Leading Through Uncertainty

Wendy Dean is the CEO of Strategi Solutions, a business consultancy offering services around people, creative and marketing. She talks about the anxiety that comes when thrust into the uncertainty of major change and how she looks for opportunities and generates new ideas to turn uncertainty into certainty. Wendy reminds us that excitement and fear are physiologically the same and therefore how we can choose how we consider the uncertainty of change. She’s pragmatic about the fact that some people like the status quo and talks about how important it is to lead change in a way that doesn’t burn people out. The over-riding word I get from Wendy is “balance”. She seems to balance leading change without burning people out, encouraging young people without overlooking the older workforce as well. She balances growing a business with growing the people in it. Where do you need to be more in balance, in life, in work and in the way you lead? Topics covered: Leading through uncertainty Transformational change Role models for women Different generations in the workforce Empowering women Other free resources: Buy the book Leading through uncertainty Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up to our Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Graham Todd, Co-founder of Spaghetti Agency, a digital marketing company talks about his transformative journey from struggling with alcohol to adopting a healthier lifestyle. He explains the moment he realised how excessive his drinking habits were and how that realisation led him to quit alcohol. Todd explains the positive changes he experienced after focusing on his fitness, including improving his health, productivity, and being more present as a parent. He’s an advocate of self-reflection and addressing the root causes of stress rather than resorting to alcohol as a prop. Todd’s journey is inspiring from the moment he decided to quit and how he kept at it, continually improving his health by adding new habits one at a time. He’s not suggesting it’s for everyone but for anyone wanting to do Dry January, Todd certainly provides lots of good reasons and plenty of inspiration. What props do you turn to when under pressure? And how might your life and work improve if you made your physical and mental health a priority? Topics covered: Quitting alcohol Healthy living Transformational change Better sleep Hydration Personal growth Physical and mental health Other free resources: Buy the book Leading through uncertainty Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up to our Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com  

Show Notes Leading Through Uncertainty podcast celebrates its 100th episode and this time I’m talking about my journey with uncertainty and why we need different skills. I share stories of how I came to talk about uncertainty, how I have led through uncertainty, some of the challenges I’ve faced and how I’ve overcome them.  I also share stories of the horses, how working with them has given me the skills to be comfortable with the discomfort of uncertainty and continually ask: “What’s needed now?” so I can respond to the uncertainty of change in service of everyone. How might you get more comfortable with the discomfort of uncertainty? Topics covered: Leading through uncertainty Leading through fear Team dynamics Change  Other free resources: Buy the book Leading through uncertainty Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up to our Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com  

Julie Chakraverty is the founder of Runway, a platform that facilitates employee feedback in organisations. Julie explains how Runway allows employees to voice concerns either anonymously or openly, ensuring a safe space for dialogue. She explains that the platform is predominantly used by companies undergoing change, with common themes around organisational and process change. Julie shares some shocking insights from Runway's data that show that women and people of colour are more likely to use the platform's anonymity feature. Without Runway, many of these people silence themselves and conform. If organisations really want to lead change, be inclusive and engage their employees, they need to provide an opportunity for people of colour in particular to engage anonymously so their concerns are heard, understood and included. Otherwise, minority groups continue to conform. I was especially struck by Julie saying “It's one thing to say, my door is always open. It's another to be sure that people have got the personal courage to walk through it.” How are you creating a safe space for employees to engage fully and honestly without fear of blame or judgment? How do you ensure everyone has the courage to articulate what’s important to them in the workplace? Topics covered: HR tech Employee listening Engaging employees through change Inclusive conversations Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up to our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on LinkedIn www.judejennison.com

