Leadership News

A huge theme this year has been awareness. Awareness of where we’re making unsustainable trade-offs. Awareness of how busy has quietly become a default strategy. Awareness of how distracted many of us are - and what that’s costing us in energy, health, relationships, and clarity.

Again and again, through conversations on the podcast and in my coaching work, we came back to the same truth:

If your version of success isn’t sustainable for all of you - your body, your energy, your values, and the people you care about - then it’s not really success.

I want to confess…I’ve lost the energy and motivation to hustle.

If I’m honest, I think I lost it about ten years ago, but I kept convincing myself it was just a tired phase - that the spark would return and I’d be back to pushing hard, pulling long hours, proving I could do the unachievable.

But the energy never came back.

As high-performing leaders, we often expect our words to stick the first time.

We assume that clarity means immediate understanding.

But what I've learned is thatrepeating yourself isn’t a weakness. It’s leadership.

As high-performing leaders, it’s easy to get overly-connected to our roles. Webecomethe job title,ownthe workload, andcarrythe expectations of the position as if they’re written into our DNA. But here’s a useful reframe:

You are not your role - and your role is not you.

Somewhere along the way, we started believing that to be heard, we had to be harsh. That strength meant being louder, tougher, or more direct - even if it bruised someone along the way.

Conflict is an inevitable part of team dynamics and how you, as a leader, approaches it, can make all the difference. Healthy conflict fosters collaboration, innovation, and stronger relationships, while unhealthy conflict can undermine trust and productivity.

Effective leadership goes beyond just recognising trends. It's about focusing on what you can control and moving from a reactive, overwhelmed state to a place of strength, clarity, and real connection with your teams. This involves building boundaries, communicating effectively, and creating a culture where people step up and take ownership.

Teams take their cues from their leaders.

If you, your peers and your broader leadership team aren't aligned—how can your teams be?

If leaders don’t communicate clearly—how can your teams follow direction?

If leaders avoid difficult conversations—how can you expect your teams to step up?

I don't share this because I know better, I share this becauseI had to learn it myself -and it was an unnecessarily challenging process.

Truly dynamic leaders focus on trust, empathy, and understanding—laying a foundation that allows for fearless, productive conversations about the business.

When disagreements or challenges arise, they navigate them without fear of offending or stepping on toes. This safe space is wrapped in both strength and warmth.

As a leader, you’re driven to succeed—but with the daily chaos and constant shifts, you crave a sense of calm and clarity that helps you stay grounded. You want to be adaptable and resilient without feeling stretched or losing sight of what truly matters.

As a leader, do you ever find yourself caught in the delicate balance between kindness and strength? You want to be empathetic and supportive, yet you fear that too much kindness may be mistaken for weakness.

Just saying the word "busy" will contribute to your feelings of exhaustion and burnout. There's a theory that the words we use have a profound impact on how we think, feel, and behave.

This can be both good and bad. Good because by shifting your language, you also shift how you interact with or see the world. And bad because using negative language inevitably leads to a negative view of the world and experiences.