Some time ago a JCI Sheffield member, Dan Senter asked me if I would help develop an idea for a leadership training programme. Dan was putting together a team of JCI Members and Senators to ensure the programme had everything it needed.

This kind of thing being right up my street and the fact that I knew Dan and I knew he was the kind of guy who doesn't get bored with ideas he just delivers, I said yes immediately.

Planning weekend with the LEAP team (Kate, me, Soraya, Emma and Andy) sitting around the table

Dan was aware of a programme that JCI Sheffield had used but wanted to develop a version for JCI UK. Dan came up with the name, Leadership Excellence in Action Programme shortened to LEAP which in itself is a great acronym considering the essence of the programme is to help young people become better leaders 'taking the leap', 'leaping forward' etc etc So after a thousand emails, skype calls, spreadsheets and burned candles on Friday 22nd September I rolled up at the Holiday Inn Express in Sheffield to see months of hard work and planning come to fruition.

Eighteen members of JCI from all around the UK turned up to find out how they could become leaders of the future. Their journey of self discovery started with a profile session which helped them understand themselves and how to identify personality traits in others that a good leader should be able to recognise and adapt a strategy for working with the person. Then by Saturday morning the energy in the room at 9am was incredible.

The days was divided up with breaks, energisers (that's when Emma Eastwood and Kate Senter would get the delegates up signing and dancing), lunch and dinner. In the evening the group met at 8pm thinking they were going to have the night off and maybe go out and have some fun - oops...so wrong! They were given the challenge to research the needs of their local community and develop a project that could tackle that need and present it the following morning to the rest of the group. I actually thought they would be unhappy and demotivated but no, they swung into action.

This programme was crammed into the weekend, it was intense and exhausting, but in real personal development terms it was perfect. The challenge for these future leaders has just begun. However, they now have the leadership skills to do it and it was very clear that they had been inspired and motivated to use their new skills and tools to lead a high quality local Junior Chamber organisation.

They made the last 44ish hours a turning point, not only in their JCI Career but hopefully in their work and personal lives. Their positive attitude was overwhelming.

After a long weekend and staying up the night before we are still smiling

We are running this programme again in September next year and I urge you as members of JCI to think about your own personal development and if leadership is something you would like to develop then this course is spot on. If want to have a look at what's been said or see pictures of some of the members involved in activities then search #jciukleap2012 on Twitter or facebook https://www.facebook.com/LeapWithJciUk

Philip Cavalier-Lumley
President JCI Bradford
Senator # 70882