Blog

by Alex Looney, APM Head of Learning and Development  
 

Strong leadership is essential for any thriving business. Great leaders make work a place people want to be – where they feel inspired, valued and capable of more than they imagined. Not-so-great leaders on the other hand can leave people feeling anxious and uncertain, undervalued and disheartened. 

 

At Ingeus, and across our wider APM group, change is constant. Teams adapt to new contracts, shifting priorities, and evolving business needs. That’s why building effective leadership at every level is so important –– and that’s where I come in.   

 

After two years as the Head of Learning and Development for Ingeus UK, I moved to take responsibility for our leadership development curriculum not just in the UK, but across our US, Australian and other APM Group companies. While people and places may change, I’ve come to learn two universal truths about leadership… 

 

First, leadership is never one-size-fits-all. We can draw inspiration from those we admire but simply copying another’s style won’t make us a great leader. Each of us has to find an approach that is authentic and effective in our own context. 

 

Second, leadership is a journey. I don’t believe anyone is born a ready-made leader, nor that a generic training course can transform someone overnight. Great leadership is learned through doing, reflecting, and finding what works when it comes to unlocking the potential of those around you. 

 

We’ve built these foundations firmly into the leadership curriculum at Ingeus, which originates from our APM Leader playbook. This outlines what we want leadership to look like at APM and is centred around our values and strategy. I’m an advocate of author Brene Brown’s concept ‘Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind’ – our playbook hinges on transparency and clarity, bringing good intent to the fore by listening and being curious.  

 

Our curriculum then brings these leadership concepts to life in a practical and experimental way. Containing learning interventions targeting First Line, Mid-level, Senior-Level and our Global Leader population, our curriculum throughout is customised to our challenges, with Ingeus real world situations and conversations. All leaders have the opportunity to attend a suitable learning programme, and our Executive leaders support from the top down, taking time to share their own experiences.     

Sarah and Shezan are at different stages of their leadership journeys and have kindly shared their direct experiences of the programme.    

 

Our programmes may be bespoke to Ingeus and good leadership practice certainly helps us professionally, but that doesn’t mean traits can’t be utilised more widely. The most rewarding part of designing and facilitating our leadership development solutions is when leaders not just find tangible techniques and adjustments to try at work but when it supports them personally. I’m really proud to get feedback of behaviours transforming teams and making leaders’ lives easier and more enjoyable. 

 

I truly believe that building leadership skills make us better people. That it’s OK not to be the smartest person in the room or to not know all the answers. That whilst great leadership starts with YOU, it isn’t actually about YOU. It’s about understanding others, putting the effort into knowing people and developing their strengths – and that in turn makes us better people.  

 

Alex’s go-to resources: