This Episode: How to be Deeply Human – with Kate Jones

Lucinda talks with Kate Jones, a leadership coach and consultant from Neon, about the evolving landscape of leadership, culture, and well-being in organisations. Kate shares her journey from frontline social work to management consulting and ultimately founding Neon, where she focuses on fostering deeply human leadership capabilities.

Together, they talk about the growing demand for purpose-driven work, particularly among younger generations, and the challenges of maintaining a meaningful organisational culture amidst the pressures of a fast-paced work environment

Key Takeaways

  • There is a noticeable shift, particularly among Generation Z, who are increasingly seeking purpose and meaning in their work beyond just financial gain. This trend reflects a broader societal demand for organisations to act as forces for good.
  • Many organisations, including those in the public and third sectors, often operate in a “hamster wheel” culture characterised by constant busyness and a lack of time for reflection, creativity, and genuine connection.
  • Effective leadership should focus on five key elements: Clarity of Purpose, Connection, Consciousness, Creativity, and Care. These elements help create a people-focused culture that enhances employee well-being and organisational performance.
  • Employee well-being is a shared responsibility between the organisation and the individual. While organisations must foster a supportive culture, individuals also need to take responsibility for their own well-being by setting boundaries and prioritising self-care.

Best Moments

“I suppose purpose could also be where Gen Z or anyone is expecting an organisation to do stuff about being more sustainable.”

“The hamster wheel culture is a culture of busyness, where you don’t have time to think about what you’re doing or connect with yourself or other people.”

“Are we helping people to understand what’s important, particularly in an environment where priorities might be shifting?”

“Employee wellbeing equals deeply human leadership, plus deeply human culture, plus deeply human infrastructure multiplied by employee responsibility.”

Valuable Resources

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About The Guest, Kate Jones

Kate Jones is a coach and consultant that specialises in leadership development and culture change in the purpose-led sector. She is the founder of Neon and the architect of Deeply Human® leadership, a model of leadership that is a pathway to creating more successful organisations without burning out yourself or your teams.  She leads a community called The Deeply Human Culture Club, made up of members from across sectors and geographies, that share a purpose about creating more human-centred, higher performing organisations. 

Connect with Kate…
https://linktr.ee/katejonesneon?utm_source=linktree_admin_share

About The Host

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles. Lucinda, for over 10 years as CEO of Actus Software has worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. Certainly, it was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

How To Be A Change Superhero – by Lucinda Carney

Contact Method

Actus Software

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