Leading Through Uncertainty

Bella Lewis-Smith is the founder and MD of Salad, a design and digital agency based in Dorset in the UK. Bella talks about the process of selling her business to become a 100% employee-owned business and the challenges she faced along the way. She explains how selling the business into an employee-owned trust enabled her to be much more honest about what she wants personally.

Even though Bella is still the MD, I can’t imagine how hard it was to let go of making all the decisions when the company was founded by her in the first place. That speaks volumes about her willingness to be bold and courageous, to work through the difficult conversations and build a deeper level of connection and trust in the process. Whether you are considering an employee-owned business model or not, there is much to take from her radical honesty and ability to bring people with her.

Where are you not being honest, either with yourself or with others?

What would you say if you spoke with the radical honesty that Bella mentions?

www.judejennison.com

Jane Huntington is the Head of Application Development for Guide Dogs. I’ve worked with Jane and her team and I have some understanding of the complexity and volume of technological change that they are leading. Jane talks about using an agile way of working to lead change, continually taking the next step forward, reviewing progress and adapting quickly where needed. And of course, she reminds us that accessibility is critical when using technology so we don’t leave people behind. 

What Jane and the Guide Dogs team have done is enhance the way they communicate as a result of remote working. I love how they have a culture of learning something and building on what works and dropping what doesn’t. You can only innovate if you are willing to embrace trial and error. Jane is a reminder that we can use technology to deepen connections but it’s how we use it that matters. That of course is down to humans, to us as leaders. 

Who do you want to create a deeper connection with and how might technology enable that to happen? 

www.judejennison.com 

Sope Agbelusi is a leadership consultant and coach and founder of the business Mindset Shift and the podcast host of Everyday Leadership. We discuss the need for courage and vulnerability in order to be authentic and have an inclusive workplace. Sope outlines the steps needed to create an inclusive workplace and is clear that the conversation is just beginning.

I loved how Sope reminds us that creating an inclusive workplace and society doesn’t need to be a mountain to climb but to consider it a bridge to cross to create connection. That can fundamentally shift the way we approach it because when something feels enormous, there is a tendency to drop it and see it as too big a problem. Instead, the invitation is to look at which bridge we can build to support one person and one conversation.

Who would benefit from your ability to build bridges and create connection?

How might that shift the mindset, behaviour and culture in your organisation?

Lee Evans is the founder of Mind Power Solutions and coaches the British Army’s leadership as well as elite athletes and business owners. He talks about how fear is the biggest challenge that every leader faces and how we need to change our relationship with it, moving from avoiding it to working through and with it. We also talk about finding your flow and the importance of self-awareness, especially when you are out of your comfort zone. Lee’s story of working in Afghanistan where he didn’t live his value around listening was such a powerful one and a reminder of how difficult it is to balance different values and be inclusive where others may have a different set of values. I echo his belief that living values is a courageous act and defining them without living and breathing them is worse than not defining them at all.  How well are you living your values? What happens when your values are at odds with those in your team?

Contact Lee: www.highperformancegrowth.com

Contact Jude: www.judejennison.com

Mary Gregory is a leadership consultant and coach and the author of the book Ego: Get over yourself and lead. We discuss the emotional side of change and the need to include the people side of change as a priority. Mary unpicks the ego in leadership and in relationships, exploring how it can be useful, as well as how it can get in the way. We discuss the shadow side of leaders, the importance of self-awareness and making conscious choices in service of the team and organisation.

Talking to Mary, I’m reminded of the importance of fine-tuning, to reflect on the choices we are making moment by moment in how we relate to others so that we get the best out of teams as well as bringing our best leadership to work. What small change might you make today to make you more effective as a leader?

www.judejennison.com

Rebecca Mander is the Founder of GuruYou coaching. As an executive coach, she specialises in supporting people in business who are undergoing personal setback. None of us are strangers to personal setbacks. We all experience challenges in life and work. Rebecca is an inspiring leader who has turned her own personal setback into a business supporting others.  I first met Rebecca two years ago and I invited her to share her personal story on this podcast. Her story is both heartbreaking and inspirational. She has applied what she knows and it works.

