Follow my leader

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““A person who wants to lead an orchestra must turn their back to the crowd.” - James Crook”

This quote offers a humble perspective of leadership. Leadership is not a popularity contest, I think a a good leader doesn’t do his (or her) job for praise or recognition. The best leaders are the ones who do their job silently and enable their employees. The leaders whom I most respect are humble, honest and dependable. They listen and learn and take in new information, because they care enough to understand the perspectives of others and strong enough to stand alone when the crowd is not with them. What values are looking for in your leader? Contact me via e-mail for a meeting (in confidence).

How to inspire your team

““To inform is for free, ‘the how to’ is for a fee.” ”

— Stephen Burrell

This is my go to mantra whenever the smart people asked if I could help them with this or that. Today I have made an exception, as I feel that many managers and leaders need a little spark in these difficult times. How to inspire your team:

• Show that you care

• Build people up

• Listen with empathy

• Treat people with respect

• Showcase their strengths 

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No one needs what you are selling

No one needs what you are selling, they may want it but they definitely don’t need it! Sometimes it’s OK that the goal is to understand for the sake of understanding. I think the hallmark of curiosity is a thirst for knowledge that has no obvious utility. As I am a lifelong learner, I enjoy exploration regardless of whether the discovery has any immediate relevance. I have never been in the position of selling water to thirsty people! I have always had to use my skills to formulate the brand promise - explaining who’s it for, what’s it for and why you should buy it…


Nowadays, the majority of people are working at home and those of you with young children have the opportunity teach them two of life’s most valuable lessons:

1. To solve interesting problems
   To look at something that no one has ever looked at before and come up with an interesting way to solve the problem.

2. To connect, to lead and use emotional labour

   Using emotional labour by looking someone in the eye and telling them the truth. Emotional labour means doing things that you don’t feel like doing.

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The Last Dance

““Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” - Michael Jordan”

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The ABC's of leadership

For many years the ABC’s of leadership was an abbreviation for Act, Build and Commit. Under the current circumstances, perhaps it’s time for a new acronym. What do you think about Korn Ferry’s Accountability, Belief and Capability?

• Accountability. The accountability we wish to see in others starts with each of us. In other words, we must first be accountable to ourselves for our own behaviors. Believe it, say it, mean it, act it!

• Belief. When we believe we can make a difference - that change is possible - then our actions will follow. And if we don’t believe, we won’t achieve..

• Capability. This is a broad brush: listening, connecting, inspiring, giving and getting honest feedback, expanding networks, exploring with others, and constantly looking for opportunities to learn. It’s all about allowing belief and accountability to shine through actions.

Look and you will see

I’m pretty good at not carrying regrets around and I choose to be happy. I no longer allow negative things in my life to spoil the good things. I have been described as a skilled strategic developer. My things are planning from conception to implementation whilst defining the corporate mission, objectives and branding. How can I get to the heart of the change I am trying to make in the world?


It matters to me that human beings step up and speak their truth. It’s important to me that we look each other in the eyes and take advantage of this moment we have, as in reality no one knows how long we will have these opportunities. I think all of us are more powerful than we can even imagine and all of us have the ability to make things better.

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The truth is a good enough story

It is well understood by the human resources community that engagement translates into profit. We have all seen or heard about people around us that have been dreadfully treated by business people, whether it’s #MeToo, exploitation or psychopathic bullying. I think that organisations’ who create an environment where their people can thrive and achieve will see increased profits, sales, greater customer experience, etc.

How can we help individuals and departments develop to match the future challenges your organisation will face? What motivates them to get excited about what isn’t yet known? Send me an e-mail and let’s arrange a physical or virtual meeting to discuss a workshop for your organisation.

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What makes a great leader?

I think you need to be passionate about what you are doing and have these three qualities:

1. You need to be honest with your team,

2. You need perseverance, and

3. You need to be decisive

In my experience this is what all leaders have in common:

1. Leaders have charisma!
   You don’t need charisma to become a leader as being a leader gives you charisma.

2. Leaders build a culture!
   By using a secret language that shows whether you are in or out.

3. Leaders have curiosity!
   I mean they have curiosity about people both in and outside of the community.

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Are you reward and money motivated?

Simon Sinek said we should always start with the why and then develop thought leadership around that question. From there, produce cornerstones content on a consistent basis around that thought leadership and hopefully you’ll be able to drive revenue from it.


Do you have clarity around your point of view on thought leadership?
Do you have that big important WHY?
Are you clear about why you do what you do?
And who do you do it for?
And how is that helpful? 


Contact me via e-mail when you are ready to take a deeper dive into your purpose.

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Look over your shoulder

I had never met an owner who was not content if your team increased revenue, reduced expenditure and grew customer satisfaction, until I came to Denmark.


