Louise McAward-White

Why did you apply to the Members Support Fund? 

I applied to the Members Support Fund after seeing a reminder on Twitter that it was available for MA members, and particularly that as an alumnus of one of the MA professional development programmes I could apply for professional development outside MA programmes.

How did you spend the money?

I spent my funding on attending the Resilience, Leadership and Me course, run by GEM. The course lasted 8 weeks in April and May 2021, and was built around sessions to reflect with others about leadership qualities and behaviours and how to use and implement them no matter where you are in your organisational hierarchy.

What did you learn?

During the course I was able to reflect on a lot of my own leadership practices and how to use them, especially as I started a new, more senior role during the course period. I learned a lot about how I see my own role both in my formal workplace and in the sector, particularly during periods of change. I was able to gain greater insight into leadership practices I have seen and think about how to advocate more effectively.

How have you applied your learning?

As I moved roles, I’ve been able to think about how to find my feet in my new position. I’ve also been able to implement some practices in my role as a trustee when thinking about change management. I have also taken the learning back to my team through a presentation about some of the key concepts.