Lessons for Leaders

Welcome to Lessons for Leaders.  Can you believe it’s episode 100?

The goal has always been to share lessons, learnings, tips and advice and even when things got tough with it, I’ve enjoyed it more and I’m proud to be able to say I got to 100.

Many of my regular listeners will know that my girls are the reason I do what I do and my eldest girl is about to make me a Granny next month so it seems like a good time to pause the episodes for a while.

This last one is a very special episode, with my other amazing girl joining me at the mic to ask some of the questions you, my listeners sent in.  I really hope you enjoy it.

I’ll be back in the autumn.  In the meantime, there’s plenty of topics in the back episodes for you to dive into.

Keep sending me feedback, loves, takeaways and requests for topics in the meantime. 

As always, thank you for listening 

I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

This week I'm sharing top tips and conversations that I have frequently with people in organisations to help them know how to persuade leaders to invest in wellbeing.

We're covering:

What to do to persuade your leaders

The 3 R’s that I like to go with organisations I work with.

Why we need to look at revenue in different ways and I dive into specifics here to give you a head start.

How to highlight the risks to an organisation

Why it’s important to include reputation in this persuasive detail too.

It’s easy to say wellbeing can help to reverse employee burnout and reduce stress, turnover, and absenteeism.

Often dismissed or seen as nice to do.  Is it really essential.  Is it something worthy of budget or resources.

Promoting an environment where it’s ok to talk about mental health and encouraging good wellbeing is simply the right thing to do.  Unfortunately, some of your senior colleagues won’t agree or will be more focused on investing in business projects that they deem to have a clearer ROI.  The good news is that whilst not everyone will see wellbeing plans and training as a business critical issue right now… there are strong reasons that it MUST form part of your core business strategy.

You just need to find what IS the focus of your senior people so that we can determine how do we convince, persuade, or justify the time and expense on wellbeing.

Company executives want to know that any new program, including wellbeing, is going to support the bottom line of the business and its long-term growth.

I share in more detail how you can do that.  So have a listen.

If you’re looking for support for your wellbeing plan, coaching for your leaders or training programmes that not only helps your leaders, managers and employees enhance their wellbeing and performance but also gives you the tools and strategies to ensure senior buy in from the outset – get in touch.

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

This week I'm joined by Gemma Woodward who is People & Culture Manager for Netsells in York.  We are talking about leadership and autonomy.  Listen in for:

• What are the benefits of allowing autonomy.
• How leaders can encourage autonomy in their teams.
• Where leaders get it wrong with a top down leadership and how it can affect their people and the organisation
• what's one key thing that people should remember about autonomy

Key comments and take-aways

A top down leadership can create a fear of coming forward and fear of making mistake, their ideas and decisions might be more beneficial than they think.

People have a valuable input to give a different perspective and do add value.

Businesses will tell you they trust you but don’t really demonstrate that.

If we want to retain staff, enhance talent and develop people it’s really worthwhile for organisations to create a team culture that also makes them an employer of choice.

Culture is not defined with free tea and coffee and ping pong tables anymore.

We need to move away from the thought process of ‘it’s quicker if I do it” because we create a bottleneck in the process and means you’re not passing on knowledge to the team.

Use mistakes as a focus to learn from rather than beat someone up about it.

How can leaders enable more automony in the workplace?

We need to recognise that everyone has a different way of working and different levels of creativity.

There is a saying that there is strength in numbers so I believe we should embrace that by working collaboratively and learning from each other.

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

Connect with Gemma on LinkedIN

This week I'm joined by Gemma Woodward who is People & Culture Manager for Netsells in York.  We are talking about leadership and autonomy.  Listen in for:

• What are the benefits of allowing autonomy.
• How leaders can encourage autonomy in their teams.
• Where leaders get it wrong with a top down leadership and how it can affect their people and the organisation
• what's one key thing that people should remember about autonomy

Key comments and take-aways

A top down leadership can create a fear of coming forward and fear of making mistake, their ideas and decisions might be more beneficial than they think.

People have a valuable input to give a different perspective and do add value.

Businesses will tell you they trust you but don’t really demonstrate that.

If we want to retain staff, enhance talent and develop people it’s really worthwhile for organisations to create a team culture that also makes them an employer of choice.

Culture is not defined with free tea and coffee and ping pong tables anymore.

We need to move away from the thought process of ‘it’s quicker if I do it” because we create a bottleneck in the process and means you’re not passing on knowledge to the team.

Use mistakes as a focus to learn from rather than beat someone up about it.

How can leaders enable more automony in the workplace?

We need to recognise that everyone has a different way of working and different levels of creativity.

There is a saying that there is strength in numbers so I believe we should embrace that by working collaboratively and learning from each other.

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

Connect with Gemma on LinkedIN

What on earth is back to the floor?

I start with that and why I'm covering the subject (it was inspired by my wonderful friend and leader Tina.  So I'm also covering today:

Why is it important to know first hand what’s happening on your shop floor

Some real life examples and stories of how back to floor worked, and how it didn’t

One really, really important question to ask yourself

I share stories from my experience in corporate and Tina's feedback too to give real life examples - some are funny, some are lovely, one is a little shocking!

Here's one of the key things ....

Without that interaction, engagement and visibility not only would you feel unappreciated and disconnected from the business, but you wouldn't know or understand your position in the organisation, what you should be doing and what outcomes you should be striving towards. 

Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.  

If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to [email protected].   Or head over to my contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diary.

This week on the podcast I'm talking about Why it's Worth Investing in Stress Awareness.

I wonder if you've ever had a time when you've ever felt stressed and known what would help ... but not bothered to do it????

This is just one of the reason why I'm sharing information that can help you make a decision on whether it's worth investing in stress awareness.

I cover:

What is causing Stress in the workplace?

