Practical guidance for tackling common leadership challenges
Over the years, in my business, as an executive coach, and in leadership development, I have seen the same challenges recur repeatedly. How do you keep a team engaged? How do you raise performance? How can we help people navigate change? How do you balance results with relationships? and so on.
These questions rarely have a single answer. What matters most is the way a leader chooses to respond. Each choice not only drives performance, it also shapes the climate and culture that others experience.
I aim to offer you practical guidance and a fresh perspective, blending science and stewardship, not as fixed solutions, but as insights and steps you can apply immediately. Think of each post as both reflection and practice: useful now, and part of a longer journey of growth.
You’ll find new questions added regularly. If there’s one you’re wrestling with, I invite you to share it with me.
For those looking to develop a specific capability or competency, the Leadership Library offers one hundred areas for you to develop yourself.
How do I lead when people lack confidence?
Confidence does not appear on command; it grows from evidence, belonging, and rhythm. When people doubt their capability, leaders can help them rebuild belief through intentional design. This piece explores six practices grounded in behavioural science and everyday leadership experience. A practical, human answer to the question: How do I lead when people lack confidence?
How do I decide when both options seem right? (Managing polarities)
Most leadership challenges are not about choosing between right and wrong, but between two versions of right. This article explores how to recognise and manage those recurring tensions, known as polarities, so that leaders can balance control and trust, stability and change, without losing coherence.
How can I tell what kind of problem I’m really facing, and lead accordingly? (Cynefin framework)
How can you tell what kind of problem you’re really facing and lead accordingly? Using the Cynefin Framework, this article explores how leaders make sense of complexity, adapt their approach across five domains, and find clarity amid uncertainty. A practical guide to leading with awareness, experimentation, and collective sensemaking.
How can I stay calm under pressure? Stop, Breathe, Refocus, Choose
When pressure rises, most of us speed up. We act before we think. The simple sequence Stop, Breathe, Refocus, Choose helps leaders reclaim presence in the moment, quiet the body’s stress response, and choose composure over reaction. A practical guide to staying calm under pressure.
How can I find more meaning in my leadership role? (The practice of job crafting)
Many leaders reach a point where their work feels effective but empty. This article explores how job crafting helps leaders rediscover purpose by reshaping what they do, who they connect with, and how they interpret their work, drawing on research from Wrzesniewski and Dutton, Gallup, McKinsey, and Deloitte.
How can I create real clarity in my team? (Clarity Canvas)
Most teams don’t fail for lack of effort but for lack of clarity. The Clarity Canvas helps you move from vague expectations to shared commitments, turning accountability into partnership. Learn how to create clarity without control and build a team that knows what “good” looks like.
How can I set boundaries with my team that create clarity and improve performance?
Setting boundaries is not about control but clarity. Learn how to use boundary mapping to create shared agreements that build trust and improve performance.
How do I help my team move beyond grumbling?
Grumbling is part of organisational life, but when it becomes the culture, energy drains away. This article explores five research-based pathways leaders can use to shift teams from complaint to contribution, rekindling agency, pride and possibility.
How do I lead my team through uncertainty and build resilience?
In times of uncertainty, strategy alone is not enough. Learn ten practical ways leaders can help their teams steady themselves, build resilience, and sustain trust and creativity in the face of constant change.
How do I answer tough questions under pressure without losing composure?
Learn how to answer tough questions under pressure with clarity and confidence. A simple five-step approach to stay calm, connect, and lead.
How can I identify my leadership strengths? (VIA Character Strengths)
How can I identify my leadership strengths? This article explores strengths-based leadership through VIA Character Strengths. Discover all 24 VIA strengths explained in depth, plus ten practical ways to bring strengths into business leadership.
How can I leave work at work without feeling guilty?
Leaders often ask, “How do I leave work at work?” This article explores boundaries, recovery, role transitions, autonomy, and resource management. Grounded in research and written with a reflective tone, it offers practical ways to switch off and reclaim balance without guilt.
How can I say no at work without damaging relationships?
Saying no at work is not easy. Many of us keep saying yes out of habit or fear, but it leads to stress, burnout, and strained relationships. This post explores how to say no at work without damaging trust or respect, using a simple rhythm: acknowledge • pause • respond.
How can I spend less time in meetings and make better decisions?
Tired of endless meetings? Learn how to reclaim time by distinguishing between one way and two way door decisions, empowering people, and making meetings matter again.
How can I know which decisions to make alone and which to share?
The Waterline Principle helps leaders and teams decide when to act alone and when to consult. It offers a shared language for risk and responsibility, anchored in three questions: the upside, the downside, and whether you can truly live with the loss.
How can I make my meetings more effective?
Most meetings drain time without delivering value. Research shows up to one third are unnecessary and 35% unproductive. This article explores ten practical yet human-centred ways to make meetings meaningful, focused, and effective.
Should leaders be friends with the people they lead?
Should leaders be friends with employees? Explore the benefits, risks, and strategies to balance trust, fairness, and performance at work.
How can I build trust at work? (Three Dimensions of Trust)
Explore the three dimensions of trust; character, communication, and capability, with simple practices to strengthen collaboration and confidence at work.
How can I get my team to think differently? (DeBono Six Hats)
Teams often get stuck in the same patterns of talk. De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats offer a way to think differently, creating space for facts, feelings, risks and possibilities to emerge in turn.
How can I cope better as a leader?
Discover how proactive coping helps leaders build resilience, anticipate challenges, and cope better in today’s volatile workplace.
How can I stay resilient every day and keep my emotions in check as a leader?
Resilient leaders are not born, they are built through daily practices that strengthen emotional self-regulation. From mindfulness and reflection to protecting boundaries and practising gratitude, leaders can create stability for themselves and their teams. This guide explores five proven strategies backed by research to help leaders stay composed, focused, and effective in the face of pressure.
How do I use OKRs to give my team focus?
Learn how to use OKRs to give your team focus. Discover their origins, benefits, pitfalls, and practical steps to connect daily work with purpose.
How do I rebuild trust and resilience in my team after constant change?
When a team has faced layoffs, turnover, and shifting leaders, stability becomes the true test of leadership. This guide shows how to rebuild trust and resilience after constant change by focusing on four resilience behaviours, shared identity, and strengths-based teaming. It also offers a clear sixty-day path for creating steadiness your team can believe in.
How can I influence others without manipulating them?
How can I influence others without manipulating them? I explore five doors of influence: rationalising, asserting, negotiating, inspiring and bridging, to persuade with respect.