amitabh revi::At first, i was curious about meeting people from different parts of the world and had high expectations for the course itself amitabh revi

amitabh revi::At first, i was curious about meeting people from different parts of the world and had high expectations for the course itself.
Ahead lay a month of leadership lessons, a chance to work on my own strengths and weaknesses and, hopefully, make friends for life.
Now it is over, i have taken back a lot more than i could ever have imagined.
Apartment number 239 at century wharf in cardiff was my amazinglycomfortable abode for the month and i quickly realised that the thomson foundation had left no stone unturned to make this the best experience of our lives.
Our journey brought us into personal contact with some of the most respected media leaders in the uk.
From them we learned how to prepare ourselves to lead and avoid the pitfalls they faced.
Lyn hartman and clive jones from the thomson foundation led the course throughout and helped us get the most from our experiences.
Menna richards, director of bbc wales, was the first leader we met.
Menna taught me not to put limits on your ambitions.
She seemed always to be striving to do more.
Meeting david mannion, editorinchief of itn, was a great experience.
He discussed in a very candid manner his responsibilities and the tough decisions he has faced.
A major lesson i learnt from david is the fact that you grow the most when you surround yourself with people more talented than you.
He advised us not to feel daunted, but to learn from these people.
I now realise that working with more talented people actually makes you raise the bar for yourself.
Remember you have other people to lead and decisions to make.
Their office may look more like a party space than offices, but what the media really needs to learn from google is the art of employing the best people.
Their rigorous selection procedures ensure they hire only the best.
Another great thing about the course was the way our intensive learning was interspersed by breaks to relax with friends.
Our picnic trip to monmouth was like that.
Just loved the countryside!
After the visit to itn, press association and google we returned to wales to meet one of the most creative media personalities of british television, peter bazelgette.
He told us that all these people had brilliant ideas initially, but no one to back them.
You have to be persistent and wait for the right time.
And you should never, ever give up.
What inspired me most about her was that, after reaching a high position, she decided to go right back to basics in management and start from scratch.
Now she is transforming the royal shakespeare company.
One important tip i remember from vikki is that if you want people to follow you, you have to lead by example.
Last but not the least came greg dyke, former director general of the bbc, who brought lessons not just in leadership but humanity.
People from the bottom to the top.
The tasks we were set opened our minds to the importance of teamwork.
From a personal perspective, time management was one of the things i really wanted to work on.
She said we should think of ourselves as an image.
Whatever we do has an impact on that image.
So the lesson: identify the things that make you feel satisfied and prioritise them.
If you stick to this, time manages itself.
Between all the lessons, workshops and visits, i loved shopping in cardiff and meeting some amazing people.
I am really going to miss the whole thomson family i became a part of.
The future leaders course was an unforgettable experience for me.