Supporting Employees in Transition

We don’t need to apologize for having children. After all, we didn’t make a mistake. We didn’t mess up a project. We brought life into this world - and that’s extraordinary. ❤️ Children are the future of our society. What I find much more questionable? Parents who don’t pick up their kids from kindergarten. Who never show up at football practice or piano lessons. That, too, says something. So instead of rushing out of a meeting with guilt in our voice to pick up our children or drive them to their hobbies, we should reshape the culture itself. Block pick-up times and kids' activities into your calendar like you would a board meeting - with clarity and zero apology. Label it not just “Personal,” but “CEO Duty: Future Generation” or “Leadership at Home.” Yes, it sounds bold. That’s the point. Even better: 💡 Bring it up in team stand-ups. Normalize it. 💡 Create a shared “Parent Hours” visibility board within your team, so others can align around it 💡 Rotate critical meeting times to avoid consistently disadvantaging caregivers. 💡 Don’t ask for permission. Model it so others stop feeling they need to either. Make your responsibilities visible, not hidden. There’s no shame in parenting. Only power in presence. Have you ever caught yourself apologizing for being a parent? I have. It took me a long time to rewire that guilt. But now I choose visibility. And so can you. #WorkingParents #Leadership #WorkLifeIntegration #NoMoreApologies #RewriteTheNarrative

“𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿” Football coach, Joshua Paul, discusses rejection with his players and the importance of reacting to it an proactive way. This is important due to the number of players who are deselected by professional football academies. Even though £1.5 million boys play organised football in England, Michael Calvin (2017), who wrote the book “No hunger in paradise,” found that only 180 will get signed by club that plays in The Premier League, which equates to a 0.012% success rate. Further, 97% of players in leading academies will never play a minute of football in the Premier League (Cunningham, 2022). Additionally, the Premier League (2012) revealed that 50% of all academy players have left the academy system by their 16th birthday. For these reasons, it’s important that coaches discuss de-selection and rejection with academy footballers, given that most will encounter it. Paul’s approach normalises and prepares players for rejection, and offers advice on how to react to it. He also uses examples of players who have experienced rejection, and still had a professional career. Taking this a step further, I also think it would be important to provide examples of players who were released by academies, but had successful careers in away from being a football player too. This will show young people that there are other opportunities, working in football as supporting staff (e.g., performance analyst, physiotherapist, S&C coach etc), and careers outside of sport. Crystal Palace Football Club led the way in offering support to players who are released for a period of three years and other clubs have now committed to that. We know that being released from an academy can be a very traumatic experience (see McGlinchey et al., 2022), so helping and preparing players to cope with this stress and move forward is important for their mental health and well-being. Many years ago I was involved in some research in which tested the effectiveness of coping effectiveness training among academy footballers at a premier league academy club. The interview data revealed that the players used the coping strategies we taught them in other aspects of their life. Training programmes such as these m could be used to help players manage the stress of de-selection. (🎥: fit_4_football)

