If your team is afraid to outshine you, you are the problem. True leadership isn't about being the smartest person in the room; it's about building a room where talent can exceed yours. Learn why pruning high performers destroys innovation and how to stop being the toxic boss who fears their team’s success.

The "open door" policy sounds enlightened but has two failure modes: the people who are too intimidated to use it, and the people who overuse it. Neither group is prioritising your impact. Why structured access beats open access, and how replacing the open door metaphor with a designed system makes you more available for what matters, not less.

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…

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.

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.

Many senior professionals - especially lawyers - take pride in being a trusted advisor. But when you step into a leadership role, the equation shifts. You’re not just valued for your judgment. You’re relied on for your presence, clarity, and ability to bring others with you.

If you find yourself facing a high-stakes situation without trust in each other, it’s like entering a freeway before you’ve mastered the basics of driving. The results can be predictably chaotic. Investing time in building trust is not just about improving current dynamics but ensuring you have that safety net when you most need it.

My daughter’s first driving lessons got me thinking about the parallels in leadership: trust, boundaries and stretching outside the comfort zone.

I often hear clients ask how to balance driving accountability in their teams while remaining true to their value of treating people well.

Here’s why that’s the wrong question…

Some leadership practices verge on the culty…. see if you’re doing any of these!

Don’t be a hater-maker… here’s 10 leadership pitfalls to avoid.

It can be challenging to lead people who have very different personalities from your own, but it's not impossible. Easy rapport is great at a cocktail party but not necessarily at work.