Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it so much. 🙏

Thank you for your comment, I completely agree that mentorship is a vital role that managers play to their team. I also think that developing a coaching style to help their team learn more effectively and prevent managers always being in “tell mode” thus encouraging accountability works well too. Together mentoring and a coaching style can enhance the managers overall leadership skills. Which as a CTO would you value the most as managers develop their skills?

Wonderful! I’m so glad you have found it useful 😊

Never turn to HR, they're against employees.

@@ally3854 ooh that’s tough. It’s a big choice both ways and depends on the situation and how bad it has got, but I think there are a few more choices. I will do a video on this by the end of August to help if ok with you? The documenting bit counts for sure.

​@@helenbryantyes please it will be very helpful for us to recognize and how to act positively in a situation. Thank you so much xx

Thank you! I'm glad you found it useful.

You're so welcome! It’s so exciting that people watch my lessons from all around the world. Sending you greetings to Malaysia

Thank you Carl - I appreciate you letting me know. Sometimes it feels like I am speaking out into the darkness and it’s so lovely when people, like you, let me know that they have found my content helpful or ask me questions. It always makes my day. 😊

Thank you so much for letting me know. It is much appreciated. 🙏

For sure. I would define it as a goal of addressing the triggers that distract or procrastinate. I would give myself 12 weeks to do it, and that would help me understand why I get distracted and procrastinate - once the triggers were understood would be able to come up with a plan to address it. 12 weeks should be long enough to change habits rather than short term success, this will stick. Funnily enough I have an upcoming video on this exact topic so look out for it 🙃

So agree - you are doing what many managers miss, the power of informal stakeholder management as part of how you work. It’s so valuable. Do you have a challenge you would like a video to help you with? I’m currently planning more content so happy to see if I can provide something you would find helpful. Thank you again for your comments , it’s so nice to know that I am providing content that is connecting with people.😊

Great to hear - focus on it for a quarter and it will become a way of working with and engaging with your team. Good luck with it - reach out if you have any questions. 😊

I’m glad you found it useful. Let me know if you have any questions as you do it Jacob 🙏

Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙏

@@helenbryant Dear, I’d like to ask you about the 4A model in coaching (Agreement, Awareness, Action and Accountability) how would it differ from Grow model. I would also appreciate it if just explain it in brief. Best regards

@@qassimshabeer6126 It is a similar structure Agreement = Goal or agree what the person would like to achieve. Awareness = Reality ie what is the situation for the person. Action = Options - ie what could they do about it. I like options in GROW as it helps people think about different ways of achieving a goal. Finally Accountability = Will which is where you are encouraging commitment behind the action plan that is agreed. The key when learning these skills is using a framework to help you keep on track as you lead the conversation. The questions in this video would work for the 4As. I hope this helps you. 😊

@@helenbryant very well said. Thank you dearly

Just checked a recent video, already fixed. Awesome, subscribing.

Ha ha! Yes I have been on a RU-vid learning journey - sound, camera settings, editing, background. I’m hopeful that now as I learn and get better that more people will find my leadership lessons. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and the follow up one has made my day! 😊

Thank you for letting me know 😊

Thank you for your question. The questions are designed to be asked when the situation suits and not in order. The idea is that you have these questions in your “toolbox” to quickly use so that you develop a coaching style as a manager. I hope this helps you. Helen

Thank you 🙏 One of the wonders of RU-vid is people all around the world comment and tell me that they found my content useful. I appreciate it so much.

I suggest a conversation first rather than a presentation. Here are some tips that might help you: Firstly Prepare Reflect on your achievements, skills, and areas where you've made significant contributions. Be honest about your strengths and areas for improvement. Know the supporting evidence and examples demonstrating your accomplishments, such as successful projects and instances where you've gone above and beyond. Set up the meeting Request a meeting with your manager to discuss your career progression. Ensure it’s a time when your manager can give you their full attention. Let them know beforehand that you want to discuss your career growth and potential promotion so they can prepare. In the Meeting - have a conversation. Thank your manager for their time and support in your current role. Clearly state your interest in a promotion and desire to take on more responsibilities. e.g. “I appreciate the opportunities I’ve had to grow in my current role and would like to discuss my potential for a promotion to [position].” Share and discuss specific examples of your accomplishments and how they’ve positively impacted the team or organisation. e.g. “In the past year, I led the [project], which resulted in a [X%] increase in efficiency and saved the company [Y amount] in costs.” Link your skills and experiences to the requirements of the desired role. Highlight any additional training or certifications you've obtained. Provide examples of your leadership - where you can show you are already playing the “future game.” And then see what they say. If they think you are ready, ask them what you need to do to get to that role. If they have reservations, ask questions to fully understand why, what the gap is, and what they think you need to do to fill it. Stay positive! 🙂 Afterwards, document the conversation and send a follow-up email to your manager to confirm your understanding and commitment. I hope this helps and that you are successful in your promotion.🚀

