What do we ask of the people around us, specifically, the people we work with? I’m going to make an assumption we can broadly agree that the answer lies along these lines: friendship, generosity of spirit and professionalism. It was all there on 11 November in the Great Room at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, with some 1,400 people congregating for the ACT Annual Dinner. The ACT wisely times its dinner well ahead of the full season of Christmas festivities, which means it can sidestep diary clashes and count on a full house. Members return the favour and bring a proper level of commitment to the business of meeting friends and contacts over fine wines and good food. Since this event might be said to mark the start of the season for thoughtful touches, the ACT arranged for Deborah Meaden and Karren Brady to speak. Meaden gave an impassioned presentation on the importance and continuing need for microfinance, the small loans and business education that MicroLoan Foundation, the ACT’s chosen charity, provides to women across Africa. It’s a testament to her effectiveness in delivering that message and the collective generosity within the Great Room that the silent auction and collection that night raised a record amount. Brady was there to, well, unlock the secrets of business success. And if that sounds like a task too grand in scale for an after-dinner speech, I am here to tell you that she managed it. After an honest and really quite personal account of her early career, she set out the qualities that add up to operating effectively in business. They broadly boiled down to persistence, grit and ambition. Standing up for yourself and adapting to your situation featured heavily in her story, as did teaching others to genuinely understand the importance of the team. Players at West Ham United FC have no one to perform for if the ticket sellers don’t sell – and the ticket sellers don’t have a job unless there are players people want to watch. For me, the real takeaway was authenticity. Certainly, there will have been moments she bluffed her way through; she recounted some. But largely, this is someone who has stood by her position and used her judgement. (For more on the annual dinner, please see page 8.) As 2016 approaches, and with uncertainties and political tensions mounting, we should perhaps look to the qualities we share and encourage. Friendship, generosity and professionalism seem like a decent start.
