verosa

Clarity that connects: What today’s workforce needs from its leaders

Mon, 18 May 2026 13:25:39 GMT

Younger workers are sending organisations a message. Not abruptly, but steadily – and with increasing clarity.

They want leadership that helps them feel anchored.

They want to understand what good looks like.

And they want to feel connected to someone who cares about their growth.

Gallup’s recent findings show that many aren’t getting that. Engagement among younger employees has fallen and with it, their sense of being supported, understood and guided.

Clarity of expectations, one of the most basic human needs at work, is now particularly blurry for employees under 35. When clarity fades, so does confidence. And when confidence fades, people start to look elsewhere.

This isn’t a story about a ‘demanding generation’. It’s a story about a workforce navigating uncertainty and wanting leaders who help them make sense of it. Younger employees are more likely to feel detached from their managers and less likely to see a future in their roles. That detachment isn’t about ambition or impatience; it’s about a lack of connection and direction – two things that sit squarely within the gift of leadership.

At the same time, leaders themselves are under strain. Manager engagement has dropped globally, especially among younger and female leaders. When leaders feel stretched thin, clarity is often the first thing to slip. Yet clarity is the very thing teams need most.

Gallup’s research reminds us that leaders account for 70% of the variance in team engagement. That’s not pressure, it’s possibility.

For organisations, this moment is an invitation. Not to add more frameworks or more noise, but to invest in leadership that communicates with intention, listens with care and creates the conditions for people to thrive.

Clarity isn’t a process. It’s a practice. And when leaders offer it consistently, it becomes a quiet act of support – one that helps people feel grounded, valued and able to see a future for themselves.

We believe clarity is one of the most human things a leader can offer. It’s how people find their footing. It’s how they grow. And in a changing world of work, it’s becoming the foundation of engagement, trust and long‑term commitment.

If this resonates, it might be worth pausing to consider how clarity is showing up in your own organisation – in the conversations leaders are having, in the expectations people carry and in the experience younger workers are living every day. Sometimes the smallest shifts in how we lead can make the biggest difference in how people feel.

Behaviour change that sticks: turning learning into lasting impact

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:26:49 GMT

In leadership and capability development, one truth shows up repeatedly: learning only creates value when it changes what people do. A workshop can spark insight and a programme can introduce new tools, but the real impact is felt in the everyday moments that follow: the conversations, decisions and habits that shape how work gets done.

And that’s where the challenge lies.

Not in generating insight, but in helping it take root.

From moments of learning to habits that last.

For years, development has often centred on the event itself; a workshop, a module or an away day. These moments still matter, but they are only the beginning of the story.

When people return to the pace and pressure of their roles, old patterns can reassert themselves quickly. Competing priorities, established routines and the realities of day to day delivery can make it difficult for new behaviours to gain traction. Valuable ideas risk remaining just that – ideas.

We’re seeing a shift.

Organisations are increasingly designing learning as a journey rather than an intervention: a sequence of experiences, prompts and practices that support people as they apply and refine new behaviours over time.

Small actions, meaningful change.

A defining feature of this shift is the use of simple, accessible tools that help people practise new behaviours in the flow of work. Habit trackers, reflection prompts, digital nudges and peer accountability are becoming part of how learning is sustained, not as heavy processes, but as light touch supports that fit naturally into busy roles.

The aim isn’t dramatic overnight transformation. It’s small, consistent actions that gradually become the new normal.

Whether it’s holding more intentional coaching conversations, pausing to seek broader perspectives or creating space for team reflection, repeated practice helps new behaviours feel more natural.

Learning becomes something people do, not something they attend.

Making progress visible.

These approaches also give organisations clearer insight into how learning is being applied. When behaviour change is supported through structured prompts and habit building activities, it becomes easier to see patterns of progress – not just attendance or satisfaction, but genuine shifts in how people lead and collaborate.

For leaders investing in development, that visibility matters. It builds confidence that learning is translating into real impact.

Supporting learning that lasts.

At Verosa, sustained behaviour change is a core principle in how we design programmes. The learning experience itself is important, but what happens afterwards is equally so. That’s why many of our programmes include practical tools, such as Actionable Habit Builder, that help people translate insight into everyday action through gentle prompts, reflection and accountability.

These tools don’t replace the human elements that make development meaningful, they reinforce them. They help the conversations, coaching and shared learning that happen during a programme continue long after the session ends.

Learning that truly sticks.

In the fast paced environments we work in, the ability to adapt behaviours thoughtfully and sustainably is becoming a critical organisational capability. Insightful learning experiences will always matter. But the programmes that create lasting value are those that help people turn insight into action, one small step at a time.

This theme is explored alongside seven others in Verosa’s Learning and Development Trends 2026 report . If any of these resonate with what you’re seeing in your organisation, we’d welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation.

Why Initiative is Slipping

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:35:36 GMT

Why initiative is slipping, and how we can rebuild it

Across sectors, organisations are increasingly asking for programmes with titles like Taking the Initiative, Stepping Up and Empowerment at Work . These requests point to something leaders are feeling: initiative isn’t as instinctive as it once was. There’s a quiet but noticeable retreat from ownership, confidence and proactive behaviour.

What we’re seeing isn’t people doing less, it’s something subtler. People still contribute, still deliver, still meet expectations. But they stop offering ideas, stop stepping forward and stop taking ownership, and they do so without ever saying a word.

They still do their jobs.
They still turn up.
They still deliver what’s asked.

But what’s fading is the spark: the instinct to anticipate, the willingness to try something new and the confidence to step toward a problem rather than wait for it to arrive.

This isn’t disengagement. It’s initiative depletion – a quiet, cumulative erosion of people’s capacity and confidence to act without being asked. And it’s a protective response to overload, ambiguity or cultures where taking initiative feels risky.

The data reflects this shift. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report shows that only around a third of UK employees feel engaged at work, and 44% of employees globally say they experience stress ‘a lot of the day.’ The CIPD’s Good Work Index echoes this, highlighting rising work intensity and emotional demands. When people are depleted, initiative is one of the first things to disappear.

Why initiative is slipping

Part of the story is cognitive. After years of constant change, many employees are operating with reduced bandwidth. When mental load rises, proactive thinking is the first thing to go. Organisational complexity adds another layer: shifting priorities, unclear decision rights and tangled processes create hesitation. People don’t take initiative when they’re unsure of the boundaries.

Psychological factors play a role too. In cultures where mistakes carry weight, caution becomes self protection. Initiative requires safety, the sense that you can contribute or challenge without negative consequences. Leadership habits can unintentionally suppress initiative as well. When leaders reclaim ownership, fix things too quickly or solve problems for people, they send a subtle message: we don’t really trust you to own this. Over time, people stop offering.

And then there’s the individual psychology. From our own Taking the Initiative programme, we see the same patterns repeatedly. The brain’s preference for certainty nudges people toward caution. The negativity bias exaggerates the consequences of getting things wrong. A fixed mindset shrinks initiative, while a growth mindset expands it. When expectations are unclear, ambiguity paralysis sets in and people default to reactive mode.

How organisations can reignite initiative

Rebuilding initiative doesn’t require grand transformation; it requires intentional shifts. Clarity is the first. Empowerment isn’t ‘do whatever you want’ but rather unmistakable guidance on where people can act without permission. Psychological safety is the second. Initiative thrives where people can question, challenge and experiment without fear. Purpose matters too. When work feels meaningful, proactive behaviour follows naturally. And because initiative is a capability, not a personality trait, it can be taught, practised and strengthened. Reducing unnecessary complexity (the friction of unclear processes, conflicting priorities and hidden decision makers) liberates initiative instantly.

How individuals can strengthen their own initiative

At the individual level, small shifts make a big difference. Focusing on your ‘control zone’ – your planning, communication and behaviours – builds momentum. Using proactive language nudges the brain toward action. Scanning the horizon for gaps, anticipation points and value add moments builds the habit of looking ahead. And simple tools, like Mel Robbins’ 5 Second Rule, help bypass hesitation and strengthen proactive muscle memory.

At Verosa, we help organisations create the clarity, confidence and cultural conditions that bring initiative back to life. Through evidence based development and leadership support, we work with teams to build environments where people don’t just step up, they step forward. Because when initiative returns, performance lifts, ownership grows and organisations move faster.

And in a world that isn’t slowing down, that shift matters.

The Equality Complex: An Antidote to Ego and Imposter Syndrome

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:49:03 GMT

In every day life, many of us unconsciously weigh ourselves against others. In the boardroom, this can be particularly acute. We assess who seems to have more - more success, more ideas, more confidence, more opportunities—or less. These comparisons can trap us in an unhelpful cycle of inferiority or superiority, a dynamic that is as corrosive to our individual wellbeing as it is to the systems we operate in.

But what if there was a better way to navigate these moments? What if, instead of falling into the binary of more than or less than , we embraced a mindset that levels the playing field?

We call this The Equality Complex.

Equality in value, difference in circumstance

At its heart, the Equality Complex is about remembering a simple but profound truth: we are equal in value but different in circumstance.

In the context of leadership and the workplace, this means understanding that while differences in circumstances - experience, resources, roles, or external pressures - can lead to varied performance levels and capabilities, we are all ultimately human beings of equal worth with a shared psychology.

Recognising and respecting these differences is key to creating equitable and effective systems.

Why the inferiority/superiority dynamic persists

Naturally, we’re conditioned to see the world through a lens of comparison. In the workplace, this might look like measuring ourselves against colleagues who seem to excel in high-pressure situations, possess specific expertise, or receive accolades more often. These comparisons can feed feelings of inadequacy or inflate egos, neither of which contributes to healthy leadership or team dynamics.

At a systems level, the inferiority/superiority dynamic undermines equity and collaboration. By valuing only certain types of performance or outcomes, organisations risk overlooking the contributions of those operating under different circumstances or in less visible roles.

A new way of leading

The Equality Complex offers a framework for leaders to approach their teams with a balance of empathy and accountability:

1. Equal worth, tailored support

Recognise that while every team member brings equal value to the organisation, their needs and circumstances may vary. A high performer under ideal conditions might struggle under external pressures, while someone less visible might thrive with the right support. Leadership is about identifying and addressing these nuances to empower every individual to succeed.

2. Context-driven performance

Understand that performance is often circumstantial. Acknowledging this doesn’t mean lowering standards but instead creating the conditions where everyone has an equitable opportunity to excel. This could involve adjusting workloads, providing targeted resources or fostering psychological safety.

