All in People

Life's not always fair, but it's sure made me tough...

Jo Hands writes about what makes her tick, she explains “Life's not always fair, but it's sure made me tough...” When I was a child I was big about justice. I wanted to feel like life was fair. My mother told me that life wasn't fair and I thought that was crap. As I grew up I realised that she was right - life is not fair. Everyone has their challenges, battles and hard times, you are not alone. People want to be perceived as having their life together but no one really does, let's be honest.

What kind of leader are you?

Jo Hands asks the question: What kind of leader are you? Leadership is a gift. It's not easy. It's not a popularity contest. It's about setting up your team for success. Sometimes as leaders we get lost. Meetings, emails, approvals and pressure and we lose sight of what is important - taking people on the journey. We've all worked for good leaders and not great leaders and therefore know what good leadership is ...I think I've learnt the most from the bad leaders that I've worked with.

The war is real...

Jo Hands writes all about the war on talent - and it’s no joke. This time last year (May 2020) companies were downsizing, reducing pays, making employee take annual leave and in survival mode. Employees were worried about the security of their jobs. The whole dynamic has shifted. It's an employee market. Why and what does this mean?

What do I want to do when I grow up??

Jo Hands writes about what she wanted to be when she grew up, and the lessons she learned along the way. She explains “In year 9, we needed to work out what we wanted to be when we grew up to pick our majors / subjects that determined our chance to get into 'the' university course. We were just kids and let's be honest, we didn’t know. Some still don’t know today.”

The Problem Is …. How to Solve It?

Mark Easdown writes about problem solving… Good problem solving needs: cognitive diversity, valuing dissent to mitigate consensus “fails” & “group think”, a clear approach in stressful situations, switch thinking or adding some randomness to process, a healthy power relationship (no hubris or silencing of opposition, a need for participative management & subordinate assertiveness training), multiple approaches to problem solving …

Leadership – your legacy

Jo Hands writes about leadership - and creating your legacy. It doesn’t mean you are old – legacy. What leadership legacy do you want to leave? What kind of leader you do want to be? What do you want to be remembered for? When I think about Legacy I think about leaders that I have had in my career. Which ones have inspired me and which one disappointed me.

Key considerations for building connection across the organisation post Covid-19

Phoebe Reid writes about the key considerations for building connection across the organisation post Covid-19. Companies are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory as their employees return to the office post Covid 19 and are learning how to work together again. Building connectedness is an important part of working together successfully and links closely to employee engagement and ultimately meeting business goals.

8 Key lessons we have learnt from launching our own podcast

Jo Hands unpacks the lessons learnt from starting the Whiteark Podcast - The Chiefs. We have interviewed a range of leaders; young, older, CEO, Executive, owning and running their own business. Each leaders provided so many great tips and lessons around their leadership journey. It’s very inspiring.

Some key people capabilities for companies to consider

Phoebe Reid writes about the key people capabilities companies need to consider. Capabilities describe the skills, knowledge or attitudes needed for a given task and are used to assess an employee's effectiveness. They can be looked at as human or people capabilities and technical capabilities. In this article we are focusing on some of the key people capabilities that companies should consider as essential for their organisation.

What does International Women’s Day mean to me?

Jo Hands, Whiteark’s Co-founder & Director, writes about what International Women’s Day means to her. A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.

Being true to your values

Jo Hands, Whiteark’s Co-founder & Director, writes about what it means to be true to your values. She explains, “When growing up, we learn to understand the impact core values have on driving our behaviour and activity, as well as attracting those you work well with because you share similar values.”

The Importance of Connection

Jo Hands, Whiteark’s Co-founder & Director, writes about the art and inherent need for connection. Connection is defined as a relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else - and it’s important, probably more than you’ll know. But did it have to take a global pandemic, border closures and state lockdowns for us to realise just how important connection really is?