This week, I take a look back at the journey over the past 12 years in film.

The films are of their age and talk about the Growing Talent programme as it was then – not how it evolved to its end point.

But what startled me on playing the films is the issues the participants talk about remain relevant today.

James Sykes of JS Productions made our series of case study films come alive.  Thank you James.

Today I revisited Chris’s story. 

Shares insight into many of the situations people find themselves in today and how taking a chance on something new can be the best thing!

Chris made the decision to stay in Yorkshire to be close to his friends when his dad moved south……….. only to have those friends go in different directions leaving Chris alone again.

Chris generously shares what depression is like. How someone can feel when in it.

At the start of his Growing Talent journey, Chris was asked “why should you be given a place above someone else?”. Chris’s typically honest response was “I honestly don’t know”. In the film he shares his hope was to complete the programme and have the confidence to believe he had earned his place. Which he did.

Watch Chris’s in full using the link below before the end of August

https://www.growing-talent.co.uk/category/case-studies

Following the closure of Growing Talent, I received the following from a past participant and long time ambassador for Growing Talent

I am astonished by this choice today,

To see Growing Talent fade away.

For it was the chance that changed my life,

A guiding light through doubt and strife.

Without that path, I cannot see

The person I was meant to be.

You are a national treasure, Jane,

Though not all recognise your gain.

The lives you’ve shaped, the hope you’ve sown,

Have reached far further than is known.

You and Growing Talent will always remain

A special part of my heart and journey’s lane.

Thank you for the future you helped me find,

For opening doors and broadening my mind.

I wish you well in all you do,

And if ever needed, I’ll be there for you—

Just call.

M

💥 Three journeys. Three futures changed 💥

Catching up with Jahmel, Maddie and Muteba this week has reminded me of the power Growing Talent and the Talent Hub gives to others.

Jamhel completed the last Growing Talent programme and secured a role as Security Officer with CIS Security. His next milestone is SIA training starting 4 August. Confident, focussed and ready for the future – whatever it brings.

Maddie was on the penultimate Growing Talent. She wanted stability and a chance to save for financial independence. Securing a role as Workplace Experience Specialist with SPS, she now has financial independence. Confident and planning for the future.

Muteba is on the current Talent Hub. Walking confidently towards her 2nd stage interview tomorrow. Confident, calm ready for work.

In my book, the success of Growing Talent and the Talent Hub shouldn’t be measured by vacancies filled. The success of both programmes should be measured by the lives changed.

👉 One opportunity can change a life.  One life can change many others. 

💯 It’s about unlocking potential that others have overlooked 💯

Growing Talent
CIS Security Limited
SPS UK&I

I’ve always admired—and sometimes despised—the power of PR and marketing.

To me, they’re a little like the ‘dark arts’.

A brilliant PR and marketing campaign can take an unknown person and turn them into an overnight success. 

It can build brands that become part of our culture for decades. Just think of Apple.

But communications can also work the other way.

Sometimes the objective isn’t to maximise attention—it’s to minimise it. 

Information is released because it has to be, yet it can receive very little public discussion. 

Whether that’s down to timing, competing news, or communications strategy, the outcome can be the same.

That got me thinking about the recent release of the Sovereign Grant report and the changes it contains.

Regardless of where people stand on any issue, should all significant public information receive greater transparency and be open to public debate?

Or is managing what people pay attention to simply part of current PR and communications? 

“With increasing discussion about governments and social media platforms promoting ‘trusted’ news sources, will people continue to have access to a broad range of information to research issues and make up their own minds?”

I’d be interested to hear what others think.

I recently spoke with an employee at a global professional services firm, and it was clear that AI was weighing heavily on their mind.

As part of a team responsible for porterage and office equipment set-up, they’d been told that discretionary bonuses would, in part, be linked to how much AI they used in their role.

Understandably, this had created real anxiety.

🤷‍♀️ “How can AI move heavy equipment?”

🤷‍♀️ “How can AI rearrange office furniture for multiple room set-ups every day?”

The reality is that AI can probably add value to almost every role in some way. It might help with planning workloads, scheduling tasks or improving communication. But it can’t physically move furniture……yet!

The challenge is that this employee isn’t responsible for planning or allocating work—that sits with management. So, they were left wondering what “using AI more” actually meant for their job.

This highlights an important lesson for organisations.

Setting AI adoption targets is one thing. Helping people understand how AI can genuinely support their role is another.

Without that guidance, well-intentioned AI initiatives can create confusion, anxiety and disengagement rather than innovation.

I’m left wondering how many organisations are rolling out AI strategies without investing enough time in helping every employee understand what success using AI looks like in their specific role.

Have you seen examples of AI implementation creating unnecessary anxiety because people were told to use it, but not shown how?

“It definitely was – you were seen!”

Some will remember the global hit by Shaggy in 2000 featuring RikRot – “It wasn’t me”. 

The title is about the advice given to a friend caught cheating.

