Beyond The Water Cooler

Dr Tracy Rea, Director and Founder of Talent Transfer Ltd, and Dr of Philosophy for talent transfer, joins me to discuss a much-needed perspective on rethinking skills, roles and people development.

At a time when so many employees are considering new roles in new companies, there has never been a more important time to consider the talent agenda. The need to create the right environment to fast track people to achieve organisation goals is evident. Here, Tracy explains how and why.

We discuss:

• Rethinking role boundaries to prioritise the skill set needed to meet strategic requirements 
• Operational vs strategic development
• The 'development' debate: upskill and employees may leave vs they leave anyway
• Creating the right environment for people to have a voice
• Self-awareness, including politics as experienced by individuals vs the good of the organisation
• The absence of intentional development to fulfil roles following recruitment and the impact on employee experience and staff turnover
• Servant leadership

Tracy knows her stuff! She is informative and talks common sense, so a question to ask yourself is: Why are more people not taking such a sensible approach to talent transfer and development?

As the founder of Talent Transfer (the rePSYCHling of talent), Tracy Rea has successfully created a framework grounded in high performance sport and applied across business. Her purpose is to enable others to successfully navigate their own transition across industries and roles to find work that is more meaningful. Conversely, she also works with organisations to help challenge, educate and inform their approach on strategic talent management to encourage a more diverse workforce. Her own experiences of moving across high-performance sport to financial services and to construction has proved this hypothesis, and she shares these lived experiences through lectures, workshops and coaching.

LinkedIn: Dr Tracy Rea Chartered Fellow CIPD

Website: www.talenttransfer.co.uk

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

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I'm joined by Andrew Dean, Director at Menlo Park to discuss gathering feedback to shape business. 

Andrew's LinkedIn profile says it all...

Our methods and purpose come from our belief that everyone should be happy and fulfilled at work. Placing the right people, in the right roles, will increase happiness, security and productivity in the workplace, in turn, leading to people enjoying an overall greater sense of well-being in their lives.

We put those capable of making a big positive difference, within environments that embrace their qualities and with technologies that enhance their skills; driving innovation and solutions that benefit patients. People that can pursue their passion at work, persevere, stay the course and achieve great things.

Obviously, recruitment is about people, but Andrew's take on creating a company that consciously shapes the best experience for its employees is something we can all learn from, no matter our industry. 

We explore Menlo Park's 'Work from Anywhere' policy, but we really zoom in on their 'Ideas Laboratory', part of their process for hearing their people's voices.

This is a new approach that took courage to lead in-house. Andrew shares his practical ideas about:

• How he shaped the methodology to feel safe
• How people engaged
• What was discovered
• The dynamics between people who have experience elsewhere vs others whose perception of the industry is wholly Menlo Park's approach
• What leaders should be doing to make a positive difference for their employees

Andrew Dean is Director at Menlo Park Recruitment, an award winning health care recruitment consultancy. Menlo Park are back to back winners of Recruitment Agency of the Year (GP Awards), and were given a recent nod at the Recruiter Awards; highly commended in the best Public Sector Agency category. Andrew believes recruitment agencies are essentially data and marketing companies; and you have to be really good at both, in order to be successful. To be authentic and expound a set of values, you have to live them in the office. That starts with making Menlo a great environment in which to work.

LinkedIn:

Andrew Dean

Menlo Park Recruitment

Website: www.menloparkrecruitment.com

After Action Reviews: 

Racing Ahead with After Action Reviews – with Rob Smedley - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

After Action Review - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Workplace Insight:

Find out what's really going on Workplace Insight | It's time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Hear me talk about wellbeing and engagement in the workplace with Brodie In Menlo Park's series of talks with mental health professionals: Corporate Challenges - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Life Beyond the Numbers podcast Beyond The Numbers (beyond-thenumbers.com)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

In this episode we discuss a big topic... the metaverse! 

I'm joined by Magnus Wood, Co-Founder of The Kindness Corporation who has a lot to say about working kind in the metaverse, and who is behind the Metaverse Coalition.

We discuss the changing world of work and how virtual reality is going to be part of our day-to-day reality in not-too-far a future. This shift in how we communicate and interact raises lot of questions, which we discuss here. 

There are key considerations for leadership as they embrace this change. We explore how companies can reduce anxiety that many people will have about a such a unique way of working. And we recognise the value that many employees who are more both familiar and secure in the VR world can bring to the organisation. 

Magnus is great at connecting the metaverse with the need to #workkind and he explains the return on investment from the largest study on workplace kindness conducted last year. 

