Wendy Gannaway from Genius Learning - Summer Q&A 2021

Let's continue to celebrate the fantastic business owners we have in our region and beyond. Today we're talking to Wendy Gannaway who is a co-director of innovative learning and development company Genius Learning which provides dynamic and inspirational training to companies looking to empower and develop their teams. Working with business partner Caroline Esterson and other associates, Genius Learning also works with C-suite executives on a one-to-one basis to help them upskill and improve their own performance.

JUNE is the first month of summer – what will you be doing this summer in your business/organisation/role?

June sees us continuing long term projects including facilitating tactical business skills to new leaders, supporting managers to facilitate learning that has both sizzle and substance, mentoring female entrepreneurs, completing our next book from which we are creating an online learning system to help people unlock their everyday genius.

What are your personal plans for summer activities if you feel happy to share? 

Making up for lost time seeing friends I haven’t been able to see during the pandemic and if we can travel safely, I would love to get on a plane and go somewhere hot.

June is National Smile Month. With that in mind, what things in your business/organisation/role make you smile? 

1) I regularly get messages from people we’ve have trained telling me what they’ve achieved and continue to achieve as a result of what they’ve learned from us. That makes me so proud.

2) During this past year I have found joy filming videos for our on-demand video suites that cover topics such as bouncebackability and overcoming virtual fatigue. They have become very popular. Seeing the outtakes edited together makes me giggle too!

3) As I haven’t been able to see people in the live environment, I’ve focused on developing my network online and challenge myself to share something meaningful each day that will resonate with many. From the comments I’ve received, these seem to hit the mark which is great. And as a result, I’ve made a lot more business ‘friends’ all over the world, some of whom we’re exploring how we might collaborate on different projects which is very rewarding.

Are there any things in business generally which make you ‘less smiley’?

For me I guess the novelty of living and working from home full-time has worn off. Whilst it has its advantages, I still crave variety in terms of travel and seeing people in the live environment.

June is often associated in nature with growth and abundance – what are your plans for growth in your business/organisation/role this year? 

The big one for June onwards is to get our book about Unlocking EveryDay Genius finished and published. Alongside this is completing the online learning system that goes with it, piloted and launched. 

This will be a very special offering that we trust will reach a wider audience and help a lot of people live a successful and fulfilled life. This project ticks both boxes of business and personal growth!

As we hit this mid point in 2021 and we’re still coming out of the pandemic – which one business has really supported or helped you over the last quarter? This can be a supplier, client or even as a consumer.

I would say Liz Pemberton who is Chief Development Officer at Progeny and one of our valued clients. Liz and her colleagues achieved amazing results putting into practice what they learnt from us about creating and facilitating meaningful and engaging learning sessions. They shared this publicly in their social media and cited us as having helped them make the difference. 

Public recognition such as this is worth its weight in gold and even more so when it comes as a complete surprise. 

And finally:

As we gradually come out of hibernation, I believe we need to be mindful that some people will need time getting used to ‘people-ing’ again. Many of us have conducted our relationships virtually through the small screen and various messaging apps. 

For some, being with people in the live environment, whether it be out shopping, in restaurants, at work or even with friends will take getting used to. We may experience ‘different’ behaviour that might take us by surprise. And we don’t always know what has gone on for someone. 

Remember ‘behaviour breeds behaviour’. If we can be patient and kind with others (and ourselves too!) then we all stand a much better chance of enjoying and benefiting from new happier times.

For more information visit https://www.inspireyourgenius.com