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Articles by Judith Germain
Six years in: Why Maverick thinking matters more than ever
Six years in: Why Maverick thinking matters more than ever. In January 2020, The Maverick Paradox Magazine launched quietly. Three months later, the world shut down. That timing wasn’t intentional – but it was revealing. The magazine had already been built for leaders, business owners, and the pathologically curious who needed to think under pressure, not be reassured by certainty. When the pandemic hit, readers weren’t looking for instructions or predictions.
Confidence isn’t the cure: Why Black entrepreneurs need calibration, not validation
More Black entrepreneurs than ever are building and scaling businesses across the UK. Yet behind the success stories, a quieter truth runs through many conversations: a persistent, private self-doubt. “Imposter syndrome,” people call it – as if the problem sits in your mindset. But what if it isn’t your confidence that’s lacking? What if the real issue is the system you’ve been told to measure yourself against? Imposter syndrome is often treated like a character flaw.
Black History Month: Polite inclusion at work is keeping people comfortable
Every October, the Black History Month performance begins again. Panels, hashtags, branded posts – all celebrating Black excellence. And then, silence. Representation rises. But influence doesn’t move. HR has done what it can within the limits of the system it inherited. But that system was never built for shared power – and the cracks are showing. Black History Month isn’t a marketing opportunity. It’s a pressure test for how leadership really works when the spotlight fades.
Zombie leadership is destroying you business
Zombie leadership is destroying you business – here’s how to fix it. A few years ago, I sat across from a frustrated CEO who couldn’t understand why their leadership development programme wasn’t working. “It feels as if we’ve put millions into training, yet nothing changes. It’s like we’re moving in circles.” They weren’t moving in circles. They were stuck in Zombie Leadership.
The hidden barriers to collective leadership
The hidden barriers to collective leadership performance – and how to overcome them. Ever been in a leadership meeting that should be productive but somehow… isn’t? The strategy is clear. The team is competent. The conversation flows. And yet… There’s a subtle resistance in the air. Some people dominate the discussion, while others hesitate. Decisions are made, but they don’t seem to stick. Weeks later, execution is inconsistent, and no one knows why. It’s frustrating, isn’t it?
The women who accelerate action
The women who accelerate action: Impactful Contextualised Leadership in motion. She had seen it happen before. A big meeting. Senior leaders discussing a critical initiative. A room filled with ambition, ideas, and good intentions. Yet, every time, the same pattern played out. “Let’s explore this further.” “We need more input.” “Let’s set up another meeting.” Collaboration? No. This was decision paralysis. She watched the clock. Another hour gone. Another meeting booked. Another delay.
The power of a personal brand
The power of a personal brand: Why every business owner needs one. Small Business Owners often lament the idea of having a personal brand, believing that they can just show up in the marketplace and people will buy from them. This is a bad idea, let me show you why. You’ve just realised your dream and have opened up a small coffee shop in the middle of your local high street. You are all excited, you know you have brilliant coffee, a warm and inviting space and a few loyal customers.
The power of a personal brand: Why every business owner needs one
Small Business Owners often lament the idea of having a personal brand, believing that they can just show up in the marketplace and people will buy from them. This is a bad idea, let me show you why. You’ve just realised your dream and have opened up a small coffee shop in the middle of your local high street. You are all excited, you know you have brilliant coffee, a warm and inviting space and a few loyal customers.
Why bother with your mental health?
Small Business Owners are sick of hearing about the need to take care of their mental health, they don’t have time, and their families need the money. Often when we hear the term mental health, we mean mental illness and this perception is what drives business owners to avoid all conversations on mental health lest they be deemed weak or show a vulnerability that others can exploit. This is especially true if the business owner is the main breadwinner for the family.
National Inclusion Week 2024
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Whose lived experience is more important?
Whose lived experience is more important? To answer that question, we must first consider what we mean by the term. Lived experience emphasises the importance of personal narratives and insights that are derived from the personal knowledge and understanding that someone has gained through their own experience. Too often we forget the most important aspect of organisational culture – the people.
Why business owners should network if they want to survive
Consumers, clients and customers have continued to become more discerning on who they buy from, at lower pricing points than ever before. This often means that they want to know more about your business before they place an order. Networking may prove the best way to stand out in your marketplace.
Even successful business owners can suffer from imposter syndrome
It seems like everyone is running their own business these days. In fact, at the start of 2023 there was 5.6 million small businesses in the UK, with a turnover of £1.6 trillion. Imposter Syndrome is a subjective experience of perceived self-doubt in one’s abilities and accomplishments compared with others, despite evidence to suggest the contrary. It is most common in high achievers. In 2018 24% of Business Owners reported suffering from Imposter Syndrome. In 2022 this figure had risen to 78%.
