It's Time for Change

It's Time for Change Let’s put the human factor back into business. Real change doesn’t come from rigid frameworks. It’s not about ‘fixing’ people.

Helping leaders lead people (not just projects) | Culture, performance, & leadership | Partnerships, strategy, & support | Chartered Psychologist | 🎙 Host of Beyond the Water Cooler It comes from conversations that make space for reflection, connection, and clarity - and from support that meets people where they’re at. I support leaders navigating the more human (& often messier) side of work - the stuff that affects how people feel, how they show up, and how well they perform. In a nutshell: People Strategy = Leadership, Culture, and Performance. Yes, I’m a psychologist, consultant, and coach, but mostly I’m the person organisations come to when something’s simply not working and they don't know what to do about it - whether it’s a team dynamic that’s off, a manager who's overwhelmed, a culture that doesn’t match what’s written on the wall - that’s when I get a call. And it’s certainly not about just ticking boxes. It’s about understanding what’s going on beneath the surface and creating the conditions people need to thrive - so your culture holds strong, even when the pressure’s on. There’s no one-size-fits-all-off-the-shelf-quick-fix. Whether I’m working with you through a retained partnership, facilitating team development, or coaching leaders through complex people challenges, it’s always:

- Bespoke
- Practical
- Psychology-backed
- Human-focused

Oh, and often - quite fun! Because when we get people right, we get business right. Fancy a chat about how we might work together?

📧 lisa@itstimeforchange.co.uk
🌍 www.itstimeforchange.co.uk
☕ https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/contact

🎙 Beyond the Water Cooler is where I chat with brilliant guests about leadership, culture, neurodiversity, burnout, and all the real stuff that affects how we work. Listen here: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/podcast

🖊 Or check out my blog for honest advice and topical takes on people strategy, performance, mental health, and more: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/blog

🌟 Client feedback? Head to Google or check out the testimonials on my site. They’ll tell you what it’s like to work with me - and why my clients tend to stick around. Off-duty you’ll find me hiking, travelling in our motorhome, wrangling children, and definitely enjoying a G&T (or 2).

23/12/2025

🎧 How do you respond to disagreements as a leader or manager?

Gareth Weir, Deputy Ambassador, British Embassy Seoul, shares the power of shadowing - taking time to study and learn with full attention, especially when friction rises.

Instead of moving away from disagreement, Gareth chose to get to know his counterpart at the Ministry of Finance better. He listened beyond what was said and sought to understand what was really behind the challenges.

By seeking to understand what drives someone’s thinking and behaviour, you can respond with greater empathy. This approach doesn’t just ease tension - it builds trust and helps create a collaborative, high performing culture.

Next time you sense friction, consider moving closer to the source, shadowing and listening more deeply.

Catch the full conversation here: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/captivate-podcast/lead-like-a-diplomat/

Most leaders think they know where the pressure points are in their organisation. In reality, the biggest people challen...
18/12/2025

Most leaders think they know where the pressure points are in their organisation. In reality, the biggest people challenges going into 2026 are the ones we’re not seeing - they're not dramatic or obvious.

They’re quiet, interconnected, and already shaping performance.

On the latest Beyond the Water Cooler, I highlight the five people challenges that simply can’t be ignored if we want to create a thriving, high-performing work culture. Emotional exhaustion, manager capability gaps, fragmented cultures, a more complex world, and the disconnect between leaders and employees - these are all deeply interconnected.

Personalisation and context matter more than ever. Small, intentional changes - clear feedback, skilful conversations, and safe spaces for honest dialogue - have the biggest impact.

Sustainable performance happens when we prioritise energy, clarity, connection, and self-awareness. It’s not about keeping up the pace at all costs, but about creating the right conditions for people to do their best work.

Curious to know where the ‘cracks’ might be in your team or organisation? Have a listen - I’d love to hear what resonates for you: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/captivate-podcast/the-5-unseen-people-challenges-leaders-must-face-in-2026

Something stood out to me again this week, and I haven’t been able to shake it.I was reflecting on a conversation I had ...
16/12/2025

Something stood out to me again this week, and I haven’t been able to shake it.

I was reflecting on a conversation I had with Gareth Weir, and it brought me back to something I see so often in leadership teams. The qualities that make the biggest difference today aren’t technical or tactical. They’re human. Curiosity. Connection. Courage. Simple words, but not simple to practise.

Curiosity is the one we tend to overlook. It’s easy to assume we already have the full picture. Yet when leaders slow down enough to ask “What might I be missing?”, it opens up thinking in a different way.

Gareth talked about shadowing colleagues to see work through their eyes, and I love that approach. It reminds me how much insight sits beneath the surface if we’re willing to look for it.

