Two stories in the news this week certainly caught people’s attention:

🎮 Using GTA (Grand Theft Auto) to help understand public behaviour.
🦎 Role-playing as slow worms during a training session.

Both have raised eyebrows and generated plenty of debate.

Putting aside the political discussion around public funding, there is an interesting workplace learning question:

How far should we be prepared to think differently when helping people learn?

As a trainer, mentor and coach, I’ve never worked with a team where everyone learns in exactly the same way.

👉 Some people learn through discussion.
👉 Some through practical activity.
👉 Some through observation.
👉 Some through reflection.

That’s why effective workplace learning often requires adapting our communication, tools and delivery methods to ensure everyone can engage and apply what they learn.

I’ve never played GTA, so I can’t comment on its effectiveness as a learning tool.

However, I regularly use scenario-based exercises involving different characters and situations to explore areas like unconscious bias. Participants often discover how quickly assumptions can be mistaken for facts, leading to valuable discussion and reflection.

Role-playing as a slow worm wouldn’t have immediately occurred to me!

But innovation in learning isn’t about whether an idea sounds unusual. It’s about whether it helps people understand, retain and apply new knowledge.

Sometimes the most effective learning methods are the ones that initially seem the most unexpected.

What’s the most innovative learning approach you’ve seen in your organisation?
More importantly – did it actually work?

What does Andy Burnham’s victory in Makerfield yesterday teach us about achieving our goals?

For anyone on Growing Talent journey towards employment, there are some powerful lessons:

✅ Reaching your goal takes time

✅ You might need several attempts before you succeed

✅ Sometimes the original route isn’t the one that gets you there

✅ Never give up

Andy Burnham’s long-term ambition has been clear for many years.

👉 He stood for leadership positions and wasn’t successful.

👉 He stepped away from Westminster to become Mayor of Greater Manchester.

👉 He built new experience, new networks and a different platform.

Now, following his victory in the Makerfield by-election, he returns to Westminster.

The route wasn’t straightforward, but he kept moving towards his goal.

💥 An important lesson here for anyone struggling in today’s jobs market 💥

When applications are unsuccessful, it’s easy to feel frustrated, demotivated and lose confidence. Giving up can seem like the easiest option.

Instead, consider what action you can take:

💡 Build your personal resilience through good nutrition, physical activity and looking after your mental wellbeing

💡 Identify your ultimate goal

💡 Break that goal down into smaller, achievable milestones

💡 Review your skills and consider how they could transfer into different roles or sectors

💡 Explore a side project that interests you – a blog, YouTube channel, Facebook group, Etsy store or another creative outlet

Sometimes opportunities come from places you never expected.

The key message?

⚡ If one route is blocked, find another ⚡

Progress is rarely a straight line, but every step forward brings you closer to where you want to be.

If you’re currently unemployed, feeling stuck, or frustrated with the jobs market, what’s one action you can take this week to move yourself forward?

Psychological influence isn’t just something from wartime history — it’s part of everyday life.

Advertising, media, politics, workplaces, and even personal relationships can all shape how we feel, what we focus on, and the conclusions we draw.

👉 The important question is: are we aware of it?

Influence is most powerful when we accept a narrative without pausing to question it.

That doesn’t mean becoming cynical about everything.

It means staying curious, checking facts, comparing sources, and asking: “What might I be missing?”

I’m posting this because I work with people whose confidence has been worn down by stress, anxiety, and constant noise.

When confidence drops, it becomes harder to challenge messages and easier to feel overwhelmed.

So this is simply a reminder: don’t lose your confidence to think critically.

💡 Question respectfully.
💡 Look for the whole story.
💡 Pause before reacting to what you hear or see.

How do you manage psychological influences?

#criticalthinking
#curiousquestioning

As a workplace coach, one of the most rewarding parts of my work is seeing people discover strengths they didn’t realise they had.

👉 Meeting people where they are.
👉 Adapting my approach to suit the individual.
👉 Helping them develop skills and confidence they can carry throughout their career.

