"It's not rocket science"



Everywhere these days we are confronted by change and in business we can only ignore change at our peril. The late, great John F. Kennedy was an inspirational leader who said he chose to try to put a man on the moon not because it was easy - but because it was hard. At the time he announced his hopes and plans to be the first nation to set foot on the moon the USA had no rockets or capsules capable of heading to the moon. However, through the power of his vision he managed to inspire people to manage to do what was previously thought to be "the impossible".

In industry and commerce we face some tasks today which many people may feel are "impossible". Iain Jennings & Associates are not rocket scientists as such - but we have helped many organisations to look at their operation afresh in a constructive light to improve quality, to improve performance and/or to boost the attitudes and behaviour patterns of key workers and stakeholders needed to manage change and CI.

Our clients have audited this work with prestigious bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and have also published numerous reports on the efficacy of such training interventions.

If you are serious about CI and embracing change please see what some of our customers have had to write about us and then please call us on 01433-650345 to discuss how we may be able to help you.

Our team has over 30 years experience of running team building events of all types, ages, shapes and sizes - for people at all levels of seniority and many different nationalities. We're still learning - but our staff members have masses more experience and proven success than many of our competitors.
Please see what some of our customers have had to write about us and then call us on 01433-650345 to discuss how we may be able to help meet your specific needs.

All year round we offer our corporate customers 3, 4 and 5 day training residentials which are usually based in the Peak District National Park but which may also be based in the Lake District, North Wales or at our small base in the Tyrolean Alps in the Republic of Austria. These are tailored indoor and outdoor based training events which are designed in conjunction with our clients to make sure we get the best possible results from the time we are able to spend with the participants. For top class training for, say, a party of c. 12 people you can expect to be investing at least five figures for three or four days of tuition - plus a modest extra supplement to cover food and accommodation. Our clients have a choice of a wide range of accommodation electives - from ski lodges and smart hotels in the Alps to comfortable hotels and conference centres in the Peak District. We can also offer visitors to the Peak District the option of staying in coaching inns, youth hostels and camping sites. Click here to see some of the many tried and tested accommodation options available.



If you are a serious budget holder and wish to explore options with us, please call us on 01433-650345 to discuss how we may be able to help you.

Our experiences over the past three decades have convinced us and many of our colleagues that, regardless of how much a client is willing to spend in terms of costs, it is naive to try to run any sort of true leadership skills development course unless at least three days are devoted to the investment.

We are happy to design 3, 4 and 5+ days duration residential training programmes for directors, senior managers, fresh graduates and others elsewhere on the management ladder. Prices start at around £10,000 + vat per course for up to 10/12 people ..... plus accommodation and meals costs.

Image : A syndicate of managers from Bosch OE during a management development course which included a task to raise money for charity.

Peak Activities Ltd employs several Training Specialists with qualifications in Psychology and Cognitive Behaviour. They are experienced in the design and running of self-perception inventories and psychometric assessments which can be used ahead of a course to help provide useful information and meaningful and relevant discussion points during the course itself. Typically we can arrange with our clients to explain what the assessments are going to be used for at pre-event briefings to be attended by all the participants. At such meetings we can emphasise the need for confidentiality and assure people that "information will not be used in evidence against them" - out of context or whatever.

The results of psychometric assessments need to be handled and, if agreed, shared in a very sensitive way. We believe that over the years we have established some very practical protocols and methodologies of working which mean that few if any people will feel threatened by the application of psychometric tests or self perception inventories.

We are happy to discuss with clients the uses and limitations of our own in-house developed assessments such as TEAM REVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE and more commonly known tools such as Belbin-8, Belbin-9, Myers Briggs, 32-PF and so on.

In our opinion such tools can be very useful if used sensibly and wisely and in the hands of people who know their limitations and who can explain and share clearly their uses and limitations as training vehicles.



It takes all sorts ! Not everybody is happy working at heights. If you're not comfortable working at heights that certainly doesn't mean you're a lesser person - but it might mean that unless you can overcome such fears you might struggle carving out a career as a electricity board power lines engineer ! Psychometric assessments can quickly reveal a lot about "how comfortable" people are in certain team roles or certain sorts of positions at work - such as leading teams, supporting colleagues, being competitive, calming folks down when they are excited or angry - and so on. With skilled training, many qualities of leadership can be nurtured and developed within people, but as the reader may agree, some folks are always going to be terrified or public speaking whilst others will grab the mike and start talking for England at the slightest opportunity ! Recognising strengths and shortcomings or skills gaps in a team is an important part of our work in helping teams to boost their overall performance through Continuous Improvement.