3. Ego in check, vision in focus

For leaders, adopting the Equality Complex means letting go of hierarchical thinking that places some voices above others. Instead, it’s about creating an environment where diverse perspectives can thrive and contribute to a shared vision.

Levelling imposter complex

On an individual level, the Equality Complex is a powerful tool for dismantling imposter complex. Leaders who struggle with self-doubt can reframe their thinking by focusing less on comparison and more on their unique circumstances and contributions.

Similarly, this mindset helps prevent overconfidence or ego-driven behaviour by emphasising shared value and collective goals over individual achievements.

Building equal systems

Organisations that adopt the Equality Complex can transform not only their culture but also their outcomes. Leaders can create cultures that inspire growth, collaboration and sustained performance.

When systems are designed to value everyone equally while accommodating circumstantial differences, they become more inclusive, innovative and resilient.

Practical steps for embedding this mindset into workplace systems include:

Tailored development opportunities: Design leadership and skill-building programmes that cater to team members at different career stages or performance levels, enabling everyone to maximise their potential.
Performance evaluation with perspective: Refine evaluation and reward structures to consider contextual challenges and unique contributions, ensuring that success is recognised in its many forms.
Creating an open feedback loop: Encourage team members to share insights into challenges or opportunities that may impact performance, fostering an environment of trust, adaptability and continuous improvement.

Closing the gap

The Equality Complex is more than a mindset - it’s a movement towards balanced, authentic leadership and equitable workplaces. By embracing the idea that we are equal in value but different in circumstance, we can break free from the trap of comparison and build systems where egos are kept in check and imposter syndrome is kept at bay. The truth is, none of us are more or less. We are simply different. And when leaders embrace that difference with respect and purpose, the possibilities for connection, growth and impact are limitless.

Let’s make equality more than a concept

If the ideas in this article struck a chord, it might be time to explore how the Equality Complex could reshape your leadership culture. Whether you're curious, challenged, or ready to act - Verosa is here to help .

Creating a roadmap with the Vision Exercise

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 09:52:18 GMT

The landscape of an organisation is ever-evolving, which means staying on course requires more than just focusing on the road ahead. Effective leaders must strike a balance between reflecting on past experiences, managing present-day realities, and navigating the future with clarity. One powerful tool I have found, both for personal reflection and for team alignment, is the Vision Exercise.

This simple yet transformative activity offers executives an opportunity to recalibrate their focus, blending the wisdom of past experiences with a clear understanding of current demands and an insightful gaze into the future.

As leaders, we are often caught up in the day-to-day whirlwind of decisions, tasks, and priorities. But without a clear sense of direction, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. The Vision Exercise draws on the metaphor of driving a car and invites us to step back, assess our journey, and chart a deliberate course forward. It not only encourages self-reflection but can be used as a team-building tool, helping to align objectives and identify future priorities.

I’ll guide you through each phase of the Vision Exercise, providing you with practical steps to help you get the most from this reflective and strategic tool.

The Vision Exercise: A roadmap for reflection and growth

To begin, the Vision Exercise takes about 30 minutes and requires an uninterrupted space for deep thinking. It’s not about getting the “right” answer - it’s about exploring perspectives and generating meaningful insights. You will need a large sheet of paper or piece of flip chart and some pens.

Imagine you’re in a car driving on a long road. This is where the metaphor comes to life, allowing you to visualise past, present, and future aspects of your leadership journey. Let’s break it down into three steps.

Step one: The rearview mirror

Start by taking a look in the rearview mirror. In the distance behind you lies everything that has shaped your leadership and your team’s journey over the past year - both the good and the bad. As you reflect, think about the milestones, the obstacles, and the key lessons that emerged from those experiences.

Take 10 minutes to jot down what comes to mind on the left-hand side of your sheet. This is a valuable exercise in retrospection, providing context and perspective. After all, as leadership expert John Maxwell points out, "Reflection turns experience into insight."

Research supports the value of such reflection. A Harvard Business School study found that individuals who took time to reflect on their experiences were 23% more likely to succeed in future tasks. By reviewing your past, you can spot patterns, identify growth opportunities, and avoid repeating mistakes.

Step two: Inside the car

Now, shift your attention to the present. Focus on what’s happening right now - the operational demands, challenges, and opportunities calling for your immediate attention. Just as you might adjust your seat or check the dashboard while driving, it’s time to assess the present moment. In leadership terms, this means examining your current operational landscape - what’s keeping your organisation “on the road” right now?

Consider your dashboard indicators: Are you tracking key metrics effectively? Are there any “warning lights” flashing that demand attention, such as resource shortages or team dynamics that need addressing? Check your seat placement—are you in the optimal position to lead? What immediate concerns or priorities are currently shaping your day-to-day focus?

Write down these thoughts in the middle section of your page. These are the realities that demand your attention right now - the pressures that can often pull you away from long-term strategic thinking.

It’s easy to get lost in the here and now, constantly managing the pressing issues of the day. Recognising this is the first step towards keeping the car moving and steering it toward a destination.

Step three: Through the windscreen

Now it’s time to look through the windscreen, focusing on the road ahead. Imagine the open horizon before you: What do you see? What challenges or opportunities lie ahead in the next 18 months? Just as you might scan the road for potential obstacles or turns, this step invites you to anticipate what could impact your future - whether it’s market shifts, new technologies, or changing team dynamics.

This forward-thinking exercise helps shift your focus from the immediate to the strategic. Research conducted by McKinsey shows that companies that think long-term significantly outperform those focused on the short term. Among the firms focusing on the long term, average revenue and earnings growth were 47% and 36% higher respectively. Taking time to “look ahead” helps ensure that you’re not blindsided by unexpected developments and encourages you to identify opportunities and position yourself to take advantage of them.

As part of this process, it's crucial not only to concentrate on the risks and roadblocks ahead but also to reflect on the potential unexpected wins. Consider what would be ‘amazing if’ scenarios - what if something incredible were to happen? Focusing on these positive outcomes is a powerful way to manifest them, as it primes your mind to make subtle, micro-decisions that align with realising that reality. This visioning technique, used widely in sports coaching, has proven highly effective. For example, Dr. Pippa Grange helped the England football team transform their performance in handling penalties using this approach. While it might feel unconventional, tapping into the subconscious mind can be a game-changer for realising your leadership potential and driving success.

On the right-hand side of your page, spend 10 minutes noting down what you foresee. What’s visible on the horizon that could shape your leadership or business? More importantly, what might be lurking just beyond your line of sight?

Balancing Focus: Where Are You Looking?

Once you’ve completed these three steps, take a moment to consider your focus as a leader. Are you spending too much time looking in the rearview mirror, stuck in the past? Or are you so preoccupied with present-day concerns that you’re neglecting to look ahead?

Leadership requires a delicate balance between all three perspectives - learning from the past, managing the present, and preparing for the future. It’s worth asking yourself: Do I need to shift my focus to spend more time scanning the horizon? How can I ensure I’m not simply reacting to the present but also strategically steering toward future goals?

Applying the Vision Exercise with your team

Once you’ve completed the exercise for yourself, it can be equally impactful to work through it with your team. By aligning on the past, present, and future, you’ll uncover where priorities intersect and where misalignments may need addressing. These insights will help foster clarity and focus, ensuring everyone is moving in the same direction.

Encouraging your team to participate in this exercise also provides an opportunity to discuss individual and collective strengths and areas for improvement.

The power of vision in leadership

At its core, the Vision Exercise is about finding balance. As leaders, we must learn from the past, manage the present, and prepare for the future. This tool offers a structured, reflective way to assess where your focus lies and how you can adjust to lead with greater intention and foresight.

In the end, leadership is not just about looking forward but also about recognising the road already travelled and making deliberate choices about where to steer next. By incorporating regular vision exercises, you can ensure that your leadership focus remains sharp, strategic, and aligned with the future you want to build—for yourself, your team, and your organisation.

Taking time to step out of the operational grind and consider the bigger picture is a small investment with tremendous returns. After all, the future belongs to those who prepare for it today - the Vision Exercise offers a clear framework to do just that. If you're ready to move beyond ideas and start building a roadmap that inspires real change, Verosa can help . Whether you're leading a team, shaping strategy, or seeking clarity in your next steps, the Vision Exercise is a powerful place to begin.

What is Orbital Leadership?

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 13:46:30 GMT

With so many buzz words about leadership floating around at the moment, it can be hard to make sense of them all. Servant leadership. Authentic leadership. Transformational leadership. Many of these terms have been with us for a while and still have relevance and resonance today. However, the question of “What is leadership today?” , set as it is against the backdrop of todays changing environment is a challenge to answer.

What good leadership looks like today and what it will evolve into is complex. Many of the demands on leaders and the skills needed to meet those demands are still emerging. It can be challenging to sort through the noise and make sense of what being a leader really means right now.

What’s clear is that as organisations navigate the unchartered waters of hybrid working patterns, fluctuating markets and the new rules of what it means for employees to be engaged at work, we now more than ever need skilled and capable leaders.

This is the age of nuanced leadership. Leadership which can be at once subtle, clever, values-led and often intensely emotionally intelligent, and all strategic, risk ambitious and visionary.

The leaders who will set themselves, their people and the organisations up for success in the annuls of time are those who recognise the scope and power of their impact.

Today’s leadership is about understanding our orbit. It is recognising that leadership happens in every micro-decision we make and extends to every large piece of strategy we influence. It is about knowing and keeping in mind at all times that, as leaders, we do not – nor cannot – exist in a vacuum.

Leaders getting it right today are those who understand this breadth. These leaders recognise the impact of their decisions and their actions extends way beyond the horizons that are known to them. They are the leaders who operate from a start point of humility – intellectual humility – where the psychological ‘base station’ is one of wonder and openness to the system in which they operate, and a truly healthy acceptance of the limits of their own knowledge.

Before behaviour comes mindset. And it is the mindset of the leader in today’s organisation that bears most scrutiny. One of the biggest challenges for today’s leaders is how to navigate the galaxy and fly their organisational ‘spacecraft’ into unchartered territory. This requires that we can demonstrate both strength and vulnerability. It requires that we are authentic in how we show up and true to ourselves our inner values as well as being sensitive to the workings of the planets in our galaxy and the many forces that operate on them. It is the skill of catching ourselves in thinking that leadership is something we must do, rather than a space that we must simply be.

The skilled orbital leader has a deep understanding of the impact they have at all points of his ‘galaxy’ and is able to adapt and flex their approach to take in the needs of those in their orbit.

