Episodes
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This is my final guest interview wrapping up Season 3, and I’d encourage you to listen in as I chat with Tim Roberts, a Leadership Coach who takes a no BS approach! Author of ‘Break the Mould’ about which Tim says ‘it’s worth reading if you want to be a better leader or role model in the workplace’ and in our conversation we explore the often quoted ‘authentic leadership’ phrase - and dig into what it takes to be both true to yourself AND be an effective leader to others. We hope you’ll enjoy listening to our ‘Really Useful Conversation’ and if you want to know more about Tim, you’ll find his website a great place to start! Thanks for tuning in and please do share with colleagues who might also benefit.
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Barbara Nixon is THE Success and Leadership Coach for ambitious Business Leaders. With a strong background in the commercial world, where she designed hundreds of senior leadership development programmes and was responsible for the Management Development for all 3000 Managers. She worked for all areas of the business which has given her the broad commercial knowledge that helps her to help her clients today. Whether a newly promoted manager trying to find their feet, an established manager with a sudden realisation of imposter syndrome, or a business owner who is keen to get out of the weeds, side step self doubt & elevate, Barbara is the person to talk to! As a Business Leader it's easy to think you should always feel in control, be super confident, and have all the answers - but this often is not the case and with 27 years experience, Barbara really is a secret weapon to have in your toolkit! She is also one of the incredible speakers at the Actually, she can! conference, a unique opportunity for women in business to embrace a day of personal development and inspiration, so watch this space for more info! But for now, settle in to hear what Barbara has to say that might help you be the confident leader you really want to be - and find out more about her at
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Episodes manquant?
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If you are a manager or leader, self-awareness and the impact that you have is critical to success. So if I asked you the question "Does the room light up when you enter or when you leave?" - what would YOU say and more importantly, what would your PEOPLE say? As a manager or leader your style and behaviour is the single biggest influence on the performance of your team and can affect levels of motivation, engagement, performance, attendance even staff retention (or not!) So much of what YOU do and how YOU behave will impact that – positively or negatively. This brisk and pacy episode is an opportunity for that all important mirror-moment amongst the busy-ness of business to give you chance to consider “Am I doing all the right things?” and consider whether your intentions are delivering the impact and outcome you desire, or whether there are things that you might choose to do differently. I hope you will find it useful as a reflection and to increase self-awareness, it might even inspire a conversation with your team where you ask them for some feedback too!"
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ACAS received over 200,000 enquiries about workplace bullying incidents in just one year. Many people worry about what to do, how to handle it, what their rights are and how to deal with it if the issue is from a manager or someone in authority. I know from my 30+ years of experience in industry that this is an issue organisations want to deal with quickly - no employer would want anyone in their organisation to be having a negative experience of this nature, but sometimes the line between banter and bullying gets very thin, and sometimes what started "as a joke" can turn into unwanted behaviour or comments. Workplace bullying is an example of a psychosocial hazard that we all need to be aware of and working to eliminate, and this episode is intended to offer sound advice to anyone who feels they are being bullied, as well as a reminder to employers of their duty of care not just for physical health and safety but also for protection of mental, emotional and psychological health and safety in the workplace. This episode follows on from my recent interview with Katie Skelton and I hope you will find it helpful.
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What would you do if someone shouted you down in a meeting in front of colleagues? And then followed you out of the meeting room and leaned into your face? And what if a bunch of senior managers witnessed it and allowed it as "it us just who he is"? Sadly people often get away with bad behaviour, behaviour that is bullying and not acceptable, because they have technical expertise or knowledge that the business needs, so their bad behaviour is ignored or accepted. In today's podcast I get to speak to Katie Skelton from about her experience of workplace bullying and explore how psychosocial safety is critical in organisations who want to get the best out of people. ACAS report that in one year they had over 200,000 calls to their helplines about workplace bullying and together Katie and I chat about this sensitive subject and the issues it can cause. I will also be releasing a follow up episode to this to help employers who are committed to tackling bullying in the workplace, and with advice for employees who might be experiencing it. Bullying doesn't just happen top down, but also bottom up, and we will be exploring examples of that too. I hope you will find this episode helpful in bringing this subject to the table where we can explore it and importantly take steps to tackle it in your own organisation, if it is indeed lurking somewhere within.
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If you are looking for ways in which to make sure your business has long-term sustainable success and you recognise the importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace that allows your people to flourish and thrive, then you will want to tune into this week’s podcast. My conversation with Toby Mildon, Diversity and Inclusion Architect, and author of “Inclusive Growth” is all about how he helps his clients to strategically align diversity and inclusion to organisational growth, change the culture and motivate senior leaders to ‘walk the talk’ for inclusivity, He helps clients to design and implement a sustainable inclusivity infrastructure so that it is not just a HR responsibility, and in our conversation we explore why this matters and the first steps to get you moving in the right direction. You can find out more about Toby and the work that he does around this important topic at and his book “Inclusive Growth” is available from all good book sellers! I hope you will enjoy our conversation and that you will also consider joining me on 22nd May to “Mind the Gap – the difference between Intention and Impact” – full details at Hope to see you there!
