“Carla took the time to understand our business  and the challenges our managers face day to day. It’s been very  rewarding to see the confidence and capability of our managers grow as a direct result of the programme” . Julia Kemp, Managing Director at Sircle

Kate Duggan, CMO at Redgate Software, wanted to elevate her global Marketing Team’s ability to influence internally with confidence – positioning them as a strategic, commercially aware partner to both Sales and Product.

We designed and delivered a 6-month virtual programme for 40 marketers across the UK and US. Participants represented a diverse mix of roles within the Marketing function, unified by a shared goal: to increase impact, deepen stakeholder relationships, and enhance their credibility across the business.

Programme Highlights:

• Confidence Foundations
  The journey began with powerful mindset work – tackling imposter syndrome and building internal confidence. We explored how to handle feedback, navigate challenging conversations, and show up with authority in high-stakes meetings.
• Strategic Influence Skills
  We then shifted focus to influence – equipping participants with practical tools for stakeholder management, cross-functional collaboration, and speaking the language of senior leadership.
• Embedding the Marketing Brand
  In the final session, we aligned the team’s personal influence with the Marketing Leadership Team’s work on brand positioning. Together, we applied this brand thinking to two critical internal audiences – Sales and Product – resulting in a strategic review of current relationships and clear recommendations to strengthen them.

Impact:
Participants walked away with new levels of confidence and commercial awareness, and a roadmap for deeper, more effective internal partnerships. The programme created a unified, strategic voice for Marketing, enabling the team to step forward as trusted advisors to the business.

The next phase will revisit progress at the 12-month mark to assess impact and identify areas for further development.

Example takeaways from participants:

• I’m going to say no to tasks that are not strategic priorities
• I’m going to initiate contextual trainings to identify and share relevant market insights
• I’m going to own my expertise more
• I’m going to strengthen my relationship with Sales by providing more insights and impactful takeaways

“The feedback from the team has been overwhelmingly positive, with colleagues feeling grateful for the time and space to build their confidence and develop their influencing skills.  Most importantly I’ve seen the team take action on their insights – from dealing with challenge more robustly to implementing new ways of working with our colleagues across the organisation.  It was powerful to work with the Marketing Leadership Team on creating an aligned team brand  and with the wider Marketing team on how to amplify that brand through our key relationships.  Carla brought great energy to the sessions, the content was excellent and we are looking forward to continuing to increase the impact of the team in the future by bringing Carla back.” Kate Duggan, CMO at Redgate Software

Interlink, a b2b marketing and tech business, was looking for a bespoke management training course to support a global cohort of new managers to develop their leadership skills with a focus on leading high performing teams. 

Participants were based in the UK, US and Singapore and had varying levels of experience within the business and as managers. 

We worked with Louise Boyer, People Director and her team to develop a 6 month programme that included online workshops, a library of management content and a copy of my book.  Our training programme sat alongside a project Louise designed to enable the cohort to collaborate on a commercial priority.

This Confidence to Lead programme was designed to support first line managers at Interlink with confidence to lead their teams, build accountability, handle conflict, coach direct reports and create high performing teams.  

Workshops covered topics including confidence, giving and receiving feedback, challenging conversations, setting expectations, influencing, coaching and motivating your team, creating psychological safety and increasing your impact in meetings.

 Results:

• Participants rated the programme 8.7 out of 10
• Self-rating improved including a 44% increase in perceived influencing skills
• Participants reported increased confidence as leaders, a leadership toolkit they could user to handle a variety of situations and positive mindset shifts

Testimonials:

“This inspiring and practical leadership development programme was designed not just to grow us as managers, but as impactful, performance-driven, culture-scaling leaders. A huge thank you to Carla Miller for your insight, energy, and expert guidance throughout the journey.” Participant

 “We were really pleased with the Confidence to Lead course Carla developed and led at Interlink.  She brought her own proven content around confidence and influence for newer managers and built in additional content to meet our particular needs.  The workshops were engaging, relevant and practical and the sessions created a safe space for participants to share experiences and grow as leaders together.  It was fantastic to have the library of online management training content and Carla’s book to help embed learning beyond the sessions.  Carla is fantastic to work with and I’d recommend her to anyone wanting  to develop their people.” Louise Boyer, People Director at Interlink

Over the past 5 years we’ve worked with many hundreds of women leaders through our open courses and in-house training programmes and we’ve seen the same challenges come up again and again. 

