Pride Month is not only a celebration, it’s also a powerful reminder of how far we have come and how much promise lies ahead.

Many organizations now celebrate inclusivity with vibrant campaigns and visible support for the LGBTQ+ community…but the real opportunity for transformation lies beyond the rainbow bunting: it’s in the boardroom.

Authentic LGBTQ+ representation in leadership isn’t just about visibility – it’s about empowering influence. When leadership teams reflect the diversity of their workforce and wider society, inclusion becomes a core value rather than a campaign.

While only 0.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs currently identify as LGBTQ+, and nearly half of LGBTQ+ employees remain closeted at work, this gap presents a powerful opening for progress.

With approximately 7% of the U.S. adult population identifying as LGBTQ+, there is enormous untapped potential to elevate new voices into senior roles.

One of the keys to unlocking this talent is recognizing the unique strengths and experiences LGBTQ+ professionals bring. Many have honed adaptability, empathy, and resilience, which are all essential qualities for modern leadership. Yet, many still feel pressure to downplay their identities in professional settings.

Organizations have the chance to shift this narrative.

By fostering cultures where authenticity is not just accepted but championed, employers can create environments where LGBTQ+ professionals feel empowered to lead as their whole selves. Cultural transformation – not just policy – is the foundation.

Rethinking how leadership potential is identified is another area ripe for innovation. Traditional pipelines often rely on informal networks and subjective criteria, which can unintentionally sideline diverse candidates. By reassessing these processes with inclusion in mind, businesses can widen access and support emerging LGBTQ+ talent.

Even in inclusive environments, some LGBTQ+ groups face distinct challenges. But this awareness opens the door for targeted support and leadership development tailored to their experiences. The goal is not to place the burden of representation on any one person, but to ensure diverse voices are heard and valued at the top.

Genuine LGBTQ+ leadership is not a symbolic gesture, it’s a strategic asset. Studies consistently show that diverse executive teams are more innovative and financially successful. Inclusive leadership drives better decisions, stronger cultures, and greater business impact.

So how can organizations turn intention into impact?

Here are some practical steps to build momentum:

• Audit Promotion Pathways – spot where promising talent stalls and intervene early with support.
• Champion Queer Mentorship – create mentorship and sponsorship opportunities with senior leaders, both LGBTQ+ and allies.
• Celebrate Queer Leadership – share stories of LGBTQ+ leaders in internal communications and industry events.
• Redefine ‘Executive Presence’ – expand leadership norms beyond traditional models to embrace authenticity and difference.
• Enhance DEI Metrics – encourage self-identification, respect privacy, and use this data to track and accelerate progress.

The future of leadership is diverse, and inclusive C-suites are better equipped to respond to today’s challenges with empathy and agility.

This Pride Month, let’s not only celebrate progress – let’s accelerate it. By championing LGBTQ+ representation at the highest levels, C-suite professionals can unlock innovation, deepen belonging, and lead with purpose.

If you’re ready to transform your leadership culture and build a more inclusive future, then get in touch with us today!

For centuries, the concept of a “job” – a defined set of responsibilities assigned to an individual – has shaped how organizations operate, how work is allocated, and how employees are managed. However, the traditional job structure is becoming increasingly obsolete as technological advancements, globalization, and shifting workforce dynamics accelerate the pace of change. Organizations are now recognizing the need for a more fluid and adaptable approach to work – one that prioritizes skills over rigid job descriptions.

Why the Traditional Job Model is No Longer Enough

Historically, jobs have been the foundation for every aspect of workforce management -from hiring and compensation to career progression and performance evaluation. However, this standardized, function-driven approach is now proving to be a hindrance to agility, innovation, and inclusivity. By confining workers to predefined tasks within hierarchical structures, organizations limit their ability to quickly adapt to evolving business needs and capitalize on the full potential of their workforce.

