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The Compass Journal: Navigating Careers & Leadership

Fresh thinking for forward-focused organisations

Explore practical insights, thought leadership, and real-world stories on career development, leadership, and the evolving world of work. Each article is designed to spark ideas and support you in creating a culture where people and performance thrive.

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Blog: Talent Development

Two men in business suits stand by a large window in a modern office, smiling and looking at a mobile phone together—perhaps sharing tips on how to better understand your manager. An empty meeting table and chairs are in the foreground.

Managing Upwards: First you need to clearly understand your Manager

Managing upwards is one of the most valuable – yet often overlooked – career skills you can develop. It’s not about trying to curry favour or play politics. It’s about building a productive, respectful relationship with your manager so that you can both succeed. The starting point? As Stephen Covey famously said, “Seek first to

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Four people clasp each other's wrists, forming a connected circle with their hands, symbolising teamwork, trustworthiness, and unity. The background is blurred with office documents and supplies visible.

How to Build Trust at Work: Practical Strategies to Strengthen Your Leadership and Relationships

In today’s world of hybrid teams, burnout, and generational divides, trust isn’t just a “nice to have” — it’s a career necessity. Whether you’re a leader managing remote teams, an HR professional designing development programmes, or an employee navigating your own career path, trust is the glue that holds it all together. It’s also one of the

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7 Actions You Can Take to Deepen Your Self-Awareness

In my last blog post, I talked about why deepening self-awareness is critical for career growth and success. Deepening your self-awareness is a lifelong effort. Researcher and author Tasha Eurich uncovered a disturbing statistic. Her multi-year study showed that 95% of us think we are quite self-aware, but only about 10-15% of us actually are.

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A large, vintage-style question mark sign with exposed light bulbs lies on its side against a dark background. The glowing bulbs evoke self-awareness for career success, casting a warm, inviting light.

Why Deeper Self-Awareness is Critical for Career Growth and Success

When I reflect on the pivotal moments in my own career, one thing consistently stands out. It wasn’t a promotion.It wasn’t a training course.It was a conversation – one where I finally understood how I was getting in my own way. Up until then, I’d been described as “calm under pressure.” But what I didn’t realise was

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Want to future-proof your career? Adaptability is the number one power skill

Charles Darwin’s words still very much ring true. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one that is most adaptable to change.” If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that the environment in which we now work is incredibly unpredictable; things change fast. So, employees

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Aerial view of intersecting country roads dividing green and dark farmland, with a few scattered trees casting long shadows—symbolising a career development journey through varied landscapes.

Your Career Development Journey. Consider These Six Different Routes You Can Take

In my last blog post, ‘Career Development has changed. It’s time for a meaningful 21st century definition‘, I talked about how the world of work has changed. If ladders still exist, they are harder to climb. Here we explore other ways to take your career development journey. People still move upwards in a career. In

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A spiral staircase with beige steps and black railings, viewed from above. The curved handrail is light brown, and the stairwell forms a circular pattern—resembling career progression—leading down to a white floor and ceiling fan.

Career Development has changed. It’s time for a meaningful 21st century definition

Career progression – redefining career development.
What does career progression mean to you? If you had to create an image to represent career progression, what would it be?

I asked that very question in a webinar for a client recently and I received the following answers:

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A bunch of shiny blue balloons are gathered together in front of a white brick wall, with several white candles placed on the floor in the background.

9 Years of Celebration with Team AO

It’s been quite a year hasn’t it? But now, Spring is here, the sun has appeared and the UK is starting to come out of lockdown. There is an atmosphere of hope, and optimism. And Team AO is celebrating! 1 April 2021 is our 9th Birthday (and no, that’s not an April Fools spoof). So,

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A woman giving a high five to another woman, celebrating the connection between mentors and mentees.

How to Get Mentors and Mentees Excited About Your Mentoring Programme

This blog post continues our series, A Year in the Life of an Organisation’s Mentoring Programme. Team AO are working with a worldwide organisation to implement a programme of mentoring to develop the careers of junior female scientific researchers. In this series of blog posts, I am sharing with you how we went about delivering the

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