What my Allotment Taught Me about Leadership

Dr Almira Ross

What my Allotment Taught Me about Leadership

What my Allotment Taught Me about Leadership

It’s early harvest time at my allotment, and I’m struck by how much this mirrors the seasons of leadership. I dug up my second early potatoes yesterday, and it never ceases to amaze me how much comes from so little. A dozen seed potatoes buried in the ground a few months ago now yielding a […]

When Perfect Becomes the Enemy of Impact

When Perfect Becomes the Enemy of Impact

I’ve been wrestling with a charity shop jigsaw puzzle for months now. Wildflowers scattered across my coffee table — blue cornflowers, purple foxgloves, delicate yellow sprigs. It’s been the most challenging puzzle I’ve ever attempted, made even more challenging by not knowing if all the pieces were even there to begin with. After months of […]

Belonging

Belonging

I’m just back from three weeks in Canada, and I’m sitting here with the most curious feeling. My brothers took me everywhere during those precious weeks. We wandered through vineyards in southern Ontario, explored prehistoric fossil sites in Manitoba where ancient sea creatures once ruled, and walked the streets of my childhood neighbourhood – hardly […]

Exhausted? It’s not your Fault

Exhausted? It’s not your Fault

Yesterday, I was at my allotment clearing weeds, trimming grass paths, and netting the fruit trees. With only days before my three-week holiday, I’m in that familiar pre-departure frenzy of trying to get everything “in order” before I leave. As I worked under the summer sun, pulling up stubborn, persistent horsetail and bindweed and wrestling […]

When you Hit a Wall

When you Hit a Wall

I’m sitting here on a bright sunny morning in London, watching a clever crow figure out how to raid the bird feeder meant for smaller birds, and I’ve got absolutely nothing to write about. You know that feeling? When you sit down to tackle something that usually flows easily, and suddenly it’s like trying to […]

You Can’t Do Big Things if You’re Distracted by Small Things

You Can’t Do Big Things if You’re Distracted by Small Things

The Hidden Cost of Digital Distraction I start every workshop with the same rule: phones on airplane mode, notifications off, be fully present. You’d be amazed at the resistance I get. Women leaders who can handle million-pound budgets and complex strategic decisions suddenly look panicked at the thought of being unreachable for two hours. But […]

Leading Change in Uncertain Times

Leading Change in Uncertain Times

Have you ever felt that tug – that persistent inner voice insisting something needs to change, yet the very thought of initiating that change leaves you hesitant? I certainly have, and I’ve watched countless women leaders experience this same tension. Change is inherently uncomfortable. It disrupts our familiar patterns and introduces uncertainty – that space […]

Time: our Most Precious Asset

Time: our Most Precious Asset

I had a profound realisation recently while reading Sahil Bloom’s “5 Types of Wealth.” The first type he mentions is TIME—and it struck me deeply how many of us, especially the women leaders I work with, are desperately time-poor.  We’re constantly juggling responsibilities, racing from one commitment to the next, barely catching our breath before […]