When we think about great leaders, we often focus on their skills: their ability to strategise, to execute, to manage complex situations.

And it’s true that competence is important, but it’s not the whole story. From Julius Caesar to Winston Churchill, great leaders are distinguished not by what they know, but who they are.

Which is where character comes into play. The quiet power behind lasting influence, the character of a leader shapes vital decisions, builds trust, and sets the tone for entire organisations.

In the modern world where skills can be quickly taught and picked up and technical knowledge can be accessed easily online or through AI, character is becoming the ultimate differentiator.

As an influential leadership authority in elite level sport, education, and business, Drew Povey outlines his view on why character is the hidden engine of great leadership.

Beyond Knowledge: Why Who You Are Outweighs What You Know

Whether you learn most effectively through group courses, independent research, or one-to-one coaching, knowledge is abundant and can be acquired at speed.

While there’s no doubt that knowledge will get you a seat at the table, character determines how long you’ll be there for and whether people want to sit there with you.

Why? Because knowledge can always be gained, but character (while it can be taught with time and effort), is ingrained into a person. Character can’t be Googled, outsourced, or picked up in a matter of minutes.

It’s the foundation of how a leader shows up: how they act under pressure, how they handle power, and how they balance personal ambition with the good of the team.

When times are uncertain, people don’t just follow the most knowledgeable leader. They follow the one whose integrity is steady, whose values are clear, and whose actions are consistent.

Character First: The Leadership Filter We Keep Ignoring

Too often, competence is the most scrutinised element during an interview for a leadership role. Recruiters typically focus on the applicant’s years of experience, qualifications, and accreditations, commonly overlooking character.

However, the way a leader handles setbacks, communicates under pressure, and makes decisions when no one is watching reveals far more than a polished CV ever could.

As reported by Harvard Business Review, this is supported by the results of a study by the global consulting firm, KRW International which found that CEOs whose employees gave them high marks for character had an average return on assets (ROA) of 9.35% over a two-year period.

In contrast, those with low character ratings had an average ROA of just 1.93% – that’s nearly five times less than those with higher perceived character.

The conclusion – a leader’s character can directly impact business performance and the company’s bottom line, so why are we so quick to overlook character in favour of competence?

When looking at recruitment to fill a leadership vacancy, a more balanced approach that assesses both character and competence can help to ensure the position is filled by someone who’s not only capable, but also trustworthy and resilient.

The Unseen Advantage: Why Character Shapes Decisions, Teams and Trust

Character is the prime mover for everything that a leader does, quietly driving their decisions, priorities, and how they treat people – especially when things go wrong.

A leader’s character acts as a multiplier. When it’s strong, it amplifies trust, cohesion, and long-term performance. Conversely, when it’s weak, it erodes confidence and undermines results, no matter how competent the leader may be.

This line of thinking is supported by Max H. Bazerman, Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and his work on ethical leadership:

“Leaders can do far more than just make their own behavior more ethical. Because they are responsible for the decisions of others as well as their own, they can dramatically multiply the amount of good they do by encouraging others to be better.

“As a leader, think about how you can influence your colleagues with the norms you set and the decision-making environment you create.”

Teams pick up on character instinctively. They notice whether their leader acts with integrity, fairness, and consistency and they respond accordingly. The result is often greater loyalty, higher levels of discretionary effort, and a deeper collective commitment to success.

In that sense, character is no longer a “soft” quality, it’s a strategic advantage that supports sustained success.

The Hardest Skill to Teach: Why Leaders Win or Lose on Character

Skills can be taught. Competence can be developed through training and experience. But character? That’s significantly harder, but not impossible, to cultivate.

According to the Harvard Business Insight ‘The Case for Leadership Character’, various learning methods, including feedback, coaching, practice, and modelling, can help leaders to enhance their authenticity, integrity, courage – all key attributes of character.

However, this process demands self-awareness, reflection, and a willingness to be shaped by challenge and failure. Leaders that successfully undergo this process set themselves apart from the crowd.

