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Category: Leadership Training

  • Are Your Company Values Laminated or Lived?

    Recently I attended the Health and Wellbeing @Work Expo at the NEC in Birmingham. Among the many good speakers was Dr Gian Power OBE who asked the question: “Are your company values laminated or lived?”

    This question resonated strongly. Sadly, I can reel off a list of companies who proudly display their values for all to see—beautifully designed posters in reception, polished statements on their website—yet forget to roll them down through the organisation to those who deliver to your customers, every day. Even more importantly, they fail to use them to shape how colleagues support one another and the message your company consistently gives out, causing a disconnect in the minds and actions of employees and customers.

    Why do We have Values?

    At their best, organisational values are not marketing slogans; they are decision-making tools. They guide how leaders lead, how managers manage, and how teams collaborate. They define how things are done when policies or procedures don’t provide the full answer.

    For leadership teams, values are designed to act as a strategic compass. They help determine priorities, shape behaviours during periods of change, and create consistency across departments, locations and leadership styles.

    For managers, they offer a framework for everyday choices—how to deal with a difficult situation, how to balance performance and wellbeing, how to respond when pressures increase.

    For employees, they provide clarity and psychological safety. When not clear and genuinely practised, people understand what is expected of them and how they will be treated. They are the bedrock.

    Without this alignment, values remain decorative or as Gian Power said “laminated” and left on a shelf somewhere, never to see the light of day. With it, they become operational, providing consistency for everyone to work with and by and to build connection with customers creating an understanding of what can be expected and delivered.

    Who do Values Serve?

    Values should serve three critical audiences simultaneously.

    1.    Your people.

    Employees want to know what kind of organisation they work for. Values signal what behaviours are encouraged, what is rewarded, and what is unacceptable. When people see leaders modelling values consistently, trust grows.

    2.    Your customers.

    Customers experience your values through every interaction with your organisation. Whether it is responsiveness, integrity, innovation or care, values influence how your people show up when representing your brand.

    3.    Your leadership team.

    For directors and senior leaders, values act as a shared reference point. They align leadership behaviour, help maintain consistency across functions, and support culture during periods of growth, restructuring or uncertainty.

    When values serve all three audiences, they become a cultural operating system, not just a communications exercise.

    What Benefit do Values Bring to your Company, Individuals and Teams?

    When values move from laminated statements to lived behaviours, the impact can be significant.

    For the organisation, values strengthen culture and brand credibility. They help attract and retain talent, particularly in a labour market where people increasingly choose employers whose values align with their own. They also support clearer decision-making during challenging moments—when commercial pressure might otherwise override long-term principles.

    For leaders and managers, values provide a practical leadership framework. They help guide performance conversations, shape recognition and reward, and provide a consistent lens for managing difficult situations.

    For teams, shared values create cohesion. They reduce ambiguity about expectations, support respectful collaboration, and strengthen accountability. When teams understand not just what they are expected to deliver but how they are expected to behave, performance and wellbeing does not compete, but reinforces one another other.

    The Real Question for Leaders

    Many organisations already have well-written values. The challenge is rarely the wording—it is the translation into behaviour. Ask yourself:

    •    Do leaders visibly model the values in everyday decisions?

    •    Are they embedded in recruitment, onboarding and performance discussions?

    •    Do managers feel confident using them to guide conversations and decision-making?

    •    Are values recognised and rewarded in practice, not just in principle?

    If the answer to any of these questions is uncertain, then values may still be closer to laminated than lived.

    For HR and L&D leaders in particular, this presents an opportunity. Culture does not change through posters or presentations; it changes through consistent leadership behaviour, aligned systems training programmes and daily conversations. Ultimately, employees rarely remember the values written on a wall. They remember the values demonstrated in the moments that mattered.

    Bringing Values to Life 

    Let’s consider the values of a well-known British company, no names – Safety and Security, Excellence, Caring and Open-Mindedness, supported by commitments to sustainability and diversity.

    Safety and Security

    Safety and security is demonstrated when employees actively protect the wellbeing of colleagues, customers and the organisation. Examples of day-to-day behaviours include:

    •    Following safety procedures consistently, even when under pressure or working to tight deadlines.

    •    Speaking up when something doesn’t feel safe, whether it’s a faulty piece of equipment, a potential risk to a colleague, or a process that could cause harm.

    •    Protecting sensitive information, ensuring customer data, company systems and confidential discussions are handled appropriately.

    When employees feel confident to prioritise safety and raise concerns early, organisations reduce risk and strengthen trust across teams.

