Having been born in the UK to Iraqi parents, racism is something I have had to deal with throughout my life along with countless others. When I was in a primary school in West Drayton I remember someone threatening to beat the brown off me – fortunately, I had a good friend in secondary school who protected me by inviting …
One of the most important things you can do to be a great leader and manager is to be intentional
Growing up or as parents did you ever meet the “why kid”? The kid that always responds to someone’s answer with a “why?”. It can drive people to madness. I was, and still am that “why kid” and it is still causing me trouble today! However, the reason I am always asking why is that I am obsessed with being …
Atlassian shows us that trust isn’t just a social virtue, it’s a hard economic driver
We hear a lot about trust-based cultures these days and I believe many feel that trust is a social virtue that is nice to have in an organisation because it makes people feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That is definitely not the case. Trust plays a significant role in how employees feel, how they perform and how a company …
The power of self-awareness
Recently I have made the decision to walk away from a role that I asked for. Getting the role and using it as a platform to learn and develop myself was something that I had established as a goal – I wanted it and I jumped in with both feet. It wasn’t an easy role either, I had to step …
A Leader’s Reflection Log – Entry 12
Intro – what is this and why? I strongly believe that to improve as a leader or at anything in this life you need to reflect on yourself. You need to be willing to dig up those failures and put them up on a wall to analyse what you did wrong, why you did it and what you could do …
The power of asking for help
Why do we struggle so much to ask for help or even accept help when offered? Is it pride? Is there a place in our minds where we think they don’t really mean it – it’s just a formality right? If I ask for help does that make me look weak? Does it make me look stupid? Will people think …
Top tips for dealing with a toxic team member
The majority of us have been there. We end up working with “that” person who just doesn’t want to do their job. They seem to not care that they aren’t doing it well and have no real desire to sort themselves out. In fact, it gets much worse. They end up draining the life and motivation of all those around …
A Leader’s Reflection Log – Entry 11
Intro – what is this and why? I strongly believe that to improve as a leader or at anything in this life you need to reflect on yourself. You need to be willing to dig up those failures and put them up on a wall to analyse what you did wrong, why you did it and what you could do …
Top tips for public speaking and pushing past your comfort zone
In life whether you are a leader or not you will probably need to speak publicly at some point. Public speaking is not an easy skill to master. There are so many angles to tackle but it is possible to improve. You can become better, you can even become a great speaker. It starts with fighting fear, stepping out of …
What does it mean to lead like a girl? #LikeAGirl #LeadLikeAGirl
I was recently inspired by the #LikeAGirl campaign by Always. If you haven’t seen it – check it out below: The campaign asks a bunch of older people what it means to do certain activities like a girl. What does it look like to run like a girl, fight like a girl, throw like a girl etc? People responded in …