Connection takes that further. The moments that shape culture are often subtle - how people speak to one another, who feels able to challenge, and whether differences are genuinely welcomed. Hierarchy can unintentionally silence the voices we most need to hear. And when people don’t feel they can show uncertainty, organisations miss out on ideas they would have benefited from.

And then there’s courage. The kind that creates space for healthy disagreement and sitting with uncertainty rather than rushing to answers. Leaders who invite robust challenge tend to make clearer decisions, and they do it with more collective commitment.

It leaves me wondering how often we each pause to notice these things. Are we staying curious? Are we building real connection? Are we choosing courage when it matters?

I explore this more in my latest piece on modern leadership and the qualities that help people - and organisations - thrive. Let me know where it takes you: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/the-heart-of-modern-leadership/

11/12/2025

💡 As leaders and managers, seeking consensus often feels safer - but without inviting challenge, we risk missing out on innovation and true engagement.

My new 'Insight to Action: Lead Like a Diplomat’ free download turns essential ideas into simple, practical steps you can use right away. It’s all about encouraging healthy disagreement, modelling psychological safety, and building a culture where employees genuinely thrive.

Leadership is about more than keeping things smooth - it’s about intentionally stirring the pot to unlock high performance and fresh thinking.

Access the resource here: https://itstimeforchange.activehosted.com/f/35 and let’s build workplaces where everyone’s voice makes us stronger.

10/12/2025

Why is workplace conflict a good thing?

Because healthy conflict leads to innovation and high performance.

The key is reframing ‘conflict’ as constructive challenge: making it safe for people to put forward fresh perspectives and disagree respectfully. That’s where you unlock real progress and disrupt the status quo for the better.

Disagreement isn’t the problem; silence is.

What’s one way you build space for honest, productive challenge in your team?


09/12/2025

I had a conversation recently that brought it all back to basics.
What drives people in your organisation? Not just what you 'say' matters - but what’s 'felt' in everyday behaviours.

It started with this simple thought:
“We had to really understand the business we’re already in - what shapes people’s mindsets - and then evolve as things grow more complex, without losing what matters most.”

And that’s it, really.

As organisations scale, there’s a temptation to add more - processes, policies, systems. But culture doesn’t live in those layers. It lives in the experience people have when they come to work.

Do behaviours match values?
Is leadership consistent?
Does change support or confuse people?

These aren’t soft questions.
They’re strategic ones.

Because when culture fragments, so does trust, performance, and wellbeing.

That’s why I work with businesses to keep things aligned as they grow. To evolve intentionally. To make sure complexity doesn’t drown clarity.

Because when people know what to expect, they can bring their best.

And that’s good for everyone.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/captivate-podcast/building-cultures-where-people-belong-and-perform-megan-carter-blenheim-palace/

Watching from the sidelines isn’t enough. Gareth Weir, Deputy Ambassador at the British Embassy in Seoul, challenges lea...
04/12/2025

Watching from the sidelines isn’t enough. Gareth Weir, Deputy Ambassador at the British Embassy in Seoul, challenges leaders to embrace the messy reality of our interconnected world.

That requires curiosity. And that isn’t a soft skill - it’s a strategic tool for managers and teams. Gareth’s idea of ‘listening loudly’, and tuning in to what’s unsaid, shifts conversations from the superficial to the substantial. True leaders make space for assumptions to be challenged and diverse perspectives to be actively sought so that they inform workplace governance and are not left to chance.

Gareth also introduces the idea of maximum challenge + maximum loyalty for great decisions to be made. He shows how signalling intention, flexing your style, and being clear about when you’re directing vs co-creating are non-negotiables for anyone leading high-performing teams.

We unpack many practical ways to help people - and organisations - thrive as part of an ecosystem. If you care about building work cultures where people feel connected and engaged, don’t miss this episode.

🎧 Listen here: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/captivate-podcast/lead-like-a-diplomat or 📺 watch here: https://youtu.be/ZIXpGYEza0A

The gap between what we intend culture to be, and what people actually experience in the moments that matter, is still a...
02/12/2025

The gap between what we intend culture to be, and what people actually experience in the moments that matter, is still a problem.

Not for Blenheim Palace and Pye Homes though. I was chatting recently with Megan Carter, their People and Engagement Director, about just that.

We often focus on performance plans and targets, yet the real driver is how connected people feel to their team and their workplace. Belonging isn’t abstract. It shows up in engagement, commitment, and whether people choose to stay. Blenheim’s figures around retention reflect that clearly.

What I appreciated in the approach that Megan described is the way listening is treated as an ongoing conversation, not an annual exercise. Their “Top 100” survey is only the starting point. What follows is what truly shapes trust - the focus groups, the open discussions, and the willingness to act on what people share.

And it comes back to the everyday things leaders do. Knowing people’s names. Taking a moment to check in. Noticing when someone seems quieter than usual. These small interactions are often what anchor a sense of safety and connection. They’re easy to overlook, yet they influence culture more than any statement of values.

