Having come up with the ideas and worked out what is and isn’t practical, events such as these take planning and preparation, getting people excited about coming, helping to set things up as you wish them to be, and making sure things happen as required. These events are classic examples of the six working geniuses in action, and in particular the Galvanising (G), Enablement (E) and Tenacity (T) geniuses.

Once ideas have been thoroughly thought through using the ID loop process it is much easier to then galvanise others into action because everyone is behind the idea and the possible pitfalls have been properly addressed. Great possibilities are polished and are workable and much less likely to fail while being implemented. Ideas are thoroughly understood, and alignment is created behind them amongst the team.

The beautiful surroundings of the Alps, and the time spent on the snowy slopes, allowed many moments for contemplation and grounding, important when we consider two significant national days at this time of year: Mind's ‘Time to Talk’ Day on Thursday 1st February, and National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday 7th February.  With my involvement with REDJanuary, an initiative to get us all more active, and Positive Intelligence, helping us quieten our judge and saboteurs in our heads, these days are close to my heart and well linked together!

The Natural History Museum isn’t just a stunningly beautiful building, its architecture purposely and artistically designed to reflect its contents, it is a repository of wonders that not only captivates the curious minds of visitors, but also embodies the essence of innovation and invention.

Men, Young Women, Welcome! This blog is for you, just as it is for those of ‘menopause age’, so please do stay, and read on …

Last September, we started the new academic year introducing a blog series linked to Patrick Lencioni’s ‘The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team’ pyramid. This January, I’d like to start the new calendar year by introducing our new series which will focus around his ‘6 Working Geniuses’…

As the calendar turns its pages, we find ourselves at the threshold of a new year again — a fresh chapter waiting to be written! It's the perfect time to reflect on the past, celebrate our victories, and learn from our challenges, before we set ourselves exciting goals and realistic commitments for the year to come, so we are inspired to take action on them.

The shell also symbolises unity and shared experiences; while each groove on the shell represents a different path, they all converge at a common centre, emphasising the interconnectedness of our journeys.

This is why it is incorporated into the Bright Lead Logo, and why we like to use it in our Christmas cards and message when we express our thanks to those we have worked with over the year.

Mary Ann Sieghart’s insights and leadership lessons she’s provided in her ground-breaking book 'The Authority Gap' are worth considering to empower and inspire us. Her book addresses the pervasive issue of gender inequality, shedding light on the challenges women face in gaining authority and respect and I’m looking forward to hearing her speak this weekend about what we can do to challenge this. In considering her ideas and sharing them, I hope we can create more inclusive and effective leadership, and inspire future generations of leaders.

A tribute to Service, Duty, and the Lessons of Teamwork, and how we can apply these lessons to our professional lives…

Preparation is key. Knowing what we might face, and planning for that, will set us in good stead.

We can keep going for a while without much energy, but it isn’t sustainable. Let’s keep the tank filled up so we have the energy to draw on as we need it.

I remember a fantastic lecture with Dave Cornthwaite of the ‘Say Yes More’ project explaining to our students the abundance of opportunities he’d had just from saying ‘yes’. Some of my most interesting opportunities have come from random conversations I’ve had with people, which is why, whenever someone asks for a conversation with me, I never turn them down.

Everyone needs a coach, and everyone needs a mentor – or indeed several mentors at different stages and with different outlooks to challenge and support our thinking and development in different ways. I’m often asked to coach or mentor senior leaders, and the two things are very different…

Tackling Challenging Conversations with Successful Communication, Continuing our look at the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team…

Learning new things helps us to get comfortable with the discomfort of change, and to see change as an opportunity for growth.

Combatting ‘imposter syndrome’ using Positive Intelligence.

A look at new beginnings, and the role of trust in a strong, productive team.

This results day, remember that opportunities are all around!