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Category: Leadership Development

  • 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.

  • Lessons from Janus the Two-Faced God

    Janus, the Roman god, to whom we owe the naming of the first month of the year, January, looked forward into the future while also having the wisdom for reflection and resolution of the past. Starting a new year is a perfect time for closure on things as well as to reflect while making plans for the coming year. In reflecting we might ask questions such as:

    • What worked well last year?
    • What systems, processes and procedures are not working so well? Why?
    • Where do we need to make improvements?
    • Who within my team has learning and development needs to help them perform better, to step into a new role and so on?

    Asking these and many other questions, helps us plan and budget effectively. What happens if managers and leaders are unable to reflect both on their personal performance and the performance of those they lead? Ever worked with or for someone who always seems to have a reason why something cannot be done, won’t work, didn’t work, wouldn’t fit, does not make sense or any other similar phraseology, simply wanting to protect the status quo appearing lethargic, stubborn and perhaps even toxic in making any changes that might take them out of their “comfort zone”.

    Staying in a comfort zone, as it suggests, feels easy remaining in the familiar – “better the devil you know than you don’t know.” “We’ve always done it like this.” Challenging our comfort zone requires effort, change to be more effective, to try something different or new and to temporarily move into the unknown. “Comfort zones are our default behaviour – our routines, habits and patterns.  Comfort zones are not necessarily comfortable, they are familiar. They are what we know and they are ways we organize much of our lives”.   (The Bigger Game, Laura Whitworth, Nick Tamlyn)

    Linking this to positive thinking and a positive, constructive approach, a comfort zone is something that we do not necessarily see, rather it is “just the way we do things”. Our patterns of thought and behaviour. The key to changing ingrained patterns that do not necessarily serve us personally as well as those around us is to be open to hear when someone challenges the way we do things or the way of thinking at that moment. Encourages reflection and analysis of situations, thoughts and ideas to challenge the status quo, the comfort zone. Accepting that there might be another way to do something does not necessarily mean choosing what is being suggested. However, it does require that we examine that particular pattern of behaviour and make a conscious decision as to whether it is actually serving our individual interests as well as those of a department or whole organisation, question where we are now in the process, where we want to be and therefore what we want to achieve.

    Negativity, such as the inability to listen – “I believe I am right”, avoiding accountability and responsibility, lack of energy to try, giving no support for something new, focusing on the past rather than the present, is simply a toxin that saps lifeblood from the person themselves, from the system, from the team and ultimately the organization as a whole.  

    Everyone in the organization needs to feel fulfilled. Feeling fulfilled does not mean that life is easy. Fulfillment can coexist in a challenging environment, when we are out of our comfort zone and when times require extra effort to rise to the challenge being ready to step out and step up not only to overcome the challenge, but also to learn and grow, leaving our comfort zone behind while moving into the new state. And then like Janus reflecting on what has been achieved, is it serving well and how can it be improved moving forward?

    Keeping a balance between looking forward and planning the future requires the wisdom of Janus to be open with ourselves and others, to admit when something is not working well, needs upgrading, changing or deleting only comes through open reflection and the willingness to resolve issues.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • How Sustainable is Your Human Resource Strategy?

    Recently I attended a webinar that was focused to helping make businesses sustainable which got me thinking about sustainability in deeper terms than usually addressed through our media and government. My question to the person leading this webinar was, “You have given a case study in this session which you are using to show good measures that this particular company is taking to become more sustainable. In the example, I was confused because as the company is focused to delivery service, they had switched all vans to electric. On the surface we can say that is a good step to take, but going deeper, are electric vehicles really sustainable? How is the electricity generated to charge those vehicles? The company that makes the batteries – are they operating a green, sustainable production? Where and who mines the lithium for those batteries? How much water does production take and so on? Perhaps I digress, as the essence of my question was “Please tell me what does it mean to be sustainable?” What is sustainability?

    Whilst I did not receive a direct answer to these questions, it was clear that we all have to start somewhere in this journey and if we can influence our suppliers to follow suit through buying choices, this can only be a good thing for all concerned, including our environment.

    Seldom do you hear someone in conversation connecting sustainability to human resources. Perhaps I have been sleeping, but it still seems that the emphasis on creating a sustainable workforce is very much on surface level, as perhaps other aspects of becoming a sustainable business are. We measure turnover (churn), sickness and absenteeism, accidents in the workplace, mental ill health and so on. If these issues were truly addressed through the lens of creating a sustainable workforce through effective, caring, nurturing organisation leadership, surely the results of measuring these things would show minimal impact on business productivity and ultimately profitability?