Jessica just got promoted. She’s no longer our contact. We lost a $120K account because of that one promotion. It still hurts and it’s the reason we now measure something I call the 'Champion Dependency Score.' Jessica was our champion on a $120K account. She knew our platform inside out, trained her team, fought for us at renewal. For 18 months, every conversation went through her. She fixed every problem and handled every renewal question. Her replacement? Had never even heard of us. Then came the email that made it worse: “Hi Kelly, I’m taking over for Jessica. Can you send me some information about what you do for us? Also, we’re reviewing all our software spend this quarter.” That’s when it hit me: we didn’t have a customer relationship. We had a Jessica relationship. The panic audit I did that night: Single Point of Failure Analysis for Jessica's account: - Who introduced us to the company? (Jessica: Yes) - Who runs internal training? (Jessica: Yes) - Who handles our invoices/renewals? (Jessica: Yes) - Who do we text when there's an issue? (Jessica: Yes) - Who attends our quarterly business reviews? (Jessica: Yes) Score: 5/5 = 100% dependency. We were in trouble. I checked the rest of our portfolio. Out of our top 20 accounts, 14 had scores over 70%. That’s $1.8M ARR hanging by a single person in each account. Three months later, Jessica’s replacement churned us. Despite our best efforts, they went with a “simpler” solution. Translation: no one left inside could explain why we mattered. That loss forced us to create the Champion Dependency Score: - 0–20% → We can survive a departure - 21–50% → Some risk, manageable - 51–80% → High risk — widen relationships now - 81–100% → Crisis mode — one change away from churn What we do differently now: - Every meeting: 2+ customer attendees - Map contacts in IT, Finance, End Users, Leadership - QBRs include the champion’s boss - Track “relationship breadth” as part of our health score The hardest lesson: The stronger your champion feels, the more dangerous it is. Jessica loved us so much she kept it all on her plate and when she left, so did our value. Now I ask my CSMs: If your main contact vanished tomorrow, who else would fight to keep us? If the answer is “no one,” you’re not managing a customer. You’re managing a single point of failure. Who’s lived through their own “Jessica moment”?

📣 Working in sustainability has to BE. MORE. SUSTAINABLE! According to a recent survey by Oxford Brookes University’s Business School and Climate Change Coaches, more than 60% of sustainability professionals experienced burnout as a result of their work within the last year. It’s no wonder—sustainability teams are faced with: • Long hours • Tight deadlines • Climate anxiety • Limited capacity • Juggling priorities • Increasing regulations • Poor governance structures and more. And when burnout sets in, making a real impact becomes almost impossible. So, what can be done? The report lists several recommendations for businesses, including: 1/ Defining competency standards, skills and/or frameworks integrating both technical and soft skills 2/ Investing in soft skills training, for now and for the future, as part of a broader green transition plan 3/ Creating a formal mandate for climate leadership 4/ Providing outlets for practitioners to better manage their workload 5/ Empowering sustainability teams to communicate their vision to other departments 6/ Embedding ‘green transition coaching’ into employee development plans 7/ Recognising that practitioners working in a highly emotionally charged field require more support in their work, including specialised 1:1 support 8/ Improving workplace wellbeing with eco-anxiety provisions What are you doing to combat burnout in your team? _____ ➕ Follow Abbie Morris for posts about sustainability, policy, and startups. 📧 Drop me a DM if you want to learn more about tackling the mountain of sustainability regulation facing the retail industry.

I had been with my previous employer for a long time, so I knew a layoff might eventually happen. I thought, “All I need is a solid, updated resume, and I’ll be good to go.” Oh, how naïve I was! 😊 Looking back, there are a few things I wish I had prepared earlier to make the transition smoother. Here are my takeaways: • LinkedIn Set up your profile. LinkedIn has great guides to help you, but it takes time and effort to make it truly shine. Grow your network. Start now! Connect with current colleagues, former co-workers, friends, and family. Your network is more powerful than you realize. • Learn how to use AI tools: AI is a game-changer. Whether it’s tailoring resumes, brainstorming interview responses, or negotiating offers, it’s an incredible resource I didn’t even know existed! • Resume: Yes, you need an excellent, updated resume—but here’s the catch: you’ll need to tailor it for every single job application. It’s worth the effort! • References: Start gathering references now. It’s so much easier to ask while you’re still in a role than after you've left. • Document your achievements: You’d be amazed at how hard it is to recall accomplishments when you’re under pressure. Keep track of them now! Old performance reviews can be a goldmine for this. • Prepare for stress: Being unemployed is stressful, even with a good severance package. The job search process can be disheartening—rejections, ghosting, and no responses can make you doubt yourself. Build a support system now, whether it’s friends, family, or a community. For me, daily journaling has been a lifesaver. Despite the challenges, I’m staying positive and focused on finding the right opportunity—one where I’m the perfect fit for the company, and the company is the perfect fit for me. I know it’s out there; we just haven’t found each other yet!

