Aesara Partners 

At Aesara Partners, our mission is simple: enable you to be the best version of yourself. We offer a range of focused services that unlock the potential of people, teams and cultures to maximise business performance. 

Collectively our Partners and Associates have decades of experience both in executive coaching and as board level leaders themselves working in multiple sectors across global markets.

Partner & Executive Coach

Doshisha University

Professor of Strategic Management, Global MBA Program

The CFO Coach K.K.

The CFO Coach K.K. is a boutique executive coaching firm specializing in developing High-Performance​ Financial Leaders and Teams.

Founder & Executive Coach

Kansai Gaidai University

•	Awarded President's Global Education Award (Teacher of the Year).

Professor of Leadership & Management

Benesse Holdings, Inc. (USD 4.5B; Tokyo Stock Exchange Code: 9783)

•	Member of the Board of Directors for Berlitz Corporation; Benesse Corporation; and Benesse Style Care.  Chairman of Audit Committee for Berlitz Corporation. Member of Benesse Holdings Pension Committee.
•	Global CFO covering all 40+ Benesse group companies
•	Championed and supported multiple cash generation initiatives including a CFO led "Save to Grow" initiative to improve Company Financial performance and to identify significant savings for business reinvestment
•	Enhanced Finance bench strength and hired a high potential team to start financial business consulting
•	Implemented several process and capability best practices to move group companies towards global standards

Global Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Senior Vice President

McCann Worldgroup Holdings

• Overall Responsibility for Operations (Finance, IT, Legal, and Administration - 10 legal entities) 
• Successfully turned around long term loss making lead agency by delivering double digit margin improvements within two years
• Delivered double digit margin improvements for all six MWG Group companies 
• Built a new Finance team and moved from Scorekeeping to Business Partnership and improved business performance
• Major projects within last two years include: 
  - Shared Service center creation/migration
  - New Financial System Migration
  - Acquisition & Divestiture
  - Business Turnaround
  - Retirement Plan consolidation/change
  - Office relocation/rent reductions

Group Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, and Member of The Board

Becton, Dickinson and Company

• Led Finance, Procurement, General Affairs, and Rebates teams (43 staff) to deliver multi-million dollar cash and profit performance improvement for first year and beyond. Exceeded all budget expectations.
• Engaged Japan Management Team and Global Finance Leadership Team on company objectives to deliver best outcome (Finance Transformation initiative, Sales effectiveness improvement, Key Account Management, Business Continuity plan, and strategy/selection of backup distribution center).  Led process for 2012-16 Business Plan development
• Developed and executed Finance department strategy and vision to move from scorekeeping to business partnership. Implemented job rotation program and hired several high potential employees to improve bench strength.
• Championed multiple Finance and Procurement initiatives including definition and implementation of new 401k Retirement Plan; divestiture of non-core business; change of primary banks (reduced bank fees by over 30%); vendor reduction process, and new travel expense management system 
• Taught New Manager Essentials program and selected as leadership trainer for PEPFAR program in South Africa to teach Leadership and Change Management to African Health Ministry officials

Finance and Administration Director

Avon Products Inc.

•	Implementation project leader for Avon Sales Leadership Framework (ASLF) – Highest priority project for the Company to adapt to a new Sales Model.  Completed project implementation in record timing.  Awarded regional award as part of ASLF Team. Only person in Asia recognized for both Top-line and Bottom-line contributions in the same year.
•	Defined and executed new vision and mission and led Sales Support department to complete over 40 initiatives (within a six-month period) as part of Team’s new journey towards field motivational excellence. Incorporated new processes to deliver high impact incentives, and to create Sales energy and momentum for sales turn-around.    
•	Achieved highest employee engagement scores with Sales Support Department significantly exceeding country results in over 95% of categories.  Previously had also led Finance department to highest employee engagement scores.
•	Global Project leader for a high potential, multi-functional, multi-national team to study and recommend actions to improve Global Sales Incentive management/spending process.
•	Oversaw execution of a variety of Company and Public/Media events ranging from Sales Conferences to Philanthropic events including Annual Awards to Women, and Pink Ribbon Campaign support.

Executive Director and Member of the Board

•	Responsible for Financial policy making/implementation and reporting for Avon Japan as a public company (including statutory/public, and Board Meetings). All year-end financial documents audited with no comments/exceptions.
•	Defined and executed new department Vision and Mission, and recruited, trained and developed a completely new Finance team (80% new hires within a six month period) to move from scorekeeping to business partnership. Finance team formed core of country high potential list.
•	Consistently over achieved profit performance commitment under adverse conditions of sales decline by aggressively managing strategic business needs with cost cutting; Delivered zero overhead growth during all years; Japan winner of regional awards for best cost management performance, and for boldest transformation strategy.
•	Provided leadership and support for critical decisions and strategy development as Japan Leadership Team Member.  Actively led change management process within company.
•	Consistently achieved best internal control results in Asia-Pacific/Avon over a period of eight audits.  Japan one of only two countries with highest audit rating. Outstanding performance generated support to remove Japan from list of High Coverage countries.
• Co-developed strategic/financial business case, and obtained approval for number of campaign reduction in 2006 making Avon Japan only country ever in Avon to undergo campaign reduction. 
• Independently analyzed and provided strategic direction for Plant study which challenged and reversed previous recommendation by outside consultants on plant closure.
• Provided leadership in several restructuring initiatives by providing an achievable plan to achieve 12% people related cost reduction.  Played lead role in this study representing Finance, Supply Chain and HR 
• Consistently achieved highest performance rating and nominations to several high potential programs
• Elected (and re-elected) to Board of Directors

Executive Director, CFO and Member of the Board of Directors

Delphi

• Prepared Asia-Pacific regional messages / presentations for Delphi Strategy Board, and for Delphi Board of Directors.
• Supported development and implementation of critical Asia-Pacific strategies.  Performed competitive intelligence and other special studies to identify risks / competitive threats and outlined regional / corporate response.
• Provided Miller Heiman strategic selling process training to Asia-Pacific personnel to improve value propositions and increase sales effectiveness.

Director Asia-Pacific Planning

• Management responsibilities for Finance, HR, General Affairs, and Six-Sigma.
• Active member of the Japan Strategy Board and Japan management team.  
• Six-Sigma Deployment Champion for Delphi Japan.

Delphi Japan – CFO & Administration Director

Country Responsibilities:
• Managed all finance functions including accounting, budgeting / forecasting and treasury.
• Lead development of cross-functional and cross-divisional Internal Control Review Board.
• Lead and supported strategic initiatives including venture development support, site enhancement, competitive analysis, transfer pricing, and cost reduction studies.
• Represented Japan in Asia-Pacific Financial Task Team.

Regional Responsibilities:
• Coached country CFO and staff to implement common financial reporting processes.
• Supervised and provided training for engineering / commercial / plant / site analysts.  Coordinated regional financial training programs for the sector in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Coordinated the regional budget, business plan, and capital management process.
• Supported development of common financial practices among ventures including:  Loan monitoring, F/X and cash management, compliance with accounting principles, report submission, etc. Provided regional oversight of venture risk exposure.

Asia-Pacific Senior Finance Mgr.

Executive Coach | MBA Professor | Ex-Global CFO

I help senior leaders master complexity, elevate strategic impact, and lead with authentic authority.

I bring over 25 years of C-level and boardroom experience as a former Global CFO for a $5B publicly traded company, combined with a deep commitment to human-centered leadership development.

Today, I coach global executives, CEOs, and leadership teams — specializing in executive transitions, strategic leadership, high-performance teams, and Asian leadership development.

I am also an MBA Professor of Leadership and Strategic Management, blending research-driven frameworks with boardroom-tested insights to develop transformational leaders.

Based in Kyoto, fluent in English, Urdu, and Japanese.

Connect with me: arif@thecfocoach.jp

Website: www.thecfocoach.jp (please sign up on my mailing list to receive future announcements and newsletters)

Arif Iqball

Niki Avraam

Speaker | Workforce Expert | Lawyer - Employment | 2x Founder | Championing Ownership Culture & Preferred Discomfort to shape bold leaders and energised teams.

I started as an employment lawyer but I never stayed in the back room. I built departments from scratch, founded my own law firms and sat at the heart of organisations when culture broke or needed to evolve.

What I learned?
When people take ownership of their work, everything changes.
Not because of perks but because of purpose.

Today, I work with leaders and organisations ready to raise the bar.

I help you access the top 1% of human potential through:
Ownership. Bold Leadership. Preferred Discomfort (work outside comfort zones).

Because teams don’t just need to cope with change, they need to lead it.

Here’s how I can support your people and performance:

🔹 Keynote Speaking & Masterminds: On workforce, leadership and change. Story-led, practical, and impossible to ignore.
🔹 The Ownership Culture Framework: For organisations ready to replace micromanagement with agency.
🔹 The Personal Leadership Philosophy Programme: A 90-day transformation for new and emerging leaders to define how they lead and why it matters.

I blend legal precision with lived leadership and it works.

From FTSE 100s to ambitious scale-ups, I’ve helped transform flat, disengaged teams into committed, forward-moving ones.