The future is just around the corner when we consider the number of companies already working with the metaverse; it is no longer a concept that we can put off engaging with. Magnus helps us to understand how to start the conversations in our organisations, and how to provide a collective voice that will maintain the human element of a virtual future.

Magnus Wood runs The Kindness Corporation. After a successful corporate career, culminating in running a multi-million dollar creative production company, Magnus stepped away in 2019 to start an exploration of workplace kindness. So convinced by its power he published The Kindness Code book in 2020 and started The Kindness Corporation, which now works globally helping work suck less and businesses thrive more.

LinkedIn: Magnus Wood

Instagram: @magnuswood

Twitter: @magnuswood

Websites:

thekindnesscorporation.com

www.workkind.community

Metaverse Coalition (notion.site)

A Manifesto for Working in the Metaverse | The Kindness Corporation™

Engage for Success: The Movement - Engage for Success

Thriving in Increasingly Demanding Times – with David MacLeod OBE - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Future Work Forum: Home - FutureWork Forum

Are leaders all they’re cracked up to be? – with Stuart Neilson - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Return on Character: The Real Reason Leaders and Their Companies Win by Fred Kiel | Goodreads

The #WorkKind Community: www.workkind.community

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Pete Sanders, Co-Founder and Group MD at The identifi Group, joins me to discuss the challenge of recruitment in a world where the workforce is so dispersed. 

This is something that so many companies are struggling with right now, despite the fact that arguably, it should be easier than ever to recruit when remote working is the norm. So, what really is getting in the way?

We explore:

• How the 'dis-connect' can enhance diversity
• How open companies are to exploring the real reason for needing to recruit
• How companies can position themselves as meaningful organisations to engage with, in a digital world
• How to win the race to recruit talent, faced with the dilemma about skill sets vs cultural fit
• How to provide a consistent candidate experience so that companies demonstrate their care from the outset.

Pete explains how his company drives a partnership that motivates employers and recruiters to do the right thing by those looking for work. A Candidate Charter shapes an experience that is meaningful and positive, even when candidates are not selected for the role. 

If you're not sure the effort is worth it, listen to what Pete has to say about their stats (based on client feedback) compared to the industry average! The recruitment process really is a significant part of employee experience and your brand.

How confident are you that prospective employees, who are then rejected, would talk favourably about you and promote your company?

If you would like help to understand and develop your purpose, culture, and people, get in touch with Pete or It's Time for Change.

Pete Sanders is an Executive Search Specialist and Owner & Co-Founder of identifi Global. Pete also hosts the People First Podcast Series, which shines a light on great companies that truly value their people. Pete has 20 years experience recruiting mid-senior level technical & business specialists. He founded identifi Global on the simple premise of providing first class candidate experience. identifi Global is the only recruitment company that rewards it consultants based on candidate experience.

LinkedIn:

Pete Sanders (@peterecruiter)

identifi Global Resources

Facebook: @identifiglobal

Website: www.identifiglobal.com

Authentic, self-aware leadership: Transcending Leadership - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

There's no such thing as a bad interview, only a bad interviewer: Identifi Global (www.identifiglobal.com)

Identifi Global Candidate Charter | Identifi Global

Identify Me | Identifi Global

Workplace Culture: 14 Steps - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Graham Ballantyne, Director and Owner of UK Business Mentoring Group, joins me to discuss umbrella leadership.

This conversation unpicks the term 'umbrella leadership' and why leaders might choose to use that approach.

We also discuss some of the dangers of using that style of leadership, and how to mitigate for those. 

As someone who used the approach with mixed success, Graham talks about it with conviction. As with any 'tool', it's about knowing why, when and where it can be useful. It's also about being aware of the pitfalls so that you engage with the approach with your eyes wide open.

We explore some of the key components of effective leadership that should underpin:

• our approach to achieving the best experience for our teams
• achieving the most from our teams
• and our ability to maintain a healthy sense of balance in a role that we consciously create.

Graham is a director of the UK Business Mentoring Group where he supports boards and business owners across all aspects; from strategy, growth, succession planning, governance, turnaround, leadership, executive coaching and exit planning. Prior to this he spent 30 years in banking and financial services mostly in senior leadership roles. Graham has supported thousands of businessess over his career across a host of industries. Graham is passionate about education, social mobility and creating great environments for people to sucseed and be the best versions of themselves.

LinkedIn: Graham Ballantyne - Busines Mentoring Oxfordshire Berkshire

Facebook: UK Business Mentoring Oxfordshire

Website: www.ukbusinessmentoring.co.uk/business-mentors/graham-ballantyne

Authentic, self-aware leadership: Transcending Leadership - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

The Johari Window - Bing video

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

* NEWSFLASH: Emma is recruiting! If you'd like to join her awesome team, click on the link here *

Emma Browning, Managing Director of Meraki HR Solutions, joins me to discuss the role of stay interviews.

