ICE Creates is a UK leader and specialist in behaviour change with services including design and creative, organisational development and behavioural marketing to name a few.
Launched in 1999, the Birkenhead-based organisation has evolved across a variety of fields. The CEO, Stuart Jackson, takes us through a week in his working life.
Monday
My week starts with an early morning drive down the M6 with ICE Co-founder, Mandy and our office well-being dog Georgie. We head straight for the office from our home in Croglin where we spend weekends. The Monday morning drive is an opportunity to put our business brains into gear and discuss the week ahead.
I try to ringfence Monday’s for team time – catch-ups, exploring ideas and setting my weekly goals. We have a flat structure at ICE, so we are all hands-on-deck regardless of position. It’s a great environment to be creative in.
This evening I am heading to the East Midlands to meet a client for dinner ahead of delivering a series of coaching sessions for the client’s team tomorrow. I use the time on the train to go through the proposal and the brief.
Tuesday
My part of the ICE mission is to help leaders and organisations embrace change and prosper. We deliver Organisational Development sessions across the country based on developing leadership skills to support organisations to engage their people, unlock potential and experience business growth.
Today’s session was designed specifically for our client to engage their team in the co-creation of their values and behaviours. Travelling around the country forms a large part of my working week, and I enjoy meeting partners and being hands on across the business, but I try to use my travel time wisely. This evening’s journey home meant time for meditation and reflection on the day’s learning experience.
As much as I love being on the road, family time is precious, and I spend the evening with my girls cooking and relaxing.
Wednesday
Today I’m heading to Birmingham with my Creative Director and co-founder to deliver a facilitation session on Leadership. Whilst I facilitate, Ian Jackson is on the boards, visually capturing the content from the discussions by visually mapping the narrative.
Our scribing service is extremely popular as the end product holds many more images at one time than the brain can, leaving a tangible ‘take away’ from the session long after the event has finished.
Thursday
Today I am at home on the farm in Croglin, delivering our ‘Natural Leaders’ programme to support a newly formed team build and develop their leadership style. Working alongside our world-class behavioural experts, highly trained working dogs and Herdwick sheep we design new approaches to increase the effectiveness of leaders and teams.
We realised that the relationship created between a shepherd, their dog and the sheep has a very close resemblance to that of human relationships; it’s amazing how clearly delegates translate the experience back to the workplace, and even at home or in leisure time – when its least expected!
Friday
My main focus on a Friday is following up with clients, building and maintaining relationships, and designing and developing ideas. I always try to work from home on Friday’s if time and commitments allow.
Last year ICE celebrated 20 years in business having launched as a design and comms agency in 1999. Over time, our aspiration nudged us towards work that could make a bigger impact to our society and ICE as we know it today provides an increasingly diverse portfolio that covers everything from delivering healthy lifestyle coaching for the NHS to social marketing, behaviour change and organisational and leadership development.
No two days are the same, and it’s this variety that has maintained our passion to make better happen for the past 20 years. We have put a lot of effort into cultivating the culture at ICE, it’s a great environment full of passionate and talented individuals with a common goal to make a difference. I earmark time on Fridays to send team high fives to celebrate a job well done, express thanks and generally provide recognition.
As I log off from ICE at the end of the week, it’s time to turn attention to the farm, working with the sheep and developing our smallholding. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