But here’s the interesting thing: most women don’t actually feel comfortable raising these issues with their line manager. So this article will give you an insight into the areas for growth that are coming up most frequently in our conversations with women leaders in 2024. 

That way, you can take a proactive and realistic approach to developing your managers and leaders and where relevant, prepare them for the transition to C-Suite. 

Dealing with overwhelm and supporting an overwhelmed team

Enthusiasm, ambition, seemingly endless tasks and unrealistic expectations can mean that the role of leadership can often feel overwhelming. 

Women leaders are looking for tools, strategies and frameworks that can help them go from a state of panic to productivity and navigate the rising tide of overwhelm.  Many of the conversations we’re currently having with women leaders are about having difficult conversations (like how to say no), maintaining healthy boundaries and role modelling them so they can in turn support their overwhelmed team. 

Self doubt and imposter feelings

If you suspect that confidence issues, self doubt and imposter feelings are stopping some of your women from stepping up to that next level you’re probably right. 

Gender bias and ingrained societal narratives are still leaving women leaders questioning their own abilities and in some cases, working harder to prove their impact to themselves and others. 

Helping women to understand the causes of their self-doubt and instead, use reframing strategies to believe in themselves through the power of rewriting inner narratives can give them the tools to lead with impact and influence. 

Being heard by senior stakeholders 

Increasing influence and impact is a common challenge that many women face as they transition into leadership roles. 

The women in your business want to communicate with authority and speak the language of senior decision makers as well as handle interruptions and confidently deal with challenging situations. 

We find that as women transition into leadership, they are looking for strategies to step into their authority, with both body language and verbal communication – so that they can be heard. 

Dealing with difficult people

Difficult interactions are something every leader or manager will face at some point in their career. This might look like a challenging team member who zaps people of their energy or team leaders who are empaths and take on the energy and emotions of their team. 

The solution to difficult situations like this is learning practical ways to protect and preserve your energy and leave conversations feeling empowered, rather than exhausted.

Or it might look like the need to deal with drama in the team. For leaders, the key here is understanding why and when drama occurs so that they can identify patterns then make more informed and empowered decisions and ultimately, reduce that drama so that the team can operate effectively. 

—

So if you want to build a pipeline of female talent who feel nurtured, supported and ready to step into leadership – it’s time to get proactive with their professional development. Don’t wait for them to come to you, because it’s likely they won’t. 

Get in touch with us at Carla Miller Training so we can develop in-house support for you where you and your teams need it most. 

In our daily lives, we often encounter people or situations that leave us feeling drained and exhausted. As female leaders, it is crucial to protect our energy and maintain a positive and inspiring mindset. In this blog, we will discuss practical strategies to stop other people from draining your energy, allowing you to make a greater impact in your life and work.

Understanding the Contagious Nature of Energy

Have you ever noticed how spending time with certain individuals can leave you feeling energised and motivated, while others drain your spirit? This phenomenon occurs because our nervous systems are interconnected, making us sensitive to the energies of those around us. Whether we realise it or not, the stress or positivity emitted by others can affect our well-being.

Setting Boundaries with Energy Bubble Visualisation

One effective way to shield yourself from negative energy is to visualise an energy bubble. Start by imagining a colour that represents the feelings you want to cultivate, such as calmness or power. Envision this bubble surrounding you, serving as a protective barrier against external influences. When confronted with negativity or draining conversations, imagine the energy bouncing right off your bubble. This simple technique helps you maintain your energy and prevent it from being drained by others.

Identify Energy-Draining Situations and People

Awareness is key in safeguarding your energy. Pay attention to situations and individuals that consistently leave you feeling tired or down. These could be individuals who are constantly negative, stressed, or anxious. By becoming aware of the people and circumstances that drain your energy, you can take proactive steps to minimise their impact on your well-being.

Maintaining Distance and Boundaries

Once you have identified the energy-draining elements in your life, it’s essential to set boundaries to protect yourself. This may involve limiting the time you spend with certain individuals or avoiding certain environments that consistently leave you feeling drained. By prioritising your well-being, you can create a space that allows you to thrive and make a positive impact.