I'm glad you like it. Thank so much for letting me know 🙏

Jan Thank you for your question. Here are some examples that might help. The steps are - say what it is the purpose of the conversation - Ask questions to understand the persons view on that topic - Then share your point of view referencing any specific relevant points they made. Sounds like: - Project update with a key senior stakeholder I wanted to update you on Project Z, just before I leap in what are your thoughts on the project? Do you have any concerns? Use questions to explore what they think, then update. - You want to share an idea with your boss I’ve been thinking about the challenges we are facing with XYZ customer, and I’ve had an idea about how we could handle it. From your perspective what would be a successful outcome? Then explore what they think about xyz Then summarise e.g As you said a successful outcome will be keeping the customer happy and maintaining an environment so we can grow, but that is hard right now as there are so many issues, So I was thinking we could….share your idea making sure you emphasise the benefits of your idea so that they customer is happy, and environment for growth is maintained and the issues are addressed. Thea key is that the more you know about what they think about a given topic, in particular what success is for them, what issues they see, what opportunities they see, and how the feel about it in general, the easier it is to adapt what you are saying so that it is more persuasive. I hope that helps, H

Thank you, Helen, for taking the time to answer my question. I really appreciate the effort you put into your videos; they offer great advice that I can take with me as I navigate daily career challenges.

Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know ☺

Excellent Jacob. Use those micro practice moments!! 🙌 Thank you so much for the feedback, I’m pleased you find it helpful.

Thanks very much Cameron 😊

So glad you have found it useful. It has given me an idea for a new video in managing contractors. 🙏😊

Thank you for your question. You have a friction point I’ve been told about many times. The key issue is that your cross functional colleagues want your team to do tasks and you are balancing the challenge of making sure your team stay focused on the highest priority work. These do not always balance. My advice would be As in the video identify your the key stakeholders. When the objectives are unclear ask questions to identify what the outcome is they want. Often people can be prescriptive in how they want something done, for example I want a PowerPoint presentation with this, that and the other, can you create a graph etc without thinking it through to define the specific objective/outcome or understanding how much work is involved in doing this. Ask questions to understand the scope of the request why do they need it, how Will it be used, for who, when etc. what you can often find is that there is a simpler and more efficient way of doing this for you rather than the prescriptive way they describe. You should also be able to spot repeats where a simpler tool/template could do the job for them. You will also be able to ask questions about priorities - which project/task is the most important. This gives you the scope to say no or offer a simpler solution that will not take as much time for the lower priority work, and deliver the high priority work well and on time. Create a shared spreadsheet or doc that shows the current workload so that it is transparent what is coming through, this transparency reduces surprises. From experience sitting and chatting this issue through, coming up with a plan that addresses your stakeholder requirements and then reviewing regularly means that you have the conversation at the right time. Make sure your team are aware of and aligned so that no work creeps in under the radar. I hope this helps. Let me know how you get on, H

​@@helenbryant Thank you so much

I’m so pleased you found it useful. 😊 Good luck experimenting with it - I find it is a great time saver.

Thank you for letting me know. I have a 306090 plan, I will adapt it and make it shareable. I will let you know when I've done it! Thanks for the feedback. 🙏

Glad it helped! Thank you for letting me know 🙏

Thank you for letting me know 🙏 I am glad you found it of value.

I agree with you, Vlad; there are systemic issues in the world of work, which means I can understand why people may be actively looking for a new job and frustrated by the status quo. This video is to help managers control what they can control in this "new reality". Good managers can lead teams better, even if people only stay for a while. They can motivate, train, and engage their teams more effectively, advocate for the challenges their teams face, and then, when they get into a position of true power, they can lead with a greater sense of fairness and vision for what can be. The starting point for me is better leadership from all managers; many have never been trained in the skills of leadership, and I am trying to help with that. Thank you for taking the time to comment; I appreciate it.

