How many leadership professionals do you know with tattoos? Not just a dainty star or hidden butterfly, but a full sleeve plus more?

Well, probably more than you think! My background is high end ladies fashion retail. Think dresses for ascot with matching hat, bag and shoes. Not the look you’d associate with my current ‘day off’ style.

When I joined as a management trainee, I had one little butterfly tattoo, well hidden on my shoulder. However, I worked with a Deputy Manager who was much more ‘decorated’, very confident with their ink, quite a strong attitude and seemingly quite proud of it. However, they were also a really good people leader.

Yet, under the surface, we were navigating an environment where brand standards loomed large, and tattoos didn’t ‘fit the look’.  We worked for a ‘command and control’ leader – office based, rarely seen by their team except to give orders.

So, when they told the deputy to cover their tattoos with their clothes or plasters, I learned quickly to keep my own hidden. That moment sparked a silent, personal tension: Could I be seen as credible while showing my true self?

However, what I hadn’t seen was my tattooed colleague (and main management influence at the time), pushing boundaries, not displaying true inspiration to others. They led with confidence and authenticity, and their customer service was outstanding. But behind the scenes, moments of arrogance and poor attitude occasionally chipped away at the professionalism they showed in front of others.

So in my 23 year old reflection, I’m now sat wondering, who was I most intimidated by and who was in the right? The deputy or the manager?

My experience tells me that… neither of them were right.

The manager was in the wrong for not seeing the person behind the ink that was on the shopfloor, leading her team and driving great customer service. They were also wrong for leading in the ‘tell’ style, not being seen by their team as a role model and clear inspirational leader.

The colleague was in the wrong for their unprofessional traits behind the scenes. It left me wondering, do we have to wear a mask when we go out on the shop floor?

I also wonder, would my little butterfly have even been questioned if it had gone on display? Was there a personal conflict between the two leaders that I didn’t know about? I’ll never know the answer to that.

There’s an element of leaving ‘life’ behind when we are out there on the shopfloor, representing the brand and putting customers first. As it states in the very famous book ‘Fish!’ by Lundin, Paul and Christensen:

Choose Your Attitude

Be Present

Make Their Day

This philosophy was adopted by my brand and became our customer service mantra. It helps us to stay focused on what we are there for and our purpose at work. But I do believe we need to bring some of our true self to that as well. Something, I feel neither my manager nor my deputy manager did very well.

So, why am I telling you this?

Well, on those days when I choose long sleeved tops to cover the ink, these two people often buzz into my head and leave me feeling like I can’t show my true self. Now, I should say at this point, my ink is simply a meaningful display of inspiration, music, song lyrics, quotes and many, many love hearts… pretty much a live tour through my personal Instagram account!

Because of that, it can open discussions, it often becomes a talking point because they get noticed and then opinions and preferences are discussed… some days I don’t feel like starting that conversation. Some days they are just for me, whether I have them on display or not.

The Grandad Test

Another side note for consideration is my amazing grandad. Now, this man can do little wrong in my eyes. He’s a complete one off, absolutely idolises me and is a continuous challenge of amusement and frustration. He absolutely hates tattoos more than anyone I know!

So, when his beloved first born granddaughter started to gather up the ink at a pace he couldn’t keep up with, he realised he had to start curbing the use of words like ‘disgusting’, ‘awful’ and ‘terrible’. Words that have added to my perception of the rebel image tattoos seem to have.

I took the time to ask him when writing this, why he felt this way… he wasn’t really sure but he was certain that he still didn’t like them! I got the feeling it was a belief or a judgement that he’d built around them. Seeing the people that had them as silly – like, ‘why would they want to do that?’.

I explained to him that there is meaning behind them usually and people use them as a way to express themselves or their passions. He understood but didn’t really shift, even when his only two granddaughters displayed so many and he loved us unconditionally. The amusement of this continued when I asked him, ‘even if it’s a reference to The Backstreet Boys?’, to which he responded, ‘I don’t care if it’s the bloomin’ frontstreet boys!!!’.

Well after that statement, I think it was certain that he still holds the same beliefs, but has certainly come to accept them and understands that having them doesn’t change the person underneath.

Shock Factor

Each job I’ve had, the long sleeves are there then a work night out arrives and the gasps of shock and adoration as colleagues react. Usually with ‘oh wow, I never thought you’d have tattoos’, ‘I didn’t expect that’, ‘they are so cool’ etc. So, if most people know they are there, why do the sleeves come back out for the office, or even for the teams calls?

