Really Useful Conversations – Details, episodes & analysis

This is my final guest interview wrapping up Season 3, and I’d encourage you to listen in as I chat with Tim Roberts, a Leadership Coach who takes a no BS approach!   Author of ‘Break the Mould’ about which Tim says ‘it’s worth reading if you want to be a better leader or role model in the workplace’ and in our conversation we explore the often quoted ‘authentic leadership’ phrase - and dig into what it takes to be both true to yourself AND be an effective leader to others.    We hope you’ll enjoy listening to our ‘Really Useful Conversation’ and if you want to know more about Tim, you’ll find his website a great place to start!   Thanks for tuning in and please do share with colleagues who might also benefit.

Barbara Nixon is THE Success and Leadership Coach for ambitious Business Leaders. With a strong background in the commercial world, where she designed hundreds of senior leadership development programmes and was responsible for the Management Development for all 3000 Managers.  She worked for all areas of the business which has given her the broad commercial knowledge that helps her to help her clients today. Whether a newly promoted manager trying to find their feet, an established manager with a sudden realisation of imposter syndrome, or a business owner who is keen to get out of the weeds, side step self doubt & elevate, Barbara is the person to talk to! As a Business Leader it's easy to think you should always feel in control, be super confident, and have all the answers - but this often is not the case and with 27 years experience, Barbara really is a secret weapon to have in your toolkit! She is also one of the incredible speakers at the Actually, she can! conference, a unique opportunity for women in business to embrace a day of personal development and inspiration, so watch this space for more info! But for now, settle in to hear what Barbara has to say that might help you be the confident leader you really want to be - and find out more about her at

In this week's episode I get to chat with Alison Colley, an experienced Solicitor and HR specialist, who is passionate about supporting organisations and individuals with any work problems, and giving clear and unstuffy legal advice. This week we talk about the term reasonable adjustments, and ask when is reasonable actually reasonable enough? Following a recent UK EAT Tribunal Case where the panel suggested an employer dealing with a menopause issue had not acted in a way it considered reasonable, despite adjustments having been made. This takes us on to the wider conversation about situations such as this, and with Alison's advice we cover off some interesting points from a HR and Employment Law perspective. We also recognise the importance of our managers and leaders being trained in more than just following a policy, recognising that they may have to have some quite challenging conversations from time to time. Definitely an episode to tune into!

You understand the importance of really useful conversations at work. You recognise the impact it has on employee engagement, retention and motivation, as well as forming part of your duty of care as am employer. You understand that conversations of this nature if not done well can have legal, financial and moral implications but how do you get others to buy in too?  Whether you are addressing the proactive change to Equality Act 2010 or seeking to implement ISO 45003, you may need to get buy in from others - but how? In this episode we talk exactly about that. Often HR leaders are asked to provide development opportunities but cheaper, in a shorter time scale, without any operational disruption - so whether it is psychosocial safety, organisational resilience, an update in employment law, how do you get your leaders and managers onside? Time to talk - but they need to be prepared to listen!

As UK sickness absence rates are reported to be at a 10 year high and poor mental health being the second biggest reason for workplace absence, it's important that organisations take a more strategic approach to protecting the mental health of their employees. Simply signing up to wellbeing initiatives and appointing mental health first aiders is not the end of it - in fact the Society for Occupational Medicine says there is poor evidence to support that as a solution. So what exactly does need to be happening? How do we make sure we are doing all we can to prevent work-related stress and make sure that the work, workplace or work colleagues are not making matters worse for anyone? In this straight to the point episode we explore the HSE Management Standards and learn more about out duty of care to be proactive and preventative, and stop wasting time, money and effort on flashy firework displays that just don't cut the mustard.

In the most recent CIPD report it shares that sickness absence levels in the UK are currently at a 10 year high, and this is despite the number of organisations who now have appointed Wellbeing Managers and subscribe to various initiatives. Surely if all the employers who talk about the importance of wellbeing are doing these things, consistently and well, we should be seeing sickness absence figures drop? In this week's podcast episode I am exploring why this might indeed be the case and what businesses might need to have on their agenda for 2024 if they want to get, grow and retain staff, and have them rock up regularly, healthy and well, to do their job. Oh and by the way, Happy New Year!

The plane crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, killing 78 people. If only the flight crew had been communicating better. Flight AF90 never made it to it's destination on 13th January 1982, and the need for better equipment when dealing with disasters underground meant the rescues from the July 7th bombings in London were hampered. Communication is simply giving information, direction or guidance - one way and in organisations typically top down - but how about if we created a place where the conversations were two-way, where people were heard, where action was taken, where listening to understand and acting appropriately were every day behaviours? Your job might not be to pilot a plane, to rescue from a tragic incident - but how much are you missing out on or losing by failing to engage with people in meaningful, worthwhile, two- way dialogue? Maybe your sickness absence would decrease, your retention increase, your results improve? Tune in to this week's episode, the last one for 2023 and perhaps use the coming weeks to reflect and consider what it might be like for you and your people if conversations were encouraged at every single level in your business.

This week I get to chat with the woman on a mission to rid the world of rubbish managers - and with the launch of her new book, Jo Wright is passionate about the importance of transformational coaching conversations in organisations as the way forward.   Speaker, author, coach and all round fab person with a framework to offer any business who is committed to creating a culture where people and performance thrive, her skill in organisational coaching is definitely worth a look. Find out more about Jo and her book here

Movember is an annual global campaign that encourages men to grow those mustaches and participate in various activities to raise awareness about men’s health issues. This has included addressing issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health challenges, and suicide prevention and is intended as a platform for men to discuss their health openly, seek support, and take proactive steps towards a healthier and happier life. But why do we need to be encouraging this? Why are men often reluctant to access medical help? What do we need to do to change that? What are the Really Useful Conversations that should be happening that are not? Join me for this week's podcast episode to explore this problem further.

Certified coach Dr Jo Baldwin is on a mission to help women aged 40-plus bring oomph and sparkle back into their lives.    Jo empowers women who have lost their ‘mojo’ to rediscover it and reach their full potential.   Her own lived experience of both perimenopause and empty nest syndrome, combined with a 10-year career in obs and gynae medicine, inform her compassionate and holistic coaching style.    In her transformative coaching programmes Jo uses The Women's PowerTypes and is best known for helping self-styled ‘Superwomen’ recover from burnout and to manage their energy levels more sustainably by harnessing the innate energies of the five women’s PowerTypes™   She helps women to be the very best version of themselves and you can have a go at the PowerTypes quiz by clicking here: -