Self-Care and Recharging

Taking care of your energy is crucial in building resilience against external influences. Engage in activities that rejuvenate and recharge you, whether it’s practicing mindfulness, exercising, reading, or spending time in nature. By nurturing your energy, you strengthen your ability to withstand the draining effects of others.

To be an impactful female leader it is vital to have boundaries and preserve your energy. By recognising the contagious nature of energy and utilising visualisation techniques, such as the energy bubble, you can shield yourself from negativity. Protecting yourself and prioritising self-care are all essential steps in creating a space where you can thrive and make a positive impact in the workplace. Remember, your energy is precious, so protect it wisely.

We are giving away a new free resource that you won’t want to miss. It’s a video excerpt from our highly popular masterclass on how to worry less about work. This video contains five powerful strategies that have helped thousands of women overcome their work-related worries. To access this valuable resource, sign up for our newsletter here.

Being a leader in charge of managing managers brings unique challenges. Unlike managing junior staff members, managers have multiple responsibilities, including team performance, supporting their team, and juggling their own workload.

In this blog, we will explore three key tips that will help you to become a more inspiring and impactful leader to the managers in your organisation.

1. Embrace different management styles

It is important to acknowledge that each manager may have a unique management style, different from your own. Rather than expecting them to think, communicate, or lead in the same way as you, try to embrace their individuality. It is important to understand that there is no right or wrong way to manage or lead. Just because you have more experience does not mean your approach is better. You can do this by encouraging open conversations about different management styles. Help managers develop their own style by asking non-confrontational questions when they approach a situation differently – get curious about what you can learn from their approach. By normalising diverse approaches, you empower managers to become the best versions of themselves rather than poor imitations of you.

2. Foster trust and autonomy

One of the biggest sources of tension between managers and their direct reports is the lack of trust. Managers need to feel trusted to perform their roles effectively. To establish trust, avoid micromanaging and try to let go of the need to control every aspect of their work. Instead, delegate the desired results, rather than dictating the step-by-step process. Discuss how you can add value to their work, whether it’s providing guidance, acting as a sounding board, or navigating internal politics on their behalf. Acknowledging their expertise and empowering them to shine will foster a sense of trust and autonomy, allowing them to excel in their roles.

3. Provide ongoing support

Even experienced managers require support, although it may look different. Create an environment of psychological safety by encouraging open conversations about how you can support them. Ask for their feedback on what you do that helps or hinders their work. Listen attentively, reflecting on the feedback without becoming defensive. Make sure that you provide the necessary coaching, training, or resources they need to grow. Keep in mind that learning and development should be an ongoing process rather than a one-time event.

Effectively managing managers requires a unique approach and mindset. By embracing diverse management styles, fostering trust, and providing ongoing support, you can create an environment where managers excel and feel empowered. Remember, it is not a one-time task but an ongoing commitment to their growth and success. Stay attuned to their workload, address burnout risks, and advocate for their well-being. By investing in their growth and well-being, you enable them to thrive as leaders and you will too.

We have a brilliant programme specifically designed to provide managers and leaders with the support, training, and community they need to excel in their roles coming soon. Don’t miss out; sign up for our early bird list to stay informed.

Is the value we place on productivity and ticking off the to do list resulting in overwork, burnout and ineffective leaders because we never have time to prioritise our own leadership development?

I believe it is and I have a simple message… it’s time to stop working so hard and look at a new way to approach leadership.

Perhaps we can all take a leaf out of Warren Buffet’s empty diary. One of the most successful businessmen in the world prioritises space in his work day and lives by the idea that busy is the new stupid.

The current way we work promotes a culture of productivity and teaches us to value ourselves based on how much work we can get done. Our to do lists have taken on a life of their own!

I work with female leaders who come to me close to burnout because of the pressure, overtime and over-investment they feel that is an unavoidable part of their role.

As a coach, I teach these leaders how to thrive in their work as it is now but now I’m also encouraging leaders to question the structure and culture they work in and ask whether it needs to be the way it is.

The question I’m personally considering is, how can we reimagine our work?

