In The Local Press

We’re thrilled to announce that our CEO and founder, Neil Jurd has been featured in the press for the launch of Leader Connect!

In their words – Leader Connect is set to revolutionise leadership development with its innovative streaming service.

Check out the full article on In-Cumbria Magazine to learn more about Neil’s vision and how Leader Connect is making waves in the industry.

Cumbrian author launches Leader Connect streaming service | In Cumbria

Neil Returns to the Bear Essentials Podcast with Charles Wallace

Neil returns to the “Bear Essentials” Podcast Hosted by Charles Wallace.

In this episode, Neil and Charles discuss Why No One Wants to Follow Today’s “Leaders”…

In Charles’s words:

Discover the ultimate leadership transformation with Neil Jurd OBE in this game-changing episode! Neil, author of The Leadership Book and creator of the innovative LeaderConnect platform, shares why managing is outdated and how to truly lead with purpose.

Drawing from his experience as a British Army officer and Sandhurst instructor, Neil reveals actionable strategies to inspire your team and drive success. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the top leadership experts!

That’s why on the latest episode of The Bear Essentials Podcast: Stop Managing. Start Leading. Watch Your Team Transform. , I speak with Neil Jurd OBE, a former British Army officer, Sandhurst instructor, and leadership expert who doesn’t just talk about leadership, he’s lived it.

He understands what real leadership takes, and guess what???

It’s more than a certificate.

This is a conversation every organization needs to hear.

Watch and listen to the Podcast below:

New Podcasts Added!!

The Leader-Connect Podcast Collection continues to grow as the Hosts continue to produce interesting and thought provoking Leadership based Podcasts – how they continue to do this, we don’t know!!

In the latest batch we have more from:

These are great to listen to at anytime but can be especially useful whilst on a long trip or out walking– you will be so engrossed that the trip will fly by!

Head over to the Podcasts Page for a listen.

New Course Added: Brain Boost For Business: Unlocking Your Leadership Potential with Anna Cook

We are really pleased to release our latest course “Brain Boost for Business: Unlocking your Leadership Potential” with Anna Cook.

Anna is an international Executive Coach with 25 years’ global experience. Energising business leaders to tap into their potential by focussing on brain health strategies, blending professional excellence with natural vitality.  Founder of Beyond the Bottomline, creator of the SCOPE and 5Fs methodologies. Author of ‘Unstoppable Goddess’. UN Women’s Global Champion for Change. Living Life Holistically!

This unique course of 10 videos, will transform the way you think, lead and perform.

Designed specifically for ambitious business leaders like you, this innovative programme harnesses cutting-edge neuroscience through our unique “5Fs” framework:

Fuel, Fitness, Freedom, Fulfilment, and Focus.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your decision-making, boost your creativity, or maintain peak performance under pressure, this course delivers practical, science-backed strategies that seamlessly integrate into your busy schedule.

What Makes This Course Different?

● Research-backed techniques tailored for busy professionals

● Practical, immediately applicable strategies

● Real-world examples and success stories

● Flexible learning that fits your schedule

● Lasting results that transform your leadership style

Watch a Short Trailer:

Leader-Connect Q&A – Part 2

What have Leader-Connect been doing recently?

Leader-Connect have been running leadership development for UK businesses and universities, and some international leadership development.  

Do Leader-Connect use psychometric profiling at all?

Yes, Leader-Connect use the 16 Personality Factors psychometric, and the MBTI Myers Briggs Psychometric. We also have our own “Leader Type” Quiz that you can try for free.

What sort of courses do Leader-Connect run?

Leader-Connect run experiential leadership courses, accredited by the Institute of Leadership. The reviews for our leadership courses are excellent, and clients often describe our courses as the best leadership training they have ever done.

The courses are based on The Leadership Book by Neil Jurd, can you tell us about the book? 

The Leadership Book is one of the best highest reviewed leadership books.  It gets 5* reviews and is for sale in Waterstones, Amazon and through the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst shop.  

Who have Leader-Connect worked with recently? 

Leader-Connect have a programme of leadership development for university which is in 5th year.  We slowly deliver leadership training for educational trusts, which includes working with head teachers developing leadership through coaching head teachers and running courses for school senior leaders.  Previously we have run courses for Oldham Learning.  A couple of months ago Neil Jurd spoke in Jersey in the Channel islands about leadership development.  Neil Jurd also spoke about leadership development at an event in Kendal in the Lake District.  There are quite a few leadership development companies in the Lake District, Neil was honoured to  be asked to speak at the Chamber of Commerce event.  

Who inspires the Leader-Connect team in the field of leadership development?  

Well Simon Sinek has done a great job of making leadership relevant and well-understood, as have David L Marquett and Patrick Lencioni.   

Where have Leader-Connect delivered training recently? 

