Stones

As leaders, we are often faced with unforeseen challenges - whether it’s a global pandemic, a natural disaster, or a sudden shift in market dynamics. How we respond can define our success, or worse, exacerbate the situation. The best way to stay ahead and respond with a clear head vs a panicked one? A well-prepared Crisis Management Plan. At Stones, we believe that leadership isn't just about handling day-to-day tasks - it's about navigating the unexpected with confidence and clarity. A solid crisis management plan ensures you're not only ready but able to lead your team through turbulent times. Key Elements of an Effective Crisis Management Plan: ✅ Clear Roles & Responsibilities – Designate a crisis management team, ensuring everyone knows their role. This is critical to maintaining efficiency. ✅ Communication Strategy – Transparent, timely communication with employees, stakeholders, and the public builds trust. Ensure your messaging aligns with local regulations regarding employee rights, public safety, and corporate governance. ✅ Risk Assessment – Identify potential risks relevant to your business. Whether it’s operational disruption, financial strain, or reputational damage, proactive planning is key. ✅ Recovery Process – Plan not just for managing the crisis but for recovery. What steps will you take to restore normal operations and rebuild morale? ✅ Review & Learn – Post-crisis, take time to evaluate the effectiveness of your plan and make adjustments for future challenges. 🔗 Download our FREE Crisis Management Plan Template – It’s a step-by-step guide designed to help you assess risks, develop your strategy, and empower your team when it matters most. Best Practices to Keep in Mind: ✅ Adhere to Local Laws – Ensure your crisis management procedures align with local employment laws, health and safety regulations, and privacy legislation (like New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020). Be sure that all actions you take respect the rights of your employees and stakeholders. ✅ Maintain Psychological and Psychosocial Safety – A key part of crisis management is supporting your team's mental health. Foster an environment of psychological safety so your employees feel comfortable expressing concerns and providing feedback. ✅ Stay Agile – A good plan doesn’t just sit on a shelf. It should be adaptable and regularly reviewed to reflect new risks and learnings. Leadership in times of crisis isn’t about having all the answers - it’s about empowering your team to rise to the challenge. Ready to take the next step? Download the FREE TEMPLATE attached now and start building a crisis management plan tailored to your team or organisation. #Leadership #CrisisManagement #BusinessResilience #TeamLeadership #ChangeManagement #LeadershipDevelopment #StonesLeadership

"Leadership is not about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your charge." – Simon Sinek Leadership is not about power; it’s about responsibility. True leaders take care of their teams by providing support, guidance, and inspiration. So, how do you show you care? 1. Active Listening – Be Present Listening actively shows your team you value their thoughts and concerns. It builds trust and opens the door for meaningful conversations. Actionable Tip: Schedule regular one-on-ones and focus on truly listening. Ask open-ended questions like, “How are you feeling about the work right now?” 2. Empathy – Understand and Support Leaders who empathise with their teams foster a culture of psychological safety. Understanding emotions builds deeper connections and helps you offer the right support. Actionable Tip: If someone’s struggling, offer a listening ear and check in with, “How can I best support you right now?” 3. Clarity – Provide Direction and Purpose Clear communication of goals and expectations is essential for helping teams stay focused and aligned. People perform better when they understand the ‘why’ behind their tasks. Actionable Tip: Regularly communicate how each goal or task ties into the bigger picture. Provide clarity on both goals and purpose. 4. Growth – Invest in Development Leaders who invest in their team’s growth create engaged, loyal employees. Offering learning opportunities shows you care about their future. Actionable Tip: Identify ways to help team members grow - whether it’s through training, mentorship, or new challenges. 5. Recognition – Acknowledge Contributions Recognition boosts morale and reinforces a positive culture. Acknowledging hard work, big or small, makes your team feel valued. Actionable Tip: Make it a habit to publicly or privately recognise achievements. A simple “thank you” goes a long way. 6. Wellbeing – Prioritise Balance Taking care of your team’s wellbeing is a key leadership responsibility. A healthy, balanced team is more productive and engaged. Actionable Tip: Encourage breaks, respect boundaries, and promote wellness initiatives to support your team’s physical and mental health. Leadership is about making an impact, not just through results, but through the relationships you build. By listening, empathising, providing clarity, investing in growth, recognising efforts, and prioritising wellbeing, you’re fostering an environment where your team can thrive. How will you show you care today? FOLLOW Stones for the latest thinking, research and advice for modern leaders. #Leadership #Empathy #Growth #Teamwork #LeadWithCare #StonesLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment

A 1% change for huge impact: The "One-Minute Self-Check-In" As leaders, we often focus on others, but taking a moment for self-reflection is key to staying effective. A simple One-Minute Self-Check-In helps you stay grounded, self-aware, and ready to lead with clarity. Why it Works: ▶️ Self-Awareness: A quick check-in helps you understand your mental and emotional state, enabling intentional decision-making. ▶️ Emotional Resilience: It’s easier to manage stress before it builds up, keeping you focused and balanced. ▶️ Better Leadership: When you’re clear on your own needs, you can prioritise and lead more effectively. How to Implement: Carve Out 60 Seconds: Find a quiet moment each morning. Ask Yourself 2 Questions: 1️⃣ “How am I really feeling today?” Recognise your emotional state - are you stressed, energised, or overwhelmed? What words best describe how you're feeling today? 2️⃣ “What do I need to focus on to be my best?” Identify your priorities and actions for the day. Or, if you're not your best, what tasks and priorities best fit with your capacity right now? Take Action: If you're feeling good, dive into key tasks with energy. Try to "shift the dial". If stressed or overwhelmed, take a deep breath, delegate, or take a break. Prioritise what truly matters. Can you engage in any refuelling or energy-rebuilding activities to rebuild? Adjust Throughout the Day: Use this check-in whenever you feel your energy or focus shifting. Why It Matters for Leadership - ❇️ Lead by Example: Prioritising your wellbeing encourages your team to do the same. ❇️ Improved Decisions: Self-awareness leads to better, calmer decision-making. ❇️ Sustained Resilience: This simple habit builds long-term emotional resilience, making you a more effective leader. Try it tomorrow and see how this 1% change boosts your mindset and leadership. #Leadership #SelfAwareness #MindfulLeadership #OneMinuteCheckIn #StonesLeadership #SmallChangesBigImpact

Bridging the gap between Strategy and Execution Ever been in a meeting where someone says, “We need a strategy for this” - only for someone else to say, “Let’s write a policy”? Or "We do have a policy - it's XX Strategy" Here’s the hard truth: Strategy and policy are NOT the same thing. Yet many leaders either: ▶️ Get stuck in strategy mode, creating inspiring visions but failing to make them actionable. ▶️ Default to policy mode, creating rigid rules without aligning them to the bigger picture. Great leadership demands both. Strategy = Direction. Policy = Execution. Strategy documents (or frameworks, programmes, and plans) are about the big picture. The '"Where to" and "What". ▶️ They define where the organisation is going and why it matters. ▶️ They guide senior leaders in decision-making, resource allocation, and priorities. ▶️ But they often lack immediate, actionable steps for the whole workforce. Policy documents are about day-to-day execution. The "How". ▶️ They define the rules, standards, and expectations for employees. ▶️ They ensure consistency, compliance, and accountability. ▶️ But they don’t always explain how the policies align with the bigger vision. The Problem? Many companies operate in extremes. Or think by doing one, they don't need the other. ❌ Too much strategy, not enough policy → Great ideas, but no one knows how to implement them. ❌ Too much policy, no clear strategy → People follow the rules, but don’t know why or where they’re going. It's not OR. It's AND. The Fix? Bridge the gap with leadership that uses strategy to create process and policy, and policy that reinforces strategy by driving action. ✅ Start with the strategy, but don’t stop there. ✅ Build (and update) policies that empower action, not just enforce compliance. ✅ Communicate the connection between the why (strategy) and the how (policy). Leaders who master this balance create high-performing teams that don’t just follow rules - they drive real change. At Stones we help leaders bridge that gap with practical, on-demand learning that turns big ideas into real results. FOLLOW US for daily tips, updates and inspiration for great leadership. What’s been your biggest challenge in balancing strategy and execution? #Leadership #Strategy #Execution #LeadWithStones #LeadershipDevelopment #Policy #Stones

