Carmel Baldwin

I have a great job! I am very fortunate to have many opportunities to use FED to grow my own personal leadership and to help other leaders in the business to grow theirs. Whilst it greatly helps to work in an organisation that embraces everything that FED Leadership has to offer, there is still so much you can do as an individual and on many levels.

One of the biggest ‘light bulb’ moments for me was realising the true power of conversations to achieving the future I want. As a HR Business Partner, working with business leaders, I find conversations are key to growing my understanding of the future they want and how I can best bring my energy to delivering it. It’s not a one way street, though. It’s also about sharing the future I want and talking about what we each really care about. Whether building relationships; generating possibilities; engaging others, or creating gold standards for delivery, the power of conversation is a critical success factor.

Perhaps the most important conversation for me in growing my personal leadership, is the ‘zero’ conversation. That’s the conversation I have with myself. Don’t reach for the straight jacket! It’s all about who I am choosing to be today, whatever the interaction. It takes conscious practice – will I allow my self-limiting beliefs to get in the way, or will I set myself up for success by staying focussed on what I really care about and picturing me at my best.

Leadership nudge: If self-limiting beliefs are preventing you from spending more time being at your best then name them and go to work on them. Picture occasions when you have been at your best and describe how you were ‘being’ at the time. Enlist others to support you. Try to have a phrase that describes you at your best and then consciously practice having the zero conversation. It really works.

By Carmel Baldwin

HR Business Partner at E.ON / Central Networks. Works in partnership with business leaders to provide professional, customer focussed HR advice and coaching through change