Category Features

When talent outpaces governance: What wrestling’s reckoning teaches the people profession

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Allegations during wrestling’s 2020 Speaking Out reckoning show what happens when growth outpaces governance. Andy Evans argues misconduct is a systems problem, not just bad actors, and urges HR and L&D to build ethical capability: psychological safety, scenario-based training, independent…

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Can you teach self-belief?

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Confidence is not fixed: it rises and falls with meetings, roles and the way feedback lands. Penny Haslam shares research with Northumbria University showing measurable gains from confidence training, plus three memorable tools to challenge self-talk. Lasting change needs commitment,…

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New leader, old story: How teams decide before you speak

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Reputation walks into work before you do, and teams cling to old stories. Chris Dodd explores how labels form, why cynics shape perceptions, and how leaders earn credibility socially through visibility, listening and consistency. Behaviour, not title, rebuilds trust, lifts…

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Align, coach, reflect, consolidate: A leadership rhythm for turbulent times

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During upheaval, leaders often cling to process, but progress comes from staying close to people. Karl Green sets out a practical cycle: align the senior team on direction and commitments, coach through uncertainty with actionable feedback, pause for a midpoint…

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Trust is biased, and your team is proving it

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Trust breakdowns rarely start with incompetence. Maryam Rezaei argues they begin with bias, familiarity and the meanings we attach to tone, silence and directness. She explores psychological safety, real listening and what repairs trust: new experiences, not explanations. For L&D…

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Compliance theatre is over: Accredited online learning is the grown-up option

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With budgets squeezed and the UK Employment Rights Act 2025 raising the stakes, distance learning is no longer second best. Nathan Tod argues accredited online qualifications can satisfy compliance, boost retention and cut costs, if L&D stop treating learning as…

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From completion to capability: Making skills visible where it matters

Completed

Completion rates look reassuring, but they hide whether people can actually perform. Leonidas Palaiokostas argues organisations face a skills visibility gap, leading to wasted hiring and underused talent. Leonidas shares four capability signals and shifts: verify skills in real work,…

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Supported staff need supported leaders

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Daily stress is becoming normalised at work, and surface-level wellbeing initiatives are not shifting the needle. Touchdown PR share different experienced voices that argue for proactive support: equip frontline managers, reduce admin friction, redesign workloads and build psychological safety. It…

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The generation we can’t afford to lose

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With youth unemployment at its highest since 2014 and junior roles drawing 100+ applicants, employers can’t afford to pass on. Giles Smith argues we’re debating costs while the education-to-work system fails a generation. The answer is redesigning organisations for an…

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The leaking talent pipeline: How AI is quietly undermining leadership succession

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AI is speeding up work while quietly eroding the early-career experiences that shape future leaders. As entry-level roles decline, judgement, emotional intelligence and organisational fluency have fewer places to form. Leena Rinne argues succession strength must be measured in capability,…

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