Best Recipes Ever

Category: Leadership Development

  • Are Your Leadership Abilities Transforming Fast Enough?

    On Tuesday I had the honour of attending WinTrade (Women in Trade) in London that was hosted by MasterCard.  The main theme was “How to embed diversity in the world of tech?”, and it was attended by entrepreneurial businesswomen from all over the world.  One of the speakers asked the question:  “What is our purpose as humans?”  This led me to thinking about leadership and the role of leaders in today’s world, whether political, business, sports or otherwise.

    As a part of the day, completely off the cuff I was asked to give a five-minute inspirational speech.  Apart from suffering from internal panic, I decided to focus on my name and say a few words about Sir Ernest Shackleton, the great Antarctic explorer.

     

    WATCH MY LEADERSHIP VIDEO HERE

     

     

    Great leadership in actionGREAT LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

    Being a great leader is crucial, but are your leadership abilities transforming as fast as the times? Learn more about what it takes to be a great leader today.

    The Shackleton motto was “By endurance we conquer”.  He made two Antarctic expeditions that demonstrated this motto, although neither reached the South Pole. Never-the-less, Shackleton made history when his ship Endurance was trapped in ice, eventually crushed. As the Antarctic ice melted, the vessel sank to the bottom of the sea.

    It was through his leadership, in a situation that appeared completely hopeless, that Shackleton managed to keep the spirits of the whole team up whilst he created a strategy to get everyone to safety in three rickety lifeboats.

    The route included an open boat journey to Elephant Island, where they found little life on this piece of land that was constantly ravaged by the sea.  All the men, except five stayed hurdled under the lifeboats for months whilst Shackleton and five men sailed 800 miles to reach the island of South Georgia.

    However, on arrival, which in itself was a miracle, they found that habitation was on the other side of the island and therefore had to trek over a frozen, unchartered mountainous interior to reach the whaling station.   Shackleton did not stop to rest at the whaling station. Instead he returned with the help of the whalers to rescue the rest of the men, all of whom survived their ordeal.

    Being a great leader is crucial, but are your leadership abilities transforming as fast as the times? Learn more about what it takes to be a great leader today.

    The meaning of leadershipTHE MEANING OF LEADERSHIP

    Leadership in 1916 for Shackleton and his team was all about camaraderie, loyalty, responsibility, determination and in this expedition, optimism.  He managed to convince his men that getting out alive was possible and that this was what everyone had to focus on and work for.

    At that time in 1916 there was no technology as we know it today. No state-of-the-art sensors and radio or other communication equipment to contact fellow human beings. No navigation equipment as we know it today and no comforts of special fabrics that insulate you from the cold.

    Leadership vs technologyLEADERSHIP VS TECHNOLOGY

    Being a great leader is crucial, but are your leadership abilities transforming as fast as the times? Learn more about what it takes to be a great leader today.

    Technology has progressed enormously since 1916. Looking at the current year, 2019, we have information at lightning speed. We have all kinds of communication capabilities, including Inmarsat satellite phones if choosing to travel to such destinations as Antarctica. Our lives are full of Artificial Intelligence to assist in improving systems, processes, data transfer, data protection, deliveries, security and so on. But where is the leadership that Shackleton showed in the expedition in 2016?  Leadership is not about technology; it is about the human element.

    In today’s world it seems to me that we are searching for leaders that can carry us into a new era.  An era where current long-standing, economic systems and processes need to be challenged.  Rather than tweaking crumbling systems and processes, our leaders need to have the courage to lead transformation not only of systems and processes, but also of our approach to situations and people who might be different from ourselves.  In other words, this is very important to steering the course and to our “survival”.

    GENERATION Z

    Transformation of abilities, skills and knowledge is also needed to bring us all into the world of Generation Z, where the current level of A.I is threatening jobs as we know them and consequently lifestyles and the very security of work.

    This is the generation that is asking uncomfortable questions, coming in through their own doors and challenging the status quo. The needed change has already been identified, and some might say it is already here – it is whether we choose to review and change our leadership characteristics and style and get on board, as technology cannot do it on its own! 

     

    References:

    Shackleton’s Way, Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell

    Shackleton The Heart of the Antartci and South, Wordsworth Classic of World Literature

     

    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.

  • Authentic Leadership – how important is It?

    “The authentic self is the soul made visible.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach.

    Yesterday I attended the Engage Customer Summit at the Brewery in London. Another very good day laid on by Engage Media. It was my attendance at a round table to discuss “Cultivating Loyalty and Engagement through Authentic Leadership” hosted by Jamie McKenzie, CMO at Sodexo, that initiated the thinking behind this blog. The discussion was stimulating and active with those attending sharing ideas around the questions:

    •  Are you an authentic leader?
    • What examples are there of authentic leaders?
    • Is your approach the right approach for the environment in which you are in?

    Of course, from these questions the conversation broadened and deepened around a topic that I believe to be incredibly important and something close to my heart.

    Harvard Business School Online defines authentic leadership “as a leadership style exhibited by individuals who have high standards of integrity, take responsibility for their actions, and make decisions based on principle rather than short-term success. They use their inner compasses to guide their daily actions, which enables them to earn the trust of their employees, peers, and shareholders—creating approachable work environments and boosting team performance.” https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/how-to-improve-team-performance.

    From an employee perspective, research detailed in Harvard Business Review shows “that a majority of employees believe authenticity in the workplace leads to benefits such as:

    • Better relationships with colleagues
    • Higher levels of trust
    • Greater productivity
    • A more positive working environment

    For any leader who is aiming to make a lasting impact on the companies in which they work, investing time and effort into becoming an authentic leader can be extremely valuable, not only for them as individuals, but also those that they lead, the organisation as a whole and finally the shareholders.

