Shows
Milton Keynes Umbrella Project PodcastBekka Prideaux, leadership development expert and founder of The Curious ChoiceIn this episode of the MK Umbrella Project Podcast, we hear from Bekka Prideaux, leadership development expert and founder of The Curious Choice. As a dyslexic thinker, Bekka shares how her neurodivergence has shaped her career, turning challenges into strengths and helping her build a successful business.
Her talk, A Dyslexic Business Owner’s Path to Success, explores the power of embracing neurodiversity in leadership, the workplace, and personal growth. With her signature pragmatic and fun approach, Bekka provides inspiration and practical insights for anyone looking to thrive in their own way.
🎙️ Don’t miss this empo...2025-03-1525 min
Professional PMOCastSSS #016: Stubborn stakeholders with Bekka PrideauxIn this episode, Bekka Prideaux talks about how she handled a stakeholder who didn't do what he said he would. She reminds us to make effective use of the people and the tools available to us to deliver the project.This interview is also available as a video at http://bit.ly/ScaryScarsThis is one of Pragmatic PMO's interview series "Scary Scars Shared". In these interviews, Ken asks Real Project Managers to share in around ten minutes what they learned from their most successful and their challenging project management experiences (scars).Sharing...2022-01-1610 min
Staying SoloThe Dynamics of Delegation with Bekka PrideauxDoes the idea of having to hand off work to other people make you break out in a cold sweat?Do you ever find yourself thinking “it will be faster if I just do it myself”? *raises hand sheepishly* The struggle is real, my friends. As someone who has a somewhat challenging relationship with delegation, it’s a muscle that I have to consciously work on building. Thankfully, I’ve had someone guiding me along the way and giving me a gentle nudge when needed.That’s why in this...2021-10-2530 min
The Curious Choice Leader PodcastWhat's the best way for leaders to review 2020?I think its safe to say 2020 hasn't been the year any of us planned, but it has given us many learning opportunities and there will be wins and things we can be proud of. So, since this is the last episode of The Curious Choice Leader Podcast for 2020, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get curious about reviewing the year, about how we can celebrate our achievements, capture our lessons and make choices about how we apply them to our working worlds going forward. 2020-11-2500 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastHow having Imposter Complex Makes You A Better LeaderWe all doubt our abilities from time to time, and when it goes too far it can become an episode of Imposter Complex. With the amount of change we have all been experiencing recently, it's been especially prevalent.What if I was to tell you that experiencing Imposter Complex is a good thing and that it can make you a better leader?In this episode, I explain why that is and how you can make friends with your Imposter Complex so it helps you become a better leader2020-11-1800 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastHow leaders can use coaching skills to unlock performanceBeing a coach and using coaching skills are not the same thing - almost all of us can benefit from using coaching skills as part of our role and as leaders, we can use them to unlock the performance of our teams.As we develop our skills to deliver work through and with others using the skills of coaching will, for example, allow you to understand other people's perspectives, open up other people's thinking so you come up with better solutions and support the decision-making process - something all teams benefit from whatever they do....2020-11-1100 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastThe best way for leaders to respond when everything suddenly changesThe week this episode is published in the week the UK, like much of Europe, enters a second national lockdown and the week of the US Elections. Not for the first time this year, it feels like everything around us is changing.As leaders what are the first things we should do when we are in this situation? How can we best help ourselves and our teams to deal with everything.In this episode it's time to get curious about what our first priorities should be as leaders and make some choices about...2020-11-0500 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastHow to choose the right style of coach for you With so much change going on around us both at work and in the world, in general, it's not surprising that more people are looking for answers and are looking for help with their work, their leadership and their business. And there is no shortage of people offering to help them, advisors, consultants and coaches. Some days it feels like everyone you meet or see in your inbox, on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and anywhere else you look is calling themselves a coach. In this episode, I share 7 questions you should ask yourself...2020-10-2100 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastHow to show you are trustworthy as a leaderWorking environments with a high level of trust between people makes everything else is easier, so naturally, as leaders, we want to cultivate more of it. Trust is a living organic thing that grows between people, and despite what I commonly see talked about you can't manufacture it and you can't force someone else to trust you. Instead, we need to show we are trustworthy and that's based on four foundational cores - integrity, intent, capability and results. In this episode, I explore how we as leaders can demonstrate those four foundational cores...2020-10-1400 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastThe problem I have with the way we talk about trust in businessTrust - we know teams and businesses where trust is high do better than those where trust is low, so it's no wonder that we hear a lot of people talking about creating or manufacturing trust.And I have a problem with that.In this episode, I explain why and what it is that bothers me about some of the conversations and advice about trust.2020-10-0700 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastHow To Combat Change Fatigue When You Are Leading ChangeIf you find yourself rolling