Deborah is the founder and Chief Learning Officer at iCU Learning, an L&D consultancy dedicated to talent development and helping organisations build cultures that foster universal learning.  She’s also a Trainer Partner of the Center for Leadership Studies and qualified to deliver Situational Leadership training.

Deborah has trailblazed the Learning & Development world for 15 years, training 10,000+ professionals in more than five different industries, with a proven record of implementing low-effort/high-impact ideas.

In this session, Deborah and Adam discuss what imposter syndrome is, some practical tips for dealing with imposter syndrome and how to support your colleagues and team who may be experiencing this.

Links

1. On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahgharris/
2. Website: https://www.iculearning.org/

   
   

Jit is currently involved in a number of different projects aimed at creating conscious culture. Born in India and raised in Italy, Jit graduated top of his class from the University of Oxford after studying Materials Science and doing a research stint at MIT.

During this time, he began to notice something was amiss. He realised that life and work felt stressful, not because there was too much to handle, but because he was not equipped to handle his own thoughts and emotions.

So he began training as a psychotherapist and deeply explored meditative practices, even travelling around India for several months in search of better answers. 

In this episode, Jit walks Adam through his own journey to self-awareness, why self-awareness is so important, how to support others in becoming more self-aware, and how to develop your own self-awareness.

This is one of those episodes that really does cover a power skill. We hope you enjoy it!

Links

1. On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahasrajit-ramesh-632834b3/
2. Novamentis Consulting: https://www.novamentisconsulting.com/
3. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sahasrajit
4. For a taste of DON’T DUCK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUuq51MN7CU&t=129s
5. For a taste of Satya Ji (authentic spiritual & creative wisdom): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIIkfSXYI9o

Free Resources for starting meditation:

1. Isha Kriya (highly recommended): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQkfoKxRvo&t=4s
2. Plum Village App: https://plumvillage.app/

Dr Wijedoru is an independent wellbeing consultant specialising in the use of personal storytelling in the workplace. His last NHS role was as a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine in Liverpool.

Lalith championed staff stories as a way to support NHS staff, winning the Staff Engagement Award at the Health Service Journal Awards, the Point of Care Foundation’s Schwartz Award for the Most Powerful Storytelling Round, and the HPMA Excellence in People Awards in Employee Engagement while working with Organisational Development at the children’s hospital.

In this brilliant interview, Lalith walks Adam through the different stages of the employee lifecycle and recommends practical ways to enhance the employee experience by utilising storytelling techniques. If you are in HR or are responsible for hiring, developing and retaining staff, this episode is a must-listen!

Links

Website: https://behindyourmask.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lalith-wijedoru-88b30a/

Mark is a leadership consultant and professional coach supporting clients with executive coaching, leadership training & development, and communication consulting services. He manages his own clients as well as working as an Associate Consultant.

With 30+ years of global leadership experience in the telecommunications industry, he’s walked the walk. Mark is also a professional mentor, a voluntary sports head coach, and a podcast host!

In this fascinating episode, Mark walks Adam through the six influences that have a profound effect on your energy and how you are feeling. Those influences are:

1. Spiritual 
2. Mental 
3. Emotional
4. Physical
5. Social
6. Environmental

This is a great episode for anyone looking to improve their energy and positively impact their life.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markwfreer

Website: www.headsupandfreer.com

Liggy is recognised as a thought leader on human resilience and works with a wide range of businesses focusing on optimising potential through continual learning and behavioural agility. She’s published over 35 books and has helped organisations, including the NHS, the BBC, Walt Disney and the United Nations.

In this fascinating session they dive into the concept of Empathy. They explore why it is so important in a professional context, look at the link between empathy and relationships and discuss practical ways to be more empathetic and put yourself in the shoes of others.

We think you'll love this one!

Links:
Website
Books
LinkedIn

Ross is Head of Learning Experience at Mind Tools, where he's responsible for creating effective digital learning content, workshops and programmes for organisations around the world. 

In 2019 he was named Learning Designer of the Year at the Learning Technologies Awards, and since 2016 he has hosted The Mind Tools L&D Podcast. He is also the co-author of the L&D Dispatch newsletter.

