Bailey & French

Leadership isn’t about choosing between AI and humanity – it’s about blending both. Our CEO, Alex Bailey, joined Christopher Rainey on the HR Leaders Podcast to talk about why human-centric leadership is more important than ever. From building psychological safety to leading with purpose, this conversation is packed with insights for leaders in 2025 and beyond. 🎧 Catch the full episode for practical strategies on balancing technology with human connection.

A busy start to 2025 for Bailey & French and we wouldn’t have it any other way January always feels like a reset, but it’s more than that this year. It’s a moment for leaders to step back, look at what’s ahead, and ask – are we ready for what’s coming? For many organisations, the answer lies in their people. This week marks the launch (and continuation) of several programmes designed to help leaders at every level step up with confidence, clarity, and connection. Leadership and Management Training 👨🎓 We’re delivering a full leadership and management programme across 20+ cohorts – supporting the roll-out of a new policy within the department. These sessions are about equipping leaders with the tools and mindset to drive meaningful change from day one. Front Line Leaders 🔄 Now into our 13th and 14th cohorts, this bespoke programme is helping front-line leaders manage significant organisational change over a three-month programme. It’s practical, relevant, and focused on leading through transformation with purpose. Human Leadership Programme 🤝 Two cohorts of middle managers are diving into Human Leadership principles – building skills and strengthening peer connections through workshops designed to embed learning that sticks. Four-Part Leadership Series 🗣️ We’re wrapping up a 4-part programme with over 70 leaders – covering strengths discovery, coaching skills, handling challenging discussions, and career conversations. This week's final peer-learning session brings it all together, ensuring skills aren’t just learned – they’re lived. Senior Leadership Away Day 🧠 For senior teams, it’s about more than skills – it’s about building resilience, deepening trust, and creating space for open, honest conversations. This programme is designed to enhance strategic thinking, build psychological safety, and equip leaders to lead through change with confidence. It’s a busy start, but it’s also a meaningful one. Because when leaders step up, organisations move forward. If your 2025 plans include investing in your people, let’s discuss how we can help make it happen. #HumanLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganisationalChange

Technical skills get the job done. Human skills drive real success. Which matters more to you? 🤷♂️ As organisations focus on technical skills and outputs, it’s easy for the ‘human’ to slip down the priority list. Yet skills like authenticity, resilience, and communication are often what drive real results. 📈 Bailey & French #HumanSkills #OrganisationalSkills

🎉 New Year New Intentions 🎊 Stop letting outdated processes block your human potential❗ If your leaders are overwhelmed, don’t expect teams to thrive. 😟 If employees feel unheard, don’t be surprised when performance dips. 🙉 If culture is an afterthought, guess what happens to connection and trust? 👇 You want a stronger business? ➟ Focus on people, not just profit. 🙋♀️ You want engaged teams? ➟ Create space for meaningful conversations. 🗣️ You want sustainable growth? ➟ Humanise your approach to leadership. 🌱 Try this to reset your intentions for the year ahead: 1️⃣ Prioritise Real Conversations ↳ Talk with your people, not just at them. Listen deeply. 2️⃣ Invest in Human Skills ↳ Empathy, strengths, and well performance are the keys to unlocking true potential. 3️⃣ Lead with Purpose ↳ Define the ‘why’ behind your goals and make it resonate for everyone. 4️⃣ Measure What Matters ↳ Look beyond outputs; focus on connection, motivation, and shared success. 5️⃣ Set the Tone from the Top ↳ CEOs, CPOs, and CHROs: be the change you want to see. Human energy fuels business growth.  The question is – are you cultivating it? 💬 What’s one intention you’re setting to humanise your workplace this year? Share it below! P.S. If you’re ready to lead differently in 2025, we’re here to support you. Let’s humanise the world of work together. ♻ Repost to inspire your network. Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter for more ideas on leading with humanity 👇 https://lnkd.in/dJ3WxAcs #HumanLeadership #HumanisingWork #LeadershipDevelopment

🎇Happy New Year to our friends and colleagues near and far! 🎇 As the clock ticks towards 2pm here in the UK, many of you in Australasia are already stepping into 2025. Wherever you are, this is a moment to reflect – not just on what we’ve achieved, but on who we’ve been. In a world that often races ahead, there’s something powerful about pausing to appreciate the connections we’ve built, the conversations we’ve had, and the human moments that shaped our year. At Bailey & French we believe it’s these moments that truly matter – the times we showed up for each other, listened without judgement, and celebrated the wins, big or small. So as we welcome the New Year, here’s to more of what makes us human. More kindness, more courage, and more conversations that inspire positive change. Thank you for being part of our journey. We can’t wait to see where 2025 takes us all. Happy New Year! 🎉 #HumanConnections #NewYear2025 #BeingHuman

January is just around the corner – a fresh start, a clean slate, and a chance to lead with purpose! For leaders and people managers, it’s not just about setting goals. It’s about growing people. Inspiring action. And building workplaces where everyone thrives. As we prepare for 2025, here are 3 leadership trends that will shape the year ahead: 1️⃣ Human-Centric Leadership – Teams need leaders who listen, care, and create space for people to do their best work. 2️⃣ Psychological Safety – The strongest teams are those where people feel safe to share ideas, speak up, and take risks without fear. Building trust will be the foundation of high performance. 3️⃣ Purpose-Driven Growth – People are craving meaning. Leaders who connect the dots between individual strengths and collective purpose will build unstoppable momentum. Let’s make 2025 the year we lead with heart, courage, and purpose. Follow us and subscribe to our free monthly newsletter for insights, trends, and resources – designed to help you and your teams start the year strong 👇 https://hubs.ly/Q030Mts80 Bailey & French #HumanLeadership #LeadWithPurpose #2025

Guess what new hobby I picked up this year! ☺️ 🤨 Alas! No time for new hobbies for me.... I've had hobbies over the years but they've depleted as my responsibilities to others have increased with my age and I know I'm not alone. But I don't beat myself up about it, I still find joy in my work, exercise and social life. 💫 But one thing I did this year that developed me in my career - I set up a small group of women near me to just have breakfast together once a month. A group of women leaders who I admire, learn from, laugh with and that I trust. #womensupportingwomen I've noticed since making time for meaningful human connection myself that I've grown in confidence through that group, I've listened and shared and as a result I've gone into new opportunities that I might not have previously. It's given me confidence which definitely has helped my career, and I don't think I'm alone in needing a bit of that from time to time? #VideoCamp2024 #HumanOnPurpose Follow me https://lnkd.in/gu2f3vKi for more

The book that blew my mind this year 🤯 There is one book that stood out amongst all this year for me and it's because of its' relevance to the critical moment in time we are all experiencing right now. We are noticing AI stars ✨ popping up everywhere aren't we? And it's perfect timing for us as we are seeing swathes of people struggling to keep up with the demands of work that have increased due to: 🔴 Economic pressures reducing resource levels 🔴 Political agenda changes in major populations/continents 🔴 Organisations navigating new sustainability targets We are still seeing mental health issues and burnout increasing and what perfect timing for us to learn how to use AI to help us cut the time pressure and cognitive load? ❓ BUT how do we do this and remain confident in our own human ability? ❓ BUT how do we ensure we don't lose our human essence in and out of work? 👉 By knowing our human differentiators from AI well enough to be confident in ourselves and being #HumanOnPurpose ! The book I cherished this year was Homo Prospectus - Martin Seligman et al 2016 which talks about our ability to project and anticipate the future and adapt to it. And importantly they talk about social imagination - the key ingredient needed in organisations for creativity and innovation. Social imagination cannot be replicated by any computer. 📢 This is something we all already do all the time subconsciously and is the core of what will propel us forward into this new era of work. Why? Want to find out more? Follow me https://lnkd.in/gu2f3vKi for more. #VideoCamp2024 #VideoCamp

Disconnecting during the holidays? Here’s why it’s not that simple for me… 🎁💼 👇 I love what I do Are you someone who also struggles to disconnect from work because you're really engaged? ❓ Maybe you're a leader and love the impact and influence you have? ❓ Maybe you're someone who's in a fulfilling role with great positive meaning, purpose and impact? ❓ Maybe you love the variety and autonomy of your role, able to be your best self, use your strengths, learning and growing all the time? 💯 Maybe all of those and more? Normally I get to switch off when I'm travelling 🚉 and out of my daily schedule of work, crossing timezones and that's when I step back and get some distance and perspective which always fuels me when I return. But the holidays are different for me, it's about family and loved ones 😍 and needing to be there for them with the silly jokes, listening to the latest drama, the all important "trivial" stuff that is the fabric of meaningful human connection. And that means I have to switch off my work brain.... 🔴 The one simple thing that helps me most is writing a big long list of everything I need to focus on before I log off my laptop, so I can park it and allow my brain to relax and absorb the moments that are so precious to me. 📝 Repost to share with your network And follow me on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/gCrVaZe7 #VideoCamp2024 #VideoCamp #HumanOnPurpose

🎄 Wishing You All a Joyful Festive Season! 🎄 As we wrap up another busy year, we want to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to all our friends, clients, partners, and colleagues. 2024 was one for the books – full of meaningful conversations, connections, and moments that truly made a difference. (Catch a glimpse in our showreel!) And the best bit? There’s so much more to come in 2025. ✨ We’ve got a packed year ahead – from podcasts and roundtables to speaking events and, of course, back on the orange sofas with some incredible special guests. Here’s to a joyful, restful festive period and an even brighter year ahead! 🎉 With warm wishes, The Bailey & French Team #HumanisingWork #FestiveSeason #ThankYou