Benefits to the individual

What you as an individual can gain through Common Purpose

Individuals who have been on Common Purpose programmes think bigger, network more effectively and stand out as leaders not only within but also beyond their organisations.

"It taught me how to question clever people better. Most of it was about me. Most of the changes aren't visible, they are inside me. I'm very proud of the person I've found I am."
Lesley Santiago, Chair, Garth Residents Association, Hull

"Common Purpose treats community entrepreneurs in the same way it treats company directors. I found my views were being taken seriously. I was surrounded by people who treated me as an equal not a poor relation. You cannot believe what that does for your confidence."
Baroness May Blood, Board Member, Greater Shankill Project, Belfast

"I thought I knew everything and everybody. Then I went on Common Purpose and realised I didn't know much at all. It expanded my horizons."
Peter Connolly, Managing Director, Yorkshire Design

"I have learnt an enormous amount, met people I would never have met, been to places I would never have been and had my views changed all over the place. I can't count the number of times I said, 'Hell, I never thought about that before,' through the year! I recommend Common Purpose when you are on the verge of becoming the John Cleese picture of an accountant and it's time to spread out."
Mark Hargreaves, Partner, Grant Thornton

"I knew at 49 I wasn't seeing enough of the world. I've spent my whole career in law and most of it in the City of London. Everyone I met worked in the same way, with the same set of shared assumptions, attitudes and approaches to life. It's very easy to become insulated by that. I wanted to shake it up a bit and see what was going on outside the cocoon."
Bill Knight, Senior Partner, Simmons and Simmons

"For me, Common Purpose was an opportunity to meet with people outside my normal working world - to listen and learn from them - and to look at ways of building our future together."
Colin Fletcher, Bishop of Dorchester