I’ve sweated through hot summer office meetings and felt unprofessional if people see my tattoos at work.

This reminds me of that representation of the brand from retail days again. Those customer mystery shops and maintaining the professional image. The fear of the judgement is there. But how do people know whether I’m professional or capable based on my image?

I think the question is ‘when is it appropriate?’. For example, you wouldn’t question a musicians capability to do their job if they had full tattoo sleeves. If anything it enhances the image. So, why is it acceptable in some fields and not others?

As I’ve been travelling through this recent career journey, authenticity is becoming a clear value for my brand. And I am my brand.

So, I’ve tentatively had the shorter sleeves out, the Instagram posts show my ‘day off’ style a little more with tattoos on show. It’s feeling a bit more honest. Last year, my first coaching conference in London, I bravely wore short sleeves, keeping close to the reminder that I am representing my brand so I have to be ‘me’.

Recently, I was delivering training at a national event. I was so excited and then I discovered that it would be 30 degree heat with no air conditioning! Frantically looking four outfits that covered my ink, off I went.

Until night one, after a full day in the heat and a long cold shower, I decided to brave it in the bar. My business partner hadn’t even seen the fully sleeve of ink so when I knocked on her hotel room door, I was nervous and ready to explain that I was too hot to wear sleeves… She was so excited when she saw them and guess what, still wanted to be in business with me! I think in my mind, I was worried I’d be seen differently and that ‘unprofessional’ perception again!

But the real excitement came the next day in one of the training sessions. I was talking about self-confidence and being our true selves. I told a much shorter version of this blog to set the scene of what we perceive as ‘professional’ and what it actually means. One of the delegates came to me at the break and expressed her relief at my story. She said she had no idea why but she felt she couldn’t be herself at work and felt she should keep her tattoos hidden. The gratitude and comfort she showed in her feeling of being seen and less alone in this seemed to unlock something within her.

Now, I wouldn’t say that from now on I’ll be fully tattooed up in every coaching session, business meeting, Instagram post or work event. I’m pretty sure it won’t happen when I’m delivering training for other companies.

However, I am feeling braver. I know my worth. I’ve got the goods and all the right stuff to show up as a full on leadership professional. I even just did my CMI ‘Manager of the Week’ interview with a sleeveless top on… but I’m not quite ready for the promo shots to include the ink!

However, they are there, they are part of me and my story and they mean a great deal to me. So, I’m staying authentic and sticking to my brand.

And so, as I close this blog, I can’t finish with anything other than this really can I…

Be the change you wish to see, your passion is your power!

Every now and then, something makes you stop and reflect — not just on what you do, but on who you’ve become. When I was invited to be interviewed for the Chartered Management Institute’s Manager of the Week publication, I felt that pause. It was the perfect moment to honour a journey shaped by unexpected turns, brave choices, and quiet growth.

This article makes me very proud of how far I’ve come. It also shows how beautifully all of my workstreams weave together – both in my business and in my corporate role. For this months blog, I’d love to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it!

‘A role in the fire service reignited my passion for developing female leaders.’

A move from fashion retail to the fire service meant a radical change of work environment and culture for Yvonne Devereux CMgr. But it’s allowing her to put her wealth of experience in developing women leaders to good use.  

After over a decade with a high street fashion brand, she joined Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service in 2018, where she is now an Organisational Development Partner and Employee Network Lead. “It’s been an interesting journey,” she says. “The fire service can be viewed by some as a male-dominated world but it isn’t. I adore it and I love working on their leadership agenda. Historically, there’s been more of an emphasis on the ‘command and control’ style of leadership rather than the empathetic and supportive style. There’s absolutely a time and a place for command and control in safety-critical fireground situations, but there’s also room for emotional intelligence to support the positive and inclusive culture the sector is working to evolve.”

Her role involves running workshops and forums to educate and empower woman to work towards leadership, and to break down barriers and stereotypes. Progress is being made and women now make up around 9% of firefighters nationally. “We need to do the work for future results but also be patient. We’ll get there in time.”

Alongside her work with the fire service, she runs her own coaching, mentoring and training business, Yvonne’s Leadership Development,

which she launched in early 2024. Her individual clients are mainly, but not exclusively, female, and she also works with organisations to deliver ‘Finding your voice’, a female leadership programme she runs with a coaching partner.

Yvonne first became involved with CMI through its collaboration with the National Fire Chiefs Council to create a bespoke supervisory leadership development programme for the service.  She decided to try out the programme herself and after building some credits, embarked on the Full Assessment route, gaining Chartered Manager status in January 2025.

