Vision & Goal Setting

Sports  ·  Uncategorized
AKD Sport – Our story so far…

When I first met our CEO (Akin Thomas) at a Sport England conference held at Aston Villa Football Club, we exchanged pleasantries.  Well after a short lunch meeting with Akin we concluded with him proposing we could do some work in the future of which I was open to.  A couple of months after that I was contacted by a colleague regarding a tender and I went to Akin saying ‘I think together we could win this’.  We had a week to bring together our submission and I hoped that we could compete with all the other established organisations out there.  We won and the small team delivered a seminal piece of research that still reverberates across the UK sports and physical activity space, that piece of research and report was ‘Tell Your Story’, that was the birth of the Sports Division at AKD. 

In the past two years, we have conducted pioneering research within the sport sector including ‘Tell Your Story’ which looked at the stories of those within ethnically diverse communities and their experiences of accessing or involvement in sport, click here to read. Following this, we delivered 2 more pieces of research. We are also working with a host of national governing sport bodies, Sport Wales, UK Sports, Sport England and more. The growth has been swift but our range and impact is testament to all the people involved in AKD Sport Division.

Our mission is to be pioneers in sport by bringing insight, stimulating brilliance within the sector and giving original thought leadership to help make changes that benefit all. This gives all the opportunity to access the rich ecosystem of sport and physical activity.

Written by Ladi Ajayi, Head of Sport Division

Equally Yours  ·  Organisation Development  ·  Team building
Equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) is not a FAD!

“When I was a Police Officer I beat up a group of black boys during the riots in an unprovoked attack.” “He called me and told me he was touching himself whilst on the phone to me”. “I feel I have nPot progressed in the company because of my race not because of ability.”

These are some of the shocking revelations that are born out of our Equally Yours workshops, which focuses on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Shocking yes, but liberating for those who feel they have finally found a safe space to unearth some of their horrifying experiences without judgement.

A national newspaper recently tried to smear us by undermining the need for organisations to have Equality, Diversity and Inclusion workshops, they mocked what we do and even described it as “woke”, not sure what that means and we do not care to find out! What cannot be denied is in the past 10years the landscape of our communities has changed and inadvertently it is impacting organisations, with 8.3million more people living in Britain the population has become older and international. However little progress has been made in the workplace as in 2018 less than 1% of CEO’s in the Fortune 500 list were black and women made up less than 5% of the list. Within the workplace employees see and feel this bias with 35% of LGBTQ+ individuals feeling the need to hide their sexuality for fear of discrimination according to the Equality Group.

A solution to this is not just a tick box training, nor hyper-focus on equality training as this can have an adverse effect. It is taking a holistic approach to understanding the EDI spectrum and what it entails and having an appropriate learning programme (workshop) that is tailored to the organisations needs, this leads to greater impact on individuals and the organisation at large. Our popular workshop Equally Yours takes this approach, fostering an environment in which participants can learn about the Equality Act, scenario-based EDI training and practical tools given to help deal with an ever evolving EDI topic. What we add to the conversation is widening the lens by sharing lived experiences where possible and allowing participants to ask tough questions without fear of judgment, with the added bonus of playfulness.

Our work has greatly impacted over 150 organisations like the City of London Council who engaged us to provide Equally Yours workshops for their staff. Between 2021 and 2022 we ran the workshop again and saw a 35% increase in participants at the City of London Council. The reality is, this matters to staff and it should matter to organisations. A participant shares their experience of attending the Equally Yours workshop, “Really enjoyed learning…learnt how to respond, extremely insightful!”

As organisations take this leap into the EDI space it can be scary, some may even be criticised for desiring to educate and equip their staff on the subject of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. It is not good enough for organisations to have their eyes wide shut, the reality is this is a topic which needs to be addressed and addressed openly. We must not wait for another George Floyd, Child Q incident to happen before organisations act. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion should be at the forefront of each organisations agenda. This is why we stand apologetic and remain resolute in what we do. We will not apologise for supporting people and organisations to become more diverse and inclusive. If any national newspapers ever feel the need to have a session on how to become more diverse and inclusive, we are here ready to support.

