How can I get better as a leader at receiving feedback? (RADAR process)

By |2026-01-11T19:23:19+00:00October 19, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , |

Receiving feedback is one of the hardest skills for any leader to master. As an executive coach, I’ve seen how defensiveness can block growth and trust. The RADAR process: Repeat, Ask, Discuss, Align, Reflect, offers a practical way to stay open, calm, and constructive. This article explores how each step transforms feedback from criticism into connection, helping leaders build stronger relationships, deepen self-awareness, and turn difficult conversations into opportunities for real progress.

How do I lead when people lack confidence?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:19+00:00October 16, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

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)

By |2026-01-11T19:23:19+00:00October 14, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , |

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)

By |2026-01-11T19:23:19+00:00October 12, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , |

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.

Sharpening the Axe: How leader and teams build their SHARP EDGE

By |2026-01-11T19:23:20+00:00October 11, 2025|Categories: Leadership|Tags: , , , |

Like the woodcutter who paused to sharpen his axe, effective leaders know progress requires renewal. The SHARP EDGE framework helps teams reflect, refocus, and stay sharp over time.

The Circle of Control: Leadership, choice, and the discipline of attention

By |2026-01-11T19:23:20+00:00October 10, 2025|Categories: Leadership|Tags: , , , , |

Leadership maturity begins where control ends. The Circle of Control reminds us that what defines us is not what happens, but how we meet what happens. This piece explores the mindset that turns reaction into responsibility.

The paradox of performance: Why senior leaders need space, not speed

By |2026-01-11T19:23:20+00:00October 8, 2025|Categories: Executive Coaching|Tags: , , , |

In today’s leadership culture, speed often masquerades as competence. This article explores why constant urgency narrows judgement and how senior leaders can restore reflection, clarity and performance through simple disciplines, including executive coaching. Slowing down may be the most strategic move a leader can make.

E + R = O: The leadership mindset that separates reaction from response

By |2026-01-11T19:23:20+00:00October 8, 2025|Categories: Leadership|Tags: , , , |

Discover how great leaders use the E + R = O formula: Event plus Response equals Outcome, to stay composed, intentional, and effective under pressure. Learn practical ways to lead with awareness, shape outcomes through choice, and build a culture of conscious leadership grounded in self-awareness and reflection.

How can I find more meaning in my leadership role? (The practice of job crafting)

By |2026-01-11T19:23:20+00:00October 7, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , |

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.

What is executive coaching and how can it help senior leaders?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:20+00:00October 6, 2025|Categories: Executive Coaching|Tags: , , , |

Executive coaching gives senior leaders a confidential space to think, challenge assumptions, and act with greater clarity. This article explores how coaching helps leaders navigate complexity, improve decision quality, strengthen resilience, and align culture and strategy for lasting impact.

Why the Five Dysfunctions of a Team fail and what works better

By |2026-01-11T19:23:20+00:00October 6, 2025|Categories: Leadership|Tags: , , , , |

Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team is one of the most popular leadership models today. Its simplicity and storytelling make it appealing, yet it misses how real teams grow. This article explores why the model falls short and introduces a more human, sustainable alternative: the Living Cycle of Team Effectiveness, built around Safety, Dialogue, Clarity, Accountability, and Learning to create lasting team performance.

Independence: How to trust your own judgement and act with confidence

By |2026-01-11T19:23:20+00:00October 3, 2025|Categories: Emotional Intelligence|Tags: , , , , |

We live in cultures that prize collaboration and connection. In workplaces, “team player” is often the highest compliment, while in families and communities, loyalty and togetherness are praised as the ultimate virtues. Yet beneath this emphasis on belonging lies a quieter challenge: the ability to act independently, to make decisions without leaning too heavily on approval, advice, or reassurance. In [...]

Assertiveness: How to voice needs with respect and clarity

By |2026-01-11T19:23:21+00:00October 3, 2025|Categories: Emotional Intelligence|Tags: , , , , , , |

Assertiveness sits between silence and aggression. It is the practice of voicing your needs with clarity while respecting others. This article explores why assertiveness matters for resilience, decisions, and relationships and introduces eight practices to help you build confidence, set boundaries, and engage in honest dialogue

How do I help my team move beyond grumbling?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:21+00:00October 1, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , |

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.

Emotional expression: How to communicate feelings with clarity

By |2026-01-11T19:23:21+00:00October 1, 2025|Categories: Emotional Intelligence|Tags: , , , , , |

Emotional expression helps us connect, decide, and lead with clarity, yet many find it difficult. Discover why it matters and how to voice feelings with confidence and authenticity.