Ultimately, time and time again, it’s character that determines whether leaders merely survive in an organisation or inspire and endure.

Business is ultimately about people – and people tend to act on emotions. Strong relationships, whether with employees, customers, or partners, are built not just on logic or transactions, but on how we make others feel.

That’s why empathy isn’t just a “soft skill” or a nice-to-have – it’s a vital strategic advantage, especially in more competitive environments. Leaders who can understand, connect, and respond with kindness create stronger teams, deeper loyalty, and sustained success.

Or at least that’s what Drew Povey, an influential leadership authority specialising in elite level sport, education and business, believes. And he’s not alone.

According to a Deloitte LLP 2021 study on the ‘Global Ways of Working’, 97% of respondents reported that effective managers must have and demonstrate empathy – a stark contrast to the 45% of respondents that said their manager was able to demonstrate empathy in the workplace.

Whether you’re new to leadership or several decades deep into a senior management position, Povey explains how learning how to leverage kindness can become one of the most important tools in your leadership arsenal.

1. The Empathy Dividend

Looking to boost client retention, staff productivity, or even team innovation? Kindness in leadership pays off across all these areas.

In fact, according to the results of a Catalyst survey of nearly 900 US employees, empathy was “an important driver of employee outcomes such as innovation, engagement, and inclusion – especially in times of crisis or rapid change.”

While inclusion may not directly result in improved business performance, it can help to combat high staff turnover rates, passing on recruitment cost savings and fostering more a stable working environment for the whole team.

Gallup researchers also identified key differences in business outcomes between the most and least engaged teams, citing differences of 18% in productivity (sales), 23% in profitability, and a substantial 81% in absenteeism.

By directly linking empathy to business performance, emotional intelligence becomes an undeniable commercial advantage.

2. Triple Bottom Line, Human First

You’re (hopefully) very familiar with the concept of a bottom line as a leader – but what about a triple bottom line? And, crucially, how every aspect of this triple bottom line is rooted in empathy and human connection.

Investment of Choice

As the traditional bottom line, being the investment of choice is primarily about financial health. That’s balance sheets, turnover, profit. But investors are interested in more than just your finances – they want to know about your values and culture.

Is your business built to last? What does your culture stand for? Empathetic leadership offers a strong answer to those questions. By fostering trust, resilience, and a values-driven culture, it signals long-term stability, which is something that investors not only recognise, but reward.

Employer of Choice

People want to work with and for leaders who see them as more than just resources. When leaders act with empathy and recognise the person behind the work, they encourage employees to stay and thrive by boosting staff engagement, belonging, and loyalty.

In turn, the business also benefits from higher employee satisfaction and lower staff turnover rates – it’s a win-win!

Provider of Choice

Who do customers choose to buy from? Spoiler: not the brands that treat them like transactions.

Customers gravitate toward businesses that understand their needs, values, and aspirations. Empathetic leaders see customers as people, building genuine, long-lasting relationships rooted in understanding.

When we frame leadership through this triple bottom line, empathy becomes the common thread, transforming leaders into trusted partners for investors, sought-after employers for new talent, and preferred providers for customers.

3. From Command to Connection

Gone are the days of the old-school ‘do as I say’ directive leadership. While issuing orders, enforcing hierarchy, and streamlining decisions may have worked in the industrial era, that directive style is frankly outdated and ineffective in today’s workplace.

Modern leadership is relational and empathetic. Instead of chasing efficiency through control and compliance, empathetic leaders fuel innovation, collaboration, and adaptability. By prioritizing connection over command, they build trust and make people feel genuinely valued.

The result? Discretionary effort – that’s the creativity, energy, and commitment employees willingly give when they’re inspired, not forced. Command might deliver compliance in the short term, but connection delivers performance, loyalty, and growth that last.

4. Empathy: The Glue of Culture

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” While often misattributed to the Austrian-born American management consultant, Peter Drucker, the core message of how a flawed culture can undermine even the best strategy rings true.

