Leadership Learned

Just one in three business leaders think schools are doing enough to equip pupils with skills for work.  The part of the curriculum that focuses on the world of work is not statutory – however, 85% of business leaders, 90% of parents and 92% of young people think that it should be.

We think leadership skills should also be a key part of youth development, and in this episode we discuss why, including the benefits to the students, schools and businesses, what we mean by leadership skills in this context and why they're relevant to a young person's development, and much more.

Find out more about the Inspirational Development Group here: https://www.inspirationaldevelopment.com

You can contact us via our LinkedIn Profiles:

Inspirational Development Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspirationaldg

Nigel Girling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-girling-a2b7185/

Dr Rona Mackenzie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rona-mackenzie-4969991a/

Matthew Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgmoore/

Curiosity is a quality related to inquisitive thinking and is heavily associated with all aspects of succesfful human development and learning. Yet it is a quality that we are warned against as we grow ("Curiosity killed the cat") and we need less and less in the modern world, where everything is literally at our fingertips.

However, curiosity is vital for leaders in order to understand the people conundrum that is at the heart of business today. We need to be curious about people - why they do the things they do, what motivates them, how they experience things - and about our own development and possibilities in order to be a successful leader and follower.

In this episode we talk about this in greater detail, including why the intent has to be right, how to avoid it being seen as a weakness, allying it with reflection for the greatest gain, and ultimately why leaders should be curious every single day.

Useful Links:

"Curious" by Ian Leslie: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Desire-Know-Future-Depends/dp/1782064974

Nigel's article: https://www.inspirationaldevelopment.com/insight-hub/the-curious-leader-why-curiosity-is-an-increasingly-important-leadership-trait


Find out more about the Inspirational Development Group here: https://www.inspirationaldevelopment.com


You can contact us via our LinkedIn Profiles:

Inspirational Development Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspirationaldg

Nigel Girling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-girling-a2b7185/

Dr Rona Mackenzie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rona-mackenzie-4969991a/

Matthew Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgmoore/ 

Every leader has to face their fair share of 'courageous' conversations - those meetings with your team, peers or bosses where difficult, problematic topics have to be discussed. Everyone hates them but they are a necessity - so how can you make them as effective as possible? What can be done in advance to make sure both parties are fully prepared? Should you prepare differently depending on who you are talking to? And of course what are the tips for making sure the outcomes are productive and positive?

We discuss and answer these questions and more, including what people get wrong in these situations, and the biggest tip of them all: what you can do to avoid the need to ever have these difficult conversations in the first place.

Find out more about the Inspirational Development Group here: https://www.inspirationaldevelopment.com

You can contact us via our LinkedIn Profiles:

Inspirational Development Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspirationaldg 

Nigel Girling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-girling-a2b7185/

Dr Rona Mackenzie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rona-mackenzie-4969991a/

Matthew Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgmoore/

If there was something that had a significant, adverse effect on the productivity of around 50% of your workforce, you as a leader would want to know about it. 

Well, there is, and it’s called the Menopause. 

It is something that affects almost all women, at its worst it can be utterly debilitating, but even in its milder form it significantly affects a woman’s ability to perform at their peak. 

The modern leader needs to know their people and yet there is a silence around menopause similar to how there was with mental health up until a few years ago. It’s incredible that most men and quite a lot of women know little or nothing about it and we think it's time to have that conversation and explode that taboo. 

We discuss what it is, the effects it can have, why people don’t talk about it, and what can be done to support people going through it and alleviate its effect. 

Useful links:

Website:
Dr Louise Newson’s website: Balance: https://www.balance-menopause.com/

Book:
Menopocalypse by Amanda Thebe - https://amandathebe.com/book/ 

TV:
Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause (47 min) : https://www.channel4.com/programmes/davina-mccall-sex-myths-and-the-menopause

Davina McCall: Sex, Mind and the Menopause (47 min): https://www.channel4.com/programmes/davina-mccall-sex-mind-and-the-menopause 

Articles:

Brain Fog, Flushes & Frustrations: Menopause – Supporting the women we work with through their careers https://www.managers.org.uk/knowledge-and-insights/article/brain-fog-flushes-frustrations-menopause-supporting-the-women-we-work-with-through-their-careers/

 6 things all managers need to know about the menopause – https://www.managers.org.uk/knowledge-and-insights/article/6-things-all-managers-need-to-know-about-the-menopause/


LinkedIn Profiles:
 
Jo Bradshaw: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-bradshaw-keynotespeaker/ 

Nigel Girling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-girling-a2b7185/

Dr Rona Mackenzie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rona-mackenzie-4969991a/

Matthew Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgmoore/


Inspirational Development Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspirationaldg 

In this episode, we talk about the challenges leaders and managers will face in 2023. We talk about the broader skillset leaders will need and how they can deal with the subsequent increase in capacity. 