     The conclusion of an article in Science Direct titled, “Systematic literature review on sustainable human resource management” by Janaina Macke, Denise Genari stated “Beyond the triple bottom line concept, leadership plays a very important role in sustainable human resource management. A formal and clear leadership definition is, in fact, the most important element for the implementation of sustainability principles in human resource management”.

    Some organisations take the time to measure happiness, morale and wellbeing in the operation which is a very positive action and one that will be well received by employees if:

    1.    They are privy to the results, in other words results are transparent.

    2.    Actions are taken to change those issues that are not supporting positive morale, happiness, wellbeing and ultimately sustainability.

    3.    Measurement is carried out on a regular basis in order to track results of actions implemented and to track any changes, ultimately making updates to the initial plan as necessary.

     

    In an article by Ed Houghton, CIPD, he stated that “Sustainable HRM recognises performance outcomes, which are broader than financial outcomes (for example, by including environmental and social outcomes) and assumes that in working towards multiple goals there are likely to be contradictory outcomes that must be resolved. In addition to this, sustainable HRM creates and captures value over the longer term and recognises that to be truly sustainable HRM must be able to deal with the internal and external environment and the changing context in which the business is operating.” Surely this again links into the effectiveness and overall approach of leadership within the organisation?

    A few ideas of how I understand the concept of sustainable human resources:

     

    ·      Employees who stay with the company for a minimum of two years

    ·      A healthy track record of promoting from within into positions that are created due to company expansion or to fill gaps due to natural attrition

    ·      Employees who speak positively about the organisation in which they work

    ·      A willingness of employees to help others without being asked

    ·      Minimal absenteeism according to or lower than internal targets set

    ·      Minimal sickness whether physical, mental or emotional according to or lower than internal targets set

    ·      Orientation away from shareholder value to multi-stakeholder value

    ·      Leadership who has the employees’ best interests at heart while remaining focused to organisation goals

    ·      An environment of kindness and positive energy creating positive morale

    ·      Group problem solving and decision making

    ·   Focus to the positives of what was achieved and not the other way round in order to learn from and strengthen successes rather than only focusing towards mistakes and non-successes and what we need to do about them

    ·      Leadership that provides a strong positive example of what is expected, knows all employees by name and gets out and about into the operation. The “old” style of management by walking about.

     

    I am sure there are many more examples of what could be included into an organisation’s sustainable human resource strategy and approach. However, each one of these points has great depth to implement and get it right in order to result  not only in a strategy, but actual sustainable human resource management that really works.

    Why are sustainable human resources important? With the shortage of candidates in the marketplace, surely it makes sense to look after those you already have. Less time fighting fires, avoids costly time-consuming hiring processes, no need for onboarding training to bring employees up to speed, giving time to focus on developing employees in the roles they hold. This translates into increased loyalty, good company reputation and overall productivity. In fact, I don’t see any negatives in this approach. This is simply effective, caring leadership that is part of the overall organisation strategy and goals for becoming and being a sustainable organisation that serves multi stakeholders rather than shareholders only.

     

    References

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652618331056

    https://www.cipd.org/uk/views-and-insights/thought-leadership/the-world-of-work/sustainable-hr/

     

     

  • Ignoring Bad Leadership is Damaging your Business

    We have all had at least one experience of poor or bad leadership. I could add “unfortunately” at the end of that sentence? In most cases it is a learning lesson for the employee to avoid such leaders and their behaviour in the future. In other words, it teaches a very good lesson and makes us wiser in our future job searches and appointments. What about the organisation, is it unfortunate for them? The answer is most likely “yes” for the obvious reasons such as loss of good employees, poor morale that leads to low employee engagement, low productivity and ultimately increased sickness and absenteeism. The 2022 Gallup poll stated that “60% of employees are disengaged at a cost of US$8.8 trillion to business globally.” If that doesn’t make your ears prick up or hair stand on end, then I don’t know what will.