In this fascinating episode, Adam and Ross discuss how to think about development as a leader, in particular a first-time leader. They discuss how leaders should think about development, how to identify skills gaps in your team, how to implement learning interventions and how to think about ROI.

If you are a leader or an aspiring leader, this one is for you!

Links

1. On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-garner-8594a341/
2. The Mindtools Podcast: https://podcast.mindtoolsbusiness.com/
3. The L&D Dispatch Newsletter: https://www.lddispatch.com/

In this weeks episode Adam catches up with Jon Baxter, an expert on helping people align to drive more effective results. Jon has created the proprietary SDBP® certificate and training programme and has led the Strategic IT Partner Forum, a bi-annual conference that provides thought leadership, CXO-level insight and practical application to delegates in the UK.

He conducts research and regularly writes about Strategic Partnering, especially in the context of Digital Transformation, and he has a top-tier global corporate client list who subscribes to his coaching and workshops.

In this fascinating conversation Adam and Jon discuss the importance of alignment, and Jon provides a practical framework that anyone can apply to help better achieve alignment in a professional setting. If you are looking to change the way the teams in your organisation work together, or developing external, strategic partnerships, this is a must-listen!

Links

1. On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbaxter/
2. Find out more: https://www.baxterthompson.com/
3. Download the Alignment Template: https://bta.news/108 

Jay has a learning background, and his passion for helping people develop started when he was a teacher in Japan. Since then, he’s worked in mental health and wellbeing training with a particular focus on mental health awareness for managers, stress management and suicide awareness and prevention.

If you are a BBC radio Leeds listener, Jay might be a familiar voice to you as he regularly discusses all manner of well-being topics on the channel.

He’s recently launched his own workplace well-being & development venture called The Jay Train: Wellbeing Journeys and is on a mission to get well-being on the agenda in workplaces across the country.

In this session, Adam and Jay discuss mental health, well-being and resilience in the post-covid landscape. They dive into the issues that working from home or hybrid work has had on people's mental health and go through some strategies to help build resilience and to spot when a member of your team might be struggling.

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-gadhia-jay-train-wellbeing-journeys/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jay_train_wellbeing_journeys/
Email: jaytrainwellbeing@gmail.com

Kayane is a licenced Thrive Programme Coach. She has a passion for helping people live better by teaching them how to take control of their lives and mental health. For those who haven’t heard of The Thrive Programme, it’s a unique educational programme that spans 6-8 weeks and helps people develop an awareness of thoughts, beliefs, and emotions as well as coping skills and strategies to help reduce stress, anxiety and phobias.

In this episode, Adam and Kayane first dive into why people feel stress and anxiety and discuss how work can contribute to anxiety, stress and burnout. 

They then look at ways you can help reduce stress and anxiety for yourself or others.

Kayane's top tips for reducing stress and anxiety for yourself or others include:

1. Start today
2. Seek help
3. Invest in yourself
4. Be aware and critical of your limiting beliefs
5. Learn to take a break and do nothing
6. Set boundaries
7. Understand that change is a process
8. Appreciate the small things you are grateful for

Stress affects so many of us. We hope you find this episode insightful!

Links

Follow Kayane on Instagram: @thrive.with.k

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayane-watson

Get a free 1-hour consultation: https://calendly.com/thrivewithk

Ulrike is a former C-level executive turned coach and consultant. She specialises in authentic leadership and impactful communication and is the go-to expert for many corporations in this area. 

Ulrike combines cutting-edge self-development techniques with vast hands-on experience as a corporate communications executive to help leaders build credibility and trust through effective communication. 

In this episode, Ulrike and Adam discuss some of the mistakes people make when communicating at work, and Ulrike offers some excellent tips about how to be more authentic and genuine when communicating internally. These include observing yourself, taking small steps, visualising what you are going to do, creating emotion, preparing and letting go of your expectations.

Links:

Booking of a free connection call: https://ulrikeseminati.youcanbook.me/

My website: https://ulrikeseminati.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulrikeseminati/

We're taking a short break from the Power Skills Project, BUT we'll be back in May with some more brilliant interviews aimed at helping you develop the Power Skills you need to thrive in life and business.