    Points that came out of the discussion yesterday is that an authentic leader demonstrates:

    • Openness to share and to recognise the contribution of others, demonstrating how much they are valued
    • Trusting of others and build trust in all relationships
    • Consistent in their behaviour
    • Connect on the “shop floor” and walk their talk
    • Supportive of others, spotlighting strengths that individuals can build on rather than weakness that need strengthening
    • Possess a high level of emotional intelligence

    On the other hand, Harvard highlights the characteristics of an authentic leader as:

    • Committed to bettering themselves
    • Cultivate self-awareness
    • Disciplined
    • Are mission-driven
    • Inspire faith and build relationships of trust

    From these definitions and the discussion yesterday, I think we can define an authentic leader, as someone who comes from a place of inner strength, in other words they stand in their own power, and because of this are not afraid to show vulnerability, to reveal their weaknesses and to allow and enable someone else to fill the gap, recognising that you don’t need to be good at everything as true teamwork allows for individual potential to shine through at these moments and to rally round the mission, purpose and goals, while enjoying the benefits of working as a team.

    Authenticity is respecting and valuing others for what they contribute and letting them know that their contribution is appreciated through support and genuine recognition. If things go wrong, being fair and open to learn from mistakes and use these situations as growth opportunities. The result – highly motivated individuals who give their best, enjoy what they do, feel fulfilled and perform to the best of their ability having a direct impact on levels of productivity, trusting and open relationships that share a common foundation of support, openness and positivity.

    Sir Ernest Shackleton was the example that I gave of an authentic leader. I’m sure there are more recent authentic leaders but are not in the media as they humbly go about their business. Sir Ernest Shackleton had a people-centred approach to leadership. His personal values, learned from his upbringing helped him develop a progressive style of leadership. He turned bad experiences into valuable lessons, was respectful of business competition. He broke down any traditional hierarchies, was always fair in how he dealt with his staff and established a clear order and routine so that everyone knew where they stood.

    Shackleton led by example, he never expected from his team members what he would not do himself and was always willing to help get the work done. He met regularly for one-to-one conversations to build a bond with each member of the crew. He accepted the individuality of each person and their weaknesses and was always keen to help them achieve their full potential.

    In a crisis he took the lead and worked to keep spirits high. He inspired optimism, even though sometimes he might have doubted himself and he kept “his enemies close.”  He encouraged teams to help and support each other. He was always visible and aware of possible difficulties and danger.  Above all he took responsibility for getting the whole job done, kept the big picture in sight and was always there to help others.

    Shackleton’s leadership legacy needs no further explanation.

    George Kohlrieser sums it up well: “If your starting point is that people are a cost to be minimised, your organisation might survive but it won’t thrive. If, on the other hand, you fundamentally believe that human beings are valuable and a source of goodness, a true asset not in financial terms but in their very essence, you will make your decisions with an entirely different perspective. In your attitude, in your state and in your authenticity, you will be operating as a *secure base. From that position, even difficult decisions will be understood and received with a higher degree of acceptance and appreciation. You will achieve results in a way that also elevates the contribution and value of the human beings inside your organisation.”   

    *”Secure base is a person, place, goal or object that provides a sense of protection, safety, and care and offers a source of inspiration and energy for daring exploration risking taking and seeking challenge.”

     

    References:

    George Kohlreiser, Care to Dare, 2012

    Shackleton’s Way, Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell

    https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/authentic-leadership

  • Authenticity and the New Normal

    A Guest Post by Hannah Emanuel

    In an age that demands a redefinition of ‘normal’, do we also need to redefine what it means to be ‘professional’?

    To answer this question, we must first acknowledge what our current connotations of the term ‘professionalism’. Suited and booted? Reliable? Articulate? Unemotional? The list could go on I’m sure – and would undoubtedly be somewhat different for every individual we asked.

    As offices are swapped for home studios, face to face meetings for online web-calls and synthetic shop bought sandwiches for self ‘starter’-ed sourdough, we also need to redefine what we understand the term ‘professionalism’ to encompass.

    Let’s start by exploring a new current buzzword: authenticity. Authenticity is at the heart of every successful communication, especially online. We are now required, by necessity, to bring more of our true selves to online meetings in order to try and mitigate the horribly dehumanising nature of the screen.

    True to form, corporate speak has recently stolen this term and made it the buzz word of the moment – and in so doing, its fundamental integrity has been compromised. We no longer trust the authenticity of the word ‘authentic’. To fully engage and achieve meaningful, impactful human connection, authenticity must be more than merely a buzzword, thrown around with apparent ease.

    Instead, authenticity must be clearly and uncompromisingly demonstrated through our actions, our tone of voice, our entire presentation of ourselves. It is not enough simply to demonstrate an intention to be authentic through the language we choose. It must instead be our genuine intention to engage openly and collaboratively, using the most vulnerable part of ourselves that we can muster the courage to share.

    Authenticity and the new normalWhat do we really mean then by the word authentic? And, more importantly, what is its function within our new sense of what it means to be professional?

    How authentic should you really be when working from home, joining and leading online meetings and the like? It may be more professional to have that fake background behind you, but would people be able to relate and resonate with you more if it was not there?

    To me, if we were to strip it back to its most raw, naked form, it means presenting your truest, most honest self. No performance, no mask, no armour. But there is a contradiction here that needs acknowledging. Because of course society does require us to wear masks – quite literally in these current Covid times, but also socially, from our earliest days of infancy.

    We are moulded from very early childhood to socially conform. We learn quickly who it is – and isn’t – appropriate to have a tantrum in front of. And this lesson lasts all the way to adulthood – it’s in our bones. So by being ‘authentic’, by being our true selves, does this mean we allow others to see when we are completely overwhelmed by emotion, just as we would have done in infancy? Well no, clearly not – I doubt any framing of the word professionalism would encompass such high levels of emotional freedom. But there is a new level of intimacy to our professional communication that wasn’t deemed acceptable or necessary before.

    Society will always tell us how far it is appropriate to go, and of course this will differ from one culture to another, but if we can begin to open ourselves up enough for others to see in, allow them a window into what makes us vulnerable, then I believe this is true authenticity. And it is powerfully effective.

    In practical terms, what does this really mean or look like online? Unsurprisingly it’s many things; a softening of the physical image we present, the language we choose and the tone with which we speak it, the use of a genuine rather than a virtual background.

    I’d always advocate a truthful background to a virtual one. A pile of dirty laundry might be best hidden, but a glimpse into your home life is at the very least a talking point – a little window into who you are behind the suit (if indeed you are still choosing to wear one) – and at best it can offer an insight into a part of you that we can connect with on a human level.

