Lessons for Leaders

Welcome to Lessons for Leaders.  Can you believe it's episode 100? The goal has always been to share lessons, learnings, tips and advice and even when things got tough with it, I've enjoyed it more and I'm proud to be able to say I got to 100. Many of my regular listeners will know that my girls are the reason I do what I do and my eldest girl is about to make me a Granny next month so it seems like a good time to pause the episodes for a while. This last one is a very special episode, with my other amazing girl joining me at the mic to ask some of the questions you, my listeners sent in.  I really hope you enjoy it. I'll be back in the autumn.  In the meantime, there's plenty of topics in the back episodes for you to dive into. Keep sending me feedback, loves, takeaways and requests for topics in the meantime.  As always, thank you for listening    I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

This week I'm sharing top tips and conversations that I have frequently with people in organisations to help them know how to persuade leaders to invest in wellbeing. We're covering: What to do to persuade your leaders The 3 R's that I like to go with organisations I work with. Why we need to look at revenue in different ways and I dive into specifics here to give you a head start. How to highlight the risks to an organisation Why it's important to include reputation in this persuasive detail too. It's easy to say wellbeing can help to reverse employee burnout and reduce stress, turnover, and absenteeism. Often dismissed or seen as nice to do.  Is it really essential.  Is it something worthy of budget or resources. Promoting an environment where it's ok to talk about mental health and encouraging good wellbeing is simply the right thing to do.  Unfortunately, some of your senior colleagues won't agree or will be more focused on investing in business projects that they deem to have a clearer ROI.  The good news is that whilst not everyone will see wellbeing plans and training as a business critical issue right now… there are strong reasons that it MUST form part of your core business strategy.   You just need to find what IS the focus of your senior people so that we can determine how do we convince, persuade, or justify the time and expense on wellbeing.   Company executives want to know that any new program, including wellbeing, is going to support the bottom line of the business and its long-term growth.   I share in more detail how you can do that.  So have a listen. If you're looking for support for your wellbeing plan, coaching for your leaders or training programmes that not only helps your leaders, managers and employees enhance their wellbeing and performance but also gives you the tools and strategies to ensure senior buy in from the outset – get in touch. Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

This week I'm joined by Gemma Woodward who is People & Culture Manager for Netsells in York.  We are talking about leadership and autonomy.  Listen in for: What are the benefits of allowing autonomy. How leaders can encourage autonomy in their teams. Where leaders get it wrong with a top down leadership and how it can affect their people and the organisation what's one key thing that people should remember about autonomy   Key comments and take-aways A top down leadership can create a fear of coming forward and fear of making mistake, their ideas and decisions might be more beneficial than they think.   People have a valuable input to give a different perspective and do add value.   Businesses will tell you they trust you but don't really demonstrate that.   If we want to retain staff, enhance talent and develop people it's really worthwhile for organisations to create a team culture that also makes them an employer of choice.   Culture is not defined with free tea and coffee and ping pong tables anymore.   We need to move away from the thought process of ‘it's quicker if I do it” because we create a bottleneck in the process and means you're not passing on knowledge to the team.   Use mistakes as a focus to learn from rather than beat someone up about it.   How can leaders enable more automony in the workplace?   We need to recognise that everyone has a different way of working and different levels of creativity.   There is a saying that there is strength in numbers so I believe we should embrace that by working collaboratively and learning from each other.   Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat. Connect with Gemma on LinkedIN

What on earth is back to the floor? I start with that and why I'm covering the subject (it was inspired by my wonderful friend and leader Tina.  So I'm also covering today: Why is it important to know first hand what's happening on your shop floor Some real life examples and stories of how back to floor worked, and how it didn't One really, really important question to ask yourself   I share stories from my experience in corporate and Tina's feedback too to give real life examples - some are funny, some are lovely, one is a little shocking! Here's one of the key things .... Without that interaction, engagement and visibility not only would you feel unappreciated and disconnected from the business, but you wouldn't know or understand your position in the organisation, what you should be doing and what outcomes you should be striving towards.  Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.   If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com.   Or head over to my contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.

This week on the podcast I'm talking about Why it's Worth Investing in Stress Awareness. I wonder if you've ever had a time when you've ever felt stressed and known what would help ... but not bothered to do it???? This is just one of the reason why I'm sharing information that can help you make a decision on whether it's worth investing in stress awareness.   I cover:   What is causing Stress in the workplace? How Will Stress Awareness Help Your Organisation? How Does Stress Impact Productivity? Is it Worth Investing in Stress Awareness? Ways I can support you or help for you to do it yourself.     Stress is a word that we have heard so many times over the last two years. In fact, if you asked many people I am sure that ‘stressful' would sum up their experience of the pandemic.   April is Stress Awareness Month, and with the easing of lockdown restrictions, many are finding themselves back in the office or adapting to a permanent working from home or hybrid working environment. With this comes benefits, but also many challenges.   The last two years has changed how we connect and communicate, and although it's also taught us resilience and shined a spotlight on our ability to adapt, it's also impacted our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.   Employers have a ‘duty of care' to ensure that employees are not subjected to excessive stress in the workplace, this also means arming employees and leaders with the tools they need to manage stress effectively.   As well as costing businesses money through work-related stress and mental illness absences (£26 billion per annum in fact), stress thought to be responsible for almost half of working days lost in Britain due to health issues.    Listen for more details, ideas, information and discussion on this topic. Ask me about my Stress Awareness Workshops or grab my DIY pack.   This is a pack full of factual information, instructions and resources so that you can implement your own Stress Awareness and activities with your workplace and colleagues without having to think up ideas.  There are also posters and images to share in your own newsletters along with a quiz and some conversation topics.   Or, to find out more about my Stress Awareness Workshops get in touch now, spaces are filling up fast. I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

Two years since the UK locked down from the Covid 19 virus.  In fact pretty much the world locked down.   It changed so many things About how we live How we work Connections & communication Wellbeing – what were thankful for – fear / perspective Resilience   Have you looked back at those pictures from cities that were empty and streets that were bare?  I know I have.  There were bits that I loved, bits I didn't love. There was a significant difference in how people viewed the lockdown.  Some loved it.  Some hated it.  For some it was frightening, some if was delightful.  Some missed people, some enjoyed the space.   However over time those views change.  This is an important lesson to remember. However hard we think things are at the time, they will change.  It's important to look back and see how far you've come, what you've coped with and how you've managed.  These are great ways to reflect and learn the lessons.   I share reflections, lessons, learnings in this episode. Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.   If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com.   Or head over to my contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.      

In honour of International Women's Day, I'm here to give ideas of ways that you can support women in leadership roles.  There can be a number of reasons why there are less women than men in leadership roles.   Data from the House of Commons found that companies led by women outperform those led by men - but despite this, we're very far from achieving gender parity in the workplace I share information about  Break the Bias Unconscious biases, opinions, beliefs are formed early in our childhood.  We learn these from family, friends, people of authority that are social messaging about boys and girls.   Encouraging women to pursue leadership roles and supporting those who are already leaders is beneficial for the workplace as a whole.   Improve Confidence Many women don't apply for specific leadership positions so work to improve confidence can be really helpful at this level.   Improve Language When I say this I mean changing the way that we are speaking up / giving time to be heard / not talking over the top of people Establishing meeting etiquettes to ensure everyone is treated fairly during meetings, that all have the opportunity to speak and be heard. Listen for the story I share about how I had to have conversations about language being used so that I could keep a strong mindset about the work I was doing.   Male Allies and Cheerleaders are hugely important and I talk a little about this too.   Mentoring Coaching Women's Networks Are all important factors and get in touch if you want more info on my services for these but listen in to how these are different and how they can help support women in leadership.   Finally, Pay the same – if you're not closing the gender pay gap then you're missing one big thing.   Companies with female leaders perform better than those led by males, House of Commons data has revealed. Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.   If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com or head over to my contact page to book into the diary.

This week I'm talking to you about why empathy is crucial for great leaders.   I cover : What is empathy Why does it matter in leadership Whether empathy can be learned  How it can improve performance, create connections and What you can do to be more empathic.   Why empathy is crucial for great leaders and what is empathy anyway? Empathy is the ability to experience and relate to the thoughts, emotions, or experience of others.  So it's about truly feeling what the other person is feeling. You know I often talk about how we don't 'do' emotions.  But empathy is about connecting with emotions and feelings. Why does empathy matter? If we were to do a list of successful leaderships skills, empathy would rarely be included, but it's essential in my opinion.   I'm often asked the question "can we learn empathy"?  It's often thought that we either have it or have not.  You'll have to listen to the episode for the answer to this one!   Listen more for the ways that you can improve empathy.   Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

Do you find it difficult to say no to people?  Perhaps it means you end up being busy, stressed, over-committed?  Often when we struggle to say no to people it can leave us feeling used, put up-on, juggling too many things.  Are you the one who ends up working late because you've said yes to others, yet you're the one with more to do?   This episode is for you where I talk about   Say no and establish healthy boundaries How to handle the fear, stress, worry and guilt The surprising reason that saying no is good for you Key phrases that you can begin to use to get you started Why it's not always about you Suggestions to think about helping you with easy ways to say no   It's important to be able to say no so you feel empowered while still maintaining your relationships with others. Saying no helps you establish healthy boundaries and enables others to have clarity about what they can expect from you. When you struggle to say no, look at what's going on when you feel like this?  What feeling or emotion comes up for you when people ask you do something?  Perhaps there are past experiences and situations mean that you've learned it's easier to say yes than no. For many it's a worry or fear about what others will think.  Consider the other situation – you say yes so many times that you end up worn out, then there's really no chance of you saying yes to anything if you've made yourself poorly!  Focus on the benefits of saying no.   Apparently the Mayo clinic has done research that concludes that saying no can help to reduce your stress levels and increase your happiness.        Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

