The Future Kind

“Just do more with less.” - one of the most frustrating phrases in modern leadership. What it usually means: - Cut corners - Stretch people - Hope for the best But efficiency shouldn’t come at the cost of burnout. Especially in high-pressure teams where the stakes (and the Slack pings) never stop. When the pace is relentless, you don’t need motivation. You need a moment to pause, zoom out, and get strategic. That's where intentional offsites with your team come in. ✅ Space to reset priorities ✅ Real conversations about capacity and focus ✅ Practical plans that make doing less better - not just more with less We design offsites that help teams reset and build clarity. If your team’s burning bright (and burning out), let’s hit reset 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNW46_sm

97% of employees and executives agree – lack of alignment hurts performance. The cost of misalignment: ❌ Missed deadlines ❌ Conflicting priorities ❌ People doubling up on work So if nearly every employee and leader agrees that lack of alignment affects results, why are so many teams still winging it? Because alignment doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not about more meetings, more Slack messages, or another collaboration tool. It’s about: 🔍 Clarity Can everyone on your team explain the goal in one sentence? If not, they’re guessing. Set one clear goal for every project: - What does success look like? - Why does this matter? - How will we measure it? 🔓 Ownership Who’s responsible? Who decides? Who needs to be informed? Use the RACI framework to figure it out: Responsible – Does the work Accountable – Owns the outcome Consulted – Gives input Informed – Needs updates 📣 Communication Alignment isn’t about talking more. It’s about talking better. Fix it: ✔ One source of truth for project updates ✔ Fewer meetings – more async check-ins ✔ Key decisions documented, not lost in Slack Want some help getting aligned? Let us know 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNW46_sm

“Can I give you some feedback?” Cue the full-body clench. 🫣 Most people want feedback - but also fear it. And most leaders were never trained to give it well. That’s how you end up with: - Vague feedback that says nothing - Over-politeness that avoids the real issue - Honesty that hits like a truck But feedback doesn’t have to crush morale. Done well, it fuels growth, builds trust, and strengthens team culture. One tool we love is the COIN framework: 💬 Context - What’s the situation? 👀 Observation - What exactly happened (no opinions)? 🌊 Impact - What effect did it have on others? ➡️ Next steps - What’s the clear path forward? It’s simple. It’s effective. And it actually works. If your team’s still treating feedback like a fire alarm, let’s fix that 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNW46_sm

Leadership under pressure isn’t about knowing all the answers. It’s about knowing how to decide. Decision fatigue is real - especially when you’re leading in fast-moving, high-growth environments. You’re juggling urgency, uncertainty, and the pressure to get it right the first time. But the best leaders don’t white-knuckle it. They use structure to stay steady. That’s where the 4Cs come in: 🔗 Connection → Build trust so decisions aren’t questioned at every turn. 🎯 Clarity → Set direction and make the call — no spirals, no drama. 🧠 Coaching → Grow a team that owns decisions, not just executes them. 🔥 Commitment → Follow through, build momentum, and scale your impact. Sounds like something your org needs? Let's chat 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNW46_sm

Hot take: Remote work isn’t the problem - your culture is. Bringing people back to the office doesn’t magically fix collaboration. If your team struggled remotely, it’s not because they weren’t physically together - it’s because your systems, rituals, and expectations weren’t designed to support how they work best. Great remote teams aren’t built by accident. They’re built with intentional rituals and structures that make connection, accountability, and collaboration actually work. Here are quick rituals we’ve seen help: ✅ The ‘async standup’ – A quick daily check-in where team members drop their top priorities in Slack (so no one has to sit through another 9am Zoom). ✅ ‘Explicit No-Meeting Days’ – Because deep work actually happens when people have uninterrupted focus. ✅ Monthly ‘Ritual Retros’ – A quick pulse check on which team habits are working - and which ones need to go. What’s the most random remote work ritual your team has that actually works? 👇

Fair pay. Decent conditions. A culture that doesn’t quietly burn people out. It shouldn’t be a radical idea - but for a lot of businesses, it still is. Nat will be speaking at this and more at B Ready, a brilliant event series from x+why and Junxion Strategy alongside Georgia Jones, Kirsty Leighton, and @Adam Garfunkel and diving into: How can you create a positive workplace culture? What does a fair and transparent approach to wages look like? How can you embrace worker feedback? Come for the insights, stay for the practical ideas you can actually do something with. 📍 More info + tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eRtNx8Fh