A company might have the perfect strategy on paper, but if its culture is misaligned and undermines productivity, engagement, and loyalty, the execution of this plan will suffer.

This is where empathy becomes essential. Empathetic leaders, leaders who listen, understand, and respond, create the trust and psychological safety that holds culture together.

The result is resilient teams, stronger collaboration, and a culture that doesn’t just support the strategy but amplifies it tenfold.

5. The Hard Edge of Soft Skills

It’s a common misconception that empathy is a “soft” skill. Many people mistakenly believe that empathy may be nice to have, but it’s not vital for performance and it certainly isn’t necessary for leaders.

In reality, empathy is anything but soft. It’s a hard-earned discipline that requires awareness, consistency, and courage.

It means listening deeply, making fair and balanced decisions, and fostering psychological safety so people feel free to contribute their best ideas. These aren’t passive behaviours that some people are simply born with, they’re active, intentional practices that take effort and skill.

Practices that produce impressive results – per Volume 10 of the Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2023, employees with a high level of psychological safety at work are more likely to engage in helping behaviours and to seek feedback from their peers.

As the American writer Tom Peters says, “it’s the soft skills that get the hard results” and empathetic leadership proves, beyond a doubt, that kindness is in fact not a weakness, but a competitive advantage that delivers tangible results.

Stuck in a cycle of saying ‘yes’? You’re not alone.

As a leader, fearing saying ‘no’ can stem from the desire to be liked, an eagerness to avoid conflict, or simply being raised in a culture that equates compliance with cooperation.

Inclusive and empowering, saying ‘yes’ as a leader feels good in the moment, keeping people happy and encouraging action. In practice, however, indiscriminately giving the go-ahead often demonstrates a lack of clarity, courage, and control.

Drew Povey, an influential leadership authority who works across sport, education, and business, shines a light on why being scared of saying no is a red flag for leaders and how strong leadership means overcoming that fear.

Getting stuck in the hero trap

Too many leaders think that good leadership is all about saving and rescuing people. Being able to ‘save the day’ and fix every problem may feel helpful and supportive, but this often isn’t the case.

Known as ‘the hero trap’, this approach to leadership can fuel group dependence when what we really want to create is an environment of confidence, development, and independence.

Saying ‘no’, when it’s right to, can stop leaders from becoming overwhelmed and overstretched (essentially stopping them from getting lost in the weeds), and empower other members of the team to step up and grow.

In this case, leadership is less about saving the day, and more about enabling growth.

The empowerment equation: Letting others say yes

Closely linked to avoiding the hero trap is the empowerment equation which works a little something like this:
When a leader says ‘no’, they create the opportunity for someone else to say ‘yes’.

Instead of ‘no’ being a rejection or disengagement, it can actually be a powerful way to encourage responsibility, giving others the opportunity to take initiative, make mistakes, and build confidence and capability.

Every time a leader steps in to fix, solve, or accommodate, they may unknowingly and unintentionally be taking away someone else’s chance to develop personally and professionally.

When done with intention and clarity, ‘no’ can signal trust and create room for other team members to flourish. Sometimes, the most empowering thing a leader can do is simply step aside.

They don’t know how to say ‘no’, so they avoid it entirely

Many leaders struggle with saying ‘no’ and it’s not because they lack authority, but because they lack strategy. By mistakenly believing that ‘no’ must be blunt, negative, or final, they either avoid saying it completely or deliver it poorly, resulting in confusion, resentment, or guilt.

Instead, great leaders know how to communicate with clarity, respect, and context. In place of an outright ‘no’, they say things like:

• “Not right now, because…”
• “This is a good idea, just not the right fit for our team with our existing goals”
• “I appreciate the suggestion, but we just don’t have the capacity for this at this stage…”

With a thoughtful and respectful explanation, the ‘no’ becomes less about rejection and more about transparency and understanding – something that teams value far more than vague indecision, broken promises, or unclear expectations.

