Best Recipes Ever

Category: Leadership Coaching

  • Thriving Call Centre Culture: Wellbeing & Success

    In today’s dynamic customer service landscape, call centres play a pivotal role in shaping customer experience. Yet recent data makes it clear: focusing on employee wellbeing and retention is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for achieving sustainable productivity and a thriving call centre environment and culture.

    Call centre roles are inherently demanding. A constant stream of customer issues, emotionally charged conversations, and high expectations for immediate, personalised service place daily pressure on staff. While every customer deserves to feel important, the burden of delivering this experience repeatedly can take a toll on frontline employees.

    That’s why it’s critical that organisations look beyond performance metrics and instead focus on creating the environment and support systems that empower success.

    Key Strategies to Enhance Productivity and Wellbeing in Your Call Centre

    1. Address Employee Wellbeing

    The emotional and cognitive load in call centre work is considerable—and growing. Recent data from MHFA England reveals that:

    “63% of UK employees show signs of burnout, up from 51% just two years ago.” 

    “Only 55% report a high level of workplace wellbeing.” (Great Place to Work UK) 2024 report.

    Actionable solutions:

    • Schedule regular check-ins between employees and managers.
    • Avoid the “sticking plaster approach” and build a wellness strategy that deals with core of wellbeing in your team.
    • Create wellness programmes tailored to shift workers.
    • Promote flexible scheduling that supports work-life balance.
    • Offer training on resilience and stress management techniques.

    2. Foster Open Communication

    When employees feel heard and valued, they’re more engaged, loyal, and productive. The work culture thrives leading a productive environment and business success. Communication should flow in both directions—from leadership to staff, and from staff to leadership. Make a difference with:

    • Regular 1-to-1s and team check-ins.
    • Transparent updates from leadership, with open forums for discussion.
    • Anonymous surveys to gather honest feedback.
    • Acting on feedback to drive meaningful change.
    • Building psychological safety in teams fosters trust, collaboration, and long-term engagement.

    3. Optimise Work Arrangements

    Flexible working isn’t just a trend—it’s the new standard. According to the 2023 Call Centre Helper Research Paper – What Call Centres are Doing Right Now, 56.7% of contact centres now operate flexible shifts and a further 17.2% having this in their plans. The Times reports that hybrid work improves job satisfaction and reduces turnover by giving employees more autonomy and better work-life balance.

    Suggestions for success:

    • Offer hybrid and remote options where possible.
    • Provide equal access to support, resources, and recognition for remote staff.
    • Keep communication strong across virtual platforms.
    • Encourage regular team meet-ups (virtual or in-person) to share updates and resolve issues.

    4. Enhance Employee Retention

     Call centre staff turnover in the UK is, on average, 26% per year, while the national average sits at 15%. With an average call centre turnover rate of 26% per year, well above the national average of 15%, the call centre sector faces retention challenges. Moreover, in some call centres, turnover can reach levels as high as 44% per year, making the call centre industry one of the most transitory industries. Odondo  

    Actions that can help boost retention:

    • Train managers to lead with empathy, consistency, and transparency.
    • Clearly communicate career paths and advancement opportunities.
    • Create a culture that recognises and celebrates contributions.
    • Offer competitive salaries and meaningful benefits.
    • Ensure employees feel they belong, are valued, and have purpose in their work.

    5. Leverage Technology to Support, Not Monitor

    Technology can either streamline operations while maintaining a thriving call centre culture, or add stress—depending on how it’s implemented. The right tools should empower employees and enhance every customer experience, not micromanage and put the onus on the customer to do all the work. Key technologies to deploy:

    • Automate repetitive admin and customer queries.
    • Implement AI-driven support tools for complex problem-solving.
    • Provide real-time coaching and feedback systems.
    • Ensure proper training so both staff and customers know how to use these tools effectively.

    The goal to a thriving call centre is to remove friction, free up time, and give employees the tools to excel—not surveil their every move.

    Closing Thought

    Productivity follows people-first leadership. When you prioritise employee wellbeing, flexibility, communication, and fair treatment, your team becomes more resilient, engaged, and committed resulting in a thriving call centre culture and productive environment. In turn, this creates better outcomes for customers—and the business as a whole.

    In a service-driven world, your people are your most powerful asset. Let’s give them what they need to thrive.

    If you would like to chat about creating a thriving call centre culture, get in touch https://www.greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com/pages/contact

  • Olympians and Leadership Lessons

    Sports and leadership have so much in common, as do leadership and sports?

    Kirsti Yamaguchi could not have put the point across more succinctly.  To be successful in any sports, whether on ice, on snow, in water, on a track or field, focus is required to keep your goal in mind, and in vision at all times.  Sport is a passion as is effective leadership.  The “why” in Why I do this?

    Setting clear and measurable goals is essential for individual sports men and women as well as for teams.  Is this different for any leader?  He or she needs to know and be passionate about the goal and be able to inspire others to share that same passion.

    In sport and in leadership, there are times when discipline and hard work are essential to produce that extra bit more, that bit you didn’t think was possible when the odds appear against you.  Does this happen in business sometimes? Perhaps external or internal circumstances change, putting pressure on how to achieve the goal under changing circumstances, as well as on the leader to find the way to inspire the team to produce synergy to achieve what appears to be the unachievable.  To avoid giving up by finding that bit extra.

    As Mark Phelps, the Olympic Swimmer once said “Goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.” Setting clear and “smart” goals is essential to creating that sense of challenge and focus that we all work towards and celebrate once achieved.

    Celebration and sharing the glory of goals achieved with a team is a genuine opportunity to provide positive feedback on performance, it is a genuine opportunity to support and encourage during the process and an essential characteristic of an inspirational leader.