We're taking a break because we're actually launching a brand new, limited-series podcast called L&D Challenges,

In this first series, we've interviewed ten brilliant L&D professionals about how they think about and measure engagement and impact. They have shared some great stories of new initiatives they have launched and what has and hasn't worked for them. This mini-series is a fantastic resource if you are in L&D, HR or Organisation Development.

Search for "L&D Challenges" where you get your podcasts, or go here: https://www.assembleyou.com/learning-challenges 

Pat has been building and leading B2B sales teams for over 15 years, with particular experience in early-stage startups. He’s been the first sales hire or first sales leader on eight occasions, including becoming LinkedIn’s first sales hire outside the US.

Since 2015 Pat’s joined several advisory boards, invested in a dozen UK startups, and through his consultancy firm, Silicon Growth, supports startup founders with sales strategy, design and execution as they build out their sales organisations.

This interview is perfect if you have a direct-to-consumer product and are thinking of going into business sales or, perhaps, you are a founder doing sales and need to expand your sales function. Or maybe you have fallen into a sales management position and just need a bit more structure and guidance.

In it, Pat takes us through some of the frameworks he applies when helping clients develop a sales team, including four steps on where to start, followed by People, Product, Process and Tech, and finally, Strategy, Operations and Enablement.

Silicon Growth: www.noq5.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/patricktraynor

Serena is a Certified Plant Based Nutrition Consultant, Yoga Teacher and Fitness Trainer who has studied the subject of nutrition for over ten years and has a unique, holistic approach to health and wellness.

Together with her husband Eugene, she runs Whole Shift Wellness: a coaching company specialising in bespoke programs for time-pressed professionals.

In this fascinating conversation, Adam and Serena discuss net positive foods, i.e. foods that give us more energy than it takes to digest them, and net negative foods that have the opposite effect.

Serena shares some great practical advice on how to form positive eating habits that stick, and dispels a number of food myths!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-sabala
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholeshiftwellness/
Free PDF: https://www.wholeshiftmethod.com/welcome_page

Following a successful career in Learning and Development Haydn founded Mindset Leadership in 2014. And has since worked with some of the biggest brands, in a range of sectors including Formula 1, Finance, Manufacturing and Hospitality. 

Haydn is passionate about peak performance and the power of habits to help individuals grow, change and excel. His unique approach combines mindset training with core business coaching to develop both the owner and the business they lead.

In this interview he and Adam discuss why habits are so important, what you need to do to form a successful habit, and how to apply habits to your own training and development.

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haydnbratt/

Website: https://mindsetleadership.co.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Microleadership-Haydn-Bratt/dp/1916480500

Ruth is the Founder of Conscious Leaders, a business that helps leaders develop a calm, collaborative and productive workplace.

She is a facilitator, and executive coach, runs The Conscious Leaders Podcast and is the author of a new bestselling book, 'Next Level Leadership: nine lessons from conscious leaders'.

In this interview Adam and Ruth dive into a number of the topics that Ruth covers in her book. Including Intention, Directness, Safety and Vulnerability. They end by looking at a few things any new leader should be doing.

This episode is a must listen to for any leader looking to improve.

Links

Website: https://www.consciousleaders.org.uk

Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Next-Level-Leadership-lessons-conscious/dp/1781337101

Podcast: https://www.consciousleaders.org.uk/podcast

Nishant is an agile practitioner focused on data-driven innovation in manufacturing.

His passion is around bridging the adoption of Web 3.0 to solve relevant manufacturing and supply chain problems.

Nishant has been practising intrapreneurship in his previous roles before very recently taking the plunge and striking out on his own.

In this episode he walks us through why intrapreneurship is so important and how to innovate, test and grow within a larger company structure. This episode is full of tips for budding intrapreneurs and business leaders who want to nurture and encourage innovation.

Enjoy!

Links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nishant-raj-621a0a196/

Website - https://virtuallearningfactory.co/

Jennie has a wealth of experience in the HR sector, having led recruitment teams in advertising and media. Three years ago, she started Balance (www.balanceandinclusion.com), a company that helps organisations of all sizes improve their recruitment processes to make them fairer and more inclusive.

