Redefining Communications with Jenni Field

In the eighth episode of Season 5, Jenni explores the concept of being visionary as one of the eight practices essential for credible leadership. She provides a definition of visionary and emphasises the importance of clear communication, passion, and the ability to inspire action. Jenni also outlines three key steps to build this practice: inspiring others through courage and vulnerability, adapting communication to different environments, and maintaining consistency in storytelling. Tune in to the full episode to learn how to create purpose and drive through effective visionary leadership! Episode Timestamps: 00:31 - Defining Visionary as a Leader 01:06 - The Importance of Communication in Visionary Leadership 02:13 - Consequences of Lacking Vision 05:09 - Building Visionary Leadership Key Takeaways From This Episode: Visionary is about the ability to clearly communicate where you're going and inspire others It's not merely being a "visionary leader" like Steve Jobs but about articulation and passion for the future Without clear vision, teams cannot understand their purpose, leading to apathy and disorganised efforts 3 practical steps for building visionary as a practice Thank you for listening!  Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn, Instagram and X(Twitter). Important Links & Mentions:  How to Become a Credible Leader [Free Resources Included!] Join the Redefining Communications Community

In the sixth episode of Season 5, Jenni discusses the importance of being a supportive leader as a cornerstone of credible leadership. Jenni defines what it means to be supportive, and outlines the chaos that can occur when a leader isn’t supportive.  She also shares the three crucial steps to build a supportive practice: creating a safe environment for learning and failure, setting clear expectations, and embodying a service-oriented mindset. Tune into the full episode to find out why leaders need to be encouraged to understand individual needs, foster psychological safety, and ensure transparent communication to enhance their leadership credibility. Episode Timestamps: 00:37 - Defining Supportive Leadership 03:16 - Consequences of Lack of Support 04:44 - Building Supportive Practices 05:23 - Three Key Strategies for Supportive Leadership     Key Takeaways From This Episode: A supportive leader creates safe spaces for failure, speaking up and asking for help when it’s needed Supportive leadership is about enabling others and creating a culture of support within the organisation It’s essential for being a credible leader and lack of support can lead to rejection 3 things you can work on to build supportive leadership   Thank you for listening!  Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn, Instagram and X(Twitter). Important Links & Mentions:  How to Become a Credible Leader [Free Resources Included!] Join the Redefining Communications Community

In this fifth episode of Season 5, Jenni Field emphasises the importance of likeability as a crucial practice for credible leadership. She explains what likeability entails, debunks common misconceptions, and highlights the chaos that can ensue without it, including people not agreeing with your direction or intentionally working against it. Jenni also shares insights and real-life examples, as well as practical strategies to build likeability through explaining the 'why,' being positive with realism, and showing curiosity! Episode Timestamps: 00:40 - Defining Likeability 01:26 - The Need to Be Liked vs. Being Likeable 04:18 - The Chaos of Lacking Likeability 05:21 - Building Likeability as a Practice     Key Takeaways From This Episode: You can’t be a credible leader if you are truly unlikeable Likeability is characterised by charisma, light-heartedness, and an agreeable nature Lack of likeability can lead to chaos, misalignment, and sabotage within a team Detaching from the need to be liked can enhance your decision-making and ability to handle tough conversations     Thank you for listening!  Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn, Instagram and X(Twitter).   Important Links & Mentions:  How to Become a Credible Leader [Free Resources Included!] Join the Redefining Communications Community

In the fourth episode of Season 5, Jenni discusses the critical importance of integrity for leaders. Drawing from research and practical experiences, Jenni defines integrity as consistently keeping your word, being genuine, and behaving ethically.  She shares insights on the challenges of accountability and the consequences of lacking integrity, emphasising the need for leaders to take responsibility and follow through on promises. Through a previous case study, Jenni illustrates how a failure to demonstrate integrity impacts team trust and engagement. She also provides actionable steps to build integrity, including embracing accountability, learning to apologise, and prioritising commitments. Episode Timestamps: 00:41 - Defining Integrity 01:40 - Challenges of Accountability 05:02 - The Consequences of Lacking Integrity 07:24 - Building Integrity: Practical Steps Key Takeaways From This Episode: Integrity is fundamental for credible leadership and it is consistently valued by both leaders and follower Leaders with integrity do what they say they will do, are genuine, accountable, and behave ethically Accountability challenges arise from discomfort in admitting mistakes, justifying actions, and the fear of offending others Without integrity, there is no trust, which can lead to disengagement and frustration   Thank you for listening!  Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn, Instagram and X(Twitter). Important Links & Mentions:  How to Become a Credible Leader [Free Resources Included!] Join the Redefining Communications Community Season 2, Episode 8: Why Accountability Can Be Hard  

