Michelle Lewis - The Leadership Lounge

Send us Fan MailSomeone on your team is having a really tough time, they haven’t said anything, but you’re their manager and you can see that something is going on. They’re really distracted, seem a lot less engaged and you can also see that their work is slipping and now the team are starting to notice too.You want to get this right, but worry about being intrusive, or conversely, coming across as cold. You also worry about the rest of the team who are picking up slack, the late deliverables and what you should do and the whole thing feels so stressful.So what's the best way to handle this? Have a read or listen to this week’s episode to find out more Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailWhether you manage a team, lead other managers, or you're the one sitting in the 1-2-1 wondering when it'll end, then this post is for you.You know how 1-2-1s roll, you’ve got the recurring slot in the diary for thirty minutes, maybe even an hour, once a month where you sit down, run through what’s going on, talk about workload, maybe mention a few things coming up and then you both go back to your desks. Job done.Except it isn’t, not really. Because 1-2-1s aren’t meant to be operational. They’re actually meant to be relational.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailThere’s something about a long weekend that lays bare the secrets about how we really lead. How we behave in the small, almost unnoticeable choices we make when work pauses and I can see that there are a few patterns that emerge when a long weekend rolls around.Most leaders tend to fall into 3 types.... Have a listen to this week's post to see if this resonates with you.#LeadershipBehaviours #WorkplaceCulture #LeadByExampleCalm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailSo it’s happened, you’ve got the promotion you were looking for or perhaps the company restructured and your role has changed and you’ve taken on a leadership position or moved to a different level of leadership, and somewhere in the blur of new responsibilities, different expectations, and unfamiliar territory, things feel very different. The ‘who you are at work’ has changed and the style and strategies you may have always relied on, might now feel clunky and you start to doubt yourself, wonder if you’re really ready for this role. Here's a 3 stage framework to help you navigate this shift.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailImagine the scene.A member of your team put themselves forward for an internal role. And now you know the answer is no.How you handle the next few hours, and the next few weeks, will say something significant about who you are as a leader. When you show up for someone’s disappointment with honesty and care, you’re not just managing a situation. You’re making a statement about what kind of team this is and about what kind of leader you are. Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailDo you find yourself working long hours, even when no one has explicitly asked you to? Struggling to find time for yourself? Feeling like a lot is expected of you… because it usually is?If so, you’re not alone. Life is busy. Work is busy. And for many capable, conscientious people, it’s frighteningly easy to slip into a rhythm where work slowly expands to fill every available space. The never-ending to-do list. Meetings that could (and should) have been an email. Work emergencies. Family emergencies. Other people’s priorities quietly becoming your own.Managing boundaries at work is challenging, but it’s also essential if we want any kind of work/life harmony and if we want our work to remain meaningful rather than all-consuming.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan Mail'Am I doing what I'm really meant to do? Most of us have asked ourselves this question at some point in our career and it's a question that comes up frequently in coaching sessions with clients, who feel like something isn’t quite right. Their career isn’t delivering the life, the feeling, the meaning they had hoped for, so let's look at a framework that can help.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailBeing told “you’re not strategic enough” can feel like feedback without substance.You might be working hard.Delivering results.Keeping things moving.So when you’re given this feedback, it can feel like:“Well, what exactly do you want me to do differently?”This kind of feedback statement, is really lazy if it comes with no direction on what ‘good’ looks like, but if we don’t have a clear picture of ‘good’ how do we know how to fix it?Here's how.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailEvery January, I try to do one thing that nudges me gently out of my comfort zone. It’s not a “new year, new me” reset. More often, it’s the thing I’ve been thinking about for a while, the idea that keeps resurfacing, the step I’ve been quietly circling, the change that feels uncomfortable but persistent.What I am re-learning is that the starting something new isn't the hard part, the sticking with it even when it feels hard is. Because it affects how we see ourselves when we suddenly become a beginner again. But, no surprise, it's consistency rather than bravery that is keyCalm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailIn many organisations, there are people frantically trying to get everything finished before the festive break, burning themselves out for the price of a (very temporarily) empty inbox, so we end up collapsing into the break, exhausted.So, how do you close down the year without burning yourself out and restart the new year, without resentment?Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailThere is a silent crisis sitting at the heart of many organisations, where mid-level leaders are crumbling under the pressure of trying to be all things to all people.For years, the middle layers of leadership have been framed as the dependable anchor of our organisations, the ones who “know how things really work,” they’re often the experienced steady hands who keep the wheels turning.Their competence acts as a kind of camouflage, and that’s precisely the problem, as we're not looking so hard for the warning signs that they need help.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailThere’s a quiet crisis in leadership development.Across every sector, bright, capable people are being promoted into their first management roles and then left to figure it out alone.They go from being high­-performers in their field to leading others overnight. Often with no roadmap, no safety net and no real support beyond a quick “Congratulations, you’ll be great!”And that’s a problem.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailWhy we should be worried when women over 50 feel invisible and the power they bring to your organisation when they don’t.Somewhere between mid-career and senior leadership, too many brilliant women quietly start to disappear. Not because they’ve lost their spark, but because the workplace has stopped seeing them. And yet, in many organisations these women are often the very people holding the ship together.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailWhen we talk about great leadership, we often focus on vision, strategy, performance, or results. But what really sustains an organisation and enables people to truly thrive is community.So how do you create that? Here are some practical techniques for you to tryCalm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailHow do you balance loyalty to your organisation with not getting everything dumped at your door? When does loyalty become self sacrifice and ultimately burn-out?Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailRemember that feeling as a kid in early September? New shoes still squeaky. A new pristine pencil case and a new, very busy timetable.There’s something about the start of a new school year that always held a whisper of promise. And I’m thinking that, that energy doesn’t have to disappear just because you’re no longer clutching a lunchbag or covering your textbooks in wrapping paper.For many of us, coming back to work after a break offers a similar reset. The out-of-office is off. Your calendar might still be chaotic. But… for me, there’s a bit of a shift. A spark of “OK, what now?”Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailLeading a team where members don’t get along can feel like navigating a minefield. The tension can be palpable, and the impact on team dynamics is undeniable. However, as a leader, your role is not only to maintain productivity but also to foster a positive, collaborative environment where every individual feels valued.So how do you turn conflict into collaboration? Here's some practical techniques that workCalm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailYou’ve booked the trip, it’s in your calendar and now the date is approaching. You’ve got your out-of-office ready to go and you’re daydreaming about sandy beaches or slow mornings with coffee that isn’t in a travel mug.But then the panic sets in.You’ve got two weeks until you go, and suddenly it feels like you need to do four weeks’ worth of work before you even think about packing your suitcase.And let’s not even talk about what’s waiting for you when you get back.How do we manage this to make sure we don't get completely overwhelmed? Here are some practical tips that work.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailWhen you picture a leader, what do you see?For many, it’s the bold speaker, the commanding presence, the quick decision-maker in the room. But what if we’ve been looking in the wrong direction? Or at least, only in one direction?Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailThere comes a point in almost every career where you start mentally drafting your resignation letter during a Monday morning meeting. You’re tired. Frustrated. Bored. Maybe even burnt out. You’ve started scanning job sites on your lunch break or brushing up your CV between Teams calls. You’re ready to move on but the reality is, you’re still here. So how do you keep going when you're mentally halfway out of the door?Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailWe live in a world that’s constantly looking forward. The next goal, the next challenge, the next mountain to climb. It’s all about the journey ahead and often, we get so wrapped up in the hustle that we forget to pause and recognise how far we’ve come.Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailYou’ve spotted a smarter way to work, a fix for a long-standing issue, or an idea that could unlock new value. But when you bring it to the table, you meet resistance. How are you going to move things forward? Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.

Send us Fan MailWhat is confidence really and how do we grow it on our own terms?Calm, intentional career advice that works.Thanks for listening, if there is anything else careers related that you would like me to delve into then feel free to drop me a message.