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Are you looking for a way to increase self-awareness, develop your leaders, improve your sales or simply develop a high performing team? I may have the answer for you! In this week’s Really Useful Conversations podcast I get to chat with the wonderful award winning, professional speaker, Learning and Development professional, and all round good egg that is Kerry Lockyer. Kerry is a Licensed Insights Practitioner and accredited Clarity4D Business Partner and uses these powerful behavioural profiling tools to transform personal development and team effectiveness. With a strong background in the corporate world, she founded Oomph Learning and Development Ltd in 2019, - and their mission is to provide engaging and innovative learning solutions that truly add value and deliver real results.....and she’s here today to talk to us specifically about how we might recognise others preferences and adapt our style in order to get the best out of any situation – a fantastic mirror moment opportunity for us all! Don’t forget the Reflect & Reset opportunity too on 22nd May at 1pm where managers and leaders can take time out from the busy-ness of business and consider their intention versus the impact they are actually having! Full details on
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As a leader or manager you have the power to make such a difference to your team, their experience of the workplace, and the outcomes they achieve. Just in the way that you behave around them, the style of leadership that you choose and use, and the impact that you have. However, sometimes the effect we INTEND is not always the experience that people are having, and every now and then we have to stop and ask ourselves the question – is there a gap between my intention and my impact? You probably have an organisation where a fair number of managers intend doing a great job – in fact, the majority will believe that they are and I have met many over the last 30 years in business who genuinely think they are doing a FABULOUS job, but they don’t hear what people say about them when they are not in the room, how they talk about them behind their back, what they say when they go home at night and are asked “How was your day?” In this episode I am offering some essential steps for all leaders to better assess the gap between intention and impact, and encouraging a mirror moment to step away from the wheel and focus on being the best leader you can be. Does the room light up when you enter or when you leave? And says who?
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In this week's episode I thought it felt like a good time to talk about the power of human connection, there is so much going on in the world at the moment and in organisations that it feels like a good time to remind ourselves about the difference positive relationships and strong human connection can make. We will take a close look at why in the busy-ness of business it matters so much – surely people should just rock up and do the job they are being paid to do, right? Why do we need to connect with them as human beings? What difference does it make? What is it about "human first" that makes the BIG difference? And when we talk about connection, what are we actually talking about? I will also share a few quick and easy ways in which leaders can build connection into their day to day role and responsibilities - sometimes it is just a question of how we view an interaction and how our mindset might make it more productive. Grab a brew, pull up a pew and tune in!
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You may have seen the noise that the recent headlines created, when the European Human Rights Commission confirmed that under the Equality Act (s.6) that menopause symptoms COULD be classed as a disability. In this week's episode I am going to talk through that noise and explain in really straightforward terms what this means, and what you as a business need to be doing about it. Whether you are a Line Manager, HR Manager, Healthy & Safety Manager or indeed a business owner, this news article does NOT change anything - and no, women are NOT disabled because they are menopausal, and NO we are not entitled to a blue badge and NO it is not every woman! If you are a manager keen to get it right, to understand what matters in the workplace and what your duty of care actually is, then go to my website here and check out this fabulous resource:- If you are curious to understand what all the noise was about, tune into this week's tongue in cheek episode where I will bust a few myths for you. You'll thank me for it ;-) is definitely worth a look if you want really useful resources that are written and created in a very straight forward, no nonsense way.
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In this week's episode I get to chat with Alison Colley, an experienced Solicitor and HR specialist, who is passionate about supporting organisations and individuals with any work problems, and giving clear and unstuffy legal advice. This week we talk about the term reasonable adjustments, and ask when is reasonable actually reasonable enough? Following a recent UK EAT Tribunal Case where the panel suggested an employer dealing with a menopause issue had not acted in a way it considered reasonable, despite adjustments having been made. This takes us on to the wider conversation about situations such as this, and with Alison's advice we cover off some interesting points from a HR and Employment Law perspective. We also recognise the importance of our managers and leaders being trained in more than just following a policy, recognising that they may have to have some quite challenging conversations from time to time. Definitely an episode to tune into!
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You understand the importance of really useful conversations at work. You recognise the impact it has on employee engagement, retention and motivation, as well as forming part of your duty of care as am employer. You understand that conversations of this nature if not done well can have legal, financial and moral implications but how do you get others to buy in too? Whether you are addressing the proactive change to Equality Act 2010 or seeking to implement ISO 45003, you may need to get buy in from others - but how? In this episode we talk exactly about that. Often HR leaders are asked to provide development opportunities but cheaper, in a shorter time scale, without any operational disruption - so whether it is psychosocial safety, organisational resilience, an update in employment law, how do you get your leaders and managers onside? Time to talk - but they need to be prepared to listen!
