A Cumbrian company renowned for training effective leaders has hauled in a regional business accolade.

Leader Connect scooped the 'Business Training and Education of the Year 2024 for Cumbria' at the Business Awards UK's Business Training and Education Regional Awards.

Based in Kendal, Leader Connect not only runs residential training programmes but also doubles as an online video streaming platform aimed at teaching people about leadership and team development.

Leader Connect was created by Neil Jurd OBE, the bestselling author of The Leadership Book.

His company operates Institute of Leadership-accredited programmes for many organisations, including the University of Sheffield.

The business prioritises experiential learning, encouraging trainees to engage in hands-on activities.

This method enhances the development of their leadership skills and promotes efficient teamwork.

Mr Jurd, a former Army officer and Sandhurst instructor said: "I'm delighted that the work Leader Connect is doing has been recognised with this award.

"Although we work with organisations all over the UK, we are very proud to be based in Cumbria and be honoured alongside other great businesses in the region."

When Mr Jurd created the company he wanted to offer something different to traditional leadership training.

Participants in Leader Connect programmes, rather than sitting back and absorbing information, are encouraged to actively contribute their ideas.

Mr Jurd explained: "Telling doesn’t work – my approach is to create the right conditions for people to learn about leadership for themselves.

"If you come up with an idea yourself, you are always going to be more excited and energised than if you were simply told about something."

Away from residential leadership programmes, Leader Connect offers a Netflix-style platform for video training.

With a monthly subscription rate, members can readily watch these videos.

Among the first to hop onto the platform was the NHS, registering 100 staff as users.

The platform has become popular with businesses, schools, universities, and individuals eager to upgrade their leadership skills.

Mr Jurd said: "Many of the videos on Leader Connect cover similar ground to my book but there are also videos on other topics too including HR, mindfulness, wellness – anything which would be useful to people wanting to be better leaders.

"There isn’t really anything else like Leader Connect out there and I want the platform to be my legacy."

For more information, visit www.leader-connect.co.uk.