In many organisations, there’s a quiet group of people holding things together, the “centre-mids.” They’re not always in the spotlight, but they’re constantly reading the play, connecting dots, and supporting others. You’ll find them in wellbeing, HR, P&C, and H&S roles, carrying the emotional and operational load of looking after everyone else.

At HeyPenny, we hear their stories all the time. Stories of people who are brilliant at holding space for others, yet rarely receive the same in return.

Support shouldn't rest on the shoulders of a few. It should be embedded in the way we work and shared across teams, visible in our culture, and built into the everyday. Because the people who support others deserve support too.

Explore how past work cultures shape new roles, and why supporting culture transitions can unlock potential, build trust, and improve workplace wellbeing.

Communication isn't just what we say or what we write, it’s also how we behave, what we wear and how we present ourselves. We’re constantly communicating to the world whether we realise it or not - or whether we want to or not. The key to it all is practice. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master something and communication is no exception to this rule. Be patient with yourself and be patient with those you’re chatting to. At the end of the day we’re all human and are going to say the wrong thing from time to time. 

Celebrating others' successes is such an important part of work life. When I learnt how to give praise in different ways so that it actually landed with people, I felt my relationships and connections grow. It was rewarding to watch people feel proud of their accomplishments and I believe it helped motivate them to continue working towards their workplace goals. The better my team does, the better I will do, regardless of what my position is in the team. 

Whilst we don’t believe there's one set blueprint for what makes a good leader, we do believe there are certain soft skills or traits that enable a person to be a better leader. From our experience over the years, this is what they look like.