5 questions with Nita Clarke OBE

Hi, we are Happy

We are leading a movement to create happy, empowered and productive workplaces.

How can we help you and your people to find joy in at least 80% of your work?

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1. Tell me a bit about yourself.

I’m a former senior official with UNISON, worked for Tony Blair at No 10 2001-2007, Director of the Involvement and PArticipation Association, co-author of the Engaging for Success report 2009, and co-chair with the wonderful David MacLeod of the national Engage for Success taskforce, and proud of the movement it has spawned.

2. What’s your top tip for creating a happy and engaged workplace?

It’s the people, stupid. Regard your people as the solution not the problem, have faith in them to come up with the answers to the challenges you face, listen to and respect them, and give them something to believe in.

3. Could you give me one example of how people responded to greater trust?

Trust is when the values of an organisation are reflected in the behaviours and creates a culture of confidence and positivity where people feel they can speak out when things aren’t right. and come up with suggestions for improvements.

4. What have you done to create a culture of trust at your organisation?

I’ve tried to empower the team at the IPA to do what they do best in their areas of expertise, while creating an atmosphere of mutuality and solidarity.

5. Could you give me an example of what you’ve done to give staff greater freedom and autonomy?

No micro-managing, but plenty of team discussion about mission, strategy, and day to day operations, so everyone feels as empowered and as accountable for success as everyone else.

Learn the 10 core principles to create a happy and productive workplace in Henry Stewart's book, The Happy Manifesto.

Support your aspiring and current managers to be empowering and confident leaders with Happy

Happy offers leadership programmes at Level 3, Level 5 and Level 7, from new managers/supervisor level all the way up to senior leadership teams and CEOs. These programmes are based on the ideas of trusting your people. They are practical and based on applying what yo’ve learnt. We aim to inspire and ignite change in your organisation, as well as giving you valuable management skills such as business strategy, decision-making, negotiation and project management.

We also offer programmes tailored specifically to people from Global Majority backgrounds. The content is the same, but have been designed to give new and experienced managers the skills they need to navigate organisational culture with a clearer perspective on their own potential, as well as building their confidence and expanding their professional strengths.

Claire Lickman

Claire is Head of Marketing at Happy. She has worked at Happy since 2016, and is responsible for Happy’s marketing strategy, website, social media and more. Claire first heard about Happy in 2012 when she attended a mix of IT and personal development courses. These courses were life-changing and she has been a fan of Happy ever since. She has a personal blog at lecari.co.uk.