In leadership, avoiding ‘no’ doesn’t prevent conflict, it merely delays it.

The cost of avoiding ‘no’ shows up in your calendar

All effective leaders should start the week by asking themselves the simple and revealing question: ‘Does my diary reflect my true priorities?’

Because if you’re saying ‘yes’ too often (to meetings, requests, and distractions), you’ll be left with a calendar that’s packed with misaligned tasks, draining conversations, and low-leverage commitments – all at the expense of your own priorities.

Reclaiming control of your calendar begins with having the discipline to decline, delegate, and defer. With these clear boundaries in place, you can prevent your diary from slowly filling up with other people’s priorities instead of your own.

Your time is your most valuable resource – saying ‘no’ can help you to protect it accordingly.

Choosing comfort over courage

As highlighted by an EMBO report titled “The power of saying no”:

“It takes courage to say no, but it maintains liberty by setting limits.”

That statement cuts to the heart of what many leaders quietly struggle with. Ultimately, saying ‘no’ is hard – we want to be liked, we fear conflict, and we want to keep the peace.

We also think that by doing things we shouldn’t, even when it’s misaligned or unsustainable, it can help us to remain relevant or needed. In reality, constantly saying yes erodes clarity, focus, and leadership integrity.

When leaders have the courage to say ‘no’, they encourage liberty within limits by staying intentional with their decisions and focusing on what matters more than people-pleasing and popularity.

As the EMBO report points out, saying no preserves liberty, not by removing freedom, but by creating the conditions in which freedom can thrive. Liberty within limits allows people to understand expectations and do their best work without confusion or burnout.

Having the courage to say no isn’t a sign of selfishness – it’s a sign of strong leadership.

Surrounding yourself with ‘yes men’ – that’s people who always agree with your decisions just to maintain harmony and gain leadership approval – is a recipe for leadership failure.

When these individuals support your vision without question and only tell you what you want to hear, they don’t strengthen your leadership, they quietly undermine it.

That’s why cultivating a culture of dissent is so important.

Far from being repressed, thoughtful and respectful dissent should actually be encouraged. Essential for ensuring effective leadership, this pushback supports crucial evaluation, often resulting in better decisions, stronger teams, and greater trust.

A prominent leadership coach with significant experience working with elite athletes, educators, and businesses, Drew Povey outlines the dangers of ‘yes men’ and how cultivating a culture of dissent can help.

Combat team-killing echo chambers

When every member of a team feels pressured to agree, the team stops being able to think critically and all authenticity is lost. That’s the danger of an echo chamber: it only creates the illusion of alignment.

Some of the best leaders understand that dissent isn’t about disruption. It’s about data.

Data, in the form of valuable feedback, fresh perspectives, and new insights, helps the team to make more informed decisions. Without it, the decision-making process becomes dysfunctional – bad ideas go unchallenged, blind spots multiply, and risks are overlooked.

Over time, this doesn’t just impact outcomes, it also impacts the whole team by wearing away trust, stalling innovation, and stifling performance.

For a healthier, more productive team, leaders must create space for constructive disagreement by cultivating a safe and trusting environment.

Consider the creeping cost of hearing ‘yes’

Every ‘yes’ you hear as a leader may feel like progress, but when a team stops questioning and starts agreeing automatically, you’re no longer making smart, informed decisions. Instead, you’re just coasting on consensus.

That’s because too many yeses create blind spots. They silence the quiet concerns, skip over second thoughts, and smooth out the friction that often leads to better thinking.

And the cost? It’s rarely immediate, but always significant. Mistakes grow over time and accountability slips. Eventually, these problems can develop into more complex issues and completely trip up projects or entire businesses.

Healthy leadership doesn’t come from surrounding yourself with agreement. It comes from clarity. And clarity can be found in encouraging healthy challenge that sharpens thinking, strengthens decisions, and prevents costly missteps.