    Whether it’s the banjo hanging on the wall behind you, or the ‘make it at home’ mojito mix adorning your new lockdown DIY bar, show me; it’s authentic. Not buzz word, lip service authentic, but disarmingly and charmingly authentic. It’s an insight into who you truly are. And you know what? If it’s offered genuinely and with generosity, then that – quite simply – is enough.

     

    Hannah Emanuel

    In the Room Training

    Professional coach and actor

  • Building Empathy Centric Leadership

    Empathy, one of the characteristics or we might say building blocks of emotional intelligence, is an essential skill of any leader. When lacking empathy employees feel unheard, undervalued and often frustrated about an apparent lack of understanding of the challenges in any job role or for any difficulties they might be experiencing outside of their working lives, and customers less inclined to entrusting loyalty with your enterprise.

    Having a developed sense of empathy enables you to sense what is happening and how someone is feeling without them having to actually tell you. In groups a leader is able to use the same sense to feel potential areas of struggle, conflict and "holding back" of information, opinions, thoughts and ideas to maximise on the moment and open discussion. Empathy enables responses that take into consideration non-verbal cues whilst sharing openly without contradicting your own thoughts and feelings. Fostering rapport through being empathetic and showing empathy to others are key characteristics of building effective relationships, which is the very foundation to effective leadership and perhaps even business success.

    What is empathy? Empathy is not sympathy it is the ability to experience the moment in response to a customer, colleague, employee, or family member in a manner that “connects” directly to that person, sharing briefly the emotions that the person might be feeling without taking them on yourself. It has an impact on those involved in that moment as well as a longer lasting impact through building a relationship of trust. A positive customer experience makes the difference between a customer becoming loyal or choosing to go elsewhere. In most cases there are plenty of “elsewhere” companies ready to serve customers who have had a poor or even bad experience with any particular service offering. In the current labour market, it is not just the external customer who might choose to go elsewhere, but employees, also.

    The 2020 NTT Global Customer Experience Benchmarking Report stated that, “Companies who focus on a customer/employee centricity see a 92% increase in customer loyalty with an 84% uplift in revenue and a 79% margin in costs saved. 

    More recent data (March 2024 in an article by Cheyenna Eversoll Duggan “The empathy advantage: Using customer data to personalise marketing,” stated:

    • 68% of customers expect brands to demonstrate empathy, but only 37% of customers say brands generally demonstrate empathy.
    • 68% of customers will spend more money with a brand that understands them and treats them like an individual.
    • 66% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations, but only 34% of companies generally treat customers as unique individuals.

    Empathy is the linchpin to delivering excellence in customer service both for customers and service providers. Equipping leaders through the development of emotional intelligence and the skills of showing empathy is no longer questionable in terms of importance to business performance, or even optional, but essential. 

    Empathy is an essential aspect of emotional intelligence (Daniel Goldman). Being empathetic and showing empathy has two steps, firstly picking up on others' feelings and secondly responding to those feelings and emotions while interacting with them. Not everyone tells you how they are feeling, even if you ask, but with heightened sensitivity you are able to pick up on emotions and respond if needed, with empathy. Becoming more in tune with the non-verbal and verbal cues that others' are sending increases abilities to respond empathetically. The key competencies within empathy according to Daniel Goleman (Working with Emotional Intelligence) are:

    • Sense others' feelings and perspectives 
    • Take an active interest in others' concerns
    • Sense others' development needs and support their development
    • Anticipate, recognise and meet customers' needs 
    • Read emotional undercurrents and power relationships
    • Cultivate and build opportunities through different kinds of people.

    Judith Orloff once said, “Empathy is the medicine the world needs.” This statement sums up the reason why we need this important skill to foster the growing need for businesses to encourage empathy centricity in their organisation and work culture both internally and externally. 

    AI is a major part of providing service to customers, often helping filter and channel callers in the right direction to get them the appropriate help speedily, however the ability to sense and understand feelings, concerns and perspectives of others through intuition is not yet something that AI can do, in fact it is the biggest challenge for  further development of AI. Palming off your customers to an AI assistant may not build the customer loyalty you are seeking for your business, therefore investing in employee development in this area and equipping leaders with the skill of understanding sensitive situations and responding with empathy are still for now essential to the success of any business.

     

    References

    Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman (1999)

    The Language of Emotional Intelligence, Jeanne Segal, Ph.D, Jaelline Jaffee, Ph.D

    https://services.global.ntt/en-us/insights/2020-global-cx-benchmarking-report#

     

     

  • Could your leadership be causing mental ill health

    This blog takes the form of a case study that encompasses both my professional roles as a healthcare practitioner and corporate wellbeing training provider. The aim of the case study is to encourage you to decide, for yourself, what could have been done differently.

    The client in question, is a lady late 50’s who was employed by a high school as the assistant director of the school, a job she has been doing for some years already while also continuing to teach the pupils an academic subject. An active person who was working long hours every day, five days a week in school and some part of her personal time to catch up, mark papers and do other administrative tasks, she seldom did less than a 10-hour day. Her husband also works, and her children are also of working age.

    About 3 years ago, as a part of some kind of change in status and re-organisation of the school, all teachers were asked to re-apply for their jobs to continue employment at that school. Each teacher would be hired based on the new requirements. My client was not re-hired, nor was she given an explanation as to why, she was simply told that her job was no longer needed as of tomorrow. No redundancy payment was offered. That would be a dramatic shock for most of us. Lack of appreciation, feedback and thanks would make anyone angry, likely followed by sadness at having the job and career you love crudely removed with no further contact. From May to September of that year she did not feel well, she lost interest and enthusiasm for life, but tried to regain this by taking up a role as a volunteer in a local charity shop.

    At a similar time, her father died during Covid and this seemed to tip her over the edge into mental illness, specifically severe depression combined with anxiety. Her father also suffered from depression and anxiety. She stated that she remembers shaking uncontrollably at the loss of her father, and perhaps to this day has not yet come to terms with this loss through the normal grieving process.

