Most of us will encounter plenty of difficult colleagues or workplace conflicts in our career. With so many types of personalities, working styles and goals, it seems inevitable.

As a leader, you need to approach conflict in a way that considers yourself, your team and the goals of your organisation.

In this week’s episode, Liz Kislik, a management consultant and executive coach, shares with us just how we can do that.

We discuss:

• Helpful approaches for dealing with a colleague you find difficult
• How to identify when conflict becomes a business problem and how to ask for support
• The ways that leaders can contribute to conflict within teams and the importance of self-awareness
• The characteristics of a good team and how leaders can foster great teamwork

MORE ABOUT LIZ

Liz Kislik is a management consultant and executive coach, and a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and Forbes. She specializes in developing high performing leaders and workforces, and for...

Many women in my community struggle with people pleasing and in this week’s episode, I’m diving into what people pleasing is, how to identify it and how to put your own needs first.

A general definition of a people pleaser is a person who has the emotional need to please others, often at the expense of their own needs or desires.

In this episode, I share:

• Four key signs that you’re a people pleaser
• A description of my “Likeable Lucy” persona to help you identify how people pleasing may be impacting your leadership style
• Why we are constantly training others how to treat us
• How to set and communicate healthy boundaries

HELPFUL LINKS

• Ep 58 – The Challenges We Face as Women in the Workplace
• Ep 32: Why We Look To Others For Validation
• Brené Brown’s Power of Vulnerability TED Talk
• Find Brené Brown’s Books here

BE BOLDER

Increase your confidence and assertiveness at work in my new 4 week course for...

 Are the standard hiring practices we use fair and do they truly give us the best candidates for each role? Khyati Sundaram’s answer to this is no and she says it’s time to leave CVs and biased hiring practices behind.

Khyati is the CEO of Applied, an all-in-one hiring platform that uses behavioural science-backed techniques for fair and de-biased hiring.

We discuss:

• Why CVs are no longer fit for purpose
• The importance of gender-neutral language to attracting women applicants
• How unconscious bias negatively impacts recruitment
• Why skills-based interviews are the way forward
• The importance of hiring for values and mission over cultural fit

Khyati also gives some practical tips at the end for leaders working in smaller organisations who are responsible for hiring their own teams.

MORE ABOUT KHAYTI

Khyati Sundaram is the CEO of Applied, which helps companies remove bias from hiring processes by removing gendered words from job adverts, anonymising...

Many of us will take extended leave during our careers. It could be maternity or shared parental leave, sickness or sabbatical, family caregiving or just a much-needed career break.

Unfortunately, the reality is that extended leave can result in feelings of isolation, being left behind, starting again on the back foot or having to downgrade our careers.

Jessica Chivers, coaching psychologist and founder of The Talent Keeper Specialists, wants to make sure everyone feels connected, cared for and confident during extended leave and the transition back to work.

In this episode we discussed:

• The positives and benefits of taking extended leave and feeling confident about it
• Why we don’t like the terms work-life balance and imposter syndrome
• Creating your ideal work life blend when you transition back to work
• How to negotiate sharing the load within your household so you can be your best at work
• Focusing on output, flexibility and managing energy rather than contracted...

Women with Influence is my LinkedIn Live series where I interview inspirational and influential women leaders on their career journey so far. 

This podcast episode is a recording of my interview with Monique Carayol, a Leadership & Talent Development Consultant, Coach and an ambitious, award-winning change maker.

Monique started her career in healthcare as a PA and navigated her way up to a high-profile board executive director role.

Monique and I discuss:

• Her successful career progression in the NHS and how she made it happen
• How to be proactive and create opportunities to be seen, given more responsibility and promoted
• The benefits of managing upwards and being in the room with senior managers for your confidence and profile
• Advice for women progressing in middle and senior management roles

Monique also shares the challenges of being a woman of colour and a Mum at Director level and how she inspired and supported others to see what’s possible for them.

...