Dear Managers,

Your job is not to make people work harder. Your responsibility to help your team achieve their goals, let them know that their work matters and then recognize and reward those who consistently help the team deliver timely, high quality and positive outcomes. Please contact me via E: sb@stephenburrell.com, if would like any guidance further clarification on these matters.

Yours faithfully
Stephen Burrell

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We can always do it better

Via Getty Images

Stephen Covey said, ”We should always start with the end in mind”.  And getting really clear about not only the vital priorities that organisations are trying to pursue in gaining clarity around that but also what are the vital metrics that they use (KPIs). Essentially, what are the data points that are used to determine if they are on track? 

Now if we have these and know what the performance metrics are, in other words when it's green and when it's red - then focus on how we can do more green stuff. And what are the things we need to do to fit into that? Will it become a predictive and repeatable model (best practice)? This does not mean it works perfectly or that some of the predictions are inaccurate because life changes and business is not static. I think being able to go into a marketing campaign or thought leadership campaign with the end in mind will certainly increases our chances of being successful by a factor of 10. And this is because of having that thoughtful planning from the outset.

Are you looking for a team who you can trust and have your best interests at heart? A team who really want to help your business navigate around the thought leadership process? A team who can help you generate revenue from that content, so you can do a better job in front of your customers? 

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Are you afraid?

Diversity is about differences, inclusion is about embracing those differences. The hard truth is that to find new solutions to old problems we must often work with people we don’t really understand. What makes matters worse is that we often do not appreciate the value of diversity when we see it. I won’t pretend this is easy, as I think that people are not afraid of failure, they are afraid of blame. 

“Having an outsider around helped us solve problems, but don’t expect us to be grateful, or even to notice anything other than social discomfort.”

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Learn how to sell

You cannot change the system all at once, but what you can change is the voice in your head. And if the voice in your head is holding you back then that's not helping, in reality, what this means is the power structure has corrupted the voice in your head and put it to work for themselves. What is essential, whatever we are trying to get people in power to listen to, is to first change the voice in our own head. Find out how to befriend the “lizard brain” and the resistance, and not let it sabotage what we are doing. I think that what people like in us, is our confidence, our authority, our belief in what we are actually doing and working that out helps us get 80% of the way there.

Learning how to sell, learning how to talk to somebody about something you care about and getting them to believe you and pay you money for it. Nowadays, we are in the ideas business, I mean we have the opportunity to show up with an idea that’s worth more than it costs. And some people are going to be stuck in their “old ways”, so afraid of a person like you that they are not going to buy from you, but their competition will and that’s how we change culture. We change the culture because the losers learn a lesson, and the lesson they learn is that diversity pays off.


It doesn’t matter what the messenger looks like or the clothes the messenger is wearing, what matters is what will get you to move forward. I am optimistic that we are at the cusp of this cultural change happening even more. Hopefully people will look beyond DNA, gender or sexuality and start to understand that seeing people for who they are and understanding ideas for what they offer is where we need to go. Along the way a lot of people like me are paying the price. It’s bad enough that you have to deal with the voices outside of your head but you can begin by straightening out the voices in your head, because this is something that everyone has wrestled with. It’s always that same voice, learn how to dance with it, learn how to befriend it to understand that we have got a chance.

How to change everything?

The effects of Covid-19 and the measures put in place to combat it over the past 7 months have brought severe changes to all our lives. It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. The pandemic has shown me, almost instantly, that the path I had anticipated for 2020 was not going to materialize.


True curiosity is not simply the gathering of information, it’s the questioning of information gathered. I think we have to get better at asking our audience what they want from us, improve how we engage with consumers and re-evaluate our business models. You don’t need permission from people to lead them, they are waiting, we are are all waiting for you to show us where to go next.

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Queen's Birthday Honours: My sister becomes MBE

Everything starts with a story and it’s never been so easy to get your message out there. Because it’s never been easier, everyone has the power to publish and everyone thinks that they have a story to tell, paradoxically, it’s never been harder to get someone to listen or care! Our story has to be authentic if we really want to connect with an audience. Everyone’s telling their story online and everyone thinks they have something to say.


I think that only by applying the ancient art of storytelling with precision and power can we truly reach out and connect at a deeper emotional level with our audience, and this is when everything changes. My sister has become an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for her work in education.

- Who is the hero of the story?
- Who is Valerie really trying to help?
- Can we empathise with her audience, I mean really understand what they are thinking and feeling?
- What are the challenges that they are facing?
If we can show and tell them that we understand their reality then they will listen to us. And if we do it with a story then it will be even better and easier for them to share.
You can read Your Croydon’s article about my sister here

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Throwback Thursday

Imran Amed, founder and editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion and I were keynote speakers at Fashion Talks, Antwerp (October 2013).

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You Do Have A Choice

It’s all about mindset, from the moment you wake up to the moment you rest your head at night, everything is up to you! Your emotions, your thoughts, your perception and your reactions - every moment. When someone tries to trigger you by insulting you or by doing or saying something that irritates you, take a deep breath and switch off your ego. Remember that if you are easily offended, you are easily manipulated!