    Certainly, we can debate if how she lost her job was according to the law? That is not the purpose of this blog and therefore we will avoid going down that route. The client is now on four medications for anxiety and depression, some of which are also negatively affecting hair growth, leading to an increase in hair loss. In addition, she is putting on weight, both of which negatively impact how she feels about herself. Her quality of sleep is poor due to twitching caused by one of the medications she is taking. To aid sleep she has been subscribed Zopiclone, a common sleep medication which can cause drowsiness during the day. In her own words, she “has no reason to get out of bed and most of the time feels blank and tense,” therefore can spend the whole day in bed sleeping with no desire to get out of bed. In order to end this cycle, she tried to commit suicide. Luckily, she was not successful.

    She had her gall bladder removed approximately 10 years ago and despite this has no  difficulty in digesting most foods. However, looking at this energetically, the gall bladder – “How can you have the gall to……?” is a representation of rage, extreme anger that has been suppressed within the body, ultimately damaging the functioning of the gall bladder until such time as it has to be surgically removed. This is an example of how suppressed negative emotions manifest on the physical level to show us what it is we need to deal with. Does removal of the gall bladder mean we have dealt with these negative emotions, or do they still remain in the body as the person’s behavioural pattern remains the same?

    She is under the guidance of the mental health team in her area, but at best is staying numb to life, at worst is not living. After several years of guidance from this team, she and her husband, whose life has also been tipped upside down, decided to try something different and on recommendation from one of their friends who was treated successfully for similar conditions, have sought a health consultation with me. The main goals for treatment are:

    • To get better from severe depression and anxiety to live her life as before.
    • To improve her quality of life and reduce medications.

    This gives you the background of this client. Now look at this situation from a leadership perspective and answer the following questions:

    1. How did this person end up with severe depression and anxiety when previously she was a capable, active woman who up until losing her job we can assume was able to take responsibility and get things done?

    2.  What role did the school management team/leadership play in what this lady is today?

    3. What could have been done differently from those responsible to lessen the emotional impact on this individual anticipating that redundancy for anyone is often a shock?

    4. Why is thoughtful, nurturing leadership of others so very important?

    5. How can leaders balance a nurturing style of leadership with accomplishment of organisation goals? (A school is also an organisation)

    6. What are the key things for the leadership team to learn from this case?

    7. What have you learned from this case about how you address difficult, possibly life changing situations from this case. 

    If you feel affected by this case study then you maybe interested in this new course on how to lead compassionate conversations. 

  • Active Leadership – The Benefits of Combining Movement & Leadership

    When I was a young manager, my first General Manager at the time was a very special man, sadly no longer with us. He was general manager of the Elangeni Hotel in Durban, South Africa and he taught me many things about managing and leading people in what is a demanding, but rewarding industry. He was inquisitive, asked questions not only to satisfy his own interest, but also to check your understanding of what you might have been doing at that point in time, as well as the bigger picture of why I was doing whatever it is I was doing. He was always immaculately dressed, irrelevant of time of day or night in full suit with waistcoat and a red rose in his buttonhole. I don’t think I ever saw him in any other clothing during the 4 years I worked with him. He was respectful of everyone, no matter your position, male or female, senior or younger. I never heard him raise his voice in all that time, even when annoyed. He was a fair man, I suppose strict in some ways. He gave out autonomy to his team members expecting performance as agreed, and these characteristics shone through his leadership approach. On top of this, he led by walking about. He is what I would call an “active” leader. Of course, there were times when he was in his office, but in general once the paperwork, meetings and discussions had been completed, he was out and about. His “finger was totally on the pulse”. Nothing passed him by.

    Much of my leadership approach is based on my learning from this person as well as the variety of people working in the hotel with their vast array of backgrounds, experiences, cultures and education, all doing an honest day’s work in the hotel industry while providing me a fantastic foundation on which to learn. Perhaps they did not feel the same way!

    We often read posts on LinkedIn, X or the like on how important it is to move, to be active whether a manager or not. Personally, I’m a great advocate for this. Managers and leaders generally spend too much time at the computer or other electronic device and not enough time moving, talking to employees and clients. At the same time many managers have ideal job roles that allow them to be active not only before or after work, but also during by combining movement with going around the operations and different departments. Being visible in this way enables managers to see how things are running and to check in with team members, giving individual employees an opportunity to talk, share information, difficulties and so on while also understanding if they have any challenges, what is going well, how they are etc. Being active also provides opportunities to listen to and talk to guests and customers addressing their concerns, hearing their comments and receiving feedback. All while being active and moving around. 

    What is so important about moving? It is not necessary to run a marathon, climb the tallest mountain, or cycle 10 kilometres a day to be active to enjoy the benefits, such as:

    •    Consistent focus, clarity and balanced mental health 

    •    Consistent energy levels throughout the day

    •    Positive outlook 

    •    Reduction in stress, anxiety and mood swings 

    •    Good cardiovascular health 

    •    Easier weight management 

    •    Stronger immune system to combat seasonal bugs and viruses

    •    Better sleep

    If that’s not enough, to this list can also be added building stable and healthy relationships with others, providing the social aspects of life that are so important. Humans are herd animals and to be healthy we need social connections and relationships. A perfect link to the essence of good leadership. Leadership is only possible if followers choose to follow. This requires building relations and consequently trust, understanding employees, strong skills of emotional intelligence and the ability to listen. Showing personal vulnerability, courage, integrity and honesty. A leader cannot demonstrate these characteristics from an office by email or other internal communication system. These tools support face to face communication, but do not replace them. The lessons I learned over 30 years ago from my first general manager are still the same today!

    £340 billion was lost in the UK economy due to employees’ disengagement and 0.8 million workers in 2023/24 were suffering from work-related stress, anxiety and depression according to Perkbox and Vivup. According to HSE Safety, £14.5 billion annual costs in new cases of work-related ill health in 2022/23. How much of this is due to losing contact with employees, just expecting them to perform in accordance with the job description? A recent blog on “Engage Employee” website listed the top five reasons employees go to work and which can be summarised by saying the majority of our employees come to work for the social contact and that sense of belonging. “Engage Employee” survey results with 2,000 employees ranked reasons for coming to work as:

    1.    The People 

    2.    Feeling like I am good at it 

    3.    The hours 

    4.    It’s fulfilling 

    5.    Working as a team 

    Salary was ranked in 6th place.   