We discuss the growing requirement for authentic leadership, emotional intelligence and legitimate self-confidence, and also what cultural intelligence is and why its becoming important. 

We think it will also be key for leaders to have an articulated vision that everyone can follow, and - slightly more prosaically - why they need to do a systems audit. We also touch on why profit is no longer enough and people and planet should be high on every leader's agenda.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the topics we discuss in this episode. You can find us on LinkedIn or contact us via our website.

Useful links:

B Corp - https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/

Nigel's blog "What a leader needs to know for 2023 – the year of the ‘new different’ - https://www.inspirationaldevelopment.com/insight-hub/what-a-leader-needs-to-know-for-2023-the-year-of-the-new-different/

LinkedIn Profiles:

Nigel Girling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-girling-a2b7185/

Iain Robertson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iainjrobertson/

Matthew Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgmoore/

Mental Toughness: it’s not just about resilience, and its not something some people have and others don’t. It’s something that all leaders should look to develop, along with other personality aspects, in order to become the most effective leader possible.
In this episode we discuss what it is, what it isn’t, and how it can be developed and strengthened using psychometrics and diagnostics. We talk about the difference between modern psychometrics - flexible and adaptive to different personality types and contexts - and old fashioned personality tests that simply force people into a small number of archetypes.
Modern psychometrics can and should be used to improve your Mental Toughness, and along with others gain a true 360 degree view of yourself in multiple scenarios. 
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the topics we discuss in this episode. You can find us on LinkedIn or contact us via our website.
 
Here are links to some of the things we talk about in the episode:

“You Aren’t Actually Self Aware” - Ted Talk by Tasha Eurich 
 
“Mental Toughness: how to navigate the modern leader’s mental obstacle course” blog by Nigel Girling. 

LinkedIn Profiles:

 Nigel Girling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-girling-a2b7185/

Dr Rona Mackenzie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rona-mackenzie-4969991a/

Matthew Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgmoore/

What are the true drivers and motivators behind Human Performance? What is it that makes people deliver their best, consistently? And how can it be measured and developed?

We've been researching these topics and in this podcast we answer those questions and more. We discuss the key factors of behaviour, capability and wellbeing and why all three need to be given equal importance - without pandering or losing sight of the business side of things. We explain why money is a poor motivation tool, and what businesses that rely on financial incentives can do about that. And we put all of it in the current context of our remote working world.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the topics we discuss in this episode. You can find us on LinkedIn or contact us via our website.

Here is the link to Nigel's article: "What is Human Performance... and why every organization should care "

Whether you are about to step into your first leadership post, move into a different one, or even need to refresh your current role, the key is preparation and in this episode we will tell you why and how.

Chances are you will have achieved your position using a completely different set of skills to those required to be an effective leader. As you move into your role, you may be thinking about the things you want or should change - but the first thing you should start with is yourself.

Nigel Girling, former CEO of The National Centre for Strategic Leadership, and Dr Rona Mackenzie discuss why this is important, the real purpose of a leader, the attributes required including resilience (and what that actually means), and what you can do to first of all find out your areas of development need, and secondly how to improve them.

We also talk about the first few days of being a leader, how to get the best out of your new team, why you should listen and reflect before you take action, and knowing yourself and the shadow you cast over the organisation.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the topics we discuss in this episode. You can find us on LinkedIn or contact us via our website.

Here are links to some of the things we talk about in the episode:

Nigel's article: "Preparing to be a leader: five things to consider "

Books we mentioned:
"The Practice of Management" by Peter Drucker
"Developing Mental Toughness" by Peter Clough, Doug Strycharczyk, John L. Perry, Doug Strycharczyk
"Humane Capital" by Vlatka Hlupic
"Leaders Eat Last" and "Start With Why" by Simon Sinek
"Rebel Ideas" by Matthew Syed

Kindness: not a word commonly associated with leadership. But why? Studies have shown that practising kindness is a powerful and profitable driver of competitive advantage for many successful organisations. Yet as an attribute it can be seen as weakness.

This week, we investigate why this dichotomy exists and talk about the research exploring the effects of kindness, how it forms a vital part of effective leadership post-pandemic, and provide some practical advice and tips on how to make it a part of your leadership style.

Links:

More on the research conducted by the University of Sussex and the BBC


Here is Rona's blog that discusses some of the issues raised in the episode


Find us on LinkedIn:

The IDG LinkedIn Company page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspirationaldg/ 

Nigel Girling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-girling-a2b7185/

Dr Rona Mackenzie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rona-mackenzie-4969991a/

Matthew Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgmoore/