Opinion
The choices that turn fear into courage: How organisations can have more every day
Organisations must respond to economic anxiety by designing cultures where trust and psychological safety make everyday courage possible, writes Christopher O.H. Williams. We need to help employees speak up, challenge ideas, embrace change and contribute confidently as leaders work to rebuild confidence, loyalty and performance across every team and department. As one of America’s government shutdown was ending, Fortune described the U.S. economy as “a tale of two halves”: one of wealthy consumers with a rosier economic outlook, and another…
Why active doubt is a vital skill for effectiveness in a rapidly evolving world
Doubt is not leadership’s enemy but a practical response to uncertainty. Jenny Williams argues that leaders build trust by naming what they do not know, holding opinions lightly and inviting challenge. In complex environments, active doubt keeps thinking flexible, supports learning and helps organisations adapt, decide and move forward together. Leadership can feel like a relentless roller-coaster ride: rapid turns, unexpected drops and little visibility of what lies ahead. The only certainty is uncertainty. And that uncertainty requires a reboot…
Can AI really resolve workplace conflict?
As AI becomes a coach, scriptwriter and even would-be mediator at work, Phil Floyd explores what this means for people’ trust, authenticity and conflict. He argues that while technology can support difficult conversations, healthy workplace relationships still depend on human skills such as listening, empathy, curiosity and honest face-to-face dialogue. Wouldn’t it be better if work colleagues always said the right thing to each other? When we want to criticise a colleague for their performance, for example, some well-chosen words…
How informal learning historically happened naturally at work
Hybrid work has made informal learning less visible, not less vital. Elyas Coutts explores how proximity once helped new starters absorb tacit knowledge, culture and judgement through everyday interactions. Now, purposeful messaging can crowd out spontaneous moments, leaving junior and mid-level employees with fewer chances to learn and build trust. Historically, most of what employees learnt didn’t just come from the onboarding process or training programmes; it also came from the proximity of being in the office surrounded by senior…
Your capability framework didn’t fail. Your rollout did.
Ben Satchwell challenges the default diagnosis when capability frameworks sit unused after twelve months. Low usage often signals a failed launch, not flawed content. Before expensive redesigns, audit sponsorship, manager understanding, communication and reinforcement. Distinguish neglect from design issues, fix sustainment, and resist rewriting artefacts that were never truly introduced. A capability framework that nobody uses at the twelve-month mark gets a predictable diagnosis: the content was wrong. The levels were too granular, or not granular enough. The language didn’t…
From the only woman in the room to 70% female leadership: What we learned
Malvina Belgrano and Molly Zeugner reflect together on what it takes to reach the C-suite as women, from finding visible role models to challenging biased feedback and pay gaps. They argue that safe spaces, transparency and diverse leadership are essential to building fairer workplaces, stronger decisions and better business outcomes. EdTech GoodHabitz recently welcomed Malvina Belgrano as COO and Molly Zeugner as CPO, bringing the GoodHabitz C-suite to a total of 70% women. The pair use the opportunity to reflect…
Why AI-native learning is the next big shift for L&D
Nicola Cox explores why workplace learning needs to move beyond AI add-ons and build intelligent ecosystems that connect skills, content and performance. As MCP servers and agentic AI reshape daily workflows, L&D leaders have a chance to make learning more proactive, responsible and embedded in the tools people already use. For years, learning technology has been defined by the next big feature, and lately, almost all of them have been AI. Smart search here, auto-tagging there, a new assistant tool…
Why yesterday’s performance reviews are failing today’s teams
As performance management shifts from annual reviews to continuous conversations, Steve Macaulay and Sarah Cook explains how HR and L&D can build fairer systems that align goals, strengthen coaching, support development and help people thrive, while reducing bureaucracy and making performance a genuine driver of culture, capability, engagement and wellbeing. Performance management used to be a once-a-year ritual: managers dusted off last year’s objectives, employees braced themselves, and HR prepared for the paperwork. In today’s world of rapid change, dispersed…
Empathy in action: Why coaching conversations turn understanding into impact
Empathy can get dismissed, but paired with coaching it becomes a performance lever. Drawing on podcast insights, Amy Brann and Dr Jessie Gulsin explore how empathy reduces threat, deep listening builds psychological safety, and clear boundaries strengthen accountability. Practical tips help leaders turn supportive conversations into sustained change at work. Empathy has had something of a reputation problem in leadership. Often dismissed as “soft”, or confused with lowering standards, it is still questioned in performance-driven cultures. Yet when empathy is…
From compliance to competitive advantage: Men’s health in shift-based environments
In shift-based or manufacturing environments, men’s mental health support must be designed for how and when people actually work. Rick van den Bosch outlines practical moves for L&D and leaders: build intervention skills beyond signposting, provide flexible 24/7 resources and peer networks, and normalise movement as part of everyday culture. The perception that strength is synonymous with silence is outdated, inefficient, and may have harmful effects. Modern industry leadership understands that the strongest, safest, and most resilient teams are built…
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