As part of the leadership development segment of the Laidlaw program, our Leeds 2026 cohort headed to a slightly remote nearby hotel.

26 scholars for the 2026 Leeds cohort

To reflect in one sentence: I already feel like my take on leadership is changing at an unprecedented rate with Laidlaw as of now.

Day 1

Using the Quintax framework to profile our individual personalities, I learned that being a leader starts somewhere from knowing and recognising our own traits. In this section, we dissected our traits in a way that we can see them as our superpowers, not as weaknesses, even the seemingly pesky ones. This also does not mean we shouldn't make amends according to situations. For example, in terms of criticality, I was rated as "Personable: feeling-oriented decision maker with great enthusiasm". Whilst I acknowledge this comment about myself, I should also learn how to become a logical and critical person when a certain situation requires me to. Having a chance to consult about each other's traits with fellow scholars helped me to recognise how we might work best as a team. 

Another session on "Personal Resilience" was a memorable one, as we were set free to frolic in the wilderness (the outside garden) to discuss how each component (Adaptability, Social support, Confidence, Purposefulness) can contribute to a person being resilient in general life. My group was responsible for explaining "Adaptability". Being outdoors, tons of ideas spewed out with one scholar actively taking notes. The conversation carried us to use my story of how leaving my country to study abroad has challenged me to become more adaptable in times of culture shocks, language disjunctions, etc... As the only international student at that table, sharing my isolated experiences established a mutual understanding between us and brought us closer, I'd like to believe.

We then proceeded to consolidate our conceptions of Time and Project management. While carefully defining a project and what makes one successful, we contemplated how practical these trainings are to apply back during our research summer, and our LIAs.

As the evening fell, we donned our best dresses after a long day for a lovely Gala dinner.

 Having made the spontaneous plan to perform something from a musical conversation in the morning, I teamed up with  @Marcus Hilland I performed "Let it be" and an old English folk song called "Wild Rover". The incredible energy

 provided by the room of scholars made this evening even more special. I am proud to say this experience with Marcus elaborated our Laidlaw values of being "Brave" and "Fast" (10 minutes of rehearsal) to the crowd.

Day 2...

started with a presentation on how to do presentations. My favourite part of this was getting to work on a group presentation under 10 minutes on anything that we are passionate about. Before the fun part began, the first struggle was finding a common ground as a group. This, in a way, tested our teamwork skills while choosing a topic and what content to present about. After a good minute, we decided on "Vietnamese cuisine". I took on the role of doing graphics, while other takes notes and prepare their delivery.  All the teams did light-hearted presentations about "how cucumbers are just liquid", "love for takeaways", etc... Coincidentally, all were about food. Mind you, we were also well-fed during the whole period. 

Emotional Literacy would be my favourite session because of how relatable it felt. From discussing different emotions, we were then given a chance to realise that every emotion is valid and to give a name and a voice to them. Personally, I've always found it hard to process emotions; I never seemed to be sure of what I am feeling because I am not processing it. I learned it's important to harness them and work alongside them, instead of against them. Regulating emotions can start with reflecting on the day/situation/experience you had, which is why I am typing this blog as a reflection of my experience. From this, I hope I can become a more emotionally well-regulated leader whose colleagues can seek empathy from. 

We were then released into the wild again to come up with a rendition on how to engage with different emotions. Our limerick consisted of lines like "When Jess is stressed" and "Presto is depresso", alongside theatrical acts of Jess and me while the group chanted the limerick in unison like a group of witches.

After a good break, we were back in the room again for Networking. The environment was curated for us with Marcus talking us through networking with people with whom we haven't connected naturally. Though it was a bit uncomfortable at first, I was able to find some common ground with people. With some, I loved how it felt more like a therapy session rather than networking. 

Last but not least, we had a wholesome conversation/talk with an AI expert concerning our research and the general philosophy of Artificial Intelligence. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to an expert's opinions on how AI can both help us and hinder us, while appreciating and questioning its integrity as well. 

Just like that, our two-day residential concluded with fulfilment, joy, self-awareness, excitement for the future and a tint of exhaustion. I would like to thank @Rebecca Shaw, @Matt Penhaligon and @Marcus Hill for organising this so flawlessly while inspiring us as empathic leaders themselves.

Thank you for reading, and will be back with another reflection after our second residential. ❤️