Morgan McKinley found earlier this year that 42% of UK professionals do NOT know what their employer is doing to try and retain them. 

Stay interviews are part of a process that helps organisations understand what matters to their employees, and what they’d like to see improve, before those people decide to leave. 

Some of you will think that you already tick the box for seeking the views of your workforce. But if that's simply through engagement or satisfaction surveys, think again. Stay interviews are a very different platform to collaboratively explore ideas; they can identify root causes of problems and find solutions that actually make a difference.

In this episode of Beyond the Water Cooler, we unpick just what difference these conversations can make to identify and correct problems, and to gain clarity about the positives so that you can continue to build on these.

We discuss some pitfalls, for example when your culture does not foster the psychological safety necessary for open, trusting and honest conversations. 

And Emma shares some great examples of questions to ask employees to really uncover what's going on!

If you're committed to making your employees' experience as good as it can be, stay interviews need to be part of your regular practice.

Emma is a highly qualified and experienced HR Director, with a strong and proven pedigree in delivering results to the bottom line, fast. She continues to work with clients directly and particularly likes to work with growing businesses to help them develop the right people strategy that will enable their growth, working with business leaders/people managers who want to improve their leadership skills. Emma is also an engaging trainer and facilitator who will create and deliver workshops on a wide range of people management topics such as Recruitment, Coaching skills for the Manager, How to have Difficult Conversations as well as How to Conduct an Effective Appraisal.

Emma is a Fellow of the CIPD and has a Postgraduate Degree in HR and Masters Degree in the Management of Innovation and change from Oxford Brookes Business School.

Any of you who know and have worked with Emma, will know the high standards she works to and you can expect nothing less of her team!

Did you know……? Emma’s favourite pastime is hill and fell walking in the UK with her husband.

LinkedIn: Emma C Browning

Website: merakihr.com

Email: [email protected]

Majority of professionals would leave if not offered work flexibility | theHRD (thehrdirector.com)

What is the ONE incentive that would make UK employees change jobs? | theHRD (thehrdirector.com)

Engagement surveys...worth it? - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Are you a good listener? | Meraki HR (merakihr.com)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Rob Smedley, CEO and Founder of Smedley Group, joins me to explore After Action Reviews (AARs) as a tool for driving positive change.

We delve into a lot more than AARs though, as Rob has built his company around a very clear mission that is about disrupting the motorsport industry. 

He is also taking the lead in the business by very intentionally creating a team that can develop, innovate, and perform at the same high standards that he is used to from Formula 1. His focus on building the culture, behaviours and expectations that are necessary to succeed in business today are what drove Rob to engage with the AAR process.

When we hit ‘pause’ and ask the right questions, we are able to highlight strengths and find out what can be done differently next time to make the experience more positive and make it easier to engage and perform.

Yet, in many organisations, people feel the need to cover their back and find who’s to blame when things don’t go as well as they could, rather than focus on the learning. An After Action Review, within a climate of psychological safety, provides huge insight that is directly relevant to drive positive change.

Rob shares how the AAR has impacted on practice. He has found the process so valuable that an interim AAR is on the cards; why wait until the end of a project to review it?

Rob Smedley has over 20 years of experience in the world of motorsport, having spent time at multiple F1 teams including Jordan, as a Race Engineer at Ferrari and as Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams before taking on the Director of Data systems at Formula 1 from 2019 to 2021. He now works with some of the world’s leading technology brands helping them deliver solutions as well as running his own advanced technology and motorsport business. In between times he acts as a consultant to F1 helping them shape their technical roadmap.

LinkedIn: Rob Smedley

Website: totalkartingmotorsport.com

Find out more about the AAR process in my blog: After Action Review - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Rob's disruption to the status quo is welcomed (by most - see the comments): LinkedIn: Lisa LLoyd: Purpose Driven Employee Experience

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Colin Minto, Global Early Careers Talent Attraction Lead at HSBC, joins me today to discuss OCD. 

As someone who lives with OCD himself, he enlightens people about the reality, guides companies about what they should and should not do, and helps us think about the mental health condition differently. 

There will be many people who will not think this episode of Beyond the Water Cooler is relevant to them. But the conversation stretches far wider than OCD. We discuss individual human differences (regardless of what they are about), broader mental health, and utilising people's strengths. We explore how to get the best out of people, about leading with compassion and authenticity, and about a different take on remote working. 

