Mahatma Gandhi once said: “We must become the change we want to see.” While his views were no doubt draped in much higher sentiment, there is a lot of truth to be taken from this words about the importance of personal development – both professionally and personally.
It was this driver that prompted Tristone’s Chief Operating Officer, Rob Finney, to embark on a two-and-a-half year Master of Science (MSc) degree in Management Practice at the Alliance Manchester Business School.
“As Tristone expanded, I found myself in a position of working alongside and mentoring people who were very experienced in their profession,” explain Rob. “I felt my leadership and management knowledge was very experiential, rather than being grounded in theoretical thinking.
“From a personal point of view, I wanted to expand my mind and to engage in something different,” he continues. “It felt like the right time to embark on something that I could really get my teeth stuck into. It was very much about personal growth and proving to myself that I had the ability to do it.”
And so his master’s journey began. Over the course of the last two-and-a-half years, Rob has worked through eight modules with his fellow mature learners. These covered everything from leadership and leadership theories to innovation and entrepreneurship, measuring business value, and project management.
The degree also included a self-directed two-year project – creating an operational corporate governance programme. Every student was encouraged to make each piece of work relevant to their workplace – something that was key for Rob.
“The degree helped me to understand our business model even more and gain a greater appreciation of different models and organisational structures,” Rob explains. “It was really satisfying to get my head into a different space, understand the business a bit more, and make the degree work in a social care context.”
The module that resonated with Rob in particular was around strategy. “The module helped me to understand that strategies that are internally focused are no use unless they become more relevant externally,” he admits. “It helped me view Tristone in the wider social care environment, working with MDs to develop their own strategies and understand their place in the local market, before bringing that to life in the business.”
Learning lessons from failure and discovering the links between psychological safety and the development of Tristone’s Independent Safeguarding Board, were also important takeaways from the course.
While Rob intends to hang up his ‘formal’ student hat, after an intensive period of balancing study with helping to run a large organisation, he actively encourages others to embark on a further education journey.
“If I can do it, anyone can,” admits Rob. “I explain to our leaders that I’m not an academic person, but I found the whole experience of huge value. I really encourage them to make sure they invest in their own personal development. If I can make our leadership community more aspirational as a result, then I’ll be very happy!”
