For me, June has been a month full of connections and interactions. With so much taking place in my life, and with the encouragement of those around me, I am consciously practising and making time to challenge complexity, and to find simplicity. It is not always the easiest thing to do but I do deeply believe in its value and importance.

June, the height of summer here in the Northern hemisphere, is the perfect time for celebrating achievements in our lives, an opportunity to look ahead, to let go of what might be holding us back, and to harness the power that is found in simplicity. When we clear complexities, we can often better see and assess situations for what they really are. It is from this place that it becomes easier to let go of the things that are holding us back from what we truly want. 

I believe strongly in the power of creating connections through reflection and conversations. The most recent Walking Partnerships Day, a collaboration between Lucy Kidd, Natalie Shering, and me, which took place on June 24th, gave us an opportunity to share time together with a group of people in nature, to reflect and enjoy side by side conversations, leading to an exchange of thoughts and perspectives.

The opportunity that walking and talking in nature affords to practise noticing, to use our senses to experience all that is around us and to respond are, I believe, key leadership skills that can help us personally and professionally. The combination of walking and talking helps me keep things simple and to find perspective.

Stay Focused on the Things That Matter

Finding things to focus on has allowed me, recently, to be aware of the aspects of my life, and make conscious choices about those things, that are important to me, and that I want to give attention and care to. Through focusing and choosing, I am able to reflect on things that have become complex, and remove them or put them aside - an essential process in life and leadership to move forward and keep from being stagnant. However, what and who we choose to place and direct our energies and focus on, differs for each and every individual and, personally, I am focusing on four key things that are helping me drive simplicity. 

1. Collaboration Equation™ - a framework created together with my colleague and friend, Lucy Kidd. Our aim is to help executive teams find their Collaborative Edge and create cultures of Psychological Safety through the three mindsets and behaviours of  Curiosity, Care, and Courage, driving results and encouraging collaborative leadership. Directing my energy and time into the promotion and evolution of our framework, is helping me reassess, take note of what is essential, what is important, and what is excess, and move forward accordingly. It has encouraged me in my understanding of the idea that sometimes simple is best. 

2. My podcast, Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend, has opened up many candid conversations, leadership insights, and shared perspectives from leaders in various industries. In my recently aired podcast episode with Carolyn Youdell, she speaks passionately about  embracing simplicity, and this too has encouraged and motivated me to not just have this conversation with others, but to put it into action myself. 

3. Being invited to share my personal leadership insights, together with other marketing leaders, to encourage others in their leadership practises. Inspiring and helping others find their best practises in leadership - something that, to me is meaningful, gives me a lot of purpose and joy. Focusing on what is important to them, and being in conversations with them, has helped me to reflect upon and think clearly about my own life and leadership.

4. Reading and Writing - making and having the time to spend on creativity is a pleasure. Reading and writing provide me a space in which my mind can redirect its focus, to wander and create freely. These times of reflection enable me to, when needed, return refreshed and reinvigorated to my daily rhythm and activities. Although, to some, reading and writing may seem like simple pleasures, for me, they provide a sense of revitalisation that I can then bring to my life and leadership.

So the joy of being with my grandson, of being a Grandmother, is a real privilege. As my daughter returns to work one year on from becoming a mother, I have made the decision to take a four-day work week, leaving one full day to have what I am calling a ‘play day’ with my grandson. In truth, it is more a 'being day', a day of watching, responding and caring, of being led by him, a day of real loving, enjoying each of the little things he does as he learns and grows. 

Nurturing the Simplicity You Create

Creating a more simple approach to our everyday activities, our work, our homes, and our lives, is not a quick solution to dealing with an increasingly complex world. It is about taking not only the first steps to create simplicity - recognising a need for it, embracing it, and reflection on how we can create it - but also continuing to nurture the simplicity that we have granted ourselves.