    Quite clearly social connection and interaction is rated as extremely important with 3 out of the top 5 reflecting this fact. How can you encourage your managers and leaders to be more active in the workplace, not only to get their “steps in”, and improve their overall well-being and that of their employees, but also to build trust through regular and open communication, stronger teamwork, improve problem solving, and build and manage relations with customers and guests? Being an active leader, costs nothing, but there is much to gain.

    References 

    https://www.engageemployee.com/blog/top-20-reasons-we-go-to-work

    https://hcssafety.co.uk/news/hse-statistics-2024/#:~:text=The%20annual%20cost%20of%20new,22%20to%20%C2%A37.1%20billion.

  • Are Leaders Born or Made?

    “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one that does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”  Ronald Reagan

    The question of whether leaders are born or can be made through learning and development is a question that is very often asked. This blog will explore the relationship between being a natural born leader, which certainly many people are, as well as learning the skills of an effective leader.

    Working on the premise that leadership is influencing others to want to do their job while management, also very important is getting the job done through others, the differentiating factor we could argue is how we influence those who work with us to want to do their job, to love doing their job, and to do it well on a consistent basis.

    What makes an individual want to do and love their job? Initial motivation to get out of bed in the morning has to be the responsibility of the individual, as does the positivity and excitement to turn up for work. The question then is what makes the experience between someone who turns up for work because they need the money and someone who wants to be there, enjoy the daily challenges as well as the regular tasks and duties that are a part of all roles. The answer lies in looking at the importance of colleagues who we associate with and enjoy working with as well as the person that we report to and who guides us while bringing out the best in each person. That manager and leader builds motivation and commitment in each unique individual to inspire them to want to as well as to love, coming to work. The person that builds a positive, fun climate in order to deliver peak performance.

    Characteristics and skills of an effective leader include, but may not be limited to:

    Honesty and integrity saying what you will do and doing it, being true to and keeping to your word, being consistent with those you lead and not treating one person more favourably than the other. As well as being consistent in all your actions and behaviours. Operating with high levels of personal integrity.

    Openness – being open to share feedback, both positive and constructive negative feedback while also showing vulnerabilities and encouraging and allowing others to also be open to share, to provide their feedback to you as well as other team members.

    Positivity – irrelevant of what is happening to find the upsides without being unrealistic. Remaining upbeat despite challenges and difficulties, not pulling yourself and others down.

    Ability to listen – perhaps the most critical of all the characteristics and skills of a leader. Taking time to hear others, being fully present and not necessarily finding a solution for that person’s plight, but simply listening and showing that you care. Listening is also important when it comes to listening to oneself. Knowing how you feel and acknowledging that. Addressing issues without taking them out on those you lead. Giving out the message that you are here, present and available while being able to show self-compassion and compassion for others.

    Humility – not being afraid to show your humble side. Just because you have been given the role and the job description, does not mean that you have to have all the answers. It is fine to say, “I don’t know what to do in this situation, does anyone else have any ideas?”

    Desire to see others grow and develop – Wanting to keep everything within your control only serves to stifle growth and development of both yourself and others. Trusting colleagues to deliver gives freedom to make decisions, freedom to experiment and try without fear of reprisal if it all goes wrong. Using these opportunities for assisting learning and development builds trust.

    Learning mentality – Leaders who do not have a learning mentality for themselves as well as others, will soon reach their ceiling of growth and be left behind.

    Trust – trusting yourself and trusting others creates an atmosphere of positivity, wanting to learn, confidence to take on something new and address challenges, ultimately leading to positive and constructive feedback and delegation of authority to create autonomy within the workforce. It takes time to earn trust which is an accumulation of all the little things that you do and say.

    Purpose and vision – Has a clear vision and knows their own purpose, why he or she is in the position of a leader, while also being clear about the purpose and direction of the organisation or department and is able to share that purpose and vision with others in order to build commitment.

    Self-care – Each one of us has a responsibility to ourselves firstly to ensure we are full of wellness and vitality through respect for mind, body and soul. Vitality is not just about regularly going to a gym, jogging, swimming or playing tennis it is much broader than that. Focusing only on the physical aspects of ourselves, failing to address the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects that are often the foundation to wellness and who we are, what we are experiencing and how we show up and contribute to this the world means we are addressing 25% of what contributes to wellness, vitality and general wellbing.

    Looking around the world at our “global” leaders, those nominated to lead a country, I struggle to find many of these skills and characteristics. Is it a surprise that governments are in disarray? I won’t take your time or energy to pick those apart that regularly feature in our media, sadly for the wrong reasons, I’ll leave you to do that using the above points. What went wrong in our systems? At this time, I cannot find a reasonable answer. Is it a reflection of our education system, upbringing, life experiences or culture? Probably a bit of each.

    Returning to the main question of can you learn to be an effective leader?  Do you learn integrity, honesty, how to trust and how to listen, are these characteristics and skills acquired somehow, or are you simply born with them? Integrity and honesty come from one’s upbringing while the ability to listen effectively and provide feedback are skills that can be learned if a person is interested while being given the experience of a wonderful role model in one or several job roles, through a family member or other role model who is closely followed.

    Developing your managers to become effective leaders is never too late. Giving them the skills to perform well, nurture individuals and teams to build commitment, encourage growth and development of others, while developing themselves is critical not only to the individual, but to the business as a whole. Without an effective leadership team, your ship is sailing without a rudder. It is like setting sail with all the bells and whistles, latest technology, fantastic systems, luxurious interior design, as did the Titanic when she set sail on April 10, 1912. Investing in development of your leadership team, irrelevant of seniority, makes sound, financial sense.

    If you want to optimise your leadership skills or develop the leadership skills of a manager then please drop me an email to rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com or book a zoom call.

  • Are You Educating Your Female Workforce On How To Manage Their Performance Through Menopause?

    A recent headline “Menopause is forcing women to retire early” written in an article by Caitlin Powell on 7 December, got me thinking about this statement.

