Sara Slack - Exposure Ninja
Through the Smart and Inclusive Leadership project, NTU is offering a range of fully funded courses to employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). One of these courses is the Women in Leadership course, designed to support women to develop their careers and their capability to manage and lead within their organisations.
Sara Slack, project manager at Exposure Ninja
One of the businesses that sent their employees on the Women in Leadership course is Exposure Ninja, a digital marketing agency based in West Bridgford, just outside Nottingham city centre.
Offering a range of services from web design and SEO, to pay-per-click, content marketing and social media management, the company supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with digital marketing that makes an impact.
Sara Slack is a project manager at Exposure Ninja, responsible for creating marketing campaign strategies, working with clients to establish their objectives, agreeing targets, and reporting back on successes to date.
After hearing about NTU's Women in Leadership course from a colleague who had taken part in a previous cohort, Sara decided to sign up.
Although she wasn't sure at first what she wanted to get out of the course, she quickly realised that her interest lay in developing her leadership skills.
Sara says: "I realised pretty soon after starting that my interest lay in how to be a more effective leader. I also wanted to better understand how company culture can be shaped and championed by individuals.
"The first piece of coursework - the Personal Development Plan - made me sit and consider my next career steps. It allowed me to see that taking the next step was possible with some structure, which was a game-changer for me."
Within three months of completing her plan, Sara had applied for and gotten a promotion that she'd previously been unsure about putting herself forward for.
When reflecting on the impact that the course has had for her, Sara says: "I can honestly say that this course has easily had the biggest impact on me, both career-wise and also on a personal development level. It has surpassed my expectations.
"Our company culture at Exposure Ninja is fantastic and the course has led me to appreciate this side of the business and the work that goes into it even more. I can identify different frameworks and approaches so that I can better understand how to prioritise my leadership style for my new team.
"I've already made a lot of changes, focusing more on the long-term and maintaining more of a growth mindset."
Further information
If you're interested in taking part in one of our future courses, find out more about funded courses for employees of SMEs.
You can also contact us at business@ntu.ac.uk, or on 0115 848 8899.