Many of the women in leadership that I coach want to elevate the voices of other women in their organisation and create opportunities for them to succeed.  

Sponsoring is a brilliant way to do this.  

Mentoring is common in the UK and is usually a supporter who will share advice and their experiences, and be a sounding board for you.  

A sponsor goes a step further than that. This is an individual within your organisation who will champion you, advocate for you, help you to raise your profile and get new opportunities.   

If you’re in the position to sponsor some of the women that work for you and champion them in your organisation, here’s 6 ways you can do that.

Special thanks to Mylene Sylvestre and Elizabeth Bachman who shared impactful ways to sponsor women and how to avoid the Glass Cliff on recent episodes of my podcast.

1: Raise Their Profile in the...

One of the most asked questions I get from women in leadership is how to feel more respected as a leader. I love this question because it’s at the heart of what my work is all about.

That's why I developed the Influence & Impact framework and it's why I built the Influence and Impact group coaching programme.

Essentially, being a respected leader comes down to is respecting yourself, respecting others and gaining the respect of others.

In this week’s episode, I share 10 super practical things you can do right now to gain respect as a leader.  I hope there’s a few that you identify as things you’d like to do more of or dial up a bit.

DEVELOP YOUR PERSONAL LEADERSHIP BRAND

Join me in my free taster workshop, Develop Your Personal Leadership Brand, on Monday 15 November at 12:30 pm.  Learn how to take control of how others perceive you at work, get clear on the kind of leader you want to be and uncover your Zone of Genius. 

Get...

Women with Influence is my new LinkedIn Live series where I interview inspirational and influential women leaders on their career journey so far.

This podcast episode is a recording of our first Women with Influence interview with Mylene Sylvestre. Mylene is the Publishing Director at Guardian News & Media and co-Founder of the Women of Colour Global Network (WOCGN).

I loved talking to Mylene and she shared exactly how she went about sponsoring and advocating for the women in her team – I wish every leader would listen to what she has to say and take note.

Mylene and I discussed:

• Her career journey so far and what her role is like at the Guardian
• Experiencing self-doubt after returning from maternity leave and how coaching gave her the confidence to become a Director.
• How she sponsors women including giving them a seat at the Directors’ table and advocating to address the gender pay gap
• What the Women of Colour Global Network is and how you can get involved
...

Using your voice and presence strategically can help you be heard and have more influence in your organisation. In this week’s episode, I interview Elizabeth Bachman, a Professional Speaker, Executive Career Coach and Presentation Skills Trainer.

Elizabeth is passionate about getting more smart women into positions of authority, helping them do really good jobs and get more women's voices heard in the world.

We discuss:

• Elizabeth’s presenting tips from her experience as an Opera Director
• Valuing the unique strengths and multi-focused approach women bring to the workplace
• What the glass cliff is and how organisations can support leaders better
• How to use strategic empathy to influence others

MORE ABOUT ELIZABETH

Elizabeth Bachman is a go-to person for advanced training in speaking, presentation skills, sales and leadership. She helps high-level clients master a message that brings the funding they need, the allies they want and the recognition they...

Tension between managers and their direct reports isn't unusual but it can make work feel difficult and uncomfortable.

This tension usually comes down to different leadership styles, communication styles, priorities or personalities.

In this week’s podcast, I share:

• The most common reasons tensions occur and practical tips to defuse them
• Why we should value different leadership styles
• The types of communication styles using the Insights Profile
• How you can apply these insights to yourself as a line manager

I hope you find these tips helpful, particularly when it comes to managing and influencing upwards and sideways.

OTHER HELPFUL PODCAST EPISODES

• Ep 18: How to leave bullying bosses in the past
• Ep 25: How to disagree with people more senior than you
• Ep 31: How To Have More Gravitas

DEVELOP YOUR PERSONAL LEADERSHIP BRAND

Join me in my free taster workshop, Develop Your Personal Leadership Brand, on Monday 15 November at 12:30pm.  Learn how...