What leadership legacy are you building? Leadership isn’t just about hitting targets. It’s about how you achieve them and who you impact along the way. Are you making decisions that prioritise short-term wins at the cost of long-term value? Or are you building something that will outlast you, inspire others, and create real impact? Reflection questions for the week ahead: 1️⃣ Impact Beyond Profit – What value am I creating for my team, customers, and community? 2️⃣ Sustainability in Leadership – Where can I shift from "less harm" to "more good" in my decision-making? 3️⃣ Leading with Integrity – Am I making choices today that align with the leader I want to be remembered as? Challenge for the Week: Set one small, intentional action that aligns with your values - whether it’s supporting a teammate, rethinking a process, thinking bigger, or making a more sustainable choice in your work. The best leaders don’t just lead for today. They lead for the future. Drop a thought below - what’s one leadership value or impact you want to demonstrate more this week? 👇 #Leadership #SundayReflection #Sustainability #Impact #PurposeDrivenLeadership #Stones

This week, we tackled some of the biggest leadership challenges - sustainability, team engagement, time management, and psychosocial risk. Here’s what we covered: 🌱 Sustainability isn’t a department. It’s a leadership mindset. Forward-thinking leaders don’t see sustainability as a cost - they see it as an investment in innovation, resilience, and competitive advantage. Patagonia, IKEA, and Salesforce are proving that sustainability-driven businesses don’t just survive - they thrive. 👥 Team Health: Are you checking in with your team regularly? The best leaders don’t wait for visible problems to emerge - they take action early. Red-Yellow-Green checks, One-Word Pulse, and ‘Leader for a Day’ exercises can help leaders get real-time insights into their teams’ wellbeing. ⏳ Time management for high-performing leaders Your calendar shouldn’t run you - you should run it. Time blocking, cutting unnecessary meetings, working in sprints, and setting ‘hard stops’ can reclaim time for what truly matters. More deep work. Less firefighting. ⚠️ Psychosocial Risks: The silent leadership challenge Stress, burnout, and toxic cultures aren’t just HR problems - they’re critical business risks. Regulatory scrutiny is rising, and the best leaders are embedding psychological safety, job design, and proactive risk mitigation initiatives into their approach. 💡 Leadership isn’t just about making decisions - it’s about shaping the future. 👉 Which of these topics resonated with you the most? Drop a comment! #Leadership #Sustainability #TeamEngagement #TimeManagement #PsychosocialSafety #GrowthMindset #Stones