Foster the strength of true diversity

Real diversity is not just about backgrounds, it’s about perspectives. Beyond the demographics, diversity should ensure that different voices are genuinely heard, valued, and challenged in a productive way.

When teams embrace different ways of thinking, they make better decisions. That’s because disagreement, when done well, is how we stress-test ideas, uncover blind spots, and pressure-check assumptions before they become costly mistakes.

This is backed by a Cloverpop study white paper which found that diverse teams (in age, gender, ethnicity, and geographical location – and by extension, perspective) make better business decisions a whopping 87% of the time.

Ultimately, if everyone sees the world the same way, or feels they must pretend they do, then you’re not leveraging the true strength of diversity.

Conduct the leadership truth test

The most effective leaders don’t simply ask for feedback, they actively seek brutal truths – something that they’ll never get from ‘yes men’.

To uncover what’s really going on, leaders must cultivate a culture of psychological safety – where people feel safe enough to speak up, push back, admit accountability, and say what they genuinely think without fear.

Whether challenging ideas, raising concerns, or simply being honest, good leaders want to hear those hard truths. Not because they enjoy discomfort, but because they understand that clarity is more important than ego.

As McKinsey & Company’s survey highlights, when employees feel secure enough to openly share suggestions and question the status quo, organisations become more innovative, adaptive, and resilient.

Once leaders know what’s actually happening (instead of what they hope is happening!), they can respond with clarity and confidence – even if it’s uncomfortable or hard.

Use dissent as a leadership mirror

Dissent is one of the clearest reflections of a leader’s confidence. Insecure leaders tend to silence it, while the most secure leaders actively seek it out.

When dissent is offered respectfully and openly welcomed, it indicates that the team leader has built a trustworthy and psychologically safe environment. It also shows that they’re confident enough to be challenged, humble enough to listen, and wise enough to know they don’t have all the answers.

Instead of seeing dissent as a threat to their authority, strong leaders see it as a mirror for self-awareness and growth.

As a result, if no one is pushing back, questioning assumptions, or offering different perspectives, don’t assume alignment – consider whether your team feels safe enough to disagree.
Because if and how your team disagrees with you speaks volumes about your leadership style and efficacy.

At the end of July 2025, Middlesex Football Association announced the ground-breaking moment that they made history by becoming the first completely female-led County Football Association.

This key milestone followed the appointment of Philina Toiny as Chair, who joined the CEO, Kayleigh Saunders, and President, Barbara Bivens, ensuring all the highest leadership roles were occupied by women.

Historically dominated by men, these football leadership positions are now seeing a rising influence of women, following a record 56% increase in the number of women and girls playing the sport over the past four years.

Outside of sport, the Institute of Directors also reports “near-revolutionary change” with nearly half (47%) of new board appointments to FTSE 100 companies, and more than 35% of leadership roles, being filled by women.

A respected leadership expert with a unique viewpoint, Drew Povey, shares his thoughts on the benefits of all-female leadership teams, backing his insights with compelling data from some of the most recent, reliable, and prominent studies.

1. The real edge? Collaborative and emotionally intelligent leadership.

Diversity isn’t the destination; it’s the starting point. When teams are truly inclusive, they stop mirroring one voice and start magnifying performance. This is especially true in leadership, where different perspectives don’t dilute clarity, they sharpen it.

At the heart of this is cognitive diversity and the impact it has on how decisions are made. Female leaders, for instance, often bring more collaborative and emotionally intelligent approaches to leadership – qualities that are especially valuable in high-stakes, complex environments.

These insights are supported by a 2024 study on gender and leadership styles, which found that women tend to lead in more inclusive, empathetic, and people-focused ways, ultimately benefiting team dynamics and strategic outcomes.

2. Psychological safety starts at the top.

The real question isn’t “Why can all-female teams succeed?”, it’s “Why did it take so long to give them the chance?”. Female-led teams often foster cultures of inclusion, trust, and psychological safety which are all proven ingredients of stronger performance and innovation.