    Firstly, no one forces you to retire irrelevant of the symptoms you might be suffering whether menopause related or otherwise. In fact, no one forces you to do anything as there is always an element of personal choice. Retirement might be a choice that is arrived at through discussion with an employer, due to some work-related issues, but at the end of the day, each one of us decides our own journey.

    Andy Briggs, the government’s champion for older workers, told the Mail on Sunday, “To leave the workplace in your fifties – when we know that you’re far less likely than someone younger to return to work – has a huge impact on your retirement income.”  This comment further highlights the fact, that women can make their own choice about when they retire and can seek help for the natural body changes that menopause brings to all women at some stage in their life.

    It is common knowledge that nearly 4 million women who are in employment in the UK are aged between 45 and 55.  Women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing workforce segment. As the average age to experience menopause is 51-52 in the Western world, it is expected that peri-menopause starts around the age of 45-46, with changes to their menstruation cycle. Transitioning through menopause can take up to 10 years. This is a long time to be suffering from symptoms such as brain fogginess, lack of concentration, hot flushes, poor sleep, irritability and lethargy, all of which often contribute to poor performance. Therefore, one could say “quite rightly that organisations encourage women to retire when performance is greatly reduced.”

    This workforce segment is important to the labour market, it is important to companies and to women themselves. Social programming might want us to believe that menopause is the end of life for women. This is not true. Menopause is a natural change in the female body, male body also during andropause, and can be extremely liberating, with minimal interruptions to work-life integration and overall wellbeing.

    Why is it that some women sail through menopause and others suffer from many of the symptoms mentioned above?

    Most of us prepare for our older age and our retirement, menopause can be considered a part of that and women can prepare for this in order to limit the negative impact of these natural body changes. Taking a brief look at a 1987 study conducted with 13,996 Japanese women the results concluded that:

    • “Studies and anecdotal evidence show that after their last menstrual period and the onset of menopause, American women and other ethnicities have a worse experience than Japanese women.
    • Japanese women have less severe hot flashes/flushes, insomnia, night sweats, joint pain, urine leakage, and increased heart rate.  They generally also have fewer symptoms.
    • Plus, they have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and brain cancer.”

    Are You Educating Your Female Workforce On How To Manage Their Performance Through Menopause?This study pointed out that this is not about genetics, it is about the differences in diet and the main differences are lack of or no wheat and dairy in the Japanese diet, as well as the inclusion of soy and soy products.  As the average menopausal woman produces less estrogen, soy helps to balance the body during the changes. As soy contains isoflavones, they work like estrogen, albeit in a much weaker manner. With a healthy portion of soy in your diet, you can effectively prevent the worst that menopause presents.

    5 Key points for limiting the negative impact on personal performance during menopause

    These points can be implemented not only to transition smoothly through this period, but also will help with overall health.

    1. Nutrition and Hydration

    Limit the amount of wheat or remove wheat from your diet.

    Eat the rainbow every day in fruit and vegetables and include a minimum of 10 per day to increase fibre, vitamins and mineral intake.

    Include soy and soy products in your diet on a daily basis (with caution if you are suffering thyroid issues). Protect bone density with Vitamin D3.

    Limit convenience foods which are full of preservatives, “E’s” and other additives as they exacerbate hot flushes, brain fog and poor sleep by choking up the liver. Instead cook from fresh ingredients and choose a salad or soup over a sandwich and fizzy drink at lunch time.

    Keep hydrated. Many of our body systems require water to function including the blood, removal of waste from the cells, digestion, brain function and so on. Providing water stations in the office can go a long way to helping employees keep hydrated.

    2. Movement

    The lymphatic system which is responsible for removal of toxins from the body relies on natural body movement. Lack of exercise, whether walking, tennis, football, cycling or any other sport decreases lymphatic drainage, therefore the level of toxicity within the body increases. Help your body and mind to function well with gentle movement on a daily basis.

    3. Fresh Air

    Getting outside, irrelevant of the weather is so important to wellbeing overall. Oxygenating the blood and boosting endorphins, the feel-good factor, fresh air helps to calm the central nervous system, de-stress the mind and aid performance. As a leader, encourage your female and male team members to go outside in their lunch break as this is one of the best gifts you can give them.  It clears the head, helps with de-stressing mind and body and aids performance, increasing productivity on return to your work place.

    4. Resilience and Stress Management

    We assume that stress is something that comes from an external source. That is mostly true. However, each one of us has a choice on how we manage external stressors and therefore how they impact internally, including being assertive to voice our opinions, being assertive to say “No” when the system is already on “overload”, taking time out when things become overwhelming. Cutting out “me” time on a regular basis, eating mindfully as opposed to grabbing something quickly, as well as sharing issues and worries and asking for help when we need it, all impact whether we internalise stresses.

    Stressors are not only things that we see and experience such as conflict, lack of openness and trust, financial issues etc, but toxins in the air, water and foods that we breathe eat and drink, all add stress. Electromagnetic frequencies that we all live in due to our wifi driven world affects the signalling in both body and mind and has direct impact on how we sleep. When menopausal the body is more sensitive to these frequencies, further contributing to poor sleep. Create EMF down time and switch off wifi at night.

    5. Sleep

    Sleep is essential and due to hormonal changes, it tends to suffer creating a vicious cycle of not sleeping, waking exhausted, then dealing with a stressful lifestyle and work life, gorging on foods that give a quick energy boost just to get through the day.  Each time the boost wears off it leads to a lower low, and so the cycle goes on creating in its wake poor memory, brain fogginess, adrenal stress and headaches.  Improving sleep quality goes a long way to supporting women going through perimenopause and menopause. The practice of a regular sleep-wake cycle is very beneficial for most of us, perhaps more so for women who are menopausal. Getting to bed at a regular time and waking at the same regular time is important and using the natural rhythm of nature to be in bed before 11pm and up eight hours later, will help improve sleep. That in turn tones down how we react to stressful situations and work demands, limiting any negative impact on performance.

    Educating your male and female workforce in the topic of menopause and providing supportive leadership and direction, will ensure you keep your female workforce through the transition and out the other side. That to me looks like a win-win for everyone!

