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When businesses take off successfully, they can grow fast. Within a year that micro business suddenly employs 50 people, fast on the way to being an SME. With all this growth it’s easy to put people issues to one side - until you start to find situations where you could use some advice. Fast growing businesses present people challenges - as well as opportunities. I come at this with some experience. I was there at the start of Virgin Mobile and was the third hire, as People D

Every organisation has a culture, but how do you create one that’s positive and engaging? One that attracts, retains and gets the best from the talent you need. In my view, company culture is about connection, purpose and trust. That’s connection with your organisation, the purpose they find in their work and the levels of trust they experience. In this article I look at finding purpose, based on some of the questions I’m often asked at my talks and workshops. Why do you thin

The challenge for many leaders is not recognising that culture matters. Most already know that. The challenge is knowing where to begin. Of course there are clients to support, targets to hit and operational pressures demanding your attention every day. So, culture often becomes something to focus on later - once things calm down. But they never do. The reality is that culture is already shaping your business - whether you are actively managing it or not. Why your culture mat

One of the attractions of a start-up or smaller business is often the culture. It doesn’t feel like anywhere else because it has its own identity. This unique culture is what attracts and convinces new starters to join. They feel they’ve found something special. But then, inevitably, growth happens, and the organisation is fast on its way to becoming an SME. While that might always have been the plan, that special culture can get lost in transition. Suddenly, founders are run

Have you ever been inspired or demotivated by a line manager? Either way, you’ll know the impact that relationship can have. In many ways, how we experience the organisations we work for is influenced by our line managers. Ask anyone what they think of the culture where they work, and they’ll probably base their reply on the quality of that relationship. Line managers and workplace culture are closely linked. Not for nothing do we hear the phrase, “I joined the organisation b

We’ve all seen them. Some teams just work better together, achieve more, and are nicer to be around. It’s not necessarily about having the best talent. There’s something bigger than the team itself: a feeling of connection—to each other and to the organisation. If you don’t think this is as important as I do, consider the other side of the coin. Think about those organisations where, no matter how hard you tried, you just didn’t fit in. Maybe you felt like an outsider, and it

At a recent networking event I introduced myself as a Fractional Chief People Officer. Someone at my table asked what does 'Fractional' mean? A good question, but most important of all, what are the benefits for the organisations that hire us? ‘Fractional’ is a term appearing in front of a number of job titles. I’m sure you’ve noticed a big rise in LinkedIn profiles and mentions of ‘fractional’ leadership. All of a sudden, many of us have become ‘Fractional’ HR consultants,

Many organisations launch culture change with energy and flair: new values, striking slogans, glossy campaigns and roadshows. These efforts can create visibility, but rarely lasting change. That’s because culture isn’t built in slogans or slide decks. It lives in what people experience: the way decisions are made, how systems reward behaviour, and above all, how leaders act when the dust settles. When leaders talk about culture but fail to change what they do, employees notic

I'm often asked what's the magic formula for creating a successful and engaging culture? What's the fairy dust that needs to be sprinkled? Well, the bad news is that it takes a lot of hard work, it takes a lot of effort and thought. But here’s the good news. You have the power to create a culture that’s truly aspirational and great. Every organisation has a culture and if you don't focus on it, your culture will be created by accident. Worse, it might be a culture that's crea

Discover what a culture audit can tell you about levels of engagement and how you can translate that into action. Culture is becoming increasingly important to employees and therefore organisations too. To give this some context, a Glassdoor survey found 77% of respondents would consider a company’s culture when searching for a new job. If they don’t like what they hear from their network, or if what they experience isn’t what they were promised, they’ll walk. The growing imp

Why are some organisations more able to recruit and retain their people than others? And why do some people perform better, with stronger employee engagement and a willingness to go the extra mile? It’s often down to the culture of an organisation. Culture is becoming increasingly important to employees. If you need any convincing, consider this. A Glassdoor survey found 77% of respondents would consider a company’s culture when searching for a new job. Is there a culture fo

Trust in organisations can take years to build and can be gone in an instant. And then you have to rebuild, if that’s even possible. As a culture and employee engagement specialist, I’ve helped organisations build passionate and engaged teams. This wouldn’t have been possible without high levels of trust. In this blog I’ll share what I believe trust looks like and why it’s THE most important component of your culture - and I’ll use some compelling stats to make my point. I’ll