Teresa Dukes of Dukes Consultancy shows students how to deal with 'life at the top'
Moving from an educational environment into the unforgiving world of work is not for the feint-hearted. Dealing with and leading other people is often the hardest part of professional life. University students at Cranfield School of Management got a point in the right direction this week when Teresa Dukes, founder of Dukes Consultancy, presented a workshop on effective leadership.
Whilst most schools and colleges have packed up for summer, one group of students at Cranfield University near Milton Keynes assembled for a final lesson at their end of course conference. The 2-day event gave students a chance to showcase their learning and take in a few final tips from prestigious guest speakers before they enter the workplace. Teresa presented alongside speakers from Adnams Brewery, Siemens and the Royal Marines also presented to the students.
Teresa drew on her 16 years of public speaking and leadership experience to walk the students through key elements of successful leadership including how to be more approachable, how to inspire people to get on board by being that Servant Leader and the importance of patience.
Quote from student Matt Wilkinson - 'Our MBA course taught us about different types of leaders. Teresa helped us realize that we as leaders will have different styles in which we communicate. She touched on 4 styles associating them with a Compass : North the Go-getter; South the Nurturer; East the Visionary; West the Analyst. Simplistically, we as leaders will need to be able to communicate with all four styles. I will definitely take this away and use it to gauge how I approach and engage with people in the future. It was a brilliant way to end my MBA course.'
Teresa has just completed a year's term as the UK and Ireland District Governor for Toastmasters International. Her leadership saw the district grow by 22 clubs and to be ranked 6th in the world out of 82 districts. Production increased by 25% - the largest increase in 16 years. She will attend the annual Toastmasters conference in Las Vegas later this month to collect the District's trophy for this amazing achievement.
Teresa said 'It is so important to invest in our young professionals and give them the tools they need to be successful and take this country forward. I was thrilled to work with the Cranfield students and pass on some of what I have learnt so that their career path can be a smooth one'.