This week I'm sharing tips and information about De-stigmatizing Mental Health.  I share key points on:   Why mental health is stigmatized How stigma brings shame and what that looks like How it will impact on your organisation Good news on the wider impact of investing in destigmatizing Key things that you can do and examples too   When we prevent people talking openly and transparently we also prevent those who need it from having support.    Stigma brings shame.  Listen in for information about how people respond then feel ashamed and what the impact will be on your organisation and how it can impact absenteeism, presenteeism and attrition.   Mixed anxiety and depression has been estimated to cause one fifth of days lost from work in Britain.   May 2021 Office for National Statistics, reveals that depression rates have doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began   The good news is that it's not just about investing in wellbeing and culture it's helpful for everyone.    Listen in for the explanation of the work I did in schools when my kids needed extra support that was helpful for all children, not just them.  The same is true in an organisation so what you get is happier, more inclusive workplaces where people feel accepted and want to come to work.   Let's not forget that stress and mental health works on a sliding scale and you never know who might slide up that scale to a point of difficulty and who might get a ton of crap thrown at them for longer periods so that they stay at the top end of that scale and hit crisis mode.    What can we do? I talk about the education, training and culture that can be impacted. Language is huge and I share how you can impact this. People need to feel safe enough to talk and that they will be heard. They don't even need you to understand them or be able to stand in their shoes.  I share a couple of key phrases that help you to help de-stigmatize mental health and support your people.   As well as language they hear at work there's also a language going on inside their own head based on their own upbringing and experiences.  They might be ashamed, believe they're weak (this has been said to me often) think no-one will understand or don't want to show a vulnerability.    My daughter both think they can hide their worries and concerns.  Yet it shows in their behaviour.  It takes the entire team to work together to make progress and consistently send the message that there is no stigma or shame around mental health.  Even then, don't be offended if someone still struggles to talk to you.  It's not you. You can still help.   As the stigma lifts and the culture changes, the sense of shared trauma and experiences are making it easier for people to talk not just about their own struggles, but to recognize those issues in others.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.   If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com or head over to my contact page to book into the diary.

Since this week is Children's Mental Health Week, I'm sharing some of my top tips and experience that I've used with my own children and hope will be helpful for you too. 1 in 6 children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem, and many more struggle with challenges from bullying to bereavement. 50% of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14. This is why we need to equip young people with skills to build emotional fitness, improve their wellbeing and manage their emotions.   Talk at every opportunity. You can use car journey's, meal times, walking to school or going for a coffee for opportunities to talk about the day or something else. If they're in a mood or had a rough day, get them talking so that throughout the conversation they can change their perspective on the day.   Perhaps they begin to realise it wasn't the whole day that was bad.   3 Key Phrases I share my 3 key phrases that work in all sorts of situations that ensure we calm down the brain and stop people and children being defensive. Remember to Tell Stories I shared in the last podcast episode about the power of sharing stories.   What you're demonstrating is You are not alone I felt like that once too I know what you mean Over time things change Why side by side conversations are really powerful to ensure that there is no pressure to make eye contact and reduces any confrontational feelings.   Help them figure out their own struggles.  Listen in to the explanation of this and why and how this builds resilience.  I give examples of questions you can ask and what can happen when you do this so that they move out of catastrophe and doom and gloom situations.   Self Esteem is often a tough one to build. I share some simple and effective tips so that you can talk about the good things that they do, rather than how they are as a person.  Listen in for examples.   Finally, You're not supposed to be your child's therapist, but you are supposed to be their confidant, their safe place, the person they come to.   However difficult it is for you – it's going to be so much harder for them.   I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

When we tell stories there are areas of the brain that light up and create feel good chemicals and reactors in the brain that mean that stories are retained much better than just facts or figures.   Listen to the information how it creates different responses and connections in the brain that increases empathy and also increases trust. Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat. There is five times more brain processing when we tell stories than when we just tell facts. This is why I tell stories in my podcast and in my speaker sessions and workshops so that the tools tips and advice I give can be retained better and are more relatable.    

Paul McGregor joins Emma to talk about Challenging the Stigma of Mental Health. Paul is a Mental Health speaker and founder of Everymind at Work. Listen in where we talk about The key reasons Paul does this work in the mental health space What we mean by a sliding scale of mental health The biggest mistakes organisations make The big thing that helps to tackle stigma The one thing Paul says we need to think about.   Listen to Paul talking about his business - how he got into talking about mental health - how they partner with organisations on Mental Health and - the key product of having an app that provides support. Plus he shares more info and reasons why his key mission is to help employees to feel safe about the challenges because of the stigma around mental health. Paul shares some of the detail about how he handled the death of his dad. Listen to the conversation about the stigma about therapy and Paul and Emma share their experiences of therapy.   “mental health is a difficult for thing, especially for men to talk about”   Listen to Emma's short story about a client of hers with crippling anxiety and how he said “I don't want to be seen as weak”. How do we provide support to people in organisations to stop them before they're needing time off. Why there is need to embed into strategy and culture. Paul talks us through examples of his first tip to everyone (that I completely agree with)  Start with Why! Why are you looking at mental health support?  This is where to start with plans, rather than what you are doing. Listen to the conversation about the importance of senior leaders sharing their stories or struggles and how it can be so powerful and create trust. The one big thing that helps to tackle stigma (get employees sharing). Get in touch with Paul at http://www.pmcgregor.com/ https://everymindatwork.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmcgregorcom/ Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.  

I'm sharing some insider secrets and top tips about the conversations I've been having.  Im' sharing some of the trends I've seen and the issues that people tell me they have in their organisations. I also share some of the top requests for wellbeing and the one top tip that I have that includes my free gift to you too! Did you know that 45% of employees reported feeling emotionally drained from work since the pandemic began? Listen in where I share one particularly interesting aspect of wellbeing that I had not thought about and hear what I did to help some law and housing organisations be able to cope with this issue.   January and the New Year always seems a fitting time to think about goals and changes for the year ahead, and this is why I share my ONE thing I think you need to think about when looking ahead for 2022.   My 7 steps to Winning Wellbeing pack is a pdf and podcast episode sharing key aspects that need to be included so that you don't need to think about it. (see links at the end)   I run through some of the top wellbeing workshops that I'm delivering right now and why these are being asked for.  Finally, don't forget to ensure that you equip your leaders to be able to support your people.  I'm getting more enquiries from people looking for leadership coaching so that they prevent burn out and are able to support their people, so ensure that is included too when you are looking ahead in 2022. For the 7 Steps to Winning Wellbeing Plan listen to this episode.   Contact me at emma@emmalangton.com for a copy of the pdf guidance on the same subject.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.   If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website  and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.

It might feel like a time to hibernate and stay inside with the damp cold weather, the long January with credit card bills coming from Christmas spends, but I'm here to share some easy and simple ways you can boost your mood.   Listen in where I share four key areas that you can focus on that boost different 'feel-good' chemicals of Endorphins - the feel good chemical Dopamine - the reward chemical Oxytocin - the connection boost Seratonin - the mood stabiliser   If it feels overwhelming, don't worry, listen right to the end.  I share if you do just one thing - I share one activity that will hit 3 if not 4 of the feel good chemicals I've mentioned.   Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.  

This week I'm sharing my 7 steps to successful planning.  Whether this is for you personally or a wellbeing plan, leadership plan or other plan in your organisation listen in for my tips that cover: Reasons to think about why you are creating your plan The importance of breaking the planning down How accountability can be really powerful The secret to making plans a success It's important that you look at where the barriers are to ensure that your plan is successful. This one of my key pillars of resilience that I deliver in all my workshops that is also essential to success planning. Finally, how to ensure all this does not seem tedious when you start   Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

I'm sharing a recap of the top 5 episodes for 2021.  These are the podcast episodes that have had the highest listens throughout the year and I though it useful to recap them for you.  People are often asking me which I should listen to first, so this will be a helpful way to dive in to the most popular ones and get you started, or enable you to recap any that you missed.   Even if you heard them before, it's often useful to get a reminder of key messages …. It's so easy to forget these things.    The most listened to are:   LFL18   Boundaries for Leaders Good leadership boundaries enhance workforce behaviour, stops workforce behaviour from being pulled down taking away from its values, mission, purpose, and results. Listen to why boundaries are my favourite subject and why I think they are so essential in business, organisation and life. https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/14615294   LFL21   Preventing Leadership Fatigue and Burn Out Although this was published back in June, it's still relevant now and I expect it will be right through 2022.  I've been hearing of lots of people experiencing burn out, extreme fatigue and people struggling.  So this is going to be so helpful. Burnout characterised by “emotional exhaustion” and usually attributed to the professional role you have, therefore, maintaining work life balance is vital to prevent burnout. The difficulty though is that often fatigue and burn out happen because leader DO love their jobs, or feel a sense of responsibility or struggle to delegate – in fact there can be a host of differing factors.  Because everyone is different.  https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/14933069   LFL15 Resilient Leadership: My Six Pillars of Resilience This episode gives you an insight into my resilience workshops and training.  In January one organisation has booked me to deliver 8 resilience workshops for their organisation that incorporates 5 x one hour sessions for all staff and 3 x 2 hour sessions for managers.  If you want an insight, go over to this episode and here me talking about  what resilience is how resilience impacts you in leadership and your employees what are my six pillars of resilience Leaders are expected to be able to run and lead in their business and to be able to do it well.  Accenture concluded that  "Resilience may be the new criterion for professional advancement"   https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/14288750   LFL38 7 Steps to a Winning Wellbeing Plan This is a process I go through with organisations when we're looking at creating their wellbeing plans.  January is a great time to put this in place … but it can happen at any time of the year.   If you're not on my newsletter, then get signed up because the January edition will be giving away more info about these 7 steps too. To listen to the episode, you'll hear I'm talking about the 7 steps that you can take to create winning wellbeing plans in your organisation and sharing exactly what would be good things so that there are not just knee jerk reactions and plugging gaps. https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/17590712   LFL13 Managing Stress During the Lockdown This episode is not just relevant for back when we were in lockdown.  It shares what common stress responses look like, so that you can spot the signs.  I share what we need to do with the stress that ensures we don't stay with that stress response for too long.  We must give ourselves time to accept, react and adjust. Then we create a new normal. https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/13888967   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE   If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website  