Peak Activities has successfully designed and run 4, 5, 7 & 14 day duration bespoke courses for a wide range of clients wishing to give their apprentices and cadets the very best possible start to their careers within their employing organisations.

Well known clients include Robert Bosch GmbH ( Stuttgart ) ; Babcock Naval Engineering Services, GEC Large Machines, Volvo Construction Equipment, Lincolnshire Police Authority, States of Jersey Police, Lucas Aerospace and many others.

Click here for lots more information and pictures and comments.

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We have three decades of experience in listening to the needs expressed by our clients and then designing and delivering fun-filled, RELEVANT and good humoured, innovative team building events for our corporate clients.
Usually these are three and four days duration events working indoors as well as outdoors on series of task based problem solving exercises carefully designed to elicit meaningful and lasting training outcomes.




As you might imagine, having been designing and running tailored team building events for over twenty five years for clients from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, lots of different kinds of fitnesses and levels of motivation, we have a massive tool kit of resources which we can apply to any given set of requirements we may be asked to consider for your delegates.

Please call us on 01433-650345 to discuss how we might be able to help you.

Iain Jennings & Associates' are experienced in the training and the personal development of individuals - and are always pleased to assist clients who wish to help staff realise their true potential.



TECHNIQUES BASED INDOORS & OUTDOORS CAN BE COMBINED VERY SUCCESSFULLY WITH OTHER APPROACHES TO PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR DEVELOPING INDIVIDUALS' PERSONAL STRENGTHS AND TO HELP ADDRESS ANY SHORTCOMINGS.



Over the past 30 years or so, our experts have been involved in the design and delivery of hundreds of programmes aiming to develop or inculcate process skills & characteristics such as : -


* PERSONAL CONFIDENCE.
* LISTENING & OTHER COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS.
* LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
* UNDERSTANDING HOW TEAMS CAN BE MORE SUCCESSFUL.
* TRUSTING OTHERS WITHOUT ABROGATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES.
* MOTIVATION & INSPIRATION OF OTHER COLLEAGUES AND STAKEHOLDERS.
* CREATIVITY.
* PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITIES.
* REVIEWING SKILLS & SOFT CRITIQUES.
* PROJECT PLANNING SKILLS.
* EMOTIONAL AWARENESS.

* UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE CUSTOMER & OTHER COLLEAGUES MAY NEED FROM US.

* APPRECIATING OTHER PEOPLES' VIEWPOINTS & PARADIGMS.
* THE NEED FOR CLARITY & OPENNESS.



One practical advantage of the unique outdoor based training methods developed over the years by our team in Hathersage is that our training works right first time and is usually very enjoyable and vivid.
We practise what we preach in terms of personal development. Young James ( above ) is our youngest staff member and has been sponsored by our firm to learn and pass his European Private Pilot's Licence.
Here he is is flying our Senior Associate Tony Kendall from Leicester Airfield after he was fully qualified as a pilot.

Several of our team, including Wing Commander Peter Daughtrey have considerable experience of designing and running successful recruitment initiatives and assessment panels.

However, we do ask clients to make it clear to everyone concerned what is happening when we are running assessment panels. We also feel it is unfair to both the participants and to us, the assessors, if clients do not invest enough time to run such events properly. To get predictive reliable results , clients must spend enough time on their panels to allow us to produce accurate reports and forecasts.

The first step on the management ladder is possibly one of the very hardest to get used to - and often staff are expected to perform really professionally with only the slenderest of training experiences under their belts.

We have considerable experience of working in partnership to get a clear understanding of what supervisory staff and junior managers are expected to do - and how they are required to operate and behave.... and then deliver training and development programmes tailored to help the delegates make the very most of their opportunities. Please contact us to outline how you'd like your junior staff to behave and what basic and more advanced skills you expect them to display - and we will do our best to delight training programmes which help everyone concerned achieve their potential.



If you are wanting newly appointed staff to fit closely into the existing ethos and exigencies of a busy operation, it's worth considering asking us to assist you in their induction process.