Quick-Fire Chats with Ed Jackson: Overcoming Challenges in the Face of Adversity

Businesses are constantly adapting to the challenges of a modern workplace environment as they strive to find growth and stay competitive. From the rise of new technologies and the importance of cultural diversity to managing ageing populations and maximising employee retention, the role of an internal recruitment team has never been more important.

Finding, attracting, and recruiting skilled talent is vital for the continued success of your business, but how can recruiters thrive in today’s hiring ecosystem even in the face of adversity?

Introducing Ed Jackson, Former Rugby Star and keynote speaker at In-house Recruitment LIVE! London.

Ed Jackson’s professional rugby career spanned ten years. He played for Bath, Wasps, London Welsh and the Gwent Dragons before suffering a spinal cord injury in April 2017, which left him paralysed. Since then, he has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation and has defied the odds after being told he may never walk again. Ed now takes the opportunity to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries, mentor others going through similar hardships and fund-raise for the charities that have helped him. This included walking to the summit of Mount Snowdon just 12 months after the accident, raising over £20K for charity in the process.

In this blog we posed Ed a series of questions – read on to discover an exclusive insight into what you’ll be taking away from Ed’s talk at In-house Recruitment LIVE! next month. For your chance to hear Ed’s inspirational story in full, you  can register for free here but be quick, as spaces are limited so sign up today whilst there’s still availability.

As a keynote speaker at In-house Recruitment LIVE! why can’t attendees afford to miss your presentation? What should they expect to learn from you on the day?

Everyone faces challenges in their life whether it be professional or personal. Often these challenges are unexpected and unavoidable but it’s not what happens to us it’s how we react that counts.

Last year I was confronted with a challenge that would change my life forever but whether it would change it for the better or worse, that was up to me. I would like to share my story along with the invaluable lessons I learned along the way. Lessons that have changed the way I not only approach adversity but life in general.

Your rehabilitation story has left the entire nation in awe. What is the one thing you owe this great achievement to the most?

There are a number of factors playing into my recovery but I would say that along with my incredible support network the main one has been positivity. Staying positive is easier said than done but I developed ways of doing it, all will be revealed in my talk.

Overcoming challenges takes the same mindset regardless of circumstance. How would you advise in-house recruiters to keep their eyes “on the prize” in times of difficulty?

Staying task oriented and proactive is a good place to start. It’s very easy to bury your head in the sand at the first sign of trouble and hope it passes you by but there are opportunities in adversity and the only way you will find them is by keeping your head up and your eyes open. Don’t just try and survive the turbulent times, it’s often the best time to thrive.

After the massive success of your Mount Snowdon climb, are you looking to set yourself any other physical challenges? What’s next for you?

My next challenge is on the 9th of September when I will be attempting to summit the 10,000ft peak of Mont Buet in Switzerland in aid of Restart Rugby. After that I am heading to Nepal where I am working with a charity called Neverest who are looking to build a much needed spinal unit in Chitwan. A year of fundraising culminating with a climb in the Himalayas is then being planned for 2019.

Along side my on going physiotherapy I am also studying for a masters and enjoy committing time to helping other spinal injury patients through their own journeys. What the future holds I don’t know but I’m excited about it.

Don’t miss Ed’s keynote presentation “Millimetres to Mountains – Overcoming challenges in the face of adversity” to learn how to make the most out of your in-house recruitment team.

Previous Post
[Video] The 2018 Employer Branding In-house Recruitment Conference
Next Post
Quick-Fire Chats with Naomi Riches: My Journey from Boat to Boardroom
Category
MotivationalStrategy and Leadership
Content Type Interview
You must be logged in to post a comment.

Related content