Welcome to the Insights Blog

As a new manager, it can be baffling when your co-workers react differently to assignments... What fills one colleague with enthusiasm can cause another to feel put out. Motivating every mem...

This is a challenging time of shifting dynamics for the employer-employee relationship The avalanche of organizations implementing RTO policies (return to office) has begun, and while there ...

According to Insights research, the best leaders have the agility to switch between a myriad of different leadership styles. They assess the issues and the needs of their people and adapt th...

With a backdrop of social polarization around the world, for many, work is one of the only settings where people from different walks of life find themselves working together toward common g...

Depending on which report you trust, the number of HR professionals experiencing burnout is between 50% and an eye-watering 81% We turn our attention to CHROs… Given that CHROs must balance ...

Google's groundbreaking research back in 2016 into team effectiveness revealed a surprising yet powerful conclusion: psychological safety is the key to team success. At its core, psychologic...

The Edelman Trust Barometer for 2025 revealed a stark reality: Trust in CEOs is at an all-time low and some businesses face an uncertain future. At Insights, we recognize that business leade...

The new annual Gallup study shows that employee engagement in the USA is at a ten-year low. In Europe it remains lower still. We hear about ‘The Great Detachment’ and, post 2022 and coined b...

3 Three approaches to address the topic of change Change. It’s the constant backdrop to all our working lives. No longer an occasional disruption, but a continual force. Whether it’s navigat...

Whether it’s a shift in strategy, new technology, or organizational restructuring, the impact of change is felt at every level- from individuals to teams and leaders. Successfully managing c...

There’s been a real uptick in organizations talking about mentorship in the last year. And no wonder, mentorship is effective, low-cost and, for the most part, a meaningful tactic for high p...

How many leaders could you describe as empathetic? If you’re a leader, do you see yourself as empathetic? It’s a daunting thought to take on a leadership role - generating results, building ...

The C-suite is excited about AI. Expectations around creating efficiencies, product development and more profitable business models due to generative AI are immense. Not just the anticipated...

We’re more connected technologically than we’ve ever been. And yet the need for collaboration and communication grows. In a recent Gallup survey, 20% of US adults reported feeling lonely eve...

Information vacuums in the workplace inevitably fill with gossip or misinformation. Leaders must work to get ahead of that, especially in times of change... Yet even the best leaders struggl...

In our recent blog, The Great Detachment, we reported on Gallup’s 2024 findings showing a worrying lack of post-pandemic employee engagement in the US, and the reasons for this. Just over ha...

Gallup recently reported that employees in the US are as dissatisfied now as they were during the post-pandemic ‘Great Resignation’, only this time they aren't quitting. This new trend - the...

When it comes to making decisions at work, are you open to hearing the viewpoints of someone decades older or younger than you? Or does it feel more comfortable to get opinions from colleagu...

Leadership can make or break an organization But, how do you know which leadership style is right for you? Or more importantly, the people you lead... Effective leaders are able to inspire, ...

Wouldn’t work be easier if we all spoke a common language? The language of color energies is key to effective communications, especially when things go south... Have you ever wondered why th...

For value-led organizations, Discovery Full Circle drives performance in three main areas… 360s are making a comeback, but before you shudder, today’s version looks different from their fear...

50% of employees leave managers, not companies. 84% believe bad managers create unnecessary stress*. Include color energies in your onboarding and see the difference... Picture this: One min...

Picture the scene: your team has just delivered one of the best years of performance your division has ever seen, and the varied collection of characters is gelling well; all tolerant and re...

Insights went back to the drawing board and created a whole new 360 experience... Traditional 360s, where learners compare their self perception to how others (usually supervisors and peers)...

More responsibility at work, especially if it follows a promotion, is as exciting as it daunting...But what if it actually leads to a sense of decreasing control over your time, or your abil...

7. Insights Discovery initiates conversations Insights Discovery helps colleagues understand their personal preferences and behaviour better, both for themselves, and about others. It’s a ps...

There's not a sales person alive who wouldn't want to up their game when it comes to sales conversations. But how many of us can truly say that our sales technique focuses as much on connect...

How does it feel to work where you work? How would you describe your organizational culture? Is there a dominant type of personality? You might view the overriding energy in your workplace a...

Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce report The 2024 Gallup State of the Global Workplace report brings worrying developments in employee mental health to the forefront. The report feature...

Active listening is a pivotal leadership skill, essential for innovation, psychological safety and even employee retention and engagement. Most leaders think they're good listeners, but the ...

As a leader, how effective are you at managing conflict at work? Even the best peacekeepers among us find ourselves linked to disagreements we’d rather not be part of. It’s normal that we do...

Coping with organizational change following a defined event is one thing. We know that a new leader, a merger, a new location or a sudden crisis can all lead to stress, fear and change resis...

