Accessible, affordable and achievable. These three words are the inspiration behind a project I’ve been working on for most of this year. The project is to create online versions of our Exceptional development programmes.

As your small business grows, you need to be capable of leading the people you recruit. This includes enabling them, not only to perform for clients, but to lead others in a way that maintains your organisation’s reputation.

The ability to continuously look, listen and absorb what’s happening around you, and adapt your actions, behaviours and decision making in response, is one of the qualities that makes a leader exceptional.

Looking back on what you have achieved is important. It’s a chance to celebrate your achievements and recognise great performance within your organisation.

Great leaders have the most transformative powers. One of the traits of exceptional leadership is the ability to see potential in your team and harness this to enable growth.

When the feel good factor runs through your organisation it’s a winning situation. Your employees win, your customers win, and your company wins. The result is like seeing the ball hit that back of the net - euphoria!

I have a confession to make...I reached 10 years in business without enjoying any kind of business networking. I used to think networking was really cliquey. I thought it was for formal corporate types and, a bit like Fort Knox, hard to infiltrate.

It’s amazing when you can see, hear and feel an organisation’s culture and Values being brought to life. And it all starts with the leaders. So what actions can leaders take to ensure they lead the Values consistently?

Values are critical to guiding your business, leaders and team. Zest for Life is no different. I strive to lead by example and follow a set of three Values which guide us to deliver exceptional business results.

If I asked you to describe your personal values you might share a few words you try to live your life by. For most of us this is an easy task. Our values are important to us.

Imagine you’ve just started a fabulous new job. You’re feeling super enthusiastic about it, and potentially a little bit anxious in anticipation of what’s ahead.

What words come to mind when you look at these two leaders? What characteristics do they have that make them stand out to you as a great leader? What kind of legacy do you think will leave behind?

Sometimes we’re not honest with ourselves because we know deep down that to get the results we want it’s going to take time and discipline to make it happen. The word discipline has painful connotations - discipline hurts!

I’ve never forgotten about it or how it made me feel. This person’s behaviour had a lasting impact on me. It’s made me more cautious around him. I’m perhaps not as open with him as I would be with others.

The concept that it takes time to do a job properly is nothing new, however knowing it and doing it are two very separate things. Sometimes we need a little reminder to refocus.

Nurturing people and caring for their health and wellbeing is a key focus - more so now than ever before. Creating a set of core values and living these every day helps you and your team to do the right thing.

Clarity is so important. You only need look to the sketchy government guidelines on the wearing of face masks to understand exactly how important. Lack of clarity leads to uncertainty - and further questions.

With many teams furloughed or working remotely, a lack of personal contact with a team leader can make difficulties harder for leaders to spot. How can you be sure that your employees are coping?

As many of us settle into the reality of self-isolation, it’s now more important than ever to be considerate, empathetic and respectful of others’ feelings and perspectives.

Looking back at collective and personal achievements and highlights can help identify areas for improvement and feed into objective and goal setting. How often do you do this for yourself?