“I have training and coaching qualifications but I also felt I needed something to show that I could mentor senior leaders and bring that manager energy. I’d not been in a direct management role for around five years by then so I wanted that badge.”

She’s now making the most of all CMI has to offer. “I like to be constantly learning, not just for me but to benefit the people I work with or my individual clients. I had a client who was struggling with decision-making processes so I was able to go to the CMI bank of resources to find ways of helping her. The web articles are really useful and I often send links to people. Being a member is a great support mechanism.”

Learning to lead yourself first before you lead others is at the heart of her personal management philosophy.

“Self-leadership and self-awareness are the cornerstones of success. You don’t have to have direct reports to be a good leader. Being a role model and thinking about your personal brand and your personal impact is a form of leadership.”

For women working in environments where they are under-represented, it’s more of a challenge to find their way forward and develop self-belief, she says. She recommends reaching out to colleagues, peers and mentors and building a network of people you can call on for advice and support. “They can give you confidence and quiet those self-doubting inner voices. So often, males will go for roles as they think they can wing it, but as females we tend to question ourselves more and it’s knowing you’re not alone with that.”

It’s also important for women who have progressed in management to support others on their journey, she adds. “Sometimes, when you’ve had to work very hard to get where you are, you can forget to put the ladder down for the next ones to join you. If you’ve got to that point where you can give someone else an opportunity or voice, then do it.”

As for the future, she wants to continue to grow her business and build her own brand to run alongside her employment.

“When you first start out, you tend to say yes to everything, even if it’s not aligned with the direction you want to go in and how you want to be seen. Now I want to match what I’m doing more closely to my brand values. I’m loving the work I’m doing in the fire service as well. There’s a new strategic plan for people, culture and leadership from the National Fire Chiefs Council and there will be lots of exciting things to pick up in that.”

Finally, it’s important to remember that developing yourself isn’t all about ticking qualification boxes. “You need to have checks and balances along the way and make sure you’re living up to those qualifications. There’s always learning to do, so always make time for it and work towards your potential with a growth mindset. This will inspire those around you to do the same.”

Thank you for reading. Before I go, I’d like to say this:

We don’t always take time to acknowledge how far we’ve come — especially when the path hasn’t been linear. So if this story sparks something in you, I invite you to pause. Reflect on your own journey. What are you proud of? What have you quietly overcome?

And if you’re still finding your way, know that you’re not alone. We’re all evolving, all the time. We have to. Keep going. Keep growing. Commit to that quiet, daily work of continuous improvement — you’re further along than you think.

Article ref: CMI – written by Caroline Roberts

When embarking on my journey to business owner, I spent a lot of time on the branding and what I wanted to represent and ultimately who I wanted to appeal to. Over a year on, I currently feel like I’m steering a small boat, one that’s grown from a rowing boat with a small hole and one paddle, to something that now feels a little studier!

So, how have I got here? Laying and building on those foundations and keeping true to the essence of what I wanted to create.

What was it that I wanted to create?

Initially, this was grey, it became apparent quite quickly that I would be naïve to think that I could quit my job and become a full-time coach! Was the business just coaching? That was my latest qualification, but I had lots of other experience. It took several coaching sessions of my own to figure everything out but there was one particularly transformational session I had with a great coach, who helped me to see that I could tie my skills and experience together into a variety of offerings. This established the three pillars of Coaching, Mentoring and Training.

So now I had a clear offering, I needed some anchors to tie this little boat to!

Often these things take a lot of time to figure themselves out and can change as you evolve. But usually a great place to start, once you have your ideas is values, target audience and vision. Well, thanks to lots of coaching sessions and personal development, I had strong awareness of my own personal values:

INFLUENCE     KNOWLEDGE  LEADERSHIP   LOVE    HONESTY

CURIOSITY       SECURITY         GROWTH          PEACE      LEARNING

But how do these fit with Yvonne’s Leadership Development? Whilst my business is a representation of me, I have my own personal journey to do too. Therefore, my business is it’s own entity too.

Values lay the foundation for what the company cares about most. They act as a compass ensuring the organisation works towards a common purpose and aligns with the company’s mission and vision.

Ok, so I also need a Mission Statement & Vision Statement then!

I thought my strapline was enough… ‘Be the Change You Wish to See, Your Passion is Your Power’. So, a bit of research was needed!