    Successful sports people, and effective leaders, whether male or female share the importance of self leadership.  Respecting oneself through honouring mind, body and spirit, Eating responsibly to ensure the body and mind are nourished and ready for challenge.  Ever considered if fast foods, snacks, caffeine, energy drinks and processed foods are up to the job?

    Sportsmen and women naturally exercise to train their body.  No Olympian ever succeeded without training both the body and mind to rise to the physical and mental challenge of competing. Do leaders have a duty to themselves firstly and to their followers and company secondly to maintain a healthy level of physical as well as mental stamina?

    The last part of the equation shared by sports people and leaders is adequate sleep to keep the mind and body alert to make those last second and important decisions that make all the difference to performance.

  • Ryanair – a fine leadership cock-up

    The purpose of my blog is not to run Ryanair into the ground, though I am sure there are a number of people out there who would willingly do that.  Anyway time will tell?  As my mum always said “All good things come to he who waits!”

    I was listening to a well-known radio station a couple of weeks ago when the Ryanair situation was first breaking news.  Various listeners were sharing their experiences and tales of difficulty.  At that point the reason for this situation, according to Ryanair was “incorrect scheduling of pilot holidays”.  Extraordinary?  I am sure that Ryanair has hundreds of pilots.  Could poor scheduling really be the cause of such disruption?  As this point was being discussed, the wife of one of the pilots called in to share her understanding of the situation:  “This is not about poor scheduling, she said, it is about how pilots are treated by Michael O’Leary, who she said has no respect for them or the work they do.”  My leadership bells were already ringing.  According to Justin Bachman and Carol Matlack in their article “The Creative Hiring Habits of Ryanair and Norwegian Air Shuttle” (Bloomberg, February 12, 2015) both Ryanair and Norwegian have found ways to minimize the legal aspects and taxes on pilot contracts in favour of company profitability.   I don’t think there is a company out there who does not look for creative ways to minimise costs and maximize profits.

    What is the cost for Ryanair of this situation?

    The evidence of poor leadership in this situation keeps showing its face – why is the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) regulating body reacting so if the leadership is transparent, fair, and above all with integrity.  Not only it appears is the leadership of employees under question, but so too is the honesty and integrity with which Ryanair is communicating with their customers, who also appear to have been cheated.

    Mr Haines, Chief Executive (CAA) told the BBC news (28 September 2017) “that he very much doubted the dispute would get as far as the courts, but added it was “unacceptable” that Ryanair was disregarding the law and customers’ rights.”

    Don’t get me wrong doing the right thing and leading from the front with courage, integrity and transparency both with employees and customers is not always the easy route.  Trying to fool the customer over their legal rights was an act that perhaps Mr O’Leary and his senior management were hoping would make the whole thing die down through showing reassurance to customers that they are being taken care of and that Ryanair will do the “right thing”. This has not worked, in fact it seems to have added fuel to the fire.  Perhaps the fire is going to get bigger, as customers are so riled to the point that it makes them claim every last penny that is their legal right!

    In most situations where there is need for courageous and exemplary leadership, there is time for discussion with key members of the management team to formulate the message and to get it out there to change the course of the situation or even halt it before the fire takes hold.  However, if that’s not in your list of values, as a leader, nothing that happens is going to make you change your colours.

    Leading others, from my point of view is a privilege.  At times it can be difficult, demanding, even frightening sometimes, as well as exhilarating and joyous.  In each situation core values are what provide stability to make the right decision, that clear direction to stand up and say “I made a cock-up, and I am sorry and I will do everything I can to rectify this quickly, with openness and above all with honesty and integrity.”

    Leadership is not just about how we use our head in making strategic decisions to increase competitiveness and profitability, it is also about using our heart to understand our team members, as well as customers and to balance our “head” thinking and decisions with some human emotion from the heart.

  • Is your job making you sick? The impact of fear on health

    In a recent blog I wrote about the impact of a toxic job. The blog covered typical symptoms that the body expresses when subjected to a constant level of “uncontrollable” stress. What I didn’t talk about is why these symptoms appear and the damage that might be occurring in the body as a result of constantly elevated stress levels, and the impact of fear on health. So is your job making you sick?

    Too many people are trapped in toxic jobs. Jeffrey Pfeffer, an organizational behaviour professor at Stanford wrote in his book  “Dying for a Paycheck,”  (March 2018). Research has found that poor management in U.S. companies accounted for up to 8 percent of annual health costs and was associated with 120,000 excess deaths every year. Are employers really asking employees to put up with poor management and a toxic work environment at the cost of their health?

    Comparing humans to a herd of wild zebra, when a lion or pack of lions appear they go on to high alert in response to the sensed and perceived danger. This means that the sympathetic nervous system prepares the body to run. Most zebras would not take on a fight with a lion! As the lion takes chase the zebra spring into action and literally run for their lives. One of two things will happen, either the lion gets tired and gives up or she grabs a zebra and the chase is over. The rest of the pack now return to grazing peacefully because the danger has gone. This is how the human sympathetic nervous system is designed – to switch on when there is perceived danger and off when the danger goes away.

    What happens when the perceived danger doesn’t go away?

    The stress response causes the body to release the main hormones adrenaline and cortisol which are the “fight or flight” hormones. Constantly being in the fight or flight mode creates excess cortisol circulating the body which can lead to a build-up of visceral fat especially in the mid-section around the vital organs. Visceral fat is different from sub-cutaneous fat that lies just below the skin. Visceral fat has been linked to several serious medical conditions such as high cholesterol, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Researchers suspect that visceral fat causes inflammation in body tissues and organs potentially narrowing blood vessels, which in turn increases blood pressure. Visceral fat is much more difficult to reduce once in situ and may lead to insulin resistance which means that sugar cannot enter muscle or fat cells causing serious complications, type 2 diabetes being one.