Research indicates that while organizations acknowledge the benefits of a skills-based approach, there is still a significant readiness gap – only 20% of employers feel fully prepared to transition away from job-based work models. Additionally, legacy mindsets remain a major obstacle, with 46% of companies citing traditional practices as the main barrier to adopting skills-based work strategies.

The Skills-Based Organization: A New Operating Model

To meet the demands of a rapidly changing business landscape, organizations are shifting toward a skills-based operating model. This transformation involves moving away from viewing employees as “job holders” performing predefined tasks and instead recognizing them as dynamic individuals with unique and evolving skill sets.

HR professionals will play a crucial role in leading this shift by redefining how work is allocated and ensuring that skills – not job titles – drive workforce decisions. This requires:

• Breaking Down Work into Tasks or Projects: Work should be deconstructed into individual tasks or broader challenges to be solved, allowing workers to contribute based on their specific skills.
• Integrating Human Skills, AI, and Automation: Organizations must determine the optimal combination of human capability, artificial intelligence, and automation to achieve desired outcomes efficiently.
• Redefining Workforce Engagement Models: Employment models should become more flexible, incorporating freelancers, alliances, and project-based work to align with business needs.
• Allowing Skill Flow Over Fixed Structures: Instead of rigid hierarchies, employees should be encouraged to fluidly move to work that matches their skills, interests, and aspirations.

The Expanding Definition of Skills

A key pillar of the skills-based organization is recognizing that skills extend beyond technical competencies. While hard skills such as coding, data analysis, and accounting remain essential, human capabilities – including emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and leadership – are equally vital. Moreover, organizations must embrace potential – the latent abilities and adjacent skills that can be developed to foster future success.

As businesses adopt this new framework, “skills” will become shorthand for defining workers as multidimensional individuals, each possessing a unique blend of strengths, passions, and motivations. This approach not only enhances workforce agility but also fosters a more equitable, human-centric work experience.

HR’s Role in the Transformation

HR leaders must spearhead the transition from traditional job structures to skills-based organizations by educating executives, challenging outdated mindsets, and implementing new workforce strategies. By embracing this shift, companies can better align talent with work, improve employee satisfaction, and drive innovation – all while preparing for the future of work.

The end of jobs doesn’t mean the end of work; rather, it represents a new beginning – one where individuals are empowered to maximize their potential and contribute meaningfully based on their unique abilities. The time for HR to lead this evolution is now.

A brand-new study recently discovered that those employees who are ‘workaholics’ are more likely to become disengaged with their moral values. This got us thinking about how being a workaholic – whilst outwardly presenting as a super engaged and committed employee – actually has detrimental effects on overall productivity and wellbeing – so much so that it apparently throws off one’s moral compass, too. That’s why this month we have grabbed a copy of Malissa Clark’s latest book, Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture is Bad for Business–and How to Fix It.

Dr Malissa Clark is an associate professor of industrial-organizational psychology at the University of Georgia, and her research has particularly focused around workaholism, burnout, employee wellbeing, and organizational culture. Widely published in academic journals, Malissa has become a leading voice in the conversation around workplace mental health, and her first book, Never Not Working, translates her years of academic insights into accessible, actionable guidance.

In her book, Malissa starts by examining the toxic rise of workaholism in today’s professional world – where long hours and constant availability are not only normalized but celebrated. She argues that this ‘always-on’ culture is not a mark of dedication or success, but a harmful and unsustainable approach that damages individuals, teams, and entire organizations.

The book creates a clear distinction between healthy work engagement (feeling energized and fulfilled by work) and workaholism, which is defined by an uncontrollable inner compulsion to work excessively and obsessively. Malissa draws on over a decade of empirical research to show how workaholism is linked to burnout, anxiety, strained relationships, and reduced productivity, debunking the myth that more work automatically leads to better outcomes.

The book also goes on to address the systemic and cultural drivers of overwork: from glorified ‘hustle culture’ and performative busyness to poor leadership and the spread of technology that blurs the line between professional and personal life. She explores how these patterns have been intensified by the pandemic, remote work, and economic pressures.

Rather than simply critiquing the current state of affairs, Malissa offers a practical framework for change. She provides tools for leaders to recognize unhealthy behaviors in themselves and their teams, and she outlines steps organizations can take to shift away from overwork, such as setting boundaries, promoting recovery time, and measuring success based on output rather than hours being logged.

Ultimately, Never Not Working is a call to reimagine what productivity and success look like in the 21st century, arguing that sustainable work is not only better for employees, but better for business overall.

If you would like to discuss how we can help train your leaders and middle managers to identify the signs of workaholism, please get in touch with us today!

And in the meantime, be sure to grab yourself a copy of Never Not Working – it can be purchased here in the US and here in the UK.

The corporate world can at times be guilty of adhering to traditional (and, dare we say, outdated!) bureaucratic systems that prioritize control and efficiency at the expense of creativity and motivation.

Well, to challenge this issue, we grabbed ourselves a copy of Gary Hamel’s and Michele Zanini’s book, Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them.

Gary Hamel is known as one of the most influential and iconoclastic business thinkers of our time who has worked with leading companies across the globe. He is the co-founder of Management Lab which is designed to help the world’s largest and most successful companies accelerate the pace of their management innovation. His co-author Michele Zanini is also co-founder of Management Lab, whose own ideas are fuelled by his years of on-the-ground research on the limits of traditional management and how successful companies can overcome these obstacles.

Pooling their vast experience and knowledge, Gary and Michele created Humanocracy in which they propose companies make a radical shift that would see employees given greater autonomy, decision-making power, and opportunities for growth. This approach acts as the blueprint for creating organizations that are as inspired and ingenious as the human beings inside of them.

According to their data, the critical building blocks for achieving a humanocracy are:

• Dismantling Bureaucracy – reducing unnecessary layers of management to enable more agility.
• Empowering Employees – giving individuals more control over their work and decision-making.
• Meritocracy Over Hierarchy – rewarding contributions rather than status.
• Encouraging Experimentation – fostering a culture where employees are encouraged to innovate.
• Customer-Centric Thinking – aligning operations with customer needs rather than internal politics.

Humanocracy acts as an insightful and compelling critique of traditional management structures, offering a bold vision for the future of work. Hamel and Zanini effectively illustrate how bureaucratic red tape inhibits creativity and how companies that embrace decentralization and employee empowerment can unlock greater levels of engagement, adaptability, and success in an economy where the pace of change is ever-increasing.

If you would like to discuss how we can help build a humanocracy in your workplace that creates space for innovation and creativity, please get in touch with us today!

And in the meantime, grab yourself a copy of Humanocracy here in the US and here in the UK.

This month, we’ve been reading Vijay Pendakur’s debut book, The Alchemy of Talent: Leading Teams to Peak Performance.

A global talent and culture leader, Vijay has seen the very real effects that change fatigue has had on employees after years of what has felt like constant disruption and uncertainty. In this book, he pools his vast amount of leadership experience and draws from extensive research in behavioral science and organizational psychology to create this comprehensive guide that delves into building high-performing teams in today’s dynamic business environment.

Central to the book is the concept of ‘productive friction’ – the idea that diverse and complex teams, when managed effectively, can generate superior solutions and drive peak performance.

To harness this potential, Vijay introduces three key ‘talent catalysts’:

1. Psychological Safety – creating an environment where team members feel safe to take risks, voice their opinions, and admit mistakes without fear of retribution.
2. Belonging – fostering a sense of inclusion where individuals feel valued and integral to the team’s success.
3. Connection – encouraging strong interpersonal relationships that enhance collaboration and trust amongst team members.

Each catalyst is explored in dedicated chapters, beginning with real-world anecdotes from Vijay’s professional experiences. These narratives illustrate the practical application of each concept, followed by sections on understanding (‘knowing it’), identifying (‘spotting it’), and implementing (‘doing it’) the catalyst within one’s team. This structured approach provides leaders with clear guidance on how to transform these theoretical insights into tangible, effective practices.