I’m always struck by what it takes to bounce back from personal setback and how we all do it in different ways. Rebecca is one of the most warm-hearted, generous and giving people I’ve ever met. Her warmth always lifts a room. She’s a testament to the incredible human spirit and what we can overcome. The key thing is reaching out for support – something she does wholeheartedly as well as giving generously. I encourage you to do the same. What’s your biggest challenge and who might support you and give you a new perspective on it?

www.judejennison.com

Rachel Fletcher is the CEO of Ofwat, the water regulator for England and Wales. Rachel shares the challenges for the water industry of the increased demand for water and the expectations on the environment. She talks about collaboration with different companies, as well as local environmental groups, communities and end users. Partnerships and collaboration are the key to everyone being part of the solution, a message that is very relevant to other businesses and industries too. The subtlety of collaboration requires an ability to have humility, vulnerability and to relinquish control.

In talking to Rachel, I’m struck by the delicate balance of problem-solving in an emotionally intelligent way using data and science to inform and guide. Our world is no longer binary, so we need to work in a more systemic and distributed way so that everyone becomes part of the solution. I think this applies to any business and industry.  How can you collaborate with others outside of your team or organisation?

www.judejennison.com

Jess Lonsdale is Internal Communications Director for Virgin Media. We discuss the importance of engaging in dialogue in a crisis to stay connected to employees. We also discuss the vulnerability of emotional connection, bringing your whole self to work, being more human in the workplace, changing the world, pushing boundaries, empowering others, resilience, and so much more!

My head was buzzing after talking to Jess. We covered so much – from remote working to being human. Jess’s warmth shines through and it shows that when there is the desire to create emotional connection, we can drop the masks and just show up as human beings. I love Jess’s view that we should try to change the world. I think if we all do a piece of that, we genuinely can. How does your work make a difference? In your team? Your business? And in the wider world? And how can you create a more human conversation in your team?

www.judejennison.com

Deb Leary is the CEO of Forensic Pathways, a business she set up in 2001 after overhearing a chance conversation at a police conference. Deb has built her business on innovation, designing products and services that meet specific market needs in the security sector, despite having no prior experience in that market. She talks honestly about the need to know when to let go of products when they are not hitting the mark and to continually look forward, hone those products or develop something new. At a time when every business is having to adapt, it is crucial to consider what needs to be re-designed, dropped or created.

I loved Deb’s approach to building a team who are better than her, as well as the stories of the family rows they have had around the table. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall for those?  Seriously, I’m inspired by her ability to stay focused on pulling the team together despite their differences of opinion, and the ability to achieve a common goal whilst also providing space for the team to make mistakes. I particularly enjoyed her line: “You have to let your team breathe or you’ll stifle creativity.” With the current uncertainty, leaders and teams definitely need to find a more emergent and fluid way of working together, without the need to control. Where do you need to let go of control? What might creativity open up for you and your business?

www.judejennison.com

Rachel Repper led the COVID-19 response for the NHS Supply Chain. She was responsible for ensuring that hospitals had the right equipment to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. People’s lives literally depended on her decision-making. She talks about the challenges of leading in a crisis, the learning curve of working with a new and expanded team and how having a shared purpose generated focus and commitment. She’s frank about her limitations as a leader and aware that others can do things better than she can. Such an enlightened and important awareness to have when she was right at the sharp end of getting equipment out to the NHS right at the heart of the COVID-19 crisis.

The image I had talking to Rachel is that her mobile phone is like a brick, full of phone numbers of people she can call on, no matter what the crisis is. Building and using the power of your network is underestimated but Rachel recognises that she can’t solve problems alone and having that extended network literally in the palm of her hand enables her to make better decisions collaboratively. I find it a comforting thought to know that in our mobile phones we might just have the answers to all the world’s problems if we are open to reaching out to others. How willing are you to help others? How willing would they be to help you if you reached out to your network? How might you develop your network in a more collaborative way? Somebody’s life might just depend on it. 

www.judejennison.com