…until you realise the mess you’re in is exactly because you’re not using them.

If I had a pound for every time someone’s rolled their eyes at the mention of company values, I’d be running leadership retreats in the Maldives by now.

You can almost feel the collective eye roll when you mention values in a workplace.

Fluffy.
Pointless.
A tick-box exercise to keep facilitators in work.

After working with a gazillion* leaders, here’s the pattern that’s impossible to ignore:
*at the last count

✅ Organisations who take the time to define values that actually reflect the culture they want, not some corporate bingo buzzwords, and then anchor those values to clear, observable behaviours, have higher retention, happier teams, and people whose personal growth fuels the company’s.

Because “Respect”, “Honesty”, and “Kindness” sound lovely, but unless everyone knows what those look like in action – what’s in and what’s out – they’re just wallpaper.

❌ The ones who say, “We don’t have time for that right now” are often the same ones dealing with behavioural issues, poor conduct, low trust, and leaders without the tools to manage performance.

Time for a truth bomb: one of the main reasons it’s “not the right time” is because everyone’s too busy dealing with that one person. You know, the one whose numbers are brilliant but whose attitude is wreaking havoc across the organisation.
Ahem, if you had clear values in place, managing that person would be so much easier. You’d have the tools, and they’d have zero confusion about what’s acceptable and what’s not.

Because here’s the reality: you can’t build a high-performing culture without knowing what will and won’t be tolerated.

And before you say, “That’s HR’s job,” it’s not.

Culture isn’t created in HR.

It’s created in every conversation between leaders, peers, teams, and the people around them.

How people respond to challenge is culture.
How comfortable they feel disagreeing with the boss is culture.
How performance is managed, how feedback is given, how mistakes are owned – that’s all culture.

So when people tell me “values aren’t a priority right now,” I can’t help but feel the pain of all the people in those teams who are operating in a free-for-all environment.

Because nine times out of ten, the reasons they’re firefighting would vanish if they’d defined what behaviour was and wasn’t acceptable in the first place, and equipped people to uphold it.

It’s like saying you’re too busy bailing water to fix the hole in the boat.

You could keep scooping, but wouldn’t it make more sense to patch the leak?

Defining values isn’t the fluffy stuff. It’s how you steer the ship.

Rock on.

We need to talk. Literally.

I’ve had so many conversations (ok, arguments) with my kids about using their phones to do the most shocking thing of all…

Actually call someone.

You know, a real, human-to-human, live, in-the-moment conversation. They resist it.

I’ve always blamed it on the generational thing, thinking this just affects people whose year of birth starts with a 2.

But honestly? It’s not just them.

Somewhere along the line, we all decided that typing was safer/easier/quicker/more convenient than talking.

Instead of picking up the phone, we fire off an email (or a Teams message, Slack ping, insert-your-platform-here).

Written words will always lack the tone, nuance, and connection of an actual conversation.

Especially when there’s conflict.

You know the drill:
Draft the spiciest email you can.
Hit send.
Sit back smugly thinking, “Ha! Winning.” (👋 Hello, Cheetah)
Until their reply lands… spicier.

Or maybe you’re the Ostrich – you avoid the call because it feels awkward, so you hide behind your keyboard instead. #conflictavoidance

Or perhaps you’re the Dog – you want to be kind, so you soften the email to the point where nobody really knows what you’re trying to say. 🐕 #clarityiskind

Either way, the result is the same: you’re not resolving anything.

And it’s not just one industry, or just “kids these days.”

I’m seeing this talk-avoidance right across sectors. Maybe it’s the hangover from remote working post-Covid. Maybe we’ve just got lazy. Or maybe it’s because schools don’t tend to teach one of the most essential leadership skills of all: conflict resolution.

But we show up differently when we’re in a live conversation.

We’re much more tuned in to how our words land.

We get instant feedback, which reduces misunderstandings.

And we’re less likely to dehumanise the other person (it’s a lot harder to be savage when they are right there).