Suzi Archer is the Staff Director at Huler.io, a fast-growing HRtech company. Suzi’s creative approach to HR policies and procedures has resulted in a more human interaction with employees at Huler. By ripping apart the employee handbook, she's created a culture where people can be themselves both inside and outside of work.  Suzi shows that by prioritizing employee well-being, balancing technology with human touchpoints, and setting clear objectives, Huler has created a culture of engagement, productivity, and profitability. As always, I love how technology and people come together and Suzi is definitely an advocate for using technology to enhance human connection in the workplace. Suzi talks passionately about Huler and it’s so inspiring to hear someone who clearly has a passion for the business, the people and the role that she has to play in it. What are you passionate about? How does that influence how and where you work? How might you inspire those around you to work more purposefully?  Topics covered: HR tech People-first culture authenticity Work-life integration Wellbeing Purpose Human connection Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up for our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Anne Shaw is the Executive Director for Transport For West Midlands. She talks about the challenge of managing a variety of stakeholder groups, from users to transport providers, the government, as well as her own team. She explains that change can be positive or negative for people by how well we engage and include them in the process and decisions. Anne recognises the need to balance the needs and desires of everyone, with the primary focus on the end users who rely on the transport services to ensure they are able to access health, jobs, school and other daily activities. Anne has certainly sold the transport industry to me, making it sound exciting with change, innovation, diversity, technology, people and variety at its core. It’s a reminder that when we are curious and passionate about change, it’s much easier to inspire and be inspired. Anne talks about the need to be clear about the purpose behind change in order to help people navigate the emotions and uncertainty with curiosity. Some of the most uninspiring things we have to do could be more motivating by changing how we approach them. What’s the purpose of the change you are experiencing? and how do you use that purpose to motivate yourself and others? Topics covered: Purpose Change Transport industry Birmingham Commonwealth Games transport Leading change Being on the receiving end of change Engaging stakeholders Including users in the decisions and process of change Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up for our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Ann Hiatt is a Leadership Strategy Consultant working with scale-up companies to create rapid growth. Ann talks about personal and professional change and the skills needed to navigate the uncertainty of change. She advocates a need for an “insatiable curiosity” and draws on her experience of working with Jeff Bezos at Amazon to demonstrate how companies can grow through a recession through innovation and technology. I particularly liked her phrase “Having talented people is more important than a solid business plan because your business plan can pivot but you need talented people to deliver it.” I’m impressed by Ann’s ability to balance being a perfectionist with her willingness to fail in order to learn and apply the learning in innovation. She draws on Carol Dweck’s book ‘Growth Mindset’ to explain the importance of seeing failure as an opportunity to learn, even though it is excruciatingly painful at times! As we continue to lead change in organisations in a context of economic and political instability, as well as a cost of living crisis, having the resilience and growth mindset to lead through uncertainty becomes ever more critical. Where could you have an insatiable curiosity? Where is the opportunity for you to learn from failure? Topics covered: Curiosity Rapid growth Psychological safety Failing to learn vs being a perfectionist Carol Dweck’s book ‘Growth Mindset’ Humility, vulnerability Innovation Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up for our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Gillian Bailey is the Operations Director for Maintel, a technology organisation. We talk about the backdrop of the pandemic, as well as economic and political uncertainty and how all of these impact employees as well as business. Gillian explains how Maintel is handling hybrid working and the challenge of balancing the needs of a business with the needs of employees. We discuss the complexity of leading an organisation and developing middle managers to create business results in harmony with the physical and emotional well-being of employees. I’m struck by the courage that it takes for a senior leader like Gillian to put a stop to certain projects in order to focus on the key priorities. Many leaders I talk to at the moment are struggling to prioritise because everything is deemed to be important. We can’t execute as fast as we can create new ideas so it takes awareness, humility and empathy to recognise when to say no and how to make sure the key priorities are aligned all the way through the organisation. Gillian’s humility in recognising that she’s not got it all perfect is refreshing. That humility opens the door for a better quality of conversation. Where do you need to say no? What would you prioritise if you accepted that you can’t do it all?  Topics covered: Middle management Hybrid working Connection Stabilising change Prioritisation Saying no  Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up for our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Tony Langham is the Executive Chair and co-founder of Lansons, a reputation management and public relations firm based in London and New York. We discuss the importance of approaching reputation management as the way people perceive each other and companies. With an increased focus on ESG, Tony explains how companies need to change their behaviour to stay relevant. We also discuss anti-racism, balancing tension with comfort and much more! I loved Tony’s explanation of balancing adrenaline and tension with comfort in order to create change, and engage employees (including yourself!) without leading to chaos and burnout. It’s a delicate balance that many organisations and leaders are grappling with today. It’s also good to hear a white male championing anti-racism and understanding the changes in behaviour that are required to do so. After 33 years of leading a business and a team, Tony really understands what makes people tick and goes the extra mile to make his organisation one of the UK’s Great Places to Work. Where do you need to find more balance? What changes in your behaviour would make your team or organisation a great place to work? Topics covered: Reputation management Behavioural change Balancing adrenaline, tension and comfort Anti-racism Inclusivity Purpose Partnership Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up for our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Tara Rule is the Senior Director of Commercial Strategy Go to Market and Operations at Adobe, responsible for looking at how Adobe make smart commercial decisions. Tara manages to juggle her full-time role as a director in a fast-paced global business with launching a leadership programme, being a working mum as well as a professional coach. She talks about the importance of curiosity in leadership, the power of having a positive mindset without sugar-coating reality and how we need to look after our teams. And much more! Tara is so inspirational. Her energy appears to be boundless and she seems to have worked out how to focus on what is critical so she can achieve many things without burning herself out. I also liked the fact that the leadership programme she has implemented doesn’t require one person to do everything. It spreads the load by including many people and enables leaders to collaborate, think creatively and be empowered to shape things. How do you empower your team to be a part of the solution, both the design and the implementation? How could you take more pressure off yourself by not having all the answers?   Topics covered: Coaching in business Curiosity Developing leaders Working mum Collaboration Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Download White papers Sign up to our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In  www.judejennison.com

