KnowledgeBrief welcomed Dr. Cath Bishop to deliver an interactive remote webinar to our learners as part of our KnowledgeBrief guest speaker programme – Leaders in Action. Our apprenticeships include individual business executive coaching, remote teaching sessions, and networking opportunities across Leadership and Management Apprenticeships at L3, L5, and L7 and Coaching Professional at L5. The purpose of the guest speaker programme is to enhance our apprenticeship programme by inviting leading experts to provide real insight into the challenges, triumphs, and lessons of being a great leader.
Dr. Cath Bishop is the author of “The Long Win” and a female leader bringing a new and fresh narrative to the language of success. Cath offered our learners a unique and powerful talk on the way success is framed across sports, business, and education. A champion of breaking the ceiling within female sports, Cath encouraged our learners to define what success means and discussed the importance of a framework for success that impacts beyond the short-term win. Cath shared her unique framework built around the concepts of mindset, behaviours, and relationships emphasising the importance of clarity, constant learning, and connection.
Before the session, we invited our guest speaker, Dr. Cath Bishop, to discuss their work, inspirations, and message for the next generation of female leaders.
Which female leaders inspire you?
I don’t have a single role model and perhaps I think this is because there aren’t so many obvious examples to choose from. However, I don’t believe that there is ultimately never one single person that inspires you. I think you take something from the different people you meet and work with. When I was in sport, I met loads of individuals that inspired me. I have also worked with some good male leaders, and I’ve learnt from them, and they’ve been my allies. As a diplomat, I had some great female and male leaders, and they all gave me something. I’ve been able to create my own jigsaw of inspirational qualities from all the inspirational people I’ve met.
What inspired you to write The Long Win?
The book took many, many years to create and it came from my sense of realising that our definition of success often constrains us. I realised this firsthand from my time in sports. Winning medals is temporary and transient and often medals can make athletes feel very empty. This got me to think about a more meaningful version of success that creates lasting value and recognises human connection. I also found the same in education. There’s such an emphasis on certificates and grades but when I reflected on my school days, I found that the things that mattered and made the most impact in the workplace were perhaps never tested in school. It’s about how you connect with others, work in teams, and deal with difficult times. Then when I entered the business world, I found the same narrow definition of success - things like profit margins and quarterly sales results. However, in reality, people just wanted to have a meaningful job and know that their job contributes to something greater. I found that what people want is a sense of purpose that perhaps what they are doing makes the world a little bit better.
Ultimately, whether it be business, education, or sports, the way we define success is important. The way we define success impacts how we think, behave, and connect to others. It is so important to define success in a way that enables us to be at our best. We want to be able to grow in every possible way, not just in the way that ultimately constrains us.
What barriers have you had to overcome as a female leader?
I don’t like to think about barriers, but we have all had challenges along the way. I think the most difficult thing for me was being in a room and knowing you’re not being heard. There were times when I voiced things and I wasn’t listened to, but then when a male colleague said the same thing, they were heard. I found that hard to understand and accept. However, I also realised it can just be a reality and people don’t intend to make you feel that way.
I realised then I had to find other ways to make my voice heard. For example, I found male allies to amplify my voice and I sought connections before the meeting. However, ultimately, it all came back to the fact that in those moments you must be resilient.
What would be your advice for the next generation of female leaders?
My advice would be there is no one way to do something. Leaders must work out what their best version of themselves. I want people to find their path and be authentic. This is only achievable if we encourage the next generation to be open to learning and exploring what is possible. I think there is an ever-improved diverse picture of what modern-day leadership looks like but there is still a way to go. I would encourage the new generation to grab the fact that there are more opportunities and a broader sense of behaviours, expectations, and possibilities of leaders. However, they must also accept their responsibility to continue to broaden the diversity. Leadership isn’t just one style; leadership is being our best self. It’s helping others around us, supporting others to thrive, and making a positive impact on the world around us.
Dr. Cath Bishop draws on her career as an Olympic rower and conflict diplomat to support organisations to raise performance and transform cultures. In 2020, Cath published her first book “The Long Win” which challenges the often-narrow lens of what winning means and sets out a new way of thinking and reframing success across business, sport, and education. Cath’s expertise lies in building effective leaders through developing resilience and teamwork. Cath has a passionate interest in helping women to reach their leadership potential.
Louise Ward, Director of Operations at KnowledgeBrief, reflects on the session writing: “Through conversations with Cath, I was reminded of the importance of building connections and taking the time to consider what success means to me both as an individual and as a leader at KnowledgeBrief. We must strive to see our work as leaders through the human lens. A leader cannot always guarantee results, but we can strive to consistently deliver our best performance. Central to the message delivered by Cath, is the idea of constantly learning. By constantly learning we can make a positive impact on ourselves as leaders and on our teams. Resilience isn’t about being super tough during times of challenge, it’s about seeing what we can learn and how we can grow. Cath’s book “The Long Win” is a great example of how we can reframe our internal narrative of success and the impact this will have on our teams and organisations. I would recommend it as a text for all our learners to read.”
Cath’s book “The Long Win” can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Win-search-better-succeed/dp/1788601912
connect with Cath on LinkedIn to find out more about her work https://www.linkedin.com/in/cath-bishop-a0029847/