In the third episode of Season 5, Jenni explores the importance of empathy in leadership. She defines genuine empathy beyond just 'stepping into someone else's shoes' and shares personal stories highlighting the chaos that arises from a lack of empathy.  Jenni also provides three practical tips for leaders to build empathy, including: actively listening, being flexible, and avoiding self-centred storytelling. The episode emphasises that empathy is crucial for forming genuine connections and maintaining credibility as a leader.  Episode Timestamps: 00:29 - Defining Empathy 01:19 - The Importance of Empathy in Leadership 02:18 - The Chaos Without Empathy 03:55 - A Real-Life Example of Empathy in Action 06:36 - Building Empathy as a Leader 08:43 - Practical Tips for Demonstrating Empathy Key Takeaways From This Episode: Genuine empathy involves believing someone else's lived experiences and is closely linked to communication and leadership Empathy vs. Compassion: Empathy requires understanding and believing others, while compassion is about connection Lack of empathy in leadership leads to people disliking and not trusting their leaders Three actionable steps for how leaders can build empathy Thank you for listening!  Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn, Instagram and X(Twitter). Important Links & Mentions:  How to Become a Credible Leader [Free Resources Included!] Join the Redefining Communications Community Season 3, Episode 9: Understanding the Difference Between Empathy and Compassion

In the second episode of Season 5, Jenni discusses the practice of capability as a crucial component of credible leadership. She explores the definition of capability, the chaos that ensues from its absence, and draws from her professional experiences to illustrate its impact on organisational credibility. Jenni outlines three key areas to build capability in leadership: industry knowledge, action-taking, and respect. She also touches on the challenges of demonstrating leadership capability without prior experience and emphasises the importance of continuous learning and mutual respect in effective leadership. Episode Timestamps: 00:49 - Defining Capability in Leadership 02:38 - The Chaos of Lacking Capability 02:59 - Real-World Examples of Capability Issues 06:35 - Building Capability as a Leader   Key Takeaways From This Episode: Capability includes experience in the industry or role, respect for those you lead and taking action Chaos can be caused by a lack of capability which includes disrespect from team members when they don’t believe you’re capable, avoidance, conflict and challenging relationships Leadership respect is earned, not simply given due to position You can develop your capability by sharing personal experiences and stories, taking action, respecting team members and serving them, as well as continuous learning and self-development     Thank you for listening!  Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn, Instagram and X(Twitter). Important Links & Mentions:  How to Become a Credible Leader [Free Resources Included!] Join the Redefining Communications Community

In the first episode of Season 5, Jenni delves into the theme of credible leadership. She discusses the importance of credibility in leadership roles, her research on the topic, and introduces her definition of a credible leader. The episode reflects on the impact of the 2020 pandemic on leadership behaviours and explores the eight practices associated with credible leadership. Jenni also shares insights from her LinkedIn community and presents findings from her research report.  Throughout the season, each episode will focus on one of the eight key practices that define credible leadership, as well as provide you with practical things that you can implement to build that practice that will enable you to lead effectively.  Episode Timestamps: 00:16 - The Importance of Credible Leadership 00:26 - The Pandemic's Impact on Leadership 01:31 - Exploring Empathy and Authenticity 02:56 - Defining Credibility 03:04 - Research Insights on Credibility 06:22 - Challenges to Credible Leadership 08:05 - The Eight Practices of Credibility Key Takeaways From This Episode: Why there was an emphasis on being empathetic, human, and authentic during the pandemic Key blockers to credibility include change and uncertainty, leadership development, communication issues, and remote work challenges The eight key practices of credibility and understanding what they all entail Effective communication combined with accountability ensures genuine leadership and followership Thank you for listening!  Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn, Instagram and X(Twitter). Important Links & Mentions:  How to Become a Credible Leader [Free Resources Included!] Join the Redefining Communications Community

