From goal setting to imposter syndrome: staff reflect on development programme

The latest cohort of staff have graduated from Imperial’s talent development programme for minority ethnic staff.

The longstanding IMPACT programme (Imperial Positive About Cultural Talent) is designed to help staff develop new and existing skills and attempts to address some of the challenges faced by some minority ethnic staff. 

At the graduation ceremony on 13 September staff presented their group projects, pitching a wide range of ideas to make Imperial more inclusive, from combatting feelings of isolation and disconnect among staff to support for new staff from overseas. 

Developed and delivered by Imperial's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre, the programme includes workshops, one-to-one mentoring and group projects. It gives staff the opportunity to network with colleagues from across Imperial and the range of sessions aim to build confidence and help staff reflect on career goals.  

Hear from some of the 2023 IMPACT graduates below. 

Fay Blake, School Partnerships Administrator, Outreach 

I’ve always wanted to join the IMPACT programme and this year I decided to take the plunge and do it and I’m so glad I did. I wanted to focus on my personal development and gain more confidence when thinking about future career opportunities. 

There were so many great workshops that helped me reflect on my development and put what I had learnt into practice, from personal goal setting to imposter syndrome, assertiveness and setting career action goals. My favourite workshop was the role play and communication. It really opened my understanding of techniques to approach different types of conversations and feedback.  

What I will take away from the IMPACT programme is how to be self-reflective. The use of the psychometric assessment called Lumina Spark really helped me to be more self-aware about my behaviours and how to develop and improve these in a work setting.  

I loved that we were given a safe environment to share personal experiences and come out of my comfort zone as the programme progressed. I’ve met some amazing members of the Imperial community.  

To anyone thinking about joining the IMPACT programme, I would say definitely go for it. The experience will be so worthwhile and beneficial.  

Harmony Wong, Databases and Systems Officer, Electrical and Electronic Engineering 

I’ve really enjoyed taking part in IMPACT and getting to meet colleagues from across Imperial. I particularly enjoyed the workshop on assertive communication and also the group project.  

In our group project we pitched ideas for ways Imperial could provide more support for staff moving to the UK from overseas. This was really personal to me, having moved to the UK myself. There are lots of challenges involved and it can be overwhelming moving to a new country and starting a new job. I think it would be great if we could offer staff similar support to students, for example airport pickups.  

IMPACT has helped me to understand more about myself, my personality and who I am when I’m at work. I would definitely recommend the programme and encourage any colleagues who are interested to apply.