    Stress triggers a process that involves three key glands – the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands. This system is known as the HPA axis. When the brain perceives stress it signals to the hypothalamus to release corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) which in turn signals to the pituitary gland to release adenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), which in turn stimulates cortisol release from the adrenal glands to prepare the fight or flight reaction by sending blood to the muscles and heightening the senses to deal with the perceived danger.

    The fight and flight response is supposed to be a short term response and once the danger has passed the body goes back to “normal” mode, as with the herd of zebras. Let’s face it we all have times at work when we feel stressed, which in itself is not a problem as it stretches us to rise to a challenge. When you are stressed for too long or too often the body loses sensitivity to cortisol. In panic the hypothalamus and the pituitary keep telling the adrenals to release cortisol and adrenaline which they do until they are literally exhausted leaving you with a constant supply of cortisol floating around your blood stream that is dumped into visceral fat.  Your highly intelligent body tries to make the best of a bad situation by achieving a “sort of balance” to get by each day by altering brain chemistry and even behaviour. This process is called allostasis and can often lead to a pre-disease state.

    “So what?” A good question

    When in a heightened state all the time you are burning blood sugar which results in your body demanding energy to keep going. Enter some of the symptoms of stress-overload or chronic stress – poor focus, inability to think on your feet, lack of energy and moodiness. Typical things that you might crave are food and drinks that will give you a quick energy boost – caffeine-based drinks and coffee, all stimulants that increase heart rate and dump sugar straight into the blood stream. Chocolate and foods made with simple carbohydrates – wheat-based foods – doughnuts, cakes, pastries, pasta dishes etc. The sugar in these foods is very accessible and quickly absorbed by the system to provide that desperately needed energy boost. Which it does, but at what cost?

    Every time you go around this loop of seeking and eating sugary foods that provide the energy, the energy “high” gets lower and the energy “low” gets lower, ultimately needing more and more to receive less and less response. The slippery slope to burn out and chronic stress. This may in turn result in insulin resistance in the cells of your body, which means that sugar cannot enter muscle or fat cells causing serious complications.

    This is a double whammy that impacts the brain (depression, anxiety, brain fog, moodiness…..) as well as reducing the effectiveness of your immune health. Depending on where you dump stress in your body it might also cause respiration, gastrointestinal disorders (IBS, ulcers…) adverse skin conditions (eczema, random skin rashes) as well as general aches and pains.

    Breaking the Cycle

    As a Leader:

    • Address potential insecurities – Sometimes insecurities are not coming from within the department or organisation, but are fueled by external sources – Covid, rising inflation, market changes, financial issues etc.  Take time to open up conversations for your employees who might be too fearful to ask the question or raise their worries and concerns.
    • Listen to your employees – If they are providing feedback about you or the way in which the department is functioning, whether positive or otherwise, listen. Take it as positive and constructive, understand what is relevant and address it. Ask for updates on the changes
    • Give regular positive feedback – Positive feedback is one of the most important tools you have in your management toolbox. Be sure to give to all your employees regular, positive feedback and make negative feedback constructive to motivate the person to change
    • Address conflict in the team – Avoid pushing conflict under the carpet. Bring it out into the open with relevant parties and get commitment to change. Conflict in the workplace causes those not involved to either discuss it in the corridor, thus becoming involved and adding fuel to the fire, or to withdraw. Both strategies are unhelpful in maintaining a productive environment and healthy teamwork
    • Dare to ask employees how they are doing – Asking this question will build trust and an open environment to discuss things that might be causing difficulty and therefore unnecessary stress. When asking this question listen to the answer! Not listening may make the matter worse
    • Follow up – Show your interest in your employees by following up on conversations and changes as a result of those conversations. This shows respect to your employees and shows that you really care.

    As an Employee:

    • Approach your boss – Go straight to the horse’s mouth and lead an open conversation about how you are feeling and why. Calling your boss “toxic” certainly will not win you any brownie points but, pointing out that his or her leadership approach is inappropriate (be constructive and specific). Encourage him or her to change so that you can be at your best and most productive. This might just help your boss change. If it doesn’t you know where you stand! If you have tried to solve the issue with your direct boss, perhaps HR as well, and nothing has changed you need to fix the underlying problem, not continue to deal with the symptoms in the hope that something will change.
    • Identify triggers – It is not always possible to avoid triggers of stress. However, taking note of specific triggers can help you develop coping and management strategies, which may involve reducing exposure
    • Reframe your negative thinking – One of the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, is that how you think can change how you feel. Perhaps changing jobs is not an option for you. Therefore, reframing the situation might just work. Using mindfulness to manage unhelpful churning thoughts about how a recent conversation went, what you should have said in a particular situation, instead of what you did say, or what a colleague said to you, can be very useful in stopping these unhelpful thoughts that create dissatisfaction and drain energy
    • Create personal boundaries – Create boundaries for how many hours you work each day. Don’t be overly pedantic about this in being sure to observe the exact start and finish times, but generally stay within the parameters. Take breaks for lunch and get away from your work-station, computer or regular place of actual work, so that you can enjoy your break without interruption. Educate others around your boundaries so that they too can organise themselves
    • Be clear on goals – Clarify anything that is not clear before embarking on the task. Fumbling through tasks that are not clear in the hope that you might get it right uses up much unnecessary energy by generating feelings of lack of confidence and circulating self-talk.  Running round trying to find information from others who are themselves not clear on what they are responsible for and therefore don’t have what you need is both unproductive and stressful
    • Find another job – On recognising that you are in the “wrong” job for you, see these things as a warning that you need to find a new job that better suits your values and needs. Long hours, absence of autonomy, uncertain scheduling, poor management and economic insecurity of a job are all factors that contribute to a toxic workplace environment that needs leaving behind, not just coping with
    • Speak to friends and family – They can provide emotional support and the motivation to take action.