The annual ATD conference is the premier event for learning and development professionals worldwide, attracting thousands of attendees eager to explore the latest trends, strategies, and bes...

Should we worry about AI diminishing our contribution and impact at work? It’s a firm ‘No’ from us at Insights. Surrounded by colossal changes in how organizational processes are becoming op...

Ever wondered why certain colleagues are so exacting? They’re the ones who always want to know why and how. They love to question the rationale for decisions and plans, especially plans that...

Ah, that series of lightbulb moments when you read your Insights Discovery profile and realize why some of your workplace relationships work way better than others… Suddenly you have new con...

We’re all unique individuals in life, with different likes, dislikes and perspectives on the world. When putting a team together, having various strengths, weaknesses and areas of expertise ...

Endless research exists on what it takes to be a great leader. It’s often geared to large corporations with shareholders and thousands of employees to lead. But of course, influential effect...

"Hey Alex, could you present this to 700 engineers at the AGM this year?" The moment you hoped would never arrive has finally caught up with you. You’ve been asked to give a presentation to ...

Boosting employee engagement is often at the forefront of HR and management initiatives, resulting in countless surveys, meetings, reward schemes and other new programs. But the simplest way...

We need to have a conversation on why and how to measure the ROI of your programs It’s the number one question asked at budget time: What difference has your learning and development strate...

It’s an awkward moment when a new colleague gets your back up. You might perceive them as too direct, overly critical, or overbearing. Or perhaps they’re the ‘type’ who doesn’t seem to liste...

Change is hard, but it’s inevitable. There are times in life when the weather takes a turn for the worse and the waters get choppy. It’s how we navigate these winds of change that defines us...

Unlock the potential of your fourth color energy... In the realm of self-awareness, understanding your primary color energy is merely scratching the surface. It serves as a compass guiding o...

In 2017, Google launched a ground-breaking study to figure out what drove teams to succeed. The answer was transcendent: Once considered a “soft skill”, psychological safety was now the sing...

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the multitude of events that cause workplace change. And even though it’s well documented that only a third of corporate change projects are successful*, the...

As a leader, you set the tone for the team you manage. A good leader knows how to motivate their employees, communicate well and make the right decisions, while encouraging a positive enviro...

Change can bring out intense reactions. We’ve all met colleagues who seem to relish new challenges and situations and who keep an open mind about the impact of change. They seize the moment,...

Do you still enjoy being a leader? If not, read on... Whether you took the helm recently and are responsible for a small team, or you’ve been leading large, complex teams for decades, are yo...

The landscape of Human Resources is evolving at a rapid pace, propelled by technological innovations and shifting workplace dynamics. As we head into 2024, it’s imperative for HR executives ...

How leaders can foster trust and transform employee experiences by changing their own leadership approach According to Gartner, in 2016, 74% of employees were willing to change their behavio...

“I can’t change who I am”, yet success lies in how we deal with conflicting values at work How many of us can describe the deep-rooted values and beliefs that determine how we think? Are we ...

Developing self-awareness to navigate work challenges & build confidence It’s hard to feel confident at work 100% of the time. Even the best of us have moments of uncertainty. Ask yourself: ...

The language of color energies will help you communicate what you’re feeling and get the support you need Stress and change go hand in hand, and both are on the rise. As the pace of change a...

In the pursuit of building diverse and equitable teams, it is crucial not to overlook the critical step of fostering inclusion and belonging. Verna Myers aptly stated, "Diversity is being in...

The Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2023 report is here. What are the trends and challenges in the working world this year? Read on for Insights’ recap on the annual findings from the w...

Why a growth mindset is key to leadership success Fact: Developing a growth mindset is critical to thriving in today’s technological world. AI is quickly becoming ubiquitous in the workplace...

When designing training programs to develop teams, lead with people; not technology In the era of digital transformation, organizations are increasingly leveraging technology to deliver trai...

LinkedIn 2024 Workplace Learning Report Recap The last few years have made one thing crystal clear: resilience is crucial. And with resilience, goes the need to empower people by providing t...

Change how you communicate, change the relationship There’s a saying that people don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses. While there are times when an exit strategy is the best move, there are al...

Meta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg declared that 2023 would be the “year of efficiency” at his organization. So far, ‘efficiency’ has translated to hiring freezes and mass layoffs. Two r...

Harnessing the power of your fourth color energy, and other Jedi mind tricks If you’ve participated in an Insights Discovery workshop for building self-awareness, you’ll know the power of un...

Picture this. You’re communicating with a work colleague, or client, and you hit a wall. They seem off. Their emails are short and curt. You haven’t spoken with them before, and you don’t un...

Effectively navigating hybrid teams is a balancing act. Is your team at crisis point? Read on to discover the solution to happy hybrid teams… When instructions to ‘work from home until furth...