your eyes at letting out an involuntary groan when someone suggests something new, or you spot your team doing it when you talk about a change you all need to make, the chances are change fatigue is setting in.There is no doubt that too much change in too short a period of change is exhausting, but what can you do to combat change fatigue and keep your team productive?In this episode Bekka shares some things you can do to manage the change fatigue in your team.2020-09-3010 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Working From Home and The People Points GameWorking from home - do you love it or hate it? With the latest UK government guidelines reverting to telling people to work from home where possible and that we should expect that advice to last for at least six months we are facing more changes in how our teams and the teams we interact with, work. How people react to even small changes can surprise us and in this episode, I talk about managing and leading these changes and being ready to be surprised. I also talk about managing the one...2020-09-2310 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastThe Top 9 Mistakes Leaders Make Leading ChangeIn all my years leading change and working with leaders leading change I've never seen a leader get it 100% right 100% of the time - some have come close, and yet despite the very best intentions, many haven't. In this episode, I pull together the 9 most common leadership traps I see leaders of change falling into when they are leading change.So, are you ready to get curious about the things that leaders often get wrong when they are leading change and make some choices about how to avoid those mistakes yourself? Check out thecuriouschoiceleader...2020-09-1614 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Balancing Leading with everything else you need to get done Being a leader is hard! Even when things are going well and there is not much changing around us there is a lot to do. Add with all the changes that are happening around our businesses, how we are working, where we are working, where our business focus needs to be, our leadership workload goes up, but we still have to keep everything else going too. We need to be doing more to lead and reassure our teams, we have more activities and team outputs to manage, quite possibly with less people and we know we need to...2020-09-0913 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Multiple Changes At The Same TimeIf it ever happens at all it is very rare that in business we are only dealing with one change at a time. Our jobs as managers and leaders are to continually improve performance, even when we are not in the middle of change projects or a rapidly changing operating environment. So what are the implications for us as leaders of dealing with lots of different changes all at once? In this episode, we are going to dig into that and I'm going to share two ways to check you are doing the...2020-09-0209 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastIs Becoming A Freelancer For You? With unemployment rising and more and more companies making people redundant, I’m having a lot of conversations with people about the merits of becoming a freelancer or a contractor. According to IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and Self Employed, approximately 6% of the UK workforce are freelancers and since typically when we see high redundancy levels we see an increase in the number of people freelancing they are expecting that percentage to go up. In this episode, I share the things you should consider before deciding if you should join them an...2020-08-2612 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - How to Lead Your Team Through A Redundancy ProgrammeNo one wants to have to lead their team through a redundancy programme but when you do have to, how can you make sure its a constructive process that positions everyone for a successful future either inside or outside your organisation? In this week's episode we talk about how leaders can do just that, so are you ready? It's time to get curious and make some choices about how you are going to lead when redundancies are in the air.2020-08-1913 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Why Leaders Should Love Being Asked Difficult QuestionsIt's a mistake I've seen many leaders, especially inexperienced ones make more times than I can count - avoiding answering difficult and challenging questions. In this episode, I talk about why it's such a big mistake and why leaders should love being asked those difficult questions.So are you ready to get curious and make some choices about how you react to difficult questions? 2020-08-1211 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Bridging The Post Furlough Divide In Your TeamAs the UK Government's job support scheme is being phased out, it leaves a very tricky team dynamics between those who have worked through and those who are returning from furlough, for leaders to manage. This post furlough divide is going to provide yet another test of our leadership and given the challenging trading conditions we are all operating in, getting it right is potentially critical to the future of our businesses. So are you ready to get curious about the post furlough divide and make some choices about how you minimise its impact for...2020-08-0512 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Supporting Your Team When They Are Worried About Their JobsRight now, many of the people you work with are worried about their jobs - are they going to have to start going back into the office, how safe will it be to travel to get there, how safe will they be when they get there, how secure is their job anyway? For others, their concerns will be around what happens at the end of the furlough scheme, or maybe they are worried about contact with the public or what happens if there is a second wave of the pandemic. As well as worrying about themselves they may be...2020-07-2911 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastHow will you know you are successful?There is more to being successful than hitting your targets and in this episode, we turn the lens of curiosity inwards and talk about how we define success for ourselves, so we can work in alignment with our definitions and be the best leader we can be.2020-07-2215 