    For more information on our course “The Impact of Menopause on Performance,” contact on 01235 639 430 or rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com

  • 5 Steps to Drive Employee Engagement

    We might ask the question who is responsible for engagement of employees and their development? On the one hand that responsibility can be given to line managers and on the other to employees themselves. Or you might take the other tack of putting the responsibility firmly on the shoulders of Human Resources or Learning and Development specialists. Perhaps the answer lies with all parties taking their fair share of creating, ensuring and committing to engaging for the purpose of driving development and ultimately performance of the individual, team and organisation?

    Personal development, unlike a Michelin star, goes with the individual wherever he or she goes, it does not stay with the organisation that was instrumental in instigating that development. Therefore, you might ask: “What is the point of developing employees if they are going to leave anyway?” Believe it or not I still hear this question far too often! If every organisation and individual is actively engaged in personal development which at the time benefits the organisation in which they are working, then when they leave, the replacement if from outside the organisation will also have a certain level of professionalism, knowledge and skills in their sphere of expertise. Consequently, circulating individuals who are inspired to learn and to engage in their own personal development will not only give to and benefit their new employer, but also keep that employer on their toes to provide further opportunities for development and growth. But as we all know, growth and development do not come without engagement.

    Breaking this down – engagement in the workplace means the absence of presenteeism. It means employees who embrace their role and their responsibilities within that role and are motivated and committed emotionally by what they are doing as well as the opportunities and challenges that present within the role, as well as opportunities to take on other roles whether in the short or long term. As Kevin Kruse, Founder+CEO of www.LEADx.org, wrote in Forbes Daily “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.”

    “This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don’t work just for a salary, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization’s goals.” Invariably this means that an engaged employee will go that extra mile if needed, they will step in willingly during difficult times, work overtime without being asked and generally hold the interest of the company at the forefront of what they do in their role.

    According to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace Report, 2021, “only 21% of employees are engaged at work. Even outside of work, only a third of the people making up our organizations feel like they are thriving.  This low engagement isn’t an overhyped narrative — Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy nearly 8 trillion USD.”

    McKinsey surveyed over 13,000 workers across the globe for their Great Attrition, Great Attraction 2.0 report, with 45% of respondents having quit or planning to quit over the past year. The top five reasons for quitting show clearly that the inability to retain talent is a direct result of high job demand that is “supported” by inadequate, uncaring and poor leadership that is compounded by inadequate compensation and lack of opportunities for development:

    • Lack of career development and advancement: 41%
    • Inadequate total compensation: 36%
    • Uncaring and uninspiring leaders: 34%
    • Lack of meaningful work: 31%
    • Unsustainable expectations: 29%

    Perhaps there is a hesitancy amongst HR professionals and top leadership to hire in this current climate with the expectation that the UK and perhaps the world, is facing a recession. Surely then if this is true, retention through active engagement has to be the answer? What are some of the ways that employee retention and engagement can be improved? In no order of importance as they are all interconnected, but together make a huge difference to how employees feel and how emotionally engaged they are within their role and the organisation as a whole:

    1. Engage managers and develop leaders

    If managers are not satisfied with what they are doing, it is unlikely that they will inspire others. Start with manager engagement and develop their commitment through knowing their needs, providing support and offering development to support their personal goals as well as the goals of the organisation.  Effective leaders require autonomy. If your organisation expects leadership to follow a set of rules without questioning, without application of personal knowledge and skill, combined with extreme pressure to deliver, perhaps it is not leadership that you are requiring?

     2. Show interest by following up regularly with employees

    There is a big difference between a bot or robot and a human. Humans require recognition for who they are and what they contribute. All managers and leaders should know their team members and be able to relate to them on a personal basis as well as job-related basis. This shows they have a personal interest in the welfare of their team members and show that they are valued. Employees who do not get the necessary recognition to feel valued for their contribution will most certainly look elsewhere.

     3. Give positive feedback and recognise improvement

    It is so easy to see and find someone doing something wrong – in fact is it human nature to notice what is not right as opposed to what is right. Find employees and team members doing things right, recognise their improvements, however small, to encourage more of the same behaviour. Employees who feel valued will undoubtedly become engaged.

     4. Listen to your employees

    Listening is the greatest gift one individual can give another. Managers, peers and colleagues who are unable to truly listen to others are missing out on the opportunity to show interest, connect emotionally, respond to thoughts, ideas and suggestions and demonstrate that they value their input whether implemented or not. Listening empathetically helps build emotional connection which in turn builds trust and confidence in one another.

     5. Plan for career development and advancement

    As seen in the McKinsey survey 41% of employees lacked engagement and left their organisations in search of a position elsewhere because of lack of career development and opportunity. 31% because of lack of meaningful work. Not everyone wants to become General Director, CEO or Group HR Director.  It is human nature to want to improve ourselves and if an organisation, department or team is unable to provide adequate opportunity to learn new skills and gain new knowledge, experience different roles, grow the level of responsibility and increase autonomy, then seriously the leadership of that organisation needs to look in the mirror and question themselves honestly and openly as to why employees are lacking engagement and worse still looking elsewhere for new positions.

    The responsibility for employee engagement falls squarely on the shoulders of leadership within each organisation to develop a culture that truly cares for their workforce, wants and aims to have each employee grow hand in hand with the organisation.  But, more importantly ultimately wants their employees to drive the success of the organisation.

    References:

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/06/22/employee-engagement-what-and-why/?sh=148639287f37

    https://advise.gallup.com/employee-engagement?campaignid=18945816141&adgroupid=143633586437&adid=635680356857&gclid=CjwKCAjwiOCgBhAgEiwAjv5whMr9eXpYipo3ReeMZSr36ar2DHLyVLxPP25QkECaGmhj8d-0DILhGBoC_iUQAvD_BwE

    https://www.lumapps.com/resources/white-papers/attract-engage-retain-the-employee-experience-advantage/

  • 5 Ways to Create a Great Customer Experience

    Great customer service and a great customer experience is the foundation to any business.  It does not matter whether you are in the frontline serving customers or not.  Any member of a team is always either serving the customer directly or serving someone who is serving the customer.  The Ritz-Carlton company motto perfectly sums this up “We are ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen.”  In other words, there is no difference between the real guest coming from outside and buying products and services and an internal guest – a fellow team member.  Offering a level of service that wow’s the customer has to come from every corner and every level of the company.  It is like an orchestra, everyone has to play their part, in time, to the correct standard to present a well-orchestrated piece of music that creates maximum enjoyment for each and every audience member.  When the orchestra is playing well customers want more of the same and will bring friends along with them, thus organically growing your business.