I think the only thing you can control is how you treat yourself and this knowledge of that one thing can change everything. Before I write anything, be it an e-mail, text message or on SoMe, I ask myself these 3 important questions:

• Is it important?

• Is it respectful?

• Is it necessary?

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Service

What are the fundamental capabilities of a human system that are crucial to its capacity to execute flawlessly and innovate consistently?

““We dance round in a ring and suppose,
But the secret sits in the middle and knows.” - Robert Frost”

The words you use to frame your current situation will change your mindset and elevate your mood. A positive mindset allows you to stay open to new possibilities where others see barriers, and a positive mood will lift your spirits and attract people in your life who will help, support or hire you.

Successful individuals in any field used positive words to frame an outcome. It's an imperfect world and despite hours of practice and years of experience, the ball won't always bounce your way. Now and again you will be dealt a bad hand or an unprecedented pandemic, and by default this will change your plans. 

I think the important thing is the path you travel and the people who accompany you, not the destination to which it takes you.

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What Have I Become?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a time for reflection. I am fully aware that opportunity is always mixed with difficulty, therefore, the only time when things will change is when I change. “I am not a product of my circumstances I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey


I had an epiphany last week that made me think about the meaning of my life and what have I become. The voice said, “You can have more than you’ve got because you can become more than you are and unless you change what you are, you’ll always have what you’ve got.” I know that the major key to my better future is me, and in my case true happiness is not contained in what I get, happiness is contained in what I become. I immediately knew that I had to start working on myself and as there are only 24 hours in a day, time was not the issue. You cannot get more time, but you can create more value as we primarily get paid for the value we bring to the marketplace. We have plenty of energy to do the things that we really want to do as motivation creates energy.

The Last Dance - Netflix

What are my life goals? How can you hit a target that I don’t have? How to set goals and how to achieve them? I know that you have to have your goals in place to get what you want, and I have to set the kind of goals that will mean something by achieving them. I have to start by making myself comfortable with being uncomfortable as when you let yourself get comfortable with your way of life, you miss out on what you could accomplish when you keep reaching for the next golden ring. One has to eliminate all the negative influences in your life and that also means friends who are dragging you down and keeping you from reaching your goals.

1. Identify exactly what you want.

2. Why do you want to reach this goal?

3. What are the obstacles you need to overcome in order to achieve this goal?

4. What are the skills and knowledge required to reach this goal?

5. Who are the people, groups, organisations you need to work with in order to achieve this goal?

6. What is the plan of action required to achieve this goal?

7. When is the completion date?

Your goals could be physical, mental, spiritual, social, family, career or financial. Are you committed to reaching your goals? When you have a solid base with a solid commitment and solid objectives then you have a much better chance of reaching your goals. Please do not confuse activity with accomplishment! Have you written out your clearly defined goals? Yes? If no, why not? Is it because of fear, a poor self-image, no desire or just because you don’t know how? Would you like some guidance with how to set your goals? I am interested in building characters and developing leaders. Contact sb@stephenburrell.com

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Who is Responsible for Your Return to Work Strategy?

”CUE” illustration by www.ved5tiden.dk

The most successful global leaders in fighting coronavirus have communicated clearly, displayed empathy and always favored science over politics. When challenges arise we don't rise to the occasion, we sink to the level of our training. We have to recognize that things are not going to back to what they were before the coronavirus. The pre-COVID world was all about performance, agility and efficiency, the post-COVID world will be all about one thing - survival. Does your organisation have a plan for how we get people back to work? Are you ready to tackle the challenges ahead?

Health and safety of the workforce should be management’s top priority and managing employee numbers will be critical to protecting workplace health, as the higher the number the higher the risk. Have you thought about the benefits of a staggered reintroduction, e.g. rotating who works from the office and who works at home?

”ROUTINE” illustration by www.ved5tiden.dk

Once open, how can you keep your employees safe? There will be more questions than answers, for example:

-       What will be the new physical setup?

-       How much distance should there be between desks? 

-       Have you made restrictions on your office building capacity?

-       What about employee gatherings around the coffee machine?

-       What about the cafeteria and lunchtime procedures?

-       Have you developed new office sanitization protocols?

-       Will there be guidelines for wearing personal protective equipment, e.g. face masks and/or gloves?

-       What are the rules for checking employees who are returning to work after illness?

-       Will your employees need help to manage this mindset change?

-       How will you deal with employees who are reluctant to return to the office?

-       Do you have a Crisis Management team to deal with ethics and compliance complaints?

Would you like to have a training plan for implementing new operational procedures, processes and policies during your “back to workplace” transition and beyond?
Contact us on sb@peakbalance.dk to hear more on how we can help your organisation.

“REWARD” illustration by www.ved5tiden.dk

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