Change is inevitable. Success depends on how you transition ⬇️ Change is hard, but transitions are harder. Most change management efforts fail because we focus on the external change and forget the emotional and psychological journey people go through. That’s where the Bridges Transition Model makes all the difference. Let's cover what is and then 6 specific actions to make it happen. The 3 Stages of Transition 1. Ending, Losing, and Letting Go ✅ People confront loss and may feel fear, anger, or sadness. ✅ The key challenge: Accepting that something must end for change to happen. 2. The Neutral Zone ✅ A confusing time of uncertainty, but also a period of creativity and innovation. ✅ The key challenge: Helping people navigate uncertainty while experimenting with new ideas. 3. The New Beginning ✅ Individuals embrace change, integrating it into their lives with renewed purpose. ✅ The key challenge: Embedding the new behaviours into everyday routines. The 6 Actions to Lead Successful Transitions ✅ Acknowledge the Ending ↳ Communicate openly about what is ending and why. ↳ Allow people to process the loss and move forward. ✅ Clarify What’s Changing ↳ Clearly explain what’s changing and what will stay the same. ✅ Provide Support in the Neutral Zone ↳ Offer training and encourage experimentation during uncertain times. ✅ Encourage Small Wins ↳ Set small goals to build confidence and momentum. ✅ Involve People in the New Beginning ↳ Engage employees in decision-making to give them a sense of ownership. ✅ Reinforce the New Identity ↳ Embed new behaviours and celebrate those embracing change. 🧠 Remember: Change happens externally, but transitions happen internally. Mastering the emotional journey is the key to leading successful transformations. What’s your go-to strategy for leading through change? Share your thoughts in the comments below ⬇️ ------------------------ For more valuable content follow me, Sean McPheat, and then hit the 🔔 button to stay updated on my future posts. ♻️ Repost to help others manage change more effectively. 📄 Download a high-res PDF of this & 250 other infographics at: https://lnkd.in/eWPjAjV7

We made a deliberate choice on the Fortune stage: stop the AI blah blah .. have the real talk about people. AI transformation is fundamentally a people and process challenge. The tooling is the easy part. Leading well through it with genuine care for whether people succeed on the other side .. that's the hard part. Companies that invest in growing people alongside AI will outperform. Full stop. Here's what I do as a CEO: 1. Focus on skills, not severance. Investing in AI skills builds trust, reduces anxiety, and signals to your people that the future includes them. That's not altruism, it's strategy. 2. Tokens aren't a proxy for performance. Encourage AI for the right reasons. Look for what's working, stop what isn't, and always seek to understand why. The real learnings are in the why. 3. Judgment is not to be outsourced. AI gives you better data, broader visibility, more workforce intelligence. But not wisdom. The calls that matter most remain ours to make. Now we can make them as better-informed humans. Own your decisions. And on a personal note: Don't lose sight of how it feels to touch grass right now. Have real conversations. Don't be afraid of one that doesn't revolve around AI. Thank you Francine Katsoudas, Kristin Stoller, and Fortune COO Summit for the opportunity to have a great human conversation. https://lnkd.in/eeTPBDhS

