BUSINESSES & ORGANISATIONS
There is no doubt that feelings of anxiety and insecurity has left staff wellbeing in a fragile state.
The changes you will have to make in the coming months will only add to these fears, meaning now more than ever good staff engagement, positive relationships and being part of a supportive team can be the difference between success and failure for your business.
Fern will show your employees that change can be a positive challenge and that we all have the potential to meet and overcome this and any other challenges which present themselves in both their work and in their personal lives.
FLEXIBILITY & CHANGE
We live in an age of unprecedented change. Are you worried that your business will be left behind in the race to adapt? Fern can help!
Many businesses make the mistake of believing that simply implementing a new computer system or streamlining their processes is all that is needed to stay ahead in today's competitive environment. But unless you achieve "people change" too, your investment will be wasted.
People often react to change with a sense of loss. They think not of the opportunities that change offers, but of what they must leave behind. Fern knows this feeling only too well, as she faced the challenge of dealing with sight loss. Her powerful and moving story of how she adapted to her new reality, not just to survive, but thrive, will influence even the most serious doubters of the case for change. She explains in her own unique way how she replaced fear of the unknown with a passion to embrace the painful but necessary changes that would ultimately give her the strength to achieve what she had only dreamed of before
FACING CHALLENGES
After an extremely difficult period for the whole world, we are facing challenges, both personally and professionally. What looked like a winning strategy yesterday could look like a recipe for disaster today. Now more than ever, when expectations and demands are increasingly high, it is imperative for organisations to approach challenges from a place of confidence and enthusiasm, rather than friction and fear. Fern can help!
Challenging perceptions and changing mindsets, Fern proves that when you are faced with any kind of challenge, you can find ways to adapt to it and prosper. Sharing her journey of learning how to thrive, despite deteriorating vision, a debilitating eating disorder and overwhelming fears that she would never be good enough as a partner or employee, Fern demonstrates that moments of growth can be born from some of our greatest challenges and the bonds these challenges enable us to form with those around us.
Fern believes the difference between success and failure can lay in your own mind, showing that, if you want to get the best from yourself and your job, you need to start with how you handle challenge and change. As Fern says, "You can either see a challenge as a problem or as an opportunity to think outside the box and flourish."
ENGAGEMENT
In order to feel engaged, your employees need to believe that their organisation listens to them, values them as individuals and acknowledges their unique talents and strengths. An engaged team is a winning team! But how do you achieve engagement in these times of massive change and challenges?
Living with sight loss has taught Fern the importance of positive relationships and the mistakes employers make that lead to tensions rather than engagement. Fern would love to engage with you to share what she has learned!
By its very nature, engagement involves forming and maintaining effective relationships throughout your organisation – between leaders and their teams and within the teams themselves. This enables strong commitment to your values and goals.
Having experience as a blind young woman in the workplace and as a talented TEDx speaker and broadcaster, Fern is uniquely placed to champion engagement. She explains it as an end-to-end process, starting with recruitment and induction and lasting throughout an entire career. Fern emphasises the power of creating a working environment in which teams and individuals take pride in what they do and how they do it. She tells of how positive relationships at all levels are crucial to this and how they can be achieved.
Through her story, Fern shines a light on the do’s and don’ts along the way to creating an engaged workforce and the huge benefits that come with it. She will challenge you to examine the way you communicate and interact at all levels to identify crucial changes that will make your organisation a great place to work. Fern proves that you don't need sight to see your way to the top!
WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS
Are challenges such as bullying, staff mental health and conflict between teams or individuals draining time, energy and innovation from your organisation?
Drawing on a lifetime’s experience of living with sight loss, Fern has a deep understanding of the importance of interpersonal communication to achieve productive relationships and team-work. She has personal experience of how bad relationships occur and the misery they cause as well as the joy and success of forming great relationships. Fern would love to share her knowledge with you.
With a strong background in public speaking and broadcasting, Fern can demonstrate the importance of making sure you get your message across and the benefits of employees who feel they are listened to at work. Based on her own experiences, Fern will tackle tricky topics such as misunderstanding between staff, how to deal with workplace comparisons, creating empathy between colleagues and, of course, conflict resolution. She will also highlight the importance of education and understanding in developing a diverse workforce. Fern highlights the message that stable relationships at work can make all the difference when it comes to job satisfaction and emphasises that, while it takes everyone working together to create the most positive environment, it all starts with you.