That song popped in my head this morning. 

The neighbour across the road, dumped a mattress on the green outside our houses at 10.30pm last night.

They work for a refuse collection company.

A few hours later, dressed all in their logo’d hi vis, I heard them telling another neighbour how awful it is that people dump rubbish on street greens ‘ we get this all the time’. He then picked up the mattress and put it in his company vehicle to take away!

When was the last time you heard someone say ‘it wasn’t me’ and you know for a fact it was?

Now I can’t get Shaggy’s tune out of my head!!!!

I recently read a feature in The Daily Telegraph about Kate Nicholls, who sold up in the Cotswolds and moved to Botswana with her five children.

In 1996, recently separated and in her early 40s, Kate wanted to give her children a real adventure and teach them practical life skills.

Having left school at 16, Kate had initially gone into acting before ultimately taking a job researching lions in Botswana in 1996.

What she hadn’t planned on was becoming her children’s teacher when the local school wasn’t the right fit.

Despite having no formal teaching qualifications, she created an education around curiosity, nature and real-life experiences.

Her approach included learning outdoors, using everyday life to teach subjects like maths, and spending afternoons helping with lion research.

When she needed expertise in a subject, she found creative solutions. One summer, for example, a graduate artist stayed with the family in exchange for teaching art.

Her children went on to study at leading universities around the world—proof that there isn’t just one path to success.

What struck me most wasn’t that Kate had all the answers. She didn’t.
She simply kept solving the next problem.

It reminded me of a few life lessons that apply to all of us:

⚡ Don’t overthink—take the first step.
⚡ There is almost always a solution if you’re willing to look for it.
⚡ Learn as you go. Confidence grows through doing, not waiting.
⚡ Where you start is not where you finish.

In 2014 Kate returned to the UK with her youngest child. She continued homeschooling and eventually built a successful homeschooling business.

Today she helps students gain admission to American universities.

One quote from her really stood out for me:

“All children are gloriously different. One of the joys of my work is figuring out how they think and how I can open doors for them.”

Whether we’re raising children, leading teams or building businesses, perhaps there’s a lesson in that.

What do you think?

Could we achieve more if we spent less time worrying about getting it perfect and more time simply getting started?

Unity – what the England v Mexico match showed so well…

As Oasis’s Wonderwall rang around the stadium, something special happened.

The England team stood in line in front of their fans, and together they sang every word – robustly and with passion.

It wasn’t just a celebration. It was a moment of mutual appreciation.

The fans had backed the team throughout. The team showed their gratitude in return. You could see the connection.

In his interview afterwards, Harry Kane could barely speak after joining in the passionate rendition of Wonderwall. It summed up the emotion and togetherness of the occasion.

It made me wonder…

What if we saw more of this beyond football?

👊 Imagine businesses where leaders & employees genuinely championed each other.

👊 Families where appreciation was expressed more often.

👊 Governments working for their people not themselves.

When people feel supported, valued and united behind a common purpose, extraordinary things can happen.

Whether it’s on a football pitch, in the workplace or in society, success is rarely achieved alone.

⚡ Unity isn’t just a nice idea—it’s a force multiplier. ⚡

👉 Where have you seen this kind of unity make the difference?

After being offered and accepting a role with CIS Security Limited in London through Growing Talent, he’s had an intense few days.

✅ Attended Orientation and Holistic Support

✅ Completed the Manager Level of i-act (for positive mental health and wellbeing) training. Mental Health Training

👉 Now, he’s ready to begin the next chapter of his career in a new industry as a Security Officer.

Throughout his Growing Talent journey, Jamhel has shown real commitment, resilience and genuine support for those around him. His empathy for his peers has made a lasting impression.

When asked how he was feeling, he simply said:

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait for the future.”

We couldn’t be happier for him.

Where will the road ahead take Jamhel?

Anything is possible.

Congratulations, Jamhel—we wish you every success in your new role!

The real question is…

How much damage will they cause?

When it comes to garden pots, I’m very inclusive!

👉 Recycled plastic pots – every size and colour.
👉 Repurposed metal dustbins.
👉 Repurposed wheelie bins.
👉 Slate troughs – incredibly heavy.
👉 Terracotta pots – even heavier. Definitely a two-person lift.

With more than 80 plants and trees in pots, I enjoy changing the layout from time to time.

But if I start moving them without thinking first, the results can be predictable:

💥 A bad back.
💥 Broken pots.
💥 Damaged or dying plants.

Thankfully, those problems are usually fixable.

The same can’t always be said in organisations.

Launching a new initiative, restructuring a team or changing strategy without thinking through the consequences can damage performance, morale, customer trust and reputation.

The bigger the organisation, the bigger the potential impact.
Critical thinking isn’t about slowing progress.

It’s about asking the questions that prevent avoidable mistakes.
What’s the best example you’ve seen recently of a good idea that failed because nobody stopped to think through the consequences?