Article development and thought leadership
This short article is an example of the type of post that I can create for Linkedin, a business blog or a substack page. I wrote this as a more personal piece as part of my own lived experience but it also demonstrates how I can adapt the writing style to accommodate the purpose and nature of the message.
A typical approach to creating something like this would be:
£350 starting price
45–60 minute interview/conversation
1,000–1,500 words
Your expertise/ideas developed into a polished article
One round of amendments
Ready for a website/LinkedIn or wherever you wish to publish
Redundancy, the change curve and a truck load of treacle
When I made my New Years resolutions for 2025, I am pretty sure an unexpected redundancy was not on the list. But you know what they say, lay your plans out beautifully and someone will crash a truck full of treacle into them. If you have found yourself in this position unexpectedly, it can be a confusing and anxiety inducing time. But perhaps, with the right mindset, it could be just the catalyst you have been waiting for.
Waiting for communication from the business about our future has been slow, something akin to a pension age elephant dithering at the self service checkouts in Tesco. I had begun to think that it might not actually happen at all. But then big life decisions have a habit of suddenly jumping out of the bushes bearing their ugly teeth and forcing you into action before you are really ready. Making that decision is hard but ultimately liberating. Don’t worry, I’m not about to go all zen on you and start chanting, I’m very pragmatic, grab a coffee and let’s get into it.
This week I was given the opportunity to seize control of my own future and at least some space to plan ahead. A chance to work on all those projects that I have been putting off and to really move forward with my career. I could pursue writing, a training course or find a totally different career path. I might even paint the garden fence. That is the narrative I continue to force feed myself at present alongside endlessly repeating ‘everything's cool’ whenever reality bites.
The reality is this looming redundancy, which I volunteered for has caused a great deal of reflection and thought about the future. In case you are wondering, I have definitely jumped before the inevitable nudge in the back pushed me out into the wilderness. It brings with it moments of sadness, excitement and trepidation in equal measure. But we have all been there right. Right?
According to the most recent data from Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK redundancy rate is about 4.5 per 1,000 employees (July–September 2025). In general terms, the likelihood of facing a redundancy at least once in your career is highly possible. It can even be more frequent depending on the nature of your industry.
So far the overriding feeling is about taking control of the situation. But that also means taking control of my own life. On reflection there has been long periods of time where I feel I have been coasting along, where everything seems comfortable and easy in a way, because of the steadiness of employment, earning well, being able to actually have some money put away for a rainy day (lots of them in the north of England!). But was I being brave and pushing for what I really wanted out of life and my career? Well. Probably not.
Writing became a distant side line for a long time and actually I was spending so much time learning and dealing with the day job that it sapped all my energy. While there were some high points, corporate life has lots of challenges, particularly in HR which I will come on to talk about in later articles. I wondered about the genuine occasions where I felt I had really helped someone, and all the other occasions where it probably did not make any discernible difference. Something had to change. Did you ever feel that you were putting off your true vocation for the sake of maintaining a lifestyle? And what is that true vocation? I hear you ask. I don’t know, I will reply, not yet. But I want to find out.
A few years ago I started writing again. Poems, short stories, even novels. I couldn’t stop. It was like the creativity had been bottled up for so long and I finally got to release all these crazy ideas that had been going round my head. It acted as a great stress relief to be doing something just for me rather than for work, it didn’t feel like work.
When going through a period of change in an organisation, they often drag out the Kubler Ross change curve, which you may be familiar with. There are 5 stages to the model that they expect most people to go through when dealing with a major change: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The psychology behind this model is actually rooted in research into the stages of grief, but is often adapted for use in the workplace. Thankfully, as hard as experiencing workplace change is, no one died. It’s important to remember that, because it means it's survivable.
Organisational change often feels like something is being done to you, and this time, as far as possible I don’t want any part of that. I wanted to take control of my own destiny, even if that means that I make mistakes, even if it is unstable for a period of time. Because I want to spend the rest of my working life exploring what work is really about, how it changes people, how to help people become unstuck.
I want to use my 25 year career in organisational development and HR, plus my own personal experiences of going through this process, to support and coach people into the next stages of their careers. There is always still a lot to learn, a lot to write about. How we put barriers in the way of our ambition at the earliest opportunity, how we fail to recognise our own value and self worth on the basis of the singular opinions of others.
What I think is unique in my career position at the moment is that I have full choice over the next stage of my career. It is not about re-treading my own steps, but finding new destinations and opportunities. Finding a purpose for your efforts is ultimately more rewarding than appeasing the efforts of somebody else. Besides, I am sure that in the absence of employment (for at least a little while) my lovely wife will make sure I am fully occupied with all the jobs around the house that need doing (must tackle that procrastination). I want to make the most of it though, because doing the same thing day after day is not me, not any more.
I guess this seems to an outsider (or an insider probably) like a mid life crisis but I assure you I am not scanning Autotrader for a red sports car. I am pursuing a path of creativity, to write about what I choose and to work on projects and activities that I feel are worthwhile and meaningful. I have approximately 4-5 months before my current employment will come to an end, but I am getting started early. There really is no time to waste. Now back to that list of jobs around the house to do, probably starting with painting the fence. Very zen.