    What are the top-rated worst leadership behaviours according to a survey conducted by Bamboo HR of 1000 employees:

    Your boss takes credit for your work 63%
    Your boss doesn’t trust or empower you 62%
    Your boss doesn’t care if you are overworked 58%
    Your boss doesn’t advocate for you when it comes to compensation 57%
    Your boss hires and/or promotes the wrong people  56%
    Your boss doesn’t back you up when there is a dispute  55%
    Your boss doesn’t provide proper direction on assignment/roles  54%
    Your boss micromanages and doesn’t allow you freedom to work 53%
    Your boss focuses more on your weaknesses than strengths  53%
    Your boss doesn’t set clear expectations  52%

    On top of these reasons, Gallup together with Workhuman in a survey conducted in May 2023 established an extensive connection between employee recognition and wellbeing, finding that “employees who receive the right amount of recognition for the work they do suffer from lower burnout, enjoy improved daily emotions and stronger relations with their co-workers.”

    What does Gallup consider to be wellbeing? This is divided into different aspects of wellbeing:

    • Community
    • Social
    • Financial
    • Career
    • Physical

    I agree that wellbeing is not just physical, wellbeing is much more than that, infact it is holistic just as Gallup has highlighted. The way I explain wellbeing is physical (vitality, energy, strength) mental (clarity, cognition, concentration), emotional (resilience, inner balance, positivity, self-compassion), and spiritual (purpose, alignment, integrity). In the Gallup survey these different aspects of wellbeing, in turn are placed into three buckets:

    • Thriving Wellbeing – High wellbeing across most elements
    • Suffering Wellbeing – A mix of high, medium or low elements
    • Struggling Wellbeing – Low wellbeing across most elements

    What then is the link between leadership and thriving employee wellbeing? According to Gallup and Workhuman – it is what they term “Strategic Recognition”. This is the ability to use the technique of giving genuine recognition to all employees. To be strategic it needs to:

    1. Meet employee expectations. In other words, be given in a timely manner and for the work that the employee thinks deserves recognition.
    2. Be authentic and genuine and not something that is simply on a to do list to be done every day.
    3. Personalised – given fairly to all without showing favouritism.
    4. Equitable – taking the needs of each individual into consideration rather than a one size fits all.
    5. Is part of the organisation culture and is lived throughout the organisation by all in everything they do.

    The interesting point here is that giving recognition to an employee for doing a good job, costs nothing, there is no pay check attached, bonus or increase of some kind. It is a simple act of human, respect, gratitude and quiet celebration of an individual’s performance. The result when recognition is given authentically is an employee who feels valued for what they do, resulting in willingly doing more of the same. This in turn leads to increased engagement and productivity, less employees actively searching for a job and therefore increased retention, not forgetting the ultimate aim of decreasing sickness, both mental and physical, and absenteeism because employees thrive within the organisation culture.

    So what you might ask? A Harvard Business Review survey on the impact of poor leadership behaviours revealed that:

    • 48% of employees intentionally decreased their work effort.
    • 47% intentionally decreased the time spent at work.
    • 38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work.
    • 63% lost work time trying to avoid the offender.
    • 66% said that their performance declined.
    • 78% said that their commitment to the organization declined.
    • 25% admitted to taking their frustrations out on customers.

    Give me an example of any organisation leadership that would not want to turn employee performance around to stop damaging their business? I hope that all organisations would want to turn this around and create a thriving workforce who love what they do. This requires a change in leadership behaviour to those that embrace their employees and encourage top performance through strategic recognition. Does this mean that all employees perform well? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean that a manager and leader should see this as requiring discipline, severe correction or even some kind of abuse. It is an opportunity to understand why and consequently turn the employee’s performance round to one of excellence. In my opinion there are no such thing as bad employees, only bad managers.

    What behaviours do managers and leaders need to increase? Start by giving genuine authentic feedback and strategic recognition. This means “managing by walking about”, a concept that I learned in my early 20’s. By doing this you become human and approachable, you also know your employees by name and see how they perform, at the rock face while experiencing their daily work lives and not just seeing their names on a report or computer screen.

    Not all managers and leaders have received appropriate training to know when and how to deliver feedback. Ask yourself: “What is the damage and cost to your business for not investing in your leaders to provide the necessary training in leadership and these vital skills?

    Start the leadership training today, let’s talk.

    References:

    https://www.workhuman.com/resources/reports-guides/from-thank-you-to-thriving-workhuman-gallup-report-emea/?utm

    https://newageleadership.com/poor-leadership-behaviors-its-collateral-damage/#:~:text=Poor%20leadership%20behaviors%20and%20bad,root%20cause%20%E2%80%93%20bad%20leadership%20behaviors.

