Lessons for Leaders

Hosted by Emma Langton, Leadership Coach and Wellbeing Trainer. Each episode I’ll be bring you lessons, learnings, tips and advice to enable you to lead with ease in business and thrive in life. You can find me at http://www.emmalangton.com/

Celebrating 100 Episodes 04/28/2022

How to Persuade Leaders to Invest in Wellbeing 04/21/2022

How to Persuade Leaders to Invest in Wellbeing This week I'm sharing top tips and conversations that I have frequently with people in organisations to help them know how to persuade leaders to invest in wellbeing. We're covering: What to do to persuade your leaders The 3 R’s that I like to go with organisations I work with. Why we need to look at revenue in different ways and I dive into specifics here to give you a head start. How to highlight the risks to an organisation Why it’s important to include reputation in this persuasive detail too. It’s easy to say wellbeing can help to reverse employee burnout and reduce stress, turnover, and absenteeism. Often dismissed or seen as nice to do. Is it really essential. Is it something worthy of budget or resources. Promoting an environment where it’s ok to talk about mental health and encouraging good wellbeing is simply the right thing to do. Unfortunately, some of your senior colleagues won’t agree or will be more focused on investing in business projects that they deem to have a clearer ROI. The good news is that whilst not everyone will see wellbeing plans and training as a business critical issue right now… there are strong reasons that it MUST form part of your core business strategy. You just need to find what IS the focus of your senior people so that we can determine how do we convince, persuade, or justify the time and expense on wellbeing. Company executives want to know that any new program, including wellbeing, is going to support the bottom line of the business and its long-term growth. I share in more detail how you can do that. So have a listen. If you’re looking for support for your wellbeing plan, coaching for your leaders or training programmes that not only helps your leaders, managers and employees enhance their wellbeing and performance but also gives you the tools and strategies to ensure senior buy in from the outset – get in touch. Any questions on this, drop me an email at For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me and arrange a time for a chat. /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/22827848

Why a Good Leader Will Give Teams Autonomy 04/14/2022

Why a Good Leader Will Give Teams Autonomy This week I'm joined by Gemma Woodward who is People & Culture Manager for Netsells in York. We are talking about leadership and autonomy. Listen in for: What are the benefits of allowing autonomy. How leaders can encourage autonomy in their teams. Where leaders get it wrong with a top down leadership and how it can affect their people and the organisation what's one key thing that people should remember about autonomy Key comments and take-aways A top down leadership can create a fear of coming forward and fear of making mistake, their ideas and decisions might be more beneficial than they think. People have a valuable input to give a different perspective and do add value. Businesses will tell you they trust you but don’t really demonstrate that. If we want to retain staff, enhance talent and develop people it’s really worthwhile for organisations to create a team culture that also makes them an employer of choice. Culture is not defined with free tea and coffee and ping pong tables anymore. We need to move away from the thought process of ‘it’s quicker if I do it” because we create a bottleneck in the process and means you’re not passing on knowledge to the team. Use mistakes as a focus to learn from rather than beat someone up about it. How can leaders enable more automony in the workplace? We need to recognise that everyone has a different way of working and different levels of creativity. There is a saying that there is strength in numbers so I believe we should embrace that by working collaboratively and learning from each other. Any questions on this, drop me an email at For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me and arrange a time for a chat. Connect with Gemma on /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/22752566

Why Leaders Need to Get Back to the Floor 04/07/2022

Why it's Worth Investing in Stress Awareness 03/31/2022

Why it's Worth Investing in Stress Awareness This week on the podcast I'm talking about Why it's Worth Investing in Stress Awareness. I wonder if you've ever had a time when you've ever felt stressed and known what would help ... but not bothered to do it???? This is just one of the reason why I'm sharing information that can help you make a decision on whether it's worth investing in stress awareness. I cover: What is causing Stress in the workplace? How Will Stress Awareness Help Your Organisation? How Does Stress Impact Productivity? Is it Worth Investing in Stress Awareness? Ways I can support you or help for you to do it yourself. Stress is a word that we have heard so many times over the last two years. In fact, if you asked many people I am sure that ‘stressful’ would sum up their experience of the pandemic. April is Stress Awareness Month, and with the easing of lockdown restrictions, many are finding themselves back in the office or adapting to a permanent working from home or hybrid working environment. With this comes benefits, but also many challenges. The last two years has changed how we connect and communicate, and although it’s also taught us resilience and shined a spotlight on our ability to adapt, it’s also impacted our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Employers have a ‘duty of care’ to ensure that employees are not subjected to excessive stress in the workplace, this also means arming employees and leaders with the tools they need to manage stress effectively. As well as costing businesses money through work-related stress and mental illness absences (£26 billion per annum in fact), stress thought to be responsible for almost half of working days lost in Britain due to health issues. Listen for more details, ideas, information and discussion on this topic. Ask me about my Stress Awareness Workshops or grab my DIY pack. This is a pack full of factual information, instructions and resources so that you can implement your own Stress Awareness and activities with your workplace and colleagues without having to think up ideas. There are also posters and images to share in your own newsletters along with a quiz and some conversation topics. Or, to find out more about my Stress Awareness Workshops get in touch now, spaces are filling up fast. I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me and arrange a time for a chat. /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/22619891

