In this Lab Notes episode, Lucy and Luke reflect on their conversation with Rachel Newman and explore the role values play in leadership, culture and personal alignment.

They discuss why organisational values need to be more than words on a wall, how reward strategies can reinforce or undermine culture, and why authentic leadership starts with understanding what really matters to you.

Rachel’s reflections prompt a deeper conversation about walking the talk, making values-based decisions, and the importance of being true to yourself in a way that is sustainable, honest and impactful.

This episode is for leaders, people professionals and facilitators who want to think more intentionally about values, self-awareness and the culture they are helping to create.

What values do people experience from you?

Where are your personal values currently aligned with your work?

Where might there be a gap between what your organisation says it values and what it actually rewards?

What decisions have you made recently that reveal what really matters to you?

Are your values something you talk about, or something you live?

Rachel’s Episode on Leadership Lab: https://leadershiplab.com/episode/rachel
Insights Discovery Profile: https://www.thecolourworks.com/what-is-insights-discovery

In this episode of The Leadership Lab, Luke and Lucy are joined by Rachel Newman, founder of Stour People Practice, to explore what it really means to lead in alignment with who you are.

Rachel shares her journey from a 30-year career in HR, including senior roles across IKEA, the arts sector and the RNLI, to stepping away from a traditional senior leadership path and redefining success on her own terms.

Together, they discuss values-led leadership, the myth of busyness, the pressure to keep proving yourself, and why sustainable performance starts with understanding what really matters to you.

This is a conversation for any leader who has ever looked successful on the outside, but wondered whether the role, the pace or the version of success they are chasing still fits.

Rachel’s leadership element for the Periodic Table of Leadership Behaviours is: Alignment.

Find out more about Rachel and Stour People Practice: https://www.stourpeople.co.uk/

Find out more about The Colour Works: https://www.thecolourworks.com/

In this Lab Notes episode, Luke and Lucy reflect on their recent conversation with Nic Scott, exploring the role of coaching, questioning and trust in effective leadership.

Building on Nic’s hypothesis that the leaders who create the most value are not always the ones with the best answers, but the ones who ask the best questions, Luke and Lucy unpack what this really means in practice.

They discuss how different Insights Discovery colour energies can influence coaching styles, from the pace and directness of Fiery Red, to the enthusiasm and connection of Sunshine Yellow, the empathy and patience of Earth Green, and the structure and reflection of Cool Blue.

The conversation also explores the importance of self-awareness, authenticity and rapport when coaching others. Luke and Lucy consider how leaders can adapt their approach without losing themselves, and why trust is often the foundation that allows meaningful questions to land.

This episode is a reflective conversation for anyone interested in coaching, communication, leadership development and using questions to create deeper insight and connection.

www.thecolourworks.com

In a world where knowledge is everywhere and answers are easier than ever to find, is knowing the answer still a leader’s greatest strength?

In this episode of The Leadership Lab podcast by The Colour Works, Luke Wiltshire and Lucy Pearson are joined by Nic Scott, founder of Seeds Coaching, to put her leadership hypothesis under the microscope:

“The leaders who create the most value aren’t the ones with the best answers. They’re the ones who ask the best questions.”

Nic shares her journey from the wine industry and multi-site leadership into learning, development and coaching. Together, they explore how curiosity and coaching skills can help leaders build trust, create psychological safety, empower their teams and unlock better performance.

The conversation examines whether every leader can learn to coach, whether everyone wants to be coached, and when employees need questions rather than clear direction. Nic also shares her perspective on AI coaching, remote leadership and why slowing down to ask one more question can ultimately save leaders time.

In this episode, they explore:

• Why leaders do not need to be the expert in every situation
• How better questions encourage ownership and accountability
• The relationship between coaching, trust and psychological safety
• When leaders should coach and when they should provide direction
• How coaching can support remote and hybrid teams
• Whether AI coaching can replace human connection
• Why curiosity should be directed inward as well as towards others

Nic’s leadership behaviour for the Leadership Lab Periodic Table is Curiosity — the willingness to remain open, challenge assumptions and stay interested in both your people and yourself.

Her practical challenge for leaders is simple:

Can you ask one more question?

Nic Scott is the founder of Seeds Coaching, helping organisations develop coaching cultures where people can think better, lead more effectively and take greater ownership of their performance.

Connect with Nic and explore more of her work:

LinkedIn: Nicola Scott – Seeds Coaching
Instagram: @seeds_coaching
Website: seedscoaching.co.uk

The Colour Works is a people development consultancy helping organisations build more human, connected and effective workplaces.

Through leadership development, team effectiveness, culture change, executive coaching and Insights Discovery, we help individuals and organisations develop greater self-awareness, improve communication and unlock sustainable performance.

Discover more about our work, workshops and leadership development programmes at: thecolourworks.com

The Leadership Lab is a podcast from The Colour Works, exploring real leadership challenges through honest conversations, fresh thinking and practical experimentation.

In this first episode of Lab Notes, Luke Wiltshire and Lucy Pearson reflect on the opening experiment of The Leadership Lab by The Colour Works, featuring mindset coach and psychotherapist Jonny Holden.

Together, Luke and Lucy unpack the key themes from Jonny’s conversation, including identity, career pivots, vulnerability, dreaming bigger, and the role leaders play in creating space for people to imagine what could be possible.

A big focus of this reflection is listening — the first behaviour added to the Leadership Lab Periodic Table. Luke and Lucy explore why listening is so much more than hearing, how it can shape organisational culture, and why leaders need to create the conditions for people to share their dreams, ideas, and ambitions.

This episode is a chance to go deeper into the conversation, pull out the practical leadership lessons, and ask what it really means to lead in a way that helps people feel heard, valued, and inspired.

The Leadership Lab is bought to you by - The Colour Works, please vist the website to find out more https://www.thecolourworks.com

In this episode of the Leadership Lab, Johnny Holden shares his unconventional journey from acting to psychotherapy and mindset coaching. He explores the importance of dreaming big, vulnerability in leadership, and how listening can transform organisational culture.

To find out more about Jonny and his coaching work please visit his Linkedin Page

To find out more about Jonny and his therapy work please visit his website

Welcome to The Leadership Lab by The Colour Works.

In this launch episode, Luke and Lucy introduce the podcast, explain why it was created, and share what listeners can expect from future episodes.

The Leadership Lab is built around real people, real conversations, under the microscope.

Each guest will bring a leadership hypothesis into the Lab, which we’ll explore through curiosity, questioning and honest conversation.

From each episode, we’ll identify one leadership behaviour to add to The Leadership Lab Periodic Table — a growing collection of practical behaviours that help people, teams and organisations work better together.

You’ll also hear about Lab Notes, our shorter reflection episodes where Luke and Lucy unpack each guest conversation and explore the lessons, themes and behaviours in more detail.

Brought to you by The Colour Works, specialists in Insights Discovery, self-awareness, leadership development, team development and organisational change.

Real people. Real conversations. Under the microscope.