Writing & Thought Leadership Sample
Curious about how I turn workplace concepts into engaging, human-centred reads? Read a sample article below on why modern organisations need to build "thinking time" into their culture:
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ARTICLE
Having worked as both a HR and OD professional and in consultancy for many years, I understand the importance of clear communication, quality documentation and supporting people well. This could be in the development of a communication plan, an organisational change paper or a policy rewrite/ development. Explaining complex issues in clear and straight forward language helps processes run smoothly and employees feel understood and assured.
Sometimes there are areas of insight the a business would like to explore further, or gauge how a change of approach might support improving culture. It might be that you want to improve your documentation or policies before launching a new project, or need to create something from scratch. I have many years experience of reviewing, proofing and developing high quality documents to support organisations through change and organisational improvement.
I can also produce articles focussing on a specific or relevant issue. Here is an example article piece that I developed around the importance of thinking time and how taking a step back from an issue might actually be beneficial.
Thinking time
Modern life eats into thinking time. People can become overwhelmed and end up in a tailspin. From worrying about mortgages, support the challenges your staff face to becoming side lined and losing your way. People often say they don’t have the time to think. There is a modern day perception that thinking is somehow wasting time, or that it no longer holds any critical value. There are many historical examples where the best ideas have arisen from that time that we don’t give attention to. Simply pausing, taking the time to reflect, plan and ponder helps our brains to make sense of complex issues and identify longer term solutions. When we enter into this mindset, we move from simply reacting to strategising.
Not convinced? Many of you will recall from school science lessons, the vivid image of Archimedes leaping from his bathtub and running down the street shouting ‘Eureka! at the top of his voice. Perhaps one of the great scientific discoveries in fluid mechanics to accurately measure mass and volume was not made at a seat of great learning or a laboratory. Instead it was during a nice relaxing bath.
Isaac Newton, a mathematician, arrive at the universal theory of gravity not, as legend would have it, by an apple falling on his head. It was true however that due to an outbreak of the plague, his school had been closed and this created some down time at home. He was in his fathers orchard at the time when he arrive at his theory.
We should not relegate the benefit of thinking time to history, however. Many of us have hectic lives which are difficult to switch off from and must deal with constantly competing priorities. Technology and social media can eat away at our free time if we let it. There are plenty of modern day examples of people having achieved phenomenal success just by allowing themselves space to think. Bill Gates, a moderately successful computer programmer, is well known to take up to two weeks uninterrupted thinking time out of each year to consider the future direction of his company and reflecting on his current position. That’s the multi-billionaire Bill Gates.
You may be wondering what people are doing with this thinking time. Of course, if the benefit is all of us having a modicum of the success that the likes of Gates and Warren Buffet managed, the it warrants some further investigation. There is a purpose and structure to thinking time and it is not as simple as lying back in a hammock with your eyes closed for a while. It is a practised habit and approach to dealing with our life and workplace issues and getting the best out of ourselves every day. We must first learn to dispel the common myth that only by being active are we doing something valuable and by converse the outward appearance of inactivity is not useful or productive at all. The truth is, much of how you choose to create thinking time is up to you, because everyone’s brain operates slightly differently. For many people the best place to start is to consider the space you are occupying. Perhaps it’s about getting of the office or the house, or just getting away from technology. Going for a walk or a swim are also common ways for people to actively think. Some people fid it useful to keep a notepad handy so they can write down the things that pop into their head. Probably best not to try the notepad when swimming though! Next, start with concentrating on just one single issue or problem that you are facing. This will allow you to focus for a short period and not be distracted by the wider things that are going on around you. Take the time to measure the impact, reflect on what you learned and how you deal with the problem. You may well be surprised by your conclusions, and it is also worth highlighting those surprising moments. Remember these are small steps on retraining yourself to work and thinks differently so don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t appear to achieve much straight away.. It will take time to adapt and build your skills just like any other activity.
Other more involved activities may be things like engaging a coach who is objective to your issues and concerns and can help you to find ways to unravel the complexities of the issues you are with. Thinking time is about focussing on specific tasks without distraction, so you can engage your brain in creating order and developing ideas. There are some excellent resources which support this methodology available on the internet.
So how long do you need? This can really vary from person to person. Typically it is best to start with just fifteen minutes or so. Close the laptop, put down the pen and start thinking! It may be difficult to keep concentration at first. There may be nagging doubts or distractions at the back of your mind telling you that you are just slacking off or worrying about other peoples’ perceptions. This is normal, and if it helps, there is some serious science behind this approach to help alleviate any worries you might have. It starts with understanding your brain and how it functions.
John Dewey, the philosopher and teacher states that we don’t learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience. When you take that fifteen minutes away from everything, this is what you are actually doing. You are reflecting on all of the things you have learned. Imagine your brain as a filing cabinet, having created many thousands of documents throughout the day, you need to find a way of putting them in order and making sense of them all. You need time to be creative. Deep thinking is not a waste of time, you are not doing nothing. In fact, you are working hard and learning. Making regular time to reflect on events rather merely reacting to them in the moment is the hallmark of an agile and effective leader. Why not put fifteen minutes in your diary this week and see if you can find your own Eureka moment?
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