Faith Anyanwu

Equally Yours  ·  Leadership  ·  Organisation Development
Coaching Advisory Panel

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Equally Yours  ·  Leadership  ·  Organisation Development
Making Basketball more inclusive and diverse: AKD Solutions and BWB

AKD and BWB making Basketball more inclusive and diverse.

We are really proud to announce our newest client, British Wheelchair Basketball.  We are working with them to explore how to make the sport even more diverse and inclusive.  

Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced and fast-growing sport that allows non-disabled and disabled people to compete together in its domestic leagues and competition. British Wheelchair Basketball is the governing body for wheelchair basketball in the United Kingdom. Currently there are 17,000 people playing the sport with the hope of growing it to 70,000.

The first thing on our agenda was to watch a match and see this exciting sport in action, we were not disappointed! Ladi, Nana and Akin watched East London Phoenix win their opening match against the Cardiff Met Archers, one of the first matches in the Women’s Professional League, the first disabled professional league in the UK.  It was brilliant game and we were privileged to be part of this historic event.  

“We are really pleased to be working with British Wheelchair Basketball.It is a great organisation who recognize the challenges in diversifying their sport and we value their honesty and transparency in tackling these issues. We are at AKD are looking forward to working together with BWB.”

We are looking forward to working alongside British Wheelchair Basketball as they set out to make basketball more inclusive. We will be sharing with you the great work we are doing so do follow us on this journey.

Make sure you check out the fixtures and get to a British Wheelchair Basketball match, we promise you will be amazed and inspired!

British Wheelchair Basketball we are super excited to be working with you.  Signup to our FREE Sports ACE Leadership taster workshop, this disruptive workshop is designed for sport Leaders, find our more here.‍

Download our racial diversity report #tellyourstory here.

We are always adding to our free leadership and management courses and demos, to spark brilliance by designing and delivering stimulating, challenging and fun learning experiences and training programs. Our ACE free online Leadership Workshops can be found here. Contact Us for a FREE demo on 0345 034 1105 or email info@akdsolutions.com

Equally Yours  ·  Leadership  ·  Organisation Development
This Year Has Taught Me…

This year taught me… that the work we do is making a difference.  I had to think carefully about this as I wanted to ensure it is taken in the right context.  It is not written from a sense of pride or arrogance but from humility.  

At the beginning of the year, we embarked on a company defining project, #TellYourStory. We were commissioned by UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Wales, Sport Northern and Sport Scotland to research Race and Racism in Sport. It was a deeply personal piece of work for all involved. The team were all passionate about sport and had all experienced racism in different guises.  We were upfront with the councils that it was more than a piece of research and they gave us permission to be ourselves and deliver this project in an authentic way.

We had the belief that we were the right people

This year taught me, just do it. On paper, we had fewer credentials and experience than our competitors. But there was a belief that was energetic and contagious, some in the team would say “hubris”!! But we had a belief that we were the right people to do it. So don’t doubt yourself. Leave that to others!    

325 people, from 38 sports across the UK participated. The participants were comprised of professionals and grassroots participants including; coaches, officials, parents and volunteers. Despite concerns and some hesitancy, they trusted us to share their stories and lived experiences.  

If you as a leader have no impact then you are taking up space

The quality of leadership on the project shown by Heather and Ladi was phenomenal. They were driven by purpose. If leadership has no impact then they are taking up space. But impact must be driven by purpose. I witnessed this in the whole team. They gave a voice to many people who had been silenced for years and some even decades. The process was traumatic for many who took part both participants and the team, but they pushed on.  

The team worked around the clock: interviewing, analysing, debating, editing and proofreading. They worked innumerable hours despite challenging personal circumstances. Why? We all understood how important this work was not just to the Sports Council and those who had taken part  but to potentially thousands of current and future participants of sport.  

#TellYourStory is a powerful report, that captures people’s stories as well as  their lived experience and then helps to shape the way forward. It has been amazing to experience such a positive response to the project. The creation of the ACE model of leadership is a watershed moment and to see different sporting bodies engaging with the model and working with us on how to use it to advance diversity and equality in their organisation is transformational.  