Welcome back to the Redefining Communications podcast with Jenni Field! Season Five is going to focus on leadership, specifically credible leadership. We've spent some time researching to find out what it is that makes a leader credible, and through our research, we discovered eight practices to become a credible leader, which we will be exploring throughout this season.  Each episode will deep dive into one of these practices, discussing the chaos that can happen when credibility is missing and also offer practical advice on how you can build that practice to become a leader people will follow. So, sit back and relax or enjoy the walk, or however you are listening - we hope you enjoy this season with us! Episode Timestamps: 00:11 - Focus on Credible Leadership 00:32 - Research and Eight Practices 00:53 - Episode Breakdown and Schedule 01:26 - Final Thoughts and Community Invitation Thank you for listening!  Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn, Instagram and X(Twitter). Important Links & Mentions:  How to Become a Credible Leader [Free Resources Included!] Join the Redefining Communications Community

Welcome back to the Redefining Communications podcast with Jenni Field! And this season is a little different as we are making some changes to the podcast, and you’ll be hearing from experts in different areas as we explore how to help you go from chaos to calm. At Redefining Communications, we are a collective consultancy. This means that there are a team of experts in our collective who work with clients in different ways. Everyone in the collective team has specialist knowledge in a certain area and it means we can build teams with the right people to support client projects quickly and effectively. We have around 18 people in the collective in the UK and in the USA. This season, I’m interviewing 9 of them to delve into topics that have come up for our clients over the last year and still remain top of mind for those looking to reduce chaos. So, sit back and relax or enjoy the walk, or however you are listening – we hope you enjoy this season with us! Thank you for listening! Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Welcome to season three of the Redefining Communications with Jenni Field podcast!   In episode one, Jenni talks about employee alignment, having spent some time researching and discussing whether employee engagement has been a distraction for organisations and leaders – and whether we should be focusing on employee alignment instead. As always, Jenni wants to get to the root of what’s causing issues so that organisations can thrive.   Jenni shares the differences between employee engagement, internal communication and employee alignment. Why a lack of clarity can create chaos and what you need to do to make sure you aren’t focusing on the wrong things for you and your team.    Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Communications community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn and Twitter.   Resources:   Blog: Is employee engagement the great distraction for internal communication teams?   https://redefiningcomms.com/is-employee-engagement-the-great-distraction-for-internal-communication-teams/   Podcast: Chaos to calm: Employee engagement, employee experience and internal communication S1 E8   https://redefiningcomms.com/podcast/chaos-to-calm-employee-engagement-employee-experience-and-internal-communication-s1-e8/   The Field ModelTM   https://redefiningcomms.com/the-field-model/

Influence and persuasion are important no matter what role you’re in. In this episode, Jenni explores some of the theories about influence and persuasion, and the potential links to chaos. She also shares five things to consider when it comes to influence, as well as the risk of cross over into manipulation.   Keep the conversation going, ask questions and share your thinking by joining the Redefining Comms community, and connecting with Jenni on LinkedIn and Twitter.   Here are links to the resources mentioned in this episode: Books recommended by Jenni Field https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-recommended-by-jenni-field-redefining-communications   You are not so smart: Why your memory is mostly fiction, why you have too many friends on Facebook and 46 other ways you’re deluding yourself by David McRaney https://uk.bookshop.org/books/you-are-not-so-smart-why-your-memory-is-mostly-fiction-why-you-have-too-many-friends-on-facebook-and-46-other-ways-you-re-delu/9781851689392?aid=9752   The Social Dilemma on Netflix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0   Robert Cialdini https://www.robertcialdinibf.com/   Podcast S2 E7: Building trust and credibility https://redefiningcomms.com/podcast/chaos-to-calm-building-trust-and-credibility-s2-e7/   Podcast S2 E5: How to listen to employees https://redefiningcomms.com/podcast/chaos-to-calm-how-to-listen-to-employees-s2-e5/    

Around 70% of change programmes fail. Often this failure is linked to employee resistance, poor management, and poor communication. If we know that so many fail due to, in part, poor communication, why is bringing in communication professionals still left until the last minute?   In this episode, Jenni talks broadly about communicating change inside organisations: why it goes wrong, three factors critical to success, and the "six concerns of change" for you to consider after listening. She also shares a quick-win approach, plus resources for further listening/reading.   To keep the conversation going, connect with Jenni on LinkedIn and Twitter; ask questions and share your thinking!   Resources: Chaos to calm podcast S1 E7 The Field Model™ https://redefiningcomms.com/podcast/chaos-to-calm-the-field-model-s1-e7/ Influential Internal Communication by Jenni Field https://redefiningcomms.com/influential-internal-communication-book-jenni-field/ Blog: The science of fear https://redefiningcomms.com/the-science-of-fear/ Blog: Why employee engagement needs to be more than just campaigns and rewards https://redefiningcomms.com/why-employee-engagement-needs-to-be-more-than-just-campaigns-and-rewards/ Addressing the 6 Staff Concerns of Organisational Change https://eqstrategist.com/addressing-the-6-staff-concerns-of-organisational-change/