The book also addresses the challenges posed by modern work settings, such as remote and hybrid models, which can impede traditional team dynamics. Vijay emphasizes the importance of adapting leadership practices to maintain the rituals that promote cohesion and productive interactions, even in virtual spaces.

And in addition to the core content, The Alchemy of Talent includes reflection prompts, illustrative graphics, and practical exercises designed to help leaders internalize and apply the concepts discussed. The emphasis on aligning leadership models with individual strengths and the strategic integration of diversity and inclusion efforts reinforces the book’s relevance in today’s dynamic organizational landscapes.

Overall, Vijay’s work serves as a vital resource for leaders aiming to navigate the complexities of team dynamics and drive their teams toward exceptional performance.

If you would like to discuss how we can help your teams achieve sustained success through our team coaching services, please get in touch with us today.

And in the meantime, be sure to grab a copy of The Alchemy of Talent – you can purchase a copy here in the US and here in the UK.

The theme of bettering ourselves is prominent as we head into a new year. Many of us endeavour to make changes to ourselves and our lifestyles, often spurred on by a new year’s resolution or two. But how do we increase the chance that our resolutions will stick around past January? How can we avoid the February fizzle?

Good news: we know something about managing change from our work lives and those best practices can help us with the changes we want to make outside of the office. When you think about it, rolling out a new performance management system or reworking an internal communications strategy can be straightforward, as they rely on the more technical aspects of change. We create new processes, document new procedures, and train teams on what to do differently.

But when it comes to mindset shifts – getting people to think differently – the challenge is greater. Changing a mindset goes beyond altering the way we do things – we have to alter the way we perceive the world around us, and this requires time, intention, and effort. Adapting a few best practices from change management can help:

• Set a clear objective and definition of success

Ask yourself: Why am I trying to adopt this new mindset? What do I hope to achieve? Perhaps you want to develop a more growth-oriented outlook or become more patient in your leadership style. Without a clear objective, it’s difficult to measure progress or stay motivated.

In change management, we establish clear success criteria and milestones. When managing your own mindset shift, it helps to do the same: define what successful change means to you. Is it when you instinctively approach challenges with curiosity instead of frustration? Or when your team starts to notice and appreciate your more open-minded approach? Defining success helps keep you focused and provides a sense of achievement along the way.

• Prepare your stakeholders and create accountability with supportive partners

Every mindset shift has a ripple effect on those around us—whether it’s our colleagues, friends, or family. Ask yourself: Who are my ‘stakeholders’ in this change? How might my new mindset affect them, and how might they react? Providing some ‘advance notice’ to those affected can help manage expectations and foster support.

Accountability partners can dramatically increase the likelihood of a successful mindset shift. Just as we engage sponsors and champions in organizational change efforts, we can enlist trusted colleagues or friends to act as our personal support network. These individuals can provide encouragement, offer feedback, and help hold us accountable.

• Build in some structure

In the workplace, we implement policies and tools to support technical change, so think about how this can be adapted for personal mindset shifts: structural changes might include setting up reminders, scheduling regular check-ins with your accountability partners, or keeping a journal to track progress and reflect on lessons learned. These reinforcements create an environment conducive to lasting change.

• Be kind and patient with yourself

Finally, be realistic and kind to yourself. Organizational change takes time, and so does personal transformation. Don’t expect an overnight shift. Set realistic expectations for how long it might take for your new mindset to become second nature and remember that setbacks are part of the process…the key is to keep moving forward, one step at a time.

You may be thinking: “Best practices from work?  Really?” This approach may feel like overkill, but it is great way to demonstrate respect for your efforts through good planning. Applying proven change management principles to personal change increases the likelihood that your new mindset will take hold, and come February, those changes will be here to stay.