Be unapologetic about being who you are

This year has taught me to be unapologetic about being who we are and recognising that we have so much to offer the world. I didn’t learn but I was reminded that I have a brilliant team whose energy and commitment is hard to rival. This year has taught me that despite ups and downs, keep dreams alive because they do come true!

Read #TellYourStory research here

We are always adding to our free leadership and management courses and demos, to spark brilliance by designing and delivering stimulating, challenging and fun learning experiences and training programs. Our ACE free online Leadership Workshops can be found here. Contact Us for a FREE demo on 0345 034 1105 or email info@akdsolutions.com

Conflict Resolution  ·  Equally Yours  ·  Team building
Stop Racism in Sport: Why Intentional Cultural Shifts are the only way

Gratitude – a strong feeling of appreciation to someone or something for what the person has done to help you.

When we’re children, we’re taught to say thank you relentlessly, all of the time. As adults and in business, we probably don’t say it as much as we should. However, for 10 weeks last year, in a blue wave of gratitude, the nation came together every Thursday evening to show our appreciation of the NHS and all frontline workers. This is the latest of AKD Solutions claps for some of the fantastic organisations we work with.

Everywhere you go, there’s a Holiday Inn. It is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group and is one of the world’s largest hotel chains, so it clearly knows something about keeping guests happy.

Make our guests smile! That was a challenge Holiday Inn gave AKD Solutions as part of a European wide project. We were tasked with developing a learning programme themed around re-imagining hotels, how the space is used, the customer experience, etc. We were responsible for designing materials, which needed to resonate with millions of diverse guests from across Europe.

But let’s rewind first. We were actually latecomers to the project. When we were exhibiting at World of Learning at the NEC in Birmingham, Holiday Inn’s process of identifying a supplier was already underway. Fortuitously we met Liam Burditt and built up a great rapport. Subsequently, we were invited to join the bidding process for the project, and readers, we won!

It was an amazing opportunity. We were given free rein to be creative and try out new ideas, including designing a bespoke learning map and an app.

We would love to say that everything went smoothly. But as an organisation, we believe in transparency and in truth, there were some parts of the project we didn’t get right. And it is here that Holiday Inn stayed with us. Rather than walking away, they trusted us to turn things around. They maintained their faith in us, which enabled us to deliver.

That belief was really important and part of a vital learning experience for us as a company in terms of some of our systems, which are now far more robust. The fact that the client was gracious enough to work with us to turn it around was key. We thank you, Holiday Inn. 🙏🏽

We are always adding to our free leadership and management courses and demos, to spark brilliance by designing and delivering stimulating, challenging and fun learning experiences and training programs. Our ACE free online Leadership Workshops can be found here. Contact Us for a FREE demo on 0345 034 1105 or email info@akdsolutions.com

Conflict Resolution  ·  Equally Yours  ·  Organisation Development  ·  Team building
Akin’s Marathon journey

We’ve been working with London Marathon Events (LME) for around 18 months, and it’s one of the most engaging and rewarding partnerships.  

At AKD Solutions, we believe in developing deep relationships with our clients to understand what they do. So, our CEO, Akin Thomas, cheekily asked if he could come along on the day of the iconic race and get a sense of how things worked in the engine room. LME responded with a “yes,” but with a twist. “If you want to really understand, we’ll give you the unenviable role of being Hugh Brasher’s runner”.  

This didn’t mean that Akin would be running the marathon; he would be there to support Race Director Hugh, throughout the process. Akin was literally bouncing off the walls with excitement when he heard the news, whilst colleagues were praying for him.  

The day started in the pitch dark, at 5:30 AM, as Akin headed to the start line in Lewisham. Normally, the race is in April, so the ambience of those first hours was different from the usual experience.    

Akin worked with Hugh throughout the day, sometimes struggling to keep up as Hugh can walk quickly! Akin tried hard not to lose him, though once or twice Hugh managed to give him the slip! But it was an incredibly moving day, feeling the anticipation of thousands and thousands of runners and seeing the support of hundreds of thousands of people along the route.  