Not all of us get oodles of holiday time over Christmas.  After the couple of years we've had it's important to set boundaries and ensure that you get time for you and time to prioritise and enjoy Christmas in a way that works for you.   Regardless of how many days off you have, the Christmas season is a time to switch off, properly. It's the middle of winter, energy is low, and the Christmas break is the closest our fast-paced culture comes to hibernation.   We all need time to switch off and refuel.  Every learning and growth cycle includes a period of quiet, a period for rest and recuperation. It allows us to come back stronger, renewed, ready to go again.   So if you want 2022 to be your most effective, powerful, satisfying year yet, it starts now by setting Christmas boundaries.   Here's how to do it:   Prioritise Limit Work Time Make Time for Fun Have an Escape Plan Let Go of Perfect Be Present Listen in for my story about how I let go of perfect and the different perspectives I learnt from that experience.   Listen right to very end for my Christmas message to you too.   If you enjoyed this episode, please do leave a review and share on social media so that more people can enjoy the tips and advice.     Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

This week I'm joined by Louise Westra and we talk about Why you need to ensure you put you first. How to look out for compassion fatigue and what you can do about it. Why work-life balance is still important but needs to be appropriate for each individual The reasons Louise wrote her book You First Get Louise's Book HERE    Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE  If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com or head to my website Connect with Louise on Linkedin Connect with Louise at her Website

You're not alone right now if you feel frazzled and burned out.  I'm hearing from a LOT of people that they're struggling right now.  Some are even contemplating leaving their jobs because of pressure and burn-out.  Burnout characterised by “mental, emotional and physical exhaustion” therefore, maintaining work life balance is vital to prevent burnout.   I talk through  why we need to pay attention AND what to how to look at what will restore your energy why boundaries are your friend why it's still important to make time for support and socialising how you might need to rethink delegation Choosing just one of these 5 ways to improve burnout will be beneficial for you.  I'd love to hear from you to know which one you chose. I've been working with a number of organisations to successfully deliver virtual trainings on stress management, work life balance, boundaries and resilience – so contact me to discuss the needs of your organisation now or book direct into my diary for a complementary discussion for coaching and 1;1 support too.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE   If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website

Joanne is a change coach and qualified accountant and we're talking today about why leaders need a positive mindset.   Joanne briefly recaps her career journey and how she recognised that she loved the people stuff but kept going with her original career path of accountancy.  When she was running a women's network she realised she could do this everyday but did nothing about it.  Later she saw the benefit of coaching within leadership.   She realised she wasn't being fulfilled in her career but was working on a mindset of keeping going.   She talks about how she re-trains in coaching and left her corporate career and set up her business helping people to realise how they can do more and follow a different path.   Emma talks about how often we can resist deviating from the expected path and how we don't stop to reflect and re-assess what's going on.   Joanne shares how we live a life of circumstance quite a lot of the time and it wasn't until she realised that she was letting other people dictate to her about her career and what path she should take, even though she was frustrated most of the time and wanted to do things differently.   You can't be at your best if you're worn out, exhausted, unhappy.  It just doesn't work and Joanne found out the hard way. Where does Joanne think the positivity comes into being a leader? Why you need to ask people what they expect. Joanne's interpretation of being positive and why it's not all happy jazz hands Why we need to be willing to change or take action or ask for support. Listen right to the end for the tips to be more positive. Buy Joanne's Positivity Planner HERE Find Joanne at https://joannecoaching.com/ And on Linked In at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannecoaching/   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.   If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE   If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website

Today I'm sharing top tips how to work smarter How to work smarter so that you are able to focus better and get more done without the long hours or pressure Why taking a break is just as productive as working harder  Recent discoveries in neuroscience show how we can better manage our brain to improve the quality of our work experience and general sense of wellbeing. Set routines  - they are not just for children!  Listen in to how having routines can be hugely helpful. Use a different way to set priorities Why you really do need to take brain breaks.   Finally I bust a myth about multi-tasking and you might not like hearing it, but please do listen.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com 

 Sally Coulden joins me today to shares her key tips for managing change. Sally is founder of Red Dog Glass Design.  Sally is currently on her 11th career!  We talk about: Why you need to surround yourself with people who are better than you Why you should ask for what you really want. Listen for a way to cope with failure and change Why good communication is important   Listen in as she talks about how she's using her art and skills to create extraordinary spaces in the world. The one key thing that she says is important for a leader and any business.   Sally explains that she gets bored quite quickly and runs us through all her career changes from midwife to scientist to research and development consultancy and then on to transformation and change.   She then went to art school and needed to think about what she can do to earn some money and used her business brain to develop Red Dog Glass Design and look at getting into households. We talk about how empowering it can be for listeners to hear of the many career changes so give confidence that careers can change and evolve. We talk about how Sally feels it's important to surround yourself with people who are better than you.  You can't be an expert at everything.  Have confidence in yourself that you're good at what you do and have confidence in others too. Surround yourself with people who are good at what they do you surround yourself with more quality. Sally shares how sometimes these feel like a big jump but is great once it's done. Do work that you find exciting. Get in touch with Sally at: sally@reddogglassdesign.com https://www.reddogglassdesign.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-coulden   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE    If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com

This week as part of Mens Health Month I'm sharing easy ways to get people to talk.   Here's the top ways I share, probably every week, with clients and organisations to help to get people to talk.  These are not exclusive for men, but they do work really well for men, women, children, spouse, partner, boss … anyone you like!   It's so important to ensure the you have the right approach to get people to open up and feel safe to talk to you.  By saying the right approach, I'm not saying what you've been doing is wrong, per se, it's just that there are better ways.  Keep listening and I'll explain.   Whilst it might seem like there are awareness days, weeks and months for everything and you might get to the point where you feel saturated by all these times, it is important to recognise that they are here because they are needed.  It doesn't mean you have to do everything.  One in four of us will experience a mental health problem each year. For men in particular, it can be an awkward subject to talk about, for many people, man or women it can be heard, because of the stigma, but you don't have to be an expert. Listen for the different ways we can encourage conversations and get people to talk   Notice - it's about noticing the little clues, not necessarily the big ones.  Hear more about this.   Ask Twice - Asking twice gives someone the opportunity to get past the initial I'm Fine response.   Listen Carefully - this is listening to hear, rather than listening to fix things or provide solutions.   Question Gently - There are 3 key phrases that I use frequently in workshops and with clients every week.   I hope this is helpful.  Let me know if you use any of these tips and how you get on with them.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE    If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website www.emmalangton.com

For November stress awareness week I'm sharing simple and easy top tips to overcome work related stress.  I'm sharing: Why you need to put a start and end to your day The reason you need to prioritise Why you should not take breathing for granted The important of making sure you get moving The reasons you need to be speaking to people Whatever your job role, stress is something many of us contend with. I think we can all agree that the last 18 months have brought new stresses to our lives, that certainly weren't in our job description.  Whether you're working from home, working hybrid or fully back into the office, this episode will be relevant to you. With stress awareness week throughout November, organisations are using this as a focus for a boost to wellbeing workshops to support their people, reduce stress and improve performance and raise awareness. So the good news is that you don't have to have a stressed out workplace, so helping yourself, or encouraging implementation of these tips will enhance the support you give your people so that they can cope with these challenging times. Listen in to this episode for top tips on easy ways to overcome work related stress.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE    If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com 

Nicola is a coach and neuroscience expert who helps leaders to ‘find their fire' and lead with passion.  She joins me to talk about why leading with passion is so important.  We discuss: Why passion matters with leaders? What is going to help you be passionate outside of work for those energising energies? Passion is not necessarily all about work How you can make Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs work for you. Why Nicola is passionate about people taking real ownership of their diary. Listen for ways to spot when you've lost your passion. We dive straight into discussions about how we revert to patterns of behaviours and how the brain works to stop us seeing the good things in life and the achievements we have made.   Nicola shares an exercise she does with her clients to help them recognise the wins and reignite the passion within us.   Could you write 50 reasons why you're great at what you do?  This is something Emma has her clients do.    Nicola shares her experience of corporate career and how she grew through the years and wanted more in life and ending up struggling with severe anxiety and depression.  It was her learning in neuroscience that really made a difference to her.   Listen in for her explanation of her journey and what helped to bring her where she is today and how she has fallen in love with coaching and what her mission is for the next 10 years.   13.00 Nicola shares why she thinks passion matters for leaders.   15.45 Emma shares her tips for people who feel exhausted and overloaded so that they can get their passion and energy back.   18.00 Hear Nicola's tips for finding your fire and passion and how you can create your own version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.   21.00 Nicola and Emma talk about boundaries and how important they are and the decisions you can make and how to identify if they are not working for you.   24.00 Listen to ways you can look for clues that show you're not feeling passion.   Your passion lies in your purpose.   Connect with Nicola on Linked in  Find Nicola's website HERE   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE    If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com 

