The People Mentor Podcast

In this episode, Nicola from The People Mentor tackles the challenge of managing an underperforming team member when your boss undermines your efforts. She provides practical strategies for:- Documenting performance issues systematically- Having constructive conversations with underperforming employees - Creating and implementing effective Personal Improvement Plans (PIPs)- Dealing with a boss who wants to retain an underperformer- Handling ongoing underperformance a year after a completed PIPNicola offers step-by-step guidance on preparing for difficult conversations, setting clear performance goals, providing support, and navigating tricky situations with unsupportive management. Whether you are facing this issue or want to be prepared, this episode provides valuable insights for maintaining professional integrity while improving team performance.

Struggling with employee social media issues? In this must-listen episode, Nicola from The People Mentor tackles the challenge of confronting staff about inappropriate online behaviour. You'll learn practical strategies for professionally addressing social media concerns, protecting your business, and strengthening team relationships. Discover how to turn awkward conversations into opportunities for growth using the COMPASS model. Whether you're dealing with a social media situation now or want to be prepared, this podcast provides the tools you need to navigate the digital minefield confidently. Don't miss these expert insights to become a more effective communicator and leader.

In this episode, Nicola from The People Mentor tackles the thorny issue of being 'too nice' in the workplace. With her signature blend of warmth and straight-talking advice, Nicola explains why avoiding difficult conversations can hurt your business. She shares practical strategies for delivering constructive criticism effectively, including the powerful AID model. Whether you're struggling with an underperforming team member or want to create an open, honest communication culture, this podcast offers valuable insights. Nicola challenges listeners to shift from being merely nice to truly kind and effective leaders. Tune in to learn why sometimes the kindest thing you can do for your employees and your business is to have those tough conversations.

Nobody enjoys difficult conversations, and if you need to have such a conversation with your boss, it can intensify the feelings of dread and anxiety you might have. In this podcast, I share my tips and techniques for having successful, difficult conversations with your boss that will help improve your relationship.

Join Nicola from The People Mentor as she shares valuableinsights on creating an inclusive workplace for neurodiverse individuals. Learn practical strategies to support employees with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other neurological differences during difficult conversations. Discover how small adjustments alongside empathy can lead to better communication, collaboration, and personal growth. Whether you're a manager or a colleague, this podcast offers actionable tips for creating a more understanding and supportive work environment.Tune in to enhance your leadership skills and positively impact your workplace!

Difficult conversations trigger our fight-or-flight response, so it's not surprising that managing emotions can feel difficult. In this episode of The People Mentor podcast, Nicola shares some strategies for staying calm, empathetic, and focused on constructive solutions.

If recent years have taught us anything, it's that you can never be too prepared for a crisis. But how prepared are you? How can you be the leader that people need in times of crisis so that everyone thrives instead of just surviving? In this podcast, I share some strategies for thriving in volatile times.

Compassionate leadership is badly needed in an increasingly stressful world. However, how do leaders balance compassion with strength and professionalism? I explore this, particularly in relation to difficult conversations.

You love your job. But the one thing that takes the shine off it is the office politics. The taking credit for people's work. The blame culture.The gossiping and the backbiting. It can really discourage people and affect performance, and it can even affect your integrity as a leader. Here's how you can navigate negative office politics while maintaining your integrity and positioning yourself as the leader people can trust.

What if I told you that the single most important factor in your success as a leader is knowing yourself? That understanding how you think and react can make you a more effective, compassionate, and innovative leader? This episode of The People Mentor podcast is all about mindful leadership and how to use this self-knowledge to be present and cultivate focus, clarity, creativity, and compassion.  

Welcome to my podcast, your go-to guide for leading with heart and results in high-pressure times. Today I am chatting about all things burnout prevention, handling tough conversations, and boosting team well-being. Peppered with actionable advice, expert insights, and a hearty dose of empathy, this is your essential toolkit to navigate leadership in burnout-intense times. 

Are you struggling to manage long-term employees who have become challenging in your business? In my latest podcast, I provide you with valuable strategies and insights on effectively navigating this situation. Discover how to unlock the potential of these employees, foster a positive work environment, and drive the continued success of your team. Don't miss out on this opportunity to transform challenges into opportunities for growth! Check out the podcast now.

