Fill up your gowpen with reflections on what it means to be an ethical workplace, manager and colleague.
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Reflections
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You’ve got a friend
I may be a bit late for valentine’s day, but it inspired me to think about how relationships are a central element to feeling good and functioning well at work – the core definition…
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Drawing your Circle of Control
So far for 2026, my resolution not to doom scroll has not been going too well. If, like me, you have trouble keeping things in balance, I recommend taking some time out to take…
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Glimmers of gratitude
It can feel darkest before the dawn. This rhythm in nature mirrors how it feels in organisations right now. Gratitude doesn’t make problems and threats disappear. But practicing gratitude helps us to nurture work…
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Listening is the loudest form of kindness
This World Kindness Day I was invited to talk at Kindness Unites about how listening is critical to kindness, and how poetry can help us develop our empathy. It is only through empathy that…
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This is water
We all think we’re ethical, just as we all think we have a good sense of humour. But I can’t stand Ricky Gervais, yet Greg Davies makes me laugh until I hyper-ventilate. Just like…
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You cannot pour from an empty cup
It is vital for workers and patients, that the wellbeing of Freedom to Speak Up guardians is safeguarded in these challenging times. That’s why I have developed a wellbeing workbook with Freedom to Speak…
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You will never work again
Will the regulation of managers deter whistleblower suppression? To borrow a metaphor from the NHS 10 Year Plan – we want to move from treatment (disbarring managers) to the prevention of detriment in the…
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Wellbeing beyond the fruitbowl
Psychological safety doesn’t flourish in a vacuum. Feeling heard is what connects psychological safety and wellbeing outcomes. Feeling safe able to voice ideas, to collaborate, to challenge is good for your health because it…
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Unsqueezing the middle
I’m not making excuses here for those people who really are awful managers – unkind, bullying, ineffectual – but wanting to start a conversation about what we are expecting managers to achieve, realistically. Perhaps…
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