⚡ That’s why I love coaching. ⚡

Recently, one participant from my Growing Talent and Talent Hub programmes shared this feedback after continuing into 1:1 coaching:

“I’ve learnt a lot. The programme is excellent. As a visual learner, I was in awe watching how situations were handled and materials adapted so elegantly. I’m very happy I signed up.”

When people feel supported and understood, they grow in confidence, navigate change more effectively and bring their best to work.

Whether you’re:

🚦 Looking to build your own confidence and career development
🚦 Supporting a neurodivergent employee
🚦 Developing emerging talent
🚦 Strengthening team performance

Workplace coaching can create lasting change.

What challenge are you or your team facing right now?

📩 Message me to explore how coaching can help you

“Oh, the irony…”

Have you discovered something recently that made you say exactly that?

I did this morning while watching a video from HelpBoxUK.

As someone who runs a small business, I’ve just paid my second self-assessment instalment ahead of the 31 July deadline. Miss it, and there can be significant penalties.

The video highlighted that HMRC’s accounts have reportedly not received a clean audit opinion for 22 consecutive years, with auditors citing issues including hundreds of millions of pounds linked to fraud.

It made me reflect on accountability.

As taxpayers and business owners, we’re expected to meet deadlines, keep accurate records and face penalties when we get things wrong.

Yet when public bodies encounter significant financial control issues, the consequences can appear very different.

That’s what made me think:

“Oh, the irony…”

What’s made you use that phrase recently?

Introducing ‘fast and energising’ – also known as Growing Talent’s Employer Slow Dating session!

This is our first stage employer selection process.

It starts off a little quiet. A little subdued.

It ends with broad smiles, bright eyes, raised confidence and laughter.

Instead of cvs, we have a ‘Getting to Know You’ event for employers and applicants before the 1stemployer selection stage – Employer Slow Dating – which lays the foundation of connection.

A huge thank you to the employer teams who joined us yesterday:

👏 CIS Security
👏 NG Bailey
👏 ISS
👏 SPS UK & Ireland

Thank you for investing your time, energy, and enthusiasm in helping talent shine from the very first conversation.

#GrowingTalent#EmployerEngagement#InclusiveRecruitment#TalentDevelopment#EarlyCareers#SocialImpact#HiringDifferently

CIS Security Limited
#NGBailey
ISS A/S
SPS UK&I

“It’s me — Kerry. I was on Growing Talent.”

I looked again.

How had I not recognised that smile?

Kerry joined our Growing Talent programme in the summer of 2023. Shortly afterwards, she secured a role and took her first step back into employment.

Unfortunately, the night shifts proved unsustainable, and she had to move on.
But here’s the important part.

The confidence, skills and mindset she developed during the programme didn’t disappear when the job did.

She used what she had learned to secure a new position with her current employer.

Three years later, she’s still there — and thriving.

That’s the real value of workplace training.

Not just improving performance today, but creating lasting impact for years to come.

When organisations invest in developing people as whole human beings, the returns extend far beyond the workplace.

Communication. Resilience. Emotional intelligence. Confidence. Wellbeing. Nutrition. Problem-solving.

These aren’t just workplace skills. They’re life skills.

And when people grow, businesses grow too.

Every organisation wants stronger performance, better engagement and higher retention. The foundation for all three is investing in people in a meaningful way.

Because the best training doesn’t just help someone do their current job better.
It changes what they believe they’re capable of.

What training, lesson or experience has stayed with you throughout your career and still influences how you work today?

#Leadership#LearningAndDevelopment#WorkplaceTraining#PeopleDevelopment#EmployeeEngagement#FutureOfWork#GrowingTalent#LeadershipDevelopment

This week I watched historian Lucy Worsley’s account of the events leading to American Independence, and it struck me how often history presents recurring themes.

In 1765, Britain faced significant financial pressures and sought to increase revenue through taxation.

The Stamp Act introduced taxes on legal documents in the American colonies, despite strong opposition from many colonists who argued they had little influence over the decisions affecting them.

The Act was later repealed, but further taxes followed. Tensions grew. Voices calling for discussion and compromise were often drowned out by those who would not listen. Warnings about the potential consequences were not always heeded.

