By Jessica Chivers
The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.
In the early part of his HR career Jonathan Clarke quit a role because the CEO of the company told him never again to put to put a gay candidate on a shortlist. He went on to work for PwC, the Department of Work & Pensions and is now the Human Resources Director at Kilburn & Strode LLP - European and UK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys.
We talk about the best boss he's ever had, Jackie Gittins - PwC UK Head of HR at the time - and what a powerful role model she was for him during his time at PwC. “I remember sitting in a big conference room and she was on stage addressing the whole of the HR function at PwC. She wouldn’t have known who I was at that point and I vividly remember sitting there thinking ‘you’re going to be my friend’. She was a very inspiring, authentic and honest human being and those were really attractive qualities to me so I sat at my table in that conference room and thought ‘how am I going to get noticed by you and how am I going to bring what I do into your world and how can I press you?.’ It took five years.”"
We talk about:
I hope there was value for you in this episode of Talent Keeping. If you liked it or learned something, please share it with a line manager in your life.
SEASON 2 is coming in 2021 where I'll be spinning the spotlight on organisations with some 'uncommon practices' that help attract and keep great people. Is there something positively unusual happening where you work? Why don't you tell me about it - please be in touch directly with me Jessica Chivers by e-mail [email protected].
Find us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn @TalentKeepersUK.
www.talentkeepers.co.uk
www.comebackcommunity.co.uk
The conversation featured Emily talking about her boss Sharmini in the Cabinet Office (UK Government).
The three brilliant boss behaviours Emily chose:
1. Honesty without inappropriately sharing too much.
2. Advocacy for her people.
3. Availability and approachability.
The most regrettable line manager behaviour Emily chose (not from Sharmini): Domineering, command-and-control behaviour.
The one people manager Emily would like to be common practice: Regular, specific thinking about career development goals and how to help people develop.
Key moments in the episode:
References & Resources
Come and be social with us @talentkeepersUK on Twitter and Instagram and on LinkedIn. You can find Jessica tweeting @jesschivers and posting @jhchivers on insta. Our online home is www.talentkeepers.co.uk and you can write to Jessica [email protected].
This conversation featured Katherine Forster talking about Fraser Nelson, Editor of The Spectator magazine, who gave her a break in journalism age 48 via a ‘blind’ aptitude test. Katherine now works at The Sunday Times and is a political commentator on Sky News. This is my favourite episode of the season and will be of particular interest to Heads of Resourcing, Inclusion & Diversity professionals, newspaper editors, journalists, people on career breaks, anyone who's ever wanted to change career and bosses everywhere.
In each season episode I've invited my guests to talk about one boss and three behaviours that make them remarkable. The three brilliant boss behaviours Katherine chose:
1. Inclusive approach
2. Positivity and encouragement
3. Being one of the team
The most regrettable line manager behaviour Katherine chose (not from Fraser) is leaders not mentoring and developing the people below them.
The one people manager Katherine would like to be common practice is recruiting via aptitude test not CV.
References & Resources
I was so delighted to have this conversation with Ren Behan because I knew I’d get two rousing stories for the price one – her career journey (criminal lawyer turned food writer and then returning to the law after a 12 year career break) and an insight into the word of Rayden Solicitors, a firm I’ve admired for many years because of their uncommonly excellent an award-winning approach to flexible working.
Back in 2006 when I’d been out of the City for two years and just had my first child, I met a lot of other new mothers in St Albans – where I still live - who were mainly lawyers, accountants and management consultants. The message I heard from them was that it was nigh on impossible to return to those big jobs on anything less than a full time contract or the old chestnut of five days in four at 80% pay.
The stories I was hearing was the catalyst for me writing my book “Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work (available in all good bookshops, Amazon and on Kindle). BUT Rayden’s was bucking the trend and actively enticing City lawyers by offering them part-time positions. Katherine knew she couldn’t compete with City salaries but arguably, she could offer something more precious to her would-be team of lawyers: flexibility and more time for life outside of work.
Katherine set up Rayden’s Solicitors in 2005 and the latest Legal 500 and Chambers rankings guides have described the firm as “Arguably the best non-London law firm specialising in family law.”
Katherine’s recognised by her professional peers, including the major London practices, as “the doyenne of family law”, "She's very much at the top of her job and the best individual in the area." She’s also been described as “a force to be reckoned with. Outstanding leadership, tenacious work ethic, she always delivers no matter what.”
So, to this particular episode. I talked to Ren about Katherine Rayden, founder and senior partner at the family law firm, Rayden Solicitors. Ren is a criminal lawyer turned food journalist and author who returned to the law in 2019 after over a decade away. We talk about why and how she decided to come back to law and the attractive, inclusive culture Katherine Rayden has created at Hertfordshire’s leading specialist family law firm. The latest Legal 500 and Chambers rankings guides have described Rayden’s as “Arguably the best non-London law firm specialising in family law.”