How Will Stress Awareness Help Your Organisation?

How Does Stress Impact Productivity?

Is it Worth Investing in Stress Awareness?

Ways I can support you or help for you to do it yourself.

Stress is a word that we have heard so many times over the last two years. In fact, if you asked many people I am sure that ‘stressful’ would sum up their experience of the pandemic.

April is Stress Awareness Month, and with the easing of lockdown restrictions, many are finding themselves back in the office or adapting to a permanent working from home or hybrid working environment. With this comes benefits, but also many challenges.

The last two years has changed how we connect and communicate, and although it’s also taught us resilience and shined a spotlight on our ability to adapt, it’s also impacted our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.

Employers have a ‘duty of care’ to ensure that employees are not subjected to excessive stress in the workplace, this also means arming employees and leaders with the tools they need to manage stress effectively.

As well as costing businesses money through work-related stress and mental illness absences (£26 billion per annum in fact), stress thought to be responsible for almost half of working days lost in Britain due to health issues. 

Listen for more details, ideas, information and discussion on this topic.

Ask me about my Stress Awareness Workshops or grab my DIY pack.

This is a pack full of factual information, instructions and resources so that you can implement your own Stress Awareness and activities with your workplace and colleagues without having to think up ideas.  There are also posters and images to share in your own newsletters along with a quiz and some conversation topics.

Or, to find out more about my Stress Awareness Workshops get in touch now, spaces are filling up fast.

I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

Two years since the UK locked down from the Covid 19 virus.  In fact pretty much the world locked down.

It changed so many things

• About how we live
• How we work
• Connections & communication
• Wellbeing – what were thankful for – fear / perspective
• Resilience

Have you looked back at those pictures from cities that were empty and streets that were bare?  I know I have.  There were bits that I loved, bits I didn’t love.

There was a significant difference in how people viewed the lockdown.  Some loved it.  Some hated it.  For some it was frightening, some if was delightful.  Some missed people, some enjoyed the space.

However over time those views change.  This is an important lesson to remember.

However hard we think things are at the time, they will change.  It’s important to look back and see how far you’ve come, what you’ve coped with and how you’ve managed.  These are great ways to reflect and learn the lessons.

I share reflections, lessons, learnings in this episode.

Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.  

If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to [email protected].   Or head over to my contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diary.

In honour of International Women's Day, I’m here to give ideas of ways that you can support women in leadership roles.  There can be a number of reasons why there are less women than men in leadership roles.  

Data from the House of Commons found that companies led by women outperform those led by men - but despite this, we're very far from achieving gender parity in the workplace

I share information about 

Break the Bias

Unconscious biases, opinions, beliefs are formed early in our childhood.  We learn these from family, friends, people of authority that are social messaging about boys and girls.  

Encouraging women to pursue leadership roles and supporting those who are already leaders is beneficial for the workplace as a whole.

Improve Confidence

Many women don’t apply for specific leadership positions so work to improve confidence can be really helpful at this level.

Improve Language

When I say this I mean changing the way that we are speaking up / giving time to be heard / not talking over the top of people

Establishing meeting etiquettes to ensure everyone is treated fairly during meetings, that all have the opportunity to speak and be heard.

Listen for the story I share about how I had to have conversations about language being used so that I could keep a strong mindset about the work I was doing.

Male Allies and Cheerleaders are hugely important and I talk a little about this too.

Mentoring

Coaching

Women's Networks

Are all important factors and get in touch if you want more info on my services for these but listen in to how these are different and how they can help support women in leadership.

Finally,

Pay the same – if you’re not closing the gender pay gap then you’re missing one big thing.

Companies with female leaders perform better than those led by males, House of Commons data has revealed.

Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.  

If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to [email protected] or head over to my contact page to book into the diary.

This week I'm talking to you about why empathy is crucial for great leaders.

I cover :

What is empathy

Why does it matter in leadership

Whether empathy can be learned 

How it can improve performance, create connections and

What you can do to be more empathic.

Why empathy is crucial for great leaders and what is empathy anyway? Empathy is the ability to experience and relate to the thoughts, emotions, or experience of others.  So it's about truly feeling what the other person is feeling.

You know I often talk about how we don't 'do' emotions.  But empathy is about connecting with emotions and feelings.

Why does empathy matter?

If we were to do a list of successful leaderships skills, empathy would rarely be included, but it's essential in my opinion.

I'm often asked the question "can we learn empathy"?  It's often thought that we either have it or have not.  You'll have to listen to the episode for the answer to this one!

Listen more for the ways that you can improve empathy.

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

Do you find it difficult to say no to people?  Perhaps it means you end up being busy, stressed, over-committed?  Often when we struggle to say no to people it can leave us feeling used, put up-on, juggling too many things.  Are you the one who ends up working late because you’ve said yes to others, yet you’re the one with more to do?

This episode is for you where I talk about

Say no and establish healthy boundaries

How to handle the fear, stress, worry and guilt

The surprising reason that saying no is good for you

Key phrases that you can begin to use to get you started

Why it’s not always about you

Suggestions to think about helping you with easy ways to say no

It's important to be able to say no so you feel empowered while still maintaining your relationships with others. Saying no helps you establish healthy boundaries and enables others to have clarity about what they can expect from you.

When you struggle to say no, look at what’s going on when you feel like this?  What feeling or emotion comes up for you when people ask you do something?  Perhaps there are past experiences and situations mean that you’ve learned it’s easier to say yes than no.

For many it’s a worry or fear about what others will think. 

Consider the other situation – you say yes so many times that you end up worn out, then there’s really no chance of you saying yes to anything if you’ve made yourself poorly!  Focus on the benefits of saying no.

Apparently the Mayo clinic has done research that concludes that saying no can help to reduce your stress levels and increase your happiness.   

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.