Let's connect

📩 Let’s talk: niki@nikiavraam.com
🌐 www.nikiavraam.com

Founder of Howat Avraam Solicitors 

London based, multi-disciplinary law firm, Howat Avraam Solicitors which acts as the trusted legal adviser to companies and individuals by fighting for freedoms, resolving disputes and helping companies and individuals to prosper. We are forward-thinking lawyers, ready to embrace change and be pro-active.  Through periods of growth, uncertainty and adversity, we provide not just legal counsel but holistic solutions to business and workforce challenges.

Letting go isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.
I didn’t have to travel to Japan to learn this lesson.
I learned it in courtrooms, boardrooms, building companies and the quieter moments in between...

When the dust settles after a win or a failure and you’re left asking:

“What now?”

I’ve learned that in both life and leadership, you don’t rise by clinging tighter.
You rise by releasing.

Like trees shedding their leaves before winter, we too must release what no longer serves us:

🔹 Outdated goals
🔹 Rigid identities
🔹 Leadership styles that worked once, but not anymore.

Every transformation in my career has started with a release:

→ Letting go of “the right” legal path to build my own firm.
→ Letting go of perfectionism to lead with clarity.
→ Letting go of comfort to speak on stages that terrified me.

Here’s what I’ve learned that may help you:

▪︎ Letting go creates space. Holding onto the old leaves no room for what's next.
▪︎ Stillness isn’t stagnation. It’s where real clarity finds you.
▪︎ Growth begins at your edges. Always.
▪︎ Purpose isn’t found; it’s returned to. You already have it.
▪︎ Renewal doesn’t scream. It whispers, “You’re ready.”

You are not falling apart.
You are making room.

🌿
This season, don’t grip tighter.

Let go.

Trust the ground beneath you.
Your roots run deeper than you think.

What are you letting go of this season?
I’d love to know.

 🔁 Repost if this resonates with the season you're in.
 🟡 Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

20 years as an employment lawyer. 
Thousands advised.
I’ve seen how toxic workplaces really operate.

The silent sabotage most people never talk about.

Most people think toxic looks loud.
It doesn’t.
It looks like this:

🚫 Career Stagnation
→ Passed over for growth, no matter how hard you work.
→ Kept from stretch roles and high-impact projects.

🧊 Frozen Out
→ You’re not in the loop. Conversations stop when you enter.
→ Key meetings happen without you.

🔎 Under the Microscope
→ Suddenly, your work is never quite right.
→ The bar moves. Your confidence drops.

📉 Performance Weaponised
→ Reviews turn unfair. Praise disappears.
→ You’re no longer “aligned” with the culture.

🧠 Emotional Undermining
→ Passive digs. Cold shoulders. Side-eyes.
→ Gossip chips away at your credibility.

⚠️ Set Up to Fail
→ You’re drowning in work or given none at all.
→ Both are designed to break you.

🗂 Punished Through Process
→ HR becomes silent. A file starts to grow.
→ You’re now “not a fit”.

🚪 Forced Resignation
→ It’s not a firing. It’s a slow push to the door.
→ Stress replaces support until you leave.

I’ve seen this unfold behind closed doors too many times.

Often, the most damaging exits look like smiles and thankyous.

But inside? Burnout. Shame. Blame.

👀 Leaders don’t ignore the signs.
And if this is happening to you, know this:
You’re not the problem. The system is.

What’s one red flag you’ve spotted in a toxic workplace?

🔁 Repost to help others

✨ Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

Stop chasing the perfect start.
It doesn’t exist.
And waiting for it? That’s how dreams quietly die.

💥 Your first move will be messy.
 📉 Your plan will fall apart.
 😬 Your confidence will wobble.

And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.

I’ve started three times.
None of them were neat.
All of them changed my life.

✅ I launched my own law firm from being Partner at an established firm, with no roadmap.
✅ I walked onto stages as a keynote speaker still hearing the “play it safe” lawyer voice.
✅ I built workforce programmes before I had the perfect strategy deck.

Every start was chaotic.
Every start felt premature.

But motion created clarity.
And in that motion, I found:

 → the frameworks,
 → the voice,
 → the lessons

 that built the career I have now.

Let’s be honest:
Perfection is the mask people wear when they’re scared to move.

Start messy.
Learn loud.
Build something that makes you proud.

Because you don’t need perfect.
You need a beginning.

💬 What’s something you almost didn’t start because you thought you weren’t ready?

🔁 Repost this if someone in your network needs the permission slip to just begin.

✨ Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

When you start rising, people start looking for your faults.

It’s almost predictable.

The moment you grow, someone notices what’s wrong, not what’s right.

Growth magnifies everything:

Your courage.
Your flaws.
Your vision.
Your critics.

And that’s okay.

Because being seen means being judged.

What matters isn’t the noise 
It’s what you build anyway.

Let the  whispers sharpen your focus.
Let the doubt test your drive.
Let the criticism refine your leadership.