Verosa's top tips for becoming an Orbital Leader:

1) Know who is in your orbit: None of us operate in a galactic black hole and it is hugely helpful to understand the breadth of our impact. Often as leaders we think in terms of verticals – we lead those in our reporting line (below us) and we manage upwards those who are above us. Rarely do we consider the leadership that is needed laterally – with our peers, stakeholders, service providers and clients. Try our Orbital Leadership Mapping Exercise to find out more about the shape of your galaxy.

2) Develop your space bungee in uncertain times: When we are leading in VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) conditions, we need to ensure that we have a degree of safety that tethers us to our organisation. This might be your leadership team, on whom you can rely on to support your exploratory decisions; it might be a leadership coach, who creates the space for you explore your options; it might be the clarity you take from the overarching strategy of the organisation that allows you to connect all your decisions to the bigger picture and higher purpose. Your bungee should allow to take the risks you need, whilst allowing you to feel safe at the same time.

3) Keep macro and micro in sight: Orbital leaders can think on a massive strategic scale and understand the delicate and nuanced detail that contributes to the bigger picture. This isn’t about a binary, either/or way of operating – it’s looking at the sun setting on the horizon and whilst feeling every grain of sand under your feet all at the same time.

4) Create strategies for dealing with meteor showers: In metaphorical terms, the COVID-19 pandemic was akin to having to navigate an unexpected, dramatic and course changing meteor showers. In his seminal work, The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb makes the argument for organisations never being able to prepare for such events in any real or meaningful way. Instead, Orbital Leaders must create the skillsets, teams and agile mindset that is needed to get beyond and learn from each seismic event. This doesn’t mean creating a 50-page contingency plan for the next pandemic, it means equipping your organisation with the resources to weather a storm – of any size or shape.

If you would like to talk to us about the shape of leadership in your organisation and the challenges in your galaxy, or just to find out about what else Verosa could do for you, please give us a call or send us an email (we love hearing from you!).

Understanding the Nuances Between Mentoring and Coaching for Executives

Fri, 17 May 2024 13:06:54 GMT

In every organisation, executives are constantly seeking avenues for personal and professional growth to stay ahead of the curve. Two popular interventions often considered are mentoring and coaching. While these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they represent distinct approaches to development, each with its unique benefits and applications.

For executives contemplating where to invest their time and resources, understanding the nuances between mentoring and coaching is essential to make informed decisions that align with their goals and aspirations. In this piece, our founder, Beth Hood seeks to shed light on these two powerful – but different – developmental interventions.

Mentoring vs. coaching – the basics

At its core mentoring is a relationship-based approach where a more experienced individual (the mentor) shares knowledge, insights, and experiences with a less experienced individual (the mentee). This dynamic fosters personal and professional growth by providing guidance, support, and encouragement. Mentors often draw from their own successes and failures to offer valuable advice and perspective to help mentees navigate challenges and capitalise on opportunities.

By contrast, coaching is a goal-oriented and action-driven process focused on unlocking an individual's innate potential to maximise their performance and achieve specific objectives. Coaches facilitate self-discovery and empower executives to identify their strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. Through active listening, powerful questioning, and constructive feedback, coaches help executives develop new skills, overcome obstacles, and drive sustainable change.

Put simply – a mentor will offer advice, guidance and recommendation and a coach will ask (many, many!) questions in order to help you find your own advice and guidance.

Among practitioners and professionals, there are many different definitions of coaching and mentoring as well as a lively debate as to which is the superior avenue. Both are different philosophies – coaching is rooted in the strong belief that we are all perfectly equipped to think for ourselves, given the right conditions. Mentoring on the other hand works from the basis that those who have travelled the road ahead have much to offer those who follow later.

In order to further shed light on the distinctions between mentoring and coaching, let's delve into the key differences through the lens of practitioners and experts in the field.

1. Focus and scope:

Mentoring often entails a broad scope, encompassing both personal and professional development. As Dr. Lois Zachary, an internationally recognised expert on mentoring, notes, "Mentoring is about nurturing, guiding, and developing the whole person." Mentors offer holistic support, addressing various aspects of the mentee's life and career trajectory.

On the other hand, coaching typically maintains a narrower focus, targeting specific goals or challenges identified by the executive. All coaching conversations have a purpose and an aim. According to Sir John Whitmore, a pioneer in coaching, "Coaching is unlocking a person's potential to maximise their performance." Coaches work collaboratively with executives to clarify objectives, develop action plans, and measure progress towards predefined outcomes.

2. Structure and format:

Mentoring relationships may evolve organically and may lack formal structure. Mentors and mentees establish rapport over time, with interactions occurring on an as-needed basis. Meetings may be informal and flexible, ranging from casual coffee chats to structured sessions.

Coaching engagements tend to follow a more structured format, typically involving regular sessions with predefined agendas and objectives that the sponsoring organisation has signed off. Coaches may utilise frameworks, models, and assessments to guide the coaching process systematically. Sessions are purposeful, with a focus on driving tangible results within a specified timeframe.

3. Expertise and experience:

Mentors typically possess significant expertise and experience in their respective fields, often serving as role models for aspiring executives. They draw from their deep well of knowledge and insights accumulated over years of experience to offer guidance and wisdom to mentees.

Coaches, while also knowledgeable in their domains, prioritise facilitating the executive's self-discovery and growth rather than providing direct advice or solutions. As Anthony M. Grant, a leading researcher in coaching psychology, emphasises, "Coaching is fundamentally about self-directed learning and personal growth."

All Verosa coaches hold an internationally recognised, professional coach qualification, accredited with the International Coach Federation, the European Council of Coaching and Mentoring, or the Institute of Leadership and Management. These professional qualifications are rigorous and requires many years of practise and supervision.

4. Relationship dynamics:

Mentoring relationships are characterised by a sense of camaraderie and trust, often evolving into long-term partnerships built on mutual respect and understanding. Mentors act as confidants, advocates, and advisors, fostering a supportive environment where mentees feel safe to explore ideas and seek counsel.

Coaching relationships, while also built on trust and rapport, are more focused on the executive's development journey. Coaches challenge coachees to step out of their comfort zones, confront limiting beliefs, and embrace new perspectives. The coach-client relationship is based on accountability, with coaches partnering with their clients to hold themselves to account for their actions and commitments.

The middle ground – c oachsultancy

Verosa started to use this term some years ago, as a way to describe the kind of pragmatic and impactful development that we were being asked for by our clients. Coachsultancy works on the philosophy that we are all able to think for ourselves and that there may be value in someone with experience and expertise offering input and suggestion lightly and without attachment on occasion.

The key here is that we ensure our clients understand the difference between the two disciplines and that they are in the lead as to how they want to work in any particular session. Our coaching faculty will contract rigorously with their clients and will signpost any opportunities to switch between modalities.

The coaching approach will always take priority – it is generally more powerful for our clients to work out the answers for themselves than for us to give them answers (and who is to say that the answers we offer will be right for them in any case?). However, it does leave room for Verosa coaches all of whom are leadership experts and have had extensive business experience themselves, to place a guiding hand on our client’s shoulder when they ask for it.

Making an informed choice:

As executives weigh their options for development, it's crucial to consider their unique needs, preferences, and objectives. While both mentoring and coaching offer valuable pathways for growth, the decision should align with the executive's context and goals.

Mentoring may be ideal for executives seeking holistic support, wisdom, and long-term guidance from seasoned professionals. Conversely, coaching may be more suitable for executives navigating specific challenges, striving for peak performance, or seeking to unlock their full potential.

Ultimately, whether opting for mentoring, coaching, or a combination of both, executives can embark on transformative journeys of growth, learning, and self-discovery.

By understanding the nuances between mentoring and coaching, executives can make informed choices that pave the way for success in both their personal and professional lives. As Dr. Zachary aptly summarises, "The best investment you can make is in yourself."

If you're ready to explore how these approaches can be tailored to your organisation’s needs, Verosa is here to help .

Navigating Leadership in 3D: Strategies and Insights for Today's Leaders

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 19:03:23 GMT

In an ever-evolving world, one thing that is increasingly clear is that leadership demands more than just a one-size-fits-all approach. Verosa’s concept of 'Leadership in 3D' represents a dynamic leadership mindset crucial for today's leaders, managers and professionals operating across all sectors, to meet their leadership challenges head on.

Understanding Leadership in 3D

'Leadership in 3D' is about adapting and adjusting our leadership style across three critical dimensions: the self, the other, and the situation. This triad forms the backbone of effective, dynamic and impactful leadership.

1. The Self : Leadership begins within. It's about understanding who you are – your values, experiences, personality, core purpose, motivations and crucially – the impact you have on other people.

Self-aware leaders are authentic and genuine, inspiring trust and respect from their teams. At Verosa, we believe that all leadership begins with an understanding of self and that this work is never finished. Leaders who invest in developing self-awareness find they can navigate the complexities of their role far more easily and effectively than those who don’t take the opportunity.

In the recent book ‘Optimal: How to Sustain Personal and Organizational Excellence Everyday’, Daniel Goleman (widely recognised as a seminal voice in the space of Emotional Intelligence - EI) and Cary Cherniss, restate the case for self-awareness (the foundation of EI) as a key driver for success for today’s organisations.

2. The Other : Leadership is relational. It requires an understanding of others' value sets, personality preferences, skills, strengths, and experiences. By acknowledging and valuing these differences, leaders can foster an environment of inclusivity and respect whilst adapt their own behaviours to better meet the needs of those they are interacting with.

Most of us do this naturally. For example, I could have the same conversation with two different people in my team and my approach is likely to be subtly different in each case. This is because as a human being, from a very young age I have had an understanding of how to create connection. The adaptation is subtle and is very often subconscious and it is a manifestation of my recognition of and respect for the other person.

3. The Situation : Every leadership challenge is unique. The context, background, and desired outcomes of a situation must shape our approach. Adaptable leaders assess and respond to the nuances of each situation, ensuring their leadership style meets the specific needs of the moment.

The considerations here are many. What is at stake? What level of urgency is here? What risks are involved? What is the bigger picture? What might be some of the unseen or unintended consequences? Where are the gaps in knowledge?

Leaders must hone their situational acumen. This dimension calls for us to be skilled in assessing the landscape, as well as a deep preparedness and openness to seeing a different perspective and changing tack. This flexibility allows for more effective decision-making and problem-solving.

When we consider leadership in this way, our focus becomes less attached, more nimble and dynamic and usually leads to better outcomes all round.

Using Leadership in 3D

Let’s take a practical example. As a leader, I have to discuss a change of contract with a supplier. I know the supplier partner well – they are highly focussed on accuracy, fairness, process and logic. My own preference is more relational, less formal and global in scope.