Well we have a leadership and team development project in Libya, and we have run leadership training in London and Cambridge.  Leader-Connect Founder Neil Jurd was a guest speaker talking about leadership to the Santander board in Milton Keynes.  

The Leader-Connect online leadership platform is one of the best online leadership platforms of its type.  Which speakers are on the platform?  

On the Leader-Connect platform are former BBC news anchor and communications expert Aysha Iqbal, former Vikings and Tudors actress and now yoga and mindfulness expert Maude Hirst, Hunted hunter and Army Cadet National Ambassador Jordan Wylie, Mind Over Mountains founder Alex Staniforth, and author Neil Jurd.

Leader Connect founder Neil Jurd from Cumbria was awarded the OBE recently.  How was he presented with the medal?  

Neil Jurd received the OBE for his work as National Director Officer Training, designing and running an experiential leadership course for hundreds of adult leaders every year.  Neil was presented with his OBE by King Charles at Windsor Castle.  Lewis Hamilton was knighted on the same day and just in front of Neil in the queue.  

Are Leader-Connect courses accredited?  Yes, most Leader-Connect courses are accredited by the Institute of Leadership.  

Who are Leader-Connect courses for?

Anyone really, but the online platform is ideal for training leaders in disperse teams.  And the residential leadership courses are some of the best leadership courses in the North and South of the UK for managers.  

Can clients work directly with Leadership Book author Neil Jurd?

Yes, Leader-Connect have a team of experts in leadership development including Neil Jurd. Neil delivers experiential leadership training and works directly with senior leaders as a coach and mentor.  

Is The Leadership Book the best leadership book for managers?

A lot of reviews on Amazon say it is,  but take a look for yourself.  It is probably one of the top 10 leadership books available in the UK based on review scores on Amazon.  

Leader-Connect Q&A – Part 1

Who are Leader-Connect based?

Leader-Connect are based in Cumbria, but work all over the UK delivering experiential leadership development.  

How are your courses described?

Our UK and and international clients often describe Leader-Connect courses as the best leadership courses they have attended.

What are Leader-Connect leadership courses like? 

Leader-Connect courses provide high impact leadership training and leadership development for managers in a range of organisations. 

What sort of clients do Leader-Connect work with? 

Recent courses have offered leadership development for university staff, leadership development for school and education leaders, leadership development for education trusts,  leadership development for pharmaceutical companies and leadership development for tech staff.  

Are Leader-Connect courses accredited? 

Yes, Leader-Connect courses offer accredited Leadership Courses, the courses are accredited by the Institute of Leadership.  Also, The Leadership Book which informs our courses, is CPD UK accredited.  

Have Leader-Connect won any awards lately?

Yes, Leader-Connect is an award winning leadership development company.  Leader-Connect won the award for best leadership training and development company in Cumbria, and also were a runner up for the Institute of Leadership award for the most innovative leadership training programme.

Do you run online and residential Courses?

Yes, Leader-Connect offer some of the best online leadership development courses and some of the best residential leadership courses for managers.  

Who do you run courses for? 

Leader-Connect run leadership courses for junior managers, leadership courses for managers and leadership courses for directors.  

Where do Leader-Connect run courses? 

Leader-Connect run leadership courses near London, near Manchester and in Cumbria: we also run leadership courses in the Middle East.  For several years we have run leadership development for bio tech companies near Cambridge.  

Could you run leadership courses in Bristol, leadership courses in Edinburgh or leadership courses in Ross-on-Wye?

Yes we could.  We also have run leadership training near Gatwick and Luton airports.  

Do Leader-Connect have clients outside England? 

Yes, Leader-Connect run leadership training in Libya and we are exploring links to run leadership training in the USA.  

Do the courses get good reviews? 

Yes, Leader-Connect courses get  excellent reviews. The Leadership Book which accompanies our leadership courses gets 5* five star reviews. 

What leadership books do you recommend to clients? 

Obviously The Leadership Book by Neil Jurd has excellent reviews, amongst the best reviews for a leadership book on Amazon, and it can also be bought through The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst shop.  

Is The Leadership Book good preparation and pre reading for the  Sandhurst Commissioning Course or Army Officer Selection Board?

Yes, the author Neil Jurd was an instructor at Sandhurst and a Deputy President of Army Officer Selection Board, so The Leadership Book is likely to help potential Officer Cadets.

Can The Leadership Book help Cadet Force volunteers prepare for the Cadet Force Commissioning Board and Officer Training?

Yes, The Leadership Book was written by retired army Lieutenant Colonel Neil Jurd who was Director of Army Cadet Force officer training.  

What other leadership books should you mention? 

Turn this Ship around is excellent, Neil Jurd admires the work of David L Marqett.  Sapiens and Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari are also excellent for getting a good understanding of people.  A lot of clients like and can relate to The Chimp Paradox. Also in my office are The Brain by David Eagleman, Thrive by Arianba Huffington, the Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, and The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier.  