    In summary – a fearful work environment that is causing employees to be overly stressed can be caused by many factors. Living with it is not necessary and therefore can be addressed one way or another with relevant parties. If you are a manager and leader, have close contact with your employees to know what aspects of the job might be causing too much stress and loss of productivity and then proactively do something about it before complaining and unhappiness contribute to making a toxic work environment and ultimately a loss of well-trained and hard-working personnel.

     

    References:

    https://www.visiblebody.com/blog/the-endocrine-system-the-adrenal-glands-and-the-stress-response

    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323324#health-effects

    The Clinicians Handbook of Natural Medicine, Joseph E. Pizzorno ND, Michael T. Murray ND, Herb Joiner-Bey ND

     

     

  • Leaders are Like Gardeners

    We think about and refer to leaders in many ways – good, bad, poor indifferent, charismatic, dynamic, legendary, but have you ever thought that leaders are like gardeners? Let me explain.

    What or who is a gardener – someone who prepares the earth, plants seeds, nurtures those seeds as they grow to become young tender seedlings and later fully grown plants that bear fruit, whether berries, kale, courgettes, apples, pears or flowers. The goal is always to create the right environment to help the plant, whatever it is, grow and flourish. Plants like people are individual and some will bear fruit, some will have an off year, because the environment is not right, while others will simply keep on growing and producing so long as the environment is right and they have plenty of food. You can probably now see where I am going with this and why we can refer to leaders as gardeners.

    As with gardeners there are good ones and not so good ones. Leaders are no different.

    An effective leader will create the right environment for each person to grow and flourish being mindful that the overall environment is the same for everyone whether experienced or inexperienced. Into that environment they plant the seeds, nurture them, again being mindful that some need more nurturing in order to help them establish themselves within the environment and to grow. Nurturing with compassion, care and attention, support and direction that is just right for each person. As a gardener you would not put fresh horse manure on your roses, why? It is too strong and would kill the plant. On the contrary, put on to a more hardy plant such as an apple tree that manure would probably be perfect. I’m not suggesting for one minute that horse manure is a good way of helping employees grow, but what I am suggesting is that people are different and need an approach that is suitable and brings out the best in them. Leaders need to understand that each employee requires an individual approach to become established and then with the correct nurturing are able to flourish and grow.

    When flowers start to open and blossom, the gardener probably stands back and admires his or her work, remaining attentive to any changes in the plant or the environment and reacting appropriately to that. When winter comes, protecting the plant is a priority to help it survive? Is this not the same for people? Sometimes winter appears in the form of curve balls that life throws at us causing us to temporally lose our way. An effective leader, because they care, will notice the change and provide the support and guidance to that employee helping them weather the cold, a time when they are at their most vulnerable.

    Gardeners know that the roots, make the fruits and if not spending enough time and appropriate effort into establishing those roots, the plant will not survive. It is the same with leadership. Expecting a new member of the team to thrive from the first day, without appropriate “planting”, even if an experienced person is farcical. Just think back to your first day in a different organisation. How comfortable were you? Did you end the first day feeling nervous, but positive that you had made the right choice of company, or did your heart sink with dread because you realised that you had made a grave mistake and that this was not what you expected. Had you known you would not have taken the job?

    The first three months of any new job is difficult for most of us as we try to find our way around the building, the people and who does what, the job itself and the challenges that this creates as well as finding someone who could be a “good” person to get to know. At this time the role of any leader is to ensure this seed, the employee is planted in fertile soil and that he/she will grow to be strong and healthy.

    It is estimated that loss of new recruits within the first three months of employment in UK companies is approximately 5%. Can you imagine as a gardener losing 5% of your crop, garden or allotment during the planting and establishing period? Losing people is much more costly in recruitment costs, training costs (if there was any), hours spent on administration to onboard each person etc.

    Is it time that your leaders become gardeners and put all their focus into creating the right environment, a fertile ground, tending each seed carefully while they establish and grow stronger and then providing the right nourishment to watch each seed grow into a strong plant that flourishes and bears fruit. That “fruit” being consistency, productivity, achievement of goals and ultimately profitability.

    According to a CIPD report, “A good retention rate range is 90 percent or higher. Industries with the highest retention rates include government, finance, insurance, and education, while the lowest rates can be seen in the hotel, retail, and food industries.” This would include the first three months of employment. In reality the churn rate according to a CIPD report is approximately 35%. This cannot solely be blamed on poor leadership, nevertheless leaders and managers have a huge influence on how long someone stays in their job. Below is the breakdown from a recent study conducted by the CIPD on churn rates in 2022. As seen here the first three months is critical, even extending up to six months with the potential of losing 10.5% of newly recruited talent within the first six months.

    https://community.cipd.co.uk/cipd-blogs/b/cipd_voice_on/posts/why-staff-turnover-data-matters

    What gardener would be happy with the loss of 10.5% of the potential crop at the 3-6 month point? Probably no gardener, not only because of losing the crop, but because unless you are planting and growing in a greenhouse, in the UK you have to wait another six months before being able to plant again, losing the crop for that year. A question springs to mind – How long does it take to recruit a new person into the now vacant position?