Code-named Project Aristotle, Google conducted a two-year research project starting in 2012 to uncover exactly what makes teams successful. The findings revealed that success depends less on who is on the team and more on how they work together, with psychological safety emerging as one of the most important factors.

Essentially, this environment of strong psychological safety meant that team members felt safer and more confident taking risks, speaking up, and sharing ideas without fear of being viewed as ignorant, incompetent, or disruptive.

This is echoed in McKinsey’s 2024 Women in the Workplace report which highlights how women may have a greater awareness of interpersonal dynamics, specifically microaggressions – with 28% of women recognising these comments and actions compared to just 11% of men.

This heightened social awareness suggests that women leaders may be more attuned to subtle forms of bias or exclusion, making them better equipped to create inclusive, respectful environments – something that’s directly linked to improved psychological safety and team performance.

3. Leading with strength and sensitivity, not command and control.

The best leaders don’t lead with ego – they lead with purpose, empathy, and presence. And all-female teams often bring a different, more evolved style of leadership by blending strength with vulnerability and championing connection over control.

Certain leadership behaviours, such as active listening, people development, and strategic patience are therefore more common in female-led teams. These behaviours align with what research defines as transformational leadership.

As per the findings of a 1992 meta-analysis of 61 studies, female leaders demonstrate more transformational leadership styles, meaning they’re more likely to embody positive aspects of the organisation and use inspirational methods to engage their team.

This contrasts with their male counterparts who tend to favour traditional transactional leadership and prioritise ‘command-and-control’ models.

Final thoughts: When leadership evolves, performance follows.

Female leadership is a common topic for leadership consultancies, but tackling this topic isn’t about making the blanket statement that women are better leaders than men.

The push towards all-female leadership teams is undoubtedly a welcomed and well-intentioned one, seeking to address the historical exclusion of women’s skills from the leadership arena.

And while it’s true that women have been restricted by glass ceilings for far too long, the key to strong leadership is in crafting a balanced team with different views and approaches.

Because this isn’t a diversity story, it’s a high-performance one. The best leadership teams don’t look the same, think the same, or act the same. They’re built with different perspectives, experiences, and strengths, and united by a shared sense of purpose.

Ultimately, true leadership progress lies not in outright exclusion or overcorrection, but in building inclusive leadership teams where diverse talents – regardless of gender – can thrive.

In risky, uncertain, or complex situations, fear is an inherent part of leadership. But the most effective leaders aren’t defined by their absence of fear, rather their ability to act in spite of fear, out of courage.

A defining attribute of effective leadership, courage empowers leaders to make potentially tough but necessary decisions, combat challenges head-on, and act with integrity and authenticity even when the stakes are high or they face opposition.

Leading beyond fear therefore isn’t about ignoring or avoiding these difficult situations, but having the courage to embrace vulnerability, make the right decisions instead of the easy ones, and foster environments where others feel empowered to do the same.

Drew Povey, an influential leadership authority specialising in elite level sport, education, and business, explains why courageous individuals can make some of the best leaders, supported by research and practical insights.

1. Moral courage fuels respect and transparency.

When navigating situations with potential ethical implications, the most effective leaders are those who lead with respect and openness – an approach closely linked to high levels of moral courage.

This is supported by a multi-source study on morally courageous leadership which found that leaders with higher levels of moral courage had greater respect for team members and were more open to relational transparency, ultimately enhancing their effectiveness as a leader.

However, a word of caution: the same study found that leaders who overestimated their moral courage were actually less respectful toward team members, rendering them less effective leaders.

Self-reflection, practicing empathy, and fostering open communication can help you to cultivate higher levels of moral courage.

2. Courageous leaders are authentic leaders.

The relationship between courage and authentic leadership is both complex and deeply interconnected. While authenticity is characterised by genuine self-expression, transparency, and ethical behaviour – it requires more than just good intentions; it demands courage.

This belief is supported by 2018 study on leaders and decision-making which identified some of the key internal drivers for courage, such as core personal values and beliefs, and self-consciousness – all of which are closely aligned with authentic leadership.

