Here on the South Downs, October has brought the first real chill to the mornings, though I know some of you reading this are moving the other way, towards spring, or already settled into summer. Wherever you are, the season shapes how we lead.
I did not feel ready for September.
Not really.
My new website had only just gone live, the new podcast music was still unfamiliar in my ears, and I was learning, in real time, what it meant to rebrand. It is much bigger than just changing a few colours and fonts. Yet, September came and went anyway, and so did everything in it, whether I felt ready or not.
The ivy, working late
The tree, or rather the climber that is not quite a tree, that has caught my attention this month is the ivy. It has a poor reputation. It is presumed to strangle what it grows on and is usually pulled down without a close look. But ivy does not feed on the tree it climbs. It roots in its own soil and simply uses the tree for support, reaching for the light in its own time and in its own way.
Ivy is doing something right now that almost nothing else in the hedgerow is: it is flowering. Late, unhurried, long after the rest of the hedges have given up for the year, its small green flowers are quietly keeping the last bees fed before winter. It does its most useful work exactly when everyone else assumes the season is finished.
Samhain, and the turning of the year
October ends with Samhain. It sits roughly halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Just before it, on 25 October, the clocks go back here in the UK; traditionally, this is a time for gathering in, for letting go, and for sitting close to the people who matter. It seems to me a natural moment to ask what this year has ripened that is ready to be gathered in, and what is ready to be set down. What are you noticing, right now, in your team?
Walking Partnerships, Stepping into Autumn
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Thursday 8 October for a glorious gathering at The Grain Store and on the South Downs. Thank you for taking part so wholeheartedly: sharing with and listening to others, walking and talking side by side, and being and reflecting quietly in nature.
Natalie Shering, Lucy Kidd and I created Walking Partnerships very much in the spirit of partnering with nature, and deepening our understanding of all that nature gives us. For many years, and whenever possible, we have helped leaders and their teams strengthen their relationships by being outside, walking and talking side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
Being outside, sitting and looking around, and remembering to look up and down is a powerful way of focusing, of being present, and of practising noticing. All of these are vital practices in leadership. Walking and talking side by side is another layer. When it is possible, the experience is often one of moving through something together. There is a momentum and a rhythm that helps people, supported from the ground up, to find their way, to sense more deeply, and to think more freely and expansively.
Our work is grounded in nature. The concept of Collaborative Edge was founded on the permaculture principle that the edge, the boundary, is where there is greater biodiversity, and it is here that change starts and happens. Exploring our edges, and where they meet, and being well met, helps expand them, supporting and challenging us as leaders to do our best thinking together. It is here, in the margins, that possibility, courage and creativity live. If you would like to find out more about Leading with Collaborative Edge, Lucy Kidd and I would love to have a conversation.
If you know of a leadership team, a large group event such as an away day, or a conference gathering that would benefit from being held and meeting outside, in nature, be that in a park, woodland or an open landscape, please introduce them to us. Do let them know about our Walking Partnerships 2027 dates:
Thursday 4 March, South Downs, East Sussex
Thursday 24 June, Horsell Common, Surrey
Thursday 7 October, West Sussex
The days all fall at seasonal transition points, and our questions always reflect these turning points in nature and our environment.
Leaders in Conversation, in the studio
This month I also recorded my first Leaders in Conversation episode in the Podcast Room Brighton studio with Azziz Hussein. It is a new way of making the podcast, and a lovely sign of the new chapter. The episode was released on 21st October. Keep an eye on my social media and your inbox for the next episodes.
Get in touch
I would love to tell you more about Collaboration Equation, the leadership framework Lucy Kidd and I created together. Built on Curiosity, Care and Courage, it gives leaders and their teams going through change a practical, relational way forward. Get in touch directly or visit annitownend.com to find out more.
With warmth,
Anni