Displaying vulnerability takes courage, especially when you’re in a leadership role. Many leaders feel an expectation to know all the answers or give the perfect directions, or to display the “stiff upper lip” mentality and show resilience in

#252: Watch out for these common leadership excuses.

28 days ago 14m 36s

It’s easy to fall prey to some common leadership excuses that stop us from taking action. But… doing nothing is a choice like any other! In this episode I discuss some common excuses I hear for putting up with bad behaviour or poor performance

#251: Dealing with people problems? Remember these things.

Mar 20th, 2024 12m 50s

Dealing with people problems in a team can be stressful and frustrating. But to manage them effectively, you need to demonstrate persistence! So in this episode, I take a look at some point to keep in mind that may help you feel a little more

#250: Want to be an inspiring leader? It’s easier than you think.

Mar 6th, 2024 13m 53s

Most of us don’t feel like we’re very inspiring. We tend to leave that to the “celebrity” leaders out there. But wait a minute – being an inspiring leader might be easier than you think! In this episode I take a look at why being inspiring is i

#249: Challenging conversation? Follow these principles.

Feb 21st, 2024 11m 58s

Many people are looking for one thing: a perfect way to have a challenging conversation without people getting upset or saying the wrong thing. Unfortunately, this doesn’t exist, and a challenging conversation will always be uncomfortable! In t

#248: Are You Avoiding Something Important?

Feb 6th, 2024 10m 13s

“Pick your battles” is pretty good advice. Unless you use this statement to avoid tackling important issues, when you should be trying to solve them. In this episode, I take a look at some guidelines to help you decide whether you’re actually

#247: How to Listen Better at Work (and Why It Matters).

Jan 23rd, 2024 13m 2s

We know that communication is an important leadership skill. However, I think we sometimes get stuck on the speaking and writing more than the listening. In this episode, I offer some ideas of how you might listen better at work, and why this

#246: Want to Display Confidence? Start by Noticing.

Jan 16th, 2024 12m 34s

I think there is a difference between displaying confidence and being confident. One is within your control, the other isn’t. In this episode, I take a look at how you might start to display confidence in leadership from a simple starting poi

#245: Hearing “It’s Not My Job”? Here’s What to Do.

Dec 19th, 2023 14m 18s

Hearing “it’s not my job” from a team member can be frustrating, and it’s a common occurrence in many workplaces. But before we blame the team member, it’s worth thinking about the possible reasons for this statement. In this episode, I take a

#244: How to Get the Most Out of Self-Assessment Tools

Dec 11th, 2023 11m 39s

I’m a big fan of using self-assessment (or psychometric) tools to help people understand more about themselves and each other. However, they aren’t perfect and we need to use them with a bit of caution. In this post, I take a look at some of th

#243: Be More Assertive By Watching Your Words

Dec 4th, 2023 12m 4s

Being assertive is important in leadership, because it helps us to look out for our own needs and those of our team. But it doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and we can fall into non-assertive habits. In this episode, I take a look at some t

#242: Tips for Thoughtful Leaders Who Worry About Work

Nov 27th, 2023 17m 1s

I find that many thoughtful leaders are introspective and often stuck in their own heads. It goes with the territory of being thoughtful, I suppose! This can be problematic if we start to worry excessively about work. So in this episodes, I’v

#241: Nobody Cares About Your Company Values (and Here's What to Do About It)

Nov 20th, 2023 14m 12s

Company values have been around for years, but they can certainly attract a lot of cynicism. If they are just a poster on the wall which nobody reads, they probably aren’t doing much good. However, I think they can be valuable when you’re tryin

#240: How Are Your Stories Shaping Your Leadership?

Nov 13th, 2023 7m 5s

We all have stories that we carry around in our heads like baggage. Some of these stories are helpful, while others can actually work against us. In this episode, I take a look at the concept of stories and think about how we might challenge

#239: Encourage Change With This Simple Model.

Nov 6th, 2023 11m 1s

Encouraging someone to change their behaviour or attitude is hard work, because there are a bunch of barriers that may get in the way. To help you understand and navigate your way through the process you can use the simple model in this episod

#238: Tips for Leading a Controlling Employee.

Oct 30th, 2023 11m 47s

We often hear about controlling managers who micromanage people. But what about controlling employees, who hoard information and wield influence? In this episode, I take a look at trying to lead a controlling employee, as well as what might be

#237: 5 Thoughtful Resources to Help Your Leadership.

Oct 23rd, 2023 10m 28s

Leadership is not easy, and sometimes we need a boost of courage and motivation to keep us going. In this episode, I take a look at some of my favourite motivational resources that I've collected over the last few years. Hopefully they can h

#236: Leadership Lessons From Younger Generations

Oct 17th, 2023 10m 4s

There are many stereotypes we hear about younger generations. They’re lazy…. uncommitted…. have no loyalty. But are the younger generations actually just showing behaviours that can guide us towards better leadership? In this episode, I take a

#235: Innocent Actions That Make You Seem Like an Uncaring Leader

Oct 10th, 2023 10m 53s

Leaders don’t set out to seem like they don’t care. They become that way because of stressful work environments and chaotic workplaces. Even thoughtful leaders can seem uncaring if they aren’t careful. In this episode, I take a look at my top

#234: Could You Be Taking Yourself Too Seriously?

Oct 3rd, 2023 10m 17s

Sometimes leaders can let their roles go to their heads, becoming wrapped-up in their own self-importance. This can be a trap which even thoughtful leaders can fall into! In this episode, I’ll take a look at some common warning signs that you m

#233: The 5 Stages of Team Development and How to Navigate Them

Sep 26th, 2023 16m 1s

Tuckman’s Team Development Model has been around for a while, but I find it to still be relevant and useful today. Some people think that you can whack people together and become high-performing straight away. This just ain’t true, and this mod

#232: Trying to Give Your Team More Autonomy? Watch These Traps.

Sep 18th, 2023 13m 27s

It is fairly common knowledge now that providing people with more autonomy can drive big improvements in motivation. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes providing your team with more autonomy is daunting and frustrating. In this

#231: Tips to Set More Effective Team Goals.

Sep 11th, 2023 15m 41s

Goal setting is very common in most organisations, but that doesn’t mean it’s done very well. If you get it right it can provide a big motivational boost, but when it goes wrong it can have the opposite effect. In this episode, I take a look

#230: The Problem With Praise, and How to Do It Better.

Sep 4th, 2023 10m 10s

It’s pretty common knowledge that recognising the contributions of your team can be a useful motivational tool. Praise is a cost-effective way to do this, but sometimes I notice it falls flat. In this episode, I take a look at some situations w

#229: Is a Direct Conversation Needed? Use This Checklist.

Aug 28th, 2023 12m 26s

I think organisations could function more effectively if there were a few more direct conversations. But, as thoughtful leaders, direct conversations can be daunting, and we don’t want to have them when they’re not really needed or appropriate