Thinking on leadership, culture, and the conversations that matter.
Written by Jo Andrews. No frameworks for the sake of it. No theory without application. Just honest thinking about what it actually takes to lead well, and what gets in the way.
All of our behaviours are based in fear. How do you feel when I tell you that? (Doesn’t sound very fun, does it?) But it is the fear of each of our animal influencers that drives our behaviour. For me, my strongest fear is the fear of the Cheetah, which is a fear of underperforming. When you look back on my career and experiences that becomes pretty apparent… Ex-international gymnast and 4x World Record Holder in Indoor Rowing, over here. #ProofOfThePud I’m a performer, and I overdeliver in everything I do because I fear underachievement. But one thing I have heard before is this, “I don’t buy it. I don’t have any fears” A gentleman once said this to me after … Read more
Did I mention? I’ve been to *cough* MIAMI! That’s right, I was flown to The Magic City to bring leadership training to a fully remote team. Their team members aren’t just scattered across America, they have people in Australia, Delhi – in every corner of the globe. Now, the remoteness is amazing for them because it means they have the best possible people working in those roles. Location? Not an issue. In the same breath, they have the challenge of working in different timezones and it became clear that they were unintentionally working in silos. #TeamBuildingIsDifficult Yet last week, this company flew every single team member to Miami to meet in-person for the VERY FIRST TIME! (Did I mention that … Read more
Can I tell you something rather delicious? The Training Rock (that’s us) is fully booked until May. YUM! But fear not, if leadership training is on the agenda for 2024, now is the best time to get the ball rolling. Because when your leaders thrive, so does your business. Here’s how we can help you this year: #1. Team Leadership Programme Invest in your leadership team and watch your organisation thrive. Put your full leadership team through an 8-week battle-tested training tailored to your organisation’s values and goals. Empower your people to lead themselves first, build trust with their team, create a culture that people WANT to be a part of and ultimately achieve better results for your business. “We … Read more
Be honest, who’s been annoying you this Christmas? You’re there, trying to get into the spirit of the season, and someone undoubtedly makes you seethe with irritation. Maybe it’s your nagging Aunt. Maybe it’s your aloof partner. Maybe it’s your demanding kids. Maybe it’s your intrusive boss. Maybe it’s your depressing neighbour. Maybe it’s your worrying sister. There’s so much potential for some festive friction. Throw alcohol into the mix and you’ve got yourself a recipe for some spicy situations. Boozy Lions can become very direct and throw themselves into confrontation (which they thoroughly enjoy). Put them face-to-boozy-face with a Hedgehog, who gets a little more sensitive with every glass of port, and they can feel like they’re being personally … Read more
If there is one thing you can count on from Boris Johnson, it’s a bumbling array of lies and a complete denial of the truth. How fabulous. Unfortunately, 2020 was a year when our country needed a leader who could guide us through a time of utter chaos most will never forget. What we had to settle for was something totally different. No matter which political party you support – this is not going to be a political debate, promise – one thing cannot be denied… The Tories have lied through their teeth throughout the current Covid-19 Inquiry. Now, imagine being thrust into a burning spotlight, a country of eyes clamped on you, knowing all too well that you royally messed … Read more
Strangely, mushrooms grow best in the dark. Fungi feed off the darkness, using it to sprout, grow and multiply. And what do mushrooms have to do with leadership? Like mushrooms, conflict also grows and multiplies when left in the dark – not the darkness of a damp cupboard, but more the metaphorical darkness of your silence. You see, conflict thrives in your avoidance of it. It feeds off your inner monologue (it’s ok – you’re not the only one who argues with colleagues in your head). And it risks exploding into a mushroom cloud of rage if not brought into the light (especially if you tell Freddy in Finance and Helen in HR about it while you’re avoiding actually addressing … Read more
At The Training Rock, we talk a lot about TRUST. And no, the capital letters are not for dramatic effect. For us, TRUST is an Acronym: And the first T stands for: T – Talk to the right person The simple rule here is: Talk to the person you’re talking about. Go on, be honest, how many times have you been at the coffee machine talking about what Susie said to Deirdre and how wrong she was about… bla bla….. In the meantime, Susie is talking to Gary about what you said and when Gary explains what Susie thought to Deirdre then the brown stuff hits the fan. Am I right? Worse still, when you’re in conflict with Barry, rather than … Read more
What’s your default response when faced with conflict? I’m talking about those potentially uncomfortable conversations which can make our stomachs churn. I tend to see three themes (all with their associated variations) when faced with one of those chats which makes your mouth go dry and sends your imagination into overdrive about how it might go. Avoid it altogether – Ostrich anyone? You know, head firmly in the sand with the ‘if I ignore it, it will magically disappear’ approach. Spoiler alert – it won’t. Pass it on for someone else to deal with – that might be your leader, a colleague or those poor folk in HR who tend to get lumbered with all the stuff nobody else wants … Read more
If talking and hearing about football does for you what spreadsheets do for me, then feel free to look away now. If you follow football, even vaguely, you’ll be aware that the Women’s Football World Cup has been taking place in Australia and New Zealand, featuring the UK’s Lionesses managed by Sarina Weigman in the final this Sunday. I’ve just been listening to Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 where Anita Rani was interviewing the former Lioness Ellen White, top female goal scorer and a key part of the European Cup Champions team last year. The chat was all about the England Manager Sarina Weigman and what makes her such a successful leader. I was driving while I was listening … Read more
I often hear leaders talking about the importance of giving feedback and how to ensure the recipient receives the message in the way it was intended. There are so many models for giving feedback; I clearly remember being introduced to the sh*t sandwich a few decades back, where you basically skim over the most important part…. At The Training Rock, our approach to feedback is to reframe it. The very name ‘giving feedback’ suggests that you need to do the talking. It also implies looking BACK. Spoiler alert: you can’t change the past. When we reframe ‘giving feedback’ to ‘understand’ we go from ‘oh I need to give her feedback so that she stops being late and starts logging in … Read more
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