Dr Mersha Aftab is the co-host director for MA Design Management courses at Birmingham City University. She specialises in design leadership within large organisations, exploring how designers design and lead strategically in business. We discuss how designers have a voice and a platform to give them the agency to lead even though they don't have the position in an organisation. We cover emotional intelligence, designing the future and the skills needed to act as a bridge between user experience, technology and business. I like the idea that design management is the bridge between design and business, enabling business to create meaningful products for customers. I’m also struck by the reminder that professionals need to develop new skills in every part of the business. In this case, design thinking requires business to explore business viability, functionality through technology, and desirability from the user experience side. And it's the perfect combination of these three things that make a good product or a good service. And that at the heart of all of this is the emotional intelligence to explore things from different points of view and collaborate effectively together. How do you ensure that business, technology and user experience or employee experience all come together in a seamless way in your business? Topics covered: Design management Collaboration Human-centred design Emotional intelligence User experience Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Join our monthly Team Performance webinars Download White papers Sign up for our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Phill Elston is Operations Director of Brompton Bicycle and is responsible for leading the manufacturing organisation in the production of the famous Brompton bicycles. Phill joined the company because his values were aligned, and he felt able to express himself. He talks about the importance of being driven not being at the expense of having joy and fun and seeing a team as an organism. He has a special way of bringing his team together called ‘Rum and Coke’ that has transformed the relationships and results. I enjoyed hearing about Phill’s leadership style and the way he encourages his team to be themselves. I particularly loved his phrase: “I like being myself because it takes fewer calories’! So true! The ongoing and constant disruptive change people are experienced often leads to fear and Phill’s approach to helping his team navigate those fears is refreshing. If we can encourage people to be themselves and show up fully, we can resolve tension and differences of opinion more quickly before they build out of proportion. What are you currently concerned about? What would the authentic version of you think, say and do? Topics covered: Leading a team Being driven to create results by having fun Authenticity Transforming a team Remote working and collaboration Teamwork in sports and the Marines Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Join our monthly Team Performance webinars Download White papers Sign up to our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Sarah Foster is the Managing Director of Comply Direct, an environmental consultancy and compliance business. She is also the author of Yabba Dabba Do It, a book on self-confidence. Sarah shares her three steps to self-confidence – Prepare, Do and Review. We also talk about the environment, of course, Sarah’s business is based on it but we also discuss relationships, emotional intelligence, boundaries and so much more! I love how Sarah brings everything back to confidence because, at our heart, we’re all ethical and responsible and want to do great work. We often know what we want to say and do, but when things get tricky, we can so easily get pushed off course and modify our behaviour based on other people’s expectations. Ture collaboration is when we have the confidence to show up fully with what we think and feel and work through differences of opinion that may exist with others. Where are you holding back? What differences of opinion need to be resolved? Trust in your self-confidence and show up fully today. You might even surprise yourself!  Topics covered: The environment Cop 26 Environmental consultancy Sustainability Three steps to self-confidence – Prepare, do, Review Confidence to say no   Other free resources: Take the Team Performance Scorecard and discover the 12 hidden dynamics of your team’s performance Join our monthly Team Performance webinars Download White papers Sign up for our Weekly Leadership Hints and Tips Connect with Jude Jennison on Linked In www.judejennison.com

Rich Horth is Operations Director for Adecco, a large recruitment agency with 80 offices throughout the UK. Rich talks about the great resignation, how that creates a candidate-led market and what that means for employers. With the highest number of vacancies ever seen, Rich talks about the importance for organisations to look after their employees and keep people engaged. He shares some of the things they do at Adecco to make work more fun. It's easy to think that people leave their job for more money but all the research shows that people leave because of their manager. Not every organisation can pay top salaries so I’m glad Rich offered some alternatives that show people that the organisation cares about them. Ultimately if we know the job market is candidate-led and people are looking for more purpose and a greater sense of enjoyment in their role, every manager needs to consider how they can create that for their team. We don’t need to keep people in jobs they don’t want to be in so sometimes people moving can be an opportunity to do things differently. Who in your team is disengaged and what might you do differently to either re-engage them or reorganise the way you lead your team? www.judejennison.com