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As UK sickness absence rates are reported to be at a 10 year high and poor mental health being the second biggest reason for workplace absence, it's important that organisations take a more strategic approach to protecting the mental health of their employees. Simply signing up to wellbeing initiatives and appointing mental health first aiders is not the end of it - in fact the Society for Occupational Medicine says there is poor evidence to support that as a solution. So what exactly does need to be happening? How do we make sure we are doing all we can to prevent work-related stress and make sure that the work, workplace or work colleagues are not making matters worse for anyone? In this straight to the point episode we explore the HSE Management Standards and learn more about out duty of care to be proactive and preventative, and stop wasting time, money and effort on flashy firework displays that just don't cut the mustard.
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In the most recent CIPD report it shares that sickness absence levels in the UK are currently at a 10 year high, and this is despite the number of organisations who now have appointed Wellbeing Managers and subscribe to various initiatives. Surely if all the employers who talk about the importance of wellbeing are doing these things, consistently and well, we should be seeing sickness absence figures drop? In this week's podcast episode I am exploring why this might indeed be the case and what businesses might need to have on their agenda for 2024 if they want to get, grow and retain staff, and have them rock up regularly, healthy and well, to do their job. Oh and by the way, Happy New Year!
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The plane crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, killing 78 people. If only the flight crew had been communicating better. Flight AF90 never made it to it's destination on 13th January 1982, and the need for better equipment when dealing with disasters underground meant the rescues from the July 7th bombings in London were hampered. Communication is simply giving information, direction or guidance - one way and in organisations typically top down - but how about if we created a place where the conversations were two-way, where people were heard, where action was taken, where listening to understand and acting appropriately were every day behaviours? Your job might not be to pilot a plane, to rescue from a tragic incident - but how much are you missing out on or losing by failing to engage with people in meaningful, worthwhile, two- way dialogue? Maybe your sickness absence would decrease, your retention increase, your results improve? Tune in to this week's episode, the last one for 2023 and perhaps use the coming weeks to reflect and consider what it might be like for you and your people if conversations were encouraged at every single level in your business.
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This week I get to chat with the woman on a mission to rid the world of rubbish managers - and with the launch of her new book, Jo Wright is passionate about the importance of transformational coaching conversations in organisations as the way forward. Speaker, author, coach and all round fab person with a framework to offer any business who is committed to creating a culture where people and performance thrive, her skill in organisational coaching is definitely worth a look. Find out more about Jo and her book here
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Movember is an annual global campaign that encourages men to grow those mustaches and participate in various activities to raise awareness about men’s health issues. This has included addressing issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health challenges, and suicide prevention and is intended as a platform for men to discuss their health openly, seek support, and take proactive steps towards a healthier and happier life. But why do we need to be encouraging this? Why are men often reluctant to access medical help? What do we need to do to change that? What are the Really Useful Conversations that should be happening that are not? Join me for this week's podcast episode to explore this problem further.
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Certified coach Dr Jo Baldwin is on a mission to help women aged 40-plus bring oomph and sparkle back into their lives. Jo empowers women who have lost their ‘mojo’ to rediscover it and reach their full potential. Her own lived experience of both perimenopause and empty nest syndrome, combined with a 10-year career in obs and gynae medicine, inform her compassionate and holistic coaching style. In her transformative coaching programmes Jo uses The Women's PowerTypes and is best known for helping self-styled ‘Superwomen’ recover from burnout and to manage their energy levels more sustainably by harnessing the innate energies of the five women’s PowerTypes™ She helps women to be the very best version of themselves and you can have a go at the PowerTypes quiz by clicking here: -
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It's all very well and good to encourage Really Useful Conversations about all manner of topics in the workplace but if we don't have the right culture, then people will not feel comfortable to have conversations at all. Organisational climate needs to feel safe, positive and inclusive, and as a leader, you can make a massive difference. In this solo episode I'm going to share some specific points for leaders to be aware of if they are going to create a climate where Really Useful Conversations are more likely.
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For Stress Awareness Day who better to talk to than the Founder of The Happiness Club, the marvellous Jo Howarth. Jo is an advanced hypnotherapist and mindfulness practitioner who helps people look after their mental and emotional health on a daily basis. She works in person with schools, organisations and individuals and offers an online resource that supports your mental wellbeing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, so if you are feeling down or stressed or anxious OR you just want to feel better, The Happiness Club is definitely a place to head for. Jo is also a guest speaker at the Online Pyjama Party this week, to help celebrate the launch of my book "Could it be your hormones love?" so another opportunity to hear more from her then too or find out more at
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