Blog

In conversations with leaders, a common theme is that they are often focussed on the urgent with not enough focus on the important. Does that resonate with you? It is a familiar paradox: the more experienced we become, the more people rely on us, and the more our days fill with urgent demands. Messages that … Read more

I didn’t realise I had sub-consciously been trained in my early career to always act like I had the answers, to not say I don’t know. I then moved to a different organisation, and I heard a leader say “I don’t know” in a room full of the most senior people and it nearly made … Read more

Franklin D Roosevelt has many quotes attributed to him which are about fear; fear doesn’t disappear as we grow, especially in leadership. If anything, responsibility amplifies it. Courage isn’t about feeling fearless; it’s about choosing what matters more than our discomfort. What are you avoiding? Courage shows up in small, everyday leadership acts: Having the … Read more

Grr. Your team are stubbornly resisting change. Or are they? Is resistance to change a sign that people are stubborn or is it a signal that something in the way the change is being led isn’t landing? We are often trained as leaders to sell the benefits of the change but what about considering what … Read more

One of the most persistent myths in leadership is that authenticity means “being the same with everyone.” In reality though that’s not authenticity, that’s rigidity. Staying effective requires you to adjust your style; staying authentic requires you to know what can flex and what must not. The leaders who navigate this well aren’t shape‑shifters. They’re … Read more

The blog this week is about decision making and I’m struck by perhaps an obvious point.  In my interactions with leaders, it’s not the volume of decisions to be made, it’s the pace at which they can be made and the amount of friction seemingly in the way. Blurred decision rights, multiple governance layers, and … Read more

Have you asked yourself that question this week? Has that little voice inside your head said: “Why haven’t they done this?”; “why have they done it like that?”; or “if only they would?” As a senior leader, your words and deeds are important. They don’t just communicate, they cascade.  A lot of senior leaders that … Read more

Do you know who you are? Do others see what you think they do? In this hbr article (What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It) (hbr.org)), they found that even though most people believe they are self-aware, self-awareness is a truly rare quality; they estimate that only 10%–15% of the people they studied … Read more

Are you struggling to display vulnerability as a leader? Are circumstances making it harder for you or have you always been that way? The thought of it feeling completely alien? Either way, I encourage you to stop and think and read Brene Brown’s work! Through her research and books, she has encouraged us to see … Read more

I really enjoy coaching leadership teams and I say teams as opposed to committees deliberately. At the executive level, teamwork isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the engine that drives organisational performance. How does your executive team operate? Is it more like a collection of high‑achieving individuals or a cohesive, aligned unit? The difference between … Read more