As the calendar turns its pages, we find ourselves at the threshold of a new year again — a fresh chapter waiting to be written! It's the perfect time to reflect on the past, celebrate our victories, and learn from our challenges, before we set ourselves exciting goals and realistic commitments for the year to come, so we are inspired to take action on them.

The shell also symbolises unity and shared experiences; while each groove on the shell represents a different path, they all converge at a common centre, emphasising the interconnectedness of our journeys.

This is why it is incorporated into the Bright Lead Logo, and why we like to use it in our Christmas cards and message when we express our thanks to those we have worked with over the year.

Mary Ann Sieghart’s insights and leadership lessons she’s provided in her ground-breaking book 'The Authority Gap' are worth considering to empower and inspire us. Her book addresses the pervasive issue of gender inequality, shedding light on the challenges women face in gaining authority and respect and I’m looking forward to hearing her speak this weekend about what we can do to challenge this. In considering her ideas and sharing them, I hope we can create more inclusive and effective leadership, and inspire future generations of leaders.

A tribute to Service, Duty, and the Lessons of Teamwork, and how we can apply these lessons to our professional lives…

Preparation is key. Knowing what we might face, and planning for that, will set us in good stead.

We can keep going for a while without much energy, but it isn’t sustainable. Let’s keep the tank filled up so we have the energy to draw on as we need it.

I remember a fantastic lecture with Dave Cornthwaite of the ‘Say Yes More’ project explaining to our students the abundance of opportunities he’d had just from saying ‘yes’. Some of my most interesting opportunities have come from random conversations I’ve had with people, which is why, whenever someone asks for a conversation with me, I never turn them down.

Everyone needs a coach, and everyone needs a mentor – or indeed several mentors at different stages and with different outlooks to challenge and support our thinking and development in different ways. I’m often asked to coach or mentor senior leaders, and the two things are very different…

Tackling Challenging Conversations with Successful Communication, Continuing our look at the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team…

Learning new things helps us to get comfortable with the discomfort of change, and to see change as an opportunity for growth.

Combatting ‘imposter syndrome’ using Positive Intelligence.

A look at new beginnings, and the role of trust in a strong, productive team.

This results day, remember that opportunities are all around!

Find out what Bright Lead has been up to, and what we are looking forward to.

Learning to give and receive feedback positively, viewing it as a gift.

We let our busy lives and the needs of others get in our way, and put things off if we think they aren’t important enough (like screening). But as I’ve said before, if we aren’t at our best, we can’t provide our best, so let’s put our health first, go get that screening, make a cup of tea or coffee and take the time to read these links. It could save our lives!

There can be no doubt that education is the key to societal change and development, and it is not only crucial that young people get the best possible educational foundation, but that as adults we continue to be curious and have a desire to learn throughout our lives, and well past the end of our formal education.

This Martin Luther King Day, I’m thinking of courage, faith, and always moving forward…

Maybe not a new you, but the best you that you can be? Think about what you are like when you are at your best, and how you achieve that.