A strapline is a short, catchy phrase that encapsulates the essence of a company. It’s designed to be memorable and often used in marketing and branding.

Yes, I’m definitely pleased with that, I didn’t know at the time, how much I’d use it and align to it but it’s become my main marketing tool too over the last year.

So, back to my business values. Just like a ship needs strong anchors to steady itself in rough waters, my business needed values that would keep me grounded—no matter what waves came my way.

For Yvonne’s Leadership Development, those anchors became:

AUTHENTICITY              CURIOSITY       GROWTH

Authenticity – Staying true to myself and my clients

Curiosity – Embracing learning and discovery

Growth – Encouraging transformation and development

These values don’t just hold the business steady; they help me navigate each new challenge, ensuring I remain aligned with what truly matters. They also represent all the areas of my work perfectly.

A Mission Statement is the ‘What’ and the ‘How’ that defines the company’s core purpose.

After lots of drafts, here’s where I’ve landed:

At Yvonne’s Leadership Development, my mission is to empower individuals and leaders to unlock their full potential through the transformative power of self-leadership and personal development. By inspiring passion and harnessing curiosity, I aim to help each person become the change they wish to see in their personal and professional lives.

A Vision Statement is the ‘Why’ and ‘Where’ of the future – The aspirational future and desired impact of the company. So, imagining my ‘why and where’ as well as alignment to the values and vision, I was inspired and proud to get to this:

I envision a world where individuals lead themselves and others with self-awareness, confidence and authenticity. Through Coaching, Mentoring and Training, I empower people to embrace personal growth, transform challenges into opportunities and inspire meaningful change in themselves and others.

So, what do I do with all of this now?

Well, I’m hoping to use it to attract and retain clients that see the value of me. Clients that I love to work with and feel passionate about their results.

I want my clients to say ‘She’s like me and she solved the problem that I’m having. Maybe she could help me…’

This is my intention with this platform, the heart of what I do: creating a space where my clients feel safe, supported, and truly seen. A place where they belong, where they can embrace who they are, and where they can unlock their full potential—whether that means figuring out what’s next, exploring new possibilities, or finding peace in the present. I also hope that I can spark a little inspiration along the way!

‘Pour Myself a Cup of Ambition’ is said to be the lyric that Dolly Parton is most proud of.

That’s quite a statement for a women with a 6 decade long career and countless hits and accolades under her rhinestone belt!

Being a huge inspiration to me, I have often wondered in times of challenge and uncertainty – ‘What would Dolly do?’. Without question, she will have had struggles in life, we all do. But what a craft of authenticity it is to bring your true self to your art and inspire others, whilst being adored for it.

When I started this business, there were lots of questions to answer, mostly for marketing purposes;

• What’s your purpose?
• Who’s your target audience?
• What’s your niche?
• Why you?

It took me a while to figure all of this out, some if it is still evolving, but the main purpose for all this, my un-shiftable vision was simple: I want to create something to help others in a way that this had helped me.

When I first started in leadership I was sent to so many courses, luckily being in high end fashion retail, a lot of these were around:

‘Inspiring Performance’

              ‘Delivering the Brand’

                             ‘Role Model Leadership’

Amazing, glossy, inspirational content that has not only shaped my professional outlook but my personal one too.

When I started out in Learning and Development I was sent on lots of courses, a CIPD* programme, to understand every element of the world of training and development. The same thing happened in my Coaching accreditations, my mentoring qualifications… all alongside countless books, webinars, networking events, in-house courses, away days and CPD… the list goes on… you see where I’m going!

Each time I hoovered up the content until I had thousands of pieces of an incomplete jigsaw puzzle made up over the last 20 years.

So I considered, what would I want if I was my target audience? Which, to be honest, I pretty much am! A female with tons of experience and achievement who struggles to see her value and worth and be heard in a very noisy competitive world. In need of more:

Self-Awareness            Self-Confidence          Help to Find my Vision

Knowledge on how to make an Impact

What if I created something that brought all of those pieces together?

Self-Awareness

                            Vision Setting

                                          Inspiring Leadership

                                                         Personal Development

And so YLD – Yvonne’s Leadership Development (happily also my initials!) was born!

12 months in, for the first time this month I called myself an entrepreneur – it felt odd but it felt GREAT!

I’m not making big money, but I am making a difference to my clients and others around me and that is what I’d call a success. Here’s to the next 12 months and beyond. And to finish in the way I started this reflective piece, in the inspiring words of Dolly:

‘Find out who you are, and do it on purpose!