We’ve all felt it — that rush before a big moment. The sweaty palms. The racing thoughts. The stomach doing somersaults. Whether it’s stepping on stage, pitching to a client, or having a tough conversation with your team, anxiety before performance is part of leadership life. It’s natural. It’s common. And
I’ve seen many business leaders grapple with the challenge of staying connected to their teams. It’s a common scenario: as the business expands, or during periods of rapid growth, the distance between the leadership and the front lines often increases. This detachment can lead to a lack of understanding of
In leadership, one size does not fit all. Misjudge the environment, and your actions could be counterproductive. Recent and not so recent research confirms that the most effective leadership style should be in sync with the developmental needs of the person you’re leading. So, as a leader, do you know
Purposeless and ineffective meetings quite literally litter calendars thousands of times a year – in fact, perhaps you’ve just left one… or perhaps you’re just about to go into one… Despite ‘knowing’ that teams need maker time – which is significantly hindered by frequent meeting interruption – leaders continue to
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can
I was reading “The Coaching Habit” by Michael Bungay Stanier recently and in it he warns about the potential for managers who coach running the risk of debilitating their teams because they can become dependent on their boss for the answers. It’s an interesting read. It got me thinking about
Organisations face an ongoing and critical challenge of attracting and retaining talented team members. The old adage, “Employees don’t leave jobs; they leave managers,” holds true now more than ever. To ensure the longevity and success of their businesses, leaders must understand what drives employees to stay and what might
Following a conversation with a client who was concerned about the impact a particular team member was having, this article explores the actions and implications for leaders when dealing with a difficult or negative member of staff. In every organisation, leaders are faced with the challenge of managing a diverse
I loved the below thought about interrupting unconscious bias. It was a post from Oxford Leadership, but based on a longer article from Harvard Business Review, which is also worth a read. – Although unconscious bias is hard to eliminate, it is not as challenging to interrupt. Managers can be
When I ran agencies, there was one recruitment idea that changed the game. It was so incredibly obvious, and yet it took quite the tussle with members of the SLT to get it approved. It was around internal recruitment referrals. “Not a new idea.” I hear you say. Whilst that