Lockdown Lessons for Leaders 03/24/2022

Supporting Female Leaders 03/10/2022

Supporting Female Leaders In honour of International Women's Day, I’m here to give ideas of ways that you can support women in leadership roles. There can be a number of reasons why there are less women than men in leadership roles. Data from the House of Commons found that companies led by women outperform those led by men - but despite this, we're very far from achieving gender parity in the workplace I share information about Break the Bias Unconscious biases, opinions, beliefs are formed early in our childhood. We learn these from family, friends, people of authority that are social messaging about boys and girls. Encouraging women to pursue leadership roles and supporting those who are already leaders is beneficial for the workplace as a whole. Improve Confidence Many women don’t apply for specific leadership positions so work to improve confidence can be really helpful at this level. Improve Language When I say this I mean changing the way that we are speaking up / giving time to be heard / not talking over the top of people Establishing meeting etiquettes to ensure everyone is treated fairly during meetings, that all have the opportunity to speak and be heard. Listen for the story I share about how I had to have conversations about language being used so that I could keep a strong mindset about the work I was doing. Male Allies and Cheerleaders are hugely important and I talk a little about this too. Mentoring Coaching Women's Networks Are all important factors and get in touch if you want more info on my services for these but listen in to how these are different and how they can help support women in leadership. Finally, Pay the same – if you’re not closing the gender pay gap then you’re missing one big thing. Companies with female leaders perform better than those led by males, House of Commons data has revealed. Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode. If you haven’t yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to or head over to my to book into the diary. /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/22379738

Why Empathy is Crucial for Great Leaders 03/03/2022

Easy Ways to Say No 02/24/2022

Easy Ways to Say No Do you find it difficult to say no to people? Perhaps it means you end up being busy, stressed, over-committed? Often when we struggle to say no to people it can leave us feeling used, put up-on, juggling too many things. Are you the one who ends up working late because you’ve said yes to others, yet you’re the one with more to do? This episode is for you where I talk about Say no and establish healthy boundaries How to handle the fear, stress, worry and guilt The surprising reason that saying no is good for you Key phrases that you can begin to use to get you started Why it’s not always about you Suggestions to think about helping you with easy ways to say no It's important to be able to say no so you feel empowered while still maintaining your relationships with others. Saying no helps you establish healthy boundaries and enables others to have clarity about what they can expect from you. When you struggle to say no, look at what’s going on when you feel like this? What feeling or emotion comes up for you when people ask you do something? Perhaps there are past experiences and situations mean that you’ve learned it’s easier to say yes than no. For many it’s a worry or fear about what others will think. Consider the other situation – you say yes so many times that you end up worn out, then there’s really no chance of you saying yes to anything if you’ve made yourself poorly! Focus on the benefits of saying no. Apparently the Mayo clinic has done research that concludes that saying no can help to reduce your stress levels and increase your happiness. Any questions on this, drop me an email at For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me and arrange a time for a chat. /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/22240625

De-stigmatizing Mental Health 02/17/2022

De-stigmatizing Mental Health This week I'm sharing tips and information about De-stigmatizing Mental Health. I share key points on: Why mental health is stigmatized How stigma brings shame and what that looks like How it will impact on your organisation Good news on the wider impact of investing in destigmatizing Key things that you can do and examples too When we prevent people talking openly and transparently we also prevent those who need it from having support. Stigma brings shame. Listen in for information about how people respond then feel ashamed and what the impact will be on your organisation and how it can impact absenteeism, presenteeism and attrition. Mixed anxiety and depression has been estimated to cause one fifth of days lost from work in Britain. May 2021 Office for National Statistics, reveals that depression rates have doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began The good news is that it’s not just about investing in wellbeing and culture it's helpful for everyone. Listen in for the explanation of the work I did in schools when my kids needed extra support that was helpful for all children, not just them. The same is true in an organisation so what you get is happier, more inclusive workplaces where people feel accepted and want to come to work. Let’s not forget that stress and mental health works on a sliding scale and you never know who might slide up that scale to a point of difficulty and who might get a ton of crap thrown at them for longer periods so that they stay at the top end of that scale and hit crisis mode. What can we do? I talk about the education, training and culture that can be impacted. Language is huge and I share how you can impact this. People need to feel safe enough to talk and that they will be heard. They don’t even need you to understand them or be able to stand in their shoes. I share a couple of key phrases that help you to help de-stigmatize mental health and support your people. As well as language they hear at work there’s also a language going on inside their own head based on their own upbringing and experiences. They might be ashamed, believe they’re weak (this has been said to me often) think no-one will understand or don’t want to show a vulnerability. My daughter both think they can hide their worries and concerns. Yet it shows in their behaviour. It takes the entire team to work together to make progress and consistently send the message that there is no stigma or shame around mental health. Even then, don’t be offended if someone still struggles to talk to you. It’s not you. You can still help. As the stigma lifts and the culture changes, the sense of shared trauma and experiences are making it easier for people to talk not just about their own struggles, but to recognize those issues in others. Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode. If you haven’t yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to or head over to my to book into the diary. /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/22137044

