Amplifying women’s voices

Amplifying women’s voices

Why are women and girls less likely to speak in a public arena than men? And could a letter from a ‘role model’ change that? I spent a day mentoring a group of students ahead of a political debate in a Council chamber and felt cross with myself that I couldn’t coax more girls into making their voices heard. Later in the week, with the silence of those girls ringing in my ears, I was one of just three women (compared to nine men) who put a question to ex-MP Michael Portillo.

Returning from maternity

Returning from maternity

Returning to work after maternity leave or an extended career break? Heed the 5Cs:

Clarity, Credibility, Communication, Connections, Collaboration

We need to talk remuneration

We need to talk remuneration

Watch two fictional political women show us how to think big, start pay conversations and push each other on. 20 seconds. Well worth it.

The best that could happen

The best that could happen

In this post I’m exploring the power of the question “What’s the best that could happen?” It crumbled Natalie’s resistance to do something uncomfortable that could get her not-for-profit enterprise off the ground. It’s a great story.

Making a professional pivot

Making a professional pivot

In this post I’m exploring the practical and psychological steps we might need to take to bagsy a bigger or significantly different job to the one we’re currently in. Interested? Come with me for four minutes or squirrel it for when you decide you want to become Director of the British Museum instead of shooting for Head of Audit or to become a freelance wildlife photographer instead of doing PR for an insurance company.

Public speaking rebel

Public speaking rebel

I received an invitation to speak at The Law Society conference earlier this year and a couple of weeks ago I went along and gave my talk “Flexible working – what’s new?”

70 minutes of passion

70 minutes of passion

Two passions are better than one according to new research and in this column I’m inviting you to think about rekindling an old love (not the dodgy Friends United type) and giving it 70 mins a week.

Hands off managers (and holidays)

Hands off managers (and holidays)

Not only do I think Sir Phillip Dilley’s departure from the Environment Agency was wrong, I think it was an incredibly bad decision. Outsiders shaming a person in a position of power into resigning because he or she didn’t return from a holiday when his of her organisation faced one of their biggest challenges is ridiculous. Virtue-signaling (which is becoming tiresomely prevalent in our society) was at the root of this shoddy thinking and poor decision-making.

The horse's mouth

“It’s been remarkable – a huge impact on my personal and professional life.” Nicky’s getting better results from her team, she’s confidently approaching difficult conversations and is fulfilling a secret ambition to write a book. Read how Agnes, Dani, Andrea and Emmy say they’ve benefited from a short spell of coaching.

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The Talent Keeper Specialists helps employers keep, retain and develop returning talented and valued employees through workshops, 1:1 coaching and culture-shaping initiatives aimed at line managers. We provide both off-the-peg and customised solutions through our select team of experienced coaching and talent practitioners.

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