Harvard research reminds us that teams trust leaders who stay grounded under scrutiny; those who lead with curiosity, not ego.

The strongest leaders don’t avoid judgment.
They rise in the middle of it.

So when they throw stones 
Don’t throw them back.

Use them to build something that speaks louder than their words.

📸 This visual says it all →
👇 What have you built from the stones they threw?

🟡 Follow Niki Avraam for bold and future-focused workforce insights.

Your best employee just quit.
You had six months to stop it.
20 years advising companies as an employment lawyer and leading people

I’ve seen this story on repeat and it’s almost always preventable.

Here's what leaders often miss:
Engagement > Retention. Every time.
But if the first time you really listen is the exit interview?
You’re too late.

You didn’t just lose a great employee.
You lost:

• Six months of momentum
• A culture-builder
• Deep knowledge no one else had.

And the worst part?

Most companies are still bleeding talent for reasons they could fix.

Here’s what actually makes people stay (not perks or pizza): 👇

1. Trusted
➤ They’re not second-guessed
➤ They have space to lead
➤ Their time is respected

2. Listened To
➤ Their voice shapes the room
➤ They’re asked for input before decisions
➤ Hard feedback is welcomed

3. Involved in Decisions
➤ Not just informed. Invited
➤ They see the 'why', not just the 'how'
➤ Strategy isn’t created in a vacuum

4. Respected
➤ Title ≠ value
➤ They’re treated like adults
➤ They’re trusted with autonomy

5. Mentored
➤ Not corrected but developed
➤ Growth is intentional, not left to chance
➤ Their potential is seen early

6. Promoted (for what matters)
➤ Capability > politics
➤ Action > visibility
➤ Influence is earned, not inherited

7. Paid Fairly
➤ They don’t need to threaten to leave
➤ Benchmarks are clear
➤ Reward follows impact

8. Appreciated
➤ Regular, specific recognition
➤ Celebrated for outcomes, not just output
➤ Valued beyond their to-do list

If you’re losing people quietly, they didn’t leave yesterday.
They started leaving months ago, in their heads.

Culture isn’t what you say.
It’s what people experience every day.
l
💬 What’s your workplace getting right?

🔁 Repost to help a leader catch this early.
🟡 Follow Niki Avraam for bold future-focused workforce insights.

You’re not failing.
You’ve just outgrown what no longer fits.
Let’s say that louder.

This happens more than we talk about
You step into a role full of energy and clarity.

Then one day, it just... doesn’t feel right anymore.

It’s not that you’ve become lazy.
Or lost your edge.
It’s that your role hasn’t evolved with you.

We don’t talk enough about this gap.

🧠 People evolve.
Roles often don’t.

And when we don’t catch that mismatch early,
we start seeing it as a performance issue, not what it really is:
A shape shift no one acknowledged.

🔑 A role that once stretched you might now shrink you.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

💡 Smart organisations don’t wait for a resignation to start asking the real questions.

And ambitious people shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting more alignment, not more titles.

So what actually works?

✅ Roles that flex with strengths, passion and pace of growth
✅ Teams that stay curious about who someone is becoming
✅ Leadership that knows “retention” starts with relevance
✅ Space to reshape, not just replace

Because here’s the kicker:
People don’t leave when they’re growing.
They leave when they’re stuck.

If it feels like the old version of success no longer fits
That’s your signal.
Not to run.
But to rethink.

🔁 Repost this for someone who's outgrown the box they were once celebrated for fitting into.

👇 Have you ever had to reshape your role or leave one that couldn't evolve?

📌 Follow Niki Avraam for bold future-focused workforce insights.

Building business and building a family taught me something I didn’t expect......
Progress isn’t always loud. It’s not always dramatic.

Sometimes, it’s barely noticeable at all.

I’m impatient by nature.
It’s what helped me launch departments from scratch, take risks most wouldn’t and push when others paused.
But it’s also what made me overlook the power of small wins.

The tiny steps.
The effort you make when no one sees and nothing looks like it’s moving.

Then life happened.
Work grew.
Children arrived.

And I realised something:

The people who go furthest?
They just keep going.

Even when the progress feels invisible.
Even when it’s one small, tired, quiet step at a time.
So now I treat every tiny step as a victory.

Because when you look back it was never one big leap.
It was the accumulation of hundreds of small, consistent choices.

That’s what builds momentum.
That’s what builds a life.
That’s what builds anything worth building.

So if you showed up today, even a little, you’re doing more than you think.

🟡 Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights. 

 🔁 Repost if you needed this reminder too.

The new you will cost you the old one.
And that’s what makes growth so painful

So lonely
So hard.

But also so necessary.

Because at some point, the version of you that built the life you have,
isn’t the one that can take you where you’re meant to go.