Taking these to variables alone – Self and Other, I can already understand that I might need to adapt my framing of the conversation and change the way in which I prepare for the meeting, using data to make the case for change and backing that up with a detailed plan to solve the challenge.

Then I layer on the third variable – Situation. This situation is complex. We have a strategic relationship with this supplier and is it imperative that this remains in place. However, the current contractual arrangement is prohibiting our ability to meet the needs of our customers in line with our stated mission and purpose. We are an organisation that is committed to being responsive and our suppliers relationships must be built on this commitment. This conversation actually has quite high stakes and visibility to the senior team.

On paper in this case, I hold the cards. I could take a ‘tell’ approach and insist things are done in a new way. That may well come at the cost of the relationship longer term however, and damage the positive and constructive partnership we have come to rely upon.

I could ask someone else to take on this meeting, but the situation variable tells me that there is too much strategic importance here. I could take a highly democratic approach, inviting a great deal input from my counterpart, but this might come at the expense of achieving the necessary contractual outcome.

Given consideration of all the variables, I take the following approach:

I know that details and figures are not a preference for me. I enlist a team member to support me by gathering the data that illustrates the current situation and the desired situation.

I think about the questions that my counterpart is likely to have in response to the proposed changes and I prepare answers to these in advance of the meeting.

I share our strategic vision – setting out the ‘why’ for the change and highlighting the importance of the partnership in service of the vision

I invite my counterpart to make other suggestions for reaching the same outcome and give these genuine and due consideration, adopting any that might support the desired outcome.

Conclusion

'Leadership in 3D' is not just a concept; it's a practice, a way of leading that acknowledges and respects the complexity of human interaction in a professional setting. By understanding and adapting to the self, the other, and the situation, and by embodying the five leadership mindsets, leaders can navigate the diverse landscapes of modern business with agility and grace.

At Verosa, we believe in empowering leaders with these dynamic tools, preparing them to lead effectively. The 3D approach fosters a deeper connection with team members, a greater understanding of diverse perspectives, and a keen ability to navigate the intricacies of various business scenarios.

The Meaning of Life?

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:23:09 GMT

As a child of the 60’s, I first started thinking about the phrase, “The Meaning of Life” sometime before I became a huge fan of Monty Python’s Flying Circus in the early 1970s. So, you can imagine how excited and interested I was when I saw that the troupe had released their fifth film on this very subject: My hope was that I was going to be informed, educated and entertained through humour, chaos and the absurd, by people who made me laugh uncontrollably (one of my favourite things in life). Sadly, I only got one of the above from this excellent film and came away faintly nauseous from all the laughing and the copious amount of blood and viscera on show.

As a curious person, this subject came back to me at various times as I finished school, got my degree, my first and subsequent jobs, found the love of my life, travelled, settled down, my wife gave birth to our two fabulous and healthy children and I flowed through my career.

Yet, despite a certain sense of maturing as an individual, building resilience, happiness and what I think of as “Wealth” (health, sense of wellbeing, contribution to family and friends, enough money etc.) all of those magical things still left me wondering about this mystical wisdom, this key to the universe, spirituality and sense of understanding what for, and why we are here on this mortal coil.

And as time moved on and my corporate career came to a natural end, I embarked on my Executive Coach training, thinking that it would be fun, challenging, valuable and maybe, just maybe, would offer me an insight into what for me was this nebulous concept of The Meaning of Life …

And while the process of becoming an accredited coach has and continues to offer me deep personal insights into how I behave and the impact I have on others and myself and so much more, it was in the area of Physical Science when I heard about the nature of “Entropy” that things started to become much clearer for me.

Entropy, if you don’t already know, can be defined as the transfer of energy from hot bodies of matter to cold ones … or in short, that Energy, however it is derived, be it totally naturally, e.g. the Sun, or via man made means – including life – will eventually dissipate and come to a halt.

This then got me thinking about the life energy we are born with, and what we can reasonably expect from our time on earth, the opportunities we find for ourselves, the boosts and barriers we are given by our upbringing, parents, key people and relatives, and the power we have to make choices that can steer our presence in this world. Add to these, the impact we make, the love and happiness we can engender and how continuing personal growth is a goal worth seeking … as no one knows it all … and all this while our Entropy unwinds …

So, when I started to put together the concept of Entropy with my developing sense of self and self-awareness, emotional intelligence and understanding of the basics of psychology, I had a bit of a “light bulb” moment on this Meaning of Life question …

Maybe, just maybe, I was considering the question incorrectly in the first place....

Is it in fact better to think about The Meaning of Me in this Life ?

My answer, and the more I challenge this I cannot get away from it, is Yes, it is all about how I conduct myself, the choices I make, how I commit to growing, getting better at what I do, helping myself and others with kindness, patience, love and support … all armed with the insights afforded to me by my life and its lessons to date, along with my coach training and support from the delightful and giving individuals I have met along the way.

And yes, of course, this development is available to everyone who opens themselves up to the universal wealth that is self-development, self-questioning and commitment to growth for them and for the general benefit. For one thing is sure: we cannot escape the reality of Entropy, and it is our duty to decide on our paths in this World and what we want to achieve. That is our Power.

5 indicators that coaching may hold value for you:

You are feeling that there is something missing in your life that you can’t quite pinpoint
You have questions about work / life balance and potential burnout
You are often angry, anxious, overtired or grumpy and concerned about the impact you are making on others and yourself when feeling this way
Life seems to be passing you by rather than you creating your own path forward
You struggle finding time to talk with someone who won’t judge you and who will challenge you in a positive way

If you would like to talk confidentially with Paul or any of our coaches, please do get in touch so that we can set up a no-obligation discovery conversation at a time to suit you.

Why Management Training is (Still) Good Business

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:48:35 GMT

The cliché goes that people don’t leave businesses; they leave bosses. It’s an old adage, but one that continues to be supported by recent research by the CMI and YouGov. In a study that sought the views of nearly 5,000 employees, only 27% described their managers as ‘effective’. According to this study (and indeed many others), the net result of these unskilled managers is low employee engagement, lower performance and productivity, high attrition levels and low morale.

This isn’t new news. According to the Telegraph, we are a nation of ‘bosses’ with one in four employed people in the UK having a people management aspect to their roles. And yet data from Gallup indicates that less than half of those managing others are likely to have received any training.

In the business world, where we are strategic and considered about so much, (would you employ an accountant with no grasp on numbers?), it beggars belief that we leave so much of the people management aspects of the workplace to chance – particularly when getting it wrong can have such a catastrophic impact on organisational success.

The CMI report highlights that many of us in management positions (particularly in the UK) have found ourselves there almost accidentally. It’s the phenomenon of being promoted because we are good at the technical ‘what’, when organisations must also be thoughtful about the level of competence in the relational ‘how’.

Small organisations in particular suffer here, where budget for learning and development is likely to be limited. SMEs rarely have the ability to support large management training programmes and so most ‘upskilling’ is left to happen organically. This in turn can create whole cultures of managers and leaders learning poor habits and behaviours from those above them, ranging from an inability to have challenging conversations, to demonstrating a lack of trust in their teams that results in toxic micro-management.

The good news is that help is on hand and that people management skills can be learned and developed. The Telegraph invites us to check whether we have a ‘bad boss’ using the following criteria:

You barely know them
They don’t trust you
They can’t navigate the hybrid working reality
They play favourites
They avoid tough conversations
They have a high opinion of themselves
They are not evolving.

Our invitation would be to turn this lens inwards if you are someone who manages others. It’s a good place to start and to discover whether your management ability, behaviour and mindset needs an MOT. (Be honest!) Even managers who have been leading teams for a long time need a tune up now and then and, in our experience, this is never a wasted effort.

So, what are some of the first steps we can make towards being better bosses, even if we have had no training in this space? Here our top tips to redress the balance of ‘bad boss’ syndrome:

1. Recognise there is value in getting to know your people. The most important knowledge any manager has is knowledge of their people. This extends from their strengths and capabilities to their working preferences and home-life. Make an active effort and put time aside to find out about your team and see them as unique individuals. What makes them tick? What makes them smile? Build rapport by sharing your own stories and invite them to share theirs. Psychologist Ed Schein asserts that modern leadership requires the building of Level 2 Relationships that move beyond traditional transactional hierarchies. Ask questions and be curious about who you have working for you.

2. Challenge yourself to let some things go. Trust is such an important part of today’s workplace and trust means that we are prepared for our people to get things wrong and to learn from it. Liz Wiseman describes this as a high challenge, high support environment, where the standards are high and there is also room to try things out and make mistakes without fear of retribution and blame. People don’t grow if we don’t trust them. If something is high risk, high stakes, it may be that you cannot fully hand it over but if that is the case, be honest about your need to be involved and the reasons behind that.

3. Offer flexibility and connection. Flexibility is one of today’s workplace ‘hygiene factors’. This means that for many people, it’s not an optional ‘nice to have’, rather it is a must have in the workplace. This extends in many cases to our desire to choose where we work, whilst at the same time having the feeling of being connected. This requires some thought from managers who will need to create an operating rhythm with set pieces where your people can connect with you and the business, as well as plenty of space for individual work. Why not facilitate a discussion on what could work for the team? Whether that is weekly online meetings, quarterly face to face days in the office or monthly one to ones. Don’t fall into the trap of cancelling these in favour of other things. The impact – whilst not immediate – will be felt and is never positive.

4. Avoid the blame game. We all find some people easier to work with than others. How can you challenge yourself to give your time fairly and to evaluate people equitably? If you find yourself in the firing line from above for something that one of your team has done, step into your power of accountability and don’t deflect the oncoming fire towards that person. Avoid political manipulation or manoeuvring to serve your own agenda – people can smell that a mile off and you will lose the loyalty of your team very quickly.

5. As hard as it can be to have those all-important difficult conversations, don’t avoid them. Your people won’t thank you for it and neither will the person in question in the long run. Some of this about your mindset. In her book Radical Candour, Kim Scott talks about coming from a place of both caring for the person in question (and their development) and needing to share the challenging message. Stick to the facts without judgement and share the impact of what is happening to help the person understand why the conversation is needed. Lastly, invite their input on how to move forward. This is skill that needs to be practised – a muscle that needs to be exercised, so get to the ‘gym’!