Adam and Jennie dive into this important topic by first looking at the 6 pillars of inclusive recruitment that Jennie uses in her consultancy. They discuss why running an inclusive process is so important, some of the pitfalls to avoid, and look at some examples where organisations are doing a great job at recruiting in a more inclusive way.

Links

www.balanceandinclusion.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniechild/

Craig is an award-winning Learning and Development specialist with 19 years of experience. He’s worked with global organisations across a multitude of industries and is a real expert in helping people develop and fulfil their potential. He is currently Learning Experiences Director at Davies Learning Solutions. Today, Adam and Craig discuss a topic very close to our hearts here at Assemble You - enabling learning in your organisation.

Craig starts by going through the business case for learning before outlining how any leader can help enable learning in their organisation. As the world continues evolving at a blistering pace, learning is becoming even more important than ever.

Links

1. Connect/Follow Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-hamill-flpi-mcipd-67769727/
2. Davies Group: https://davies-group.com/learning-experiences/

To say that Chris had a tough start in life is an understatement. As a child, he was exposed to the antics of his father’s biker gang. At one point, due to his parents being under the influence and inattentive, he fell out of a moving vehicle, breaking his neck. After this near-death experience, both of his parents eventually passed away from extreme drug use. Despite all of this, Chris now dedicates himself to helping others rise above their mental health struggles and implement successful coping skills. He is a renowned podcast host, celebrated keynote speaker, and mental health advocate. His podcast “In the Wright Mind” is a fantastic listen and is available on all the major channels.

In this episode, Chris talks about his story and how he battled his demons to get where he is today. Chris offers some fantastic advice to anyone contending with mental health issues about how to talk about this difficult topic at work and how to be proactive about your own mental health and that of your team and colleagues.

Mark is an experienced sustainability consultant, keynote speaker, and thought leader who helps businesses respond to the opportunities and challenges of the sustainability crisis.

He’s led sustainability and circular economy projects across retail, consumer goods, manufacturing, and financial services for some of the biggest companies in the world, and for venture-backed start-ups and scale-ups.

He’s currently a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry and an adjunct faculty member at Hult Ashridge Executive Education.

Adam and Mark go through what sustainability means, why it's so important as a business to be thinking about sustainability, and what as an individual you can do to encourage and support more sustainable behaviour.

Links

1. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklancelott/
2. The UN Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Beth is an Organisational Development Specialist at a large waste management business. In her current role, she helps her company align its purpose with its people by inspiring them to think in new ways and unleash their potential. She’s passionate about helping align purpose within teams and at an organisational level.

Beth really gets into detail on how to practically align your business purpose with your people.

This is a fascinating episode and gives real insight into why purpose is so important, and how to embed this in an organisation.

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Max's LinkedIn

Adele has been in the organisational development and people transformation world for a while, both for large companies and as a consultant. As a coach, Adele began to notice regular patterns with her clients. Specifically, low self-belief, low self-confidence, and low self-esteem. 

She has taken her experience and developed a formula for confidence, and that’s what we discuss in today's session.

You're are in for a real treat with this episode. Adele speaks from the heart, and lays out a formula to help you achieve a more confident outlook on life.

Her book, Equation to Confidence is in the works, and provides a playbook to help you develop this crucial characteristic.

Links

1. Connect with Adele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adele-bradley-ba-hons-818b7747/

James trained as an elite rower at university and has held various senior-level sales positions. He now runs a hugely successful sales events business called Sales Confidence (Salesconfindence.com). He is one of THE most connected people in the UK.

In this fascinating episode, Adam and James discuss setting a vision for your future self and how to go on to achieve that ambition through setting manageable weekly, monthly and daily goals.

They dive into turning a "no" in sales into a positive thing and bringing persistence and enthusiasm into your work.

Finally, they discuss how to achieve balance in a high-pressure role.

This episode is packed full of helpful sales tips and hacks that James has developed throughout his career. It's a must-listen if you are new to sales or looking to master this craft.

