Running a growing business can be exhilarating – but also exhausting. As your team expands, alongside the everyday challenges of running a business, it becomes harder to find the time and headspace to think clearly about your own leadership – particularly as a stretched SME with limited resource.
90% of UK SMEs reported business growth in 2024, with an average growth rate of 27% – largely attributed to the leadership quality of SMEs (The State of Small Business Britain Report 2024).
However, in 2024, only just over a quarter of UK employees rated their manager as highly effective, (Chartered Management Institute), with a headline in The Guardian from the year before proclaiming that bad management has ‘caused 1 in 3 workers to quit’.
In Series 4 of our podcast, OxTalks, we spoke to Leadership Coach Claire Croft, founder of Claire Croft Associates, about ‘What Makes a Good Modern Business Leader?’.
During the episode, Claire discusses why transparency, clarity and a willingness to develop people’s potential are essential management qualities, and why poor leadership continues to drive employees away from organisations. She also shares her own experiences and practical insights on how leaders can navigate constant change, foster autonomy without abandonment, and build resilience through thinking before acting.
When growing your business, operational turbulence, working to scale, decision-making and employee burn-out, particularly in smaller businesses, can often mean your ability to lead takes a real hit.
With economic uncertainties, geopolitical disruptions, AI adaption and talent shortages all factors in SME leadership efficacy, it is vital leaders have the opportunity to take a step back and review their leadership strategy.
Leaders must think differently and focus on the leadership issues that shape growth. We’ve launched ‘Personal Leadership: Expanding Possibilities’ – a 2‑day, 1‑night residential retreat for Oxfordshire SME owners and senior leaders with 5 or more staff – for this exact reason.
With a strong human leadership focus, it is built around real challenges, honest conversations and creating traction, not just another set of leadership tips.
Taking place at the Sudbury House Hotel in Faringdon on 29-30 September 2026, the retreat is designed for a small cohort of 12-15 leaders looking for renewed energy, grounded confidence and an expanded sense of what’s possible.
The difference with this business retreat? Our business support is fully-funded – delegates only pay a fee of £268 for this support package to cover accommodation and catering.
Across the two days you will:
- Step out of the day‑to‑day noise and reconnect with what really matters in your leadership
- Explore core themes such as decision‑making, pressure, people and priorities
- Work with practical tools and experiential exercises to increase your self‑awareness and leadership range
- Take part in small‑group “mastermind” conversations focused on your most pressing real‑world challenges
- Connect with a trusted group of peers who understand the realities of leading a growing SME
What the retreat includes:
- A pre‑retreat online gathering to meet the cohort, break the ice and name your current leadership challenges
- A two‑day, one‑night residential retreat at Sudbury House Hotel, with structured sessions, experiential activities and time to think
- Post‑retreat peer follow‑up to keep the momentum alive and support you in acting on your insights
Participants will leave with:
- Clear, personalised next steps and designed accountability with a scheduled peer follow up after the retreat
- New perspectives on their most pressing leadership issues
- A trusted network of peers to call on for support
- A shared language around leadership to take back into their business
- Renewed energy, more grounded confidence and an expanded sense of what is possible
This retreat is designed for:
- Owners and senior leaders of Oxfordshire‑based SMEs with at least 5 staff
- Leaders navigating growth, complexity or transition who want space to think
- People who value honest, human conversations about leadership more than buzzwords or quick fixes
The Personal Leadership: Expanding Possibilities experience will be delivered by Duncan Skelton, an award winning leadership coach who works with senior leaders and founders committed to stretching what’s possible in their organisations.
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