too.
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TOM Riordan and I were both at a reception to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of pioneering Leeds-based charity Ahead Partnership.
It was founded by former lawyer Stephanie Burras and in the last two decades has supported more than 600,000 young people across the UK and connected with over 20,500 business volunteers to inspire and empower the next generation.
It was established in 2004 to tackle social disadvantage and connect young people to opportunity by working with employers to help young people overcome barriers and achieve their full potential.
Steph Burras was a lawyer at Pinsent Masons when she left to launch the charity.
I remember we covered the story at the Yorkshire Post at the time and, then, it was pretty unusual for a successful business person to take that kind of leap from their career into the charity and voluntary sector.
I bumped into Steph a few weeks in the lobby of One Park Row, where I’m in the Gilbanks offices and Ahead Partnership has its head office on the ground floor, generously provided by her old employer Pinsent Masons, based in the upper floors of the building.
She kindly invited me to the 20th anniversary celebration, saying I was one of those who had been there at the start of her journey.
It is one which has seen so many young people, particularly those who haven’t had the best start in life, given incredible support and introduced to opportunities and experiences that have certainly widened their horizons in terms of careers and life.
Steph has been recognised with a CBE for her work and from her speech at the event at Opera North’s impressive Howard Assembly Room in Leeds, I can see her ambition to achieve much more with Ahead Partnership remains undimmed after 20 years.
Tom Riordan also gave a very uplifting, supportive and positive speech (you see Tom, I’m not always a bitch).
He highlighted the collaboration and support within Leeds that had helped many businesses and organisations like Ahead Partnership thrive over the years.
Tom said that the photograph of the late rugby league legend Rob Burrow being carried over the finish line of the Leeds Marathon last year by his great friend and former team-mate and captain Kevin Sinfield was now an iconic image associated with the city.
He said that the city had often considered whether it should have a motto or slogan.
But with Rob’s recent passing, his famous quote had provided it:
“In a world full of adversity we must still dare to dream.”
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ONE of the guests I chatted to at the Ahead Partnership event was Rachael Unsworth, an “urban geographer” who has been a lecturer at the University of Leeds and has written books about the development of the city.
Rachael told me that she now organises walking tours of the city showcasing its history, culture and architecture.
I asked her whether she does a pub crawl walking tour.
She said no, but she has devised a very interesting tour of Leeds that explores the development of the temperance movement in the city.
I said it sounded very interesting and I would check my diary to see when I’m free to join such a tour.
Have a great weekend.