@@helenbryant Sorry to bother you. I understand your point. I just see how company where I work handles quiet quitting. Completely different approach. We have twice more people than we need to do the job. It is accepted that half of them will go. It is accepted that they don't care. And this model works really good, at least bottom line is good. New reality.

@@vlado3304@vlado3304 I can see your concern; this approach does not seem very sustainable and seems to devalue people as mere resources. I suppose the question is, was this a deliberate plan, or is it the law of unintended consequences? If this is the model that the organisation wanted and it works as you say for the bottom line, it's challenging to change, all be it sad that people are seen as so expendable. If they have arrived there due to other decisions and a failure to address the underlying reasons it happens, that is different. Mass hiring, training people to get up to speed, and then low retention has a cost, and it has a knock-on effect on the culture of the organisation and how valued people feel. You care so much that you are chatting with me about it! Is there someone in the organisation you could talk to about it? Share your observations?

@@helenbryant Thank you for reply. Big bosses don't share their thoughts with me, what a surprise, but I do believe that this is a new approach. Again, this is my opinion. My partner at work can't even rent a room, he is sharing a room with someone. It is mission impossible to motivate him, he simply doesn't see himself with the company. People are not stupid not to notice, they are not going to double his salary, but they can hire his replacement, the same money. World is changing, what we see is a direct result of these changes.

@@vlado3304 Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Quite sad. Not all organisations are like this, remember that.

I agree with you Rob, I think reward is an important element and believe all employees should be rewarded fairly and feel engaged with their organisation. However, most managers are not "corporate overlords" these reward decisions and indeed business models are beyond their decision making scope. They too normally want to be noticed and rewarded fairly for their commitment by the "corporate overlords". What I was hoping to do here, and indeed with my channel, is help managers create better workplaces with what they can control, better, higher quality, authentic and fair leadership. Better managers and leaders can create brilliant workplaces that people value working in. I am also hoping some "corporate overlords" take note and make sure they too create workplaces that can be the true reflection of what is often written on their website! Thank you for reaching out. Helen

You're welcome! 🙏

Thank you Geri 🙏

Thank you for letting me know 🙏 I'm so pleased you found it useful.

Oops forgot. Don’t dangle a promotion or raise as a reason for personal development and training unless you intend to give that promotion or raise. Nothing sours an employee more than working their tail off for no benefit.

Thank you for reaching out, Tamara. I agree with much of what you say. Managers should definitely respect work/personal boundaries and avoid insisting that the team is like a family. Micromanaging and focusing on useless/busy work is counterproductive, and dangling a promotion or training without delivering on it is unfair. Regarding pay, it's not a simple answer. Many managers lack the decision-making authority to make significant changes, especially in large businesses with annual pay review systems. Even if they want to pay more, they may face organisational constraints. One of the key challenges many managers face is the lack of formal training in effective leadership. It's alarming that a recent survey found that 82% of managers received no formal training, leading to ineffective methods of directing, motivating, and engaging their teams, as you mentioned. Most managers genuinely strive to do their best for their people while juggling the demands placed on them by the organisation. This is often not an easy task. The purpose of this video is to provide practical tips to help managers better engage with their teams, prioritise work, set clear expectations, identify and remove blockages (such as busy work), and support their teams in achieving their personal development goals. I was hoping in sharing it that I would help managers create an environment where their teams would not need to "quiet quit", and instead, they would feel valued, with clear boundaries and feel listened to. Thank you again for taking the time to reply; I appreciate your comment and the insights you shared.

Thanks for your reply. I do appreciate the things you said and they certainly can’t hurt. But I think poor management leads to actual quitting. Quiet quitting is for those who go above and beyond and are only rewarded with more or more difficult work with no reward except an “atta boy” from their manager. When managers are seen has having no actual power (to give or influence raises or promotions or to make substantive changes to the workplace) they will have a very hard time garnering respect no matter how they try. God bless you for trying.

@@user-kq1nk2zu1q Sounds like we want the same thing👍🙏

Thank you for letting me know. I'm so pleased you found it helpful.

Thanks for letting me know. Good luck with the coaching.

Welcome aboard!

I’m so glad you found it useful. Re the practice…it’s where the magic happens 😊 Reach out if you have any questions. Good luck with the coaching.