How do I lead my team through uncertainty and build resilience?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:21+00:00September 30, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , |

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.

Self-Actualisation: How to live into your potential with emotional intelligence

By |2026-01-11T19:23:21+00:00September 29, 2025|Categories: Emotional Intelligence|Tags: , , , , |

Self-actualisation is more than achievement, it is the lifelong pursuit of meaningful goals that reflect your values, strengths, and potential. This article explores why self-actualisation matters and offers eight practical exercises to help you align daily choices with long-term purpose.

How can I identify my leadership strengths? (VIA Character Strengths)

By |2026-01-11T19:23:21+00:00September 28, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

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.

Self-Regard: Respecting yourself, warts and all

By |2026-01-11T19:23:21+00:00September 28, 2025|Categories: Emotional Intelligence|Tags: , |

Self-regard is the capacity to respect yourself with both strengths and imperfections intact. This article explores why it matters for resilience, decision-making, and leadership, and offers eight practical exercises to help you build steadier self-worth.

How can I spend less time in meetings and make better decisions?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:22+00:00September 24, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

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 make my meetings more effective?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:22+00:00September 22, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

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.

How can I get my team to think differently? (DeBono Six Hats)

By |2026-01-11T19:23:23+00:00September 19, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , |

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 stay resilient every day and keep my emotions in check as a leader?

By |2026-01-11T19:22:43+00:00September 14, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

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 rebuild trust and resilience in my team after constant change?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:10+00:00September 10, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

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 clarify decision rights to make my meetings more effective?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:23+00:00September 8, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , |

Unclear decision rights are one of the biggest reasons meetings stall. In this article, I explore five ways decisions can be made and offer practical invitations for leaders who want to bring more clarity, trust, and accountability into every meeting.

What should I do when an employee hates their job but won’t quit?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:23+00:00September 8, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , |

A team member dislikes their role but refuses to resign. As a leader, how do you respond? This article explores five research-based frameworks that explain why people stay unhappy in jobs and what you can do to re-engage them with meaning, trust, and choice.

How can I lead people who are older and more experienced than me?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:23+00:00September 6, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , |

Being promoted early can feel daunting when you are asked to lead older, more experienced colleagues. This article explores four proven psychological theories, impression management, social identity, leader–member exchange, and self-determination, that help young leaders show up with steadiness, build belonging, earn trust, and empower ownership.

How can I lead when I disagree with decisions from above?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:23+00:00September 6, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , |

When senior leaders choose a path you would not, how do you respond without losing integrity or influence? This post explores evidence-based practices for regulating your reactions, acknowledging loss, practising self-compassion, reframing the situation, and grounding in values so you can lead with steadiness through disagreement.

How can I lead with authority when I don’t have all the answers?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:23+00:00September 5, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , , |

How can you lead with authority when you don’t have all the answers? Drawing on behavioural science and self-stewardship, this article explores impostor phenomenon, self-compassion, growth mindset, tolerance of ambiguity, and narrative identity to help leaders stay steady and trusted in uncertainty.

How can I manage conflict between strong personalities at work?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:23+00:00September 5, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , |

Conflict between strong personalities can drain a team or strengthen it. Leaders who steward these moments with care can turn heated clashes into progress. This guide shows six evidence-based approaches and practical tools to host conflict in ways that protect dignity, regulate tension, and anchor people in shared purpose.

How can I motivate a burned-out team?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:24+00:00September 3, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , , |

Burnout is at record levels in 2025, with two-thirds of employees at risk. Drawing on Maslach’s burnout framework, this guide shows leaders how to motivate burned-out teams by addressing six critical mismatches in hybrid workplaces.

Why do my town halls (and webinars) fall flat?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:24+00:00September 1, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , , |

Town halls and webinars are efficient at spreading information but rarely build ownership. This article explores why big formats fall flat, using insights from behavioural science and group psychology. It also shows how to redesign gatherings, physical or virtual, so people co-create meaning, commit to action, and leave with a sense of shared ownership rather than passive compliance.

What should I do in the first 60 days of leading leaders?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:24+00:00August 31, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , |

Stepping into a role leading leaders is one of the toughest transitions in management. This 60-day plan offers research-backed guidance on how to listen, build trust, create alignment, and empower your leadership team, setting a foundation for performance and culture that lasts well beyond the early weeks.