Why do we need accountability and why is it so hard? In this episode, Jenni looks at how accountability can cause chaos, its impact on trust, and the reasons behind it being critical to employee engagement. She also suggests ways to improve accountability, for you and others, and strengthen the link to organisational culture.   To keep the conversation going, connect with Jenni on LinkedIn and Twitter; ask questions and share your thinking!   Throughout the episode, Jenni shares a host of helpful resources:   Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) by Carol Tavis and Elliot Aronson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/522525.Mistakes_Were_Made_But_Not_by_Me_ Blog: How RASCI can help you gain clarity and calm https://redefiningcomms.com/how-rasci-can-help-gain-clarity-and-calm/ How to be heard with productive disagreement podcast by Calm Edged Rebels https://calmedgedrebels.com/how-to-be-heard-with-productive-disagreement/ The positive practice of productive disagreement blog by Calm Edged Rebels https://calmedgedrebels.com/the-positive-practice-of-productive-disagreement/ Brené Brown podcast: Unlocking Us I’m Sorry: How to Apologize and Why It Matters, Part 1 of 2 https://brenebrown.com/podcast/harriet-lerner-and-brene-im-sorry-how-to-apologize-why-it-matters-part-1-of-2/ I’m Sorry: How to Apologize and Why It Matters, Part 2 of 2 https://brenebrown.com/podcast/im-sorry-how-to-apologize-why-it-matters-part-2-of-2/ Dare to Lead by Brené Brown https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781785042140 Frey admits lying; Oprah apologizes to viewers https://www.today.com/popculture/frey-admits-lying-oprah-apologizes-viewers-2D80556017

What is trust? What is credibility? Are they the same? Can you have one without the other? Jenni provides in-depth answers during this episode, reveals why we listen to some people more than others, and shares three core things to consider when it comes to building trust.   To keep the conversation going, connect with Jenni on LinkedIn and Twitter; ask questions and share your thinking!   Resources: Redefining Comms podcast Chaos to calm: Leading remotely S2 E1 https://redefiningcomms.com/podcast/chaos-to-calm-leading-remotely-s2-e1/   Redefining Comms podcast Chaos to calm: Fear and trust S1 E5 https://redefiningcomms.com/podcast/chaos-to-calm-fear-and-trust-s1-e5/   Messengers: 8 Ways to Get Heard by Stephen Martin and Joseph Marks https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781847942371

Who are your stakeholders? Why do you need to manage them? What happens if you don’t?   In this episode Jenni explains the risks in not mapping all interested parties, gives you four key questions to help identify who they are, and talks through tools to model different groups critical to your success.   Resources: Blog: How RASCI can help you gain clarity and calm by Redefining Comms https://redefiningcomms.com/how-rasci-can-help-gain-clarity-and-calm/ Blog: How to manage stakeholders by Redefining Comms https://redefiningcomms.com/how-to-manage-stakeholders/ RASCI featured in Redefining Comms podcast Chaos to calm: Organisational growth S1 E10 https://redefiningcomms.com/podcast/chaos-to-calm-organisational-growth-s1-e10/   You can continue the conversation with Jenni on Twitter and LinkedIn

Change over the decades has seen internal communication shift from being top down to more circular, from being broadcast to conversations. But for that to work we need to create spaces for conversations, and we must listen to people – really listen.   In this episode, Jenni lifts the lid on the chaos that comes from not listening, the risks of listening too much to the wrong people, and shares five things to do differently to create calm when listening to employees.   You can continue the conversation with Jenni on Twitter and LinkedIn   Resources: Leaders are responsible for psychological safety podcast by the Calm Edged Rebels https://calmedgedrebels.com/leaders-are-responsible-for-psychological-safety/   Blog: Psychological safety and trust are not the same thing by Redefining Communications https://redefiningcomms.com/psychological-safety-and-trust-are-not-the-same-thing/   Deep Listening: impact beyond words by Oscar Trimboli https://uk.bookshop.org/books/1605841264_deep-listening-impact-beyond-words/9780995377745   Poles Apart: Why People Turn Against Each Other, and How to Bring Them Together by Alison Goldsworthy, Laura Osborne & Alexandra Chesterfield https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781847942951   Blog: How to avoid team friction – from poles apart to pulling together by Redefining Communications https://redefiningcomms.com/how-to-avoid-team-friction/   Do words really matter? By Beth Collier via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-words-really-matter-beth-collier/   Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don't, and Why by Stephen Martin & Joseph Marks https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781847942357   Influential Internal Communication: Streamline Your Corporate Communication to Drive Efficiency and Engagement by Jenni Field https://redefiningcomms.com/influential-internal-communication-book-jenni-field/

