25th April 2021
Meet the CIO’s | April Bembridge | Inspire: Birmingham
This interview is a part of the Inspire: Cities series – meet the Chief Inspiration Officers. Inspire: Cities is the local arm of the global movement from Inspiring Workplaces. Our mission is to change the world, with you, through the world of work. One workplace, city and community at a time. View the full list of Cities here.
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What does an Inspiring Workplace mean to you?
For me an inspiring workplace is one where I can be me, not a version of me that I feel I need to present to the world, to tick a box of professionalism or to fit in, but the real me – the dog loving, creative, a little bit geeky and a lot enthusiastic and friendly me.
Workplaces that allow every single person to show up as their true selves, dress as themselves, talk like themselves, think AS themselves and just BE themselves and bring their own unique brilliant contributions but where there is a shared purpose a common thread of direction and vision – that’s the kind of workplace that inspires me!
Do you have a personal purpose? A why? Something that drives you daily?
My personal purpose is to help people feel like the belong and help them to find their place when they are lost or stuck. Whether that’s at work, in a friendship group, at an event, in a family, through coaching – it doesn’t matter where it is, I have come to realise that this is a common thread and theme in my life.
What do you think is the top priority when it comes to people at work this year and why?
Well interestingly it links to the above, I think it’s about ensuring people feel they belong. The world of work has changed forever and we will never go back to how thing were BC (Before Covid), more people now work remotely and will continue to do so, more people are realising that life needs balance. We used to talk about the younger generations coming into work wanting more flexibility, now everybody has seen how beneficial it can be and quite rightly wants a piece of it. So staying connected in other ways and feeling a sense of belonging in work is going to be tougher than ever.
The past 12 months has seen an acceleration of positive change, mostly due to it being enforced upon employers. Change like trust, empowering choice, flexibility, investment in wellbeing and the reduction in the stigma around mental health. Our question is, how many employers stick to this path and how many revert to type?
I think this is really hard to answer – my hope is that most stick to it, that they have seen the positive impact that all of the above have and don’t revert, but change is scary. I think we have an amazing opportunity as part of IW to educate employers and more importantly to help and support them to stick with it or find ways to make it work for them practically, commercially and for the good of their people.
A follow up to the last question. How do they stay the course should they wish to?
It’s about being brave, experimenting, trialling different ways until they find the way that works for them. Each business is unique it won’t be a one size fits all but there will be a way and the benefits will far outweigh the challenges.
You’re a founding Chief Inspiration Officer for Inspire: Cities. What are you most looking forward to learning/ sharing with your local community?
So many things. I feel honoured to be part of such an incredible group of CIO’s across the world. I also feel a huge sense of responsibility. I am excited to share my own experiences, but I am even more excited to hear the stories, learnings, journeys and experiences of others – the other CIO’s, the inspirers that join events, the story tellers – it’s going to be an amazing pot of innovation, ideas and action – the impact is going to be huge!
Tell us something about your city or the people that make it. Something the rest of us won’t know.
Birmingham is the 2nd biggest city in the UK, iconic businesses such as Birds Custard, Cadbury Chocolate, Bournville Drinking Chocolate, HP Sauce and Typhoo Tea all started in Birmingham and it’s home to Europe’s largest urban park outside of a capital city, with over 8,000 acres of parks and green space it’s also one of the UK’s greenest cities and it has more canals than Venice with 100 miles of canal!
Birmingham is the most diverse city in the whole of the UK, which is my favourite fact, this creates a rich culture and if ever there was a place where being you; and belonging are at play, Birmingham is is.
Do you think in-person events will be valued more than ever before after the past 12-18 months?
Absolutely. I speak to so many people that just can’t wait to start getting back to in person events and seeing and speaking to people and not through a screen. I think there will be nervousness from some and I also think there will be many that are happy to continue to operate in a virtual / remote world at times, but there is something to be said for seeing the whites of the eyes of the person you are in conversation with, without the glare or reflection of a screen and really connecting with them on a different level.
How do you think attendees will react to The Inspire Ring and our unique event format?
I imagine when they first walk in a room and see the inspire ring there will be a few ‘oooh what’s this’ type comments, but once the events get going and they see how that circle creates connection, they are going to love it.
What are three areas of focus for organizations looking to improve the people experience?
Well, I can’t answer this without saying Belonging – but I will add that this covers so many different topics in itself, inclusion, vision, values, culture, how companies hire, onboard and how people are treated when they leave, to name just a few areas that fall under this banner.
Wellbeing – but not just exercise classes and private health care – I mean how people really feel in their core about their purpose in life and how the company they work for marries with this
Experimentation – companies need to start getting creative, be adaptable and try new things to move with the changing needs and wants of employees. As I mentioned above people want different things from an employer now and nobody has all the answers yet on what that’s going to look like. We have to play with it a bit, have some fun trying new ways and also recognise that we will need to tailor our focus and approach for each individual person that works for us, the day of the standard policies are drawing to a close.
What do you think is the most important quality in a leader?
Be humble, own your mistakes, take accountability, be human (that’s 4 sorry)
What’s your go to productivity trick?
Rest. I was gifted the book by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang of the same title ‘Rest’ and it was an eye opener. It talks about rest not in the context of having a lie down but in hobbies, sports etc, things that take your mind away from all of the distractions.
I personally find that when my mind is too busy and running with lots of things, I can’t be as productive, taking some time out really helps. I also love the woods and a walk out really centres me, gets my brain back in to a positive space and allows me to focus on what needs to be done. Check out the art of Forest Bathing (or Shinrin yoku) which is all about mindfulness amongst the trees.
Who was the last person to inspire you at work and why?
I won’t say the name as I don’t think this person would want me to, but it was a young person in our Company that was feeling unsure about what she wanted for her future. The inspiring thing was that she spoke her truth, I am a big believer in that if we aren’t happy then we need to make a change (in any areas of life, not just work), life is too short to be in a situation that makes us unhappy, but too often the pressures of society or someone we are close to stops us from speaking our truth. She spoke her truth and it was a good reminder for me to always live by this, it’s not always the easy path but it is the right one.
What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?
It’s ok to be quiet, because when you speak people will really hear.
It was from a boss in my early HR career and I had received some feedback for not speaking much in a meeting. I genuinely had nothing to say that I thought would add value at that time and I have never been one to dominate a room with conversation, it’s not who I am. But I felt bruised by the feedback, that I had to become somebody else if I wanted to progress. This advice I was given by my boss at the time gave me the confidence to be me, to speak when I had something to say, not just for the sake of it and I think it’s served me well.
Name one song that fires you up, when you need to get motivated and fast
I love country music so any upbeat country pop usually gets me energised, also Pitbull and Christina Aguilera ‘Feel this moment’ it was played at an event I went to a few years ago and I can’t listen to it now without wanting to jump up and down.
Best place, (other than your own city) that you have ever visited?
So hard to answer this as I have been very lucky and visited lots of amazing countries. But I am going to choose Yosemite. It combined so many things I love, the mountains, the forests, wildlife, being in the camper van and hiking.