…but this isn’t one of those articles! When I wrote my book “Be a Great Manager Now” a fair assumption may have been that I was “a great manager” who decided to write a book. While fair it would have been incorrect. This was not my life’s opus. Academically I studied it – my PhD is in business psychology, and teach the soft skills surrounding it; I have certainly held management roles within my own businesses and for others; and I work as a leadership coach. But the major

"We are not on a level playing field, but we are all judged as if we are." Billy Porter said in Collider when celebrating MJ Rodriguez's performance in mogul Ryan Murphy's Pose. Pose is set in the Black and Latino underground Ballroom scene in the 1980s. But Porter wasn't speaking about the 1980s subject matter, rather how today the stars of Pose (the largest transgender cast in leading roles - and they are magnificent) are not necessarily as seasoned as others who are alw

In 2019 Forbes listed the four 4 traits common to all successful leaders: Awareness Taking Action Accountability Unafraid to Ask All of the above certainly make a lot of sense, and would be echoed in the majority of writing on this subject – including my own books. To take each in turn: Awareness: Leaders must be aware of not just what is happening in their organization as a whole, but in their community and in their field – as well as the wider social zeitgeist. Having you

The problem is, while it’s hard right now, the bigger danger lies not in the current coping, reliance on state support and the fight itself – the hardest task will be rebuilding after Covid-19 has gone. “The traitor appears not a traitor” – Rebuilding is sometimes harder than survival “An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the al

I’m a remote worker – writing requires little more than document sharing with my publishers, and as a coach I often see clients online which helps with global time differences. I recently shared my top tips for working at home. Something which can be harder in practice, especially if you are not used to it: Working from home recap: - Try to keep separate places for work and home life (ideally a clearly defined space for work) - Keep a routine where possible – work times, brea

Wasn’t Zoom great at the start of March? This lesser known online platform came into its own, overtaking Skype and leaving Google, Facebook and WhatsApp wondering where everyone went. We were keeping in touch with our friends, conducting “business as usual”, having play readings, singalongs, yoga classes and all sorts of entertainment without even having to leave our rooms – or put on any pants. But recently we’re getting Zoom-ed out (or Microsoft Team-ed out)…we want to clos

Current circumstances remind us much more about what we need than what we want and at the moment it is clear what is being deemed “essential”: Healthcare, Food, Shelter, Sanitation, but also awareness of our interpersonal relationships (especially in lockdown) and protection of mental health. This series of "essentials" (in much the same order) is not dissimilar to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: While we would love to go out and meet friends in a pub or café, and we are perhaps

This is a personal opinion on the initial move to the “delay” stage of COVID-19 - I'm happy for it to open debate, but simply as a leadership trainer, I have written it to assist with my reflections on how I am going to use this as a teaching example. My personal opinion on the government’s latest (as of March 13th 2020) direction on the Coronavirus is it didn’t go far enough. I’m not for closing schools just yet because many parents work in the emergency services, but I bel

I've had that phrase "Jack of all trades" levelled at me for many years.  (So I'm a psychologist who's also trained in Law, History, Teaching, Business, Aerobics, Drama, Acting, Lifeguarding...and my career has taken me from a village primary school (which was probably my toughest gig) to the set of Bond, and now currently the UCKG TV studio with The Chrissy B Show and my own Leadership Training programmes...via Advertising, PR...oh and authoring a couple of books!)  I am hug

Leadership derailment was defined by Furnam (2013) as the leader who is “…thrown off course” or “unable to move forward”.  Experiences of derailment may include being demoted, or failing to reach a promotion – even failing unexpectedly when it was thought that you would reach a higher position.  It occurs when a leader is unable to adapt their skills to organisational changes or demands.  It is maintained when the leader refuses to believe that such adaptive behaviour is in t

I had the pleasure of meeting Master Planner, Landscape and Design John Goldwyn of WATG at the Tourism Megatrends Conference in Athens last week and the delight of discussing mentorship with him.  Both of us work with the upcoming stars of the future - in slightly different contexts - but we came to a similar conclusion...leadership skills centre around taking the "best" action (chosen from a wide variety of possible options), and being confident in following that decision th

When caring is part of your job, it is "emotional labour". You are not doing it to get something direct in return - that is not the place nor duty nor the obligation of the person receiving your care. Therefore, emotional agility includes SELF CARE. This is essential for the compassionate Leader or Manager - and anyone working in the care professions (teaching, nursing etc). Being great at caring for others is not always going to bring you rewards in kind - therefore you m