In this episode, Jenni tackles mergers and acquisitions, the differences between the two, the risk inherent in lumping the two terms together and, when it comes to communication and culture, how easily organisations can spiral into chaos.   Find out what this chaos can look like, where things can go wrong, and five key pieces of advice to help create calm when surrounded by so much change.   Resources The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgley https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-art-of-resilience-strategies-for-an-unbreakable-mind-and-body/9780008356989?aid=9752   Blog: Aligning needs to employee engagement – how we can easily get it wrong with the best intentions https://redefiningcomms.com/aligning-needs-to-employee-engagement-how-we-can-easily-get-it-wrong-with-the-best-intentions/   Blog: What is internal communication? https://redefiningcomms.com/what-is-internal-communication/   Hierarchy of Needs: A Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham H. Maslow https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13518096-hierarchy-of-needs   You can continue the conversation with Jenni on Twitter and LinkedIn

We all want to work somewhere where we can share ideas, celebrate success and collaborate well across different departments. But, as Jenni points out, this often becomes tricky when competitive environments, big egos, gossip, passive leadership or low morale are allowed to fester. In this 15-minute episode, she also shares five fixes on how to bring people together. You can continue the conversation with Jenni on Twitter and LinkedIn RESOURCES Influential Internal Communication by Jenni Field https://redefiningcomms.com/influential-internal-communication-book-jenni-field/   The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9780787960759   Dare to Lead by Brené Brown https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781785042140   Poles Apart by Alison Goldsworthy, Laura Osborne & Alexandra Chesterfield https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781847942951   Blog: How to avoid team friction – from poles apart to pulling together https://redefiningcomms.com/how-to-avoid-team-friction/   The Fearless Organization by Amy C. Edmondson https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781119477242

Organisational purpose looms large on leadership agendas as we move out of the pandemic. In this episode, Jenni’s broad look at this big topic will help you think differently about the chaotic impact purpose can have on organisation when it disappears and the length of time it takes for that impact to be felt. Plus three questions to help you turn chaos to calm. You can continue the conversation with Jenni on Twitter and LinkedIn   RESOURCES: Influential Internal Communication by Jenni Field https://redefiningcomms.com/influential-internal-communication-book-jenni-field/   Four pillars of employee engagement by Nita Clarke & David McLeod https://engageforsuccess.org/the-four-enablers/   The algebra or purpose by Simon Farrell https://www.todaythearena.com/blog/2019/3/11/zrmanja-falls-croatia-f3exm-88378   The Field Report by Jenni Field https://redefiningcomms.com/the-field-report-book-jenni-field/  

In this first episode of season 2, Jenni looks at the impact of remote work on building and maintaining relationships, and how that may feel whether you’re leading a team or trying to engage with people across an organisation. She also identifies key chaotic symptoms that can emerge when you’re remote, and offers six tried-and-tested suggestions to help you go from chaos to calm. You can continue the conversation with Jenni on Twitter and LinkedIn   RESOURCES: Workshop: The power of productivity https://redefiningcomms.com/training-and-coaching/power-of-productivity-workshop/   How RASCI can help you gain clarity and calm https://redefiningcomms.com/how-rasci-can-help-gain-clarity-and-calm/   The DISC Strengths™ Temperament Assessment https://discstrengths.com/   Myers Briggs Personality Assessment https://www.themyersbriggs.com/   Remote Work by Chris Dyer & Kim Shepherd https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781398600362   Webinar: Five myths about hybrid working https://redefiningcomms.com/five-myths-about-hybrid-working/   Spotting burnout: seven ways to solve your stress cycle https://redefiningcomms.com/spotting-burnout-mental-resilience/   Books recommended by Jenni Field https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-recommended-by-jenni-field-redefining-communications   The Long-Distance Leader by Kevin Eikenberry & Wayne Turmel https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9752/9781523094615