As we got used to slower mornings, working in our comfiest clothes and walking the dog on breaks, it’d be easy to assume that remote work would be the future for most employees in this new e...

98% of CEOs in the US are preparing for a recession and by some definitions, we’re already there Are you ready? There are two sides to every coin, and recessions[i] present fantastic opportu...

Intentional Collaboration: 5 tips for improving collaboration in the hybrid workplace Hybrid collaboration is something that just ‘happened’. We log onto Microsoft Teams to share another fil...

The concept of ‘Superteams’ in the workplace has been emerging over the last few years, and it’s one that is set to completely transform the workforce in the future. Although the concept cen...

From soft skill to power skill, why awareness can make or break sales success Awareness is like the scrawny neighbor’s kid who went away to college and returned home the 6’4 football star. T...

Humans are naturally social creatures, relying on each other for support and wellbeing. Even our ancestors needed good old teamwork to survive and thrive. They lived in groups, sharing food,...

Why amping up your sales teams’ relationship skills could be the most profitable thing you do this year People buy from you when they know you, like you, and trust you. But is that all? If y...

Gallup: 79% of employees are not engaged We’ve all experienced stress at work in some form or another, yet according to the latest Gallup report, global workplace stress has never been highe...

by Natalie Pearce 1. Purpose doesn’t have to be huge. Live with purpose every day. The ‘grand quest’ narrative that permeates fiction and film can make us think that our individual purpose s...

Individual differences matter in learning outcomes…but maybe not the way you think they do By Dr. Tanya Boyd, Insights Learning Architect If I were to ask what your learning style is, you’d ...

The transformation of L&D according to LinkedIn Learning LinkedIn Learning recently published its annual research report on the state of affairs in learning and development. This year’s Work...

“Not all individuals are equally skilled at operating within a hybrid environment. The ability to effectively navigate in a hybrid environment is itself a skill and therefore a source of pow...

“If we hope to meet the moral test of our times, then I think we’re going to have to talk more about The Empathy Deficit. The ability to put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes, to see the wo...

What is organizational culture? Why culture is actually about empathy, and how you can create it in your organization… We all know it’s something we should care about, but what do we actuall...

As we reimagine the world of work, what should we do differently this time around? After months of lockdowns, the world of work is slowly opening back up. And as we consider how that’s going...

Do you believe you can bring your whole self to work? Insights Consultant Ian Faulder has switched wheel positions many times over the years and wondered ‘what is causing that?’ and ‘what do...

Why is psychological safety important and how can you create it? Read on… Making people feel safe at work. It’s a phrase that’s taken on a whole new meaning in the past year in the fallout o...

How can you instil a growth mindset in your team – starting today? Before we start talking about how to equip your team with a growth mindset then we should probably start with the question:...

Why it’s crucial to add self-awareness into conversations about stress in the workplace… Stress. If there’s ever been a few months that we can unequivocally term ‘stressful’ then these have ...

The relaunched Connections is here! Our digital community platform has been designed using your customer feedback, with new features and a dedicated virtual discussion forum… We’re thrilled ...

We recently spoke to Client Practitioner Experience Manager at Insights, Tony Denton, about resilience – and how we can get through the next few months using the language of color… “What is ...

If we want to tackle virtual burnout then it’s important to choose our metrics wisely, because productivity can come at a human cost… Most of us had no idea we’d be working from home for so ...

We explore what resilience is – and what it isn’t – in the context of the coronavirus pandemic… If we want to start a conversation about resilience in 2021 a good place to start is probably ...

Reflecting, adapting, and evolving. What we can learn from the pandemic one year on… It’s been a year since the WHO (World Health Organisation) first made the announcement that the newly eme...

If you don’t invest in people at all levels of the business then you risk losing them. We make the case for why learning should be for everyone… According to one expert, leadership learning ...

We’re eleven months into the pandemic, with more to do and less to do it with. We explore why a ‘bitesize’ approach may be the way to make learning as impactful as possible… It’s a tough tim...

Hitting reset on what it means to be a leader Can you be a leader if you’re not a, b, or c? We explore how great leadership isn’t about changing who you are – it’s about owning your unique p...

Leadership struggles in the virtual space Head of New Markets for Insights, Mark Leisegang, reflects on how on how showing up in a human way can help leaders to adjust – and thrive – in a re...

What does remote working mean for you? Maybe it’s business as usual, perhaps you’re now working from home more than you did before, or is it a whole new ballgame that you’re struggling to ge...

This week, I’ve found myself exploring the importance of being led by purpose, and not plan. At any given moment, we’re presented with any number of competing priorities and demands. Purpose...

Lately I’ve been exploring the idea of community, because when times are tough, that’s where you should go for help. The question I’ve been asking myself is, ‘How will building community hel...

We all know that times are strange; Coronavirus is changing everything that’s familiar to us, and our working lives are central to the shift. Many, perhaps even most, of us are currently rem...