6. Let go of being right. Our egos get in the way of all sorts of things in life and at a macro level are the heart of many things that are wrong in the world. Most of us are attached to being ‘right’. Letting go of our own self-importance, understanding that no one has the monopoly on being right (we are all right, but no one is 100% right) is crucial for managers. This means making space for different opinions and validating them. It means backing down and sharing our own learnings when we have been wrong. It means demonstrating intellectual humility. Not always easy, buy try and work on a cognitive handbrake that allows you to recognise the attachment growing.

7. Commit to the journey. We are none of us the finished article. The world of work is evolving and so must we. Invest in your own development. This can be anything from reading articles like this, to seeking feedback from those you lead and from your own manager, to attending formal manager training. Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone and allow yourself time to reflect on the What, So What and Now What. Most of all, be kind to yourself. The journey to good people management is ongoing and needs to be taken one step at a time.

The Legacy of Leadership

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 13:55:59 GMT

As a country and Commonwealth mourns the passing of its beloved Queen, it is an opportunity to reflect on the deep and lasting legacy of a lifetime of leadership.

Leadership as we know comes in all shapes and sizes and is constantly evolving. No one has the monopoly on good leadership, but from time-to-time history presents us with a model so exemplary, a beacon of light so bright that it touches every part of our social fabric and indeed of the world.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was just such a beacon of light. Her values of humility, honesty, grace and resilience were so finely tuned, so clear in their impact, that her legacy will be felt for generations to come.

At Verosa, we very often talk to our leaders about their living legacy. We ask them to consider what it is that they would like to be remembered for as leaders and to pay attention to how they can be living that legacy right now, today. We talk to our leaders about the privilege of leadership and also of the responsibility; the fact that as leaders they will be visible and ‘on a platform’ for all to see. We invite them to consider that every day they will be having an impact in ways and in areas that they may never know about.

Queen Elizabeth was a leader who knew this to her core. She lived her life in the public eye and never wavered from that scrutiny. In a leadership role that spanned decades, she never shied away from her responsibility as monarch, nor did she seem to resent the unrelenting public interest in some of her most private – and at times painful – human experiences.

The nature of her leadership power was nuanced and complex. With no decision-making or constitutional rights, she required a different leadership strategy. Her authority and her power derived ultimately not from an active role in governing her country, but from her ability to role-model what good – and modern – leadership looks like.

She listened. She listened with a grace and empathy that Daniel Goleman (the Godfather of Emotional Intelligence) would be floored by. With so many to listen to, how on earth was she able to be present enough to make whomever she was interacting with feel so very heard? But that she did.

She owned her own leadership challenges. Her advisors and speech writers report that even when they advocated ‘skirting’ or ‘re-framing’ an issue to soften its edges, Her Majesty insisted upon looking into the lens of the camera and being ‘real’. Think of her “annus horribilis” speech of 1992.

She worked tirelessly in service of others. As Rev. Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury declared at Her Majesty’s funeral, such depth of service in a leader is so very rare. At the tender age of 21, the then Princess Elizabeth promised that she would dedicate her life to the service of her country, the Commonwealth and the world. Few can be in any doubt that she kept this promise to the end.

She managed her own emotions for the good of others. Elizabeth recognised that her role called for that most difficult mix of stoicism and humanity, all the while knowing that she could only use her position to influence and lead by example.

Lead by example she did. Touching the hearts of the humblest of her citizens to the most powerful heads of state. She valued the person, the very core of the person underneath all the trappings and she espoused that oh so challenging platinum rule – to treat others not as you yourself would choose to be treated, but instead, to treat others as they would choose to be treated.

Now, as she is laid to rest, it is an opportunity to honour her legacy. Some will lay flowers, some will say prayers, some will donate to charity. As leaders, we will have the opportunity to reflect on an exemplary life of service and consider for ourselves how much we can learn from our late Queen.

Rest in Peace Your Majesty.

Personnel Today Awards

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:34:15 GMT

An evening with the great and good of HR and L&D (oh, and Russell Kane...)

We were delighted to be short-listed for the Personnel Today 2021 Learning & Development Award in partnership with  IRIS Software Group.

Together with Steph Kelly, Emma Dutton and Shirley Deegan from IRIS Software Group, I had the pleasure of attending the  Personnel Today  awards last week.

Frocks were donned and the slippers were put to one side!

We had been shortlisted for the prestigious Learning and Development Award . On this occasion we weren't the overall winners but it was great honour to be recognised and to attend the occasion.

Congratulations to the winners and all involved! ��

Background to our work with IRIS:

In 2019, following a highly competitive process, Verosa was invited by IRIS Software Group (a dynamic and growing technology company) to support them with the challenges faced by an ambitious and growing organisation. We implemented two modular programmes - Managing with IMPACT and Leading with IMPACT .

We were in the middle of delivering the first module of Leading with IMPACT when the COVID pandemic struck. The following week we were locked down and overnight had to re-think our delivery methods and content. We agreed with IRIS to run the next programme online and test to see if this worked. Our ability as partners to be agile proved a great success!

�� 94% of managers sponsoring participants reported improved ability in their colleagues to fulfil their line management role after the programme

�� 91% of participants reported improvements in their ability to set team goals

�� 96% of participants reported an increased ability to provide constructive feedback

�� 100% would recommend the programme to a colleague

�� In 2021, 18months after Verosa first partnered with IRIS, the company was certified a "Great Place to Work".

Verosa are honoured to be part of this continued journey with IRIS.

What is it like living with a visual impairment in a ‘seeing’ business world?

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 08:29:43 GMT

Verosa client and CEO of METEX Online, Daniel Hopkins writes:

I was 27 when I launched my first venture after being diagnosed with an eye disorder called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP to its friends). RP is an inherited, progressive sight loss condition and there is no cure.

I lost my driving licence on the day of my diagnosis. Driving was a huge part of my life and the diagnosis meant the end to my career as a business development manager, travelling to client meetings regularly - my first and very real experience of exclusion in the world of work, due to my condition.

After recovering from the severe shock of being told I was going blind I retrained to sell IT hardware, but soon returned to the construction sector and moved to working with a local builders’ merchant in an office-based sales role. In the 3 years I was there I grew my sales category from £200k to £1.4 million.

In all honesty though I was frustrated with not being able to visit clients and I missed the freedom to manage my own time. I began discussions with a large local groundworks contractor and after a few months of planning they invested in my new construction supplies venture.

From this point I’ve never looked back. Enabling my own inclusion, I used taxis via the access to work scheme which has proved invaluable, allowing me some independence with getting to and from my business premises.

Being Visually Impaired and running a business is tough, in fact doing anything is pretty challenging when you are blind in the dark and have 75% less vision than most during the day. I meet many people who, through no fault of their own but just a lack of knowledge, are unable to associate with a non-visual disability. I look ‘so normal’ – and I’m conscious that If I’d have lost an arm or a leg life would be different as my disability would be so much more visible.

In many ways I’ve created my own inclusion within business world. Sometimes pretending I don’t have a significant disability and more recently by being open and honest with people and asking for help or saying, ‘I don’t feel comfortable doing that’. Sometimes the reactions you get are surprising, some disappointing but some people really surprise you with their empathy and compassion.

Overall, in the UK we are so lucky to have a society that cares for its disabled community. I’m encouraged that particularly through the pandemic and the wearing of masks, that adverting based around ‘not all disabilities are visible’ is becoming more commonplace - this can only serve to help with inclusion and is a good thing. Although still a good way to go through education and sports like the Paralympics, we continue to lead the way globally in the UK to include, show empathy and compassion to its disabled people, whether you can see that disability or not!

How leaders and organisations can create a more inclusive space for Visually Impaired Team Members

1) Create a strong, supportive team

In my businesses I’ve always been lucky enough to have great senior teams. This is essential for inclusion. They understand my sight condition and can support many aspects of my practical challenges day to day, whether that’s keeping walkways clear or helping guide me physically to a meeting. In addition, they are my allies in a seeing world and are actively looking for ways to create a more inclusive environment for me – physically and psychologically.

2) Create good dialogue early on with external clients and stakeholders

Many clients and partners will have expectations that are particularly challenging for me to meet. The invitation to ‘come and have a look at this display in our very busy warehouse’ or ‘come to my office three floors up through a room of crowded people’ can be prohibitively difficult. Over time, I’ve found that being open and clear with clients about my disability has helped us co-create a more inclusive work around. Ideally, I will arrange to be driven to a venue and stay in one place for the duration of the meeting. This causes very few problems and doesn’t weaken my position with the client as they appreciate the honesty and the extra effort I have made to meet them.

3) Be conscious of environmental changes and the impact on the VI individual

It’s when the environment changes all of a sudden that the plan you had in your head evaporates! Environmental changes are probably one of the largest challenges within business. In my own home, around my local streets, I’m used to the lay of the land and obstacles that I might encounter etc. Now we are very careful and take extra care with the changes in the work space and keep these to a minimum.

4) Look for ways to empower and enable

In business number three, I employed a part time driver that took me to meetings on a weekly basis. Being in charge of my own destiny was important. It had a big impact on my performance and my ability to lead initiatives myself. Often small changes make a lot of difference. Every sight disorder is different, so start with a conversation with the person about what changes might help them feel more empowered.

Final Thought

In 2016 I climbed Kilimanjaro for charity and my best friend guided me throughout one of the most amazing challenges and experiences of my life. A few weeks after we returned to the UK, he left me falling up and off kerbs when we were out one evening. It was at this point I had to remind him I’m blind in England as well as Africa!

My point being that for me when looking so normal (relatively speaking) people forget, family members forget, best friends forget, work colleagues forget, so keeping the unseen needs ‘seen’ and front of mind is so important.

About Metex Online:

With manufacturing facilities in both the UK and internationally, Metex provide innovative construction sector related products.

https://metexonline.com/

Becoming a Mindful Leader - How Can Meta Cognition Help Me as a Leader?

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 00:33:47 GMT

If you are a driver, you’ve probably had that experience of driving a familiar route – perhaps to your local supermarket or petrol station – and realising once you’ve got there and parked, that you have absolutely no recollection of the journey itself and your role in it. Often we refer to this as being on auto-pilot. And for good reason. After years of practice, the skills needed to operate the vehicle and to take us from A to B are deeply embedded within our subconscious – so much so that we are able to do this automatically and without a significant amount of conscious attention.

Leadership can be a bit like that too. Sometimes we find ourselves managing our people and leading on auto-pilot. Chances are that we have been in managerial roles for some time and have a degree of comfort in our current role and context. As the role gets bigger and our career progresses, the levels of attention we pay to how we are managing and leading become less.