Looking to boost productivity in your SME team?  Look no further! My podcast, "How to Increase Productivity in Your SME Team to Achieve the Results You Want," is packed with actionable strategies to optimise your team's efficiency. Join me as I explore time management, effective delegation, and productivity that will help you achieve outstanding results in your business. Tune in and unlock the secrets to a high-performing team! ️ 

Today I'm sharing some insights today about building a powerful culture in your SME business.  A strong company culture is the secret sauce that can take your business to new heights. It's not just about having a cool office or fancy perks; it's about creating an environment where your employees can thrive, be engaged, and deliver their best work. And trust me, that's the kind of culture that attracts and retains top talent!Now, picture this: You stumble upon a small company called ABC Inc., specialising in IT project management. Sounds promising, right? But here's the plot twist – their culture is downright toxic and dysfunctional. Want to know more listen to the latest podcast. 

Can leadership skills be learned or are they innate? In this episode of The People Mentor podcast, I talk about whether leadership is in our nature or whether leadership skills can be nurtured. Here's my take on it. 

What impact do your leadership skills have on the performance of your team?In leadership, how you speak, how you act, and the decisions you make can have a direct effect on your employees, in positive and negative ways. In this podcast, we'll be looking at the leadership skills to develop for high-performing teams and the leadership behaviours you need to leave behind. 

Do you enter into a difficult conversation with the intention of ‘winning?' If you want a positive outcome, that's not the best way to go about it. The art of having successful difficult conversations is in finding common ground and a way forward that's acceptable to all parties. Here are my tips on how to get the best out of tough conversations. 

The benefits of having neurodiverse people on your team are increasingly being recognised. However, along with these benefits, there are challenges, one of which is communication. In this podcast, I'm looking at how to have a successful and productive conversation with a neurodiverse employee.  

Does your confidence as a manager of people need work?Behind every confident team is a confident manager. In this podcast, I'll be sharing tips on how to increase your confidence so that in turn, your team becomes happier, more innovative, and more productive. 

As a new manager, it's crucial you understand how to lead your team to success. Effective leadership has a far-reaching impact, not just on the immediate team, but on the overall business and its success. That's why I have pulled together in this podcast, 10 tips for new managers to help you get started on the right foot

Difficult conversations are challenging enough and holding them remotely adds another layer of difficulty. There's more room for misunderstanding and feelings getting hurt, not to mention the difficulties that trying to read body language when you're not in the same room can bring. Here's why I think holding difficult conversations virtually is never a good idea. 

Managers in SME businesses tend to wear a lot of hats. In the space of a day, they deal with daily trivia as well as the higher-level strategic stuff and coordinating all the different parts of the business. All of that against a backdrop of constant and sometimes seismic change. It's a balancing act that requires the right leadership skills. But what leadership skills are most important in SMEs?

Nobody likes delivering bad news. But how do you deliver bad news without upsetting the whole team? In this podcast, I look at how delivering bad news successfully is all in your approach and give you some examples of scenarios and how to deal with them. 

How meaningful are the conversations you have at work? How can you go from superficial small talk and dancing around the real issues to talking about what matters the most at work? In this podcast, I look at how to make your conversations more meaningful, and how you can use them to create that welcoming and productive culture in your team. 

What is your worst fear about difficult conversations? For many people, it's the fear that they'll lose control of their emotions. They worry they'll storm out, get angry, or start crying. While it can be tough to keep your cool during an intense conversation, it is possible to have difficult conversations at work without crying. Here's how. 

What is the key to handling those crucial conversations better? Is radical candour the way forward? In this podcast, I look at some approaches to dealing with difficult conversations to get the best outcome for you and for the other person. 

Managing relationships with team members can be tricky at the best of times, but what about when you add managing people you consider as friends to the mix? This podcast looks at how to navigate the difficult conversations and situations that can arise. 

The state of your working relationships can be an important factor in whether you are happy and productive at work, or not. When a co-worker undermines you it can make you feel isolated and excluded at best. At worst, it can affect your mental health and even make you want to leave your role. So what should you do when a co-worker undermines you? 

Have you ever had a personal relationship at work? We all spend a lot of time at work so it's inevitable that relationships will happen. Today's podcast looks at whether managers need to get involved in such a private thing and what to do when relationships at work become a problem. 

The death of someone close is always painful and can spill over into the workplace. As a manager and leader knowing how to support your team member can seem hard and often the person's grief is acknowledged when they return to the office and then a few days later forgotten.This podcast looks at what we need to do to support our team members in the workplace 

Whatever team you have there will be a point when a team member has personal problems.  How to support the team member is a key question for managers and leaders. 

Want to grow the business?  Then you need your team behind you and fully engaged? Are you seeing signs that indicate that you may have a problem?  This podcast looks at what signs need taking noticing of and then some ideas to help you re-energise your team. 

It can be hard to have a tough conversation. You want to be direct, but you don't want to seem disrespectful.  You want to get your point across, but you don't want to offend the other person.  Today's podcast talks about maintaining respect in the workplace when having a tough conversation. 