When you stop for a second and think about how our everyday lives have changed in the past two decades, one word comes to mind – disruption. Technological advancements have disrupted the way...

Remote working has risen over the past few years, and now stands at unprecedented levels. Innovative communication technologies coupled with the need for organizations to act globally by cre...

The last ten years have been a rollercoaster for leaders in almost every industry and country. The economic crash of 2008 had such a profound impact that levels of productivity are still low...

In response to an ever-changing business climate, many organizations are seeking new ways to gain a competitive advantage in their marketplace. Increasingly, Insights works with leaders who ...

Everything in our world is subject to constant change. The world turns while we work, live and sleep; relationships shift during important conversations; business leaders change strategies; ...

If you enter the words ‘data is’ into Google, it autocompletes with these words: ‘the new oil’. It’s becoming quite a familiar suggestion, that data is the oil of the digital age. The analog...

I’m fascinated by the art and science of leadership, especially women in leadership. Some of the current facts about this topic really and properly bother me. For example, the number of wome...

Before organizations began to reach out across the world to new markets, our working lives were much simpler. It’s likely that we sat in the same room as the rest of our team, working as one...

The power of teams transforms; the power of organizations transcends We work with people, teams and leaders, in countries all over the world, in many different industries – healthcare, FinTe...

Did you know that, of all the data that’s ever been created in the world, 90 percent of it was created in the last few years? Or that we conduct around five billion online searches every day...

Are you able to concentrate on your day job, without distraction? If you’re anything like much of the population it’s been a while – and you’re starting to feel it. A recent Gallup study of ...

In an overwhelming age, head back to humanity Hey there! How is your diary for today looking? Do you have meeting after meeting to go to, or will you have time for a peaceful lunchtime strol...

September 5th is the International Day of Charity. It sometimes seems like there’s a day for everything – how would you celebrate, for example, Handwriting Day or Something on a Stick Day? B...

Did you know that over 6000 apps are released every single day? So if you need an app for something and it isn’t available, the chances are it will be tomorrow, next week or next month. Ther...

I would never pretend that I’m the world’s biggest soccer fan – but my 15-year-old son just might be. Every evening I get a detailed update about the World Cup and for that reason, I think i...

When was the last time you felt alone? Or more than alone - when was the last time you felt lonely? Loneliness can creep up in small ways: when you work alone and realise you haven’t looked ...

When we talk to people about the challenges they’re experiencing at work, there’s usually some kind of bottom line involved. Some organizations are going through a change; maybe a merger, a ...

If you ever pick up a newspaper (how very 20th century!) or read any online business magazine, you won’t be able to escape the news that – look out! – the robots are coming! Every other news...

As a business leader, there are times when you can feel close to invincible. Your strategy is in place. You know who your customers are, and you’ve learned how, when and where to reach them....

When you’re a leader of people, it can be tough to make sure that you know what everyone’s up to at any given moment. If we consider the sheer number of projects, schemes, strategies and pro...

A long, long time ago (like, before we even heard of an iPhone X) human life was lived in communities. We hunted together, cooked together, ate together and cosied down at night together, fo...

As the pace of life in the 21st century seems to speed up and bring us close to overwhelm – with new technologies enabling changes in life and in the workplace all the time – it’s possible t...

Quiet. It’s a small but powerful word. A word that means different things to different people. To an Introvert, quiet might mean peace, tranquillity, and the chance to hear their own thought...

When we talk about change here at Insights – and we do, a lot – we often quote the statistic which says that around 70% of change initiatives fail. It’s actually a pretty startling number, b...

Think back to your school days for just a minute: what language did you learn? French, German, Mandarin, Spanish? Did you play a musical instrument –the saxophone, the trumpet or even just t...

As a leader, you always need something from your team. Whether that’s engagement, higher productivity, a more creative approach to problem-solving, or just that they all damn well get along,...

At times, the demands of the workplace can feel close to overwhelming. That email must be sent today, those figures were wrong, that presentation wasn’t properly on brand, you forgot to call...

When you encounter rudeness in the workplace, how does that affect your performance? You may think it doesn’t impact you at all – you’re pretty resilient, right? – but a recent study shows t...

Teams are constantly facing change; that’s a given in today’s world. There are significant shifts in their immediate landscape. 34% of business leaders at the Global Leadership Summit in Lon...

Anyone who is at the top of their game, no matter what that game may be, didn’t get there because they’ve had an easy ride. And nowhere is that more true than in the sporting world. While we...

It’s the start of the New Year and, as usual, there are an abundance of blogs and articles sharing tips on how you can be at your best in the year ahead; how to remain resilient, the most po...

Teams are the foundation of almost everything we know: most organizations, a great number of sports, even society in general. Human beings have formed teams since the beginning of time, to s...