With courage underpinning this authentic leadership style, individuals are empowered to stay true to themselves and act in alignment with their core values, even in uncertain, hard, or risky situations.

From making difficult decisions and admitting mistakes to speaking honestly despite opposition, courage is the force that empowers authenticity in action. Without courage, authentic leadership simply cannot be sustained.

3. Courage: The catalyst for team inspiration.

Courage has also been identified as an important element of another leadership style – transformational leadership.

This type of leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating teams to achieve a shared goal by challenging the status quo, fostering innovation, and empowering individuals to not only meet, but surpass expectations.

A 2023 study of transformational leadership found that when leaders engage in these behaviours, they encourage and inspire their team members to leverage their strengths and take personal initiative – leading to greater enthusiasm and engagement at work.

However, transformational leadership can’t exist without courage as this leadership style often involves taking calculated risks, confronting resistance, and navigating uncertainty.

For example, if a company has outdated practices, transformational leaders must have the courage to implement new, more effective practices regardless of opposition.

In this way, courage becomes the catalyst that transforms a group of individuals into a motivated, high-performing, and fully aligned team.

4. Listening – the unsung act of courage.

A leader who truly listens is a leader that embodies courage. Why? Because listening to potentially unexpected feedback or even outright criticism requires vulnerability and a genuine openness to hear other perspectives.

Whether you have to admit that you don’t have all the answers or completely change course following challenging or uncomfortable feedback, leaders who pair courage with active listening are the ones who ultimately succeed and inspire lasting trust.

This is supported by the findings of a 2021 study on the power of listening at work which found that employees who experience high-quality listening also report increased levels of job satisfaction and psychological safety.

Essentially, this leadership approach creates a culture where team members feel confident and safe enough to express their honest opinions and ideas.

Final thoughts: Leadership courage drives team performance.

While fear is an unavoidable part of leadership and even beneficial in small doses, leaving it unchecked can foster an unhealthy or even toxic environment marked by intimidation and control, eroded trust, and stifled creativity.

Leaders that can move beyond this fear, guided by courage, are better equipped to make more informed decisions, even when it’s difficult or unpopular.

Their motivation isn’t rooted in achieving perfection or complete fearlessness, but in authenticity, empowerment, and a commitment to simply doing what’s right.

December 2020

I know I don’t really need to say this, but what a year 2020 has been! As we reached the end of 2019 I imagine most of us were looking forward to 2020 with high hopes. Asking ourselves what would be achieved, acquired and accessed in our personal and work lives? I’m sure that the vast majority of us however, have had to seriously re-think and adapt our approach to the year that will never be forgotten. In reality, December 2020 is now a time where a lot of people are simply grateful for what they have in terms of work, family, friends and our material possessions and 2021’s plans will be cautious at best. But we’re nearly there; 2020 is almost history!

This year, I would say that it is more important than ever before to try to take the time to switch off over the holiday period. There is the well known phrase from technology support, that the help desk and customer service representatives say, “switch it off and on again and it should be OK”. Ask yourself this though, does it actually work? How many times have you tried this when your phone, laptop, Skybox or smart TV has inexplicably stopped responding in anyway and failed to respond to the tirade of abuse that you have unfairly hurled at it? To be clear, I’m talking about shouting at the devices not the technical support guys!

Everybody is feeling jaded after this annus horribilis and a reset over the holiday will ensure that we are all ready to take on 2021. And based on recent experience, we must be prepared for anything. As we switch off and take some much-needed time, I would encourage everybody to take a moment to be in the moment. Enjoy what you have and what surrounds you. So often, even when we are not working, we motor through life and miss so much of what is going on around us. Enjoy the stillness and the small things.