For years, I built employment law departments from scratch.
I built a law firm
I took on national newspapers, ran discrimination cases that made headlines.

That work mattered; it still matters.
But I reached a point where it wasn’t enough.

I didn’t want to keep stepping in after the damage was done.
I wanted to stop the rot before it spread.
I wanted to work with organisations, not just represent them.

To build teams that don’t just tick boxes 
but connect.
That don’t just function 
but flourish.

It meant evolving 
It meant being criticised for pivoting. For daring to change:
"Why would you change and abandon what already works?"

Why? 

Because the mission got bigger.
Helping leaders build bold, resilient, autonomous teams.
Workforces where people take ownership.
Where energy and clarity replace burnout and confusion.

To help create a workforce that is simply, happier. 

And it’s not always comfortable.
Growth rarely is.

But there’s power in choosing Preferred Discomfort 
Leaning into the hard stuff you choose,

So you don’t stay stuck in what you’ve simply accepted.

What’s something you’ve had to let go of, in order to grow?
 
🔁 Repost if this resonates with where you're at.
🟡 Follow Niki Avraam for bold future-focused workforce insights.

Stop saying "let me know if you need anything."
You're creating dependents, not owners.
After 20 years as a leader and 2x founder, I've seen how the wrong words kill ownership before it even starts.

Your team isn't disengaged because they don't care.
They're disengaged because your language taught them to wait for permission.

Here are 9 phrases that destroy ownership (and what to say instead):

1. ❌ "Let me know if you need anything"
✅ "What's your next step? I'm here when you hit a wall."

2. ❌ "I'll take care of that"
✅ "This is yours to own. What support do you need?"

3. ❌ "Did you finish the report?"
✅ "Walk me through your thinking on this."

4. ❌ "Just do it this way"
✅ "Here's the outcome we need. How would you get there?"

5. ❌ "Keep me updated on everything"
✅ "Let me know when you need a decision or you're stuck."

6. ❌ "Let me handle the tough conversations"
✅ "How do you want to approach this? I've got your back."

7. ❌ "That's not how we do things here"
✅ "What made you try it differently? I'm curious."

8. ❌ "I need you to..."
✅ "We need to solve X. What's your recommendation?"

9. ❌ "Great job!" (with zero detail)
✅ "The way you handled X without waiting for me? That's ownership."

Shift your language.
Shift your culture.

Teams that hear ownership language don't wait around.
They solve problems before you know they exist.
They take initiative that surprises you.

Your words are either building owners or training people to ask permission.

There's no middle ground.

👇 Which phrase have you been saying? 

🔁 Share this with anyone struggling with team initiative.

➕ Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

Stop saying these at work.
Start leading with credibility instead.
20 years advising on workforce and leading, 

I've learned: 
Most career damage doesn’t happen loudly.
It happens in casual phrases that sound…fine.

But they quietly erode trust, teamwork and leadership.

Here’s what to replace (and why):

1. “That’s not part of my role”
 🧨 Shuts down ownership
 ✅ “Let me see how I can help or point you to who can.”

2. “I’ll give it a go”
 🧨 Sounds half-committed
 ✅ “I’m on it. I’ll make sure it’s done.”

3. “I just ran out of time”
 🧨 Signals poor priorities
 ✅ “It didn’t get done. I’ll adjust and follow through.”

4. “No one told me”
 🧨 Blames others
 ✅ “I missed that. What’s the best way to stay looped in?”

5. “It’s not fair”
 🧨 Feels immature
 ✅ “Here’s what’s not working—and what could.”

6. “This is how we’ve always done it”
 🧨 Kills innovation
 ✅ “That’s one way. Let’s test if there’s a better option.”

7. “I assumed it was covered”
 🧨 Creates confusion
 ✅ “I wasn’t sure, so I checked to confirm ownership.”

8. “That’s never going to work”
 🧨 Blocks progress
 ✅ “Here’s a challenge. How can we work around it?”

9. “I thought someone else had it”
 🧨 Avoids accountability
 ✅ “Does anyone have this? If not, I’ll take the lead.”

10. “I’m too busy for this”
 🧨 Signals chaos
 ✅ “I’m at capacity. What should we prioritise?”

These small swaps change how people see you.
They turn passive phrases into active leadership.

 And create a culture of progress, not blame.

Which of these do you hear (or say) most?
👇 Drop your worst offender below.

 🔁 Repost to raise the bar at work
 👋 Follow Niki Avraam for more bold future-focused workforce insights.

The biggest lie in leadership
That great leaders all look the same.
They don’t! 20 years leading teams taught me....

There is no “ideal” leader.
1,000+ studies by Harvard Business Review confirmed it. 

Great leaders don't just use one style.