When it’s time to work on the business and not in it: Insights drawn from maverick leadership
It can be easy to forget when you are a business owner that you are also a leader that needs to be able to switch easily from making a series of tactical adjustments that are designed to grow the company, and having a strategic mindset focused on transformation.
Middle managers drive business success
In any company, there’s a gap between the big ideas dreamed up by senior leadership and the daily grind that keeps the business running. Middle managers are the ones who bridge that gap. They take the broad strokes of the company’s vision and translate them into clear, actionable steps for the teams they lead. They’re the glue that holds everything together, the ones who ensure the company’s strategy goes from theory to reality.
HR leadership and the art of difficult conversations
You wear many hats in HR, but few are as crucial – and sometimes as daunting – as leading difficult conversations. From delivering bad news to addressing performance issues, these dialogues can make or break trust within your organization. Yet, within these challenges lies immense opportunity. Here’s how to master the art of these conversations and turn them into triumphs for your team and your leadership. Why mindset matters Your approach sets the tone.
Why leadership development needs nuance
Leadership training used to lack variety, but this no longer works in an ever-evolving workplace. Organisations need to tailor leadership development to match their own complexities and changing needs, argues Judith Germain. In a constantly changing and evolving world, the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to leadership development is no longer fit for purpose.
Bridging the Strategic Divide: HR's Role in the C-Suite
HomeEmployee ExperienceHR StrategyBridging the Strategic Divide: HR’s Role in the C-Suite 3 Min Read HR and C-suite misalignment hinders business success. Bridging this gap is crucial for HR’s strategic recognition and organisational performance. In the high-stakes game of corporate strategy, Human Resources (HR) often feels like a pawn, overshadowed by the kingpins of the C-suite. But the business world is changing rapidly, and HR’s voice is crucial for shaping success.
How to show appreciation to all of your team
While designated initiatives such as Employee Appreciation Day are certainly a great way to acknowledge employees’ hard work, showing appreciation should be your regular practice. Why? From fostering a positive working environment to boosting morale and productivity, here different experts discuss the tangible benefits of appreciating your team all year round, and not just on special occasions.
How to embed black inclusion in the organisation beyond black history month
Black History Month usually generates a frantic avalanche of activity whilst companies work on their consumer and employer brands; keen to demonstrate to consumers and employees alike that they are supportive of Black inclusion. However, Black History Month 2023’s theme – Saluting Our Sisters, garnered very little attention, prompting Black people to wonder at just how much commitment there was from organisations towards the Black community.
How Training and Development Can Help Foster Black Inclusion in the Workplace
At times, it can seem that petitioning for Black inclusion in the workplace is a controversial subject that goes against desires that “only the best person for the job should be hired or promoted.” For some, it can feel that advocates for Black inclusion are really trying to solve social problems to the detriment of the commercial success of the organization. Or it can feel like Black inclusion means discriminating against non-Black employees.
Five essential steps to cement values in your company culture
With nearly half of employees (42%) wanting to work for an organisation that has a positive impact on the world, individuals are actively seeking out values-led cultures. When employee and organisation values are aligned, we often see increased innovation, collaboration and wellbeing. Thus improving productivity and fostering an innate sense of belongingness and purpose. To establish a strong company culture, effective leaders must demonstrate consistency.
Judith Germain: Avoiding the post-summer holiday slump - leaders should prioritise personalised opportunities to engage teams
As the summer months draw to a close and the last quarter of 2023 is upon us, returning to work after a relaxed summer holiday can be just what someone needs to enhance their productivity in the workplace. In fact, a recent study found employees who take their annual leave are 40% more productive and less irritable, depressed, forgetful and easily fatigued. But what if you have been unable to go away this summer?
How to assess if you are part of the culture problem
Organisational culture can be expressed as ‘what we do around here’, and ‘who we are around here’. When you have the right culture, the following become true: Consistency, direction and predictability A strong culture enables everyone to predict with accuracy what to expect following any given action, as well as guide on how to act when faced with making decisions – even in new circumstances. This enables the organisation to react consistently and move in a common direction.
Black Leaders Awareness Day: Black women, the concrete ceiling and entrepreneurism
This Black Leaders Awareness Day, I am shining an important spotlight on the prevailing concrete ceiling and its impact on black female entrepreneurism. The concrete ceiling The concrete ceiling refers to the compounded barriers that black women face at work, such as a significant lack of support and understanding of the unique challenges that they encounter.