    The answer lies in the position you are recruiting for, the level of skill needed and how abundant these skills and talents are in the marketplace. Surely it is common sense to encourage your leaders to be gardeners so that the loss of new talent joining your organisation is minimal.

    For more information on Leadership training with Green Key Personal Development, book a call here.

     

  • Leadership – Can You Stomach It?

    “As with stomachs, we should pity minds that do not eat.”

    ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

    It is my gut feeling that this is the right time to address the topic of digestion, the stomach and the gut and how they relate to leadership.

    The saying in the English language “I can’t stomach it”, can refer to several things:  It can mean that you cannot eat a particular thing because of the texture, flavour, consistency, taste or smell which you find revolting, and consequently “cannot stomach”.

    It can also refer to a person “I can’t stomach him or her.”  Meaning that you cannot bear to be around a particular person. This might also refer to an activity, TV programme, event or food that the person using the phrase has experience of and which leads to such a violent response such as “I cannot stomach that programme.” Or I can’t stomach eating x.” 

    WATCH MY VIDEO HERE:

     

     

    WHERE DID THIS SAYING COME FROM?

    Leadership and digestionAfter extensive search in Google, I have sadly been unable to find the origin of this descriptive and physically felt phrase.  What I mean by this is that you can feel the reaction that your stomach might have to a particular person, issue, activity or foodWhere does the expression, “I can’t stomach him/her” come from? How linked are our emotions and digestion? when you put yourself in through thought only into that situation.

    The digestive system is highly intelligent and if we put something into our mouths that is going to cause a major physical reaction, the system already starts to reject it through reflux and vomiting before it has gone too far, limiting any physical damage.  This leads on nicely to the following saying that is also stomach or gut related:

    “WHY DO I BRING THIS UP?”

    Another saying related to the digestive system.  Usually when we use this term it is pre-empted with something like “I am sorry for bringing this up.”  Or “I would like to bring x up as it is……….”   We try to compensate or balance the potential emotional reaction we think the topic in question is going to stir up in terms of thoughts and emotions that have been hidden, buried or pushed aside in the hope that they might go away.   Lacking the courage or resilience to deal with a particular issue, leads us to “hide” it in order to avoid any scrutiny, not to mention “out of sight, out of mind”.  Perhaps the subject is taboo for some reason or buried as those involved do not want to deal with the consequences or reactions of raising the topic with all relevant parties.

    As managers and leaders it is important that we are able to address situations and people related issues that we find very difficult, perhaps because of those involved, fear of the consequences when “bringing it up” or maybe even the fear of rejection.  The stomach is the part of our anatomy that “digests new ideas and experiences that we have.”  It processes all issues connected with the mind and the emotions – personal power and sense of self.  When there are stomach problems, if we are in touch with our own intuition and feelings it usually means that we don’t know how to assimilate the new experience – we are afraid.  “What or who can’t you stomach?”

    THE PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP

    One of the key principles of leadership is the courage to do and say what needs to be said through open, direct and clear communication to address issues that have been pushed under the carpet, and consequently those involved are not willing to deal with or alternatively hope the situation is not common knowledge.  It is not relevant whether we like a person or not.  It is about knowing the vision of why we exist as a team, department and company as well as knowing and living the values that guide decisions and actions.  Therefore, when for some reason a team member/s have deviated and is/are now under-performing, that we have the courage to follow our gut and address the situation and person/s openly.

    Constructive, open, fair, balanced and clear communication is necessary to help others firstly to recognise that their performance is suffering, to understand why it is below requirements, and then to find their own solution to rectify it.  This openness might be a “hard pill to swallow”.  Knowing the truth can sometimes hurt, however it is the truth that once swallowed leads to personal growth and development, not only of the employee, but the leader also.

    Interestingly, the throat centre (chakra) processes all issues of communication and expression, as well as trust, truth and true expression of who we are, our authenticity.  The throat connected to the mouth and feeding into the stomach is part of the digestive system.

    Knowing this fact as a leader can be useful to remind us that given the correct “food”, cooked in the correct manner might be difficult for the other person to accept, but when they do it leads to learning for all involved through open expression, one of the most important aspects of dynamic leadership.

    In conclusion, our digestion has a lot to do with effective leadership, not weakening a message, but structuring it in a way that makes it an acceptable “pill to swallow”, thus leading to a positive change in performance.   It is my gut feeling that by bringing up this parallel between the digestive system and leadership, even though for some it might raise issues that are difficult to overcome or to stomach, can only result in a healthy digestive system, working environment, and relationships.

    Bon appetite!

     

    To learn how we can help you and your organisation, email Rachel directly at rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com 

     

    References:  You Can Heal Your Life,  Louise L. Hay

    Spiritual Healing, Jack Angelo

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.

  • Leadership – Living Your Truth

    “No magic bullet, not even the Internet, can save us from population explosion, deforestations, climate disruption, poison by pollution, and wholesale extinctions of plant and animal species.  We are going to have to want different things, seek different pleasures, pursue different goals than those that have been driving us and our global economy.”  Joanna Macy

    There are many definitions of leadership and what or who makes a good leader.  I personally have been training high potentials and business leaders for many years. It takes COVID19 to make me stop and think about the question: What is leadership?

    Leadership is defined in terms of goals, the purpose and the context in which leaders are placed. For example a leader of a country, whether Boris Johnson, Donald Trump or President Putin are all tasked with the same role and goals, in comparison to an army general leading his men into war, the goals and context are vastly different, thus affecting the definition of leadership, and the extension of that – the characteristics of a good leader.

