As we head towards the end of the year, many of us are looking forward to an enjoyable festive season. However, this season also has its challenges, with things like loneliness, financial pressures and family situations, creating extra pressure and…
Being made redundant is tough. I’ve been through it twice myself, and I’ve supported hundreds of people through it in my HR and coaching career. So, I thought I’d share some tips to help you navigate this transition, covering the…
I’ve been reflecting on networking a lot over the last 18 months, and it’s been coming up in my coaching conversations too. When I was fresh into my career, the concept of networking scared me. It didn’t sound like it…
There were many times in my executive career where I had so much on, I didn’t know where to start. This kind of pressure made me feel overwhelmed and I often let work-life balance go out the window. The clients…
Fear of public speaking, coined glossophobia, is one of the most common phobias that exist. It’s often one we hear senior leaders complain about, with the thought of speaking in front of crowds or doing big presentations, nerve racking. However,…
Decisions, decisions, decisions! The average person makes around 30,000 of them every day. While many of these are mundane and require little thought, senior leaders are often required to make very important decisions, quickly, with little information or expertise. When…
Recently I was asked to take part on a panel to share my experiences of becoming a resilient leader. In preparing for the session I realised that, whilst I wouldn’t hold myself up as a role model of resilience, I’ve…
Over the last couple of years, ‘Equity’ has been included in our work around Diversity and Inclusion, so we now refer to ‘DEI’. But the equity component isn’t well understood across our organisations, and when it is focused on, it’s…
Acknowledged as a key pillar in Maslow’s 1950s hierarchy of needs model, the need for love and belonging isn’t new. It’s as old as humankind itself – giving us the felt sense that we are welcomed and accepted within a…
I’m thrilled that the NZ government has mandated gender pay gap reporting for larger organisations, and even with a potential change in government this will surely be required soon given the approach of numerous other countries. But it’s not enough…
Returning to work after becoming a parent can cause a lot of different emotions, from excitement and relief to guilt and nervousness. For many it can feel energising to be able to socialise freely with adults again, to ‘switch on…
We all know that becoming a parent is a time of massive change. Alongside the joy and love that comes with welcoming your wee one into the world, the reality is that parenting, especially for the first time, can cause…
Becoming a parent is a time of massive change. While incredibly rewarding, the experience, from inception through to toddlerdom (and beyond), can put significant stress and strain on parents. Returning to work can be particularly challenging; in addition to leaving…
The more time I spend working with organisations, the more I realise that culture change requires less talk, more action. ‘Company culture’ is still quite a nebulous concept, so leaders must demonstrate with tangible actions how they will operate as…
Diversity and inclusion are often used together, but they are not the same thing. Many companies are putting a huge emphasis on diversifying the makeup of their workforce, but few are taking tangible steps to build an inclusive culture. Inclusion…