One of the biggest myths in leadership is that slowing down costs output. It’s easy to see why it sticks. Most organisations run on pace, urgency and responsiveness. When pressure is high, the instinct is to push harder: longer hours, fewer breaks, tighter deadlines, more intensity. But the truth is, wellbeing and high performance aren’t […]
High performance and wellbeing aren’t a trade-off Read More »
A key tenet of my work is this idea that business is more predictable than we think. And when we start acting like that’s true, something shifts. We move from firefighting to foresight. From reacting to preparing. From feeling at the mercy of the week to feeling more in control of it. Not because everything
Predict: A High-Performance Advantage Most Teams Ignore Read More »
Have you ever thought AI’s dulling your edge? The more capable the tools become, the more tempting it is to hand over the thinking. AI can become a “done for you” solution. And if we’re not careful, it can start to erode our critical thinking and disempower us. This is what I am calling the
The AI Agency Paradox Read More »
In my last blog, I explored the AI high-performance paradox, the reality that AI tools don’t automatically reduce human effort, especially as the pace of work keeps rising. This week, I want to build on that with another observation that’s featuring strongly in my State of Workplace Wellbeing 2026 report (coming very soon): our environments
The Isolagenic Culture Paradox Read More »
Happy New Year. This is my first “SNAP” of 2026, and it comes straight out of the final draft of my latest State of Workplace Wellbeing 2026 report. A key theme that keeps coming up is AI creating as much pressure as it is possibility? Not because it isn’t useful, but because it’s arriving in
The AI High Performance Paradox Read More »
I’ve talked recently about how boundaries can become contagious and the behaviours that can (often unintentionally) fuel burnout. I want to tie those threads together with a reminder that, in both areas, you have agency. Agency is an inner sense of ownership, your capacity to act independently and make choices that influence your day, your
Agency: Are You Happening to Life, Or Is Life Happening to You? Read More »
When boundaries become contagious, it can set the tone of an organisation. I’ve run a series of masterclasses lately, and I’m constantly asked: “How do I set boundaries?”, “How do I defend them?”, “How do I get others to respect my boundaries?” In one masterclass, a group described a leader they admired. What stood out
When Boundaries Become Contagious Read More »
A question for you to consider – are your behaviours contributing to the burnout of people in your organisation? It’s a powerful question to reflect on. Most leaders I work with care deeply and role-model plenty of positives, but often there are a couple of small habits that quietly send the opposite signal. How Leaders
Are Your Behaviours Contributing to Burnout in Your Organisation? Read More »
Continuing with the theme of managing overwhelm, this week, I want to share another idea that can reduce stress when you’re feeling overloaded: looking for commonality. Last week, I talked about the importance of adopting a paradox mindset. This is the ability to hold two opposing truths at once, for example, that things can be
In Divisive Times, Look for Commonality Read More »
World Mental Health Day is on the 10th of October 2025, and this year’s theme is ‘access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies’. When the drumbeat of difficult news and global events starts to drown everything else out, it can feel overwhelming. This year’s theme highlights the importance of being able to
Easing Overwhelm with a Paradox Mindset This World Mental Health Day Read More »