    Perhaps the one common aspect or definition is that leaders inspire and influence others to want to do things. Leaders defined in this way are in every nation and every society. In most cases they are highly visible and have an effect on many aspects of our lives including how we think, how we act, our product choices, lifestyle, values and for whom we vote.  A case in point in the run up to the election in the USA.

    Looking around the world we see leaders who serve the common good, speaking their truth, and we see leaders who believe their position allows them to embezzle, manipulate, corrupt and steal from those they lead through mistruths, subtle or open lies and actions of blatant personal gain.

    It is seldom, in the list of characteristics of a good leader that we see values, words and statements that are reflected in their true behaviour such as speaking their truth, commitment to the common good, to world and planet sustainability, the importance of taking a long term view and decisions that impact not only the short term, but long term as well.

    WHAT IS LONG TERM IN AN ORGANISATION? 

    The answer probably depends on the type of business you are in, the country in which you are operating and the goals of the business.  I remember in my early days of working in the hotel industry at the London Hilton, where every 2-3 years the General Manager would be replaced, the outgoing person moving on to greater things and the incoming on the same trajectory.  What did this mean?  It meant that every GM wanted to leave his or her impact on the profitability of the operation.  You might say, that is natural and that it should be that way.  My view is slightly different, especially when profitability affecting the employees who work so hard to give the “promised” service to each and every guest are left with insufficient tools to do the job, uniforms that need replacing and no longer give pride to the neglected employee who is wearing it.  Who wins here?  The GM who is promoted onwards?  Such short-sighted decisions take time to show the true impact on morale, reputation, performance and turnover.  Long gone are those that were instrumental in this demise.

    Leadership - living your truthAre governments any different?  Clearly not. We can see in the UK how a change of party spends a great deal of time, taxpayer’s money and effort to undo policies, decisions and actions that the previous government put in place.  Why do we allow this?  Long term needs to be no less than 30 years and Is it not about time that leaders live their truth, lead by example, and invest in personal growth?preferably 50+ years to develop sustainability, policies that actually come to fruition to positively impact generations of people, the immediate environment, nature as well as the whole planet in which we all share and live.  At the moment, enjoyment of this planet depends on which side of the exploitation you are!  For example, exploitation of the rain forests, an essential part of the world ecosystem being raped to replace it with a short-term crop of soya which is grown to feed cattle to eventually end up on someone’s plate.  Is this effective leadership?

    How many leaders do you know who invest in their personal development, their true nature – the inner consciousness and knowing that comes with connecting to oneself and the inner knowledge that is shared through connection with all other sentient beings?  The true reality of the self can only be revealed through self-exploration that is beyond logic, information and skills we have gathered along the way, it is about being.  Being comfortable with who you are, being comfortable with the truth, without ego and science.  This is the intuitive self and is a person who is in touch with their soul and their true purpose in this life.

    The Dalai Lama in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize said “Because we all share this small planet Earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature.  That is not just a dream, but a necessity.”

    Is it not time for leaders within governments and organisations to evaluate their honesty motives and actions to understand whether they are in accord with harmony and peace, with nature, each other and themselves?

    This time of COVID19 seems to be inviting our leaders and each one of us to question our ideas and beliefs, our habits and actions that are neither serving us as individuals, the organisations in which we work, our nations and countries, and Mother Earth.  It is a time to connect to our hearts, our inner wisdom, which we all have, and create inner peace and world peace, joy and happiness through true connection, nurturing and compassionate leadership that manifests joy, values-based leadership and unconditional love for all those you lead.  These characteristics do not take away from having to make difficult decisions such as redundancies of hard-working people, but simply how we go about doing this.  Nor does it negatively influence the profitability of organisations. It might take longer to show this profitability, but in the long term it will be sustainable and more.  Once again Nelson Mandela springs to mind with his gentle, compassionate ability to positively influence even his captors and enemies through living his truth and in doing so, showing others the way.

    How long is it going to be before each and every one of us changes, stops paying lip service to ideals such as sustainability, wellbeing and leadership and actually lead by example through living these qualities, characteristics and ideals?

    This blog was inspired by Robert Rabin and the book he wrote in 1998, Invisible Leadership, and the person who recommended I read it – Owen Bailey.  To both I am extremely grateful as it has helped me order the outer expression of my inner self. 

     

    To find out more about how Green Key can help you and your leadership journey, contact Rachel directly.

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton, Founder of Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health is a leadership trainer, medical herbalist and naturopath specializing in corporate health through face-to-face, on-line and e-learning development solutions.

  • Learning from mistakes – the “oscar faux pas”

    What will the impact of no risk taking be on individual’s and how we learn, on organisations and levels of competitiveness, and on whole countries and nations?  Are we really advocating that we must stay within a known comfort zone?

    It’s one thing messing things up in private, where mistakes can be rectified and nobody notices.  However the news at the beginning of last week after the Oscars was very special.  It was a ‘case example’ of how mistakes are made and the way in which reactions can spread….

    “The winner of the Oscar for the best film goes to ……………….  Oops”

    A certainty in life is that we will all make mistakes, big and small.  We have all been, and will be in, those situations where there is that sinking feeling in the stomach, or throughout our whole body, as we realise a mistake is emerging.

    We live in a culture where mistakes are derided and blown out of proportion.  I admit to laughing a bit at the news of the Oscar prize-winning faux pas, thinking  “What a mess. How is that possible? Probably deserved it, glad that wasn’t me!’.  The mix up at the Oscars resulted in the media leading a somewhat scornful, mocking campaign aimed at those who simply gave the wrong envelope to someone at an awards ceremony.