Reimagining Work

These are three ideas that could help us do that:

1. Instead of focusing on the what, focus on the why. Are there tasks that are being created for the sake of it? Are you constantly doing busy work? As a leader, you can step back and decide what matters. What is adding the most value? What is the purpose of each task for you and your team and how you can spend your time doing the ones that make the most impact?
2. Allow people in your team to bring their unique strengths to the workplace. Using these strengths means higher quality work they enjoy and they can do effectively. Neurodiversity is an emerging topic that leaders should consider – you can find out more about it on this past podcast – Neurodiversity at Work with Professor Amanda Kirby
3. Organisations preparing their leaders for their roles through professional development and leadership training. Often leaders are promoted into their roles without the training they need. Many of the women I work with join my courses under their own initiative and are self-funding because they are not getting what they need internally. How can you start the conversation for leadership training at your organisation?

Your leadership beliefs

It’s not just the culture and structure. We can also question our personal beliefs about what being a leader means.

You might have a belief like: “Being a manager and a leader is about getting things done”

Let’s challenge this belief!

When I moved from permanent full-time roles at Director level to interim Director or Chief Executive part-time roles I had to adjust how I worked with the hours I had.

I discovered that being a great leader wasn’t about what you’re doing. It’s about who you’re being. You as the manager or leader are at the centre of your team so how you’re being impacts everyone in your team.

If you improve the way that you think, feel and act – if you start to think like a leader, feel like a leader, act like a leader – that will have a ripple effect that will make your job easier, make you much more effective, protect your energy and have the same impact on the people in your team.

Here are some questions for you to consider:

• Who do I need to be to be to be a great leader?
• Who do I need to be for my team?
• Who do I need to be to get the best out of them, support them and help them to not get burnt out or overloaded?

To be a great leader, you need to prioritise your own development. Consider your current to do list (which I’m sure is long!). Is your own leadership development on that list? If it is, does it constantly get bumped for more urgent tasks?

I work with a lot of people who are motivated and want to develop themselves as a leader but still really struggle to find the time to do it.

Three ways you can prioritise your leadership development

If you’re reading this and have realised you’re caught in the productivity trap and never have the time to step back and develop your leadership skills, here’s three practical tips that can help.

1: Schedule some time in your working day or working week for your development

Whether that’s attending a webinar, reading an article, having a coffee with someone else in your field or learning a new skill, start to schedule that time in. You can set yourself a challenge of scheduling that time every week that’s immovable. Call it something else if you want to but get it in your diary and make sure it happens.

2: Change the way you approach your emails

Do you feel a bit like Pavlov’s dog with your emails? One comes in and you feel like you need to respond straight away. When we do that, our agenda and our priorities for the day go out the window and someone else’s agenda or needs takes over.

Put your own needs and to do list first by allocating time each day for emails. It could be three times a day or five – whatever is appropriate for your role. Help yourself to break the addiction to your emails and give yourself more time in the day to be the leader you want to be.

3: Consider how you can you be less busy and create more space

Take a step back and ask yourself how you can be less busy. How can you create more space to be a great leader for your team and prevent your own overwork and burnout?

My challenge for you this week is instead of focusing on your tasks and your to do list, think about how you can think, feel and act like more of a leader.

Ask yourself how you can reimagine the way that you work and what environment and culture you need to support you as a leader and your team.

And if you are looking for ways to develop as a leader do check out our Influence & Impact programme.

You may be heading towards burnout without realising it so it is important to know the signs of burnout and also the steps you can take to avoid it. 

Recognising how the signs of burnout show up for you 

Know yourself first 

Your first step is knowing yourself and recognising your own traits. It’s not bad to be somebody who works incredibly hard but it’s not sustainable or healthy to do it constantly.   You need to know yourself, how you work best and recognise the signs of burnout and exhaustion in your body.  

Your boundaries 

Having poor boundaries can lead to burnout especially your work/life boundaries. This has been especially clear in the pandemic with the line between work and home having completely disappeared. It’s important you set your boundaries, communicate them and be disciplined with sticking to them. 

Overworking yourself 

If you consistently overwork, at some point it is going to catch up with you. You might think you’re doing more but it’s not actually productive and the quality of your work is less. Your work can become addictive and you might resonate with the idea of being a workaholic.  