Psychosocial risks are a critical business risk. With increasing regulatory scrutiny, building case law, shifting employee expectations, and clear links to performance, leaders can’t afford to ignore them. What is Psychosocial Risk? Psychosocial risks arise from the way work is designed, managed, and experienced. When poorly managed, they can lead to stress, burnout, disengagement, and mental health issues or mental injury. Some common hazards include: ⚠️ Excessive Workloads & Time Pressure – Constant urgency, unrealistic deadlines, and lack of recovery time ⚠️ Role Ambiguity & Conflict – Unclear expectations, competing demands, or lack of decision-making authority ⚠️ Poor Change Management – Abrupt organisational changes without consultation or adequate communication ⚠️ Lack of Leadership Support – Inconsistent, unapproachable, or absent leadership ⚠️ Toxic Workplace Culture – Discrimination, bullying, exclusion, or lack of psychological safety ⚠️ Job Insecurity & Unstable Work Conditions – Unclear career pathways, restructuring, or ambiguous responsibilities ⚠️ Emotional Demands & Labour – High-pressure roles requiring continuous emotional regulation, such as experiencing trauma, customer service or care work Why Does It Matter Now? ➡️ Regulatory Compliance – Australia and New Zealand now require businesses to actively manage psychosocial risks, just as they do physical risks. ➡️ Retention & Reputation – Employees are making career choices based on workplace culture and wellbeing. A poor environment leads to high turnover and reputational damage. ➡️ Productivity & Performance – Stress and burnout impact decision-making, collaboration, and innovation, ultimately affecting bottom-line results. ➡️ Leadership Accountability – Boards and executives are increasingly held responsible for addressing these risks, making it a governance priority. How Can Leaders Take Action? ✅ Identify Risks – Conduct risk assessments, gather employee feedback, and use workplace data to pinpoint problem areas. ✅ Address Job Design – Ensure workloads, responsibilities, and expectations are realistic and sustainable. ✅ Equip Leaders – Train managers to recognise and mitigate psychosocial risks, support wellbeing, and model healthy work behaviours. ✅ Build Psychological Safety – Encourage open conversations, challenge stigma, and create a culture where employees feel safe to speak up. ✅ Embed into Business Strategy – Treat psychosocial risk management as part of governance and operational decision-making, not just a compliance issue. The future of work is human-centred and high-performing. Addressing psychosocial risk is no longer optional - it’s a core leadership responsibility. Which of these risks are you seeing in your workplace? And what challenges are you seeing in managing these risks? #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #WellbeingAtWork #PsychosocialRisk #FutureOfWork #StonesLeadership #HSWA2015

Ever feel like your calendar is running you instead of the other way around? Meetings pile up. Work expands to fill every gap. You finish the day wondering where the time went - yet your to-do list is somehow longer than when you started. The problem? Most leaders don’t manage their time - they manage their tasks. And that’s a game you can’t win. Here’s how high-performing leaders take back control. 1. Time Blocking: Become Ruthless with Your Calendar Your calendar is not a dumping ground. It’s a blueprint for your priorities. 🛑 Stop letting others dictate your schedule. ✅ Start blocking time for deep work, strategy, recovery, and non-negotiable personal time. Don't let your day get hijacked. Pro tip: Colour-code your calendar to see if your week aligns with your actual priorities. 2. Cut 50% of Your Meetings (Without Burning Bridges) Most meetings are calendar clutter. If a meeting doesn’t have a clear purpose, agenda, or decision to make, cancel it. Instead, ask: ❌ Can this be an email/Teams/Slack/Voice Memo? ❌ Can this be an async update? ❌ Can this be a 10-minute huddle instead of 60 minutes? If you must have a meeting, make it count: ✅ Send an agenda in advance. ✅ Assign a clear owner for next steps. ✅ Default to 15- or 25-minute meetings. Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to the time you allow. You’ll be amazed how fast decisions get made when there’s urgency. 3. Work in Sprints, Not Marathons Your energy is more important than your hours. ⏳ The best leaders don’t grind 12-hour days. They optimise energy cycles - alternating deep work with deliberate recovery. Try the 90-30 Rule: 90 minutes of deep work 30-minute recharge (walk, food, reset) Or, the Pomodoro Technique: 25-minute sprint → 5-minute break Pro tip: Treat your breaks like meetings - schedule them in. Your brain needs white space to perform at its peak. 4. Set ‘Hard Stops’ to Protect Your Time If you don’t set boundaries, your calendar will own you. ❌ Endless work hours don’t mean progress. They mean burnout. ✅ Define hard stops for your day - just like you would for an important meeting. Try: A shutdown routine: 15 minutes to close the day, review tomorrow’s priorities, and switch off. A ‘no work’ deadline: E.g., No work after 6 PM - unless it’s an emergency (real emergencies, not “I forgot to send an email” moments). Pro tip: Make your hard stop public. Tell your team, “I finish at X time” and stick to it. Final Thought: Time is your most valuable asset The best leaders don’t just manage their time. They defend it. tl;dr ✅ Time block your priorities first. ✅ Eliminate low-value meetings. ✅ Work in focused sprints. ✅ Set hard stops Master your calendar, and you’ll master your leadership. 👉 Which of these time management shifts do you need the most? Drop a comment! #LeadershipDevelopment #TimeManagement #Productivity #GrowthHacking #LeadershipEffectiveness #Stones