We've all been there. We've all had a difficult conversation at work with employees or our boss. That feeling that your stomach is in knots and of not being in control of your emotions can be awful. Even though you feel relieved when the conversation is over, it's important to check in with yourself and with the other person; to debrief and decompress. Here's how to recover after a difficult conversation. 

Being observant is one of the most important skills that a manager and leader can have. But do we really know what this involves?  Listen to the podcast to gain more insight. 

Giving feedback, especially when it's not going to be easy for someone to hear is something you'll never relish. But what makes it so much harder is knowing even before you start that someone won't accept what you say. This episode looks at what to do when a team member can't or won't accept your feedback. 

“ Sorry to put you out, but would you mind…” How many times have you started a conversation or an email like this?Being assertive about your needs is not wrong, so why do so many of us find it difficult? Here are 9 ways to increase your assertiveness in the workplace. 

When you started your business were you excited about the lifestyle and the freedom it would bring?  A few years in are you now feeling like there is no let-up and it is all down to you and not your team?It doesn't have to be like this. Listen to the latest podcast for tips on how to change this situation with the support of your team.

Do you dread having difficult conversations at work?You're not alone. Many people find these conversations challenging, but they're essential for progress. That's why I've created this podcast – to help you have the tough talks you need to have.In my podcast, I take you through the preparation for the conversation so that you feel confident and ready to have the discussion. I also provide tips on how to stay calm and focused during the talk. And finally, I discuss the follow-up so that everyone walks away feeling satisfied with the outcome.Listen to my latest episode now!

 Today I'm talking about how authenticity is one of the most important characteristics that any business owner or leader can have. You might be a business owner but you're also a human being, and that means that sometimes we can be influenced by our ego.  In this podcast, I look at the key traits of leadership and how authenticity ranks highly.  How you behave will influence your teams. 

Are you fed up of being disturbed every five minutes by employees asking you for help and advice? Do you wish they could just get on with it and leave you to focus on what's really important? You need to empower them. Maybe you've created the situation with micromanaging or failing to delegate. But now you have to turn it around. Here's why coaching is the real secret to empowering employees. 

Someone on your team is not pulling their weight. They're not turning in work on time and it's definitely not up to the standard you expect. You have to confront them about their performance. But wait. Is it really poor performance you're seeing, or something else?In this podcast, I want to take the mystery out of how to identify and manage poor performance. 

When you own your own business, you're probably so used to doing everything yourself that when the time comes to embrace growth and let go of the reins a little, you can find it very difficult, or even impossible.  Understanding your blockers to delegation is key. Once you have done that then looking at the steps to delegate to make it effective comes next. In The People Mentor podcast today I explore ways to get you delegating effectively. 

Do you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Have profits taken a hit?  Are costs up?In this episode I explore how your team can help turn things around and being open to change is important. 

Understanding what will help you influence and lead your employees to do their best is essential for your business to grow and scale.In this podcast, we explore the components of an influential leader.

It took you a while to find your dream employee. They came on board and things were great for a while. Until one day, they weren't. Their performance dipped, they started calling in sick, and it just felt like they'd lost their passion. Sounds familiar? In this podcast, I want to share with you the secret to retaining employees in your small business. Spoiler alert: It's not paying them more money. 

You've probably read about ‘the great resignation' online. As an employer, does it worry you that people might want to leave your business?Are engagement and morale not what they could be? In this podcast, I want to show you how you can do engagement better and show your people that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. 

Fed up of investing in courses and not having the time to finish (or even start) them?Sick of spending time and money in the hope of taking your business forward?What you need is learning and guidance that's affordable, accessible, and tuned into your needs. Should you join my Success with Employees Membership? Listen to today's podcast to find out why it might just be the secret sauce you need. 

Your business is growing and you have more work than you can handle.But not everything in the garden is rosy. You're so busy, you're turning work down. You're feeling increasingly burned out. Clients are complaining and you're spending SO much time on the small stuff. Sounds familiar?These are all signs you're ready to hire someone. Not convinced? Check out today's podcast. 

Feeling overwhelmed? You're not alone.But before you reach for that glass of wine or scream into your pillow, I want to share with you four key things that reduce overwhelm. Want to know what they are? Here's my latest podcast, Four Ways out of Overwhelm: A Survival Guide for the Stressed Out Employer. 

Do you dream of a motivated team that will go the extra mile? The good news is, you only need to take three steps to make that dream a reality. Want to find out what they are? Tune into this edition of the Success with Employees podcast.