Kevin McDonnell

Empowered teams don’t wait for direction, they take ownership. But real ownership starts with leaders creating the right environment. Here’s how to begin: • Define what “ownership” means across roles; clarity avoids confusion. • Give autonomy matched to ability, not title. • Set expectations around outcomes, not just activity. • Model accountability from the top; people mirror what they see. When people understand why their work matters, they act with purpose. If you’re interested in building an ownership culture in your team, DM me - I’m happy to share practical frameworks that work. #LeadershipDevelopment #OwnershipCulture #TeamEmpowerment

41

2 Comments

Leadership training looks good on paper, but in practice, it's broken. It trains for leadership in theory—not in reality. Most programmes: → Focus on abstract strategy, not real-world decisions → Teach frameworks, not the people skills leaders actually need → Run as one-and-done events, with no follow-through Leadership isn’t learned in a classroom. It’s found in the moments most programmes don’t prepare you for: → Leading when your team is emotionally shut down → Coaching someone who’s doing “fine” but not growing → Knowing when you’re the bottleneck—but being too reactive to fix it → Managing a high performer who’s driven by totally different values → Responding instead of reacting when you're under pressure → Leading without a title—or influencing across teams when you have zero authority → Helping team members reconnect with meaning when motivation drops → Regaining leadership presence after a public mistake or visible wobble That’s why 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 found that 50% of senior leaders say their company’s leadership training fails to build critical skills. Companies check a box, hand out certificates… …and end up with leaders who can talk about leadership—but can’t practise it. I’ve seen it firsthand: → A senior manager I coach attended a well-reviewed programme. But when it came to the real challenge—handling tough conversations with his team—he left with zero practical tools. → Six months later, the issue was still holding him back. Performance was slipping. Morale was shaky. → What he needed was real-world coaching. So what actually works? ✅ Train for real challenges, not textbook scenarios. → 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘨𝘭𝘦 uses job rotations that force managers to lead unfamiliar teams under pressure. ✅ Go beyond passive learning. Embed feedback, coaching and application. → A client company pairs rising leaders with mentors and coaches for continuous, real-time development. ✅ Don’t “teach” leadership—build leaders through experience. → 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘹 gives managers decision-making authority early. Radical. Messy. And it works. A two-day workshop won’t build leadership muscle. Only ongoing, real-world development will. Is your company developing leaders or just running leadership programmes? _____________ Hi, I’m Lucy. I help leaders lead from the inside out—using emotional intelligence, intrinsic motivation, and mental fitness to create lasting impact (without burning out).

53

21 Comments

2025 will see the fifth year of Recast Coaching🎈 So in the spirit of fives, here are five personal learnings (rather than advice!) which I hope are useful for any newer coaches or founders starting out in their own journeys, some of who I've enjoyed speaking with recently. 1. No conversation is a wasted conversation 💬 🗨️ I’ve been able to build my coaching business through one conversation at a time. As I released my grip on the need to sell, more space was created for meaningful relationships and connections to develop, which often led to new conversations and opportunities along the way. 2. Define your own version of success 🥇 I only became clearer about this in my second year following some much-needed provocation from my own coach and supervisor who asked ‘What does a successful life lived mean for you?’. Until this point, I’d been in hot pursuit of ‘more’. More clients. More coaching hours. More breakthroughs. It was only once I stopped to think about it that I realised there were other important elements for me that felt more intrinsically motivating - time for things outside of work, autonomy in how I spend that time, variety and fulfilment. As I stopped chasing more, and instead got clearer on what felt enough, greater opportunities seemed to present themselves. A paradox supported by Nancy Kline's wise words 'Ease creates. Urgency destroys'.  3. Find gratitude in rejection 🙏 As someone with people pleasing tendencies that still run strong (work in progress!) this has taken a while to arrive at. I’ve come to embrace the idea that no one 'needs' coaching - it’s not about fixing something that’s broken. And also that I’m not the right coach for everyone. The best coaching outcomes have come from when someone is really invested in this work and wants to partner with me in this process. If it’s not right for them for any reason, then a simple ‘no thanks’ is the kindest and most useful thing they can offer. 4. Always be ‘up to something’ 🔥 This was something I heard from Steve Radcliffe (Leadership Plain and Simple) many years ago and it’s very much how I’ve tried to lead and live. For me it conjures up an image of lighting lots of little fires in the knowledge that most will fizzle out and that’s ok, but some will take, and burn brightly. And even the fizzlers might reignite one day. 5. LinkedIn still seems to favour a dog pic 🐾 Of all my posts over the last five years, the top performing one remains a photo of my puppy! So here’s an update from her, giving her best side eye 👀 For any of the more seasoned coaches in my network, what do you wish you knew when you were starting out? And if you’re embarking on a new career in coaching, feel free to get in touch. I’m happy to chat and help if I can. #reflect #reemerge #reawaken #recast

