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Sometimes pushing back can be particularly challenging when a stakeholder is angry and/or powerful. It requires a delicate balance between maintaining the relationship and respecting your own limits. Here are 5 strategies that you can use to push back effectively in these difficult situations.
Dispositional attribution vs situational attribution.
If someone else does something wrong in their role as a leader, we tend to attribute it to their disposition. But if we do, we attribute it to the situation. I explore the difference in this week’s blog…
Imagine two circles. One represents you, one represents your role at work. How much overlap is healthy?
Here’s an exercise to help you answer that question.
Learning and growth require stretch and discomfort AND rest and consolidation
In the zeitgeisty rush to get out of our comfort zones, don’t forget to head back there sometimes for a little R&R.
Being trusted as a leader takes more than good intent or credibility. Inside teams, trust is shaped by how you show up, what you prioritise, and what you are willing to say out loud, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Most high performers think of rest as something they’ll get to after the work is done. But neuroscience shows that recovery isn’t the reward for performance; it’s the prerequisite.
When we’re under-recovered, the very parts of the brain that handle judgement, emotional regulation and perspective shut down. If you’re leading from a tired brain, you’re flying without the tools you need most.
Like many of you, today’s my last day of work before the break. I’ll be offline until mid-January, and then heading straight into a long-planned sabbatical in Paris - three months of language school, dark and cold days, many pastries... to say I am excited is something of an understatement.
One of the reasons I love travelling is that it nudges my brain out of its well-worn grooves. What’s encouraging is that you don’t need a long-haul flight to access that shift. You can recreate many of the same effects in the middle of your ordinary week. Here are five ways travel helps your brain, and how to bring those benefits home.
Most of us rush straight to the “what”. Goals. Metrics. Projects. Plans. They matter, of course, but they are only half the picture. The more powerful questions at this time of year are about the “who”.
Stepping into a major firm as a young graduate lawyer I had no roadmap: no family members in the profession, no insider guidance, and absolutely no strategy. I treated the job like school: turn up, do the tasks, hope for the best. Here’s practical, honest guide for today’s early-career lawyers and the leaders who support them.
Here are a few ways to approach ways of working accountability without losing “niceness” as a leader.
Leadership decisions are rarely just about what to do next. Beneath every action sits a particular internal stance: the state of mind and body you bring into the moment. Two leaders might make the same decision, yet the outcomes differ because the quality of presence behind each decision is different
It’s just over six weeks until Christmas, and in Australia that means the annual sprint before our long, lazy summer pause. But leadership isn’t only about getting to the end, it’s about how you move through the rush.
This week I struggled coming up with a polished leadership insight… just a reminder that done is often kinder (and braver) than perfect.
When your brain is wired to patrol for what might go wrong, it starts seeing danger everywhere - even in calm rooms.
Mature leadership isn’t about dulling awareness; it’s about widening it. Here’s how to shift from patrolling for threat to noticing what’s real
There’s no such thing as neutral leadership. Your nervous system is always broadcasting. A disconnect between your words and your body erodes trust. Here’s why, and what to do instead.
Best practice can be a useful yardstick, but it’s also yesterday’s answer. Stronger leaders ask what’s right for here and now.
If you want to know a leader’s real priorities, don’t read their strategy… look at their calendar. Your calendar is your culture
Brevity builds confidence, true… but sometimes the detail is the message. The real leadership skill is knowing which one the moment calls for…
At senior levels, over-explaining erodes confidence. Try this instead…
Consistency builds trust. But the bravest leaders know when to change their mind — and why it builds credibility, not weakness.
“Lazy” is often seen as a flaw. But what if a little laziness is actually the secret to effective leadership?
People often wear cynicism like a badge of honour. But true leadership calls for healthy scepticism instead. Here’s the difference, and why it matters as you become more senior.
When I first heard the phrase “holding space,” I thought it was woo-woo nonsense. Now I see it as one of the most practical disciplines a leader can have. Here’s why.
If your sense of worth lives in your title or others’ approval, you’re vulnerable. Here’s how to build an internal foundation you can carry anywhere.
If, as a leader, you allow suspicion to become your default, you are not doing yourself, your team or your organisation any favours. Instead, most of the time, start with curiosity. Here’s why…
Should leaders trust their gut? Or override it?
Your nervous system is constantly scanning for threat, connection, and meaning. It’s a powerful source of information, but not always an accurate one.
Forget the “snap back”. Whether you’ve had surgery or your team’s survived a brutal restructure, recovery isn’t instant. It’s slow, uneven, and human. Here’s what actually helps, and what to stop expecting from yourself and others.
Leadership means knowing when to follow the plan and when to look up, reassess, and trust your own view of the road ahead.
You don’t need to agree on everything to build trust.
But when values diverge – deeply – it takes more than surface civility to collaborate well. Here are five things I’ve seen work.
