Juliet Summers on LinkedIn: #holidayreads #workingmums (2024)

Had a fabulous day down on the coast yesterday with a remarkable group of managers exploring performance development and creating the right climate for teams to thrive.The sun did not come out but the energy and conversations in the room from the SmartestEnergy crew made it.Thanks to the Smartest team and loving working with you! Module 6 of their 360 Degree Manager Programme from Think Inspire and Create Limited delivered and looking forward to next month’s.. #greatleaders #leadershipdevelopment

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What a great way to start the day - at the beach! Soaking up the sea air ready for working with a fab bunch of leaders on all things performance development. Just love being by the sea, it’s charged my tank right up so sure to be a fab day…Oh and here’s one of mine and Kate Hughes favourite quotes on this topic for you to ponder today…“The culture of any organisation is shaped by the worst behaviour the leader is willing to tolerate.” Steve Gruenert & Todd Whitaker #leadershipfevelopment #powerofpeople

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It’s hard to predict or plan the time for a starting a family or when a promotion will come along and when you want both, it can be a tricky path to walk. You may not be in total control of when things happen and you may get thrown a curveball! Lots of 'what ifs' go round in your head – what if I go for promotion then get pregnant? What if I don’t go for it and it takes longer? What if I go for it and I can’t cope with everything? What if I don’t and my colleague gets it? What if they don’t think I want progression if I pass this up or because I’ve got kids?It can feel hard to talk about navigating having a family and our career aspirations, especially when starting one as it’s not normally something we want to broadcast at this stage. Talking and thinking it through with an independent coach can really help.If you have a flexible career plan then at least you’re on your plan and you can rework it if things happen sooner or later, instead of regretting things.You never know what ‘mum’ you’re going to be and how you’ll feel about your career after your first child….or second… Being able to refresh your plan as things unfold is key to feeling you are in control and have more choice.#careermums #femaleleaders #workingmums

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This might ruffle some feathers, but if you’re sat there thinking working harder will get you noticed for promotion, especially if your female - think again. Hope is not a strategy, those who have a strategy get promoted faster.#femaleleaders #careermums #promotion

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If you’re juggling the motherload and your career, especially in HR or as a leader where you’re probably looking out for others and putting yourself last, this may be time to put the hand brake on and rethink what you're doing?If you're feeling drowned by all the work expectations and demands on your time and energy alongside homelife then you're not alone and there's a worrying trend still on women experiencing stress, burnout or leaving roles because of the motherload of demands on them. Here’s some of the things that stand out for me:👉 A mix of taking on the bulk of unpaid caregiving responsibilities, extra work over and above roles and women promoted to managers at far lower rates than men can increase the likelihood of women experiencing burnout.👉 Unpaid domestic working hours for women are four times more than for men.👉 25% of women have or are planning to quit their current jobs because of burnout and 18% of women have resigned due to feeling unfulfilled at work.👉 In 2020 alone, a quarter of females in senior leadership positions said they were ready to downshift their careers or leave the workforce. Today, the number of women looking to offload major roles or quit has increased to one in every three senior-level women.The worst thing is, when you're in it, it feels impossible to get yourself out of it or know where to start so many of us just plough on. We need to support each other by spotting the signs early and help managers and companies do the right things to stop so many talented women having to struggle, give up on progression, end up experiencing stress or burnout or leaving the workforce altogether.#careermums #motherload #femaleleaders

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Are you’re prone to thoughts like:😞 Is this it? 😞 I don’t know if I want to do this for another 10, 20 years?😞 How did I get here?🤔 What else would I do anyway?After having kids you’re just not feeling it anymore or you find yourself jealous of people speaking with passion about what they do when you don't feel that way anymore? If so, it may be time to pick up ‘The Happiness Advantage’ by Shawn Achor’ and see what you make of it…I loved reading this book (on Audible whilst running and juggling life!) as it throws up in the air the belief many of us buy into that the more successful you are, the happier you are.I know and have worked with people who have been really successful yet unhappy in their work which impacts their life too.He brings an evidence-based approach from positive psychology and gets you really thinking about how happiness breeds success! Go with it as he shares his story and how the theory and research unfolds and there’s some gems to take away. It ties back to something I believe - companies and leaders focussing on their team’s happiness will amplify success, innovation and performance.On a personal note, it helps you rethink what makes you happy and where you want to take that to be successful on your terms.Enjoy and let me know what you think?#dowhatyoulove #worklifebalance #careermums

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If your struggling with trying to be everything to everyone, juggling the motherload and don’t know where to start in getting the career and life you really want, I can support you to sort out the spaghetti in your head and get on to a more fulfilling place. You’re not alone in navigating the many phases and stages women go through when wanting a career too…#careermums #femaleleaders #femaletalent

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What's the quality of your conversations like?Being a human, we all have biases, mixing these with conversations and decisions we take brings judgement. Sometimes this judgement shuts things down, causes friction, misunderstandings, assumptions or lost opportunities.Having been inspired by the recent WUN - Womens Utilities Network survey reveal, this has been on my mind. We may not be aware of the lightning fast judgements that go off in our heads automatically but we can choose to become more aware and take action if needed.When you consciously separate these thoughts in your head, you create space to see people as they really and individually are.Taking a pause, being curious or questioning our thoughts, assumptions or judgements about others or there behaviour is key to better conversations. Focussing on mindful decision making makes a difference too. As a leader, a coaching approach helps me and I love this short article taking a coaching skillset to uplift the quality of your conversations and relationships.Showing people unconditional positive regard and the intention to support, develop and not judge creates a positive environment for teams and people to thrive. Whether you're a leader or not, have a read over the 9 top tips, try a few out in your conversations this week and let me know how you get on?#greatleadership #positiveconversationshttps://lnkd.in/e7AgEXC6

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Your not alone if having kids has left you feeling out of sorts with your work and career.One of my coaching clients had a successful career in professional services and had built a great reputation. After having her second child, she felt something had shifted in her and she dreaded going back. She felt everyone expected her to go back and carry on and she didn’t want to let them down. She felt sick at the thought of going back into the office and didn’t know where to start in doing something different. She was afraid people would think she was being silly or having a wobble and didn’t know how to tell them what was going on. That was a few years ago and she’s now working her second career in a job she loves that fits around the kids. It's not just after having kids that people fall out of love with what they’re doing and don’t know how to sort out the career spaghetti in their heads! Working with a professional coach really helps and get's you on to what you really want to do sooner.#careercoaching #workingmums #femaleleaders

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