Human leadership creates the space for inclusive cultures. Inclusive cultures; require human leadership where we think with curiosity, feel with compassion and act with courage.

Innovation can only thrive when people thrive.
Somewhere in the depths of getting work done, hitting performance targets and stretch targets, becoming more efficient, working smarter… we find it difficult to really be a human leader. There is another way … A more human way to lead

Namaste as a greeting serves as a reminder that we are made of the same stuff.

Hindus often greet with the phrase- Namaste- it is a phrase that you certainly might have heard at the end of a yoga class, but I wanted to share the significance of that meaning for human leadership. (It is also Diwali today so I am feel especially spiritual)

The session is the essence of some of the best work I have done with leaders and teams, it has helped them to pause and think about how they lead and communicate and I hope it helps you too. The session is designed for leaders, communication professionals and coaches who are all seeking the inner human.

Ubuntu means that, 'what I am is a result of who we are as humans - I am not much without others'. In other words, what I am and what I do impacts you and many others. In turn, what you do has implications for me and for others too. We must therefore care about what the other does. Learn more and join the workshop…

I believe that the ability to hold up the mirror to those we support is essential but also one of those skills that requires you to have full confidence in the follow through. You need to hold up that mirror with full confidence and conviction.

Read an article I co-wrote with a fellow workshop host Kazuko Kotaki published July 13th 2021

If we wish for peace and prosperity, can we continue to seek profit at the expense of people and the planet? How can organisations bring these ambitions into reality? To tackle the sustainability goals, no individual or organisation can do it alone, we need partnership and mass behaviour change, that requires a certain type of leadership.

What if we could lead and communicate in a way that goes with human nature and not against it. I was realising the potential of this purpose, but at the same time, I realised that I couldn't nor would I want to be doing this alone. I know that we humans can do more when we work together, no leader, no organisation, no coach or consultant will crack this global human issue alone, but maybe a small collective of people who are like minded can make some steps towards learning together and sharing together…and that is why I built this collective.

Do people feel free to speak up?
Here is a summary of what happened this week when Internal Communication professionals discussed how to tackle psychological safety to ensure that the employee voice is heard and valued.

And… my thoughts on how to support Human Leadership that nurtures a climate of psychological safety and freedom to speak.

If you can’t find it and you need it, they you better get on and build it! The Human Leadership Collective is a group that is just forming and growing, which aims to gather so that we can create more connections and progress towards more human leadership. Is this your challenge too? Are you working towards or in a way that contributes to this goal? If so, then I warmly invite you to come, share and learn together.

Reflecting on this question and the exploration of what our own experiences are, helps up to be able to translate what kind of lead we want to be. Human connection not disconnection. Empathy and Compassion. It is not only what they show of themselves but also how they listen and support us to see ourselves better.

To change cultures, we need to change habits. For organisations to create inclusive cultures we need to look at our habits, habits that are invisibly fuelling our cultures. Our habits are formed in reaction to the culture, the context, the environment, the ‘smell of the place’, but the culture lives inside every person who adopts the habits of that culture.

To me, work cultures are no different to social cultures because we are humans interacting for a shared purpose. We may not notice the cultures we exist in until something is different.

The culture can be felt, ‘the smell of the place’ and it can make the difference to whether we feel accepted and a sense of belonging or not.

Join me to learn how to confidently lead with cultural humility and curiosity to create psychological safety for all at work and in life. Your corporate values, equality, diversity and inclusion policies may adorn the walls but are they felt in the hearts of every employee. Culture is all about people and communication. It starts with every leader. It starts with you.

On International Women's Day 2021, I hope prompt you to think about equality, take time to notice where there is inequality around you and get curious. Where can we do better?

Soft skills are not some hippy, ‘woo woo’ concept.  Soft skills are life skills, they help us to form and sustain relationships, help us manage ourselves and others and they make us human. Communication skills are one of the most important soft skills, not only for leaders and managers but for anyone.
I want to share why communication skills matter for employee engagement and why human connection is the secret sauce.

Think of a two-way radio or a walkie talkie. When you have your finger on the talk button, you can talk. But at that time it cuts the audio from the other side and you can’t hear what they are saying. Human are not good listeners. But we can do better if we decide to.

Do we have the skills to understand culture and its impact? Our own culture and others’?
Our maturity and intelligence in intercultural communication is seen in how we interact with empathy and sensitivity in the moment. In how we learn from experiences and adapt thinking for each person, situation and encounter.

Change is constant, heard that before? But change is also uncomfortable, how you see that discomfort is the key to embracing change.