Welcome back to our monthly note.

It has taken us 40-something years to realise that there are two starts to the year. The obvious one, in January, is marred, we’d say, by the biting cold, dark afternoons and the heavy pressure of forced new beginnings. While now, during these early weeks in September, all the best parts of a reset exist: a degree of post-summer chill, the warm climate and bonus, there’s no requirement to pack away Christmas decorations.

If you are anything like us, September feels like a good time to take stock. No, you don’t need to commit to a huge shift, but we’d suggest you view these first few weeks of the autumn New Year as a time to go again, as it were: relook at your hopes for 2025, challenge yourself to play a bit bigger, why not even put yourself forward as a new active member of your internal gender ERG?

Depending on yourself individually, there are so many iterations of change and progress. This month we are urging you to choose the one that feels suitably enhancing and optimistic. Because just flipping the chapter, without thought, on the book of your year, is a wasted opportunity.

Something that feels new, and inspiring to us, is the rise of fractional working. According to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the gig economy (the market for flexible, short-term jobs) has now made its way to the C-Suite, signalling a new opportunity for women, especially working mothers, to take advantage of the flexibility invariably baked into this type of contract-based set up. We may come back to this concept later in the year, as there is much to learn – and fear – with fractional leadership frameworks, now though, we’re offering it as an idea of how you can become more inventive with your work setup.

Maybe you have been wondering what it might be like to sit in a new department and expand your skillset? Or perhaps you’re interested in working collaboratively with a new team. Secondments, which usually manifest as short-term placements in another function or role, are gaining pace across many industries as a practical way to test new experiences without the risk of a full career change.

The beauty of a secondment is that it works both ways: you sharpen your skills in a new environment, and your organisation benefits from fresh ideas crossing internal borders. Whether it’s joining a product team for a quarter, contributing to a special project, or stepping into a different office for just a month or two, these moments tend to shake you out of autopilot and lead to greater moments of progress. Even if your company doesn’t have a formal secondment policy, you could start small and offer to shadow a new team or co-lead on an initiative outside of your usual scope.

Even just thinking along these lines and sharing your suggestions with senior members of staff will show you to be an innovator, someone who’s willing to step out of their comfort zone and test news ideas. This is always a benefit, whether the secondment plays out or not.

So, during this September reset, we'd suggest you park the big leaps and rather think about the creative pivots - fractional work, ERG leadership, cross-departmental secondments - that allow you to re-energise your career, mind and energy, while keeping things realistic and achievable.

If any of this sparks an idea, you might enjoy our AllBright memberships and learning programmes - they’re a great way to explore new opportunities and connect with others on a similar journey.

We are still learning too, let us know what you think about our new email by getting in touch here.

Alice and Katie,

Your Heads of Learning, AllBright everywoman