Cathy Brown is the Chief Executive of i-SE, a social enterprise that provides business support services for social enterprises in the West Midlands. Cathy brings a wealth of experience from both the commercial sector as well as social enterprises and social movements. We discuss the importance of having a strong sense of purpose in an organisation and the importance of social value in business. Talking to Cathy, I’m struck by how everything comes down to connection and communication. If we build good relationships and we communicate effectively, we can do great work in the world that has a positive impact on society. That sounds so easy yet we all know how tricky relationships and communication can be! The purpose of my own business is to enable people to thrive at work through connection and communication. I wonder if we switched our perspective to enabling humans to thrive, we might deliver work that was more purposeful and ultimately lead the change we need to see in the world What change do you want to see in the world and how does your work lead or support that change? www.judejennison.com

Bella Lewis-Smith is the founder and MD of Salad, a design and digital agency based in Dorset in the UK. Bella talks about the process of selling her business to become a 100% employee-owned business and the challenges she faced along the way. She explains how selling the business into an employee-owned trust enabled her to be much more honest about what she wants personally. Even though Bella is still the MD, I can’t imagine how hard it was to let go of making all the decisions when the company was founded by her in the first place. That speaks volumes about her willingness to be bold and courageous, to work through the difficult conversations and build a deeper level of connection and trust in the process. Whether you are considering an employee-owned business model or not, there is much to take from her radical honesty and ability to bring people with her. Where are you not being honest, either with yourself or with others? What would you say if you spoke with the radical honesty that Bella mentions? www.judejennison.com

Jane Huntington is the Head of Application Development for Guide Dogs. I’ve worked with Jane and her team and I have some understanding of the complexity and volume of technological change that they are leading. Jane talks about using an agile way of working to lead change, continually taking the next step forward, reviewing progress and adapting quickly where needed. And of course, she reminds us that accessibility is critical when using technology so we don’t leave people behind.  What Jane and the Guide Dogs team have done is enhance the way they communicate as a result of remote working. I love how they have a culture of learning something and building on what works and dropping what doesn’t. You can only innovate if you are willing to embrace trial and error. Jane is a reminder that we can use technology to deepen connections but it’s how we use it that matters. That of course is down to humans, to us as leaders.  Who do you want to create a deeper connection with and how might technology enable that to happen?  www.judejennison.com 

Sope Agbelusi is a leadership consultant and coach and founder of the business Mindset Shift and the podcast host of Everyday Leadership. We discuss the need for courage and vulnerability in order to be authentic and have an inclusive workplace. Sope outlines the steps needed to create an inclusive workplace and is clear that the conversation is just beginning. I loved how Sope reminds us that creating an inclusive workplace and society doesn’t need to be a mountain to climb but to consider it a bridge to cross to create connection. That can fundamentally shift the way we approach it because when something feels enormous, there is a tendency to drop it and see it as too big a problem. Instead, the invitation is to look at which bridge we can build to support one person and one conversation. Who would benefit from your ability to build bridges and create connection? How might that shift the mindset, behaviour and culture in your organisation?

Lee Evans is the founder of Mind Power Solutions and coaches the British Army’s leadership as well as elite athletes and business owners. He talks about how fear is the biggest challenge that every leader faces and how we need to change our relationship with it, moving from avoiding it to working through and with it. We also talk about finding your flow and the importance of self-awareness, especially when you are out of your comfort zone. Lee’s story of working in Afghanistan where he didn’t live his value around listening was such a powerful one and a reminder of how difficult it is to balance different values and be inclusive where others may have a different set of values. I echo his belief that living values is a courageous act and defining them without living and breathing them is worse than not defining them at all.  How well are you living your values? What happens when your values are at odds with those in your team? Contact Lee: www.highperformancegrowth.com Contact Jude: www.judejennison.com

Mary Gregory is a leadership consultant and coach and the author of the book Ego: Get over yourself and lead. We discuss the emotional side of change and the need to include the people side of change as a priority. Mary unpicks the ego in leadership and in relationships, exploring how it can be useful, as well as how it can get in the way. We discuss the shadow side of leaders, the importance of self-awareness and making conscious choices in service of the team and organisation. Talking to Mary, I’m reminded of the importance of fine-tuning, to reflect on the choices we are making moment by moment in how we relate to others so that we get the best out of teams as well as bringing our best leadership to work. What small change might you make today to make you more effective as a leader? www.judejennison.com