They master these 9 approaches:

Here's how to use each one:

1. Paint the Vision (Steve Jobs)
→ Start with the “why”, not the “how”
→ Speak to possibility, not just process

🟡 Use when: launching something new, sparking belief, shifting culture.

2. Lead with Empathy (Jacinda Ardern)
→ Listen before leading
→ Say “we’re in this together” and mean it.

🟡 Use when: your team is burnt out, uncertain, or navigating crisis.

3. Build Together (Satya Nadella)
→ Make “what do you think?” your most-used phrase
→ Celebrate team wins, not personal ones

🟡 Use when: solving complex problems, shifting behaviour, co-creating change.

4. Bridge the Gap (Indra Nooyi)
→ Think across layers: boardroom to frontline
→ Communicate like a leader and a translator

🟡 Use when: leading diverse teams, scaling globally, or facing disconnect.

5. Lead Quietly (Tim Cook)
→ Let actions carry weight
→ Move steadily toward progress

🟡 Use when: you’ve got the right people, and trust is high.

6. Stand Firm (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
→ Choose your moments to speak and then be immovable
→ Stay rooted in values, especially when challenged

🟡 Use when: navigating ethical decisions, standing alone, or facing backlash.

7. Grow Others (Sheryl Sandberg)
→ Share credit, own the blame
→ Use every challenge as a coaching moment.

🟡 Use when: developing future leaders, onboarding talent, scaling fast.

8. Think Long-term (Jeff Bezos)
→ See the next decade, not just the next sprint
→ Say no to the urgent, yes to the important

🟡 Use this when: setting strategy, pivoting, or making big bets.

9. Unite People (Barack Obama)
→ Start with common ground
→ Hold space for disagreement without disconnection

🟡 Use this when: leading through conflict, aligning across difference, building coalitions.

🧠 Real leadership isn’t rigid.
It’s responsive.
It’s knowing which version of you your people need and when.

Great leadership is fluid, not fixed.
Which of these 9 do you lean on most?
And which do you need to develop next?
👇 

🌀 Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights. 

♻️ Repost this to equip your network with a leadership toolkit that actually fits reality.

I wasn’t leading a team. I was directing a cast.
I told people how the case should be run.
How departments should grow.

How we’d win.

And we did win.
But it didn’t feel like we did.

Because when I looked around, I saw something else:

✨ My win wasn’t their win.
✨ My passion didn’t trickle down; it stayed at the top.
 ✨ My control created silence, not initiative.

I thought I was building performance.
I was actually stifling it.

The turning point?

I stopped trying to be the driver of everything.
Instead, I became the enabler of growth.
I gave people space. Ownership. Permission to lead.

And that changed everything.

Ideas started coming from everywhere.
People won work I never pitched for.
The energy shifted because they were leading, not waiting.

That’s what this image represents.

And it’s what separates two very different leadership styles:

❌ Version 1: The Performer Boss
You drive everything.

You hold the vision....alone.

You give instructions, not space.

You win the work. The team delivers it.

Growth feels heavy because it’s on you.

✅ Version 2: The Enabler Leader
You define the goal, not the method.

You trust before it’s comfortable.

You unlock ideas, not just execute your own.

People take ownership and grow fast.

Wins feel shared because they are.

💡 Real growth happens when people start acting like leaders.
But they can’t unless we start treating them like leaders.

📌 Which version are you building right now?

📌 Save this if you're ready to shift how you lead.
🔁 Repost to help another leader break the pattern.
👣 Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

They told Jordan to quit.
They fired Oprah.
They ignored Rowling.

We know their names now. 
We quote their wins. 
We put their faces on billboards. 

But here's the part they don’t put on posters:

Jordan missed 9,000+ shots.
Oprah was told she “wasn’t fit for TV.”
They rejected Rowling 12 times.

Usain Bolt trained for 20 years…
To run for 9.58 seconds.

Barack Obama gave 400+ speeches…
Before most of the world knew his name.

Cristiano Ronaldo trained alone, weekends, holidays…
Before the world followed him.

This is what we forget:
📉 Before the headlines were highlight reels 
🛠️ There was hidden effort.

🧱 Before the stage 
There was the silence.

Not viral. Not glamorous.
But that’s where the real work lives.

We want the glory.
But are we willing to do the invisible work that earns it?

🔦 What you do in the dark…
 Writes the story the world will one day see.

👇
 What’s the invisible work you’re doing right now?

 That no one claps for… but will one day change everything.

🔁 Repost to remind someone that their “dark work” matters.
 ✨ Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

Dark Work Matters

Your team doesn’t trust you.
Not because they’re cynical.
Because you taught them not to.

Here's what I know after 20 years advising companies and leading them. 

