Bringing leadership back to what really matters

When Nathan Coburn from BSH Home Appliances first got in touch, he explained that they were planning a Leadership Matters event for around 150 of their people managers.

Remote working had changed some of the natural connections across the organisation, and they were conscious of the risk of people becoming disconnected – from each other, from the wider business and from its strategic aims.

Their managers had a key role in bridging that gap. The company wanted the day to remind them just how critical their role is in connecting BSH's ambitions with the teams they lead. Nathan had followed my podcast for several years (and had his fair share of laughs and cringes at Linda), and asked if I'd come along as a guest speaker.

Shaping the session around BSH

The wider event was designed to be fun and engaging, with networking, small group discussions, activities and opportunities for people to learn from each other.

I suggested keeping my involvement focused: a 45–60 minute keynote before lunch, with time afterwards to talk to people and continue some of the conversations we'd started in the room.

I wanted to explore what it actually means to be a manager at BSH and the role managers play in turning the organisation's strategy into something meaningful for their teams.

Most importantly, I wanted my keynote speech to be practical.

Leadership people can actually use

I wanted the session to get people thinking about what good leadership looks like in practice - not just in theory.

We focused on three key themes:

1. Clarity: Helping people understand where they're going, what matters and the part they play in getting there. We connected this back to BSH's True North, and the important role managers have in turning the organisation's strategy into something meaningful for their teams.

2. Care: Recognising the impact you have as a manager on the people around you. We looked at what people need from their leaders and how the everyday way you show up can shape how someone feels about their team, their role and the wider organisation.

3. Curiosity: Being willing to ask rather than always jumping in with the answer. We explored how curiosity can help managers understand what's really going on, encourage their people to think for themselves and create more ownership within their teams.

Throughout the session, we brought those ideas back to the everyday reality of managing people - particularly when you're balancing the demands of the day job with the responsibility of actually leading a team.

We covered practical tools, had plenty of discussion, and asked questions designed to make people stop and reflect on their own leadership.

One of my favourites was:

What does your team say about you when you're not in the room?

It's a simple question, but it can tell you an awful lot about how you're showing up as a leader.

And, of course, I couldn't talk about good leadership without showing them the alternative.

So yes, Linda made an appearance too.