    It is normal and natural that customers will be annoyed when a product or service does not meet their expectations. However, the way it is handled will either build loyalty to the brand and company, or completely destroy that relationship, losing that customer and potentially several more depending on who they tell.  In today’s world in most situations the customer has a choice, if they do not get what they are seeking in the holistic sense with you, they will go elsewhere.

    5 ways to create a great customer experienceCustomers who love your company, not because necessarily the product is the very best, but because your personnel know the customer and make them feel individual and welcome in each and every interaction, irrelevant of who serves them.  Customers who receive this level of service will always be loyal, giving you whatever business they can within their remit.  Not only that, if something slips in the product, when the service is consistently exceptional, and the mistake addressed in the same manner, they will in most cases overlook the product issues and give a second chance to allow you to get it right. This is the foundation to a strong and loyal customer base.

    Just as important, personnel who enjoy working with customers get so much more with each interaction, which increases their level of job satisfaction ultimately leading to an inspired happy and joyful workforce who want to be at work and who in turn share this joy with everyone else in their lives, including your customers.

    We have all had times either in a store, or online, when we’ve had a very poor customer experience. Since the onset of Corona virus, sadly these experiences are increasing, individual staff members very often hiding behind the phrase “Because of Covid we cannot do……….” it is incredible what the onset of Covid has enabled companies to get away with?  I have heard the excuses of “I can’t send a rescue truck, (to collect a car that has broken down), because of Covid”, “Because of Covid chicken is off the menu.” In my local supermarket when asking for the customary coffee, the response was “We have not been serving coffee since Covid.” Interesting that I can buy a coffee in Costa, Starbucks, and the many other coffee shops and wagons, but coffee in the supermarket, which by the way, I serve myself by putting a cup under the machine and pressing the button, cannot be supplied because of Covid?  Previously a member of the team would clean the machine, therefore there is no extra manning requirement here!

    Do these companies, honestly think that their customers are so misinformed as to accept these and many other excuses used to hide behind and cover up the real issue of either staff shortages, poor training, lack of leadership or using Covid as an excuse to reduce manning levels?  Surely now, more than ever is the time to make customer service a priority?

    WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN PUT IN PLACE TO GIVE THE CUSTOMER A GREAT EXPERIENCE?

    The following 5 things are for me the foundation to creating a great customer experience over and over for each and every customer that builds a loyal customer base which in turn results in a happier, healthier workforce who share a willingness to do a good job for you, all of which translates into decreased absenteeism and increased profitability:

    BE GENUINE WITH ALL YOUR CUSTOMERS

    Of course, we all want to front our company in a positive and successful light.  However, that does not stop every employee being genuine and showing the unique person that they are and using those qualities to serve customers, intuitively linking with customer feelings and emotions and responding in an appropriate manner.  Having service standards is of course important, but only to the point that they do not create robots. As far as I am aware, no one wants to be served by a robot?  Admit mistakes, accept them, apologise genuinely and find the best solution to correct the situation.

    WORK WITH AND THROUGH YOUR PERSONNEL

    Train all team members about the importance of the customer, both internal and external, and give them the autonomy to be individual and shine in each and every customer interaction, going that extra mile not because they were told to, but because they want to.  Provide the parameters to empower them to take things into their own hands to support their customers.  When they do go that extra mile, support them and give praise and recognition. Share each example as an inspiration and form of encouragement for other team members. 

    My logistics manager, without any direction from me, used to call the customers randomly simply to say “Hello, and ask how they are.”  I had no idea about this until one day one of my customers told me how much they enjoy the calls from Andre.  On enquiring what the calls were about I was informed “Oh, just about saying hello!”  I grew several inches from the pride that I felt at that moment.

    LIVE AND SHARE THE COMPANY VALUES

    Ensure that each and every team member understands how to apply company values in their day-to-day life so that the values live, and there is no disconnect between what the company publishes and what is actually adopted in practice.  Ask employees to share what these values mean for them as well as giving examples of how they might apply them through their work. Encourage them to do just that to make the words come to life and have meaning and consistency for internal and external customers alike. 

     Employees who feel a part of and are able to align their own values with the company are more self-confident, feel connected to the overall team, and more comfortable in taking steps that perhaps before they would not have done without this knowledge.

    FIND YOUR TEAM MEMBERS DOING SOMETHING WELL

    It is human nature to be quick to see the negative, what has not been done, what was done poorly, being late, missing deadlines, shoddy work and so on.  Noticing the small things as well as the large things done well and giving the recognition each and every person in your team deserves, goes a very long way to building a positive, loyal team and strong company culture.  In my book, there is no such thing as a bad employee, only bad management!

    LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND “WALK YOUR TALK”

    Get out there on the front line and be with your personnel. Get feedback from your them on what is working well, what is not and how they think it can be improved.  Where suggestions are reasonable, act on them and make it known to other team members whose idea it was and why it is being implemented. For suggestions not implemented give an explanation so that the person does not think you are simply paying “lip-service” or doing a tick-box exercise in simply asking the question, with no intention of doing anything about the response. Talk to your customers, showing every employee that the customer is important and that you are not afraid to communicate with them and to hear what they have to say, whether good or bad.

    In 30 odd years of working with customers in restaurants, hotels, my own companies and as a trainer of customer service, of course there are many other things that I can add to this list, but starting here will create a very strong foundation.  In the words of Tony Hsieh now retired CEO of Zappos, “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.”

     

    NEED HELP WITH YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS? TRY OUR CUSTOMER FOCUSSED COMMUNICATION E-LEARNING COURSE!