Industry: Environmental remediation and land contamination
Client: RemSoc (Remediation Society)
Services used: Online webinars and virtual workshops
The challenge: Supporting people managers in the remediation sector
RemSoc (the Remediation Society) is a not-for-profit membership organisation that champions professional development in the land contamination and remediation sector.
While members bring strong technical expertise, many face challenges when it comes to people management, navigating difficult conversations, managing stress, and building confidence in leadership roles.
This is a common issue in technical industries: brilliant scientists, engineers and specialists are promoted into management without being equipped to lead people, give feedback or navigate emotional dynamics. The result? Burnout, retention issues and ineffective leadership that stalls team performance.
RemSoc recognised the importance of tackling this head-on. They wanted to empower their members with practical, human-centred leadership skills, helping individuals thrive and organisations build more resilient, effective teams.
Why it matters: Leadership skills are business-critical in technical roles
In technical sectors, projects rise or fall on more than just expertise. Teams need clear communication, confident direction and psychological safety to do their best work, especially in high-stakes, complex environments like land remediation.
When technically brilliant professionals lack the tools to manage people well, organisations risk:
- Losing top talent to poor line management
- Unproductive teams due to unclear expectations or unaddressed issues
- Missed opportunities for innovation and collaboration
For founders and business owners, investing in the leadership capability of your technical professionals isn’t a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a competitive advantage. Building people skills in parallel with technical ones leads to stronger teams, better decisions and more sustainable business growth.
Our solution: Online leadership and resilience workshops
CAPE designed and delivered a series of four targeted online workshops for RemSoc members, each focused on developing essential leadership and resilience skills in a technical environment.
1. Early careers webinar: First steps to great people management
A 75-minute interactive webinar to help those new to managing people build confidence and clarity.
Key takeaways included:
- What good management looks like in practice
- Common fears and blocks, including imposter syndrome
- The mindset shift from peer to leader
- Self-belief and practical ways to learn on the job
2. Experienced professionals webinar: Leading with awareness and impact
This session supported experienced managers in reflecting on their leadership influence and personal impact.
Highlights included:
- A guided “shadow cast” reflection to explore self-awareness
- Honest discussion on people management challenges
- Encouragement to lead without having all the answers
- Tools to lead with confidence and humility
3. Stress and resilience workshop: Building personal effectiveness
This 90-minute workshop, designed for early career professionals, focused on the link between wellbeing, mindset and performance.
Participants explored:
- What resilience really means at work
- How thoughts and perspective shape stress responses
- The circle of concern vs circle of control
- Creating a personal resilience plan using a practical template
4. Courageous conversations workshop: Communication skills for technical managers
Delivered in partnership with the Institution of Environmental Sciences, this interactive workshop helped managers approach difficult workplace conversations with skill and confidence.
Included:
- Why avoidance creates bigger problems
- Emotional intelligence and radical candour
- The CAPE conversation tool for feedback and challenge
- Pair exercises and shared peer insight
The results: More confident, resilient leaders across the sector
Participants across all four sessions gained:
- Increased confidence in their leadership ability
- Tools to handle stress, feedback and team dynamics
- Greater self-awareness and emotional intelligence
- Practical frameworks to apply straight away
The workshops were rated highly for relevance, accessibility and impact, supporting RemSoc’s goal to build a thriving, resilient workforce ready to lead.
Invest in the people skills of your technical experts
If you’re a founder or senior leader in a technical organisation, developing your people managers is one of the most valuable moves you can make.
CAPE specialises in turning technically excellent professionals into confident, human-first leaders. Our workshops are practical, energising and designed to help people thrive, even in high-pressure, complex environments.
📩 Get in touch to explore a bespoke programme for your team.
