Hope all is good with you and that you’ve had a great week. I’ve had a good one but must admit, I’m getting that ‘almost there’ feeling that arrives when vacation time is in sight. I finish up next Friday for two weeks and I’m ready for a break. I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to some downtime over the summer period too. Holidays are such important waypoints in the year. I don’t know why this word popped into my ...

Well, we’ve reached the end of May – five months of 2024 already gone. It can seem like it’s flown past with little to show for it but, over the last 151 days, I’ll bet you’ve made lots of progress. There’s also a good chance that you don’t value the progress you’ve made because, after all, there’s so much more to do. The constant pressure of what is still to be achieved can deeply undermine our appreciation of how far ...

If ever the weather conspired against a leader’s message, it was surely the rain pouring down on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the steps of Downing Street this week. Soaking wet shoulders don’t chime well with hope, success and direction – especially when that message is being delivered to a sceptical, worried, angry electorate. The optics, as the PR gurus say, weren’t great. Business leaders have to share messages of hope, success and direction to sceptical, worried and, sometimes, angry, ...

I had one of those heart-drop moments this week. Waiting to board the tube at Waterloo train station, I was enjoying the feeling of being unburdened, light on my feet, free. Until I realised the reason – I’d left my suitcase on the train I’d arrived in some 10 minutes earlier. Hastily retracing my steps, I went back to the busy station platform in search of that train. There followed a comedy worthy of a Netflix show as I checked ...

There’s a growing unease amongst many of the senior leaders I’m working with about strong business headwinds in the year to come. Many leaders are feeling extra stress as a result. More than ever, they’re seeking to build high levels of engagement across colleagues and employees as everyone works together to navigate potentially stormy times. And, even if you’re in the fortunate position of seeing only calm waters ahead, I’m sure that increasing employee engagement is an ongoing goal for ...

Well, it still doesn’t feel like spring here in the UK, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still benefit from spring-cleaning our leadership style. A refresh is always worthwhile! This week, let’s look at three common leadership habits that waste time and energy – something that no leader can afford to do. And I’ll share the effective practices you can implement instead. Accepting a team member’s poor behaviour so that you avoid a difficult conversation No one likes having conversations ...