If you would like to discuss how we can help you build or strengthen a change management mindset, please get in touch with me at gordon.robinson@orgshakers.com or via our website.

In today’s fast-paced, rapidly changing professional world, time is a precious commodity.

Balancing tight schedules and demanding workloads with the need for continuous personal development is a challenge that employees in high-demand roles face on a daily basis.

This is where microlearning can be a game-changer.

Microlearning is an innovative approach to education in corporate training. This method of learning delivers short, targeted learning sessions that help employees acquire new skills without lengthy time commitments.

For example, an employer using microlearning techniques might divide their training content into concise, manageable segments, each focusing on a specific skill or topic. These sessions will typically last a few minutes, and can take various formats such as videos, quizzes, or brief articles.

This approach aligns perfectly with busy schedules, offering employees the flexibility to learn during breaks or between tasks, ultimately improving their skillset in a succinct and digestible way.

So, how can employers start building microlearning strategies into their training programs?

• Set Clear Goals – define the specific skills or knowledge areas you want to develop within your team. By doing so, this allows you to set clear goals for what knowledge you want your employees to ascertain and ensures that your resources for achieving this are targeted and concise.
• Select Learning Formats – when selecting the format that these training programs are delivered in, consider what will suit your workforce best. This could be quizzes, flashcards, book summaries, or videos, or a mix of resources so that employees can choose which format best suits their way of microlearning.
• Leverage Tools – there are many applications available that promote the use of microlearning and make it easily accessible which employers can leverage. Headway is a great example of this, as the app offers daily microlearning’s and condensed book summaries that can help employees learn succinctly.

However, it’s one thing to introduce microlearning techniques to your teams, but employers must also be committed to continuously gauge the success of the microlearning initiatives being used in order to continue to reap the benefits of increased knowledge, innovation, and productivity.

To do this, employers should be monitoring participation rates and general enthusiasm for microlearning programs (especially if using an app, as engagement with it can be measured easily). As well as this, consider conducting assessments to evaluate how well employees apply what they have learned, and be consistently gathering input from employees on how effective they believe the content is and what might make it more effective for them.

If you would like to discuss how we can help implement microlearning strategies into your training initiatives, please get in touch with us today!

The New Year is always a time for reflection, and more often than not, this can lead to us reevaluating what things have been bringing us purpose in our life and where in our lives this purpose can be found. This is where The Purpose Effect: Building Meaning in Yourself, Your Role and Your Organization by Dan Pontefract comes into play.

Dan is a leadership and culture change strategist, a keynote speaker with over two decades of experience at companies such as SAP, TELUS, and Business Objects, and an author to a number of bestselling books.

In his book The Purpose Effect, Dan combines his years of experience with swathes of research on employee engagement to create a work about the three crucial areas of purpose that result in the Purpose Effect: individual, workplace role, and organizational. 

Purpose-driven organizations focus on more than just profits. They align personal, organizational, and role-based purposes, benefiting both employees and society. When these elements align, employees feel fulfilled and engaged, contributing towards better work. If there is a mismatch between an employee’s personal purpose and the organization’s goals, it can ultimately lead to dissatisfaction.

This is where the Purpose Effect comes in, and it arises from three main factors:

1. Personal Sense of Purpose: Employees need to have a motivating purpose. This involves growth, defining life goals, and maintaining ethical behavior. Employees should be continually asking themselves how they are evolving and how they want to be perceived at work.
2. Organizational Purpose: This defines why the company exists. It reflects the company’s principles, ethics, culture, and commitment to fair practices. Fair compensation, performance management, and recognition are essential for aligning employees with a company’s purpose.
3. Role-Based Purpose: Each employee’s role must align with their personal and organizational purpose. When employees see their work as a ‘calling’, they are more likely to engage with said work.

