Mike Burrows

I think we are up against it.... though there is hope, possibility and opportunity, not doom and gloom! But I do think that us 'Improvement' people.... of all flavours .... CI/lean/Agile/Design Thinking/Critical Thinking/Systems Change/Change Mgmt/Transformation etc....... are up against a system where making things better is not the name of the game! At the same time so many of the people working in this space want to do just that - make the world of our work, our mahi, what we do a better place - for everyone...... ..... I ask then ..... What do we do???? We are not (generally) the money holders, the ones with the major resources or in the first instance the decision makers...... So .... Team..... What are we going to do???? What are we going to do??? [P.s. I do have a poster that says this | The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free, that your very existence is an act of rebellion, Albert Camus ... 😉 ] Working on it!

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It is not too late to grab your seat for the 360Learning webinar today. David James and I will dig in on the practicalities of #skillsbasedlearning and we would love to see you there. Link in David's post.

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Well said Ryan and Jeff!. The other ongoing challenge is how you can truly make the organization Agile when just a portion of its operation is associated with agile methodology (tech delivery) that is bookended by traditional approaches and usual dysfunction. How does one institutionalize Agility?

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If you, like me, want to be more impactful in your coaching, come and join me in September to learn the research-informed practice of ACT, with Rachael. More information here 👉... https://lnkd.in/eqpErerv See you there!

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I consider Team Charters fundamental to the performance of any team. Frankly I'm unsure how a team operates effectively without one. This tool is a facilitation tutorial for those looking to build their own Team Charters. If you use it, I'd love to hear how it worked and what areas I could consider for improvements. (Link in the comments)

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Another Busy Week for Agilexe: Revolutionising Training Analysis and Design in Real-Time What if training needs analysis and design could go from weeks or months to mere hours? This week, Agilexe has been demonstrating exactly how our cutting-edge software solutions make this a reality—helping our clients reduce training needs analysis and design by over 95%! As more organisations trust us to standardise and speed up their processes, our reputation grows, and so does our client base. Here’s why leaders are choosing Agilexe: 95% Faster Turnaround: Imagine converting insights into actionable training plans almost instantly, putting solutions in place while needs are fresh. Enhanced Precision: By leveraging our AI-driven solutions, our clients can pinpoint exact training needs with unmatched clarity—no more guesswork, just actionable results. Unleashing Strategic Potential: Less time spent on analysis means more time for strategic growth, innovation, and meeting critical objectives with a highly skilled team. Our mission? To give learning and development professionals the tools to respond to organisational needs in real time, adapt seamlessly, and eliminate inefficiencies. What are your thoughts on the impact of faster, AI-enabled training processes! How could reducing the time taken to conduct training needs analysis and design change the way you work? Sceptical? Why not see for yourself and get in touch! #Agilexe #FutureOfTraining #AIForTraining #TrainingNeedsAnalysis #LearningAndDevelopment #TransformingLearning #ImpactInBusiness

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Looking to enhance your skills of facilitation? Dawn Jarvis and I have collated decades of experience and knowledge into a 3 day course that delivers powerful, practical and professional support so you can leave feeling empowered and equipped to facilitate fabulously. For more information, drop me a message. #fabulousfacilitation #organisationaldevelopment #teamcoaching #leadershipdevelopment #executivecoaching

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✅ Driving full scale, national business change requiring significant system financial input and personal accountability ❌ Endless meetings where nothing is really said! Wondering what that's ⬆️ all about? Well as we think about our careers, the work we do and why we do that work, it's important to understand the BEST and the WORST thing for you about your work, your job or your career. The BEST = where you want to be more often so you need to know what that is, and that it might change The WORST = what you want to avoid or minimise (because we don't always have control of the types of meeting we need to be at, but we can find ways to minimise this!) As we go through our working mom journey's we do have a unique opportunity to really discover and define what we want from our work and our whole lives And it's the hard and necessary work that part of being a working mother 😀 I've shared mine ⬆️ and I'd love to know your BEST and WORST from your career - let me know in the comments ⬇️ And once you've done that what will you do with that discovery? #balancingbrilliance #careerbalance #workingparents #confessionsofaworkingmom #BestAndWorst

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The need to always “be there” used to keep me up at night. 🕓 I spent years convinced that great leadership meant being endlessly available, firefighting, having an opinion around everything. If someone needed support, I’d be there. If they veered off track, I’d coach them back. I thought that was how I’d make a real impact. But, guess what? I ended up burning out… and ironically, showing up less for my team. One night, I was lying awake, running through a to-do list in my head, and it hit me: this obsession with “being needed” was backfiring. I was doing it out of habit, not because it was effective—or sustainable. ❌ 👉 And above all: It was MY need to be needed. Not my team’s. We all have attachments to these ideas of “success” that we barely even see or question. Whether it’s a fixation on proving ourselves, needing recognition, or shouldering every burden alone, they can turn into self-imposed prisons. Here’s my biggest takeaway: Sometimes, letting go of control is actually the most empowering thing we can do for ourselves—and our teams. When we loosen our grip and step back, we give others the space to step up, share ideas, and grow. --- Hi, I’m Maria, an ICF PCC coach specializing in mindfulness for organizations. 🌱 Mindfulness practice is a safe, low-stakes way for leaders to train the skill of letting go. If you’re interested in supporting your team’s emotional intelligence, I offer corporate mindfulness and yoga packages designed for exactly that. Whether you’re planning an end-of-year event or looking for a fresh start in the new year, let’s connect! 🎄 Check out my service here >> https://lnkd.in/dRNbcU8T Drop me a message, and let’s explore what we can build together. 💌 #coaching #mindfulleadership #corporateyoga

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Not having the answers, has not stopped some from selling their advice. Unrestricted Humans™ believe the answers already lie within. Our role is to help you access this know-how, opening new doors, new possibilities, new levels of engagement. We don’t sell advice; we work alongside you to unlock #potential.