It left me reflecting on how we each create spaces where people feel able to speak openly, knowing their voice matters and will be met with care rather than defensiveness.

I explore this more in my latest piece on what it really means to lead in a way that listens: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/leadership-that-listens/

"My performance doesn't matter... I don't want to be the star of your show."I really liked what Shane Farmer said during...
02/12/2025

"My performance doesn't matter... I don't want to be the star of your show."

I really liked what Shane Farmer said during one of his Dark Horse Rowing workouts. It really resonated because last week I was thinking about what is 'high performance' and how do we know?

We often benchmark against others to assess whether we're good enough. But that means we strive for someone else's standard, and who says that is right anyway?

Rather than aim for a definitive goal (let's face it - that will keep moving), aiming for 'better' is much more doable. And it emphasises development and growth rather than success or fail.

Shane went on to say "I want to be a guide for you. You're writing your own story; it's you against you." So, "focus on the work that matters; not what I'm doing."

Wouldn't it be liberating if we took that approach to performance measurement at work? Imagine how that would shift the focus of L&D to be more 'just in time' and based on real need - not perceived needs to achieve the ultimate standard.

Try re-thinking the standard approach that's about comparison and a fixed perception of what 'great' looks like. Instead, think about how well you perform for you.

Create opportunities for people to try something a bit different, without fear of feeling self-conscious because it's not quite the same as what someone else is doing.

If we turn down the volume on results-driven performance and instead turn it up on asking 'how am I doing and how could I do it better' we would be in a different place.

The journey would be different.
And it would be continuous. Which is just as well in a world that is forever changing.

If you have access to a rowing machine - follow Shane and DH Rowing - he is brilliant!!

27/11/2025

A thriving, high-performing workplace requires you to zoom in on your workforce.

When leaders and managers focus on the human side of business, people experience belonging, feel more valued and are empowered to do their best.

This requires a willingness and commitment to acknowledge and meet emotional needs.

I’ve captured these ideas in the ‘Creating a Culture of Belonging and Excellence’ Insight to Action download - it’s full of practical steps you can use straight away https://itstimeforchange.activehosted.com/f/33

Want to see how your own culture measures up? Follow the link to the Emotional Needs Audit: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/the-emotional-needs-audit/

How are you helping your team feel they truly belong?

25/11/2025

Ever noticed how the smallest moments often make the biggest difference? This clip from my recent conversation with Dr Claire Plumbly really got me thinking about those micro moments in our day - especially the transition times between activities.

🕒It’s easy to overlook these gaps, but they’re there - even if they’re just a few seconds. As leaders and managers, recognising and slightly stretching these intervals gives us, and our teams, vital space to pause, reset, refocus, and bring our best selves to the next task.

Building a thriving work culture isn’t only about strategic objectives - it’s about supporting high performance at the human level task-by-task. When we pay attention to these micro moments, we champion a workplace where employees can flourish, productivity rises, and wellbeing becomes part of everyday life.

I would love to hear how you create space for your teams to thrive. How do you set an expectation for people to use these in-between moments with intention?

Listen to the full conversation here: https://itstimeforchange.co.uk/captivate-podcast/burnout-signs-solutions-in-modern-workplaces-claire-plumbly/

Where does your power lie?Do you ever feel at the affect of the world around around you - relatively helpless given the ...
20/11/2025

Where does your power lie?

Do you ever feel at the affect of the world around around you - relatively helpless given the circumstances?

When people have an external locus of control, their power sits outside of themselves, limiting their belief that they can bring about change. This is not helpful.

A client of mine last week was buzzing (that's the good part!) but she attributed the positive change in her experience as being down to the luck of being on leave for a few days. However, when she outlined the specifics that had improved, they were all work related. She had done things differently and guess what... the outcomes had changed (closer to what she wanted).

This individual, like so many, had fallen into the trap of feeling powerless. Explaining how her actions over the last few weeks have brought about change, my client shifted towards understanding that she plays a part in determining her future.

Here are 3 tips about how to increase an internal sense of power:

1️⃣ If you spot the tendency to ignore your internal locus of control in yourself or others, identify the parts of a problem that ARE within your control and focus on changing those.

2️⃣ Be clear about the connection between your actions and the outcomes. Help people unpick what they did differently and what the specific impact was. In other words, shut down passive perceptions.

3️⃣ Avoid using generalised language such as "That was great!" or "Good luck!" and instead be specific... "You were great at engaging the audience with your stories!" or "Remember you nailed the presentation last time - practice as you did then and you'll do well."

People need to be aware that everything they do or don't do has an impact on the world around them. Raise awareness of that. And increase power for taking control.

Positive change starts with understanding how your workforce ticks. Support them to develop the knowledge and skills needed to put themselves in their best place and to bring about the success you want.

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