    Are we in a culture where each one of us is quick to judge others against our own perceived perfection.  Are we in a culture where we can no longer make mistakes?  If we criticise and blame others, how helpful is this?  Does it move the situation forward, help the “accused” learn from their mistake, no it simply causes that person to become down trodden, self critical and de-motivated.  The mistake at the Oscar ceremony was simple human error.  Yes, we can argue that it should not have happened, but it did!  However the overall effect is that we are further drawn into a world where the culture for accepting mistakes, or taking risks, is diminished.

    Many people think that as managers and leaders we are supposed to get everything right.  We are supposed to make all right decisions, answer with the right answer and generally show our knowledge and wisdom.  Is this really so?  I think slightly differently.  Of course, in our positions as managers and leaders we should endeavour to act and behave correctly in each situation, to make those right decisions and to answer our team members with the right answer, but there are times when that is neither realistic nor possible.  Most managers and leaders do not find themselves in life and death situations when having to make decisions, and therefore making a decision becomes far more important than not making a decision, as this holds up operations, processes and team members who are waiting for direction.

    Going down the path after having made that mistake, knowing that we were wrong, it takes courage to admit it, to learn from it and to move on.  Without the courage to take decisions and to take risk we are limiting ourselves and those around us.  We limit our own learning, the learning of others and the excitement of seeing what happens when we take that risk.  Most importantly we spend more time in accusation, blame and protection of what gives us the most for the least effort and keeps us in our comfort zone.

  • Moral courage in leadership

    “If you are a leader. A person that other fellows look to, you’ve got to keep going.”

    Sir Ernest Shackleton

    As we speed to the end of 2022 and begin 2023, on our minds is the inevitable “New Year Resolutions.” What, if any are you committing yourself to do or be? Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist in our NHS sparked my thought process to think about new year and my resolutions.  If I am to set any, the word “courage” comes to mind.

    Courage as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is “the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” When referring to courage, based on this definition we are already including the word moral and therefore it is not necessary to refer to “moral courage”. In the words of Daniel Goleman, courage is based on self-confidence and people with this competence are able to:

    • “Present themselves with self-assurance and self-confidence creating a “presence”
    • Are able to and will voice views that are unpopular, going out on a limb for what is right
    • Are decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties, pressures, obstacles, as well as fear.”

    Courage, in short is the ability to overcome fear in the face of perceived danger for what you believe is right. How many leaders today, do you know who are doing just that? The Mandelas, Churchills and even Shackleton, the explorer are long gone. It is only self-confidence and courage that gives you the strength to make tough decisions or follow a course of action that you believe in, despite opposition, disagreement and even the threat of being dislodged, smeared and ridiculed by those with an equally strong, but opposite belief. Whether you agree with what Dr Malhotra is saying, is irrelevant, but he is standing up for what he believes and leading the way for those that believe the same, but yet, lack the self-confidence and courage to speak out due to fear of what might happen, if they do.

    Fear, which I have written about in a previous blog is something that is based on irrational beliefs, events, persons or feelings that will result in negative, disastrous, disturbing, unsettling or even life-threatening consequences for the person who is in fear. Our fears can and do take us hostage, preventing and blocking us from living powerfully, being who we are without fear of retribution, because of a negative state. Surely, living in a democratic society means that we can share personal opinions and views openly in an appropriate manner, allowing others to having an opposite viewpoint whether in public, our teams or in organisations?

    Our brains are hardwired to look for danger and pain, warning us to stay away.  In order to act courageously you have to convince your brain to look for and see the benefit of a particular action. I remember several situations in my career where courage to speak out about what I thought would be perceived as a negative decision by those who were on the other end of it, and in the short-term detrimental to those same people. The risk was high, but it was the only way that I saw for us all to weather the storm, and survive, thus in the medium-term would and did benefit all. That did not make it easy, because the brain is trying to convince you that you are not doing the right thing, therefore you are not only dealing with the feelings and opinions of those who are on the end of your decision, but also your own self-doubt and sudden disappearance of inner confidence and calm. How will you feel and what will you do if it goes wrong? Those questions driving shame, guilt and fear, perhaps even anger before it has arrived. How do you overcome fear in order to step outside your comfort zone and secure base and look danger in the face, not recklessly, but with enough self-confidence to eliminate the fear and to use it towards achieving a positive outcome.

    1. Identify the fear – just what is it that you are afraid of? Write it down and examine it for what it is, using the questions: Why do I have this fear? Where is the fear coming from? What is driving it?
    2. Go deeper and reflect on aspects of the past and what may be contributing to this fear in the present. Have you stirred an old wound that you have been suppressing?
    3. Think of someone who you can share and talk about your fear with. Someone who can be your “base,” an ally who will listen and walk with you through your fear.
    4. Visualise yourself overcoming your fear and succeeding in your quest.
    5. Act by taking the necessary steps to make it happen. It is only when you have acted that you truly have overcome your fear.

    Courage is a very essential characteristic of a leader. George Kohlrieser in “Care to Dare” talks about “Playing to win.” Playing to win takes the perceived threat and fear out of the equation. When a leader plays to win, he or she is able to take the necessary risks to succeed. When playing to win you have a high focus on relationships, therefore not sacrificing your people for your own ego. It is about the fine balance between the relationships and the level of challenge that enables you to reach the highest levels of performance. You support your team members, creating a safe place, but at the same time stretch them through high expectations, challenge, direct and constructive feedback. Feeling safe and challenged, your team members will be fully engaged in exploring possibilities, being creative, as well as taking the risks necessary to allow for them to take the steps needed for change. Practicing the balance of “caring and daring” you will not pursue options that allow others to “lose.”