Meta-cognition in a leadership context is about moving our attention from the subconscious to the conscious and to focussing on how we are doing things, rather than what we are doing. In the example of the car journey, it is about intentionally bringing our awareness to all the micro-choices that we make and our subsequent actions.

In any given car journey, the actual process we go through to control and drive the vehicle to a particular destination is complex and intricate. In many police and military advance driving courses, students are required to narrate their journeys as they take them, calling out blow by blow every decision point, every action they are taking and every observation they are making.

Not as easy as it sounds. A large body of scientific research has shown that the human brain is phenomenally powerful computer and that whilst our subconscious brain is capable of processing 11 millions pieces of information per second, consciously, the average person is only able to process a fraction of that.

The art of meta-cognition in a leadership setting is about intentionally, strategically aiming to pull intelligence from our subconscious into our conscious, in order to help us do things even better.

If you have ever had an argument with a close friend, family member or partner, you might have found that in the aftermath you reflect on and unpick who said what and at what points, in order to try and make sense of the conflict and disconnect you experienced. This reflective period is hugely helpful in terms of raising our awareness of our own part to play in inter-relational dynamics but can be hard to do accurately – our memories are fallible (some studies indicate that we only get about 50% of recall right).

So, instead, imagine being able to harness the super-power of observing yourself and your behavioural processes and choices in the moment. It would be like seeing the Matrix! If we could tap into the subconscious bits of choice making and action taking as they were happening we would be more likely to be able to reflect on them accurately afterwards, and, given enough practice, we would also be able to recognise alternative options and make different choices in that moment. And that is an incredibly powerful skill for leaders to harness.

It probably sounds quite onerous, heavy and energy intensive. Meta-cognition is actually doing the thinking about the thinking, and a bit like meditation and mindfulness, it takes some practise. However, leaders who have high levels of meta-awareness and who have cultivated the ability to be mindful in their interaction, demonstrate greater Emotional Intelligence higher levels of the ability to ‘self-manage’ and therefore make better behavioural choices.

Given that the link between leadership behaviour and overall organisational results is so significant, it goes without saying surely that this is a skill we should put our attention on.

So, here are five questions to ask yourself in order to raise your cognitive awareness as a leader, support your mindfulness and help you be more ‘meta’:

What are the assumptions I am making about this situation/ this person/ this dynamic?
What would an external observer notice about the choices I am making, the words I am using and the way in which I am communicating?
What one thing might I change to help me achieve the impact I want in this situation?
How is my previous experience colouring or influencing the choices I am making as a leader right now?
What do I know about myself that can help me in this situation?
How else might what I am hearing, seeing or experiencing be interpreted?

Get meta to get better – good luck!

Vulnerability for Leaders - Why it is Important for Self-Development?

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 00:17:15 GMT

Hmm… Vulnerability for Leaders and self-development… Sounds rather counterintuitive as a philosophy for Leadership growth doesn’t it?

Our Western World applauds the resilient Leader who has battled adversity through sheer selfless willpower to go that extra mile to achieve his or her goal, perhaps creating the “Hero” archetype that we are familiar with.

Yet all of this doesn’t really chime with our understanding of Vulnerability, defined as it is as by having a personality trait that means we are susceptible to being hurt, influenced etc. And in fact, to clarify things, Vulnerability in Coaching Terms has a different meaning to Vulnerability as it is generally accepted.

Vulnerability in coaching is defined by the ability of an individual to be open to developing deep self-awareness, which realistically means being able to identify, accept and understand one’s strengths alongside our weaknesses, faults, peccadilloes, challenges and triggers.

Put another way, in order to get the most from Coaching our Vulnerabilities, it is best for us to be in a state of Being Vulnerable or open to exploring our weaknesses, which are in effect our vulnerabilities.

For example, if we ask the deep questions about how a sportsperson, business leader or politician has really achieved things, the reality is that there must be more going on than pure single mindedness or the will to succeed. Could it be that this person has achieved these incredible feats because they understand and work within their personal limits better than others (ultimate practice / repetition rather than relying on talent)?

Or perhaps if they are a Leader, they understand what they are truly good at, alongside what they are not so good at, such that they are able to attract, nurture and embrace the skills and abilities of others. Or maybe they have allowed themselves to look deep inside and work out that their actions have real impacts on others (good and bad). Perhaps, thinking in the wider perspective they know and are at peace with what they can control in life and what he cannot, and therefore are able to make appropriate decisions accordingly.

All this self-awareness belies an archetype of the perennial achiever who has the single-minded mental fortitude to take on all challenges and challengers and to defeat them.

Some say that you are either born as an achiever or a non-achiever. Unlike that elusive charisma (which maybe no money can buy and no trainer can teach), we can all take the time to develop our self-awareness (warts and all) and to better understand our limitations to create a more rounded leader, one who is better able to deal with the slings and arrows of modern life, and with hard work, reflection and acceptance of our vulnerabilities, become a more “Human” human being.

Paul Austin is an Associate of Verosa Limited

Designing Organisational Culture

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 17:43:17 GMT

Investing time and energy in articulating the purpose, core values and direction of your business is never a wasted exercise.

It’s not uncommon for companies which are very clear on the WHAT (products and services, financial strategy, supply chains), the WHERE (market place, logistics) and the WHO (client base, suppliers, leadership and workforce) of their business to almost completely overlook the HOW.

At an individual contributor level, we know that when it comes to setting effective goals for ourselves, we need to pay as much attention to the behaviours that support delivery as we do to the deliverables themselves. What is the point of smashing that sales target if our clients don’t trust us and at the earliest opportunity will be looking to go elsewhere?

Research indicates that organisations that actively set the strategy for corporate culture (the HOW) are much more successful in creating the climate and environment to impact positively all the WHATs, WHEREs and WHOs of the overall business vision.

The notion that culture is linked to levels employee engagement and brand reputation is not new. Research indicates that positive and intentional workplace cultures are linked to an increase of around 30% on bottom line results – whether that is profit, market share, talent retention or innovation and creation. So why wouldn’t senior teams take time out to think about this stuff?

What is Culture?

So, what is culture and how can an organisation – big or small – be intentional about the culture it wants to create in order to support the results it wants to see?

Think about how you measure culture for a moment. What is it that tells you ‘the way things are around here’ about any organisation or group. Plainly speaking, culture is defined as the attitudes and behaviour characteristic of a particular social group. That doesn’t mean that everybody within that group subscribes to those attitudes or demonstrates those behaviours, but when taken collectively, there will be identifiable and discernable patterns that mark out a group or organisation.

Specialists who work with corporate cultures can often tell a great deal about an organisation’s culture in the first five minutes of being ‘on site’. What’s in the car park for example? Are there disabled parking spaces? Do certain high ranking seniors have a named space? What about the reception area? Is it formal, edgy, cool, relaxed, homely? What are people wearing? What temperature is the office? (Men typically prefer a cooler climate to their female counterparts and in my experience it is often the case that organisations with a male-centric culture have colder offices!)

The same is true in the virtual world. What happens at the start of a Teams call? Is it cameras on or off? Do we use the chat, mute ourselves, raise a digital hand? Depending on the cultural context, the answers to these will vary from organisation to organisation and even from team to team.

Designing Organisational Culture – What to Expect

As with most developmental journeys, the first stage is raising awareness: What do we do here? What are our patterns? Our norms? We assess what is already in place and then look to make the space for changes towards what might be better.

One of the best ways – but not the only way – of making these changes, is for senior leadership teams to work with an organisational culture consultant who will help the business to design a corporate culture that embodies the organisation’s key values, vision and overall mission.

Typically, a consultant would work with the senior team to establish key requirements. Are you a new business looking to establish your business model, building in a defined cultural ideal from the get go? Are you merging with another organisation and having to manage the coming together of two disparate cultural systems? Are you upgrading, down-sizing, restructuring?

Once the context and parameters of the requirements have been established, the culture design consultant would with the business to shape cultural goals. Very often using a cultural intelligence or culture index tool together with a series of group, and individual exercises, the consultant supports the business to articulate clearly the How We Will Do Things Here script. This may include agreed core values, a mission or purpose statement and may link to an organisation philosophy or set of beliefs that colour the way the business operates.

One of the biggest challenges for any organisation investing in this intentional way of addressing culture is to take it from a space of theory to reality.

Setting the Cultural Strategy

Setting the vision is only one part of the puzzle for developing a positive corporate culture. Once this has been defined, the next step is making it happen at all levels across the business. Many organisations have a beautifully and carefully defined cultural mission but fail to gain buy-in for it at any meaningful level. Our experience shows that there are two elements to getting this part of the story right.

Firstly, leaders who walk the walk and ‘model’ the values are key to getting buy-in. Very often leaders work will work 1:1 with executive coaches to help them embody the organisation’s cultural values in a way that is authentic, visible and inspirational to employees and clients alike.

Secondly, it’s about communication. A good culture design consultancy team will also support the business communications strategy, providing consultation, advice and input on ways to publicise and raise awareness around the vision, mission and key values.

Finally, it’s worth remembering that a cultural strategy is easily undermined. As an example, a business which has creativity, energy and fresh thinking at the heart of its cultural vision, but fails to invite its newest recruits to offer up ideas and new ways of working shoot itself in the foot at the first hurdle. Whilst it might be tempting to do this piece of work quickly and without support, the risks to your business in the longer term should not be ignored. Ultimately, every organisation has a culture – even if you didn’t design it. Is yours set up to deliver what you want?

If you would like to talk to one of our specialist consultants about your business culture, please contact us today for a free consultation.

What is Teamship and why does it matter?

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:23:24 GMT

All organisations want great leaders.

Agile leaders. Dynamic leaders. Leaders who can transform organisations and business results.

The learning and development market is saturated with leadership development services and offers. Individuals are invited to ‘Make an Impact’ ‘Lead with Integrity’ ‘Communicate your Vision’, ‘Persuade and Influence’.

But organisations aren’t made up simply of leaders. In our attempt to invest in and grow the very best individuals, have we forgotten about the skills that are needed to work in teams?

Most of us work in teams and in the modern world, teams are all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, my team will consist of a disparate and geographically separated group of colleagues, who have been brought together on a short-term project. Our common ground is limited – we hail from different corporate cultures and we don’t even answer to the same masters.

When executive boards set the direction for a people strategy, management and leadership skills are almost always on the agenda. Most medium sized (200-1000 employees) and all larger organisations will have some budget set aside for developing individual leaders. Very few will have any ringfenced investment in ‘Teamship’ development. Business leaders will argue that a good leader at the head of a team is enough to take that team to where it needs to be. Or, they will point to periodic ‘team away days’ as evidence of ‘teamship’ development.

