For Leaders

One of my favourite pieces of work is running Leader as Coach programmes. Helping leaders shift their style to a coaching approach can genuinely transform teams and organisations. And yet, there’s a question I hear time and time again: “A coaching approach is good if you have willing members of staff, but what about when you need to have difficult conversations around performance or conduct?” It’s a fair challenge. In a group yesterday, we explored exactly that. We

Many leaders I work with are Strivers. They’ve built their reputation on hard work. They show up early, take responsibility and step in when things go wrong. They always go the extra mile because they care deeply about the work, and the people. That’s often why they became leaders in the first place. Over time, something starts to shift. The workload grows, the pressure increases and competing priorities stack up. The instinct that once made them successful starts to work aga

“Main Character Syndrome” “Main character syndrome” describes someone who behaves as if they are the protagonist in every situation, while others are relegated to side characters or background extras. I should point out that this isn’t a recognised mental health diagnosis! Prevalent on social media, it’s a description for those with inflated self-importance and a strong need for attention. Interestingly, many commentators also note that these behaviours are often fuelled by a

Turning Frustrating Colleagues into a Dream Team Most of us have a mental list of people we love working with – the ones who “just get it”, share our energy and don’t need endless direction. Managing them feels easy.​ But real teams aren’t like fantasy football teams. We rarely get to hand‑pick people just like us. We inherit teams full of different personalities, abilities, values and confidence levels. That mix is gold dust for performance – and a nightmare if we try to lea

Don’t ignore the pinches, or they’ll turn into crunches. I spend a lot of time with teams where I often hear something like, “We just need to draw a line under it and move on.” Usually, “it” is a conflict that’s already gone to a formal HR process. On paper, the case is closed. The letters have been sent. The meeting notes are filed. But emotionally? That’s often when the real work begins. Pinches, crunches and everything in between The Pinch/Crunch model, developed by John S

Since the pandemic, resilience has almost become a “dirty word” in some organisations, where it’s been used to suggest that people simply aren’t “tough enough” rather than addressing unrealistic workloads, poor culture or lack of support. I still believe resilience is a powerful and helpful concept – when we use it properly and ethically. So let’s reclaim it. What do we really mean by resilience? For me, resilience is the ability to adapt, recover and keep going in the face o

I naturally slip into reflection and review when I’m planning ahead. I like to look back at what’s happened, then think about what I want more (or less) of in the next chapter. In my twenties I even had a dedicated hardback “goals notebook”. It starts in 1995 and runs through to 2004, full of lists, categories and careful reviews. When partner and kids came along, the notebook evolved into annual lists of individual, joint and family goals. At the end of each year we’d sit do

I read a fascinating piece in the i newspaper recently about ‘cold shock’, the name given to our body’s response to sudden immersion into very cold water. Being plunged into cold water causes a number of quick changes in our bodies, we have a ‘gasp’ response leading to hyperventilation, lose control of our breathing, and the sudden temperature change can put a strain on our hearts, we are overwhelmed with sudden change. The best advice is to give ourselves time to adapt to th