Running a high-performance business or being involved in an intense career, where expectations of what you do are high, can mean that there are some times you will be operating in fifth gear. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you realise that there are other gears other than fifth. Sometimes you just need to get back to the slow gear and take perspective.

A final look at the year and the lessons learned

Billions have been poured into an industry that "creates awareness". We are already aware. We know what the issues are, and you cannot equip people to tackle bias through such training. There is more than enough evidence to show that UBT does not work. But here we are. This view often puts me at loggerheads with others in the culture development space, but I make no apologies for not pursuing a practice that has no efficacy or evidence of impact.

A part of my journey as an executive coach is to encourage those in senior leadership to understand and practice ethical leadership. Putting ethical leadership into practice is essential if you want it to be passed on to successors and cascade down through an organisation.

Photo by Riccardo Annandale for Unsplash

The impact of bad decision making shows up in many personal and leadership spaces where our cogent decisions are needed. Business, Finance, Healthcare, Politics and Community Groups. It is our duty as leaders to make the space to really ensure that those decisions are not being hampered by the selective focus of a few success stories but instead have been informed by good data and feedback.

An executive coach works with executives or high-potential employees to help them gain self-awareness, clarify goals, achieve their development objectives and unlock their potential.

In my work on equity in leadership and workplace culture, race and ethnicity are always lurking just below the surface. My client list spans the globe, including mainland Europe. I have often been fascinated by the denial of the impact of racism there.

All ERGs should be linked to a common purpose or goal for the organisation. There should also be transparency around funding measures, programmes and outreach. I have seen organisations lose so much impetus because a large chunk of funding just goes to say gender, and then LGBT+ and ethnic groups fighting for the remainder, irrespective of some of the less vocal groups such as parenting, ability, etc.

Rather than labelling biases as something we should immediately fix so that organisations can avoid litigation or appeasing compliance, I suggest that we should first understand the role they play in human development and existence and explore why as humans we default to them.

A diverse board is going to be perfect but it can, with the right guidance, provide a benchmark for the excellence so many organisations crave.

Leaders are now looking at what makes up their organisational culture through a whole new lens.
Beyond wellbeing sessions and special annual leave allowances, what are leaders doing to preserve/positively shift their organisational culture?

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is now a major focal point for UK-based organisations. In the last five years, the UK has witnessed a 58% increase in available diversity and inclusion (D&I) roles. That figure alone by no means signifies tangible change. But what it does signify is a drastic change in the way organisations are thinking. Not only in terms of how they hire and retain staff, but also the way they communicate externally (marketing), engage organisations in their supply chain and so many other touchpoints for companies to consider.

In order to move ahead and grow your business, there are times where you have to let go of some things.
Letting go is never easy, but it is essential if those things are hindering your progress.

After a year of change and challenges, what can we learn from the past that will help us to plan for the future while remaining very present.

It’s not so much that winners never quit, it’s that winners know when to quit

Leadership coaching should be a staple part of the narrative for not just large organisations, but for startups too.

Whether you are actively pursuing leadership, purposely put on a leadership development journey or have landed into a role by just good fortune of knowing the right people, a good moment of reflection would be, what does this journey look like for me and those who I intend to serve? I would like to suggest to look at your leadership journey through the lenses of success, significance and succession.

When we tell people they can bring their whole self to work what does that mean?
Is it a utopian ideal or something that is real?
(source Rodrigo Borges de Jesus)

Maybe it’s OK to recognise that by function or title, being a senior manager is ok. Reward them well for what it is that they do but don’t be afraid to have that honest conversation. Maybe you are not a leader.