Hey Scrum Masters, Stop Facilitating Every Scrum Event I've noticed that Scrum Masters often misunderstand their responsibilities when it comes to Scrum events. The Scrum Guide says the SM is responsible for "ensuring that all Scrum events take place and are positive, productive, and kept within the timebox," but it doesn’t say they must schedule or facilitate every meeting. With your kind permission, I'd like to suggest a better approach: The SM should foster an environment where the team manages its own events. This shift will help the team develop autonomy and self-management - which are key Scrum principles. The SM is accountable for the Scrum Team’s effectiveness by enabling them to improve their practices within the framework. SM facilitation may sometimes be preferred or appropriate, but it doesn’t have to be the default. Teams should manage their own events, with the SM acting as a coach and supporter. Facilitating every event can lead to problems. First off, it creates a dependency on the SM that undermines the team’s ability to self-manage. The PO and devs may feel they can’t run events themselves, which stifles their growth and confidence. This can lead to disengagement. If team members see the SM as the "owner" of the events, they may view them as someone else’s responsibility, which reduces active participation and accountability. If the SM is late or absent, then what? If SMs are constantly facilitating, they may neglect other important aspects of their role, like coaching, addressing impediments, and fostering continuous improvement. Instead, SMs should guide teams toward independence. Coaching the team on the purpose of each event helps them understand the "why" and discover the format that works best in their context. This is the foundation for ownership. Observing the team as they facilitate their events is another way to support growth. By stepping back, the SM can assess performance and provide constructive feedback without interfering. Facilitation should be reserved for situations where the team genuinely needs help. New teams may require more support as they learn the basics. A team dealing with conflict or struggling to collaborate may benefit from the SM's neutral facilitation to restore focus. Encouraging the team to share facilitation responsibilities promotes self-management. Rotating facilitators for planning, scrums, or retros helps team members build confidence and creates shared accountability. Over time, this fosters a culture where the team takes collective ownership of their own processes. The SM is accountable to serve the team, not to lead every discussion. By supporting the team in taking charge of their own events, SMs may better fulfill their ultimate goal: helping the team grow into a self-managing and highly effective unit. Letting go of facilitation doesn’t mean neglecting core responsibilities; it means trusting the team to rise to the challenge, providing guidance, and celebrating progress.

Most managers set new hires up to fail. Here’s how to do it right: 1/ Stop rushing onboarding → Training isn’t a one-day event. → Invest time upfront for long-term success. → Rushed onboarding = costly mistakes. 2/ Set clear expectations → Define success from day one. → Give them a roadmap, not just a title. → Clarity builds confidence. 3/ Assign a mentor → Pair them with an experienced guide. → Learning happens faster with support. → Avoid the “sink or swim” approach. 4/ Provide hands-on training → Theory isn’t enough—let them apply. → Real experience beats passive learning. → Small wins build momentum. 5/ Give regular feedback → Don’t wait for the 90-day review. → Course correction beats fixing failures. → Growth happens through real-time input. 6/ Remove unnecessary pressure → Expect progress, not perfection. → New hires need space to ramp up. → Support leads to retention. 7/ Measure success beyond speed → Fast isn’t always better. → Prioritize accuracy, adaptability, and engagement. → A strong foundation beats quick results. You can’t expect 100% productivity from 1% training. Great employees are built, not found. Tango makes onboarding seamless by capturing step-by-step processes, so new hires learn faster with less hand-holding. How does your company set new hires up for success? ♻️ Repost and follow Justin Bateh, PhD for more.

As the mandatory retirement age approaches at larger consulting firms, many experienced Partners find themselves facing career transitions around 55-60 years old. Yet, these individuals often have an invaluable wealth of expertise, connections, and energy that they’re eager to continue applying. Smaller and boutique consulting firms are increasingly capitalizing on this, welcoming these seasoned professionals with open arms. Compared to newly appointed Partners, these individuals bring a unique blend of client relationships, executive management experience, and a finely honed ability to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics. For growing firms, it's a rare opportunity to embed expertise that can drive immediate business impact, enhance their service offerings, and add a level of credibility that often takes years to establish. This arrangement offers mutual benefits: smaller firms gain a powerful boost in leadership and market presence, while seasoned Partners—often feeling they’re retired far too early—find a new environment where they can continue to excel and make a meaningful impact. In today’s competitive landscape, there’s undeniable value in leveraging the experience, client networks, and strategic insight these Partners bring, demonstrating that age and experience can indeed drive agility and growth. This trend is only growing, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the more traditional firms start rethinking their approach—whether by offering incentives to retain their senior leadership longer or by exploring policies that limit late-stage moves to competitors. It’s a shifting dynamic that’s reshaping talent strategies across the industry.