This week I'm sharing Why Your Support Network is Essential for Wellbeing   Why a strong support network will help you through stressful times We break it down to look at professional and social networks What steps you can take to improve your professional network How your social network is also great for boosting your wellbeing Why it's never too soon to cultivate these important relationships. A strong support network can be essential to help you through the stress of tough times.  Studies have shown that isolation and loneliness are associated with a greater risk of poor mental health and other health problems. There can be a number of signs of struggling with wellbeing and these can be found on other episodes in more detail.  As a brief overview this might be:   Tired, exhausted, not sleeping, are possibly commonly known ones. Worries, anxiety, being tense, irritable, on edge, short tempered. Difficulty concentrating, struggling to make decisions, being forgetful – these all indicate that your head is full up! Physical symptoms might be there but not as noticeable as burn out signs. IBS and gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, problems with immune system and even just getting ill really frequently – more frequently than the next person.   There are a couple of significant areas that you can look at improving your support. Professional and personal.   Lets take professional first.   These might be support from your boss, a coach, a mentor, your co-workers and also others in your industry.   So how do you improve these areas?   Look at who you have or what support you have in these areas. What is missing? What do you need more of? Then you make a plan to fill those gaps. Listen in where I explain more about how you can do that.   Friends, family members, co-workers, and can all be potential sources of social connectivity. You might be wondering – really Emma.  I want to progress professionally what does family and friends have to do with it? Often these people are your biggest cheerleaders.  Even if they don't understand your job, or your pressures, explain to them too what support you need from them.  I share how you can improve your social network and why it's important that you make the effort once in a while to do that. Finally I share about the benefits of being with people has on your wellbeing so that you can ensure that you get the most from the time spent in your networks.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE   If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com 

This week I'm in conversation with  Jacqui Jagger who is a leadership and mindset coach. She shares the reasons why she's passionate about supporting newly promoted managers. Why we need to ensure these people do not get their confidence knocked, rather than built up the difference between a people focussed organisation and a performance focussed organisation What is needed for people who are newly promoted? The one question Jacqui asks all the people she works with.   Jacqui's tells us a little about being promoted in her first director role and having the benefit of being supported by a coach.  She shares how she loved to opportunity to lead, how she felt supported and was loving life.  Later she recognised that for a lot of newly promoted leaders the reality can be different if people don't get the support for what they need.   People who are great at what they do and get promoted can have their confidence knocked (rather than built) because of the expectations of leadership.  All too often they can be knocked off their pedestal and talent is wasted as a result.  For businesses and individuals Jacqui's passion is to help them understand the practical steps they can take to embrace the leadership and be confident.   Emma talks about her frequently used phrase of “there's no middle management manual” and that often people get promoted.   What is it that makes Jacqui really passionate about supported newly promoted leaders?   For so many they get promoted relatively young or for a lot of the organisations I work with might be SMEs or founder led so that the person leading the organisation may not have had that support themselves. What that lead to is that they know what they don't want to be like as a leader.  They don't always start from “what do I want to be like”.  If they don't build those relationships and that network early in their leadership then it can be hard to go back and redo.  It's much easier if you can get off the blocks running.  Having a role model and being able to ask key questions right at the beginning of their leadership is great.  I love seeing times when people start to make that shift and ask themselves those questions rather than trying to be someone that they're not.   Emma talks about how leading with authenticity is helpful to ensure there is less stress and anxiety and that we sometimes have pre-conceived ideas of needing to be a certain way as a leader.  She shares a story about the British Army changing the way they lead and that it's good for businesses everywhere.   Jacqui shares a conversation about the difference between a people focussed organisation and a performance focussed organisation.  The difference is not that they don't care about performance, it's that they recognise that performance comes from stretching people and by providing resources and ways of working that don't add to chronic stress and promoting burn out.  The old model of leadership that looks at results only, promotes a sense of fear that means people end up with a lack of confidence but struggle to put their hand up and say they need some help.   Listen in where we talk about how praise and encouragement is one of the undervalued skills of leadership.   It can often feel soft and fluffy and in Jacqui's experience, when people are encouragers rather than critics the impact is enormous.  Jacqui shares a story of her brother's achievement and how big the impact was when he was sent a thank you email from the CEO.   Emma shares experience of recognition schemes in corporate environments and whether that's about the team and their abilities or the manager who has taken time to use the recognition system and processes in place.  This is where a look at culture across an organisation is needed as well as support for leadership and management.   What is needed for people who are newly promoted?   Jacqui shares one of the things that doesn't get done is the setting of expectation.   “You can't beat someone up for failing to meet an expectation that you haven't set”   So often there's an assumption that a person understands what is expected of them.  If it's not tested and checked that that is the source of frustration and disappointment and can stem from thinking you've been clear that they know what to expect.   Have I been clear? Do they feel they have permission to take action or show initiative?   As a leader it's so important to focus on the important and not get confused with urgent where a timeframe can move.   There's one question that Jacqui asks all the people she works with:   “What do you want to be remembered for?”  and from that, will come out some of those behaviours and ways of being that will make it possible.   Connect with Jacqui on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqui-jagger/ On her website www.beyondboundariescoaching.co.uk Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com or head over to my website at emmalangton.com

This week's episode is sharing Mental Health Awareness Tips so that you can: -Identify mental health issues -Understand behaviours and and spot common signs -Know how to converse with employees and understand needs -Have confidence to handle difficult conversations   When pressure gets too much, outcomes are not positive – for the employee, their family, other team members and in your organisation as a whole. Therefore pro-active management of emotional health and wellbeing needs to be a priority so that it enables higher levels of performance – more easily.   Listen in as I share some of the causes of stress and pressure. I advise you to think of a situation when you felt stressed or under pressure.  Then think about the areas impacted on how you were feeling.  What might it have been like for your line reports?  I cover some causes that might be helpful for you.   Some of the signs of stress and pressure and poor mental health are covered too. Listen when I share some ideas of areas that indicate signs that you might see in your people.   Mental Health struggles can produces a range of signs and symptoms and one person's symptoms may differ greatly from another's.  In recognising the impact, the focus is on changes in how the person usually is.  Symptoms can be categorised into physical, behavioural, psychological and emotional some of which are talked about on the podcast. Remember there's still a stigma about mental health. It vitally important that you actively look out for opportunities to initiate a conversation with a team member, if you suspect that they may be struggling, so that you can start to offer support sooner. On the podcast I share key ways that you can start the conversation and handle it well. I share other key ways to support your people with  open questions active listening using silence providing reassurance Signposting without feeling the need to fix things.   Talk to me if you want to know about my training on support individuals or managers on Mental Health or even stress awareness. Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE    

Tracey Matthews joins me on the podcast to talk about authentic leadership. How it can sometimes be a scary place to be but also the reasons why it's so valuable to be that authentic leader We share how authenticity can go beyond leadership in to other areas of lives The lessons Tracey has learnt over the years Where to start if you want to be an authentic leader too.       Tracey joins me on the podcast to talk about authentic leadership.   We talk about how we education needs to reflect that times have oved on and incorporate different skills, technology and environments.  It's beyond education and a leader is about helping people to grow and develop to be the best that they can be.   Tracey shares what she thinks it takes to be an authentic leader.   It can sometimes be a scary place to be.  It means there's a core set of values, principles and these are brought into our leadership and that you're prepared to share and communicate those things that important and being strong enough for those to shape the way you are as a person.   We talk about some of the values that people have and thinking about having the resiience to be able to cope with people sometimes disagreeing with you.  If you are trying to be something that you're not, then that lack of congruence becomes apparent.  Tracey the lack of congruence seeps out of every pore and people begin to get a sense that things are not right by recognising body language and tension.   Emma explain about some of the subconscious things that can happen when we are not true to ourselves and the reasons why we need to be authentic as leaders.   What made Tracey passionate about authenticity of leaders.  Tracey is passionate about education and how it can shape lives, through her own journey and also through learning and adapting throughout her own career, which she puts down to a variety of education.  This might have been through courses or networking and learning from people.   Part of Tracey's MBA was studying on leadership with lots of models and authentic leadership has stuck with her, With the authentic leaders it's about making sure that we reflect on previous experiences and understanding “what is it that makes me the best that I can be”.  For Tracey, she has been at her best when she has felt very aligned.  When she has left an organisation when she's felt there's a mismatch with values.   The human element of people being aligned to Tracey has shown and been rewarding when people have followed her through her career.  Those connections are exactly what we need as human beings and form the basis of what we need survival and then that builds trust and feel safe to be ourselves.   Emma explains about the feeling safety that runs through our core subconscious level.  When we have connection, trust and safety there's so much more that can happen in a team and workplace that breeds amazing things through culture and growth and more.   Listen to Tracey's explanation of someone anticipating going into a meeting and where we want our people to feel that they are the experts and are able to tell things as they are.   We talk about the correct use of power that enables people to be vulnerable and the positive and negative opportunities for using that power.  Authentic leadership means being able to use that power appropriately.   Authenticity goes beyond leadership into being a good colleague and being a good customer.  Tracey talks about her listening to Stephen Covey's 7 Habits book and the learning she took from that.   Listen for Tracey to share her one place to start to be an authentic leader and how that needs to be a journey of discovery and knowing your own values.    Connect with Tracey: The Career Colleges Trust  https://www.careercolleges.org.uk/ Tracey on Twitter: @TLMatthews Tracey on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceymatthews1/

