For Natalie Burns, management is not about standing — it is about belief, transparency and championing others. From her early expertise working TEDxBrighton to her present function as a associate at model company UnitedUs, Natalie has constructed her management model on collaboration and care.
Her journey has included moments of radical honesty—from negotiating shared possession of the company to overtly discussing miscarriage and motherhood together with her group. On this candid Q&A, she shares how her perspective on management has advanced, why energy dynamics deserve nearer scrutiny, and the way we are able to higher help girls in main on their very own phrases.
What does management imply to you, and the way has your strategy advanced?
For me, management has by no means felt like a top-down directive. Even once I was working TEDxBrighton in my early twenties, I noticed my function as extra of a ‘shepherd of volunteers’. It was about understanding the constraints, recognising the varied skills round me, and guiding everybody in direction of a shared, impactful final result. I believed then, and nonetheless do now, that true management lies in nurturing and celebrating the talents of others, offering the frameworks for them to attain their absolute best.
My journey to management at UnitedUs was additionally unconventional. I joined as an worker, and it wasn’t till just a few years in, having rediscovered my confidence, that I approached my now enterprise companions with a proposition: both we take shared possession and develop this collectively, or I would must forge my very own path. Once more, I noticed management as bringing a complementary skillset to the desk, constructing a basis for collective progress.
The important thing evolution in my strategy lies within the weight of expertise I now carry. Again at TEDx, all the things felt like a limitless chance, and my management was maybe characterised by an virtually naive self-assurance. At UnitedUs, it is about navigating each the exhilarating highs and the every day realities of constructing an impactful company. This requires a a lot deeper degree of private funding and a higher consciousness of the lives and experiences of my group.
In recent times, notably navigating the tough journey to changing into a mom, I’ve discovered the profound significance of vulnerability in management. Sharing my experiences – the miscarriage, the TFMR, and at last, the enjoyment of welcoming my daughter – wasn’t simple, but it surely was essential in fostering a tradition of belief and empathy inside our group. I wanted them to know they had been my village, and that meant being open in regards to the challenges I confronted. This transparency, underpinned by clear processes and accountability, has turn into a cornerstone of my management at UnitedUs.
Have you ever confronted any challenges as a girl in management?
Like many ladies, I’ve skilled the frustration of getting an concept or perception acquire traction solely when echoed by a male voice. Nonetheless, one thing much less mentioned, and one thing I have been conscious about, is the dynamic the place some males in energy can actively take pleasure in receiving recommendation from girls, notably youthful girls. Rising up with a major age hole between my mother and father gave me an early perception into these sorts of energy dynamics, each personally and professionally.
In these conditions, you develop a heightened self-awareness. You turn into attuned to the motivations of your stakeholders, understanding why they is perhaps notably receptive to your enter and whose pursuits are being served by nurturing that dynamic. For me, this has typically meant proactively flagging potential ‘attention-grabbing’ energy dynamics with my colleagues – who, as a rule, have already picked up on them too. It necessitates a strategic strategy to stakeholder administration, guaranteeing I can function successfully as a pacesetter with out inadvertently inserting myself in a weak place. Typically, it seems like a refined type of ‘company chaperoning’ turns into crucial.
Past these exterior dynamics, I imagine the inventive industries, whereas nonetheless needing important enchancment in feminine illustration at senior ranges, are usually extra open to various voices than another sectors. Nonetheless, important obstacles to profession development for ladies in our trade stay, notably round motherhood and ageism. The pursuit of ‘younger expertise’ can inadvertently drawback girls who typically tackle major childcare duties. The stereotypes related to parenthood – ‘child mind’, for instance – reinforce a false notion that folks turn into culturally irrelevant or much less inventive. That is merely not true. As leaders, now we have a duty to problem these narratives and reframe our understanding of parenthood and age throughout the inventive panorama.
What’s the most effective or worst management recommendation you’ve got acquired?
One of the best management recommendation I ever acquired got here a few years in the past from a consumer and buddy named Lorne, who beneficial Ricardo Semler’s e book ‘Maverick’. This e book, with its splendidly dated 90s cowl, had a profound affect on me. It champions the thought of devolving autonomy and energy to groups in any respect ranges, permitting them to make selections that straight have an effect on their work. It is a highly effective manifesto for decentralisation and fostering initiative, and the teachings I took from it about tradition and empowerment nonetheless inform my strategy as we speak, each inside UnitedUs and in my consumer work.
One other piece of knowledge I’ve gained over time, somewhat than a selected piece of recommendation, is that profitable management is not about clinging to folks indefinitely. It is about being the correct affect for a selected chapter of their lives, one which propels them ahead. Typically, meaning folks keep and develop with the enterprise, which is improbable. However equally, it is a success when somebody leaves as a result of they’re prepared for his or her subsequent journey. For me, the purpose is to steer a enterprise the place those that stay achieve this as a result of they’re repeatedly studying and growing, and those that depart achieve this as a result of they’re ready for his or her subsequent step.”
How can we encourage extra girls to step into management roles in inventive industries?
I imagine there are a number of concrete steps inventive organisations can take to foster a extra inclusive setting the place girls really feel empowered to pursue management:
Firstly, we have to essentially rethink how we help girls by means of your entire journey of fertility, conception, being pregnant, and their return to work. This implies actively listening to folks with lived expertise, supporting initiatives just like the Miscarriage Affiliation’s Being pregnant Loss Pledge, implementing clear breastfeeding insurance policies, and, crucially, normalising a tradition the place people really feel snug discussing their life experiences and requesting affordable changes. As somebody who has navigated pumping in less-than-ideal office settings, I do know firsthand what number of firms nonetheless aren’t geared up for these realities.
Secondly, we have to be way more acutely aware of the tales we inform, not nearly girls, however about parenthood and age. We have to actively problem ingrained assumptions and make deliberate selections in regards to the narratives we promote inside our tradition. Stereotypes like ‘child mind’ have tangible adverse penalties and should be actively dismantled.
Lastly, girls who’re already in management positions have a vital function to play. We have to lead by instance, though it typically requires important vitality and vulnerability. Sharing our journeys, reaching out to and supporting different girls, and constructing a community of various experiences are important for making a ladder for others to climb. It may be lonely, so looking for out connections with different feminine and mom leaders you admire can present invaluable help and confidence to form your individual management journey.
