Last week I delivered a conference keynote speech on culture change in healthcare, focused on how doctors can make appraisal conversations more human-centred. I’ve often been invited as a conference speaker to talk about organisational culture, leadership behaviour and psychological safety,...
Fear of lost revenue or performance if they go. “Too hard to replace” skills or client relationships. Leaders avoiding conflict. Mistaking bullying for “drive” or “high standards.” Managing up well while managing down badly. Results trump respect. Rules are...
Compassionate leadership is characterised by empathy, active listening, fairness, support, accountability and authenticity, It fosters trust and psychological safety at work, promoting staff well-being, engagement, retention. It can be instilled through leadership development and inclusive policies....
You can’t fix a culture you’re actively harming. But many leaders try. They commission values exercises. They launch listening surveys. They fund training programmes on respect, civility or psychological safety. But at the same time, their own behaviour quietly undermines all of...
It’s one of the questions I get asked most by HR professionals, OD leads, operational managers and leaders who can see the impact of poor culture, low morale, and burnout… but feel like no one at the top is paying attention....
In medicine, a diagnosis like IBS can be reassuring. It acknowledges that something is genuinely wrong, even if we can’t pin it down. In organisations, “culture” serves a similar function. It gives leaders and teams a way to talk about hidden dynamics, tensions, and the emotional undercurrents....
An NHS Trust was recently ordered to pay £29,000 in compensation after an employee was repeatedly mocked and called “Darth Vader” by colleagues. The tribunal ruled it wasn't harmless fun. It was exclusion. It was bullying. And it reflected a wider issue within the team’s culture.If you work...
Lessons from the 2022 NHS staff survey results...