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Why Your Why Matters When You Are Leading ChangeWhen we ask people to do something difficult, like change the way they work, they are very unlikely to do it unless they understand the reasons that sit behind the changes, but the rationale itself is often not enough. Unless not changing puts people in danger, they need something more than a logical argument to be motivated to make those changes. They need to be inspired by a bigger vision or purpose, our business why. But that’s not the only function talking about our business why has during change, it also serves as an anchor for ou...2020-07-1511 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Making Decisions When Everything Is ChangingHow can we possibly make decisions when everything around us is changing?When we are in the middle of change and surrounded by uncertainty, the feeling of not being able to get your head around decisions grows, it’s very unsettling and can leave us questioning our own judgement.And that’s not a great feeling especially when we are leading others through change - in fact, that just piles the pressure on and makes it even harder to think and make a decision.So what can we do to help ourselves make deci...2020-07-0811 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Planning in an Uncertain WorldIs it worth planning when everything around you is so uncertain? We know we don't know what a post-pandemic world is going to look like or if we are even going to get there this year, all we know is that we don't know how what the environment our businesses operate in is going to look like, so how can we even start planning?In this episode Bekka suggests three areas to look at as a start point for your planning.2020-07-0112 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Why Active Listening Isn't EnoughIf you want to get the benefits of being a good listener, active listening isn't enough. Great listening is a key leadership skill, yet one which surprisingly few people are taught. In this episode, Bekka breaks down the different levels we need to be able to listen at and suggests how we can improve our listening skills.2020-06-2412 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - Having Difficult ConversationsWe’ve all been there - worrying about a conversation we need to have because we know it could be a difficult one, maybe because we think the person we need to talk to won’t like what we have to say, or because the subject is charged with emotions. Having these conversations is something we need to do as a leader, and something we end up doing, even more, when we are leading change. In this episode, Bekka talks about how we can get comfortable having these uncomfortable conversations2020-06-1711 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - What Leaders Need To Do - Part 2In this episode, Bekka continues the discussion about what we need to do when we are leading others through change. Change is a process and there are some things that we need to do consistently through the process, and others that change as we go through the different phases of the process. In the last episode, Bekka discussed the things we need to do through the whole process and in this episode she breaks it down further and talks about the things we need to do at the different stages of the change process.2020-06-1012 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - What Leaders Need To Do - Part 1In this episode, Bekka starts the discussion about what we need to do when we are leading others through change. Change is a process and there are some things that we need to do consistently through the process, and others that change as we go through the different phases of the process. This episode focuses on the things we need to do all the way through the processAre you ready? Its time to get curious and make some choices!2020-06-0311 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastLeading Change - How We Experience And Process ChangeIn this episode, Bekka discusses how we experience and process change. Understanding how we are reacting, and how others could be reacting, gives us a foundation to lead through change and to lead with empathy in what are often emotionally charged environments.Are you ready? Its time to get curious and make some choices!2020-05-2111 minThe Curious Choice Leader PodcastWelcome to the Curious Choice Leader Podcast - Leading ChangeWelcome to the Curious Choice Leader Podcast! In this episode, meet your host Bekka Prideaux and find out why she has started this podcast - it's not the podcast she was planning! Find out what this podcast is all about and join Bekka as she gets curious about leading through change and shares her hopes for the podcast.2020-05-2106 min
The Modern Manager98: Finding Balance as a Manager with Bekka PrideauxWe’re all in search of the perfect balance of our responsibilities as a manager and getting our own work done. But is this elusive balance even possible or will we forever be pulled in too many directions?
Bekka Prideaux is a Leadership Development Coach and Consultant. Over the past 25 years, she has worked with some of the most recognizable brands in the world to develop great leaders, deliver successful projects and impressive business results. Her clients value her pragmatic and fun approach and the unique blend of experience and expertise that she brings. She believes that suc...2020-04-1428 min
Staying SoloLeadership and Mindset Shifts for Agency Owners with Bekka PrideauxJust because you’re an entrepreneur running a business, it doesn’t mean you relish being a leader. In this episode of the Small Business Boss podcast, I’m talking to leadership mentor Bekka Prideaux who’s helped me refine my leadership style in a way that works for me and is of service to my team. Get the scoop here: https://smallbusinessboss.co/leadership-mindset/2019-11-2527 min
Staying SoloVirtual Collaboration Strategies with Bekka Prideaux and Lysa GreerWorking as part of a virtual team has its own set of unique challenges. In this episode, Lysa Greer and Bekka Prideaux are sharing the challenges of virtual collaboration and their insights on creating working environments where everyone adds value and feels valued. Get the scoop here:https://smallbusinessboss.co/virtual-collaboration/2018-10-0827 min