Ren marked Katherine out as a ‘brilliant boss’ for the following reasons:
1. Commitment to her team’s professional development
2. Commitment to flexible working
3. Firm-wide focus on wellbeing
Ren also shared her ‘most regrettable line manager experience’ (not from Katherine) which was inflexibility at the Crown Prosecution Service when she wanted to return after her second baby. She was told only senior prosecutors could work part-time and this ultimately led her to leave the law.
The one people manager Ren would like to be common practice is a focus on people’s strengths.
References & Resources
Jessica Chivers (who due to a technical hitch sounded like she was in a goldfish bowl throughout) was in conversation with Mike Grey, Head of University Partnerships at Grad Consult. Mike talked about his BRILLIANT BOSS and founder of Grad Consult, Rebecca Fielding. Grad Consult has worked with 50% of UK universities and helps students with employability skills. We chatted about the generosity Rebecca showed towards him when he took shared parental leave; psychological safety at work; flexing your style as a leader; how and Rebecca encourages divergent views and the consultancy’s approach to ‘radical honesty’.
The three ‘brilliant boss’ behaviours Mike chose are:
The most regrettable line manager behaviour Mike chose (not from Rebecca) was lack of backbone - not being prepared to stand up for staff even though they have done nothing wrong.
The one people manager Mike would like to be common practice is radical honesty.
References & Resources
The conversation featured Tom Rowley talking about Ellie Hughes at River Group Publishing. Tom Rowley is the editor of Healthy for Men and Ellie, the editor of Healthy magazine, the customer magazines from Holland & Barrett. As well as a thriving magazine Tom presides over a terrific podcast series, also called Healthy for Men, which won Best Branded Podcast at The Publisher Podcast Awards earlier this year. It’s a beautifully calm and peaceful conversation with a philosophical air to it. As well as covering three ‘brilliant boss behaviours’ we touch on imposter phenomenon and running valuable team meetings
The three brilliant boss behaviours Tom chose:
1. Leading by example
2. Giving everyone a voice
3. Highlighting people’s strengths
The most regrettable line manager behaviour Tom chose (not from Ellie): intimidation.
The one people manager Tom would like to be common practice: sitting down with direct reports once a month to talk about how they are (a conversation in addition to regular work-focussed 1:1s)
References & Resources
This is a story of a manager who supports the underdog and sees the potential in people. The conversation featured Sasha Bruce, and impressive mother of three, talking about a past boss, Matt Boom at GlaxoSmithKline. Sasha spent most of her career at GlaxoSmithKline working across urology and respiratory disease areas in sales, sales training and performance coaching. Today Sasha splits her time between the UK and Sweden working as a European Sales Training Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
The three brilliant boss behaviours Sasha chose:
1. Championing the underdog
2. Calmness and coolness under pressure
3. Perspective
The most regrettable line manager behaviour Sasha chose (not from Matt):
Controlling behaviour.
The one people manager Sasha would like to be common practice:
Accountability and integrity.
References & Resources
The conversation featured Michelle Parry-Slater talking about her boss, Andy Lancaster, Head of Learning at CIPD and author of Driving Performance Through Learning. Michelle previously worked with Andy in a consultant capacity to the CIPD and in 2019 stepped into full time employment at the Institute. We talk about why and how she made the transition from running her own business before diving into what makes Andy a brilliant boss.
The three brilliant boss behaviours Michelle chose:
1. Looking out for his team
2. Patience and care
3. Sharp focus
Michelle also shared her ‘most regrettable line manager experience’ (not from Andy) which was having her pregnancy outed by a drunken boss from across the Christmas party table.
The one people manager Michelle would like to be common practice is a focus on people’s strengths.
References & Resources
Rachel Jackson, Vice Chair of Inclusion & Diversity Board and software sales leader at Cisco talks about ‘brilliant boss’ Caroline Sowter. We also cover things bosses can do to support employees coming back from any type of extended leave and the psychology of laughter, self-disclosure and trust. We recorded our conversation in March 2020 when Rachel was on sabbatical (and before social distancing when sitting at a kitchen table with people outside your family was taken from granted).
The three brilliant boss behaviours Rachel chose:
Rachel also shared her ‘most regrettable line manager behaviour’ (not from Caroline) which was taking credit for other people’s work and humiliating team members as part of a group as a way to boost their own ego. The one people manager Rachel would like to be common practice is genuine care for team members and enabling their success.
References & Resources
I talk to Bruce Daisley, ex-Twitter EMEA boss, bestselling author and host of Apple’s #1 business podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat. This episode was a little bit different to what you’ll discover in the rest of this season of Talent Keeping (where my guests and I have a conversation about one brilliant boss and three of the behaviours that make her/him remarkable). Bruce and I talk about bad bosses; the future of work after social distancing; why Jurgen Klopp (manager of Liverpool football club) might be worth cloning (don’t be put off by the word football – we’re not actually talking football); creating a caring work culture; how teams can help shape a better boss above them and Bruce’s three favourite episodes of Eat Sleep Work Repeat (Zaynep Ton, Pippa Grange and Emma Cohen). It’s a great conversation with a man who’s had more contact with people who know about creating happy, productive workplaces than anyone else I can think of.
References & Resources
The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.