People Managers
Good leaders don’t avoid office politics
Leaders who want to drive effective change cannot afford to ignore office politics, much as they might want to. Far from being manipulative, political skill helps people build trust, read situations, and influence organisational outcomes constructively. Steve Macaulay and David Buchanan explain why it should be a core leadership capability. For busy people, “office politics” can often feel like a barrier to skill and culture-building and just getting things done. However, developing political skill is not about encouraging scheming, it…
AI adoption has a people problem, not a tech problem
Jennie Marshall argues that while organisations are investing heavily in AI, too few are turning pilots into meaningful impact. The real barrier is not technology but leadership, culture and capability. To close the gap, leaders must build confidence, embed AI into workflows and measure adoption, not just expenditure at scale. A while back I was heading north to visit a client, coffee in hand, when I put on the Science & Tech Daily podcast. Piers Linney was talking about AI,…
TJ interviews: Mark Travis Rivera about braver workplaces starting with belonging
Belonging takes more than statements and symbolic support. Mark Travis Rivera shares why inclusion must be built through listening, honest conversations and everyday action. This interview explores how leaders can challenge performative allyship, create braver organisations cultures and help people feel recognised, respected and able to do their best work. Mark Travis Rivera is an award-winning creative entrepreneur, CEO and Founder of The Professional Storyteller, and a globally recognised advocate for inclusive workplace culture. Drawing on lived experience as a…
The real challenge of AI adoption: JPMorgan’s culture and confidence during change
JPMorgan’s AI rollout shows that successful adoption depends less on the technology itself and more on trust, transparency and ownership. Nick Petschek argues that L&D leaders must treat AI implementation as a cultural change effort, helping people feel safe to experiment, shaping use through feedback and building confidence over time. The decision by American multinational banking institution JPMorgan to give more than 300,000 employees the option to use advanced AI tools for performance reviews is a bold transition. The bank…
The anxiety of automation: Redefining human decision rights in an AI world
Access to AI tools does not guarantee adoption from your people. If employees don’t know where their accountability ends and the algorithm’s begins, they can freeze. Dr. Ravinder Tulsiani argues that the key to AI culture isn’t just upskilling and blanket training, it’s establishing the psychological safety of clear decision rights. Walk into any organisation that has recently rolled out a generative AI pilot, and you will likely find two distinct groups of people. The first group is enthusiastically experimenting,…
From ‘just busy’ to burned out: Knowing when to reclaim time and when to ask for help
Drawing on Make Your Brain Work podcast episodes, Amy Brann and Dr Jessie Gulsin unpack how ‘busy’ slips into chronic stress, hijacking prioritisation and health. Learn the biological red flags, why time feels distorted under pressure, and how L&D can build kinder systems, practical tools, and routes to professional support. “Busy” has become the default answer to How are you? In many workplaces, constant busyness is worn as a badge of honour, signalling commitment and value. Yet the podcasts When…
Ancient wisdom for a modern engagement crisis
With employee engagement falling and global uncertainty rising, Nabil Verdickt argues that people need more than perks, wellbeing apps and purpose slogans. Drawing on Stoic and Aristotelian thinking, Nabil explores how leaders can restore meaning by helping people see their contribution value, practise excellence and build genuine connection at work. Employee engagement is quietly breaking down, and it is no surprise. Despite endless initiatives, digital wellbeing apps, and purpose statements painted on office walls, global engagement remains stubbornly low. Gallup’s…
Beyond Words – book review
Most leadership challenges are relational, not transactional and that should reshape L&D priorities. In his review, Andy Evans explores Beyond Words and its 8 Principles of Relational Capacity, following the path from survival to safety to success, and what this lens reveals about burnout, culture initiatives, and AI in organisations. Book: Beyond Words: How to Lead People from Survival to SuccessAuthor: Kerry-Lyn Stanton-Downes There’s a particular type of leadership book that arrives with a bold premise, delivers three hundred pages…
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…
Why your top talent is quietly checking out
Why do high performers disengage from careers that seem successful on paper? In this article, Laura Simms unpacks how competence, conditioning and misdiagnosed burnout can hide poor fit, and argues that better support starts when organisations help people question the path they are on and redefine work around meaning sustainably. The professionals most likely to feel disconnected from work are often the last ones anyone suspects. They perform well. They get promoted. They earn the salary that was supposed to…
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