By ICG member Annabelle Phillips

Our book group has two main formats:

Discuss and debate: 

An ICG member takes the lead for this, giving a review and the headlines via a couple of slides and everyone has a discussion on the key points, what they think of the book (if they’ve read it, and no worries if not –  it’s a good way to learn about a book without reading it!)

Q&A with an author:

Our next session is with Chantal Cornelius who is the author of ‘Stand Out Strategies’.  This will be chaired by Karen Elton on 30 April at 12 noon and will be your opportunity to quiz Chantal on some of her thinking and theories. Find and more and book your place for this here. 

Looking for volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to discuss a book you’d like to share that you’ve enjoyed or not enjoyed, or think is controversial, etc.  Please get in touch with Kath Rhodes, Annabelle Phillips and/or Lucie Wernicke.

ICG member Ange Taylor, founder of AddMaple, recently won a startup competition, competing against 77 startups across industries like architecture, design, and collaboration. Their win came with a $20,000 cash prize and industry recognition – and it’s in PR Newswire.

This is not just a win for AddMaple – it’s a win for research and insights as a whole. It reinforces that our field is at the forefront of innovation. This wouldn’t have been possible without our very own Jeff Deighton who has put AddMaple through so many research tests and was able to give me a video testimonial and Andrew Smith provided us with a written testimonial. Shout out also to Dan Young who also provided us with a testimonial, short video and to Barbara Du Perron for her essential feedback and suggestions. You all helped see the value in AddMaple and gave Ange the confidence to enter the competition in the first place.

Thank you, ICG, for being such a great community!

As a gesture of thanks, AddMaple would love to offer ICG members discounted rates, indefinitely. Use code: ICGGRATITUDE for an extra 10% on top of the 15% discount for our Annual AI plan. The upcoming modular dashboards will be included in this plan too.

If you want to be included in the dashboard release, reach out to Ange.

AddMaple isn’t just a faceless SaaS. We are here to help if you’re stuck on a project and need to get a file in the correct format, or need a hand.

ange@addmaple.com

AddMaple – Your data summarized and ready to explore | AddMaple

The ICG is proud that two out of the four nominated finalists of the inaugural AQR Wendy Gordon Pioneers Award are ICG members; huge congratulations to Tom Woodnutt (Feeling Mutual) and Steven Lacey (The Outsiders).

This new AQR award is to celebrate what Wendy Gordon brought to the industry and beyond – to brand planning, semiotics, recruitment, marketing and more; her curiosity, her bravery, her intelligence and her pioneering spirit.   The award is for a qualitative researcher with a similar pioneering spirit in the work that they do.

https://www.aqr.org.uk/

Just a month ago, Lara Meyer led a webinar for ICG members on Growth Mindset—a session that not only resonated with attendees but also led to something unexpected: a brand-new partnership.

During the session, Lara shared a personal story about moving to Bahrain, facing career uncertainty, and how shifting to a growth mindset transformed what felt like a setback into an opportunity for reinvention.

The discussion struck a chord with many who attended, including fellow ICG member Jeff Deighton, who reached out after the webinar. Jeff shared how Lara’s journey mirrored his own experiences of career transitions and resilience, and their conversation quickly evolved into something bigger.

Now, LMI and insight engineers are joining forces to help leaders and teams embed a growth mindset, take smarter risks, and achieve tangible business success. This collaboration brings together Lara’s expertise in coaching and mindset development with Jeff’s focus on tracking progress and driving business growth.

What makes this story even more special is how it highlights the power of the ICG community. The webinar programme didn’t just offer a story or insights—it sparked a meaningful professional connection that is already shaping new opportunities. It’s a testament to how quickly collaboration can take root when members come together with shared goals.

If you’re curious about how a growth mindset culture can benefit your team, Lara and Jeff are ready to help.

Get in touch:

• Lara Meyer: lara@lara-meyer.com
• Jeff Deighton: jeff.deighton@insight-engineers.com

Read the full story here

#MRX #GrowthMindset #PerformanceDevelopment #BusinessTransformation

An opportunity for ICG members to meet and exchange ideas/opinions with other members. Members are paired up for 3 months, after which the pairings change. No huge commitment needed, just a willingness to (probably virtually) meet up with your ‘buddy’ at agreed times and agree to share work issues/concerns/questions with each other.

To sign up to our next Buddy scheme, REGISTER HERE

“As an independent consultant you can so easily get stuck in the rut of working, prospecting, proposal writing, chasing down leads and opportunities; client service, chasing payments, making payments that suddenly you realise that the isolation of following your initial desire to be independent can be quite different to how you imagined it might be.

Thankfully organisations like the ICG are more than like-minded people going through the same experiences. The ‘buddy’ system implemented a few years ago has for me given an opportunity to reach beyond the usual contributors and be introduced to people within the membership who always stimulate a thought, a wish or a desire to do something a little different.

I love the collaboration it offers – that may not be a commercial one but a free exchange of ideas and experiences to use as prompts and challenges to my own way. I have met some great people and some who I may never talk to again, because the open spirit of letting a conversation flow was not there to start with. Buddy’s are not network introductions so don’t think of them like that. They are a chance to have a conversation with someone who may feel the same way you do or may have a much better way of operating or a skillset you don’t have yourself.

Be open-minded and honest with your buddy and they may just become a friend, a collaborator or a spark for a new idea.”

ICG member Alan Bowman, The Buzz