The People Mentor Podcast

Nicola Richardson
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Management

Series 6: Find Your Voice – Confidence, Silence and the Conversations That Matter This series is all about the voice you've been holding back, because confidence was never actually the problem. I'm Nicola Richardson from The People Mentor, and I've spent over 40 years leading teams through change, conflict and everything in between. I know what it costs when people stay quiet, and what changes the moment they don't. In this series, I'm bringing you real stories from my own career and from the people I work with, on why silence at work is rarely about a lack of courage, and almost always about a missing skill. We'll get into what actually stops people speaking up, why confidence follows skill rather than the other way round, and what saying nothing really costs a business and the person carrying it. I'm also joined by guests, real leaders and managers from care, charity and small business, each bringing their own experience of building influence and speaking up without needing a title to back it. If you've ever gone quiet when you had something worth saying, this series will show you why, and what to do about it. Listen now for honest insight and down-to-earth leadership support.

  1. 4d ago

    Confidence Isn't the Problem. Skills Are as a Manager

    Most managers who avoid difficult conversations believe the problem is confidence. In this episode Nicola makes the case that it's a skills gap wearing a confidence costume, and that the two need completely different solutions. She walks through all seven steps of her COMPASS Conversation Model, names the mistake that derails each stage, and gives the words to recover when it goes wrong. For any manager who has been putting a conversation off and telling themselves they're just not that sort of person. Got a conversation coming up and you'd rather have a plan than a pep talk? The Workplace Conversation Kickstart is one session where we build your actual conversation, the opening lines, the awkward middle, and what you say if they push back. https://thepeoplementor.co.uk/the-workplace-conversation-kickstart/ Mentioned in this episode: Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

    Confidence Isn't the Problem. Skills Are as a Manager

  2. Oct 18

    The Behaviour You Can Feel But Can't Prove

    The sigh when you hand out a task. Sarcasm dressed up as humour. Agreement in the room and then nothing actually done. Written down on their own, none of it would get anyone in trouble, and that's exactly why it keeps going. In this episode, Nicola looks at passive-aggressive behaviour at work and why good managers get stuck on it. Not because they lack nerve, but because they can't evidence it. You'll hear why people choose the sideways route, how to describe a pattern instead of reaching for a label, how to present impact in a way that can't be argued with, and what to say when you get "I was only joking." Two steps from the COMPASS conversation model do all the heavy lifting here: observe and present impact. There's also one thing to do this week, and it takes a notebook and two weeks. If you've got one of these sitting on your desk at the moment, have a look at the Workplace Conversation Kickstart: https://thepeoplementor.co.uk/the-workplace-conversation-kickstart/. One session, one specific conversation, yours, with the words worked out before you walk in. Mentioned in this episode: Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

    The Behaviour You Can Feel But Can't Prove

  3. Oct 11

    Managing a Team You Rarely See.

    What happens when your team is so small that no one else can pick up the pieces? Simon Harniess leads the Essex Care Association with a two-person team, works part-time, and brings over 40 years of social care experience. In this episode, he reveals the quiet management mistake that can cause problems for months, shares his unexpected response when someone in his team is running low, and explains how to build resilience when one absence could derail everything. Plus, a career lesson he wishes he'd learned years earlier, and it has surprisingly little to do with doing your job well. If you're managing a small team under pressure, this conversation is for you. Mentioned in this episode: BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

    Managing a Team You Rarely See.

  4. Oct 4

    How to Work With Someone You Don't Like at Work

    Some people at work are genuinely difficult. And some haven't done a single thing wrong; you just can't stand them. In this episode, I talk about the working relationship almost nobody admits to. The colleague who hasn't done anything you could write down, and yet your whole week shifts when you see their name in your diary. I cover the question most managers skip before they open their mouth: what this quietly costs you and your credibility when you leave it alone, and how to have the conversation using my COMPASS model. You'll get the actual words to open with, including what to say when nothing is going wrong and it's simply a style clash. If you've got a name in mind while you listen, this one's for you. Find out more about the Workplace Conversation Kickstart here: https://thepeoplementor.co.uk/the-workplace-conversation-kickstart/ Mentioned in this episode: Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

