Kate Hargreaves
Kate Hargreaves on restoring balance
As the Founder and Managing Director of Mosaic Partners, a North-East-based organisational development agency, Kate Hargreaves knows that it’s the little things that make a big difference. Having worked with businesses across all industries, Kate reveals how rebalancing systems within organisations can do a whole lot of good, from boosting wellbeing to improving self-sufficiency and even having a positive impact on the planet.
Edited by Ruby Guyler Photographs by Christopher Owens
Give me a brief history of your career.
I started off in frontline roles in the financial services industry, such as customer service and sales, then progressed into people development and training. From there, it was a natural step into leadership development and coaching, which is my sweet spot and remains my greatest passion to date. You know what they say about if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life!
I’ve always taken an entrepreneurial approach, even when I was paid a salary. For me, that’s about being authentic, resourceful, and taking initiative, so it was inevitable that I would take the jump and set up the consultancy when I had children and wanted greater flexibility.
Tell me about Mosaic Partners. What do you attribute to your success?
Mosaic Partners is a specialist people development agency, which I founded here in the wonderful North East back in 2017. We’re now working across the UK and are about to take on international projects, which is an exciting new development!
We help our clients improve their business results by focusing on core enabling disciplines, including leadership development, vision and strategy, stakeholder engagement, learning and development, culture, and mentoring. We undertake 1:1 and team coaching with business leaders on one or all of these areas. This could involve inputting to specific programmes, or partnering with them to build their in-house capability so they become self-sufficient over time.
To some extent, it’s taken a pandemic for business leaders to recognise the true importance of the organisational development functions. Organisations now appreciate that the strategy doesn’t deliver itself and, more than ever, people have complex work and home lives that need constant rebalancing.
I think a large part of our success is down to the relatability of our team; the fact that most of us have been there, done that and got the proverbial t-shirt. Clients respect that our focus is firmly on the business results they want to achieve. There’s nothing soft about what we do.
What do you love most about what you do every day?
I’ve always held a firm value of ‘making a difference’. We’re here for a short time and a good time in life, so every assignment we take on is with an understanding that our clients will be better off for having worked with us. It really is as simple as that, and the little things are actually the big things.
A lot of people are despairing at the moment - it’s hard to feel empowered to influence the seismic changes that are happening all around us - but we take an ‘if it’s to be it’s up to me’ approach. We know we can help to improve the planet by working effectively with individuals and organisations. As an example, we’ve worked with executives from heavy industry and helped them reconcile what true sustainability looks like. Achieving business results and goals doesn’t have to be at the cost of sacrificing their home lives, or anything else for that matter.
When people and organisations are at their most effective, their systems are in balance and they can do more good in the world. Problems always arise when things are out of kilter, and our job is to help restore balance across all areas. That makes every project worthwhile and different, and it’s a huge motivator to get out of bed each morning.
Have you had to make sacrifices in your chosen career, and have they been worth it?
Regardless of what people might tell you, life is all about sacrifice. You can’t have it all at once, and things certainly don’t progress in a straight line!
I like to use a skiing analogy: the people who learn to ski and progress the fastest are the ones who accept the fact that they’re going to end up on their arse a lot. The best skiers are the ones who’ve fallen over the most in the shortest space of time, but they get back up and learn something from the experience (and the bruises) every time.
I was terrified when I first set up the business, and there have been times when it was a struggle to make ends meet. But 5 years on, we have a fantastic growing team, brilliant clients across a spectrum of industries, and great ambitions for the future. Don’t get me wrong, I still end up on my arse occasionally, but thankfully less frequently than I used to!
“Organisations now appreciate that the strategy doesn’t deliver itself and, more than ever, people have complex work and home lives that need constant rebalancing. ”
What are some of your daily rituals and why are they part of your routine?
It’s ironic that you ask this question because there’s been so much pressure with life in general lately that I’m starting to question why I’ve abandoned some of my previous rituals. But part of learning to work this way is that we bend with the storms and constantly adapt. For example, I used to spend every Saturday going for a run to get some much-needed headspace. However, as business and homelife became more complex, these are the things that have gone out the window.
As a family, we’ve been reflecting on bringing back more mindful activity and next year, we’re determined to carve out more time in the diary for exercise, reflection and relaxing. It’s important to do and I need to get better at it. Ask me this question again next year!
What does work/life balance look like for you?
When we talk to our clients about this, we represent this as two circles that start off roughly the same size. We then ask them to load each circle with their commitments and the amount of time and effort they invest in each. Inevitably, one circle is bigger than the other, and the area where the two overlap grows. There’s no secret formula for the balance between the two.
Even in a situation where someone’s vocation doesn’t feel like work, we still need to carve out time for thinking, restoring and fun. The formula is a personal thing and largely depends on the stage you’re at in life. As I recently turned 40, achieving balance is much more important and necessary now. Like most things in life, it’s a work in progress but I’m fortunate to have a great team and some wonderful mentors who help me with the checks and balances.
How do you stay focused and productive in a world of distractions?
As any ambitious person will tell you, it’s extremely easy to work ridiculous hours if you’re not careful. This compulsion only increases when you’re self-employed!
The answer is to keep sight of the long-term vision, set weekly goals, and be ruthlessly selective about where you direct your focus and energy. It’s also important to regularly reflect on your progress and the obstacles that you overcome along the way. This does two things: 1) It’s another reminder that progress is never linear, and we have to overcome challenges along the way, and 2) it gives me a morale boost to remind myself of the difficulties I’ve overcome in the past.
If you had the power to change the world, what would you change?
Firstly, I believe that everyone does have the power to change the world; some of us don’t realise this, and most don’t use it wisely. Imagine the impact it would have if a million people woke up tomorrow, recognised their power and used it for good!
This generation has more power in the palm of their hands than anybody has ever had before, but what are we all using it for?
If I had the power to change one thing, it would be to restore a true sense of community and collective responsibility for the greater good, at the expense of what feels like the worship of individualism, one-upmanship and greed. I believe this is at the root of all the problems we face as a planet, and this is also at the heart of my core motivator as a consultant and coach.