7 reasons why your team don’t trust you:

1. You said “my door’s always open” but only for good news.

2. You said “we’re a team” but you took the credit.

3. You said “I want feedback” then punished honesty.

4. You said “take ownership” then grabbed the steering wheel back.

5. You said “be brave” then made failure fatal.

6. You said “I’m transparent” but your decisions happen in secret.

7. You said “we value authenticity” but your people wear masks to survive the culture.

Trust doesn’t implode overnight.
It bleeds out slowly.
Through every mixed message, every fake smile, every “I’ll circle back.”

You don’t build trust through slogans.
You build it through consistency when it’s inconvenient.

When you actually let your people lead.
When you invite feedback and don’t flinch.
When you share credit even when no one’s watching.

Leaders, if your people hesitate before telling you the truth,
that’s not their weakness.
That’s your mirror.

💬 What’s one way you’ve seen trust built or broken inside a team?

🔁 Repost to challenge more leaders to look in the mirror.
✨ Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

I built a department that didn’t exist.
Then I became a partner.
Then I built law firms from scratch.

No roadmap. No permission.
Just belief.
And action.

Here are 7 lessons that built my career 
The ones I wish someone had handed me years ago.
 👇

🛑 1. Pitch the job you want, even if it doesn’t exist.
 → That's how I became Head of Employment Law in my 20s.

💬 2. Say what others won’t.
 → Silence protects the status quo. Your voice changes it.

🧱 3. Build visibility before you feel ready.
 → You don't need confidence. You need to be seen.

🎯 4. Stop chasing job titles. Architect your role.
 → Use job crafting to create alignment and impact.

🔥 5. Lead before you're given the title.
 → Influence is earned by solving problems.

🛠 6. Make your work undeniable.
 → Make it visible. Make it count.

👣 7. Own your story, not just your CV.
 → Stories connect. Bullet points don’t.

I didn’t wait to be chosen.
I chose myself.
And I built something better than a title: momentum.

If you’re building something from scratch…
Screenshot this.
Save it.
Pass it on to someone one step behind you.

💬 Which one landed for you?
👇 Drop the number in the comments.

🔁 Repost to help someone move faster.
👤 Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

Most job descriptions miss the most important thing about a person.....What they’re capable of when they feel like they truly belong.

I spoke in Madrid, to a room of brilliant leaders about something I see every day:

The difference between people doing a job...
And people owning their impact.

🧠 Ownership isn’t just about responsibility.
 It’s about agency. Autonomy. Energy.

When your people feel seen...for more than their title
When they’re supported to work in their Preferred Discomfort 
When the focus shifts from fixed roles to real strengths…

That’s when organisations stop ticking boxes....and start unlocking potential.
Teams move from going through the motions…
To moving with purpose.

From going through the motions ➝ to moving with purpose
From safe routines ➝ to chosen stretch zones
From ‘just doing my job’ ➝ to “this is my mission too.”

📉 Most organisations don’t have a recruitment problem.
 They have an internal mobility problem.

Ownership isn’t given.
It’s felt.
And it’s led.

🌍 Thank you to Hili Ventures for having me and for leading from the front when it comes to invigorated workforces and future-ready leadership.

👇 DM me if you’d like me to speak to your organisation.

I’m Niki, workforce strategist and employment lawyer. I speak on how to truly engage your people for unprecedented success and build resilience for what's coming next. 

🟡 Follow Niki Avraam for bold insights on workforce, leadership and people strategy.

“We need people who actually care.”

That’s the line I keep hearing.

I’ve been speaking to leadership teams across the UK and Europe 
and no matter the industry, the challenge is the same:

“We’re losing energy.”
“We’re not moving fast enough.”
“Our people seem switched off.”

But the problem isn’t that people don’t care.
It’s that your culture doesn’t let them show it.

👉 Most organisations are still designed for compliance, not ownership.

And if you haven’t made that shift yet?

🚨 You are not future-ready.

💡 What’s Ownership Culture?

It’s not about giving people equity.
It’s about giving them a stake in the outcome.

It looks like this:
✅ People feel responsible for results, not just tasks
✅ Strengths are used, not wasted
✅ Everyone knows their role in the mission
✅ Autonomy, trust, and clarity replace control.

It’s the difference between:

🔹 Employees checking boxes
🔹 And teams rewriting strategy

🚨 Why this matters now:
Disengagement isn’t a future threat.

It’s already draining your business.

🔓 Here’s how the organisations I work with are getting it right:

1️⃣ Job Crafting – Align strengths with outcomes
When people use their strengths, performance and engagement soar.

✅ Add one simple question to every 1:1: “What are you great at that we’re not using?”

2️⃣ Preferred Discomfort – Encourage stretch, not stress
Growth happens when people feel safe to step outside their comfort zone.

 ✅ Give every team member one “stretch project” a quarter without tying it to formal appraisal.