This week on the podcast I'm sharing about Leadership Compassion and Why it's important The reasons why it's not being soft The small things you can do that have a big impact What to know so that you can guard against compassion fatigue too. There's always going to be differing views about leadership skills, compassion and whether it's too soft.  I'm hoping this episode will get you thinking about things differently and enable you to support your teams and do your work better. Being compassionate is not something we're born with.  It comes from a considerate behaviour, kind gestures, generous actions here and there that can make someone's day.  Even the smallest moments can have a big impact.   Kindness and compassion go hand in hand and enable you to be a leader that people feel that others can relate to, you're accessible and approachable.   A lot of organisations have done work with their people to encourage their people to come forward and say if they're struggling.  Some organisations are finding that middle managers don't know how to deal with these things.    Similarly there are people who are helping supporting, and often it can feel like they have become overloaded.  Compassion fatigue can affect those in the most dedicated of professions.   Why should we be compassionate?   When we're compassionate it creates connections You create stronger connections Connections improve trust Trust enhances loyalty so people feel they can come to you with issues. Then you have collaboration regardless of levels of management.   Compassion is not the be-all and end-all – there needs to be leadership compassion with a whole other leadership skills.   Compassion can be being supportive with mentorship, guidance too.  When we express appreciation for what people have done, recognise accomplishments, or difficult moments, pressurised meetings and share your appreciation for them doing what they do.   Listen to the story of Emma's girls being confused with the recognition she was given and the discussion that took place.   Sharing compassion means people want to turn up for work, there's a better workplace environment.  So compassion is often about making people feel comfortable around you, having positivity, flexibility and support.  That way people will come to you with concerns, issues and problem.  So people with come to you because of what you do, rather than just because you're the boss.   The other side of this is compassion fatigue.   The condition is often described as ‘the cost of caring' and can lead to a struggle to empathise or feel compassion for others.  Often there are people are in key areas of work who become the front line for others to offload their emotions or deal with emotive or traumatic situations.   It's classed a a deep emotional and physical exhaustion. It's also called secondary trauma and it's something I've been talking about a lot through the pandemic because people are picking up cares, concerns, difficulties through out lockdown.   Therapists and counsellors are often trained to have key ways to be compassionate without absorbing all the feelings, being overloaded and carrying everyone else's emotional feelings.  In HR, people professions, you're not given this level of training.   It's important to look for the clues and know if you recognise those feelings immediately. So that you know if you're feeling run down, worn out too often?    Make sure you know you've got tools and skills to reduce those feelings and reduce the stress levels so that you've got quick and effective ways to keep yourself back at your best quite quickly.    Remember it's not your job to fix things.  Yes be compassionate, support and sign-post.   Talk to me if you want to know about my training on this subject of compassion fatigue.   In summary, it's important to be compassionate, but ensure that it's not detrimental to your own energy and wellbeing.   Any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com   For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.       Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.   If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com     

Today I'm joined by Tina McDonald who is a workplace trainer for leadership and management apprentices.  She talking today about how leadership is not about you. Listen for some fabulous info about how Tina trains our leaders of the future. A great example of influence, empowerment and changing culture What common themes does Tina see with Leadership? I think you're going to love this episode   Tina works at Milton Keynes college with apprentice managers at Level 3 who are on a journey of improving themselves as managers or potential managers across the course of a year.   It's quite gruelling for them and Tina spends 12 months highlighting all the great things about leadership and turning them into leaders she would want her children to work for.   Emma shares a popular phrase of her about there is no ‘management manual' because people get promotions because they're good at what they do but then they don't have the additional skills to lead and manage people.    Tina shares that it's not about ticking boxes but understanding what the boxes are there for so that you're doing 70% of the job really well and 30% is the leadership stuff that no-one understands until they actually do a qualification.   She shares an example of aligning a SMART Goal around making a cup a tea.  And the conversation flows about knowing where to improve, to increase performance, carry out good evaluation, reviewing goals, looking at targets and seeing if things are fit for purpose.   Tina talks about the value of leadership models on such as evaluating and giving feedback but following a model so that it's done well.    The lessons learnt are always “I won't do that again” and it might be simple but without the training and support they will end up with no-one who wants to work for them.   What common themes does Tina see with Leadership?   In operational management they look at operational strategy and look up.  Where do they want to be, how do they know when they've arrived.  You can see the fear come in because they know there's a task to do at the end of every learning.  They realise quite often that some of the senior managers don't always have a clue what they're doing.   We also look at culture in the workplace.  She uses Charles Handy's model because it's simple.  They get to start to see how cultures become a concrete thing that they think they cannot change.  It can be damaging if it's not the right fit for the organisation   Tina shares a fabulous example of how one of her apprentices made a change in the workplace as a result of a talk that happened on her course.    The reason Tina is passionate about ‘it's not about you' is because these are the leaders of the future.  If they're not passionate about that, they don't start the course because they don't like the work that has to going into it right from the beginning.  Those that do get to the end, realise they've learnt so much about themselves, they're doing for everyone else, not just themselves.   Leadership allows people the self confidence to do things, try things and not carry guilt or shame around the decision and actions that they take or the things that don't go well.   Connect on LinkedIn with Tina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-leigh-mcdonald/   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE https://emmalangton.activehosted.com/f/20     If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then visit emmalangton.com  

Common topics / situations and requirements for leadership in post covid world.   Common leadership qualities that people are looking for and are needed to support your business and your people Why culture is important and how you might re-look at that How great communication brings people into the fold What you can do to build trust Why burnout is such a big thing to watch out for alongside your other mental wellbeing plans The common options people are using to develop this leadership in a post covid world. These are some of the things I'm seeing in organisations – and of course, some of the things I'm being asked to supply too. Now, if you're thinking as you listen to this that you might as well switch off now, well,  I'm not high enough up to influence this – wait.  There's some podcasts coming that will help change your mind about this, so listen on here and get the full picture. Leadership skills Obviously, having great leadership skills is a given.  But what does good leadership look like?   With the continuing of remote working, hybrid working – whatever type of working format is happening, it has become imperative for managers to develop strong leadership qualities to manage teams remotely, inspire and bring out the best in them.   Culture Build a culture that people want to be part of. Lots of people have been telling me they're feeling flat, low, fed up … a common phrase was “lost their mojo”.  Part of this is because of lockdown and the covid situation – there's no connection, working all the time, lost enthusiasm etc.   Listen in to why building culture is important in helping this and what you can do.   Communication Communicating in a way that engages people, draws them in, takes them with you and means they want to share information with you – good, bad and ugly – also means you're ahead of the game with situations in the workplace. Good communication creates trust. Listen for more on this. Burnout This is important to listen to.  If you've got people saying they're feeling low, fed up then grab the other podcast on burnout and make sure you're implementing things that help prevent burnout. How do we lead in a post covid world? I share the common development and leadership plans I'm seeing and working on with organisations so that you can get an idea of what's topical and working at the moment.   If you want to talk to me about any of this, get in touch at emma@emmalangton.com   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE https://emmalangton.activehosted.com/f/20     If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my  contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.

This week I'm talking about leading with empathy.  I share with you The reasons why empathy is really important, and now more so than ever before. The benefits for your people and your organisation The one misunderstanding about empathy The three types of empathy and the benefits and pitfalls of each of these. Is it possible to have too much empathy? It's never been more important to lead with your teams with empathy.  Our people have been going through huge challenges – as indeed have you  - let's not forget that – you're included in this.  The challenges at work, at home, with family, friends.  People are dealing with overwhelm, burn-out, illness, loss, uncertainty and anxiety about the future and what that looks like – the list goes on.   When you've got all that to deal with why on earth am I talking about empathy?    Empathic leaders bring huge benefits to a team. By showing understanding and sharing empathy it means   The team perform better They can be honest and open at work More likely to embrace new situations and new ways of working More gets done   What do I actually mean by empathy? It's the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.   Yes Emma, well, I'm nice to people isn't that enough?   Often people think being nice to someone is being empathic but in reality is so much more than that.  Yep, being nice is important but true empathy requires greater depth.   When you lead with empathy you consistently demonstrate an awareness of that persons feelings and emotions.  It's as if you step into that persons' shoes, you feel it yourself (almost) I'll explain more on that in a moment.   Psychologists identified 3 types of empathy and I share what this means, the benefits and pitfalls of each AND how you can enhance each of these empathic skills. Cognitive Empathy This is about understanding thoughts and emotions in a rational rather than emotional sense. Listen in for an explanation and example. Emotional Empathy This is about really getting to know someone as a whole person. Listen in for an explanation and example. Compassionate Empathy This is where there is a combination of cognitive and emotional empathy.  However, compassionate empathy motivates us to take action to help the person or situation.   Can We Have Too Much Empathy? In short, yes we can.  Listen in for the explanation around this and what to look out for to guard against this. It's often called compassion fatigue and I talk more about how I'm providing training and workshops on this for many organisations I'm working with.   To summarise, incorporating empathy and emotional intelligence into your management style is a skill that can be learned just like any other.   Talk to me if you want to know more about how I can help you and your organisation with this.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE    If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website   and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.

