A Lawless Take on Brexit
We welcomed the return of renowned keynote and Britain’s deepest free-diver, Jim Lawless. Is your business ready for ‘disruption’?
Over 100 Cornish business owners and decision makers attended the event which also included the latest Brexit insights from Katie Cavell, Cornwall Representative in Brussels, and thought provoking films on managing disruption, from local business leaders.
Jim’s practical and energetic delivery of his tried and tested tools to help people understand, navigate and achieve their goals, was well received by the room – even when they were encouraged to mimic jockey riding!
Businesses left with the resounding message to act boldly, plan ahead and look for the opportunities, in order to give themselves the best possible chance at navigating disruption in the coming years.
Speaking about the event Jim said;
My contribution was to encourage businesses to reflect on how they prepare for change by asking them to reflect and recognise whether they ‘brace, brace, brace’ and wait for change when disruption is upon us or do they ‘take back control’!
More unusually for a business event, Jim focused his attentions in the room to a more personal and human-cognitive theme, encouraging attendees to consider how they understand their own systems and emotions in times of change.
He continues;
There was a wonderful spirit and hunger in the room to see Brexit as a time for opportunity, innovation and creativity.
Anja Jones, MD of translation agency AJT who attended the event, said;
Change is coming, we just don’t know what it will look like yet. I came away from the event with some very practical tips which we can immediately apply to our own disruption and Brexit planning, as well as advising our business clients trading with the EU. My 5 key takeaways for exporters and importers are: get an EORI number; calculate the potential tariffs for your products; talk to your EU customers and suppliers; make provisions for increased costs and speak to your staff about potential changes ahead.
The room also heard from Catherine Mead of Lynher Dairies, Toby Parkin of Headforwards and Michael Rabone of Rick Steins, as well as Katie Cavell from the Cornwall Brussels Office, who gave their own accounts of managing external disruption and more specifically how they are preparing for Brexit as a disruptor to their business.
Sally Read, from Flagship Management and a Lab facilitator for Unlocking Potential said;
Disruption is making us think about things that we probably should have already been doing anyway but it’s making us look for opportunities in a clearer light. This event has sparked businesses into thinking more proactively about their own planning for the future. The ongoing Lab’s run by Unlocking Potential will be perfectly placed to help businesses in their planning and change management.