There’s a particular type of leadership energy that’s quietly disappearing. It’s quiet, understated, and it commanded respect automatically. It was kind, and it didn’t need to shout to be heard. It’s being replaced with loud, aggressive, authoritarian ‘leadership’. 

We hear this term bandied around all the time.
“So and so is a great leader because they are so high functioning,”
“They get the job done because they are high functioning.”

So let’s get something straight, just because someone is high functioning doesn’t mean they’re emotionally healthy, in fact, it can be exactly the opposite.

It took me a few years to realise that I constantly tried to fix everyone, both in and out of my work. There’s a difference between fixing and enabling others to fix. Weirdly it didn’t show up much in my work but it really showed up as a parent and a partner. I had a rubbish childhood so I grew up desperately trying to fix and make happy everyone around me until it became an established pattern.

Do you know why companies put people on gardening leave when they resign or are let go? Yes, partly because they may take or reveal sensitive information. Really it's because companies understand contagious emotion. One person who feels very negative about a workplace can very quickly become the source of a lot of discontent.

Most of my leadership coaching and business therapy clients are feeling stressed out. They feel the pressure, but feel they can't stop. Do you feel the same? Most of us spend our time rushing from one thing to the next. Life seems to be a continuous to-do list and we never get most of it done.

You’re already skim-reading this article, aren’t you?

Today I pulled someone up on their behaviour in a public post, gently but firmly. In response to a light comment I made on a topic they were discussing, they replied making huge assumptions about my knowledge and with a very aggressive tone. I simply asked them not to speak to me in such a condescending way. I didn't get aggressive or retaliate, but just calmly placed a boundary around how I wish to be spoken to.

Some days feel harder than they should, even when everything is going well. For leaders, this can feel like a setback, but often it’s a sign that your baseline has shifted and you’re no longer used to operating at higher levels of stress.

I've always needed more sleep than most people. From falling asleep during night feeds to ignoring my own advice as a business owner, I've learned the hard way that sleep affects leadership, performance and decision making far more than we like to admit.

Emotional intelligence in leadership is often misunderstood. This article explains why sensitivity is a strength, not a weakness, and how it impacts performance and decision making.

You can be surrounded by people and still feel alone. This article explores why success can feel lonely and the impact it has on how you feel.

Leadership anxiety doesn’t always look like fear, but it often sits underneath it. This article explores how fear affects decision making and performance at senior level.