Uncategorized

We’ve just moved house. Which means we’ve spent months in and out of conversations with estate agents. Lots of them. And here’s what surprised absolutely no one. Most of them struggled to be honest. I know, shocking, eh? 😉 I have a very effective inbuilt bullsh*t detector and tolerating being lied to really isn’t my forté. Not in leadership. Not in business. Not when you’re standing in my living room telling me that you can absolutely sell my house for the best price by this time tomorrow and yes, of course, you operate differently from all the other estate agents in this area… bla bla bla. Agent after agent came in selling themselves. Their services, their stats, their shiny promises, … Read more

I want to be honest. I’m feeling pretty disheartened about leadership in this country right now. You’ll know if you’ve ever worked with me that I’m a firm believer that culture starts at the top. So when I watch the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition shouting across the Commons, name calling, point scoring and their own benches jeering, gesticulating and generally being obnoxious, I can’t help thinking: is this really the example we want our country to follow? When Kemi Badenoch took a personal swipe at Rachel Reeves after the budget, it didn’t feel like challenging ideas. It felt like proving who could land the sharpest dig. Imagine that in your boardroom. Someone proposes a direction for … Read more

When I used to work for a global financial services company, I was sent on a “team build.” Two days of quad bikes, trust falls, and… alcohol. Picture this: we were literally lifting each other up and passing bodies through random holes in a wall, more points for the higher holes, obviously. (If you were heavier and could only be lifted through the lower one, there was a lovely side effect of shaming.) Then came the “bonding,” code for seeing who could stay up latest, drink most, and still make it to breakfast before the bacon was cleared away. And the second morning? An even earlier start to “test our ability to operate under pressure.” In what way, pray tell, … Read more

…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 … Read more

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 … Read more

“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 … Read more

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 … Read more

  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 … Read more

  I was 7 months pregnant when I got made redundant from my lovely, secure, very ‘grown-up’ job at American Express. (And yep, the hormones were raging, belly like a beach ball, crying at dog food ads… it was A LOT.) This was back in 2002. We’re talking low-rise jeans, flip phones, and Destiny’s Child on the radio. It felt like the rug had been yanked out from under me by someone wearing steel-capped boots. I hadn’t planned it. I hadn’t asked for it. And I definitely didn’t feel ready to leave the ‘safety’ of full time employment. But here’s the thing about curveballs: They often knock us straight out of our comfort zone… and into a whole new chapter … Read more

      Loads of leaders ask me for leadership development book recommendations. But here’s the thing… There’s zero correlation between how many leadership books you’ve read and how effective a leader you actually are. Nada. Zilch. It’s like stocking your fridge with kale, kimchi, and turmeric shots for peak health—but never actually consuming them. You don’t get fitter by joining a gym. You have to show up and put in the reps. Same goes for leadership. You have to DO the stuff. Theories, frameworks, and inspirational quotes are great… in theory. But when you’re in the thick of it—leading a tough conversation, building a strong culture, or trying to inspire a disengaged team—knowing what to do isn’t enough. You … Read more