The complexity of the day cannot be overstated. What London Marathon Events do is truly incredible. The level of detail, the innumerable moving costs, the never-ending risks that are being managed. Enabling over 36,000 runners to take part in a COVID safe, mass participation event is truly mind blowing.  

The THREE things Akin took away from this are:  

1) The fact that a small core team can undertake such an iconic event is truly amazing. Very few organisations could successfully achieve what these guys do.  

2) The London Marathon unifies people in a very special way. Millions of people have a personal connection with the marathon, whether you ran, you donated, you supported or you benefited from the efforts of a partcipant.

3) Akin stood just behind the finish and watched people crawling, falling and limping across that line. What struck him was the pain that people are willing to endure for something they believe in. He said, “That will never leave me”.  

To the team at London Marathon Events, we salute and thank you for the privilege of enabling AKD Solutions to be part of the day. We know the plan is to make the marathon more diverse and a true reflection of London, and we look forward to partnering with you on this journey.

Photo by Akin Thomas

We are always adding to our free leadership and management courses and demos, to spark brilliance by designing and delivering stimulating, challenging and fun learning experiences and training programs. Our ACE free online Leadership Workshops can be found here. Contact Us for a FREE demo on 0345 034 1105 or email info@akdsolutions.com

Diversity and Inclusion  ·  Leadership
Can you do culture via Zoom?

Many people have returned to an office this week for the first time in 18 months, but for others their roles are now a hybrid mix, or they’re working permanently from the kitchen table.  

Across the pandemic it’s been amazing to see how people have demonstrated agility and developed new work patterns. We’ve seen managers and leaders step up and engage in innovative ways. One of our clients – a rail company was operating effectively from people’s homes. When you think about that, it’s mind boggling.

So, we’re all talking about the ‘new norm’. But can you do culture via zoom?

A lot of organisations struggle to create the desired values and behaviours when they are in communal spaces. So how much more difficult is it when teams are scattered and physically disconnected, operating from front rooms, kitchens and bedrooms?

People have started new jobs and have never physically met their manager or colleagues. We have witnessed some innovative ways of inducting people. But inductions give insights, they are not the full introduction to culture. They do not represent the lived experience of who we are and how we are, that gives that sense of belonging. We’ve got to exercise caution in thinking that the new norm is inevitably working from home, making innumerable Zoom calls.  

We don’t deny a new norm, we love the challenge of new. But if you want to maintain your uniqueness, you are going to have to be far more intentional about really understanding what your organisational culture is. How does it translate in a virtual world, how do we adapt without losing our essence?

The workplace has been redefined. The idea of commuting to a central location is no longer an expectation. But even working from home can test your tolerance. It can be a lonely, isolated space. We envisage an increase in local hubs for people to connect, occupied by people from different working genres.  

There is something enriching and exciting knowing that you can share a space with a creative, a developer, a social worker and a Head of HR for a global brand, that you’re together under one roof.  

We believe these experiences can bring a richness of sharing, connectivity and creativity. But such associations only enrich if everyone can bring their cultural nuances to the party.

Culture requires connectivity; the question is can you do it via Zoom?  

The construct of organisations is going to bear heavily on their culture. In his book The Second Curve: Thoughts on Reinventing Society, Charles Handy talks of the contractual organisation, where fewer people are directly employed, but instead contract their services. The benefits for the organisation are reduced overheads and greater agility. But the downside is there will be no sense of community in a contractual organisation, core values are very hard to embed and what incentive is there for loyalty.

Another important factor is understanding the characteristics of your organisation’s culture. The Harvard Business Review published The Leader’s Guide to Corporate Culture, by Boris Groysberg, Jeremiah Lee, Jesse Price and J. Yo-Jud Cheng. They found that eight characteristics emerge when they mapped cultures along two dimensions: how people interact (independence to interdependence) and their response to change (flexibility to stability).  

• Caring focuses on relationships and mutual trust

• Purpose is exemplified by idealism and altruism  

• Learning is characterised by exploration, expansiveness, and creativity

• Enjoyment is expressed through fun and excitement  

• Results are characterised by achievement and winning

• Authority is defined by strength, decisiveness, and boldness  

• Safety is defined by planning, caution, and preparedness

• Order is focused on respect, structure, and shared norms

We shouldn’t see any one of these as better than another. Note some individuals will be find it easier to adjust (learning, caring, purpose) than others (authority, order).  