53

30 Comments

What do you think of this one? An 'award winning' wellbeing expert is leading a group of professionals to create change in the workplace. One of the group has to leave because of health issues. The award winning lead doesn't bother to contact the individual to enquire about their wellbeing, thank for them being involved, for however short a time, or wish them well. I'm seeing this happen more and more in the 'wellbeing space'. People saying one thing, winning awards and accolades, and then doing the exact opposite of anything remotely linked to wellbeing. I wrote about it in F*ck Burnout and I'll keep saying it - wellbeing is not about a policy, a process or a project, it's how you do everything. And if you're out there scooping up the awards because you talk a good talk but you don't walk the walk, people will see through it eventually.

76

28 Comments

🚀 Leader wellbeing drives performance more than any app or resilience class ever could. We’ve known for years that wellbeing matters. But the latest data from the White Paper from the University of Singapore puts hard numbers on just how much it matters: 👉 Leader wellbeing is 56× more effective than stress management or resilience programmes for shaping organisational wellbeing. 👉 It’s 50× more effective than wellbeing apps. 👉 And when it comes to organisational performance, leader wellbeing is 11× more impactful than resilience classes and 4× more impactful than apps. The message is clear...if we want healthier, more productive organisations, investing in leaders is not just “a nice idea”, it is the most powerful lever we have. 🌍 At Essentio Health, this is exactly why we put leaders at the centre of our approach. Because when leaders thrive, their teams and organisations follow. Justin Vaughan #healthimpactatscale #liveyourbestlife #buildabridge #essentiohealth #leadershipperformance

23

5 Comments

What's the biggest mistake companies make with their #wellbeing benefits? It’s about choice - or the illusion of it. Whether you're selecting a few limited options or handing out a small monthly allowance, these approaches often leave employees wanting more. Want to understand why these traditional models are failing to meet the diverse needs of today's workforce? Discover how a single, comprehensive well-being platform can give your team the genuine choice they need to thrive. Take a fresh look at your wellbeing strategy. See the link below. #HRLeadership #EmployeeEngagement #CorporateWellness #FutureofWork

29

PERSONA-LISED Medicine Great to join Ian Chamberlain, Mildred Johnson FRPharmS, Anil Makwana, Amit P. & David Thorne at the Life Science Access Academy for a lunchtime panel meeting today. This discussed approaches to ensuring the right medicine, for the right patient, at the right time and how healthcare systems can collaborate to support the rapidly scaling personalised medicines agenda. When designing any service building PERSONAS of service users helps us understand the background and behaviours of key user groups. This information is key in customising the service so that it delivers on the needs of all users. More attention to patient profiles, perhaps more of a PERSONA-LISED approach might help the adoption of new clinical practices ... just a thought.

37

2 Comments

Still feeling deeply energised by this feedback from a recent Hewlett-Packard Europe session: “Groups of people were gathered together after the webinar talking about what they were planning on doing… two pages of books being discussed, incremental habit lists going up on fridges… people bringing up old goals they’d parked because they didn’t seem possible or practical.” From a behavioural science perspective, this is the dream: insight turning into action. Not just inspiration in the moment, but real-world movement, together. Because the truth is: a talk alone doesn’t create change. It might light the match, but the real transformation happens in what people do afterwards. That’s where the work (and the magic) is. It’s a behavioural shift: the start of accountability, intention, and momentum. If you're wondering how to turn ideas from a talk into lasting change, here are a few evidence-based approaches I often share: - Make it visible – Post-it notes, fridge lists, shared trackers. Behaviour likes cues. And switch up these cues regularly before they just blend into your environment. - Start tiny – The smaller the habit, the less resistance. A 30-second action is a win. And make sure to try it the day of or day after the talk, that's when motivation is highest, and we can start getting those reps in! - Bundle it – Anchor a new habit to an existing routine (e.g., after coffee, I’ll…). - Talk about it and encourage others – Social proof and shared commitment increase follow-through. Grateful to be part of conversations that spark this kind of momentum and to everyone who keeps those sparks alive long after the session ends. #BehavioralChange #MomentumMatters #AccountabilityPartners #HabitBuilding #keynotespeaker

45

1 Comment