Dan’s book teaches employers how they can find what he dubs the ‘sweet spot’ – this is the intersection of personal, organizational, and role purposes. By achieving this alignment, leaders will be able to foster a community spirit within the organization that will lead to a more productive, motivated workforce, as a company without a clear purpose may struggle to attract and retain top talent.

If you would like to discuss how we can help implement the best strategies to achieve the Purpose Effect, please get in touch with us today!

In the meantime, be sure to grab a copy of The Purpose Effect – you can head over here for the US and here for the UK.

A staple of entering a new year is New Year’s Resolutions. Many of us will take a moment of self-reflection to look inside ourselves and identify a list of resolutions that we feel will improve us as a person in the year to come. The ‘new year, new me’ mindset will remerge across social media platforms like it always does and many of us will be begrudgingly attempting to lower alcohol and meat intake across Dry January and Veganuary.

And yet, despite this mindset seeming slightly performative, the idea of reflection and inciting change is actually a very positive thing to be doing – especially if you are a leader or executive in an organization.

For those in positions of power in the workplace, reflection on current working policies and practices is vital for ensuring that the cogs of your business continue to spin without any kinks. However, when things remain the same way for too long, these cogs can quickly start to rust…so, when it comes to the ‘new year, new me’ mindset in leaders, what are some things that leaders should be leaving behind in 2024 to ensure a prosperous 2025 for their organizations and for their people?

• Any thinking that AI is a technical event/opportunity/phenomenon – it’s absolutely tied to the way we get things done across all the enterprise. It’s not an IT thing!
• Any constraining of employee experimentation with AI or AI tools – good practices will emerge if we let people play with new processes and thinking — let this happen with AI!  Get out of their way! Instead, find a way for people to share their discovery of how to use AI in their jobs.
• Any constraining of the strategic nature of the CFO role – the Chief Financial Officer is no longer just the ‘numbers’ person, they are a strategic thinker and contributor to the C-suite team. They are increasingly in charge of the large-scale, strategic investments that have broad impacts on company infrastructure and strategic positioning, meaning that their voice is critical in the ideation and trade-offs for such investments.
• Similarly, any constraining of the CHRO role – the Chief Human Resources Officer can be a powerful, strategic role, and it is key to harnessing a varied, complex workforce.
• Stop allowing politicization of best practices that work – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)…these are strategic approaches that are tried and true, and that drive success. They are key to innovation and good decision-making.

If leaders truly want to embrace a ‘new year, new me’ mindset, then they should start to consider the leadership practices which will propel them and their company forwards. This is where our Executive Action Series can help; a leadership development program that is laser-focused on supporting your senior leaders and executives with their strategic goals in order to yield long-term resilience and drive sustainability.

If you would like to discuss this service in more detail, please get in touch with us at anya@orgshakers.com or gordon.robinson@orgshakers.com

Last year, we asked the OrgShakers team what practices and ideologies they thought employers should be leaving behind as they ventured into the New Year.

Now, as another year comes to a close, we wanted to see what they believe should be left behind in 2024 in order to help propel sustainability and growth in the year to come:

