Inspirational Woman: Jenny Patrickson | Managing Director at Active IQ

I’m Managing Director at Active IQ, a leading specialist awarding organisation (otherwise known as an exams board) for active leisure qualifications.

Active IQ has around 100 vocational qualifications, ranging from Entry Level through to Level 5, which are delivered by approximately 500 training organisations in the UK and internationally, including private training providers, schools, colleges, universities and employers. I live in Berkshire with my husband and two children, aged 18 and 14.

Did you ever sit down and plan your career?

inspirational-woman-jenny-patricksonNever! It just seemed to evolve organically. I did have an initial plan as I trained as a dancer and went on to work professionally in the UK and overseas. However, I had to think again once injuries started to plague me. So I joined British Airways where I worked as a Passenger Service Agent which I believe laid the groundwork for all future customer facing roles. Then, like many ex-dancers in the 80s, I started teaching ‘aerobics’ part-time. Realising that I couldn’t continue teaching without a qualification, I trained as a fitness instructor and then joined my training provider to start to train other instructors. I continued to build on my own knowledge, skills and competence by undertaking a wide range of fitness-related vocational qualifications. I then went to two different universities as a mature student to undertake further education in health and exercise science before gaining an honours degree in adult education. After spending a number of years in the field of training, I moved on to the world of qualifications and awarding in the active leisure sector which has led me to where I am today.

Have you faced any challenges along the way and if so, how did you deal with them?

In the early days of training others to become fitness instructors, my career wasn’t always taken seriously by others. However, I was always passionate about the fact that teaching individuals to become fitness professionals had the ability to change lives – not only those that had started a career path in active leisure or who had changed careers to become a fitness instructor or personal trainer, but also the lives of all the people that those instructors engaged with and influenced for the better.

Other challenges included juggling two children with a career – a common challenge that many working parents have. Having a partner who could be flexible with his own working hours certainly helped as did my various roles which didn’t need to be strictly Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.

What advice would you give someone who wishes to move in to a leadership position for the first time?

To gain experience as well as relevant qualifications. Qualifications will give you the knowledge and skills that you need and the confidence to know that you are on the right track, but nothing beats experience and having the opportunity to apply what you have learnt or are learning. If you can, find a mentor to be there to support you when required. That could be your manager, but equally it could be a friend or another colleague: it’s always helpful to bounce ideas off someone you trust and it’s also invaluable to be able to ask for advice and feedback.

When faced with two equally-qualified candidates, how would you decide who should have the role?

For me it comes down to their communication style and how they engage with others. Emotional intelligence and all that entails in terms of how effectively a person interacts with others is, I believe, essential. If someone has a wide range of technical qualifications and expertise in the field that I work in but doesn’t communicate in a positive and empathetic way, the likelihood is they won’t interact well with customers or with other members of the team.

On a typical workday, how do you start your day and how does it end?

My work days vary depending on whether I’m in the office or out at meetings. On an office day, I’m up at 5am so that I can be on the road by 6am as I live in Berkshire but our head office is in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire – coffee mid journey is therefore essential! A typical office day will usually consist of a number of back-to-back meetings as I’m not in the office five days a week, so meetings with our business development, marketing, qualification development and customer service teams are invaluable on those days. I usually stay over in Huntingdon when I’m in the office two consecutive days so the day usually ends with a run outside somewhere around the hotel to counteract the physical inactivity that goes hand in hand with a typical office day!. Non-office days, where I meet with clients and potential customers, or where I attend sector meetings and events, will always entail having a mobile office with me – trains and coffee shops are good office substitutes for keeping on top of emails.

What advice can you give to our members about raising their profiles within their own organisations?

Don’t be frightened to share your ideas or to put yourself forward when opportunities arise. Never feel that you don’t have anything of value to offer because you will often bring a different perspective to a situation that someone else may not have considered. The best solutions and ideas usually come from collective thinking rather than individuals so always be prepared to speak up. Remember also to listen to others. Really listen to what is being said and shared, as others will respect you greatly for that.

How have you benefited from coaching or mentoring?

I’ve certainly benefitted from mentoring and have found it a useful way to gain alternative perspectives on business issues and to share thoughts and problems to help come up with solutions.

Do you think networking is important and if so, what 3 tips would you give to a newbee networker?

I find it invaluable and I think that from an organisational perspective you need to be ‘present’ at key networking events, as your absence may well impact on your understanding of the sector that you operate within. The 3 tips that I would give to a newbee networker would be as follows:

  • Never stay attached to your colleagues who may also be present as this will restrict your ability to meet new people – whilst it may feel more comfortable, it’s not productive
  • Never spend too long with one person if you want to maximise your networking opportunities – find reasons to bring a conversation to a close to help you move on to someone else
  • Never revert to looking at your mobile phone if you find yourself alone at an event – be prepared to leave your comfort zone and introduce yourself to someone who is probably in a similar situation to you

What does the future hold for you?

My company sits under the umbrella of its parent company, Premier Global, which was acquired relatively recently by a large US-based organisation – Ascend Learning. As just one operation that sits within the Ascend portfolio, there are exciting opportunities ahead for engaging with the other business units that form part of the group. Learning never stops, therefore I look forward to engaging with the wider organisation to watch, learn and apply new ways of working to our business, and to be able to share our own best practice with our overseas colleagues.

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