This week I share the benefits that can be seen individuals and across an organisation when a coaching culture is embedded. Listen in for: My tips on corridor coaching Explain the coaching continuum and how you can use it easily Some recent trends in coaching in organisations I'm working with too.   Leadership coaching is often very well recognised as being something that adds value to businesses through higher productivity, better engagement, and improved effectiveness.  How good would it be to have that kind of support for everyone in the workplace? That's what happens when we create a coaching culture. By creating a coaching culture we are enabling your organisation to function in an environment where employees feel support to provide feedback, ask questions, encourage their own thinking .. for example to figure out problems and come up with solutions.  It creates situations where there is opportunity for shared learning, for people to use their individual skills rather than being a ‘one size fits all' kind of workplace.   Corridor Coaching Listen in where I talk about "corridor coaching" and how you can make that work. Rather wait for specific meetings, 1:1's and reviews, you can provide opportunities for these conversations literally .. to take place in the corridor or at the desk. The Coaching Continuum Listen to my really simple way of looking at coaching with the idea of a continuum of Ask, Suggest, Tell.   Hear my explanation of getting this to work and where you need to be on this continuum to ensure coaching culture works.   Often we prioritise senior leadership coaching.  The areas we forget about are HR and middle managers.  What happens then is that we will struggle to have these coaching conversations running right through the organisation because we don't have managers coaching the people right through the company.   By shifting coaching to be the most predominant management style you can make it a success.  That also means supporting all managers with coaching and I'm often asked to provide coaching for middle managers.  At the moment, group coaching is working really well for them so that they develop coaching skills and leadership skills as well as build peer support and develop and enhance essential leadership tools.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE   If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary

We can often forget to celebrate successes and this can have a negative impact on our teams.   Listen in for 4 key areas that are impacted - in a good way - when we celebrate success. There's tips and ideas to help you think about how you can quickly and easily and celebrate successes within your workplace or your team. We often talk about carrot or stick approach to motivation.  I don't need to explain about how much effort it would take you as a manager or leaders to keep beating a stick at someone.  Compare it to how much effort it will take for you to dangle a carrot and have them do the work to reach the carrot. Don't let the different way of working stop you seeing successes.   Apparently the no 1 reason people are unhappy isn't about their pay it's about how valued they feel.  When leaders and managers don't acknowledge a persons' contribution, effort, progress, help or support, then people get to the why bother attitude.   By celebrating successes you're uplifting the positivity in the team.  You're helping them to keep their eye on the things that go well rather than the things that are not done or that didn't go well.  Instead we're focussing on achievement.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE https://emmalangton.activehosted.com/f/20     If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.

There's a misunderstanding of what it means to be resilient, and the resulting impact of overworking. I share information and ideas about how you can recharge your resilience levels in different ways and how you can find ways to get little pockets of holiday like moments so that you bounce back from difficulties or exhaustion as quickly as possible. Daily recovery from work is crucial to maintain high levels of well-being, performance and resilience. We learn early on in our lives that we must work hard.  Be dedicated.  Put in the hours etc. Keep calm under pressure Manage shifting priorities – all those things we put on our cv. And yes we can do this, but we also need to have tools in our toolkit to help us keep going for the long term. I share  two key areas that people hardly ever mention in my workshops that are completely relevant to resilience. why it's not just about your physical health  what to avoid if you want to help your body recover and recharge how to tune into what will work specifically for you why you need to calm your brain as well as recharge your body Listen to my other episodes on the theme of resilience too with  How Self Awareness is Crucial for Resilient Leaders How to Strengthen Your Support Network Why You Need to Revisit Your Vision   If you have questions, get in touch.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE https://emmalangton.activehosted.com/f/20     If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.      

Self awareness will help you to know what you love to do and what you struggle with. I'm talking more with organisations who have leaders who have risen through the ranks and are great at what they do, but they struggle with leadership skills.  That affects their resilience and their confidence.  They slip back into doing the doing rather than leading effectively – mainly because that's where their comfort zone is. Self awareness is about knowing strengths, weaknesses - yes we can all answer these questions in interviews but do you really know about those for you personally and where your strengths and weaknesses are with the way you lead and interact with others? Listen for key examples that I share in my workshops and webinars. How you can easily begin to raise your awareness today. How being more self aware enables you lead with more confidence. There's a couple of great examples of real life clients who worked with me and raised their awareness and the impact it had on them. Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE https://emmalangton.activehosted.com/f/20     If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.

Martin Roberts is a Wellbeing Lead in Lloyds Banking Group and recently set up his own company Keep In Mind. You're going to love listening to him, I know I do, and we talk about how to get beyond ‘'I'm Fine'' or ‘'I'm Okay''.  We both share some personal experiences to give you real life approaches that work.   Martin's journey has driven him to significantly raise the profile of mental health and wellbeing at every opportunity. Through both his role as an award winning Mental Health Lead within Lloyds Banking Group and as founder of Keep in Mind Ltd, Martin shares talks, presentation and strategy plans on mental health and wellbeing subjects.     Martin shares briefly how he had his own mental health challenges and was frightened to tell anyone he was struggling. He did the most important thing and said 3 important words.  I need help. This journey from there led him to be a Mental health Lead at Lloyds Bank Group and start his own business called Keep in Mind.     Why we don't need a suit of armour Need to be our true selves Create an environment for colleagues to be able to have a conversation We need to bring the whole person to work. Listen differently How the rollercoaster of covid is continuing Why silence is absolutely golden and how to use it well If you can only do one thing, listen for the one thing that Martin thinks we need to do. Ask Twice These are not just for the workplace – it's for friends, family and anyone else you know too. Finally, remember Martin's key phrase – it's not life changing – it could be life saving.   Martin offers bespoke talks, presentations and strategy design so get in touch if you need that. Get in touch with me for leadership coaching, wellbeing training and workshops that help you communicate well, support your people, reduce the stressors and increase resilience so that you too can have the potential to create that ripple effect we talked about.   Martin's Website: https://keepin-mind.co.uk/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/keepmind25/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/keepmind25 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/martineroberts/ Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE https://emmalangton.activehosted.com/f/20     If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.

Listen in whilst I share the reasons that listening is so important for leaders.  It doesn't necessarily come naturally to us.   I share

“Wellbeing” is one of the hottest words in business today as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic As we are in World Wellbeing Week – I've been talking to individuals and companies who are looking for further support because their plans are not necessarily having the impact they desire Today I'm sharing the key themes I'm hearing from companies that I talk to. How they are looking at more strategic plans The top areas of focus for managers The one worry that organisations have coming up.     I don't need to remind you that the effects of the pandemic has changed people's lives over the last 15 months.  The massive shift to home working, exacerbated stress, mental health issues but there's also been some positives. There's no doubt that things have been difficult.  I'm now seeing that organisations are wanted to get a better approach to what they're doing. These are the key themes I'm hearing from companies that I talk to. These are predominantly in Professional Services, Law, Financial areas, but also Tech, and education are common areas I talk to too.   Dealing with Change The continuous change we've had over the last 15 months has been hard for people. Listen to me explain more about that. Make sure managers are equipped to help people deal with change. How to Talk to People This is no joke.  People are saying to me – I don't know how to respond.  I don't know what to say when someone does say they're struggling.   So organisations have done a great piece of work to get their people to come forward and say they're struggling because there's been focus on it. Do your managers feel comfortable having conversations with people about their mental health? Consider training and guidance to increase their confidence.   Support the Supporters   Whether it'senior leaders, HR department, MHFA or whatever, ensure you have support in there to help those who need it.  Listen to me explain what I mean by this and how you can ensure this is in your organisation.   Be Strategic We spent time doing sticking plaster workshops and plugging gaps reactively throughout covid – and that's totally understandable – and was needed. Now though, organisations are moving away from reactive and being pro-active in looking strategically at their overall wellbeing plan.  Revisit my 7 steps to wellbeing episode for more detail about how to do this and listen in to this episode for a short recap. Coaching and Training  Are your managers equipped to have conversations in an effective way, to go about the management in the right way?  Ensure they are trained to have the right behaviours to nurture trust-based relationships with team members.   Healthy Boundaries in a Hybrid World The companies I'm working with are investing in support for healthy boundaries because they are seeing that working hours are merging into the evenings and weekends, leaving their employees struggling to switch off or feeling under pressure. As we bring in hybrid working it's important to ensure you're supporting your people with tools and techniques to maintain healthy work boundaries. If you'd like to discuss how you can enhance your company wellbeing plan discuss virtual and in person training options ensure your leaders are on board to support the Workplace Wellbeing Message me directly on emma@emmalangton.com or visit www.emmalangton.com  

Who do you go to for support?  This is so important now, since we've been moving through lockdown and our support networks have been restricted.  So this week I'm talking about how to strengthen your support network. When we have people we can talk to and reach out to for support it lessens the load of what we are going through. It also boosts our mood and feel good chemicals This week I'm sharing how I get people on all my workshops thinking about support networks differently. How support has benefitted me personally and How you can think about gaps in your network Dictionary definition of support network “a group of people who provide emotional and practical help to someone in serious difficulty” I believe they don't have to be in serious difficult – it's important to have a support network at all times. When we were going through the adoption process they asked about our support network. We had to detail it out and it was something I'd never thought about before. Listen in as I explain the differences I found with my support network during the adoption process and later life. Find out who has been the most supportive person for me with great supportive qualities such as: Listening Not dismissing things Sharing a story  Helping me feel it wasn't just me Listen to the things I did when I realised I needed more support for adoption and later when I retrained too and why I felt compelled to do those things. I really understand the value of support. So today I want you to think about who is in your support network. When I deliver my training on resilience, mental health, challenging conversations all of them have a section about your support network. When we have people we can talk to and reach out for support it lessons the load of what we are going through – just like I did with the adoption support group. You don't have to explain, they just get it. These are the common areas I look at with people and you can hear on the podcast more info around these too to help you consider if you need to strengthen the support there. Family Friends Colleagues or Co-workers Manager or other leader Mentor or coach? (and listen in for the difference between a mentor and a coach) Spiritual  Community Many studies show that the primary factor in resilience is having caring and supportive relationships within and outside the family. Relationships that create love or trust and provide role models and offer encouragement and reassurance often help boost a person's resilience. Loneliness can take a toll on both mental and physical wellbeing. Having meaningful relationships through a support network helps us feel connected and valued as well as being able to learn from each other and feel that we're not alone – even when surrounded by people we can feel alone if we feel like no-one understands or is not on our wave-length. Who is in your support network and what types of support could they offer you. If you're not getting the types of support you need, consider where this could come from.     Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.   If you haven't yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE  If you want to increase your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website contact page and either send me an email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diaries.  