Further Information

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesski/
• Website: https://salesconfidence.co/
• James' book: How to Gain Sales Confidence (released 2023)

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References

Neuroscience for Coaches: How coaches and managers can use the latest insights to benefit clients and teams, Amazon.co.uk: Books, Amy Brann
Make Your Brain Work: How to Maximize Your Efficiency, Productivity and Effectiveness: Amazon.co.uk, 9781789660494: Books, Amy Brann
Engaged: The Neuroscience Behind Creating Productive People in Successful Organizations (The Neuroscience of Business Series) (Audio Download): Amy Brann, Esther Wane, Blackstone Publishing: Amazon.co.uk: Books, Amy Brann

Adam took a risk starting his new business at the time he did - his family circumstances made it particularly precarious to leave a 9-5 and self-finance a start-up. James left a job he enjoyed at a company he'd loved to join Adam and Rich. In this episode, they discuss those decisions, as well as: other obstacles to ambition, and how and when to be more ambitious.

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So, during this podcast Adam and James cover:

• Taking your time
• Knowing your boundaries
• Using 'I don't' instead of 'I can't'
• Listening to your gut and
• Offering alternative solutions

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References from the pod

Saying 'No', Grammarly
The Way to Wellbeing, Tracy Douthwaite
No One Will Protect Your Time For You, Deb Knobelman

Can you think of times when you've done that? Even if you can't, you may well do it - 96% of people think they're a good listener, but only 25% actually are.

That's why, in this episode, Adam and James discuss the misconceptions around being a 'good listener', and offer some actionable tips to be better.

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References from the pod

Listening to People (hbr.org), HBR
What Great Listeners Actually Do (hbr.org), HBR
The price of poor listening (management-issues.com)

If you want to ensure optimum performance for your people, they need security, and that comes from YOU.

There are challenges on all sides of the workplace. Whether it’s senior employees pushing for deadlines, excessive meetings sucking up time, or the office atmosphere destroying productivity, everyone faces obstacles to getting their best work done.

If you’re a leader, it’s your job to remove as many of these obstacles as possible, to protect your team. 

In this podcast, Adam and James discuss a variety of ways to do so, including:

• Protecting people from unfair or unconstructive criticism
• Cultivating the right atmosphere
• Saying ‘no’ to unrealistic requests
• Taking responsibility for the collective
• Acting as a proxy for communication to protect people’s time

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References from the pod

Take Care of Employees: Protect Them at All Costs, Marcus Le Monis.

How to Protect Your Team From Burnout (thriveglobal.com), Manage the Whole Human

Mintzberg on Management| Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster (simonandschuster.com), Henry Mintzberg

Managing Yourself: The Boss as Human Shield (hbr.org), HBR.

In this episode, he and Adam discuss the AIM model of curiosity, and how it can be implemented in your workplace to improve results for your people.

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Stefan's book, The Workplace Curiosity Manifesto : How Curiosity Helps Individuals and Workspaces Thrive in Transformational Times eBook : Amazon.co.uk.

In this podcast, Adam and James discuss a variety of topics, including:

• How to treat failure
• Cultivating the right atmosphere
• Rewarding people appropriately
• Clear expectations
• Enabling growth and self-development

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References from the pod
Office Design & Interior Design - Flexiform : Flexiform
How Millennials Want to Work and Live (gallup.com)
Don't Punish Employee Failure. Reward It. - WSJ (Shannon Hadaray)

In this episode, Adam and Andreas talk about storytelling, and the impact it can have on so many of us and our career skills. If you're looking to improve your communication skills, this podcast is a must-listen.

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References

The Story is Everything: Mastering Creative Communication for Business: Amazon.co.uk, Andreas Loizou
Smack My Pitch Up!: Business Writing Success: Amazon.co.uk, Andreas Loizou
The Devil's Deal: An Insider's Tale of How Money is Made (Financial Times Series), Andreas Loizou

Impostor syndrome is extremely common -  82% of people face feelings of it - but it can be hard to deal with if you don’t have the tools to do so. 

In this episode, Adam and James discuss:

• Famous, successful people who have experienced impostor syndrome
• The Dunning-Kruger effect
• Embracing impostorism
• Separating thoughts from facts and
• Supporting peers and reports managing impostor syndrome.

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References

President Obama's Message for America's Students - YouTube

The Dunning-Kruger Effect: An Overestimation of Capability (verywellmind.com)

Sheryl Sandberg’s Secret To Success & Breaking The Glass Ceiling - An Equal Partnership | The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

How to overcome impostor phenomenon (apa.org)