Well yes, a well-run, ‘team in tact’ event can make a very real difference to the performance of a team, once they return to the work place. And yes, a good leader can indeed be the difference between a team delivering or not.

But there is nothing strategic in the thinking here when it comes to teams. There is no base-line of ‘teamship’ capability or skills-level expectation set out for the organisation. Which, when you think about it may be a little short sighted.

At Verosa, we value ‘Teamship’ Skills as highly as we value Leadership Skills. In fact, often we would argue that the best leaders are those who can flex to work as part of a collaborative – often virtual – team effort. We are regularly called in to work with teams where things have gone drastically wrong. At this point, team-coaching and mediation is often required to turn a dysfunctional team around.

But investing in ‘teamship’ skill training at an early stage could very well prevent such pain points ever occurring. Whilst the skills of positive influencing, delivering clear messages and making strategic decisions apply to both worlds, the context is naturally very different and it’s this context that is so important in developing in this area.

So, what are ‘Teamship Skills’ and how do we develop them?

1) Supporting the team goal:

What is our team for? To get results that are not possible for individuals to attain alone. In order to start down that path, everyone needs to know where they are heading. It’s not enough for team goals to be something other people know about. Team goals should represent our shared purpose and vision. As team members, obtaining both a deep understanding and internal endorsement of our team’s objectives is critical. Being able get involved in the challenge process, asking positively motivated questions and being prepared to compromise our own position are complexities in this skill area and are often overlooked for their value. Our role here is to help our leaders and colleagues to make rigorous and considered decisions. If we have been given a voice – we must use it, but not abuse it. Remember the overall aim is the betterment of the team as a whole.

2) Learning to Listen:

Healthy teams develop a well-functioning feedback loop in which all opinions are valid, all options considered and curiosity rules. In the flourishing team, members are excited by the prospect of sharing their thoughts, but even more important is the skill of listening to and really understanding the opinions of others. As a team member, we need to commit to giving all manner of input air time. Even if the dialogue right now doesn’t directly involve us, we are a cog in the wheel and need to play our part in supporting the business through applying our thinking to a broader piece.

3) Considering our Impact:

We all want our voices to be heard. As individual leaders, we often have an advantage as we are conditioned to lend our ears to those in charge (even if we don’t like what they have to say!) But for team members, positioning our thinking and crafting the delivery of our message is really important if we want to be heard. Working with communication specialists on our delivery style can be extremely valuable, as can being open to honest feedback about how we come across. How a message is intended to be understood and how it is actually received are often worlds apart. This is even more the case with virtual teams, where written messages and emails often replace face to face contact.

4) Celebrating Success:

Learning from Failures: In mature and healthy, flourishing teams, trust among members is highly valued. In these teams, it’s ok to make mistakes. It’s ok to learn and develop. It’s ok to give and to receive constructive feedback. Critique is valued and it’s what will give us the edge. The team develops a collective, ‘bring it on’ mindset and seems almost to thrive on knowing on what it can improve upon. This ability to overcome a ‘self-bias’ - a very natural psychological phenomenon - is a key teamship skill. As a team member, we have to be able to recognise and master our natural instinct to claim all success as internal, induvial ones and all failures as external, group ones. Learning to celebrate team successes (which in the early days at least may be harder won than individual ones) and being able to take ownership and accountability for the part we as individuals have played in group failures is key here.

Psychological Safety – what's it all about?

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:01:24 GMT

It’s one of the leadership buzz terms of our age, but what is psychological safety actually?

It was a phrase popularised as result of a large-scale piece of analysis conducted by Google in 2012 – codenamed Project Aristotle. The aim of the project was to determine what made high-performing teams from across Google’s business so great.

What were the factors, unique to successful teams, that set them apart from other parts of the business. It was a wide-ranging piece of research and involved 180 teams from across the business. The research team was made up of data engineers, psychologists and statisticians and they looked at every aspect of team dynamics they could find. They studied personality types and motivators, history and experience, age and gender. They looked at how often the teams socialised together and even whether they made one another coffee.

The result was a series of findings that the Aristotle researchers claimed made for high-performance in a team setting, no matter what the setting. Whether the team was set up to drive sales, or design software, the key factors identified by Project Aristotle would be apparent in high performance teams and missing in those which were faltering.

Most significant of these factors was something called ‘psychological safety’. And it’s a hard one to pin down and indeed, for leaders to get right it seems.

In its most basic sense, psychological safety refers to a climate or environment in which there is an absence of fear . This is not physical fear (of violence) or material fear (of losing one’s job or similar). It’s a much more subtle fear that is absent in teams which have a climate of psychological safety.

It’s the absence of fear of messing up, saying something foolish, or failing or of trying new things and not getting it right. The absence of power play, one-upmanship and political backstabbing. It’s the absence of the sense that anything I say and do can and will be held against me. Instead, it’s a culture of anything I say/do will at best be validated, heard and taken on board and at worst will be overlooked with kindness if it’s way off the mark.

The Aristotle team noticed that this cultural phenomenon manifested itself in a number of ways. There were the bumbling, introspective, technical leaders who had created a ‘talk to me – I get you’ climate. There were the dynamic, dominant leaders who had cultivated a culture of ‘we are all in this together and we all have off-days’ climate. There were team cultures in which banter and back-chat was understood to be absolutely fine and safe and others in which talking about serious health issues in a team meeting was welcomed and indeed invited.

The key thing in each case where this condition existed was that the leader had a very earthy understanding of his / her own humanity. He or she treated themselves with kindness (it’s ok to mess up – messing up is part of the journey) and they extended that open, non-judgemental approach to those who worked for them.

I was once brought in as a ‘mediator’ for an operational team in which communication, collaboration and performance had all but broken down. The leader of the team explained that he worried that the stress of the role (which very often involved managing threat to life scenarios), was to blame for what was happening.

Over the course of two months, I spent time with the team, both as a team and as individuals and observed them in their work. The team leader was right that they had stressful roles. There were high stakes, mission critical decisions being taken daily. The hours were long and the time pressures were considerable.

But this was not what was causing this team to implode.

Each member of the team was a highly qualified operative – many had years and years of experience in the military or police on the front line of some extreme scenarios. They had been trained to do what the role required and had been handpicked because they were extremely capable.

What became clear as my work with them progressed was that there was a really toxic culture across the team that had been instilled and fuelled by the very leader that now couldn’t understand why his people weren’t performing.

Individuals were set up to compete against one another, almost as sport. The victor would receive a public thank you and some kind of reward. At the same time, everyone was keenly aware that there was a loser in the fight. It wasn’t outwardly acknowledged, but there was enough emphasis and fuss made of the ‘winner’ to ensure that anyone would be wary of ever being on the losing side.

There were meetings in which confidences were broken, credit was stolen from those who deserved it and scathing comments were made about people outside the team.

When I tackled the leader on what was happening, he was genuinely shocked. He rewarding good behaviour was a way of making everyone up their game, that speaking openly about private matters was creating a sharing culture, that doing down other teams was a way of bolstering his own people.

In fact, what he had managed to do was paralyse his capable and talented operatives. In essence he had created a climate of psychological fear and it was that, not the stress of the role that had caused a breakdown in performance.

So, what could that leader do to create this utopia of psychological safety?

1) Lead by example and model humanity . Leaders who are comfortable enough in their own skin to own their faults and mistakes are most likely to engender trust from those they lead.

2) Treat mistakes as a jumping off point for getting it right. This can be hard when a mistake has cost you dear, but bear in mind that a climate in which it is ok to mess up most often results in fewer mess ups happening in the first place.

3) Be available, be present, be seen. It’s so easy now to manage from afar. Face to face connection with your team will always offer rich opportunities to create a productive climate.

4) Listen and invite questions. As a leader you will very rarely have the monopoly on good ideas. Invite feedback and input from your team and allow for them to be creative without fear of comeback or recrimination. No question is a stupid question, no idea is entirely without merit.

5) Feedback regularly – don’t save the stuff you want to say for the yearly appraisal meeting. Feedback should be kindly, authentically and very regularly given – after all, you are all in this together and your all want to do great things as a team right?

6) Treat others not as you would like to be treated yourself, but as they need to be treated. Put your attention on your people - ask yourself what actually works for him or for her?

Ultimately, psychological safety is about creating the right climate for every one of your people to be their authentic selves, without fear of recrimination or psychological attack. Get that right, you might just get the results you were hoping for.

5 Top qualities of a Great Manager in 2020:

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 18:42:48 GMT

We know the buzz words. Integrity. Engagement. Authenticity. Values. Vision. Mission.

These terms probably show up regularly. At meetings, in minutes, in planning documents.

But so what? What on earth do all these slick labels mean for you? In an effort to share a valuable message about what good leadership looks like, are we in danger of becoming bogged down in a whole load of seemingly meaningless terms?

Against the background and context of some of the toughest times for managers and leaders in living memory, this year we’ve taken a closer look at what developing healthy leadership behaviours really means and given you our five top tips on how to achieve it for your people.

Did you know that workplace culture accounts for 30% of performance difference? (Hay Group Data 2015). And culture is by far and away (70%) most heavily influenced by the quality of leadership.

In the second quarter of this year, we hosted a leadership study in which we asked delegates from across our client base to tell us the top five qualities they value most in a leader. The results are below.

The best leader:

1) Shows Self-awareness:

Leaders who have worked on themselves and understand their workplace behaviours – and on managing the impact of those behaviours – are held in far greater esteem than those who have not. This doesn’t mean we all need to do the latest fancy psychometric personality test. Self-awareness is dynamic. Sometimes it’s as simple as allowing yourself to become aware of a particular behaviour and then asking yourself what sits behind it and what the impact on those around you might be. Our tip: Be prepared to be wrong. Recognising your mistakes and saying sorry is powerful.

2) Communicates Goals Effectively:

Being able to set and communicate goals is an art and many of us have experienced challenges in this area, particularly since moving to a world of managing remotely. Generally speaking, communicating clear goals relies on the leader being able to flex both right brain (creative, visionary) and left brain (logical, detail) thinking. Goals that truly motivate and get results are those which are first and foremost understood in terms of the ‘what’ (don’t ask for a four legged domestic animal if you want a dog – you are liable to get a cat!) and in terms of the ‘why’. Knowing why we are working towards a goal makes it much easier to get on board. Our tip: Ensure that in setting out your business goals you have made clear not only the WHAT to achieve them, but also the WHY.