• Our Founder David Fairhurst believes that the end of the year is a great time for HR leaders to be considering their key areas of focus for 2025, and this includes looking at what practices should be left behind in order to foster more innovative, inclusive, and employee-centric workplaces. This could be done by adopting outcome-centered models of managing performance, or placing a greater focus on strategic workforce planning to ensure the workforce is a future fit, or even looking into comprehensive wellbeing strategies to avoid employee burnout, to name a few. But what’s important to remember when looking at new practices is to be realistic, and this can be done by thinking of HR strategic objectives on three levels:
  • What are the basics that need to be maintained?
  • What are the areas that must continuously improve?
  • What are the big moves we need to focus on which will offer a transformative impact?
• Anya Clitheroe would like to stop hearing managers complaining about the Gen Z workforce! This year she has heard so many managers making the blanket statement that Gen Z have been spoilt and they don’t want to work hard or that they don’t show any initiative. Instead, Anya would like them to find a way to engage the younger workforce in a way that interests them. Have they clearly communicated ways of working expectations, and have they found out what does motivate them? At the very least, they need to see that not every Gen Z can be identical in their workstyle preferences!
• Speaking of leaders, Marty Belle believes that employers should leave behind rigidity and paternalistic leadership operating styles. These areas of inflexibility include enforcing Return to Work practices in cases where remote workers are more productive, or only offering fixed work schedules without taking into consideration some workers may not be morning people and would choose to work mid-day rather than early morning. Additionally, more flexible scheduling would accommodate childcare needs and parental involvement in their children’s extracurricular activities.
• Building on this, Lauren Kincaid believes that employers should be leaving behind a one-size-fits all approach when it comes to employment policies and employee benefits. The more personalized the employment experience, the more seen, heard and valued an employee feels, resulting in better employee engagement, loyalty and performance.
• Echoing Marty’s sentiment of rigidity, Sayid Hussein also believes employers should leave behind in 2024 a “9-to-5, in-office only” mentality. With advancements in technology and changing workforce dynamics, it’s time to embrace flexible working arrangements that prioritize outcomes over hours. Trusting employees to manage their time fosters creativity, improves retention, and acknowledges the diverse realities of modern life.
• Speaking of mindsets, Karen Cerrato believes that employers should be leaving behind short-term thinking. Whether at a corporate level or a management level, if we want longevity out of our employees, Kanen believes that need to start thinking strategically and long term. The days of people staying in a job for 10 yrs + “just because”, are long gone; we need to give them a reason to want to stay:  
  • Reactive decision-making: Shift toward proactive strategies that prioritize long-term growth and stability.
  • Underinvestment in talent: Invest in professional development and career growth opportunities for employees.
  • Top-down communication only: Foster two-way communication to engage employees and encourage innovation.
• Amanda Holland believes that employers need to be conducting their final Covid pandemic clean up: it’s time to finish assessing any processes or procedures developed specifically during the pandemic. Operationalize any efficiencies your company will be keeping by ensuring the language is up-to-date and free from pandemic references. Eliminate those policies, processes, and procedures that are no longer needed or applicable.
• Ken Merritt believes that employers should be leaving behind ‘reluctance’. Several companies have been slow to hire and fast to retire because there has been a ‘cloud of reluctance’ hanging over the economy since 2022 – it’s time for employers to be leaving that behind for good in 2024.
• Therese Procter knows that 2024 has been a very challenging year, with the key topics of remote working, political uncertainty, and the skills gap taking many of the highlight spots. But an area that she believes is often pushed down the agenda (whether this be due to the amount of effort and/or cost it requires) is mental and financial wellbeing. That’s why she believes that employers should be leaving behind poor and ineffective mental health support strategies and programs that are outdated and not fit for purpose, and instead take on a fresh approach to wellbeing this new year that better supports mental and financial aspects of life.

If you would like to get in touch with us about any of the points raised by our team, or if you have a different concerns that you were hoping to leave in 2024 and need assistance in shedding it, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today!

Equally, if you want some on-demand advice and strategies, why not book in a 1-hour private consultation with one of our seasoned HR professionals? Take a look at our OrgShakers CL!CK service for more details!

From all of us at OrgShakers, we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year!

In the post pandemic era of flexible and remote working, global mobility is no longer just about relocating employees – it’s about driving organizational growth, fostering innovation, and building resilient, future-ready workforces.

Global mobility has evolved from being primarily a logistical function into a cornerstone of talent strategy, where mobility data analytics can be used to forecast talent needs, aligning mobility with business objectives, and ensuring that policies promote inclusivity and equity.

