Finding your confidence with leadership and management training

Carl Willmer, Operations Manager for Laser 2000, didn’t always know where his life was going to take him. Leaving school with two full A-Levels, one in IT and one in General Studies, and a handful of AS Levels, instead of going to university like the majority of his peers he went into the world of work – joining Laser 2000 as an Administration Assistant. Nineteen years later he has worked his way through the ranks to Operations Manager and is thriving, thanks to his CMI accredited Level 5 apprenticeship in Management and Leadership.

Carl’s journey wasn’t the easiest. “Approximately four years ago, I went through a challenging period due to a divorce and related circumstances, which led me to embark on a journey of self-development he said. “Through that journey, I analysed my life and career and concluded that I wanted to progress.

“As a result, I had an objective to one day become a director or own my own business. Having this objective spurred me on to take on more responsibility, shortly after Laser 2000 appointed me Operations Manager. Going from a team leader looking after the logistics team to a department comprised of Logistics and Customer Service teams predominantly responsible for the order fulfilment side of the business, in addition, I joined the senior management team.

“However, I felt underqualified – almost like an imposter. I was sitting in meetings with colleagues who had 20, 30 years’ experience at senior and board level with degrees in business, physics and a like. I found it hard to assert myself in that setting because I didn’t have the same knowledge or experience.

“So, to improve my confidence and validate some of the things I did already know, I felt that I needed to do a course that would fill in the gaps and give me the confidence to assert myself and challenge at that level, to challenge peers, and to bring my own ideas to the table.

“This is where it started with the Level 5.”

Having been out of an education setting for almost 15 years, Carl felt nervous – but was helped back into the swing of things by his tutor, Glenys Rogers.

“Glenys would give me the tools that I needed to complete assignments and hold to me to account meeting deadlines,” Carl said. “If ever I had a question, it was easy to get hold of her. She was always there to support me – I couldn’t fault Glenys at all.”

Indeed, Carl was deeply impressed by the support provisions offered by CRC: “I liked that the college offers careers advice, and there were many added extras that Glenys and CRC offered.

“If you’ve got someone who’s a mature student and they are still unsure about their future or what their career path looks like, having those resources there is a really good thing.

“There’s a lot of added extras that I didn’t necessarily use but I think that’s great because it’s all part of the learning experience, meeting new people and building relationships.”

But Carl’s Level 5 became more than just confidence-boosting in his workplace setting. It became an all-round personal development. “Learning on the course, there was a subplot where I was learning about myself and developing my self-awareness. Throughout this course it made me look at myself and think about what my purpose is. It gave me direction and clarity on what I want my future to be.

“There’s another added bonus that you’re developing yourself by having open and frank conversations with independent tutor, who does not work for your organisation which helps with being able to bounce ideas on how to address an array of issues. Similar to professional coaching.”

“I really enjoyed the learning, and part of my why is that I want to help others.”