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First in a series of posts about using the review tab to collaborate in MS Word. Also the final chance to read this weeks blog. The Role of Training in Improving Product Quality https://lnkd.in/eQSJgsXC #training #traininganddevelopment #msword

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If you need a crash course on #LMS, here are the basics: A learning management system (LMS) is a software application that lets you store, organise, create, deliver and track your workplace learning programmes, all in one place. There are a variety of features that can help support your organisation, including: ✅ Cloud-based set-up ✅ Training management ✅ Automation ✅ Performance tracking ✅ And much more! You can learn all about what an LMS is and how it can make a difference to you in this blog from MHR 📚 #Learning #Development #Software

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Learning is a continuous activity that doesn't really have an end point. Is it personal learnings and self awareness? is it professional progression to build mastery in a field? or a new hobby for socialising and hitting a creative edge? With the Agile O Group Learning Linktree we are promoting free online learning courses/materials that drive the professional progression. It's constantly growing and expanding across a range of topics around Business Agility. Link in my Featured section. #continuousimprovement #learning #freelearning #AgileOGroup

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Ever started something thinking it would be simple, only to uncover layers of complexity beneath the surface? For the past six months, I’ve been immersed in developing BUILD, my team coaching model and diagnostic tool. It’s now being tested with teams, and I’ve just finished the first feedback report which took so so much longer than expected. Who knew there were so many ways to present data? As a Gallup Maximizer, I’m always refining and iterating, striving for excellence - not perfection. While this drives continuous improvement, it can also be a challenge to know when something is 'good enough.' I’ve realised that improvement is a journey, not a destination - otherwise, I’d never finish anything! This process is challenging me to balance ambition with self-care. I’m curious: Have your strengths ever become a double-edged sword? How do you manage the challenges they bring? V Vera Woodhead #ExecutiveCoach #Leadership #BUILD #TeamDevelopment

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Really interesting read from SessionLab - Their 'State of Facilitation' Report: https://lnkd.in/euYXvrYp Love a good data set and this is packed full of plenty of that. As a relatively recent convert to the world of 'professional facilitation', I would also love to hear more individual origin stories. I'm fascinated to learn how people find their way into this world and know that there is so much I could learn from others' formative experiences - warts and all! #facilitation

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What a treat, chocolate drink in the sunshine! What a great way to set the scene for an agile 1-2-1 review. We often find it gives an extra oomph to reflect and to hear from each other about what's gone well, we call this WWW. So often, clients say they find it tricky to give constructive criticism, however, a good drink and perhaps some food adds to the relaxed atmosphere to be able to listen well and explore how to work better together and what could be even better if. We call this EBI. We look forward to our agile 1-2-1s each month in Connecting to Excellence. How do you feel about your agile 1-2-1s? Ashleigh Jones Will Almond Debs Crohn Adam Danyal Donna Knight #teamcoaching #leadershipdevelopment #executivecoaching #agileappraisal #agile121

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Celebrating and Appreciating! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Last week I was privileged to deliver a workshop to the Senior and Extended Leadership Team at the University of South Wales. The topic? Breathtaking Communication for Information Technology 30 minutes of presenting was followed by 30 minutes of great questions. What presentation/Q&A ratio do you appreciate in a workshop? Here are some questions I used to guide me:       Who is my audience?       How many are in the room?       What is their relationship to and knowledge of each other?       How much common ground do they share?       What is their level range? Since writing Breathtaking Communication – Tools and Techniques for Everyday Leaders my confidence in my subject-matter expertise has grown enough for me to allow as much time as possible for questions. However, if the audience is large and doesn’t know each other well, if they are from multiple industries and a range of levels is represented, I will present for longer and allow less time for questions. I always invite people to get in touch afterwards if they want to know more. Of course, they could always just read or listen to Breathtaking Communication, book me for training at their company or have 121 coaching. Isn’t it exciting that no one needs to be ill-equipped to engage their audience with power, clarity and confidence? No audience needs to suffer through a poor presentation or tedious meeting! Thanks to Sue Smith for a wonderful 5* review on Google and a recommendation here on #LlinkedIn.

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I'd like to to ask you a critical question: Are you working at the right level inside your organisation and outside of it with your key customers? The model in the image accompanying this post is a blend of a simplified version of Harvard’s Ram Charan / Stephen Trotter’s “Leadership Pipeline” model (the model focuses on the idea that leadership skills and requirements change as individuals progress through different levels of an organization) and a simplified version of Elliot Jacques' levels of work concept which proposes a correlation between the mental processing / cognitive capability of an individual, the time horizon of the work they are responsible for, and the complexity of that work. Let me orientate you to the model in the illustration: On the vertical axis – as you move upwards in an organisation the amount of leadership capability that you need to have and to demonstrate increases. On the horizontal axis – the time horizon. The further to the right, the further in the future you need to be able to think. As you think further into the future, the world becomes less "black and white and actions take longer to manifest in results. The model proposes that what makes you successful at one level does not make you successful at the next level and indeed can derail you. For example, if a sales manager does not "step up" to the different responsibilities of their new role they become what I describe as a "super rep" getting overly involved in closing all their team's sales opportunities themselves, rather than focusing on properly leading, managing and coaching their team. When selecting account managers and key account managers it is important to ensure that they possess the ability to "step up" from being a more tactical salesperson to being able to provide effective leadership to their wider account team and have the intellectual "bandwidth" and strategic perspective, as well as the ability to operate successfully and establish credibility with senior C-level executives in their customers. So, are you and your people working at the right level? #leadership #accountmanagement #KAM #salesmanagement

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