The world needs your message
The world needs your message but will move on without it. In today’s episode Judith Germain speaks to Matt McWilliams about a range of topics relating to building a personal brand and turning one’s passion into profit. Matt McWilliams shares his personal journey of discovering his passion for marketing and messaging and how he turned it into a successful career.
Future-proofing your leadership: An individual and organizational perspective
We are no longer operating in a relatively stable world, characterized by periods of change that are easy to anticipate and are often ‘short lived’. This decade will become known for its rapid change, unpredictability, and the exponential growth of AI. What the future holds for individuals and organizations is unknown. The few indicators of certainty have meant that we must now look to future-proofing our leadership as much as possible. I’m often asked what this ‘future-proofing’ might entail.
How to prepare leadership development programs for the era of uncertainty
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Survey finds that only 14 percent of leaders are influential
A survey into leadership competency has revealed that only 14% of leaders are influential, despite over 85% being ranked as competent leaders. The survey data* was collected from leaders across a variety of sectors and countries. The survey included a series of multiple choice questions designed to measure influence based on 4 key categories: capability, decisiveness, power and impact.
Baked in and loaded
Baked in and loaded. In this episode Judith Germain speaks to Douglas Squirrel about his response to being fired consistently because he was too good at his job. They discuss why talented Maverick Leaders tend not to stay in organisations and take their talents into their own businesses.
Management development should be HR's number one priority in 2023
Sometimes, after you’ve just had a protracted conversation with a member of your senior leadership team about some error lower down in the organisation, you sit and ponder ‘what’s wrong with the management team?’ You wonder why the management team didn’t pick up something that was so obviously going to lead to issues, or why the management team doesn’t work more like a team and why the management team isn’t acting in accordance with the position of authority that they have.
Making Black History Month a catalyst for change
Black History Month can stir complex feelings in many Black HR professionals. In some ways, it calls attention to their own ethnicity – which can be challenging in organisations where People of Colour are a minority, especially in management. It can cause celebrations of the month to come under intense scrutiny because it is seen as something that you want to do (for your own kind) rather than something that is good HR practice and business sense.
Culture is the root of your customers’ reality
Some of the most successful organisations understand that if they are to survive and thrive in this complex, constantly changing world, they must satisfy the wants of both their external and internal (ie. employees) customers. But what many businesses don’t consider is the extent to which their internal culture impacts their customers’ reality. Furthermore, it is not just one singular culture that is having a knock-on effect on customers, it is in fact three. 1.
Do you need a hybrid mindset to go with your hybrid working?
There’s been a lot of talk about hybrid working recently and a myriad of different definitions for it. Although many organisations prefer to believe that hybrid working is binary, it would be wrong to plan or think this way.
Management development should be HR's number one priority in 2022
Sometimes, after you’ve just had a protracted conversation with a member of your senior leadership team about some error lower down in the organisation, you sit and ponder ‘what’s wrong with the management team?’ You wonder why the management team didn’t pick up something that was so obviously going to lead to issues, or why the management team doesn’t work more like a team and why the management team isn’t acting in accordance with the position of authority that they have.
Why leadership is the most critical skill HR needs to develop in a constantly changing world
Every organisation knows that their success relies on having employees that are able to respond appropriately to the shifting priorities that they face. They need leaders that are inclusive, tolerant of different perspectives (including neurodivergence), who can lead with integrity, empathy and passion. Their leaders need to be skilled at aligning individuals to the company’s vision and mission and be able to strategise, innovate and execute against a forever-shifting plan.
The Hospitality Maverick - Harris Rosen
The Hospitality Maverick – Harris Rosen founded Rosen Hotels and Resorts in 1974. He is an investor and philanthropist with a big vision. He has spent millions of dollars in helping his local disadvantaged communities. In this episode Judith Germain speaks to Harris Rosen about hope through education. The passion of his commitment to giving back comes through loud and clear in his conversation with Judith.
What's the point of a training manager?
Judith Germain considers how training and HR can best work together - alone or in the same department? Function heads responsible for people are increasingly finding it necessary to justify their existence especially when companies are striving to achieve a substantial Return on Investment and generalists are looking like they will provide a better return.
Leadership Matters: Affair between director and her direct report
This column answers your questions on leadership, talent management, performance improvement and the employee behavioural issues that can cause even the best leadership techniques to go awry. This time an affair between a director and a person reporting to them is making life awkward. The dilemma My manager (a director) has been having an affair with another of her direct reports - both are married.
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