People are often curious about what I actually do all day. The honest answer is that no two days look the same, but let me let you in on a fairly typical one. Come and sit in the passenger seat. Mind the dog hair.
Continue readingThe Best Interviewee Isn’t Always the Best Hire (an honest look at “competency based” interviews)
Here’s something worth knowing if you hire people.
Competency based interviews, the “tell me about a time when…” format that’s become the default in a lot of organisations, are well intentioned. They’re designed to bring structure and consistency to hiring decisions. And they do that reasonably well.
But they have a flaw that doesn’t get talked about enough.
They measure interview performance. Not job performance.
Here’s what I mean. 😊
Continue readingLow Risk. High Impact. The Business Case for Fractional HR.
Something I hear from founders quite a lot goes something like this:
“I know I need proper HR support. I’m just not quite at the stage where I can justify hiring someone yet.”
And I completely understand that instinct. Hiring feels like a big, permanent, expensive commitment. So I wanted to share a different way of looking at it, because I think the maths might surprise you. 😊
Continue readingGrowing Pains? Here’s what helps
There’s a moment every scaling business hits that nobody really warns you about.
The moment when goodwill stops being enough.
At the start everything works because everyone knows each other. The team is small. The founder is visible and present. Nobody needs a process because a quick conversation sorts everything out.
And then the business grows. Continue reading
Psychological Safety – What does it look like?
🔇 We talk a lot about psychological safety in the workplace.
But what does it actually mean in practice?
It’s not about being nice.
It’s not about avoiding difficult conversations.
It’s not about wrapping people in cotton wool. Continue reading
The Psychological Contract – What Does It Look Like In Practice?
A question I get asked so many time is whether a decision is in line with employment law.
But far fewer ask me the question that REALLY determines business success:
“How will this decision or action be perceived by the people affected by it?”
Most companies focus heavily on the legal paperwork. They want to make sure that; terms are carefully drafted. Policies are in place. Processes are documented. And quite rightly!
But this is only the starting point, because the truth is that the thing that most strongly impacts engagement, effort, performance and productivity isn’t written down and can’t be controlled by a policy or a process! Continue reading
So, what does great leadership look like?
People perform best in an environment where they are coached, encouraged, inspired and supported to reach their full potential, and when that happens, the company reaches its full potential.
Continue readingYour Hiring Process Starts As Soon As The Ad Goes Live
To every founder and hiring manager out there, can I share something with you?
A person’s opinion of your company as an employer starts forming the moment they decide to apply. Not when they walk through the door. Not when they get the offer. The moment they decide to apply.
Continue reading
ERA 2025 – The Disproportionate Impact on Small & Micro Businesses
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is coming, and the more I looked at it, the more one thing struck me: the businesses most exposed to it are the ones least likely to have anyone helping them through it.
Big companies have HR teams and legal budgets. But small businesses? The ones run by people wearing every hat, with no HR person to turn to? They’re carrying the same legal risks, the same tribunals, the same consequences, with none of the support.
And often without even realising how exposed they are.
That didn’t sit right with me. Continue reading
Your First HR Hire Is Not a Junior Job.
There’s a piece of advice doing the rounds that’s going to cost founders dearly, as it lacks understanding about what a build actually needs. The really worrying thing is that it’s from a source that’s supposedly credible and so has a real chance of being listened to and it certainly has the potential to steer founders who are already carrying a lot, in completely the wrong direction.
Continue reading