    Excellence

    Excellence is not only about outstanding results; it is about the consistent pursuit of high standards and continuous improvement. Employees demonstrate excellence when they:

    •    Take pride in the quality of their work, checking accuracy and completeness before handing work over to others.

    •    Look for ways to improve processes, suggesting more efficient ways of working or better ways to serve customers.

    •    Prepare thoroughly for meetings, projects or customer interactions, ensuring they bring worth rather than simply attending.

    •    Learn from feedback, seeing mistakes or challenges as opportunities to improve rather than something to avoid.

    Excellence becomes part of the culture when people feel responsible not just for completing tasks, but for continually raising the standard of how work is done.

    Caring 

    A caring culture is visible in how employees treat colleagues, customers and partners. In practice this might look like:

    •    Supporting colleagues during busy periods, offering help rather than focusing only on individual workloads.

    •    Listening with empathy, particularly when someone is facing personal challenges or workplace pressures.

    •    Recognising the contributions of others, celebrating achievements and acknowledging effort across teams.

    •    Considering the impact of decisions on people, not just processes or results.

    When caring becomes embedded in everyday behaviour, organisations create environments where people feel respected, empowered and more willing to contribute their best work.

    Open-Mindedness

    Open-minded organisations encourage curiosity, new ideas and different perspectives. Employees demonstrate this value by:

    •    Welcoming new ideas from colleagues, regardless of seniority or department.

    •    Being willing to adapt, especially when processes change or new technologies are introduced.

    •    Listening to different viewpoints, even when they challenge existing assumptions.

    •    Learning from other teams, backgrounds or experiences to improve how work is approached.

    Open-mindedness helps organisations remain agile and innovative, particularly in rapidly changing markets.

    For leaders, HR and L&D professionals, the key question is not simply “Do we have values?” but “Can our people recognise what those values look like in action?”

    When employees understand how values translate into daily behaviours — in conversations, decisions and teamwork — they stop being statements on a wall and become the way the organisation works everyday building trust not only in the workforce, but also in customer loyalty. 

    Interested in a conversation with Green Key  Contact rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com or book a call https://calendly.com/greenkey/pd-consultation-meeting?month=2026-03

    #leadershipdevelopment, #leadershipmindset #empoweredemployees #customercommunication 

  • Are your employees not performing because they are suffering from poor or lack of sleep?

    According to the National Sleep Foundation “more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month – with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more”.

    A goods nights sleep and the preparation for sleep is as important as preparing for a meeting, warming up before running a half marathon or delivering a major strategy to improve company performance.  “As many as 30 percent or more of U.S. adults are not getting enough sleep,” says Dr. Twery.   PhD, Director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research.  Chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders are estimated to cost the American nation as much as $16 billion in healthcare expenses and $50 billion in lost productivity.

    The consequences can be severe. Drowsy driving, for example, is responsible for an estimated 1,500 fatalities and 40,000 nonfatal injuries each year. “It’s actually quite serious,” says Daniel Chapman, PhD., MSc, at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Drowsy driving was implicated in about 16 percent of fatal crashes and about 13 percent of crashes resulting in hospitalization.”  Dr. Chapman says sleep is as important to health as eating right and getting enough physical activity.  Furthermore, research is beginning to attribute the lack of sleep, as with poor diet and lack of physical activity, with weight gain and diabetes.

    For adults, the way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while sleeping. During sleep, the body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health. On-going sleep deficiency can raise the risk for some chronic health problems, but it can also affect how well we think, react, work, learn, and interact with others. Therefore, it is realistic to think that poor sleep is going to lead to trouble making decisions, solving problems and controlling emotions, as well as an increase in mistakes which results in re-work and therefore lowered productivity.

    Sleep hygiene is one of the essential pillars to good health and personal performance whether you want to excel at sport, at your job or in some other way.   Sleep helps the brain function correctly.  During sleep the brain is preparing for the next day, by creating pathways to improve learning and remembering. Good sleep also helps us in making decisions, to be focused and creative.  When waking in the morning, the mind and body should be ready to face the day, feeling refreshed, energized and alert with no signs of brain fog, heaviness or confusion.

    On a physical level, sleep is responsible for repair of body cells as well as effective functioning of the immune system.   The immune system defends the body against foreign and harmful microbes and relies on sleep to stay healthy. On-going sleep deficiency may lead to the inability to fight common infections and therefore each time the flu or a cold goes round the work place it affects the same people who have weakened immune function and therefore unable to fight off common infections thus leading to absenteeism in the workplace, due to sickness.