3️⃣ Agility Over Rigidity – Let roles evolve with the business
Static job descriptions kill innovation; adaptable roles unlock it.

 ✅ Review each role twice a year and ask: “Does this still fit the business and the person?”

💼 I’ve worked with organisations across Europe from tech to transport, retail to professional services during high growth, crisis, and everything in between.

Most leaders say they want innovation.
But they haven’t designed for it.

Ownership Culture isn’t a buzzword.
It’s your competitive edge

Don’t wait until disengagement becomes your business risk.
The future belongs to those who design for ownership.

👇 Is your organisation there yet?

🔁 Share this if you’re building teams that care deeply and perform boldly.
💾 Save it if you're rethinking how you lead engagement and innovation.

➕ Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

How to Build a Team That Actually Cares

AI is moving faster than our ability to question it.

And most leadership teams still aren’t ready.

I spent the afternoon at the Data Cubed Innovation day where we got a front-row seat to the next era of risk, responsibility and potential.

We explored:

 ➡️ The State of AI Readiness + Data Maturity in UK SMEs (2025). 
 ➡️ A visual map of the world’s largest data breaches. 
 ➡️ The sprawling MAD landscape of ML, AI and data tools. 
 ➡️ Insights from the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report. 

But the conversation that landed the hardest?

A brilliant talk from my friend Dr. Kion Ahadi on Ethical Innovation; one that made the whole room pause.

“Technology doesn’t define our destiny. We do.”

He left us with a challenge:

🧭 Get clear on what we stand for
🧠 Put people at the centre of what we build
 ⚖ Match big vision with real responsibility
 🔐 Design systems that earn, not expect, our trust.

And here’s what struck me:

We have more tools than ever.
Now we need the leadership, intention, and trust to use them wisely.

It’s not AI that threatens our future.
It’s a workforce and a leadership class, not built for change.

📉 Ignore these conversations and the gaps will show up in your strategy.
📈 Face them, and you build teams that outperform, even when the rules are changing.

💬 What’s the biggest ethical or human challenge your team is facing in adapting to AI?

👇 I’d love to hear your take.

🔁 Repost to bring more leaders into the conversation.
➕ Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

You’re not stuck.

You’re just waiting too long to make a move.

Leaders stuck in the strategy.
Teams stuck in the plan.
People stuck in the search for “clarity.”

Waiting for the right moment.
The right model.
The right client.

And they miss the one thing that actually gets them unstuck:
Momentum

Clarity doesn’t come before action.
It comes from it.

📍 You figure it out while you're in it,  not before.

For 20+ years, I’ve worked deep inside organisations during high-stakes transitions.

Not advising from the sidelines, but shoulder to shoulder with leadership teams trying to find a way through the unknown.

Here’s what the best ones do:

🔁 They test.
🎯 They notice what’s working.
🔄 They tweak.
📈 They try again.

Not perfectly. But on purpose.

So if you’re waiting for the path to be clear before you take the first step?
That’s not strategy. That’s delay.

Try this instead:
→ Take a small action
 → Learn from what it teaches you
 → Make your next move stronger.

Repeat that and you’ll get to clarity faster than any plan could give you.

👇Where are you overthinking when you could be moving?

🔁 Repost this if someone in your team is still stuck in “prep mode.”

➕ Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

Small businesses don’t have backup dancers.

They are the lead act.

They’re the stage crew.
The sound check.
The marketing team.
And the headline.

So when you put on an event that celebrates them properly, it matters.
I had the real joy of being a judge for this year’s Business Buzz awards

And I mean that word: joy.

Because these awards weren’t about glossy spin or polished press releases.

They were about real business owners being seen.

➡️ The ones who power our economy.
➡️ The ones who employ people and keep showing up, especially when it’s hard.
➡️ The ones who don’t get much airtime, but never stop delivering.

A huge thank you to Katrina Sargent and Simon George, not just for a beautiful event, but for taking it upon yourselves to recognise what’s so often overlooked.

You made small businesses feel big.

And to my fellow judges: Chris Forbes 🌲🌍, Andy Lopata, Gus Bhandal.

A brilliant emcee in Jeremy Nicholas! 

📣 We talk a lot about entrepreneurship.
 But we don’t talk enough about the emotional labour of running a business.

The quiet Sunday night doubts.
The payroll stress.
The decision to keep going when everything says stop.

I’ve lived that journey.
I’ve stood in those shoes.

So it meant everything to celebrate those who’ve chosen to stay in the arena.

And yes… I also had a blast.
(Shout out to the Blues Brothers band who turned the Buzz Ball into a full-on party.)

💬 Tag a small business or founder who deserves more recognition.

Follow Niki Avraam for bold, future-focused workforce insights.

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Niki Avraam's LinkedIn Performance

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