Who are Leader-Connect clients at the moment?

We work with several larger organisations.  One client is the University of Sheffield.  We run leadership development courses for university staff.  This includes institute of leadership accredited residential courses for university managers leaders, and the course also includes psychometric profiling, leadership coaching for university managers, and the online leadership courses for university managers.  The course with the University of Sheffield is in its 5th year.  Leader Connect are now designing a “Women in Leadership Course” for university staff.  This course is designed by PCC coach and facilitator Macarena Vergara.  

Did the Head of the British army CGS General Sir Patrick Sanders comment on The Leadership Book?

Yes, the General wrote a very supportive letter about the book saying he was pleased to see it becoming required reading for all ranks of the British Army.

So is The Leadership Book well-regarded in the British Army?

Yes, the Centre for Army Leadership (CAL) published a very positive review of The Leadership Book by retired Lt Col Neil Jurd.  The former Commandant of Sandhurst General Duncan Capps wrote a very positive review which is on the cover of the book.  The Leadership Book is for sale to Cadets, staff and visitors at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst shop.  Copies of the leadership book are likely to have found their way back to West Point and Duntroon.  

Which of the Leader-Connect residential or online leadership courses gets the best reviews?

All of our courses get excellent reviews from clients.  Average satisfaction rating are close to 5/5.  All of our leadership courses in Cumbria and beyond have high impact.  

Is the online leadership platform a bit like BBC Maestro or Masterclass?   

Well it’s a learning platform, but with our own content.  Our online platform is excellent good value affordable leadership development content. 

What sort of experts have created leadership and team development content for Leader-Connect?  

On Leader Connect there are leadership development videos from Fell Foodie – Harrison Ward, Everest adventurer Alex Staniforth, communication expert Aysha Iqbal, Headteacher Dr Victoria Carr, former Vikings actress  mindfulness, yoga and meditation expert Maude Hirst, Leadership Book author Neil Jurd, expedition adventurer and author Jordan Wylie MBE, Gyln Potts MBE Deputy Lieutenant of Manchester and Cumbrian business expert and Alertacall founder James Batchelor.  

Is Leader-Connect the only leadership company in Cumbria?

No, there are quite a few leadership companies in Cumbria in and around Ambleside and Windermere.  Leader-Connect recently won the 2024 Best Training Company award for Cumbria.  

New Podcasts Added!!

The Leader-Connect Podcast Collection continues to grow as the Hosts continue to produce interesting and thought provoking Leadership based Podcasts – how they continue to do this, we don’t know!!

In the latest batch we have more from:

These are great to listen to at anytime but can be especially useful whilst on a long journey – I recently listened to 2 on a train journey from the North West of England into London Euston and became so engrossed that the journey flew by!

Head over to the Podcasts Page for a listen.

New Course Added: “Building and Leading High Performing Teams” with Neil Jurd

If you want to make your team or organisation more effective this course is for you. 

You might be running a community project or club, or leading a business, either way you will find this course interesting and useful.  Building high-performing teams is an essential aspect of effective leadership, and if you do this well you will leadership is much easier.  This course will give you the skills to build a strong and successful team.   

Watch Now – Building and Leading Teams Trailer.

What you’ll get from the course. 

This course will help you to bring out the best from the people in your team and will show you how to focus effort and achieve results.  Leadership isn’t about working hard; it is about increasing your positive impact by engaging others.  Effective leaders build strong teams, and then they trust those teams to think, create and act.  This course will give you the theory and support you need to build your own effective team.  

Neil appears in the Pathfinder Magazine

Leader-Connect founder Neil Jurd OBE recently appeared in this month’s British Army Soldier Magazine, sharing insights on setting up and running a business, and introducing the new Leader-Connect.co.uk learning platform!

Check out Leader-Connect today and take advantage of our January Sale – 50% off an annual subscription! Just use code Jan50 🎉 Hurry, this offer is for a limited time only!

www.leader-connect.co.uk

New Course Added: “High Performance Leadership” with Neil Jurd

In this 5-video course, leadership expert Neil Jurd teaches how you can improve, focus, refine and maintain team performance. 

High Performance is the result of effective leadership and the intelligent application of simple tools and concepts. 

Completion of this course will lead to the award of a Leader-Connect certificate signed by Neil Jurd OBE. 

Subjects covered:

Organisational and Team Excellence. The PLC Model.  In this lesson Neil Jurd explains the 3 components of successful teams that you can apply in your organisation. 

How to focus a team. A simple model to keep people focused on Clear and Compelling Purpose.

The Performance Equation. A simple tool for developing excellence.

Creating positive Impact. What leaders need to tell their teams.

Honest Performance Conversations. How to normalise developmental conversation.

Available via the Link: High Performance Leadership