I’m excited to share a simple yet powerful tool that can help boost confidence, self-awareness, and productivity in the workplace: the brag book.
And yes, while the name might sound a tad cringey, this isn’t about showing off – it’s about recognising achievements, celebrating wins and empowering individuals to keep moving forward.
So, let’s dive into what brag books are, why they’re useful and how you can support your colleagues in creating and maintaining their own.
Workplace Confidence Podcast – Building people-centric businesses at P3 People Management with Charlotte Dean.
In this episode, Penny Haslam talks with Charlotte Dean, founder of P3 People Management, about her journey from the corporate world to supporting small and medium-sized businesses with their people strategies. Charlotte shares how she started P3 with a passion for working with companies that truly value their people and how her approach has evolved to focus on those who see their employees as more than just resources but as integral to their brand and success.
Charlotte discusses the importance of understanding a company’s culture and values and how she helps organisations become more people-centric by asking the right questions and encouraging curiosity. She emphasises the need for businesses to invest in self-awareness and personal development, not just for leaders but for all team members, to foster a workplace environment where everyone can thrive.
Do your people think, reflect and succeed? The power of reflective practice.
I’d like to introduce you to another free and straightforward idea that will supercharge professional life for you and your colleagues.
It’s called ‘reflective practice’ – also known as journaling or, in super simple terms, writing down your thoughts and writing down what you think about your thoughts.
It can have a surprisingly powerful impact.
The practice is commonly used by healthcare, education and social work professionals, but trust me, its’ benefits can transform any workplace.
What do meetings look like in your organisation? Is it just a few people speaking while most stay silent? Do people interrupt, talk over each other, pinch ideas, or mansplain?
Perhaps the culture is that the leaders or the most experienced have all the best ideas, and it’s everyone else’s job just to shut up and listen.
Create a thinking environment in your meetings
I’ve got some great tips and advice about listening for you to share with your colleagues. It’s all about consistently putting listening into practice to create more sustainably successful and productive meetings, where:
You tap into genuine creativity and fantastic ideas by making listening a priority.
People feel heard and positive about themselves because they’ve made genuine contributions and solved problems together.
As a leader, you’re seen as more coach-like, empathetic, and approachable.
So, as ever in the Workplace Confidence newsletter, it’s about the HOW. How do you create a culture of meetings where listening is a priority? I suggest these three ground rules, which you should explain to everyone at the beginning of each meeting.
Could you just say a few words please?
Ever been asked that, or had to ask it of someone else?
It’s for that moment in an office, when there’s a ‘leaving do’ – a team member is retiring, going on maternity leave, moving on to another department or a new job somewhere else – and it’s someone senior’s job to mark the occasion with a small speech-ette.
But it can fall a bit flat, can’t it? We’ve all witnessed it. The departing person feels unappreciated, the team are embarrassed. And you’ve missed an opportunity to communicate culture and to show how valuable your people actually are.
So let’s get on top of these moments as leaders, make the most of the chance to be visible and ultimately make them more meaningful.
How to interrupt like a pro. This time, I’m sharing insights on a slightly less celebrated but incredibly useful skill – interrupting!
Far from being a breach of etiquette, having colleagues who know how to interrupt appropriately is essential.
Confidently interrupting (and accepting interruptions) without causing offence saves time and enhances collaboration and productivity.
The art of interrupting
Interrupting isn’t about cutting people off – it’s about steering a conversation constructively. Instead of the awkward ‘um’ or ‘excuse me,’ opt for confident and clear interjections.
A well-timed “Thank you for that insight, let’s hold on to that thought and move on,” can seamlessly shift the discussion without dampening the speaker’s spirit.
Introduction: What is a workplace mastermind group?
I want to share an idea with you that’s commonly associated with business owners. Actually, I think it’s something that should be more regularly used in the workplace. That is, mastermind groups at work so your people can solve their problems confidently and build wider networks across the organisation.
There are loads of reasons why they’re brilliant, and often their outcomes are phenomenal in a way that you’d never expect. I’ll go into those in a little more detail in a minute, but a mastermind group is sometimes also known as an action learning set or peer-to-peer mentoring.