Development

The problem with many personal development programmes is that they make too many assumptions at the outset. They assume that call centre people should be channelled down a certain path, or that finance is best left to the accountants. But what if somebody from the call centre wants to become an accountant?

We approach personal development differently. We challenge our executive team to constantly look for the nuggets of future excellence in the most surprising places. There are no barriers to growth and no silo mentalities. If you want to become something then we will help you to become it.

We also have a very different view on rebellion. In the traditional corporate environment rebels are bad news. They need to be made to conform. At ByBox, we actively look for the rebellious streak right at the beginning of the recruitment process and nurture it throughout the person's career with us. Rebellion is essential to an organisation's inner drive, so rather than arranging personal development programmes that subtly foster conformation, we do the opposite.

The result is unbelievable. Creative rebellion generates a spirit of winning that is so difficult for others to compete with. "If you don't think we can do this, then just watch…"

We also have a different approach to development at the executive level. It seems ridiculous to send executives on team-building courses. Do something difficult with other people and you'll soon work out how to operate effectively in a team. We believe that executives should be inspired, and inspiration does not come from corporate workshops or formulaic training courses.

Inspiration comes from other things. Such as hearing what great people have achieved and how they achieved it. Or going to an art exhibition of challenging art. This year, we paid for our executive team to listen to Bob Geldof being interviewed by Sue Lawley. It doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree with him, but you cannot fail to listen to the story and come away inspired.