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In this episode of The Power Between by Ideas for Leaders, host Roddy Millar with Lorna Bains, Managing Director at Vilo Consulting, Trustee of Building Trust International & Former Chief People Officer at Disguise. Lorna shares her career journey, starting in a UK job centre and recruitment, and moving through senior roles in media and technology, including time at The Walt Disney Company and seven years at Disguise. She reflects on leadership, honest conversations at work, and why strong people management is vital for healthy teams and organizations.
Lorna shares how her early work in a job centre and her long career in HR shaped her approach to leadership and people management. She explains why honest and kind conversations are essential at work, and how good feedback, listening, and trust improve performance. Lorna stresses the value of training managers, supporting teams through change, and creating workplaces where people feel valued, clear about expectations, and able to do their best work.
Key Topics:
-Building Strong Teams: How Lorna focuses on trust, clarity, and good relationships to help teams work better together.
-Honest Conversations at Work: Why kind, direct feedback and open dialogue are essential for performance and growth.
-Developing Managers: How better training, practice, and support help managers succeed in people leadership roles.
-Culture and Performance: How everyday management behaviours shape culture, motivation, and results.
-Leadership Through Change: How leaders can support people during growth, pressure, and uncertainty by listening and communicating well.
Timestamps:
[00:00] Teaser
[01:36] Lorna’s career journey and early roles
[03:58] Founding Vilo and consulting work
[05:32] Growing Disguise and global scale
[06:32] Lessons from working at a job centre
[09:51] Honest conversations and leadership
[11:09] Power dynamics and giving feedback
[15:25] Training managers and leadership gaps
[18:32] Leading in large firms and scale ups
[25:56] Mindset, confidence, and listening
[32:04] Practising feedback and learning openly
[35:20] Employment law and good management
[39:28] What great leadership really means
📚 Resources:
👉 Subscribe to DLQ just for $3 for 3 months - https://developingleadersquarterly.com/
👉 Read this article from DLQ46 for free on ‘From Compete and Compare to Collaborate and Care’ - https://developingleadersquarterly.com/from-compete-and-compare-to-collaborate-and-care/?share=ccyoGhQUZSYB
Follow our guest, Lorna Bains:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lornabains/
Follow our Guest’s Companies:
- Disguise:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/disguise-/
Website: https://www.disguise.one/en
- Vilo Consulting:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/vilo-consulting/
Website: https://www.viloconsulting.co.uk/
- Building Trust International:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-trust-international/
Website: https://www.buildingtrustinternational.org/
Follow the Host, Roddy Millar:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roddymillar/
Follow Ideas For Leaders:
Website: https://ideasforleaders.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ideas-for-leaders/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ideasforleaders.dlq
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ideasforleaders/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/ideas4leaders
Listening Links:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2NHgbWdUlJS8z1aSTgcIYt?si=d4f19ce12516420f
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-power-between/id1842080646
Podcast site: https://ideasforleaders.com/
Subscribe for more conversations on practical leadership, honest communication, and building strong teams at work, and share your thoughts in the comments.