Ask yourself why you feel addicted to work and how you can find more pleasure in your personal life to get the balance back. 

It’s the wrong role 

Sometimes we’re not in the right role for us. It could be a perfectly healthy organisation but actually, we’re in a role that just doesn’t work for us. To compensate, we’re working really, really hard which leads to high stress levels, frustration and imposter syndrome. Consider whether your role is using your unique strengths, whether it fits into you Zone of Genius and if you enjoy the work.  

I’m burnt out! What can I do?  

If you’re reading this and thinking “I feel like I’m in burnout, I need to help myself”, here are some tips to help you get started. 

Build rest into your week 

Sometimes we can work really hard and then have a lot on socially as well. You might also have a family and we know that’s not very restful, particularly with young children. Create some space for yourself and scope out time for rest.  Read a book or have a cup of tea or sit in the sunshine in the garden and just watch the bees, butterflies and birds buzzing and flying around. 

Be kind to yourself 

You’re probably really kind to everybody else but you may not be kind to yourself. For example, if you wouldn’t ask a team member to do it then why are you asking yourself to do it?  You can aim to treat yourself as you might treat a child that you love or are your best friend. Look after yourself as much as you look after other people.  

Know your worth 

Know that your worth is not linked to the quality of your work. You have innate value just for being you. There is no one else on this entire earth that has your unique combination of experience, personality, relationships and the energy that you show up with.  You are valuable exactly as you are and you do not have to work yourself into the ground to prove to anyone else or yourself that you’re good enough. You just have to choose to believe that you’re good enough, and to tell yourself regularly to counteract any negative thoughts that so often come up. 
 

I interviewed Professor Amanda Kirby, an expert in neurodiversity at work, the CEO of Do-It Solutions and co-author of the book Neurodiversity at Work

It was such an interesting discussion I want to share some of the key points I picked up during the interview and you can listen to the full episode here.

How much do you know about neurodiversity? It’s an emerging subject especially in relation to adults and the workplace.

We are all neurodiverse individuals and neurodiversity simply defines the different ways we think, act and communicate.

About 10% of us are neurodivergent, which means the way we do these things is different from the “average” or “norm”. This influences our individual strengths and challenges, in both our personal and work lives. Some examples of this are people who have been diagnosed with autism, ADHD or dyslexia but many people have no diagnosis and just know that their brain seems to be wired differently from others.

Unfortunately, being neurodivergent is often negatively stereotyped and not well understood by managers or leaders. A recent CIPD study showed that 72 percent of HR professionals said that consideration of neurodiversity wasn’t included in their people management practices

Amanda shared valuable insights about the challenges that neurodivergent employees experience in the workplace and lots of practical tips for how leaders and organisations can support them.

Here’s five ways that you can support neurodivergent team members in your workplace and create an environment that embraces neurodiversity:

1. Learn about it

Take the time to understand neurodiversity and perhaps some of the assumptions you have made about what good performance looks like. A great place to start is the book Amanda co-authored with Theo Smith – Neurodiversity at Work: Drive Innovation, Performance and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce.

2. Create a safe environment

Once you understand it, make neurodiversity an open conversation and embrace it as a strength in your team. Celebrate what every individual uniquely brings.

3. Be proactive with your support

Speak to neurodivergent team members and ask them how you can support them, what their strengths are and what they find most challenging. Then find new ways of working. I worked with an incredible fundraiser who was dyslexic. She worked to her strengths of inspiring people and connecting and storytelling and wove her magic and any formal proposals were spellchecked before they went out because she asked for that support.

4. Assess your recruitment practices

It’s important to create an inclusive recruitment process that acknowledges and encourages neurodivergent applicants. Some simple things you can implement are being really open about the format and flow of the interviews and interview process and providing questions in advance. But also check that some of the assumptions you may make about CVs based on spelling or grammar are not ruling out some talented people.

5. Your work environment matters

Assess your work environment for accessibility and inclusivity. You can get ideas and inspiration from universal design principles but start with finding out how the people in your team work best. Do they need quiet for example or do they struggle to sit still for a 2 hour meeting?

And finally, get curious about how you can best support your neurodiverse colleagues and create a space where they can share their needs with you.