No matter who you are or what you do, there are three universal desires you will undoubtedly experience along the way: 1. To feel more confident 2. To feel more capable 3. To feel less anxious Regardless of your job title, self-doubt or worry can be unwelcome invaders. This is sometimes referred to as ‘imposter syndrome’. This implies an alarming state that afflicts a silent and fearful minority, but in my experience I have found this both wrong and deeply unhelpful. These d

The guilt gap For many people I work with, leadership guilt is a constant undercurrent that flows through their days. • You block time to think and feel guilty for not being “busy.” • You spend important time on external relations, only to feel like you're not supporting the team. • You have a good, strategic day and feel bad because it was enjoyable. • You want to delegate but worry about burdening your team. So, you default back to doing work you shouldn’t be doing anymore,

Transitions aren’t always clean or chosen. Sometimes they arrive with excitement and possibility. And sometimes they come out of the blue, with uncertainty, disruption or even loss. Whether it's a move to a portfolio career, a step up, down or out - it can be extremely confusing and confronting time, before, during and after. What I see from sitting with several leaders in these moments is that it's not just a change of role, but of identity. At the Executive or CEO level, yo

After years of working with CEOs and senior leaders, I've noticed a pattern. What they initially ask for support with, is rarely what we end up working on. Rather, it's more like the tip of the iceberg, the symptom rather than the cause. For example: “I want to transition out”, might become “I need a different way to working to stay.” "I need my team to step up" could actually be “I need to clarify decision making authority.” "I need to work on my communication" could end up

Every significant step up in leadership requires an identity shift. Not a skills upgrade, not a strategy, but a step-change in how you see yourself, your role and your approach. I see it most often with people who have been promoted through excellence in their craft. The brilliant specialist who becomes an Executive. The sharp thinker who is suddenly a Director. The health practitioner leading a national team. The strategist promoted to CEO. The natural leader who is now mana

Why do some conversations require courage? Most leaders don't avoid hard conversations just because they're time poor. It’s certainly part of it, but not the full story. When we're about to say something that matters, there's a real or perceived risk at play - to the relationship, to how we're perceived, or to the outcome we're hoping for. The brain registers that risk, and the body responds accordingly. The heart rate goes up, and anxious thoughts circulate along with a very

When confidence doesn't come naturally There's barely a coaching conversation that doesn't touch on self-doubt. Sometimes it's the main focus of our work, but more often it sits behind other objectives and surfaces more slowly. The most common assumption people bring is that confidence comes naturally to others, but not themselves. That there is something missing in them, that others are fortunate to have. That the only way is to do better, work harder and finally prove their

Sometimes, I just have to say what I see. When you're too close to a situation and under pressure, it's hard to see things clearly... • The politics and power plays driving decisions. • The aggression from a Board member that's not ok. • Being misled by people you trust. • A way of working that isn't sustainable. • Impossible expectations. • A fantastic team member who's off track. A pure coaching approach is about asking powerful questions. This is incredibly important and

Some of the most capable leaders I work with are masters of composure. They compartmentalise. They steady the team. They keep things moving. And then they go home and carry it all alone. Composure is an excellent skill and a sign of emotional intelligence and maturity. It's one of the things that makes a good leader worth following. But it can become an overused strength if the composure on the outside is outweighed by intense turmoil on the inside. Things accumulate. Difficu

You don’t need to eliminate self-doubt Imposter syndrome doesn’t disappear at the C-suite level. If anything, it evolves as the stakes get higher and self-doubt gets louder. Especially when: • There are hard calls, or big changes to come • You’re making calls without all the information • You've never encountered the type of situation before • The responsibility and risk are all on you One CEO reflected: “I’ve got it wrong before… how do I know I’m getting it right this ti

Leadership can be genuinely brutal. Part of the work I do is sitting with someone through the really hard part. I call it the mud. The stretch where nothing seems to be shifting, uncertainty is rife, risks are high, and when it could honestly go either way. I've been reflecting on this a lot lately. I have clients right now who are in the thick of it, or who have just emerged from it. Watching what they've navigated has reminded me why this work means so much to me. One per

Ever wonder how others are 'naturals' at communicating with confidence and impact? You're not alone. Some of my clients are among the most sought-after experts globally, yet they face the same insecurities as everyone else. Remember, intellect doesn’t always equate to confidence. In reality, it's rare to meet anyone who is a 'natural'. Even the best and brightest don't think they're good enough. Or, they've had decades of experience and plenty of coaching. Here are a few trie

The majority of people I've coached over the years possess abundant talent and untapped potential. They approach their work with good intentions, putting in hard work and aiming to create a positive impact. However, they often find themselves grappling with complexity, a lack of clarity, confidence or frustration. Irrespective of their aspirations or starting points, I've noticed that those who achieve the highest levels of success tend to focus on nurturing these fundamental

Have you ever thought about how much the structure of your organisation affects its success? It's the framework that connects everything together, yet it’s one of the hardest things to get right. Structures often evolve organically with growth, or are built around people rather than strategic drivers. Often, a new CEO, a changing market or growth strategy will force a re-think as the structure can be seen objectively with fresh eyes based on the future need. Ideally, structur

Organisational structure is often unfairly blamed for everything wrong in a workplace, when there are actually cultural, leadership, communication or system issues at play. The sad fact is that no structural re-design will overcome silos and performance problems on its own. Structural change in isolation can also frustrate the hell out of teams on the ground, when the core issues are not addressed and continue, just with different people in different positions. A multifaceted

Ever felt like you're working flat out but not moving forward fast enough? Yep, we’ve all been there! To make an impact in your career, it's important to cut though the daily chaos and make sure that the important things progress. But sometimes once the strategising is done, transforming those lofty plans into action is where it falls down. I'm a big fan of 90-day planning cycles. It’s the sweet spot that allows for focused, aligned and prioritised steps without feeling too d

We love optimism! A key ingredient in resilience, happiness and charisma, it's a positive force propelling us forward. However, it can occasionally cause us to stumble over our own aspirational footprints... So, what are the downsides of optimism? ▪️ Expecting that you can get twice as much done as is actually possible ▪️ Overscheduling ▪️ Having too many goals ▪️ Setting unrealistic goals ▪️ Holding yourself and others to impossible standards ▪️ Not planning for the unexpec

Sometimes you might feel that what you're doing isn't ‘real’ work. If it's not hard, complex or high speed, surely it's not high value?...

Is it possible that you're working tirelessly because deep down, you want to prove to yourself or others that you're worthy of your...

After a horrendous renovation experience a couple of years ago, we finally got around to updating some of the near-dead furniture in our...