3) Demonstrates Passion and Commitment

This one always takes us by surprise! Leaders who are enthusiastic about and committed to a project are 10 times more likely to execute it successfully than those who are half-hearted. Coaching is a great way for leaders to find for themselves the ‘way in’ to a project and to turn an unfulfilling brief into one that brings out their very best. Our tip: If you don’t believe in what you are doing, nor will anyone else. Ask yourself what motivates you and weave it into your work.

4) Learns from Success and Failure:

Getting better at what we do relies on our being able to understand what has worked for us and what hasn’t. The best leaders are those who are continually asking themselves what they are getting right and shining a light on what they are not. Inviting feedback from colleagues and asking ‘what else’ is a truly powerful way to engender support and improve on past efforts. Our tip: Whether it is formal or informal, always conduct a ‘lessons learned’ exercise at the end of any major project. Be receptive and open to feedback on an ongoing basis.

5) Is Reading This!:

We know that in today’s busy and less that certain world, business demands mean that time to spend on developing yourself and those around you is scarce. The fact that you have taken ten minutes out to find out how you might become even better at what you do well shows that you are absolutely on the right track. Congratulations!

If you would like to know any more about how coaching , leadership development and teamship development can improve your business, please do get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

How to Set Really Effective Goals

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 10:48:09 GMT

Effective goal setting is both an art and a science and research has shown that it can make the difference between really seeing the results we want, and not. It’s very rare that the most successful people among us with have not at some stage set aside time to be strategic, rigorous and forensic about their goals.

So what is effective goal setting? What goes into the setting of goals that actually come to pass? What makes the difference between goals that sit, dusty and forgotten and those that come to life – achieved and even surpassed?

Five Steps to Powerful Goals

The steps below are based on a goal setting I exercise I run regularly with my coaching clients. They work just as well when applied to personal goals as to professional ones.

The psychology of goal setting involves the use of different parts the brain. The key to effective goal setting is in giving ourselves the best opportunity to access all the different parts of the brain and thus ensuring we access the full power of the resource available to us.

The Big Picture

Firstly, it is imperative that we access the visionary elements of the brain. The bits that allow us to create, dream, visualise. And at this stage, the more audacious, the better. Research shows a direct correlation between the level of stretch in a goal and our perception of obstacles that might get in our way. The more challenging the goal, the less we importance we give the things that could prevent us from reaching it.

Often, when coaching clients on their goals, I will invite clients to draw, sculpt from modelling clay or even build from Lego their vision! This allows us to start to access the right side of the brain and to be less restrictive about the goals we are setting for ourselves. It doesn’t matter at this stage how whacky you get, or even if don’t understand half of what you create. The key thing is to imagine success and then draw or create it as you see fit. Meaning will often come later in the exercise.

Emotional Connection

Once we have the big picture in mind, we can start to break down some of the individual elements and key into the senses. Here we are looking at how we will feel about achieving this goal – what’s our emotional investment in it? How important is it? Why now?

In your picture, what are you seeing, hearing, touching? How real can you make this in your imagination?

Getting SMART

This will be a familiar construct for many of us who have had any management development input. Setting SMART goals – those which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely – may seem a little tired, but there’s a reason the formula has been around for such a long time.

However, after decades of seeing SMART in practise, we now offer our clients a modified version:

Specific: This is the part where we turn all the constituent parts of the BIG PICTURE into as detailed a plan as possible. If there is any room for doubt, where can you add clarity? What more do you need to do to get clarity?

Measurable: How will you measure the success? Will it be in financial gains? Market share? Awards achieved? Qualifications? Asset acquisition?

Attractive: We replace Achievable with Attractive because for goals and ambitions to be acted upon and seen through, it is crucial that we are invested in them at a motivational level. What makes this goal most attractive to you? What could make it even more so?

Relevant: Another change here and Relevant replaces Realistic. Think back to that big picture that sets the context for your goals. How is the goal relevant to the overall vision you have? How can it connect to where you are going longer term? Why does it matter?

Timed / Timely: Let’s talk dates. When is this going to be done by? Is now the right time to start it? What check points do you want to build in along the way?

Chunk it Down

So, now we know where we are going. We have given our subconscious the opportunity of aligning with it and our conscious, logical parts of the brain the chance to understand and challenge some of the detail.

Now it’s the HOW question. How are you going to tackle this? What are the first steps? What resources do you need in your toolkit? What further information do you need to find out? What else do you need to do? When will you make time for it?

Remember, all this is happening on a logical, conscious level, but meanwhile, we have already programmed our subconscious to work towards the vision we have created (whether we like it or know it or not!)

Consider the Bumps in the Road

Ok, even with the best laid plans, SMART goals, creative visions and psychologically advantageous ambitions, we have to be ready to flex, change direction, negotiate obstacles and re-think the route.

The destination may stay the same, or it may change. You can revisit this process at any time and as many times as is helpful. Articulate the known risks but recognise also that other, less predictable challenges may befall you along the way and be prepared to accept this.

Challenge yourself to see setbacks, mistakes and wrong turns as a gift. There is powerful and compelling research that says that the most successful people and organisations are those who are continuously open to learning failure.

Be open – who knows – that final destination might be better than you ever imagined!

Wellbeing and Resilience through COVID19

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 14:42:43 GMT

As we move tentatively towards the next phase of the COVID19 response, I think many of us are beginning to see two themes emerging. One is the acceptance – however unsettling that may be – that we will never return to a pre-COVID-19 world. The other, which is related, is the realisation that life – and business – is not on hold, but rather continues to move on. At all times we have choices, but it is never so apparent as it is in times of crisis, just how important some of those choices are.

Over the past few months, in return for a small donation to the NHS, we have been offering a free one to one coaching session to anyone who has been impacted by the virus, no matter what the impact is. I feel humbled by the response we have had – we have now raised over £800 for the NHS Charities Together Appeal!

It’s a privilege to bear witness to some of the journeys people are on. It is also humbling to see the courage and grace with which so many are facing such uncertainty. If you or anyone within your network would value a 60 minute one to one coaching session with one of our professional coaches, please do encourage them to use our booking page here .

My overwhelming take-away has been this:

We are all facing the same storm, but we are not all necessarily in the same boat.

Given this, some questions you may want to consider are these:

What shape is your boat in?
Do you have a sail? An engine? Fuel?
Do you have life jackets on board?
Are you sailing alone or in company?
Do you have a map to where you are headed?
Do you have food on board?
Are there other boats in your fleet?

As Ian Parker of Henchards business coaching and advisory services comments, many of us have had little chance yet to consider our end destination. Maybe you are looking for a safe port to try and get through the storm? Some of us (unfortunately) are going to have to find somewhere to beach our boats and look for a new way to travel entirely. Others will aspire to use the storm to reach a new, distant destination, and some again are having a huge upswell in business. So yes, we are all in different (business) boats!

This exercise forms part of our online resilience and wellbeing workshop – Bounce . In these half day workshop we explore strategies, tools and techniques that participants can implement into their own daily habits. (If you are managing a team remotely you can also take these approaches into your team). The workshop is a mix of interactive, practical and reflective activity, based around series of exercises to apply to your own context.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in joining one of the workshops, they can be booked here .

How can I get the most from a team working from home?

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 14:33:54 GMT

Managing a team from afar has its challenges.

Keeping on top of what’s happening on the desks of our people is less straight forward, less organic, less automatic than it is when we are physically close to our teams. Overhearing conversations about ongoing pieces of work, a quick walk and talk about the status of a project en-route to another meeting, informal catch ups and conversations, as well as the general observation of the ‘busyness’ around us serves to reassure us that what we need to happen is happening – often with limited input from us.

So when we can’t see the work actually happening, when our ability to observe our people in the margins of the day to day running of the business is curtailed, it is only natural, that for many leaders, our desire to deliver consistent and quality results for the business – particularly given the COVID19 context – is heightened.

In many leaders, that desire to perform against the odds, coupled with an anxiety about the many things that now sit outside our control can result in a significant tightening of our grip. We find ourselves dialling-up the checking in and instead of managers, become monitors. The intention is a good one. On the edges of social and economic crisis, it is only natural that we want the very best – that we demand more – from ourselves and from our people. But here’s the thing. In seeking to get the very best, we do the one thing that is sure to demotivate and disengage our teams – we lose the trust.

The single biggest theme arising from the coaching I am doing with leaders and managers at all levels right now is around an ambient anxiety that their people just aren’t working. The fact that their teams are now working at home, from their kitchen tables – surrounded by their families and the myriad distractions of home life (the garden, the fridge, Netflix, the X Box) – is unsettling. ‘How do we know they are working?’ is a question I have heard from CEOs and board members through to first-line managers.

But here’s the thing. That is the wrong question.

Many organisations are struggling to adapt to the new reality of home working and remote management. Even for the most forward leaning of businesses, whose flexible working policies were well developed and tested long before we had ever heard of Corona, the landscape is dramatically different. One major supermarket I have been working with predict that the pandemic has accelerated working habits by five years. Yes, they expected to be in a position where the majority day to day work, including meetings, was delivered from home offices, but not until 2025.

The shifting sands have sent so many leaders into a spin. One company I have been working with have stated that they will be exploring stringent measures for checking that their workforce is still ‘putting in the hours’.

So, if the question is not ‘How do we know if they are working?’ what is it? Well, I might suggest that rather than looking at the hours our teams are logged in, how many emails of ours they are replying to and how many Zoom invites they have accepted, we might instead seek to ask:

How do we know if the work is getting done?

Let’s focus for a moment, not on how the work is being done (the input) – whether this is interspersed with bouts of home-schooling, a Joe Wicks work-out session and a Netflix binge – but on what is getting done (the outcomes). Research indicates that most of us are truly only productive for between two and four hours a day . Even when we are at our desks for eight hours or more, the actual time we spend on delivering true and valuable output is limited. Psychologists attribute this to a range of factors – the need for our brains to take regular breaks, the intense nature of being in a productive flow, the environment in which we are working.

If, as leaders, we focus on outcomes (the what), rather than inputs (the how), two things happen. Firstly, we can find clarity around what we want to be achieved and we can help communicate that to our teams. Secondly – and here’s the beauty in focussing in this way – by demonstrating trust, offering true agency and autonomy to our people in how they choose to get the work done, we set in motion a cycle of increased engagement, investment and productivity. In short, we will see better results.

As Professor Paul J. Zak, author of Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Performance Companies (AMACOM, 2017), writes:

‘Compared with people at low-trust companies, people at high-trust companies report: 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, 40% less burnout.’