Event Recap: A fresh perspective on building high-performing teams with Suran Dickson | 21 May 2025

In today’s fast-changing workplace, strong team dynamics are more important than ever. At our recent “Building High-Performing Teams” workshop - part of the Navigating Business Change series - business leaders came together for an energising and insightful session led by leadership and culture expert Suran Dickson. Over three engaging hours, attendees explored how to unlock team potential, drive productivity and create inclusive environments where innovation and performance thrive.

Recap: A Fresh Perspective on Building High-Performing Teams 

Suran Dickson, director of Flipside Consulting, recently led a workshop on building high-performing teams at Business Canterbury on the 21st May. The event explored workplace behaviours, inclusive environments, and embracing and understanding different backgrounds and working styles can boost engagement and productivity. 

Dickson stresses the importance of creating psychological safety in creating innovative and productive work environments. She points out that leaders are key in fostering an atmosphere where employees feel at ease speaking up and sharing ideas. 

 "As a leader, your main job is to build psychological safety," Dickson says. "Once you've done that, people will generally do what you need them to do. They'll open up to you, communication and feedback amongst your team becomes much easier. It is almost the important job to me as a leader." 

The workshop covered a range of topics, including healthy conflict resolution, building team connections and embracing diverse thinking styles and the benefits of understanding how different brains work, as ways of improving both operational efficiencies and growth opportunities within a business. 

 "Think about the great explorations, ventures, and innovations that have shaped human history," Dickson says. "How many of those would have happened without diverse thinking? Probably not many." 

Dickson offers practical tips for creating inclusive work environments, such as providing quiet spaces, ensuring clear communication, and allowing processing time for those who need it. 

The event was part of Business Canterbury's Navigating Business Change series, thanks to our Strategic partners, including Westpac, Orion, University of Canterbury, 2degrees, and SoftSource V-Bridge, backing the initiative to provide businesses with the skills to broaden perspectives when faced with either challenging times or opportunities for growth. 

Finally, Suran emphasised the importance of managing our reactions to events and our personal responsibility in how we choose to respond to situations.  “Events happen all the time. They're out of our control. The second they've happened, they're in the past. Whatever it might be, you choose your reaction every single time.”

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