DISC and Insights tell you how people communicate when things are calm. They tell you nothing about what happens under pressure. Here's the layer underneath, and the supportive manager who's really in control.

Most leaders know the circles of concern, influence and control, but knowing the model and using it under pressure are two very different things.

"We need to upskill our team" is the brief I hear most. But more often than you'd think, the team doesn't need training, they need to stop being exhausted.

Most SMEs don't hire badly, they hire late. Learn how strategic team design and a proper person specification can prevent costly mis-hires in your growing business.

Forget the metrics for a moment. Here are the signs your team is genuinely high-performing, from psychological safety to honest feedback and real autonomy.

We hand out generic solutions such as mindfulness apps, breathing exercises, and "top 10 tips for managing stress" without ever diagnosing what's actually creating the stress in the first place.

One leader was firefighting every day and thinking of jacking it all in. Here's how a team diagnostic showed them what was really going wrong, and what to fix first.

You've heard me say stress deserves diagnosis. It isn't just stress. Every "difficult" behaviour on your team has something going on backstage, and if you skip the diagnosis and jump straight to training, you're throwing money down the drain.

Every time we say "I should be able to handle this without help" we're setting an impossible standard. And when we can't meet that standard ourselves, we expect our teams to meet it anyway.

I’ve said it before, but in case you’re new here, I need to be honest with you about something. I'm not one of those coaches who's going to deal in the pink and fluffy b*llocks.

The difference between escaping burnout and preventing it.

Hopium is the dangerous combination of hope and optimism that convinces you everything will somehow work out fine without you actually taking any action.

September's here. There’s that usual back-to-school energy, and I bet you're telling yourself this will be the quarter you finally get your act together. But how are you really going to make that happen?

I was "The Rounds Bitch" - that's what they called me behind my back during my naval career. I was harsh, unforgiving, and made people cry regularly because I thought showing vulnerability was weakness and that real leadership meant having all the answers.

When procedures run out and you're facing nine simultaneous crises, all you have left is your behaviour - and that's exactly what separates effective leaders from the rest.

You've got this brilliant person in your team. They've been with you forever. They know your business inside out. They're absolutely fantastic at their job. So why can’t they just lead their team?

Your team smiles and nods in the meeting, they agree it makes perfect sense and commit to the change. Months later, you still see the old ways of working, familiar workarounds, and comfortable routines…. why is that?

Have you heard of self-leadership? It's really not talked about that much, but it's really important, particularly for those with success on their list of goals.

Your team probably doesn't need you nearly as much as you think they do. In fact, they might perform better without you hovering over them like an anxious parent at their kid's first playdate. So, how do you let go?