Tips for Children’s Mental Health Week 02/10/2022

Tips for Children’s Mental Health Week Since this week is Children's Mental Health Week, I'm sharing some of my top tips and experience that I've used with my own children and hope will be helpful for you too. 1 in 6 children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem, and many more struggle with challenges from bullying to bereavement. 50% of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14. This is why we need to equip young people with skills to build emotional fitness, improve their wellbeing and manage their emotions. Talk at every opportunity. You can use car journey's, meal times, walking to school or going for a coffee for opportunities to talk about the day or something else. If they’re in a mood or had a rough day, get them talking so that throughout the conversation they can change their perspective on the day. Perhaps they begin to realise it wasn't the whole day that was bad. 3 Key Phrases I share my 3 key phrases that work in all sorts of situations that ensure we calm down the brain and stop people and children being defensive. Remember to Tell Stories I shared in the last podcast episode about the power of sharing stories. What you’re demonstrating is You are not alone I felt like that once too I know what you mean Over time things change Why side by side conversations are really powerful to ensure that there is no pressure to make eye contact and reduces any confrontational feelings. Help them figure out their own struggles. Listen in to the explanation of this and why and how this builds resilience. I give examples of questions you can ask and what can happen when you do this so that they move out of catastrophe and doom and gloom situations. Self Esteem is often a tough one to build. I share some simple and effective tips so that you can talk about the good things that they do, rather than how they are as a person. Listen in for examples. Finally, You’re not supposed to be your child’s therapist, but you are supposed to be their confidant, their safe place, the person they come to. However difficult it is for you – it’s going to be so much harder for them. I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me and arrange a time for a chat. /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/22049795

How Stories Challenge the Stigma of Mental Health 02/03/2022

Challenging the Stigma of Mental Health 01/27/2022

Challenging the Stigma of Mental Health Paul McGregor joins Emma to talk about Challenging the Stigma of Mental Health. Paul is a Mental Health speaker and founder of Everymind at Work. Listen in where we talk about The key reasons Paul does this work in the mental health space What we mean by a sliding scale of mental health The biggest mistakes organisations make The big thing that helps to tackle stigma The one thing Paul says we need to think about. Listen to Paul talking about his business - how he got into talking about mental health - how they partner with organisations on Mental Health and - the key product of having an app that provides support. Plus he shares more info and reasons why his key mission is to help employees to feel safe about the challenges because of the stigma around mental health. Paul shares some of the detail about how he handled the death of his dad. Listen to the conversation about the stigma about therapy and Paul and Emma share their experiences of therapy. “mental health is a difficult for thing, especially for men to talk about” Listen to Emma’s short story about a client of hers with crippling anxiety and how he said “I don’t want to be seen as weak”. How do we provide support to people in organisations to stop them before they’re needing time off. Why there is need to embed into strategy and culture. Paul talks us through examples of his first tip to everyone (that I completely agree with) Start with Why! Why are you looking at mental health support? This is where to start with plans, rather than what you are doing. Listen to the conversation about the importance of senior leaders sharing their stories or struggles and how it can be so powerful and create trust. The one big thing that helps to tackle stigma (get employees sharing). Get in touch with Paul at Any questions on this, drop me an email at For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me and arrange a time for a chat. /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/21904241

Looking Ahead for 2022 01/21/2022

Looking Ahead for 2022 I'm sharing some insider secrets and top tips about the conversations I've been having. Im' sharing some of the trends I've seen and the issues that people tell me they have in their organisations. I also share some of the top requests for wellbeing and the one top tip that I have that includes my free gift to you too! Did you know that 45% of employees reported feeling emotionally drained from work since the pandemic began? Listen in where I share one particularly interesting aspect of wellbeing that I had not thought about and hear what I did to help some law and housing organisations be able to cope with this issue. January and the New Year always seems a fitting time to think about goals and changes for the year ahead, and this is why I share my ONE thing I think you need to think about when looking ahead for 2022. My 7 steps to Winning Wellbeing pack is a pdf and podcast episode sharing key aspects that need to be included so that you don't need to think about it. (see links at the end) I run through some of the top wellbeing workshops that I'm delivering right now and why these are being asked for. Finally, don't forget to ensure that you equip your leaders to be able to support your people. I'm getting more enquiries from people looking for leadership coaching so that they prevent burn out and are able to support their people, so ensure that is included too when you are looking ahead in 2022. For the listen to this episode. Contact me at for a copy of the pdf guidance on the same subject. Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode. If you haven’t yet left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast. Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to . Or head over to my and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diary. /episode/index/show/businessbalance/id/21848936