    Perhaps this impacts those that drive heavy machinery and work in high-risk areas.  By nodding off” they could compromise their own safety and the safety of others, not only causing human injury, but also damage to machinery, and the building itself.

    How does the leadership in your organisation coach, educate and counsel those that may be suffering from poor sleep quality or lack of sleep?  What systems are in place to enable workers to follow a healthy lifestyle encouraging great sleep?

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Anyone got a plan b?

    The General Election results have for the second time in recent history demonstrated the importance of having a Plan B.  What I am referring to is the Brexit vote – for most people there was little thought to the fact that Britain would vote “out” seen through comments such as “If I had known we would be out, I would have voted to stay in!”  The Conservative government at the time, also did not consider the fact that the British people would vote “out” and therefore create a Plan B, or contingency to kick in if the unspeakable happened.  Thus, the hasty resignation of David Cameron immediately afterwards and the chaos that ensued to find another Prime Minister.  Not to mention the “no man’s land” that we all seemed to feel with no leader at the helm and the potential impact that had on business both nationally and internationally.

    Again in the recent election results, there was no thought to the fact that the Conservatives would not win.  How can any leader be so confident, or we might say egotistical?  In this blog I am not advocating any particular party preference or view.   It is strange however that on both occasions, not too far apart from each other, it is the Conservative leadership who have fallen into the same trap of not expecting the unexpected.

    Where was Plan B?  In other words why, in both cases was there no apparent discussion on the possibility of the vote going in the opposite direction to firstly the planned goal and secondly the desires of the leadership party?   Effective leadership is certainly about driving towards a specific goal by inspiring and motivating those that are responsible for making it happen, but we should never be so overly confident as to not ask the question “What if…..” and have a plan B for that eventuality.

    Most leaders are motivated to avoid failing, because firstly we plan to succeed, but secondly we need to manage the emotions of disappointment and self shame which often turns to self anger and self-beratement when we realize that we did not achieve that goal, and therefore are imperfect, and consequently everyone else suffers in the same manner.  OK, we had no Plan B.  Now what?

    Failure is an opportunity.  In a crisis many leaders want to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders – “I got us into this mess, I will get us out”  (Theresa May) when actually the way forward is to work with your team with humility and collaboration to find a new way forward and to learn from the experience.  Failure helps to re-visit and re-define priorities.  This might mean giving up the original goal or re-defining the goal and then moving forward.

    Columbus was looking for India, Alexander Graham Bell was trying to invent a hearing aid, and Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame was planning to sell his chicken recipe to restaurants.  Often what we are planning to happen leads us to something very different.

    Plan B is not only for large scale situations, such as running a country, but for smaller situations where the impact of if it goes wrong carries high risk on business operations – the server crashes, your main supplier goes bankrupt, your tanker transporting goods damages it’s hull etc.  Whilst it might not be the most sexy task, it does help provide calmness in the ensuing chaos, focus, and ultimately a framework and goals to continue to exercise effective leadership.

    Sir Ernest Shackleton, The Great Antartic Explorer and his men survived the wreck of their ship “Endurance” coming home in good health and good spirits all because of Shackleton’s leadership.  He later wrote “The disaster had been looming ahead for many months, and I had studied my plans for all contingencies a hundred times.  The task ahead was likely to be long and strenuous, and an ordered mind and clear program were essential if we were to come through without loss of life.”  (Shackleton’s Way, Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell)

    Perhaps its time for us all to take a leaf out of Shackleton’s book and ensure when the risk is high to our operations that we have a Plan B?

  • 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

  • Are You Engaging Your Employees?

    The human body is a complex structure with many integrated systems that work in harmony. The heart is the conductor of the orchestra connecting organs and systems with the arteries and the veins. Taking this analogy and applying it to an organisation, is there any difference? The heart of the organisation is the culture, the values and the conductor the CEO, General Director or senior board. The arteries and veins, the life blood of the organisation – the employees. Extending this thought, would you cut your own artery or vein or deliberately block or fur up the system?

    Why then do we so often “cut” off or “block” our employees the very arteries and veins of any business through inadequate leadership practices, lack of direction, training, empowerment and engagement?

    How often do you hear someone say or read a phrase with the term “engage employees”? We need to engage our employees, increase engagement, measure the engagement of our employees and so on. Clearly something in these phrases is very important to business performance. Anne M. Mulcahy, former chairperson and CEO of Xerox, once said, “Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”

    Truly engaging employees results in creating the right atmosphere, conditions, and morale for all members of an organisation to give of their best each day, not because they have to but because they want to.  It means employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute in building customer loyalty and to organisational success, with an enhanced sense of their personal wellbeing. 