When morale is low it's really difficult to get people involved and motivated and can feel like pushing boulders up hill. So how do you boost morale in your team without is costing a fortune? Listen into the episode where I share about Spotting the signs and circumstances What you can do about low morale An example of a client I worked with Why you need to find out what's really going on, rather than guessing Several ways you can boost morale in your teams without it costing a fortune.   Differing schedules could hamper projects and delay work because colleagues may struggle to meet and communicate plans. Listen to the varied list of things that you might be able to spot or identify in your team or workplace so that you can begin to look at the levels of morale.   "When we listen (and really listen) to what's going on in the workplace we can then get to the route of the problems rather than just guessing." "You (or whoever is doing this) needs to listen and be like a detective. They're looking for clues and info that will lead them to the solution."   Let people know that you hear them is the next stage to boosting morale.  All this takes is time and feedback.  I share on the podcast words and phrases you can use that help with this. Then encourage engagement so that you raise productivity levels. Listen in for a little exercise you can do that demonstrates how mood can lift us or drag us down.   "mood is contagious and it can have a ripple effect if people are fed up and miserable"   Celebrate Achievements! This doesn't have to be a big aware ceremony!  Small regular things like people's birthday, successes, individual efforts go a long way to boost morale. I talk too about how corridor coaching and building trust by small powerful conversations help boost morale as well as enhancing performance and deepening knowledge. Many orgs I work with already have a great wellbeing plan but bringing in someone like me to delivery training that is needed, supported, informative and helpful is a great way to help them to help themselves. That way you show you care, they see that you care and as long as you're walking your talk then there's a universal message coming across. No point saying organise this and that, and then sending emails at ridiculous times of night or expecting people to be in on their day off or No point working all through your holiday and telling them to take time off when you've given them massive targets and things to achieve. That's where the training for healthy boundaries or resilience is important right now. To help them cope with hybrid working and getting back to whatever the state of play is for now.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode. If you haven't yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE https://emmalangton.activehosted.com/f/20 If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com . Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.    

After the last year of pandemic, lockdowns and firefighting, this is the perfect time for you to revisit your vision. On this podcast episode I explain why you need to revisit your vision and the where it can be helpful for you, your team, your business and your future. When I was delivering a resilience workshop last week there were lots of people saying they've lost their mojo.  This is why revisiting our vision is key to giving ourselves meaning and direction; it's what pushes us forward.  This gives us the reason to get up in a morning.  Research says when you're engaged and have purpose, life becomes easier, less complicated and less stressful. By focusing our attention externally, and giving us a constant source of activity to channel our mental energies into, purpose means that we spend less immersed in the associational chatter of our minds — the chatter which often triggers negative thoughts and feelings. Listen in for more detail on the reasons it's a good thing to revisit your vision and a brief summary of how you can do this. I share the detail behind my vision, that drives my purpose and motivates me each day - so listen in if you're as nosey as me and want to know a snippet of the story behind my business. Finally, recognise that many leaders often struggle with being able to visualise that vision, which is why in my workshops I walk them through a visualisation to be able to get really clear on their vision and the reasons why it's so powerful. I'd love to know what your vision is so drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com and let me know.   If you want to ask any questions or get some help and advice, let me know that too.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe' so that don't miss an episode.     If you haven't yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE   If you want to be increasing your performance so that you're more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people's diary.  

This week I speak to Kelly Dunn. Kelly is a Scarborough based recruiter and is also one of the top 5 consultants in the UK for permanent recruitment. She is an expert recruiter who sources top talent for temporary, permanent and fixed-term contract roles across many sectors, including: Accountancy and Finance, HR, Office Support, Marketing, IT, Construction and Engineering.   Kelly recently conducted a survey about the effects of the pandemic on the businesses across north and east Yorkshire and we talk a little bit about what she found interesting. Kelly found that what she had expected from the survey was actually very different in the results - ‘Inspirational’ and ‘optimistic’ are key words found in her explanation of her results.   We also discuss the types of resilience support there is at the moment for employees. What kind of support networks do employees have available for themselves? Looking after ourselves during the pandemic is incredibly important so you should try and find what kind of support you are missing, and how you can fill that gap in.   Accessibility is going to be an important part of the business world moving forward. Why should businesses only hire people in their area when the talent pool can be much larger to grab from? With a ‘working from home’ policy, more people will be able to work to a much higher efficiency.   We discuss more of the statistics that Kelly learnt from her survey. Listen more on the podcast to hear how this may relate to you or your business.   You can find Kelly at:   Website: https://kdrecruitment.co.uk/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyannedunn Kelly’s White Paper:  https://bit.ly/2RNfZGw       Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.   If you haven’t yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE  If you want to increase your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website contact page and either send me an email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diaries.    

After mental health awareness week last week, I’m talking today about how to keep the focus on mental health going throughout the entire year.   Now, if you’re wondering (or even groaning) at the thought of having this on your to-do list all year round, it doesn’t have to be like that.   Get employees to know you’re taking MH seriously Easy ways to make that happen Key ways to ensure you’re walking the talk A terrible example of support – so that you don’t make that mistake What your plan should include     We do have to recognise that mental health needs a continued focus because it is the leading cause of sickness absence in the workplace.   Therefore, with the pandemic highlighting the issue and workplaces opening up more it is not surprising that employers are starting to look more closely at the crucial role they play in supporting the wellbeing of their staff.   We know employers come in all shapes and sizes, with different working practices and environments.  all organisations, whatever their size, will be: equipped with the awareness and tools to both address and prevent mental ill-health which is caused or worsened by work equipped to support people with a mental health condition to thrive, from recruitment and throughout the organisation aware of how to get access to timely help to reduce sickness absence caused by mental ill health.   I talk to companies who I can often split into two groups Have wellbeing plans in place but then struggling to find dedicated targeted support for specific areas such as stress, burnout, sleep, financial. Have bits and pieces of ideas and activities but no clear plan pulling things together.   Now, before we go on, I want to congratulate everyone who has things in place because there are still a ton of companies who haven’t even started.   In addition, HR and leaders are often doing these plans in addition to their usual role, although it’s great to see some companies having specific wellbeing leads and separate roles, not everyone has the ability.   If you want to talk to me about ideas, plugging the gaps, meeting the specific needs of your company, enhancing daily, weekly, monthly behaviours and embedding into organisational value so that you are getting a strategy, policies or plans sorted, then please do get in touch.  Looking at overarching strategies has been something I’ve done for a long time, since back in my corporate days, so I’m happy to help.   How do we get employees to know that the focus on mental health is serious?   Start with focus groups (I can run these for you) or surveys.  Find out how people are, what they need.  Designing your plan with input from employees boosts buy-in and gives you a clearer idea of the support they might need.  Building your plan with input from employees from across the organisation builds their commitment to supporting their own mental health and that of their colleagues. Trust and integrity are key drivers of engagement.   Train your managers with how to confidently have conversations with your people so that 1;1’s actually do take place regularly and when they do, they are effective, not just paying lip service.  If you’re back in the office, these can be on the move, out of the office / workplace environment and often get to the crux of the matter more quickly too.    Walk the talk.  Encouraging staff to work sensible hours, take full lunch breaks, rest and recuperate after busy periods, avoid working at weekends and take their full annual leave entitlement can all help avoid burnout.  AND make sure you do that yourself.  There’s a ton of benefits of demonstrating this but also in delegating, and trust your teams when you’re not there (which is in my plan for future podcast episodes).   What’s available?  When your people highlight a struggle what do you do?  You might have had my training on confident conversation and spotting issues, but then what?  Your mental health at work plan should detail what support is available to employees if they are experiencing poor mental health whether it is due to problems inside or outside of work.   Listen in for my story of a terrible experience with an EAP.   I talked previously about the 7 steps to winning wellbeing plan, and in order to create a positive culture where people feel able to talk about their mental health. Make sure your plan is formally written down and will show your current and future employees that you care about their wellbeing.   For expert guidance and support for employers who want to support their staff’s mental health. Please contact me.   often, employees are scared to talk to their manager and problems can spiral. Your action plan should aim to raise awareness of mental health by: embedding mental health in induction and training celebrating key dates in the mental health calendar running internal communication campaigns   Senior leaders should promote employee wellbeing by: speaking out about mental health supporting a campaign to encourage all staff to take lunch breaks and work healthy hours   When staff feel involved and well informed about what’s happening in the organisation, it increases motivation and helps people understand how their role fits into the bigger picture. Your action plan should set out how you will involve staff by using methods such as: • staff surveys and focus groups • staff forums and diversity networks • engagement steering groups • monthly or quarterly performance review meetings   Your mental health plan should outline ways in which you provide staff with learning and development opportunities including: • coaching • training hold ‘lunch and learn’ sessions’ – these are a great way to support staff to take their full lunch break away from their desk Organisations need to send a clear signal to staff that their mental health matters     Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.     If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE   If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com