In 1770, tensions erupted in what became known as the Boston Massacre.

The dispute escalated further, eventually leading to American Independence.

History never repeats itself exactly. Different times, different circumstances, different challenges.

Yet certain questions seem timeless:

👉 How should governments respond when public trust begins to decline?
👉 Is raising taxes enough to solve financial problems, or must growth be part of the answer?
👉 How well do governments listen to opposing views? – actually, how often do you?
👉 At what point does disagreement become division?
👉 What happens when warning signs are ignored?

History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

What historical lesson remains most relevant today for you?

🎵 “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…” 🎵

No matter where we are in our careers today, most of us can remember the fear of the ‘interview’.

❓ What will the interviewer be like?
❓ What questions will they ask?
❓ Will my mind suddenly go completely blank?

With time and experience, many of us learn how to manage those nerves. We develop confidence and find ways to quiet that inner voice of doubt.

But for people who have been knocked by life, confidence isn’t always something that returns easily.

I’ve seen the same barriers come up time and time again:

📄 The CV.
🪑 The interview.

So, what if we removed them?

At Growing Talent, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing for the past 12 years.

During that time, people have not only secured employment but progressed into management roles, built successful careers, and even launched their own businesses.

Our Getting to Know You event is where that journey begins.

The event opens with Spotlight on Employers, where employers share their own career journeys—the twists, turns, setbacks and successes that led them to where they are today. They also offer their personal top tip for impressing any employer.

👉 The result? Applicants gain genuine insight into the people behind the job titles and realise that career paths are rarely straight lines.

Then comes our London Challenge.

Working in teams, participants devise a solution to improve a part of London and just 45 minutes to prepare a presentation.

The creativity, collaboration and energy in the room were incredible.

When employers returned, they weren’t simply assessing interview answers—they were watching people:

✅ Solve problems
✅ Work as a team
✅ Communicate ideas
✅ Deliver to a deadline

These are qualities that often remain hidden in a traditional interview.

The event finished with networking, conversations, laughter, new connections and, most importantly, growing confidence.

A huge thank you to all the employers and applicants who joined us and those behind the scenes.

A special thank you to Michael for stopping by to say ‘hello’. Part of Growing Talent in 2016, he is still with the same employer. Now managing a team responsible for welcome services within a major building.

Michael’s journey reminds us why Growing Talent matters.

The best outcome of all?

Every applicant who attended wants to return for the next stage of the process—our “Slow Dating” selection event!

They’ll arrive confident, connected and ready to show employers who they really are.

Because when we create opportunities for people to be seen beyond their CV, amazing things happen.

Adam Bushell
Matthew Izekor
#DavidSteeds
Bal Virdee MBE
#CIS-Security
ISS A/S
#NGBailey
SPS

#GrowingTalent #EmploymentSupport #Recruitment #SocialImpact #HiringDifferently #InclusiveRecruitment #SkillsForLife #CareerDevelopment #LondonJobs #CommunityImpact #OpportunityForAll

What would you say to the thousands of men and women who fought for you to have the right to vote but you choose not to use it?

That was the main question in my mind this morning.

Could I look them in the eye and say:

👉 None of the options meet all of my beliefs – or maybe

👉 My vote won’t make any difference – or maybe

👉 I could not be bothered

Would any of those answers be acceptable to those who gave so much over so many years to win the right to vote?

I believed not.

But here’s the thing:

💥 No one will agree with everything any political party stands for – but could one party make a positive difference more than others?

💥 If everyone didn’t vote because they felt it didn’t matter – they are giving their voice to someone else. Potentially a party they really wouldn’t want in control will get in – even with a low turnout.

💥 Would you be bothered if your life was made so much worse by a party of your choice not getting in? Edmund Burke said “evil triumphs when good men and women are silent”.

So, if you are choosing not to vote, please think again.

A shout out to fabulous ChatGPT for the photo – I definitely did not look that polished at 7.30am this morning!!!!!

#righttovote #democracy