I want to share two numbers with you. Just sit with them for a moment before we go any further. The first: the UK care sector is facing one of the most serious staffing shortages it has ever seen. Vacancies remain stubbornly high, agency costs are eating into already tight margins, and good people are … Read more
Are you sitting comfortably? Welcome to the second in my series of podcasts that will help you to navigate those inevitable difficult events at work that are part of being a small business owner. Today I want to talk about how to deal with failure as a small business owner. Failure is a fact of … Read more
If you’re wondering how to stop micromanaging your team, the fact that you’re asking the question is already a good sign. Most micromanagers don’t realise they are one. They think they’re being thorough, or maintaining standards, or keeping the business on track. They’re creating a team that can’t move without permission and a business that … Read more
I want to tell you about a manager I worked with. She had a team member who was brilliant at spotting patterns in data that nobody else could. He delivered work with a level of accuracy that frankly put everyone else to shame. But in team meetings, he rarely made eye contact. He answered questions … Read more
“Nicola, I need your help. We’ve just replaced our operations manager for the second time in eighteen months, and the team is still a nightmare. The new manager seemed perfect on paper, but three months in and we’re right back where we started. What are we doing wrong?” I could hear the exhaustion in her … Read more