  • Integrity in Leadership; What Business Leaders Can Learn from Our Political System

    In today’s Britain, as we watch our government navigate scandal, public discontent, and complex global challenges, the question arises again and again: are our leaders truly working with honesty and integrity?

    Recent months have seen a string of events that throw this into question. Sir Keir Starmer entered office promising a clean break from political sleaze—but recent revelations suggest a more complex reality.

    In 2024, Starmer declared that he had accepted over £100,000 in gifts and hospitality since becoming an MP—far more than any other parliamentarian, including clothing and accommodation provided by Labour donor Lord Alli. While technically disclosed, this sharply contrasts with his message of accountability and austerity. As one Reddit commentator put it:

    “For a man who found so much pay dirt in presenting himself as a man of integrity, accepting these sorts of gifts … seems like such an easy bullet to dodge.” 

    There's also the awkward incident during lockdown: Starmer reportedly invited an acting coach to Downing Street for in‑person lessons while urging strict lockdown compliance for everyone else. The episode sparked claims of hypocrisy and doubt over whether “rules for some” applied across the board. (IAE Limited)

    On issues of openness and accountability, Starmer has called for a statutory “duty of candour” in government aimed at ending cover‑ups seen in the Post Office, infected blood, and other state failures. Yet critics argue that his own government's internal handling of data secrecy, e.g. hidden Afghan data leaks, hasn't always aligned with these values. 

    Take, for example, the ongoing Post Office Horizon IT scandal. After years of injustice, during which hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted for financial shortfalls caused by a faulty computer system, the government promised compensation and transparency. Yet, as of mid-2025, many victims are still waiting. Promised payouts delayed, processes remain unclear, and bureaucratic hurdles persist. Despite repeated reassurances from ministers that the issue is being handled with urgency and compassion, families remain in limbo—forced to relive trauma while fighting for justice that should have been swiftly delivered.

    Is this leadership? Or is it another case of “managing the message” rather than taking meaningful action?

    Honesty and integrity in leadership aren’t abstract ideals. They’re the foundation of trust and trust is the glue that holds together public cooperation, engagement, and belief in the system. When leaders send mixed messages—one rule for the public, another for those in power—it erodes the very contract that enables effective governance. Is this any different for private companies and their employees?

    We’ve been here before. Rewind to the early days of the pandemic and the infamous Partygate scandal under then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. While the public was locked down, making sacrifices and losing loved ones, senior officials partied at Downing Street—breaking the rules they themselves had set. That hypocrisy shattered public confidence and left a deep scar on the national psyche. I suspect the deep scar might become even deeper as the truth about Covid and the “pandemic” is revealed.

    And what about science?

    When it comes to public health and medical research, integrity matters just as much, if not more. In a 2021 article in IHCAN Magazine, journalist Ronald Bailey exposed shocking systemic failures in the scientific research community. Former BMJ editor Dr. Richard Smith even proposed a radical stance: “Assume all medical research is fraudulent until proven otherwise.” Let that sink in! The very field we rely on for life-and-death guidance is increasingly driven by incentives that reward quantity of publication over quality or honesty of findings.

    As researcher Barbara K. Redman wrote, this “isn’t just a case of a few bad apples”—it’s a whole system that encourages poor behaviour. The absence of robust fraud-detection mechanisms, combined with an unwillingness to retract false findings for fear of reputational damage, is deeply troubling, setting an example to the many who look up to and follow those in authority through unquestioned belief. (Authority is one of Cialdini’s 6 Principles of Influence).

    What happens when the people can no longer trust their government leadership and the scientists who produce the “science” it not only relies on, but makes decisions on? When both leadership and knowledge systems seem riddled with opacity, contradiction, and self-interest. Until then, the public will continue to ask: “who are they working for – us or for themselves?

    That same question can be asked of leadership within an organisation. What happens when employees cannot trust their leaders and the information and systems they rely on? 

    For the UK we can still reclaim that future—but only if our leaders choose transparency over spin, substance over slogans, and integrity over image. In organisations it should never come to “reclaiming” because damage will already have been done and consequences will be clear as good employees jump ship, service levels drop and customer negative feedback increases all seriously effecting earning capacity.