Typing creates distance. Talking creates connection. Always has, always will.

Whatever the reason, the need to actually talk to each other will never go away. On the phone, or ideally face to face. #humanconnection

Because here’s the brutal truth: this is the number one reason I get called in for a Trust Repair Workshop. Relationships have broken down, stress levels are through the roof and the bottom line is it’s costing the organisation money.

And it’s not because leaders don’t know the strategy. It’s not because people aren’t clever. It’s because they’ve stopped talking to each other.

Instead, they’re hiding behind keyboards. Or worse, replacing words with eye rolls, tuts, and sighs.

So here’s my plea (ok, my rant):

Pick. Up. The. Phone.

Two minutes of human conversation beats two weeks of passive-aggressive email tennis, every time.

Because clarity is kind. Connection is human. And trust isn’t built behind a screen.

So, who do you need to call, not email, today?

Rock on.

“Oh ignore him, it’s just how he is.”

Sound familiar?

Translation: “We’ve given up trying to deal with him, so let’s all pretend it’s fine.”

Here’s the problem: what you tolerate, you teach.

If John talks over women in meetings and nobody calls it out, congrats – you’ve just made “mansplaining” an official part of the culture.

If Sarah shuts down people who think differently and everyone stays quiet, you’ve basically given her a VIP pass to keep doing it.

👉 Poor behaviour left unchallenged doesn’t disappear. It multiplies. And let’s be honest – if you don’t call it out, that elephant in the room is only going to get bigger.

And if the culprit is senior, the need to address it is more urgent, because culture always takes its flavour from the top. Toxicity from senior level leaders will trickle down faster than the redundancy rumours. And before you know it, the people who genuinely live and breathe the company values – the very people you most want to keep – will be the ones heading for the door.

Whoever is behaving inappropriately, keeping your head down with “I don’t want to get involved” isn’t neutral. That’s your Ostrich talking, and burying your head doesn’t make the problem go away, it just leaves you with sand in your ears.

Your job as a leader is to lead the culture. Ignoring poor behaviour is, ironically, poor behaviour itself.

And to the Dogs out there, here’s the truth: it’s not kind to stay silent.
Clarity is kind. Real support is speaking up.

So why don’t we?
👉Not sure what to say?
👉Worried about the backlash?
👉Think it’s above your pay grade?

You’re not alone.

Most leaders aren’t handed a magic script for these conversations. But once you learn how, you’ll wonder why you ever left it so long. “Difficult” conversations stop being difficult – and start being just Tuesday.

Here’s the truth: if nobody speaks up, that pyramid of toxicity will keep growing, faster than you can say “it’s not a pyramid scheme.”

The best time to address poor behaviour was the first time you saw it.
The second-best time? Right now.

Because silence doesn’t protect you. It just gives the nonsense free rent in your head. And honestly, haven’t you got better things to think about?

The antidote? Clarity is kind. Address it kindly, clearly, directly and in a timely manner before the rot spreads.

Rock on.

(Oh and btw, if you’re thinking “but I don’t know how to have those conversations” – that’s exactly what our Leadership Training is for. You’ll practise with an actor, so you can try out different approaches, see what lands, and find your voice. Not only will you master your difficult conversations, we (almost) guarantee belly-chuckle level laughter.)

But they did, because of this.

Let’s be honest.

The Lionesses didn’t play the best football in the tournament.

In fact, if you’re anything like me, you probably watched most of it from behind a cushion, muttering “Just clear the bloody ball!”

But they won.
Not because they were the most technically perfect team.

But because they had something even more powerful: trust, belief, and a leader who actually gives a damn about the humans.

Sarina Wiegman is being hailed (rightly) as one of the greatest leaders in sport.

But not because of her tactical genius (although she’s pretty damn good at that too…)

No one’s raving about her deep knowledge of formations or set pieces.

They’re talking about her character.
Her empathy.
Her unshakable belief in her players.
Her relationships.