1. Access to Global Talent Pools
   The war for talent has expanded beyond borders. Global mobility programs enable organizations to tap into the widest possible pool of talent, ensuring individuals with the right skills and experience are in the right locations. This not only addresses local talent shortages but also enhances diversity, which has been proven to drive innovation and performance.
2. Leadership Development and Succession Planning
   International experience is a critical component of developing leaders who understand global markets and cultural nuances. By embedding mobility into leadership development programs, firms can ensure they are equipping executives with the skills required to successfully lead a diverse and interconnected workforce.
3. Enhancing Employee Experience and Retention
   Offering opportunities for global assignments is a compelling employee value proposition. It demonstrates an investment in professional growth and fosters a sense of adventure and purpose, which are critical for retaining the next generation of top talent in a competitive labor market.
4. Building Organizational Agility
   Global mobility enhances an organization’s ability to respond to market changes and new opportunities. Whether it’s establishing operations in emerging markets or quickly deploying talent for critical projects, mobility programs underpin agility and scalability.

Challenges and Opportunities

Global mobility inevitably creates challenges and requires the navigation of complex employer compliance obligations including tax, immigration, and local labour laws, not to mention the high costs which can be associated with employee relocations.

However, with the right policies, partners, and tech-enabled support it is possible to overcome these challenges without compromising the employee experience.

In today’s interconnected world, global mobility is not just an operational necessity – it’s a strategic enabler. And by leveraging mobility as a driver of innovation, agility, diversity, and talent development, business leaders can position their organizations to thrive on the international stage.

If you would like to discuss how we can support global talent mobility in your organization, please get in touch with us today.

There has always been this outdated idea that in order to climb the ranks and come out on top you have to be ruthless, cutthroat, and manipulative. But in reality, there isn’t much evidence that supports this – one longitudinal study conducted over 14 years found that those who were selfish, aggressive, and manipulative were actually less likely to move up the ranks. It was those who were generous, kind, and agreeable who were more likely to be promoted to a position of power.

So how might they continue to be their authentic, kind self when in a position of authority? We can already see that kindness is by no means a symbol of weakness, but with a leadership role comes a certain expectation of having to make the hard decisions, delegate tasks, and maintain a sense of authority that some may feel gets diluted by a kind demeanour. The secret is not blurring the lines between kindness and friendship.

Kwame Christian – known for his work around compassionate curiosity – discusses how the best advice he was ever given was that to be successful, you need to be respected rather than liked. And this notion is particularly poignant when it comes to balancing kindness and authority in a way that leads to the respect of your peers rather than their affection.

Leaders have to actively be reinforcing professional boundaries with their team; you don’t have to be friends with the people who work for you to know them and what’s important to them, both in and outside the workplace. It’s about having and fostering that benevolent concern for your team in a respectful way.

As with many aspects of communication, it’s important to check your intention. Leaders should always be taking a step back when making a decision and think about why they are deciding this. This can be incredibly helpful when having to deliver difficult decisions or an undesired outcome to an employee, as it offers them an insight into why you have come to this conclusion and why it is a necessary one for the wider health of the company.

What I have personally found to be particularly effective in these instances is having an insight into the workstyle preferences of the people I am working with. Years ago, I had a boss who would frequently change her mind on the direction she wanted something to go in, which would require consistent reworking from me to the point that I once ended up on version 37 of the draft! Whilst this was frustrating, I now realize that if my boss and I had undergone a process like SurePeople’s psychometric assessment, I would have seen from her Prism profile what kind of a leader she was and how her decision-making process worked. Having that insight would have helped me better understand how to work with her needs, just as her having access to my own profile would give her an insight into how I worked best. Leaders who have access to tools such as Prism will find it much more manageable to have those more difficult conversations with their team members.

Overall, it can be a tricky thing to be a leader who is nice and kind but whose authority is still respected. That’s why I believe it’s best to steer away from the notion of being the leader who wants to be pals with everyone and instead focus more on being the leader who offers everyone respect and expects this back in return.

If you would like to discuss the executive coaching services that we offer, or if you would like to get a deeper understanding into the Prism psychometric profiling technology, please get in touch with me at anya@orgshakers.com