    Conclusion: Lessons for Business Leadership

    Examples shared and the many others whether Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Rishi Sunak, David Lammy or Boris Johnson all demonstrate important lessons for organisational leaders:

    o    Trust is earned, not assumed: Promising reform or transparency isn’t enough if actions don’t follow through—and stakeholders notice inconsistencies.

    o    Details matter: Whether in public office or private boardrooms, undisclosed interests or misstatement, even when unintentional undermine credibility.

    o    Prioritize timely, accurate declarations of interests.

    o    Ensure consultation and stakeholder engagement are genuine and recorded.

    o    Show transparency in who you are and what you do.

    o    Back up what you say with personal behaviour and deliver on what you promised. In other words “walk your talk”.

    o    Communicate honestly—even when facing difficult decisions or scrutiny.

    o    Be true to yourself, and to others.

    As Nelson Mandela reminded us: “A bright future beckons. The onus is on us, through hard work, honesty and integrity, to reach for the stars.”

    Organisations can build that bright future—but only if leadership demonstrates integrity in word, action, and transparency.

    References

    Bailey, Ronald. (2021). Zombie Trials and Outright Fraud: Why Medical Research is Mostly Fake News. IHCAN: The Practice and Science of Natural Medicine, September, p. 42.

    Smith, Richard. (2021). “Time to Assume Fraud?” BMJ Editorial.

    Redman, Barbara K. (2021). Research Misconduct Policy in Biomedicine: Beyond the Bad-Apple Approach.

    https://iaelimited.com/keir-starmers-days-are-numbered-the-scandal-that-could-end-his-leadership-carole-malone/

    Cialdini's 6 principles of Persuasion book

  • International Women’s Day – A Celebration of Female Leadership

    On the 8th March to celebrate International Women’s day perhaps it is appropriate give credit to the many female Heads of State, CEO’s, Owners and Mothers.   How interesting that the world has a strong representation of female leaders, 22 countries in total including  Denmark, Poland, Bangladesh, Lithuania, Brazil and Norway.   This is quite a sizeable representation of women in top leadership positions, some in countries that are culturally showing more masculine than feminine qualities. (Hofstede)  It is irrelevant what you think about them, but the fact is these female leaders are running governments and countries in what can only be termed a very troubled and challenging period, including Teresa May who is grappling with the turmoil created by Brexit.   Angela Merkel holding strong as the German Chancellor who has  just been re-elected (with some help from her friends), and Norway Erna Solberg who has been Prime Minister since 2013.

    What are the principle characteristics of female leadership?  Can we characterize these principles and definitively separate them from the principles of male leadership?  Unlikely, because styles of leadership differ amongst men and women equally depending on education, experience, courage, individuality, stamina and so on.  However, when looking at women and men, there are differences and when women bring these differences into play we might see different characteristics, many of which come naturally to women.

    Female characteristics:

    • Intuitive and sensitive emotional intelligence
    • Ability to sense the emotion behind something as well as see the facts – therefore make decisions on both factual and emotional levels
    • Patience and tolerance
    • Ability to forgive and let go
    • Quiet drive, stamina and courage
    • Ability to multi task therefore being able to think about, understand and action different points with ease
    • Ability to release own emotions to relieve tension and break stress often through crying.  As well as breaking the tension in a situation.
    • Happy to be out of the limelight and just get on with the job

    In this list I am not saying that men do not have some of these characteristics, I am saying that these characteristics are more common in women in general, but particularly in female leaders.

    What does this all mean?  Are we moving into a time when female leadership is more appropriate for the challenges we face in today’s world – starvation, homelessness, loneliness, escalation in chronic disease, environmental damage on a huge scale, greed by the few who want to monopolize the many, to name but a few?

    I don’t know the answer to this, but I do know the questions:  How much longer can we, as human beings go on living in an environment that we are determined to destroy, removing the right to heritage for generations to come?

    How long can we continue to ignore, flush over, minimize the impacts of large industrial farming whether fishing, dairy, crop or animal farming on human health. Not to mention the pain caused to the animals themselves and the impact on waterways, air and the earth?

    How long can we go on not listening to, or covering up the detrimental impact of processing foods on our health and the health of our children, leading to escalation in chronic disease, obesity and stress, all of which we see in most of the English speaking world, with other countries not far behind having adopted a Western diet?

    Lets celebrate all our female leaders and leadership, not only on this day, but everyday whether Heads of State, Heads of Companies, Company Owners or Mothers.  Perhaps it is our leadership that will turn the ship to become more caring and responsible about how we live, what we live for and what we leave behind?