She’s the kind of leader who combines the drive and determination of a Cheetah with the compassionate loyalty of a Dog.She sets the bar high, holds people to account and makes every player feel seen, safe and significant.

Because here’s the truth:

If you want long-term, sustainable success on the pitch, in the boardroom, or anywhere else, you’ve got to put people first.

Too many leaders still think:
👉 If I just master the strategy, the results will come.
👉 If I just hit the targets, the team will respect me.
👉 If I just look like I know what I’m doing, no one will question me.

But you’re not leading a spreadsheet.
You’re leading humans.

Skills matter. Results matter. But relationships are the multiplier.
When your team trusts you, they’ll go further. Fight harder. Stick together when it gets tough.

And let’s be real – it will get tough.

So if you’re still leading like it’s all about performance, here’s your halftime team talk:

Relationships first.
Results second.
That’s how you win.

(And if you’re only building relationships with the people who think like you? You’re not building a team. You’re building a fan club.

Don’t wait until the team falls apart. The Lionesses didn’t flinch in the panic of the penalties, because they trusted each other.
And that trust was built waaaaay before they travelled to Switzerland.

#SarinaWiegmanMasterclass #PeopleBeforePerformance 

Rock on.

I’ve just come back from holiday. (Sorry? Oh thanks for asking – Portugal.)

And for the first time ever… I didn’t take my laptop.

Not “didn’t open it much” – I mean, didn’t even pack it.

And wow.

I can’t tell you what a difference it’s made to my clarity, my energy, and my enthusiasm to get stuck back in.

My brain isn’t fried. My motivation isn’t flat.

And I’m more excited than ever about the training I’ve got coming up.

I was on a retreat with an old school friend – days filled with early morning lake swims, sauna sweats, ice bath screams, gym sessions, and full-on belly laugh snorts during mountain walks.

I even played volleyball for the first time since school – and blooming LOVED it. Turns out I’m quite competitive… 😉 #Cheetahallday

Honestly, by day three I couldn’t tell whether my abs were sore from workouts or from laughing.

And that’s when it hit me…

This is what real rest feels like.

Which brings me to this question:

Are you WFH?

(That’s Working From Holiday, in case you thought I meant your kitchen table.)

☀️ Your suitcase packed with sandals, swimsuits… and your laptop
📩 Your out-of-office lying through its teeth

The Wi-Fi password is the first thing you ask for at check-in.

You sneak into emails before breakfast.

And suddenly, that holiday you were so desperate for… feels suspiciously like work, just with more suncream.
#WFHolidays #LeadershipFatigue

But here’s the real question…

Why don’t you trust your team to step up when you’re away?

Is it because they’ve actually dropped the ball before?
Or because you’ve never really let them carry it?

If you’re hovering on holiday, you’re not delegating.
And if you’re not delegating, you’re not leading – you’re hoarding.
#DelegationMatters #LetGoToLead

Let’s bring in the #AnimalInfluencers, shall we?

🐶 Is it your Dog that feels guilty for resting, because you “don’t want to let anyone down”?
Reminder: burned out leaders aren’t helpful leaders. Oxygen mask. You first.
#BurnoutWarning #LeadWithBoundaries

🦁 Is it your Lion who just can’t bear giving up control?

Let someone else drive for once. Even you can’t be in the driver’s seat from a sunlounger.
#ControlIssues #LionLeadership

🐝 Is it your Honeybee, twitching at the thought of someone doing it differently (aka wrong)?
Their way might not be your way – and it might actually work.
#ProcessPerfectionist #HoneybeeHiccups

And while you’re busy micromanaging from your beach towel…

They’re tiptoeing around decisions, hoping not to mess up your version of right.

Because if the boss won’t step back, they assume they’re not ready.
#TrustYourTeam #PsychologicalSafety

So before you pack your charger alongside your passport… ask yourself this:

Did you really fork out thousands, fly four hours, and promise your partner/kids/friends real time together…
just to sit with your inbox in one hand and a mojito in the other?

Didn’t think so.

Rock on.