It means some organisations need to be more intentional than others. For those where more thought is required, external help will be needed, because the skills, competency and mindsets will not sit naturally within the leadership pool.  

Photo by Compare Fibre on Unsplash

We are always adding to our free leadership and management courses and demos, to spark brilliance by designing and delivering stimulating, challenging and fun learning experiences and training programs. Our ACE free online Leadership Workshops can be found here. Contact Us for a FREE demo on 0345 034 1105 or email info@akdsolutions.com

Conflict Resolution  ·  Diversity and Inclusion  ·  Team building
Stop Complaining!

Gratitude – a strong feeling of appreciation to someone or something for what the person has done to help you.

We all hope we have significant relationships, and one of AKD Solutions is with Leeds City Council. Today we are giving a shout out to the organisation as a whole but to one person in particular. So, stand up Judith Kasolo.

We have worked with Judith for around 13 years. During this time, we have designed and delivered complaints training for the City Council, Adult Social Care, and the independent sector.

We have a fantastic partnership with Leeds City Council, which, in our opinion, have one of the best approaches to complaints in their sector. Their approach to complaints is extraordinary because they have been real pioneers. They have worked with their partners in the NHS, creating joint information and a “one door” approach that makes it easier for people to complain.

The fact that they extend the training to their suppliers from the independent sector is also unique. Leeds City Council invests in training in a way we have not seen in any other organisation.  But above all they have the most amazing mindset, which is infectious.

We have been doing a whole series of complaints based training, working with senior management and frontline staff. It is a great, long term, ongoing relationship. Leeds City Council’s commitment to the work and our partnership has been brilliant.

Alongside Judith, Sarah, Tina, and Dominic have been highly and consistently supportive. AKD Solutions relishes working with such a great bunch of people.

We are always adding to our free leadership and management courses and demos, to spark brilliance by designing and delivering stimulating, challenging and fun learning experiences and training programs. Our ACE free online Leadership Workshops can be found here. Contact Us for a FREE demo on 0345 034 1105 or email info@akdsolutions.com

Equally Yours  ·  Leadership
Building a Better Society

It’s the third-largest building society in the UK and in August celebrates its 157th birthday. Despite its age and reputation, Yorkshire Building Society has never rested on its laurels. It knows that to stay relevant and retain and grow its market share it has to be a proactive and forward thinking organisation. And since 2020 AKD Solutions has had the pleasure of working with this northern powerhouse.

After George Floyd’s murder, the company held up a mirror and realised there was an urgent need for it to improve, specifically around diversity and inclusion. Its headquarters are in Bradford, one of the UK’s most ethnically diverse cities, but this was not fully reflected in its employee base or corporate culture.

We were brought in to share our expertise. We are really enjoying working with Yorkshire Building Society’s Executive and Senior Leadership teams, who’ve embraced the bespoke learning experiences that we’ve developed.

We want to acknowledge Jane Croutha, Amy Ficil and Tracy Newton whose passion and drive to make positive long term changes at Yorkshire Building Society has been phenomenal.

Combined, they emphasised preparedness and detail, but they also welcomed the AKD stretch into new ways of thinking. They fully leaned in, and consequently, we’ve been able to do some brilliant work with the teams around diversity and inclusion.

Yorkshire Building Society colleagues have taken on board new ideas and experiences, had honest and open conversations and have spoken about the profound impact these have had on them. Colleagues understand how they can use these learning experiences to change themselves professionally, as individuals and organisationally.

It’s been an open and transparent relationship which, like the county’s other major domestic export, Yorkshire tea, is just refreshing.

We are always adding to our free leadership and management courses and demos, to spark brilliance by designing and delivering stimulating, challenging and fun learning experiences and training programs. Our ACE free online Leadership Workshops can be found here. Contact Us for a FREE demo on 0345 034 1105 or email info@akdsolutions.com

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