I have just been made a team leader — where do I start? A 60-day plan for new leaders

By |2026-01-11T19:23:24+00:00August 31, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

Just promoted to team leader? Your first 60 days set the tone for trust and performance. This guide offers a practical roadmap in four 15-day phases, balancing early wins with building a culture of belonging and accountability.

How can I handle a toxic but talented employee at work?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:24+00:00August 30, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , |

What do you do when one of your top performers is also the most toxic presence on your team? This article explores five leadership lenses that reveal the hidden costs, relational fractures, and cultural risks of tolerating toxicity, and offers practical moves to protect trust, balance results, and safeguard the future of your team

How do I deal with a team member who refuses to help others?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:24+00:00August 29, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

What if a colleague’s refusal to help is not the problem, but the signal? Discover three leadership lenses: culture, structure, and systems, that turn frustration into collaboration.

How can I create a positive climate for organisational change?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:11+00:00August 29, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , , |

Organisational climate is the “everyday weather” of work that shapes whether change efforts succeed or fail. Unlike culture, climate can shift quickly and leaders play a decisive role in creating clarity, trust, fairness, and psychological safety. This article explores six facets and five levers leaders can use to build a true climate for change.

How can I deal with a team member who is always complaining?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:24+00:00August 27, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , |

Complaints are part of every workplace, but when one person constantly complains, it can drain energy, damage trust and undermine performance. This guide explores why people complain and how leaders can respond in ways that build ownership, accountability and engagement rather than defensiveness.

How to handle a team member who dominates meetings?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:25+00:00August 24, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , |

When one person dominates meetings, valuable ideas are lost, engagement drops and frustration rises. This guide offers practical facilitation strategies to balance participation, engage quieter voices and create meetings that work for everyone.

How can I cultivate strong relationships in a hybrid or remote-team?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:25+00:00August 24, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , |

Hybrid work has changed how teams connect. Learn how to build trust, create equity, and design simple rituals that foster belonging in remote and hybrid teams.

How do I support mental wellbeing while maintaining performance?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:25+00:00August 23, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , , , , , |

Discover how workplace wellbeing drives sustainable organisational performance. Explore behavioural, systemic, and relational strategies to prevent burnout, boost engagement, and build resilient, human-centred workplaces.

How can leaders say no without damaging relationships?

By |2026-01-11T19:23:25+00:00August 19, 2025|Categories: Leadership questions|Tags: , , |

Many leaders struggle to say no without upsetting others. This article explores why saying no feels so hard, how culture shapes our responses, and practical strategies to set boundaries while preserving trust and respect.

How to run a Future Search: A guide to building common ground for action

By |2026-01-11T19:23:25+00:00August 16, 2025|Categories: Large group methods|Tags: , , , , , |

Discover how to run a Future Search that gathers every key voice, explores the past, creates a shared vision, and commits to action in just three days.

How to run an Appreciative Inquiry Summit: A guide to whole-system, strengths-based change

By |2026-01-11T19:23:11+00:00August 11, 2025|Categories: Large group methods|Tags: , , , , , |

An Appreciative Inquiry Summit brings the whole system together to imagine its best future and design strengths-based change. This guide explains how to run an AI Summit and turn large gatherings into spaces of shared vision and committed action.

How to run an Open Space: A guide to hosting self-organising meetings

By |2026-01-11T19:23:25+00:00August 11, 2025|Categories: Large group methods|Tags: , , , , , , |

Discover how to run an Open Space: a dynamic large-group facilitation method that hands the agenda to participants and sparks self-organising action. This practical guide explains the process, principles, hosting tips, and real-world examples so you can create events where energy, ownership, and collaboration thrive.

How to run a World Café: step-by-step guide to facilitating large-group dialogue

By |2026-01-11T19:23:25+00:00August 10, 2025|Categories: Large group methods|Tags: , , , , , |

World Café is a powerful large-group facilitation method that helps organisations and communities surface collective insight and shared ownership through meaningful conversation. This step-by-step guide shows how to host a World Café, craft powerful questions and design conversations that lead to lasting change.

Activating the common Good – Peter Block – Book Summary

By |2026-01-11T19:23:26+00:00June 20, 2025|Categories: Facilitation, Peter-Block|Tags: , , , , |

The book in 3 sentences Peter Block challenges the dominant “business perspective”, built on scarcity, consumption, and institutional control, and offers a new story: the common good perspective, where citizens reclaim agency through trust, local action, and relational care. He argues that real change happens when neighbours gather, share power, and co-create community well-being, rather than waiting for systems to fix [...]

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