6-minute read In the past few months, I’ve run several team development days for board-level teams in different sectors. I’m emphasising the different sectors because all too often, I still come across the deep-rooted narrative of “public sector bad, private sector good”. Based on my experience, not just of the past few months, but of many years working across all sectors, leadership teams from different sectors have more in common than not. And one of the things they have the most in common is a frustration with meetings. These frustrations tend to come down to: People being ill-prepared. Th ..read more

6 minute read In their book, Why change doesn’t work, Harvey Robbins and Michael Finley outline seven ‘rules’ we need to remember if we want change to be a positive thing and to succeed: People do what they perceive is in their best interest, thinking as rationally as circumstances allow them to think. People are not inherently anti-change.  Most will, in fact, embrace initiatives provided the change has a positive meaning for them. People thrive under creative challenge but wilt under negative stress. People are different.  No single “elegant solution” will address the entire bread ..read more

5 minute read First off, you might be wondering why I’ve put the word syndrome in apostrophes? It’s because the phrase impostor syndrome isn’t the correct one. I know, right?! For years, I also used the term ‘impostor syndrome’ but then when I started my doctoral studies, I came across the original 1978 research. In it, Drs Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, referred to it as impostor phenomenon. Syndrome suggests something wrong with the individual, almost as if it’s a disease or something seriously wrong with a person. Whereas phenomenon suggests that it’s something interesting, unexpected, an ..read more

2 minute read This morning, I was invited on to chat with Kirsten O’Brien on Bbc Radio Berkshire Breakfast Show. We talked about things people can do if they’re feeling anxious about going back to work after the Christmas break. Here are my five top tips: Understand the root cause of any anxiety you might be feeling Talk it through with someone, or write those thoughts down on paper. It’s quite normal to feel a bit out of sorts at this time. Many of us have got out of routine, getting up later than normal, eating and drinking more or differently, cosying up and bingeing on box-sets ..read more

4 minute read I was talking to a friend the other day about how my work seems to come in themes. A few years ago, much of my work seemed to be about conflict resolution in teams. During the Covid19 pandemic, it was about resilience and wellbeing. During 2023, it’s been all about feedback and challenging conversations. Whether I’m chatting on a podcast such as my most recent interview for the Jobsworth Podcast, or whether I’m being asked to give a talk or run a course – the topic de jour has been feedback. Now there are lots of books and talks that suggest people are more afraid of public speak ..read more

It’s that time of year when many of us think and talk about setting goals. Yet how many of us set ourselves ambitious goals at the start of a year, only for our motivation to ebb away way as the months go on? We then end up being hard on ourselves at the end of year, telling ourselves, “Next year it will be different”. And the vicious circle continues. If that sounds familiar, then check out these three lessons from psychology to help you achieve your goals. Plan for obstacles as well as outcomes Many of us, when setting goals, have been encouraged to focus on positive visualisation – thinki ..read more

One of the mistakes I see some managers make, when talking about a team member’s under performance, is to make it personal. They might make personal comments about the person, suggesting they are lazy and deliberately under performing. In my own experience as a line manager I very rarely found that someone deliberately set out to do their worst and under perform. There was always a reason. And my role as a psychologist means I’m always curious about the root cause of someone’s poor performance. While it can be harder work, the pay off in identifying and dealing with the root cause can be great ..read more

We’re only into the third year of the 2020s and it already feels like we’ve lived through a century worth of events. And when you’re leading an organisation through the tumult of the 21st century, it can feel like you’re trying to steer a ship without any navigational equipment, tiller or wheel. The most effective leaders have high levels of self-awareness and put in place support mechanisms to help them – this might be a coach, or a mentor, or being part of a cohort of other leaders on a programme or in an action learning set, or a combination of these. A good starting point is to understand ..read more

We’re only into the third year of the 2020s and it already feels like we’ve lived through a century worth of events. And when you’re leading an organisation through the tumult of the 21st century, it can feel like you’re trying to steer a ship without any navigational equipment, tiller or wheel. The most effective leaders have high levels of self-awareness and put in place support mechanisms to help them – this might be a coach, or a mentor, or being part of a cohort of other leaders on a programme or in an action learning set, or a combination of these. A good starting point is to understand ..read more

“The intention behind your actions is like a shaft behind an arrow head” – Chris Bailey, The Productivity Project One of the things that comes up often in my coaching sessions and workshops with managers and leaders is the idea of being much more intentional and thoughtful as we go about each thing in our day. When I was a manager, it was so easy to fall into the trap of allowing my diary to manage me, rather than the other way round! How many of us end up in back-to-back meetings, with not even time to go to the loo? And all it takes is that initial meeting to not quite go according to plan ..read more