Colin explains OCD and the impact it can have, manifesting itself in different ways for different people. He shares his experience in a way that is informative and thought provoking. How many people in our organisations appear to be functioning well but are consumed with so much more mental noise than we're aware of?

We discuss ways of managing OCD, and how employers can (must) do their part.

Colin is engaging and realistic. This conversation is much more than a focus on OCD - it's about creating a company that is most likely to succeed in the future.

To find out more about Colin's take on medication, listen to the 3 minute clip here (we ran out of time in the podcast!) 

Colin is a Global TA and Employer Brand Leader and OCD Survivor, Influencer and Activist.

LinkedIn: Colin Minto

Twitter: @colinminto

Instagram: @ocdunplugged

TikTok: @ocdunplugged

Homepage - OCD Action

About OCD | OCD-UK (ocduk.org)

Mental Wellbeing Webinar - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Genesis - The Eleos Partnership

OCD October

Katie d'Ath: OCD Treatment (YouTube)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

This episode is a little bit different.

My guests from series 2 have shared their thoughts to 3 questions that have impacted on who they are today:

• If they could rewind 10 years, what advice would they give themselves?
• What have they learned about themselves to keep hold of into the future?
• And what one thing would they leave in the past?

It is worth listening to what they have to say because their insight is a real opportunity to evaluate the path that you are on.

How aligned is your reality to the experience you want?

What is within your control to change?

Whether it is about mindset, letting go of fear, or collaborating with the right people, there is something that should resonate with you in what these guests share.

There are some real gems of advice that really add to what they had to say in their individual conversations throughout season 2. I'd urge you to think about who resonates and then check out their episode.

Thank you to:

Celia Champion

Maureen Robson-Norman

Dave Harms

Lydia Berry

Will Shorter

John Holland

Sheila Lord

David MacLeod OBE

Dan Sodergren

Eric Collins

If you're feeling stuck and would like to chat about how to re-shape your experience, how to explore these challenges with your wider team, or about changing the direction you're moving in, drop me a line - I'm here to help.

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Join the Club to stay in the loop: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]

Series 2: The how to getting employee experience right.

Award winning Eric Collins, MD at The Jackloc Company, joins me to share what he has learned and how he has overcome the challenges that he has experienced during his 35 year corporate life before taking on his own business. 

Eric is driven by doing what is right for people and so he is very much onboard with the need for positive employee engagement, great company culture and effective leadership. 

Some of the areas we explore include:

• The need for ongoing professional development at every stage of your career
• The importance of an open mindset, self-awareness and empathy for others
• The role of personal, guiding principles, including a conscious decision about the work-life pull 
• Barriers to engagement for CEOs, unpicked through work with Engage for Success
• The reality that culture change does not suit everyone
• Benefits for your brand when you focus on creating a thriving, engaging company culture
• The impact of employee engagement and ability to thrive on growth potential and burnout, referring to the Gallup State of the Global Workforce 2022 report
• Leading a strategic plan for a thriving and engaging company culture, including a vision, a story and your own special gems
• Actions for leaders to take away, that make a real difference

The message is simple: don't over-complicate leadership. Remember that what ever the future of work looks like, people are human beings so treat them like human beings. That will never change.

Eric is an experienced and commercially orientated Managing Director with success and knowledge of culture change and colleague engagement. He is an advocate of providing the very best customer service and journey. He lead a multi national packaging company to the engagement & overall company of the year award 2010 from the CIPD/People management. Eric is currently owner and Managing Director of The Jackloc Company Ltd - the leading window safety product business.

LinkedIn: Eric Collins

Twitter: @JackLoc_

Instagram:

@jacklocuk

@ericgcollins

Website: www.jackloc.com

Email: [email protected]

Engagement Through CEO Eyes Report - Engage for Success

Future Engage Deliver

Gallup State of the Global Workforce: 2022 report

The Movement - Engage for Success

Steve Radcliffe: Leadership Plain and Simple:

Youtube: 03 Steve Radcliffe: Leadership Plain and Simple

Book: Radcliffe, Leadership: Plain and Simple, 2nd Edition | Pearson | Overview

David Macleod podcast episode: Thriving in Increasingly Demanding Times – with David MacLeod OBE - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Dan Sodergren podcast episode: Future of Work: Not What You Think – with Dan Sodergren - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

Developing self-awareness to transcend leadership: Transcending Leadership - It's Time for Change (itstimeforchange.co.uk)

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/lisapsychology

Website: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk

Sign up for Lisa's Monthly Bulletin: www.itstimeforchange.co.uk/jointheclub

Email: [email protected]