    How come then the 2022 Gallup poll found that 69% of employees are disengaged? Is this a coincidence or is there something reflecting how employees are truly feeling having been “forced” to work from home irrelevant of space, conditions and family environment and in many instances feeling pressurized to return to the workplace? Is it about the lack of human contact, lack of input from leadership on a human level, turning calls and virtual meetings into a “business-only” platform which is the equivalent of only having blood flow through the arteries with no return to the heart via the veins.

    Engagement, as Anne Mulcahy said is about the whole person, we cannot expect full and complete performance if an employee is engaged with only the left brain. We might use the analogy of looking at employee engagement like looking at a person who has a disease. If you only treat the symptoms by looking at that condition you may relieve the pain, the feelings of indigestion, drowsiness, blood-sugar dysregulation or other, but once you stop with the intervention, whatever that may be, the pain returns. Why therefore with employee engagement do our systems look at measuring performance without measuring wellbeing of each person? The all-too-common KPI’s, objectives and quantative and qualitative goals. How about using the system you already have to support holistic wellbeing as well as to engage your employees? Achievement of a KPI does not necessarily mean employees are engaged.

    Wellbeing is measured in so many ways – mental, physical, social, emotional and spiritual. Should you only measure wellbeing with one of two of these dimensions, you are cutting off several systems that work in tandem. In other words, if one system is out of whack, just as in the body, it will affect other systems either through over-compensation or under-performance. Wellbeing is holistic for each individual as well as for the organisation. If you only recognise and reward achievement, you are limiting overall performance. An easy way of putting that is if you are happy that goals and objectives are achieved according to the KPI’s how do you know what you are missing if everyone in your team would feel secure, valued, nurtured and is able to embrace opportunities for development, what would the result be? The synergy it would create, the outstanding performance, happy, loyal employees and customers, motivation to want to be at work and inspiration to be the best version of what each one can be. Engagement is the arteries and veins that feed the rest of the organisation.

    Engaging employees in their work, the company culture and values is the responsibility of leaders within each organisation. In other words – creating the right environment, genuinely valuing contributions from each employee, building trust, nurturing relationships, and being authentic and transparent.  Leadership behaviour is itself driven by the organisation culture and company values.  The old saying of “the fish stinks from the head down” adequately sums up the need to ensure all levels of management lead by example and roll down wellbeing which drives performance.

    Engagement can be measured in different ways.  However, to be effective it is likely that the process is continuous and uses a combination of ways, such as:

    • Anonymous wellbeing surveys to get credible feedback that leads to relevant changes.
    • Exit interviews – taking the time to really find out why an employee is leaving is critical to reflecting on what can be done better. However, note conducting an exit interview when an employee who has been “used” to achieve KPI’s may not get the result you are looking for.
    • One-to-ones with managers work very well when there is an atmosphere of trust.  Without trust, it will bring limited results at best.
    • Customer satisfaction ratings – The customer is the one who truly bears the brunt of poor employee engagement, experiencing service performance with a “don’t care” attitude. Hearing about customer experiences is a very important gauge whilst also providing pointers for improvement. Asking for customer feedback via surveys has become the norm in many companies. I often wonder how the information is used, especially when nothing changes? Perhaps picking up the phone to gain verbal feedback would be more valuable?

    How can management influence engagement levels? 

    Again, there is no one answer, there are several answers and in reality a combination of different actions are needed to positively influence engagement of each and every employee. First begin with the management team to ensure they are confident and able to lead others effectively. Then:

    • Give employees the chance to do quality work.
    • Maintain a positive work culture.
    • Get employee “buy-in”.
    • Invite and listen carefully to employee feedback.
    • Communicate expectations clearly to employees.
    • Encourage employee collaboration and teamwork.
    • Build an open environment through authenticity, fairness and trust.
    • Give positive feedback and praise employees for their performance.
    • Train and coach to develop potential in each employee.
    • Praise for showing up as their best self.

    It makes sense that employee engagement is part of the core business strategy. Engagement on a consistent basis will pay dividends in increasing productivity, and profitability.  The workplace will be a happier place to be and consequently increase pride and enjoyment in doing quality work, serving customers, as well as succeeding in achieving department and company goals. At that point it is unlikely that you will need to be concerned about the life-blood of your organisation as “blood” will be flowing freely without blockages or obstacles.

    Green Key Personal Development is able to provide you with all the tools necessary to optimise your employee engagement. It’s important that you don’t wait for something to break before investing a few pounds per employee. The time to act is now. Book a no obligation discovery call today. https://calendly.com/greenkey/pd-consultation-meeting?