This week, I share my interview Scott McLennan. Scott is a Regional Manager at Santander, and has been in that career for 12 years.  Scott came on the podcast to share his thoughts on how leaders should be striving for balance, and how leaders should be more willing to show vulnerability in order to show others that they can be open. This episode discusses how emotion in the workplace can have a ‘domino effect’ upon the other members of your team, and then onto your client. Scott finds that with his position in the company, and the responsibilities that it holds, it is important that he is authentic as it is extremely important to his team of 165 people. The world isn’t perfect at the moment, and it can feel like the hierarchical status of businesses have plateaued; like everybody is now on the same level at the moment. Scott shares a story about this in which he shared some of his stories of failure with his colleagues, and how they felt that he was more a person instead of a title, after the fact. Being truthful in the workplace as a leader can help with performance.   We also discuss motivation in the workplace. Motivation can be a difficult thing to find while in the workplace, but we share some of our own ways to keep motivated and happy, even in times of difficulty - ‘It is so important to keep doing positive things, even if you don’t have to, because it helps you feel much more energised’   Listen to the podcast to hear this and more as we delve deeper into boundaries! A topic that I love talking about.   You can find Scott McLennan on his LinkedIn profile: http://linkedin.com/in/scott-mclennan-97a6a627       Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.   If you haven’t yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE  If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diary.

Enhancing Mental Health Support is hugely important to our psychological and emotional health. With the effects of lockdown we've been missing out on nature and dealing with additional stressful situations in our life. In this podcast I talk about  What Mental Health Is. Why do we want good mental health? In a life and work environment it helps people cope with stresses of life and it means people have meaningful contributions to the workplace, to their life and their family.   I've been sharing ideas of how individuals or organisations can create a week of nature activities across Mental Health Awareness Week. Listen in for these tips and ideas or get in touch to get a copy of the ideas that you can implement. These can be for the workplace, for individuals or for your family.  

This week I'm sharing my top 6 ways to support someone who is stressed. I’m often asked, how do I get someone to see they’re stressed? What can I do to help them? I’m sharing the reason why other people often notice stress levels before you do. The differences between men and women when they’re stressed 6 key ways to support someone when they are saying they’re ‘fine’, just busy or whatever else. In my private coaching (and hypnotherapy) I get wives contacting me all the time saying my hubby needs help, my hubby needs to see you. The thing is that we can only help people who want help themselves - or who SEE that they are stressed.   Listen in for information about how stress builds up over time and my real life example with the reasons why we don't always see stress building in ourselves. Maybe you’ve already tried to persuade them to do traditional things like take a holiday, let someone else do that work, switch off early – or even at a regular time.   So what can you do instead?  Listen in for the 6 ways I explain you can support someone who is stressed Recognise Be Available Listen Normalise Encourage Activities Have Fun Each of these ways to support someone when they're stressed will increase the soothing, feel good chemicals and ensure that these people know that you're there for them. Give it a go and let me know how you get on or if you have any questions!   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.     If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE    If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website at http://www.emmalangton.com and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diary.

With stress awareness month running through April, I'm talking today about why Stress Awareness in the workplace is still needed. Even though we might think we are all aware of stress, according to the Mental health Foundation 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. I’ve been busy with my stress awareness workshops and stress awareness support packs so this week I’m sharing information about the pack so that you can learn What I include Why I decided to develop a stress awareness pack Key things to be included And listen right to the end for a very special offer. With stress awareness month running through April, organisations are using this as a focus for their wellbeing workshops to support their people, reduce stress and improve performance.   What is needed in a Stress Awareness Pack? The pack includes different elements of support, information, tips and activities so that you can embed the learning about stress, symptoms and causes so that your employees learn to identify stress early, in themselves and others, and enable them to be proactive in managing their issues. If you listen right to the end, I’ll be popping in a discount code at the end for every listener. Why I put together the Stress Awareness Pack The people I speak to e.g. Jo at a law firm told me was that they are time poor and wanted done for you wellbeing resources from a trustworthy source.  They didn’t just want to go to google they wanted curated content that they can rely on.   Bob at Tech company - they want to deliver programmes to their people that are tried and tested and have a proven impact.  They also wanted information and resources that people can come back to time and again and have on hand, on their intranet and wellbeing area exactly when their people needed them.   Who is the Stress Awareness Support Pack for? It’s for busy HR consultants and business leaders who haven’t got time to research, learn and deliver information about stress awareness. It’s for people who want to augment their stress awareness activities.   Tackling the early signs and symptoms of stress via a complete employer wellbeing programme is simply good business practice. Not only should it help to prevent long term absences due to stress but by putting in place real solutions to tackle the problem, employees will undoubtedly feel more valued too. What Should Be Included in Stress Awareness in the Workplace? If you’re looking to implement initiatives around stress awareness in the workplace and want to be able to keep the momentum going throughout 2021 and beyond then the stress awareness pack has everything you need to do this yourself. Create engagement, improve understanding and share your commitment to raising awareness across your entire workplace in a fun and informative way. Support to Promote Stress Awareness: Ways to promote the awareness and ideas to encourage participation so that there is a positive impact on employees which reduces stress absence, presenteeism and staff turnover. Instructions that you can simply print, copy and paste so that you’re able to implement the stress awareness activities with your employees without getting stressed about it yourself! Stress Awareness Fact Sheets and Checklists : Easy to identify aspects to look for so that you can identify areas of stress within the workplace and key identifiers to look for so that you can eliminate workplace or people issues and improve performance, reduce attrition and ensure you maintain top performers. A stress management checklist so that managers and HR can survey the workforce and gauge levels of stress in your workplace so that you know where to target improvements for better performance and work relationships which improve employee happiness and wellbeing. Signposting for national resources, helpline and websites so that managers can direct people to support or display posters in the office, on your intranet and newsletters. Stress Reducing Tools, Tips and Techniques: A guided relaxation plan that can be used in a group or individually to aid rest and recovery from stressful situations. A breathing technique that will enhance a pause in the individual and calm down the internal nervous system. Other tools and techniques to choose from that are proven to reduce stress and enhance focus and improve performance. Stress Awareness Activities: A quiz to share knowledge, learn and provide interactive learning in a fun way that also embeds information firmly in employees minds. 30 activities so that you can provide tips and tools across your chosen timeframe (usually a month) so that effective strategies can be learned so that stress can be more easily managed and controlled Five discussion topics so that you can implement opportunities for conversations in the workplace.  This will ensure that you raise awareness and understanding and reduce the stigma of talking about stress. Listen to the podcast for more information about exactly what's included and how it's helpful for your organisation. Listen right to the end for a special offer for all my listeners to get a fabulous discount code to apply to your own pack.   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.     If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE    If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diary.

This week, I chat with Charlotte Turnbull. Charlotte is Head of Employment at W Legal. Charlotte has a passion for helping businesses to create great places to work; to promote healthy workplace culture and improve employee engagement.  In this episode, we discuss how the workplace can be a kinder place for the employees. According to a LabourForce survey shared by Charlotte in today's podcast, there are 828,000 workers suffering from work-place related stress, depression, anxiety which has led to 17.9 million working days lost. Meaning, that this is an incredibly important part of our lives that we and employers must address. We delve further into this and discuss some possible solutions to this national health issue. “employees need to feel they can speak up and go to their manager” “we need to stop the idea that stress is a sign of weakness” “managers can actively monitor what their team is doing - are they taking proper breaks?  Is there a culture that breaks are acceptable”  “there are some really simple changes that employees can do to get the best out of their people”  “there are rules and regulations around working hours and some organisations have completely ignored this.  Not only is it breaking the law but leads to poor mental health” Charlotte says, “We spend so much time at work, it’s really important that the workplace is somewhere where we’re happy” and it is so true. Not only should we keep going for our own reasons, but we must also be happy while doing it. We should feel more flexible during this awkward time so why are the stress levels still high? We also discuss the cultures that we gain from the workplace. Such as replying to emails after work time. Those who have listened before to the podcast have heard me talk before about setting up those healthy boundaries. Adding an email signature, making clear your beginning times and your end times, setting up filters for emails to get back to. These are an important part of setting healthy boundaries and we go further into this.   What can managers and employers do to support their workplace environment and to get the best out of their employees?  Charlotte also shares her one thing for employers to focus on and to save money.   You can find Charlotte at:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotteturnbullyallop Twitter: https://twitter.com/legallottie Website: https://wlegal.co.uk/   The Workplace Wellness Club: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/workplacewellnessthatworks The Workplace Wellness Club- a place to discuss all things related to Healthy Workplaces: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13931841/     _______________   Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.    If you haven’t yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE  If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to emma@emmalangton.com .   Or head over to my website contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diary.