We follow the advice to …“Keep it simple, stupid.” But often life and people are not simple. The fear of complexity is actually the fear of uncertainty, which often triggers a need for control. We can open and switch our mindsets to find more calm in complexity. Reframe the challenges to bring us out of our panic zone and into our stretch zone because that is where we will grow and learn, innovate and overcome our challenges.

The task of engaging often comes down to the job of the leader or manager. Many times the leader has a long list of duties that include- connecting with and keeping the team engaged. This involves nurturing a relationship and communicating in a clear, concise and empathetic way. A human way.

Innovation can only thrive when people thrive.
Somewhere in the depths of getting work done, hitting performance targets and stretch targets, becoming more efficient, working smarter… we find it difficult to really be a human leader. There is another way … A more human way to lead

The session is the essence of some of the best work I have done with leaders and teams, it has helped them to pause and think about how they lead and communicate and I hope it helps you too. The session is designed for leaders, communication professionals and coaches who are all seeking the inner human.

If we wish for peace and prosperity, can we continue to seek profit at the expense of people and the planet? How can organisations bring these ambitions into reality? To tackle the sustainability goals, no individual or organisation can do it alone, we need partnership and mass behaviour change, that requires a certain type of leadership.

To me, work cultures are no different to social cultures because we are humans interacting for a shared purpose. We may not notice the cultures we exist in until something is different.

The culture can be felt, ‘the smell of the place’ and it can make the difference to whether we feel accepted and a sense of belonging or not.

Join me to learn how to confidently lead with cultural humility and curiosity to create psychological safety for all at work and in life. Your corporate values, equality, diversity and inclusion policies may adorn the walls but are they felt in the hearts of every employee. Culture is all about people and communication. It starts with every leader. It starts with you.

Soft skills are not some hippy, ‘woo woo’ concept.  Soft skills are life skills, they help us to form and sustain relationships, help us manage ourselves and others and they make us human. Communication skills are one of the most important soft skills, not only for leaders and managers but for anyone.
I want to share why communication skills matter for employee engagement and why human connection is the secret sauce.

The unexpected and the unpredictable. Seeking surprises, can warm up our brains to be more resilient to change.

Instead of eliminating surprise, we need to seek out experiences that don’t have a predictable outcome, those that challenge our current wiring and build new circuitry and build more resilience.

Change is constant, heard that before? But change is also uncomfortable, how you see that discomfort is the key to embracing change.

When we see feedback as a treat, an honour to receive and ignite our curiosity to know what the other person can see that we can't, then we can be more open to the learning opportunity in front of us.

Authenticity doesn't mean you need to show everything but it does mean that you show- what is really you.

Authenticity by definition can not be faked. When a leader is authentic, you can see that there is an alignment between how they present themselves and how they naturally are. This is sometimes hard to get to because the role of a leader over the course of their career can be built up of expectations and judgements about how the 'should' be. What does the real you sound like?

I believe that learning and growth happens in the spaces between- what was- and - what will be- We have had so much crisis, that we need to use disruption as an opportunity to build the skills we will need in the future.

They say change is good, but sometimes we have become creatures of habit. My house, my desk, my job… in this case, my sofa! We assign our ownership to them and attach to them, that is why it becomes difficult when things change.