    How to Work With Someone You Don't Like at Work

  5. Sep 27

    You Own This... But Check With Me First

    In this episode of Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People, I'm joined by Adrian Wolfberg, organisational scientist and founder of Organizational Insight Consulting, to unpack a pattern that shows up in businesses of every size: telling someone "you own this" while still checking every decision they make. Adrian draws on years of experience across defence, intelligence and organisational research to explain the difference between delegating a task and delegating the judgment that goes with it, why managers default to control even when they don't mean to, and the "double bind" that quietly teaches capable people to stop deciding and start waiting. We also talk about why the same pattern shows up in small businesses as much as large ones, just for different reasons. If you've ever wondered why your team keeps turning up at your door instead of getting on with it, this one's for you. Connect with Adrian: oicllc.org | LinkedIn Mentioned in this episode: BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

    You Own This... But Check With Me First

  6. Sep 20

    How to Avoid Difficult Conversations (And Why That's Actually the Point)

    What if the answer to fewer difficult conversations was learning how to avoid them in the first place? In this episode, I share the moment a chance comment during a mentoring session stopped me in my tracks, and why the businesses I work with all have the same three things missing. I take you back to a little booklet from my time in the Civil Service that changed how I think about workplace conversations forever, and I break down exactly why some managers spend years fielding the same drama on repeat while others rarely have to. Mentioned in this episode: Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

    How to Avoid Difficult Conversations (And Why That's Actually the Point)

  7. Sep 13

    Ageism, Confidence and Being Overlooked

    In this episode, I'm joined by Maureen O'Callaghan, educator, author, researcher and social entrepreneur, to talk about why capable, experienced women over 50 are so often overlooked at work. We talk about how invisibility shows up quietly. Being left out of meetings, having your confidence knocked, being seen as less adaptable simply because of your age. We also get into ageism, the confidence gap, and what real support for women over 50 should look like. Mentioned in this episode: Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

    Ageism, Confidence and Being Overlooked

  8. Sep 6

    How to Influence Your Team When You're Not the Boss

    You make the point. Nothing. Ten minutes later, someone else says almost the same thing, and the whole room starts nodding. Does this sound like something you have experienced? Influence has nothing to do with your job title, and in this episode, I want to prove it to you. This week I'm looking at the hardest one: your peers. The people alongside you. The ones you might even be quietly competing with for the same next step. You cannot pull rank with them, so if you want them on your side, you have to earn it a different way. In this episode, I cover: Why waiting for a promotion before you start influencing people is costing you more than you realiseThe difference between authority and influence, and why only one of them can actually be built right nowExpert power and why competence alone will only get you so farHow to frame your ideas in a way that lands with different types of peopleWhat real rapport looks like (and why the performed kind will backfire on you)A story from early in my career that changed how I think about all of this If you have ever felt like you are saying the right things and nobody is listening, this one is for you. You can find out more about The Manager's Academy here: https://6c35-thepeoplementor.systeme.io/the_managers_academy_membership Mentioned in this episode: BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

    How to Influence Your Team When You're Not the Boss
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About

Series 6: Find Your Voice – Confidence, Silence and the Conversations That Matter This series is all about the voice you've been holding back, because confidence was never actually the problem. I'm Nicola Richardson from The People Mentor, and I've spent over 40 years leading teams through change, conflict and everything in between. I know what it costs when people stay quiet, and what changes the moment they don't. In this series, I'm bringing you real stories from my own career and from the people I work with, on why silence at work is rarely about a lack of courage, and almost always about a missing skill. We'll get into what actually stops people speaking up, why confidence follows skill rather than the other way round, and what saying nothing really costs a business and the person carrying it. I'm also joined by guests, real leaders and managers from care, charity and small business, each bringing their own experience of building influence and speaking up without needing a title to back it. If you've ever gone quiet when you had something worth saying, this series will show you why, and what to do about it. Listen now for honest insight and down-to-earth leadership support.

Information

  • Creator
    Nicola Richardson
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    200
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Nicola Richardson
  • Show Website
    The People Mentor Podcast

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