How often have you heard the phrase “People just don’t like change.” in your company? Let’s be real: most people aren’t resistant to change - they’re resistant to unclear expectations, bad leadership, and the fear of getting it wrong. If your team isn’t engaging with new ideas, processes, or initiatives, it’s not because they’re stubborn - it’s because they don’t feel safe enough to take risks. Signs your team lacks psychological safety: 🚨 Meetings feel like echo chambers Everyone nods, but nobody actually shares real thoughts. 🚨 Feedback is given… but never upward Leaders ask for input, but employees know it’s not really welcome. 🚨 People play it safe No new ideas, no constructive challenges, just doing the bare minimum to avoid risk. 🚨 Mistakes = blame games If speaking up has consequences, people won’t do it. How to help build psychological safety: 💡 Normalise learning, not perfection If every misstep leads to punishment, your team will stop taking risks. 💡 Make feedback a two-way street If leadership never gets constructive feedback, your culture is broken. 💡 Encourage questions, not just answers If your team is afraid to ask ‘stupid’ questions, they’ll make ‘stupid’ mistakes instead. The bottom line? Psychological safety isn’t a box to tick - it’s something that needs to be embedded into everyday decision-making. We can help with that 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNW46_sm

Most HR & People teams know what great People Experience (PX) should look like. The real challenge? Applying it in the messiness of real-world business constraints. A recent article in the Financial Times pointed out that People teams are juggling the pressure of keeping employees happy while hitting business targets, often with limited resources and issues getting leadership on board. It’s no surprise that many PX initiatives end up being reactive, short-lived, or just don’t take off. So, what’s missing? A straightforward, organised way to prioritise the right issues, create PX initiatives that actually work, and get leaders on the same page. Instead of just knowing what good PX looks like, how can you make sure it’s part of the daily grind of the business? ✨ Start with the right problem You don’t need to tackle every issue at once. Zero in on the pain points that hit both employees and business results the hardest. If everything feels urgent, ask: what’s causing us the biggest losses in productivity, engagement, or employee turnover? ✨ Make the invisible visible Data is your friend here. Use insights from surveys, exit interviews, or feedback trends to highlight the real gaps in employee experience and make a solid case for change. ✨ Get buy-in by speaking leadership’s language PX isn’t a ‘nice to have’ - it drives performance. When pitching your initiatives, frame them around cost savings, productivity gains, or risk reduction. ✨ Test before you launch Rolling out big changes for the whole company can often lead to failure. Instead, try piloting initiatives in one team or department, collect feedback, make improvements, and then expand. Small victories can build momentum and trust. ✨ Build PX into how work gets done If your initiative requires constant nudges, it probably won't last. Integrate it into the existing processes, routines, and tools that people are already using. What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing in shifting from knowing to doing when it comes to PX? 👇

Engagement isn’t just about happy employees – it’s a business advantage. According to Gallup, companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147%. That’s not just a small boost – it’s the difference between teams that thrive and teams that struggle. But here’s the problem: most companies still treat engagement as an HR initiative, not a business priority. They throw in perks – free coffee, a ‘fun’ Slack channel, maybe a yoga class – and call it engagement. But real engagement isn’t built on gimmicks. It’s built on how people feel about their work, their impact, and their team. So what actually makes a team engaged? ✅ Clarity over chaos People need to understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture. If they don’t see the purpose, they won’t give their best. ✅ Trust over micromanagement Autonomy isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. High-performing teams don’t waste time seeking constant approval – they’re empowered to make decisions. ✅ Recognition over burnout People will go the extra mile if they know their work matters. But if their effort is ignored, motivation disappears fast. ✅ Growth over stagnation The best employees don’t just want a job, they want progress. If they don’t see opportunities to develop, they’ll disengage – or leave. If engagement isn’t a priority, you’re not just losing morale – you’re losing results. If you need some help with your team engagement, get in touch 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNW46_sm

So many companies claim to be remote-friendly when they’re really just remote-tolerant. They’ve swapped desks for Zoom, but haven’t actually designed a culture that works without an office. Here’s the difference: ✅ Remote-friendly cultures: - Measure outcomes, not online status - Have async communication that actually works - Build psychological safety so people feel trusted - Create intentional connection through meaningful rituals ❌ Remote-tolerant cultures: - “We trust you, but also, share your Slack status at all times.” - Meetings for everything (because emails apparently don’t exist) - Unspoken rules - “Flexibility” but you still get side-eyed if offline at 3pm - A ‘virtual pizza party’ instead of real engagement If your culture only works in an office, you don’t have a culture - you have a location dependency. 💡 Fixing it starts with leadership. Are you actually setting clear expectations, real rituals, and trust-based systems - or just hoping remote teams figure it out?