Ever felt like you’re leading in the dark? The work gets done. People show up. But something feels off. Low energy. Less collaboration. Hesitation to speak up. The problem? Most leaders don’t realise their team is struggling until it’s too late. Burnout sneaks in. Engagement drops. People mentally check out before they resign. The best leaders check in before things break down. A 'Team Health Check' is a simple, proactive way to take your team’s temperature - without software or annual surveys. 4 Simple Ways to Check In with Your Team You don’t need engagement tools - you just need structured, open conversations. 1️⃣ Red-Yellow-Green Check (5 min) Start your weekly meeting with: “How are you feeling about your workload and energy this week?” 🟢 Green – "I’m good." 🟡 Yellow – "I have concerns." 🔴 Red – "I’m struggling." ✔️ Quick, visual pulse check ✔️ Helps leaders spot trends over time Pro Tip: If someone is yellow or red, follow up privately: “What would help?”. Consider what adjustments might enable this person to cope and recover. 2️⃣ Start, Stop, Continue (10-15 min) Use this at the end of a project or quarter. Ask your team: Start: What should we do more of? Stop: What’s not working? Continue: What’s working well? ✔️ Encourages honest feedback ✔️ Highlights quick wins & pain points Pro Tip: Discuss in small groups first - people share more openly. 3️⃣ One-Word Check-In Before big meetings, ask: “Describe how you’re feeling in one word.” Energised. Overwhelmed. Stuck. Hopeful. ✔️ Quick emotional pulse check ✔️ Helps leaders notice team morale shifts Pro Tip: Follow up with: “What’s one thing that would make your workweek easier?” 4️⃣ Leader for a Day Exercise Flip the script: “If you were the leader, what’s one thing you’d change?” ✔️ Surfaces hidden roadblocks ✔️ Empowers the team to solve problems Pro Tip: Implement at least one suggestion immediately to build trust. The Hardest Part? Taking Action After a Team Health Check, ask yourself: What patterns am I seeing? What can I adjust immediately? How do I make this a habit? Great leaders don’t just listen. They act. Which check-in will you try this week? 👇 Drop a comment! #Leadership #TeamCulture #PsychologicalSafety #TeamCheckIn #TeamHealthCheck #Wellbeing

Sustainability isn’t a department - it’s a leadership mindset. Yet, too many leaders see it as a compliance box to tick instead of a competitive advantage. The reality? Companies that lead in sustainability outperform their competitors: ✅ Attract top talent looking for purpose-driven workplaces ✅ Win over investors & customers who care about impact ✅ Reduce costs & risks by thinking long-term 💡 The mindset shift? Sustainability isn’t about sacrifice. It’s about smarter leadership - sustainable 1% improvements every day. Let’s talk facts: 72% of consumers want brands to be more sustainable (Nielsen) ESG-leading companies see higher profit margins (McKinsey) 90% of CEOs say sustainability is critical to success (UN Global Compact) Yet, many leaders hesitate: ❌ "We can’t afford to." ❌ "It’s not a priority right now." ❌ "We’re too small to make an impact." 📌 But forward-thinking leaders get it: Sustainability isn’t a cost - it’s an investment in the future. 🛠 3 Ways to Embed Sustainability Into Leadership: 1️⃣ Audit Your Impact – Measure your company’s footprint (Try this free tool: https://lnkd.in/eWyiH3qJ) 2️⃣ Integrate Green Thinking – Choose sustainable suppliers, reduce waste, rethink travel 3️⃣ Lead by Example – Your team follows what you do, not just what you say 🌟 Example: Patagonia built a $1B brand on sustainability. IKEA aims to be 100% circular by 2030. Salesforce is already net-zero. 💚 Sustainability isn’t a trend - it’s a leadership imperative. Sustainability = Smart Leadership 🌱 👇 What’s one sustainable change you're making this year? #Leadership #Sustainability #FutureOfWork #Stones #LeadershipDevelopment #ModernLeadership #SustainableLeadership