<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Valerie McLean]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unlocking the potential of collaboration]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:59:57 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Sometimes it's just a different seat - leadership lessons from a caravan.]]></title><description><![CDATA[On stepping out of the middle of it — without going very far at all]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/sometimes-it-s-just-a-different-seat-leadership-lessons-from-a-caravan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d8da4bf43ac3e53fa1d188</guid><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:42:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_d0cb844c52054d698e444763ffbc830d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Invisible System Keeping High-Potential Teams Stuck]]></title><description><![CDATA[What watching my football team self-destruct is teaching me about why good people can't perform.]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/the-invisible-system-keeping-high-potential-teams-stuck</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c4f045dbf1d5b60133949b</guid><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:44:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_412c516380164100b528e7a25137548d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_960,h_480,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I stopped leaving "Any Other Business" to last in meetings]]></title><description><![CDATA[What's the point of AOB? When you run out of time and the things that need said don't get said because the formalities of the meeting agenda take over. Here's a solution]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/why-i-stopped-saving-any-other-business-for-last-in-meetings</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699302796afbe985b7a2d99d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:55:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_69b984ba656f4d4a9c15262c469637d8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Everyone Sees It. Nobody Names It.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I spent the latter half of 2025 writing my e-guide for diagnosing your team’s culture, which outlines my SURVIVE/THRIVE models for team evolution. (Download your copy now if you don’t have one yet!). As I look forward to writing my book in 2026, I was reflecting on that process and what I’ve learned so far.  It’s a book which explores something hiding in plain sight - about age, experience and interactions in the workplace.I decided to write a book in May 2024. I didn’t quite know what book I...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/everyone-sees-it-nobody-names-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6977d474c8e4035bf2b94f64</guid><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:08:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_28a9e735e8544d849671226cabd8d90e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let's Talk About Bruno: Building Psychological Safety Through Understanding Stress Responses in Teams]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you don't know it, Encanto is a Disney movie about a Colombian family who are blessed with special powers. One of the family, Bruno, is never spoken about, because his power was having visions of the future, and it caused him to be banished from the family unit. There is an incredibly catchy song about how they don't talk about Bruno! This movie inspired my take on explaining Dr Dan Siegel's Hand Brain model, sometimes referred to as our fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses....]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/let-s-talk-about-bruno-building-psychological-safety-through-understanding-stress-responses-in-team</link><guid isPermaLink="false">691f1be9ca8861c3626c656f</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:26:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8490ad_89194072e1e741b1901b255b836073ae~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My day celebrating the work of Age Scotland]]></title><description><![CDATA[I was invited to join Age Scotland  last week at their annual conference and awards ceremony. Age Scotland is a charity supporting...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/my-day-celebrating-the-work-of-age-scotland</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68e77d8bf99b368a71d79bba</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 08:32:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_778a43f88a1944c5bcd545a9019d2d8e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 Signs Your Weekly Team Meetings Reveal Your Team Is Just Surviving]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are your weekly meetings actually hurting team performance? Here's what to watch for... Weekly meetings – love them or hate them, they're...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/5-signs-your-weekly-team-meetings-reveal-your-team-is-just-surviving</link><guid isPermaLink="false">689cf7ebdf9fab6286aee043</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2025 08:59:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8490ad_87117aaea2154a6f80b13368db9833fc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why "Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit" Is the Key to Better Team Collaboration]]></title><description><![CDATA[How Miles Law explains why single-perspective solutions fail in modern workplaces I often talk about how we need to collaborate in order...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/why-where-you-stand-depends-on-where-you-sit-is-the-key-to-better-team-collaboration</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68a2eafa054d02f5f6398a52</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 20:58:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8490ad_0fa71ce0756148ca9b34bebfddf3aed7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lessons I Learned From Focussing Too Much on Outcome vs. Output. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[I learned a lesson the other week around the difference between outcomes and outputs - and why it's so much better to focus on one than...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/lessons-i-learned-from-focussing-too-much-on-outcome-vs-output</link><guid isPermaLink="false">685d17b9b504ca897019519a</guid><pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2025 08:00:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8490ad_27b8152edbe54480afe2a1775b87f91c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to lead when you hire a new team member.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Joining a new team or organisation can be a daunting, but also really exciting experience. You’ve probably met one or two people already...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/how-to-lead-when-you-hire-a-new-team-member</link><guid isPermaLink="false">684b44997279e15b1353da21</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Jun 2025 13:32:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_a220a155418249cb990cae95afe47fad~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What’s important to you about that - and your workplace relationships?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Turns out I care deeply about Recognition. Find out why that matters!]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/what-s-important-to-you-about-that-the-ageing-workforce-and-workplace-relationships</link><guid isPermaLink="false">684b40e07279e15b1353cfde</guid><pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2025 09:14:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_79e06eaba6344bd6af49dc79a3985d35~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I went to Spain to write a book on culture transformation and the aging workforce...]]></title><description><![CDATA[At the end of April this year, I went to Spain for a week, with seven strangers, on a book writing retreat. Did I write my book while I...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/i-went-to-spain-to-write-a-book-on-the-aging-workforce</link><guid isPermaLink="false">683d86649ea23bff7cd4eba3</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2025 21:16:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8490ad_a39f669c58254e52b7ff409814815bc2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_400,h_200,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[But the young know so much now..!]]></title><description><![CDATA[These days, we have more information available at our fingertips than ever before. How does this affect our workplaces? I've been reading...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/but-the-young-know-so-much-now</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67c625cf44bc4a713be169af</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2025 22:01:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_261a8afb960845e5bd5a1912a8a43739~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why collaboration coaching?]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is the first post I've written in a LONG time. The last time I wrote a blog was pre covid, before my children were born, a LOT has...]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/why-collaboration-coaching</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66354d269260d43d5a5ed627</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 21:07:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_e8f4091a3c3b4f7a8ad4a3226f6ba6d8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Certified Agile Leadership 1 - My experience]]></title><description><![CDATA[The CAL1 Certification comes in many shapes and sizes. Find out how my experience with Michael Sahota changed everything for me.]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/certified-agile-leadership-1-my-experience</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6631068e131b35f9a688362f</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Aug 2018 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_77ca54cf41054335886774150ac5b0f2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The secret’s out – I’ve been a bass player all along!]]></title><description><![CDATA[I've played in wind bands for most of my life. Recently I realised the things I love about that and my work are the same...!]]></description><link>https://www.valeriemclean.co.uk/post/the-secret-s-out-i-ve-been-a-bass-player-all-along</link><guid isPermaLink="false">663108ca6865301d0a676432</guid><pubDate>Sun, 25 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/658ccd_e0fb42fecbe34e26a4840a57a480430f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_958,h_951,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Valerie McLean</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>