    Nelson Mandela, Sir Ernest Shackleton and other great leaders all played to win overcoming their own fears and taking the “bull by the horns”. They led at their best despite setbacks by creating a safe base for their followers, even though working against the odds, having a deep impact on their followers and ultimately on the outcome. Leaders in business who act in the same manner also play to win, not just for themselves, but all those they lead. Dr Malhotra is doing just that.

    In my humble opinion it is time for our leaders, whether in government, in organisations or small business, to pick up the gauntlet, overcome their fears and show courage by speaking out and sharing what in your hearts you know to be true. Perhaps if we all did that, our world would be a more humble, tolerant and caring place?

    Are you ready to stick your head above the parapet and speak up for what you believe is true and right?

    References:

    Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman

    Care to Dare, George Kohlrieser

    Hostage at the Table, George Kohlrieser

  • Nurturing Leadership – The New Norm?

    COVID19 has replaced Brexit as the trigger for urgent and critical business change. Organizations have become decentralised as teams and individuals are made to work remotely from home. Or they are temporarily disbanded where staff are furloughed. Most companies will have now completed all the actions necessary to decrease costs, meet the government directive to “stay home” and put contingency plans in place with the view to still being in business at the end of this pandemic. If ever there was a time for leaders to be nurturing, both of themselves and others, it is now.

    WHAT ARE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THESE CHANGES ON INDIVIDUALS?

    We know through our experience in performance management that one of the key motivators for being employed to work in a company as opposed to working from home alone is the fact you get to mix with others on a daily basis. The opportunity to talk something through with a colleague over a coffee, the metaphoric and perhaps literal shoulder to cry on when going through a tough time personally or professionally, and not to forget the morale boosting office “banter”. Unless you are a key worker on the front-line of the coronavirus crisis, you will be cut off from all this now.

    The issues facing key workers are different and will not be addressed here.

    POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF ENFORCED HOMEWORKING MIGHT INCLUDE:

    • Lack of motivation as social and face-to-face physical contact has disappeared overnight. 
    • Difficulty balancing time effectively as the working day is no longer segregated from family responsibilities. Not to mention the fact parents have the extra responsibility of educating and entertaining their children. Children who may well act up as a result of the highly irregular circumstances that they find themselves in. As well as the need to prepare meals, and generally keep the house going. No matter the motivation and dedication, it is likely that productivity will suffer.
    • Mental and physical exhaustion as individuals try to play super mums and dads to cope with extended duties such as being home educators, as well as shopping for and checking in with vulnerable family members and elderly members of the community. All the while they are trying to be productive so they can earn the salary that keeps the ship afloat.
    • Worry and anxiety about where is the money going to come from to meet financial obligations and therefore obsessing over the question; “How are we going to manage?”
    • Dealing with the impact and fear of keeping well especially if there are people dependant on you.
    • Living a relentless cycle with little or no respite and “down-time” as everyone “stays home”, and the challenge this brings of trying to stay healthy and keep everyone else healthy.

    HOW DOES LEADERSHIP NEED TO CHANGE?

    In asking this question, it is easy to forget that those designated as leaders also have personal issues and are impacted by the changes to their home environment work set up. Therefore, it is paramount that the time spent on leading is quality time, relaying supportive, inspiring and nurturing messages to all team members that show genuine interest, empathy and understanding.

    Nurturing leadership is going to become the new norm as organisations realise that in order to navigate this crisis successfully, the priority is going to be people. Tailoring your approach to each team member relative to where they are at, as opposed to achieving short-term goals and driving profitability using a one-size-fits-all approach.

    How do you nurture your team in times of crisis?WHAT DOES NURTURING LEADERSHIP LOOK LIKE?

    When nurturing something or someone “we care for it whilst it is growing and developing” (www.Cambridgedictionary.com). Translating this into how leaders are to respond, they should take care of the individual and the business as a whole: each employee that a particular leader is responsible for needs to be supported in helping them find the new norm, encouraged to be kind to themselves and not beat themselves up when missing deadlines, forgetting reports and finding the new ways of using technology a challenge. Me included in this last point!

    A nurturing leader will be able to listen empathetically, listen without the need to “fix” the current situation for their employee, enabling the individual to find their own solutions that work for them and their individual circumstances. Giving them the encouragement to keep trying and to make that breakthrough on something that may on the surface look incredibly simple, and perhaps would ordinarily be so, but in fact is extremely challenging in their new daily environment.

    We know that challenge presents an opportunity for growth. The importance for every leader to create the right environment to allow for growth and development through trial and error is essential to show support, inspire to keep trying and to succeed, whilst at the same time providing a safety net should it be needed.

    A nurturing leader will be tuning into his or her sixth sense of intuition and feeling, to “see” when one of their team is struggling, and to use gentle coaching questions to encourage the sharing of frustrations, venting of anger and disappointments.  At the end, finding empathetic and inspiring words to show respect, kindness and warmth that willingly drives the person to keep searching until they eventually find the model, of the new norm that works for them in their current reality.

    Just as importantly, each leader needs to protect his or her inner emotional and spiritual self through leading by example showing that nurturing is vital and to also take the necessary time to nurture themselves.

    Under present day circumstances, I believe there is no space for the hard-nosed focus to drive profitability, as this will likely push well-intentioned and loyal employees who are desperately trying to be productive right now, away from organisations when the tide turns. It is a time for being. A human being, not a human doing!

    Green Key Personal Development – Nurturing People, Nurturing Business, Growing Potential through these challenging times.

     

    To learn how we can help you and your organisation, email Rachel directly at rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.