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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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mentoring

Four people sit and one stands around a table covered in notebooks, folders, and sticky notes, collaborating and discussing work. Laptops and pens are visible, showing their dedication to group study or team projects focused on operational excellence.

Realise the Potential of Your Workforce: Balancing Career Development with Operational Excellence

Running lean has become the norm for many large organisations, particularly in the current challenging economic climate. While this operational efficiency brings cost benefits, it can also pose a significant challenge. As one of our readers recently asked: how do you balance the need for career development with the relentless demands of day-to-day operations? The

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A person in a suit holds a silver compass in their hand, the needle pointing southeast—symbolising strategies for success. The blurred, dark background draws attention to the hand and compass as the image’s focal points.

Navigating a Nonlinear Career Path: Strategies for Success

In today’s rapidly changing professional landscape, a linear career path is becoming increasingly rare. In our last blog post we discussed the benefits of the non-linear career route where many individuals find themselves embarking on nonlinear journeys, embracing diverse roles, industries, and opportunities. While this flexibility offers exciting prospects, it can also be challenging to

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Four stages of a monarch butterfly’s metamorphosis showcase a growth mindset: a green chrysalis, a dark chrysalis, and a butterfly emerging, all hanging from the underside of a basket with a blurred background.

Unlock Your Career Potential with a Growth Mindset

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’m just not good at that”? Maybe it’s presenting in front of a group, having difficult conversations, or learning a new system at work. I remember a client – let’s call her Sarah – who’d just been promoted into a new leadership role. She was smart, capable, and respected

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Two women sit on a pink sofa in a cosy, colourful living room, smiling and talking. One holds a tablet and gestures while the other claps, both appearing cheerful as they discuss ways to improve emotional intelligence together.

Top tips on improving your emotional intelligence for success in your career

In my previous blog post, What Does Emotional Intelligence Mean for Career Development?, we explored what emotional intelligence is, why it matters, and how it can make a real difference to your career success. Understanding the concept is one thing – but putting it into practice is where the real transformation happens. In this follow-up, I’ll

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A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a blue top, smiles and hugs herself. Beside her is a quotation about embracing equity for a just and inclusive workplace. International Women's Day and equity hashtags are shown.

Embracing Equity: International Women’s Day 2023

Today, 8 March 2023, is International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme is ‘embrace equity’. So, I thought I’d write about the importance of embracing equity to women’s career development and the powerful role that mentoring can play. Gender equity has been a contentious issue in workplaces around the world for many years. Women continue

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A collection of open books laid out overlapping each other, displaying various pages filled with text in different typefaces and orientations. The books create a textured, literary background that evokes the spirit of positive mentoring and shared knowledge.

Inspirational Quotes About Mentoring to Empower Growth and Connection

Mentoring has shaped my life – and the lives of so many others – in quiet but powerful ways. Years ago, I was asked to mentor a bright young leader transitioning into a global role. She was smart, capable, and motivated but stuck. She didn’t need me to have all the answers. What she needed

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How to Remove Fear from Career Conversations With Employees

It’s no wonder managers can find it hard to have career conversations with employees. Time pressures, office politics and egos can all get in the way. We all know it’s good to talk. But, let’s face it.  Opening up a conversation about a sensitive issue like career progression can weigh heavily on even the most

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