There is a fascinating story about virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell. The Washington Post carried out an experiment and arranged for Bell to play in the Metro station in Washington DC. He played for 45 minutes on his £3million violin, two nights after he sold out a theatre in Boston where people had payed £80 per ticket. Less than a handful of people even paused to watch or listen to the greatest violinist of his generation playing some of the greatest music ever written. This is a timely reminder to question – What are you possibly missing in life that is there for you to appreciate and enjoy? It’s so often the little things that are actually the big things.

So, enjoy giving yourself a break this Christmas and try to switch off!

Remote Control

I don’t believe that 2020 will be a year that anybody will forget in a hurry. The impact on each and every one of us has been significant. From titans of industry to small business owners, frontline workers to CEOs of large organisations and university students to pre-school children; nobody has escaped the coronavirus effect. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the first reported cases of Covid-19 in China, the planet has changed if not forever, then certainly for the foreseeable future. From a working perspective, we are now living in a world where more people are working remotely than ever before. At best, some organisations can manage agile working but the overriding situation is that we are now interacting face-to-face less than ever before in our working day. The big question now is, how do we lead in this new landscape?

I believe I’m fairly safe saying that all leaders, or nearly all, are familiar with the leadership by example model. We effectively model what we want to see; behaviours, expectations, how we execute and how we develop excellence in our businesses. All leaders that use this technique are endeavoring to, according to Gahndi “be the change you want to see”. In a remote or agile working world, however, this tactic is at least partly removed. So, what are leaders to do?

Over the past nine months I have been working with leaders in a range of sectors and settings and the apparent common theme is that the language we use has become more important than ever. This is now our competitive advantage if we can explore it and improve it. Whether on Zoom, Teams, What’s App groups or a conference call, our choice of words is now more crucial than ever. Through my work with leaders during this time, I’ve refined some powerful leadership phrases that I hope will allow us to take back some control in a remote world.

1) Leadership Language in Four Words:

What do you think?

This is extremely powerful and can draw people into conversations and encourage them to think more deeply about an issue. Key to this language is that it’s empowering, but be warned – once you ask the question, you have to actually be prepared to listen and take the view onboard. By allowing your people to share their views, you will learn a lot about them, but the onus is on you as a leader to listen and learn about where your people are.

2) Leadership Language in Three Words:

I don’t know

I truly believe that there is nothing wrong with a leader saying, “I don’t know”. I will put a caveat up front here though. If you spend all day saying this, you may find you don’t keep you job for long! Seriously though, there are a number of leadership thinkers who would agree with the power of these three words. But what is it that makes these words so important? In my mind, it is the language of vulnerability which is a precursor to the holy grail of authenticity. And let’s be honest, in the current climate we really won’t know and it’s important to model to our teams that its OK not to know…especially at the moment.

This language will also encourage people to drop the 1980s notion of the Hero Leader, who can see, know and do all! It will instead show that leaders’ can’t actually know everything about everything all of the time. And the perfect language combo? Twinning “I don’t know” with “what do you think” – this is particularly powerful.

3) Leadership Language in Two Words:

Thank you

This is the language of appreciation. Business author Tom Peters encourages leaders to say “thank you” to ten people by 10:00am every day. There are a couple of points to bear in mind with this. Firstly, make sure that it is genuine appreciation and thankfulness, which is the difference between praise and flattery as Dale Carnegie taught us. Secondly, some people have challenged this and wonder if it could become too much. My response is always that maybe it could. But really, how many people do you know that finish a long day at work, arrive home and say to their loved ones; “Do you know what? I’m sick and tired of being appreciated at work”? This was probably said by no one ever!

4) Leadership Language in One Word:

We

This is a key part of the power of plural pronouns. This has always been of vital importance, in my opinion, but never more so than now in our remote working landscape. From the latest Gallop research, we can see that employees are feeling more unheard, more unseen, more disconnected and less part of the company culture than ever before. Therefore, using words like “we”, “us” and “our” can help people feel part of and think like a team. I’d even go as far as to suggest significantly or completely eradicating the use of “I”, “you” and “them”. If we want a team, we have to talk team.

In summary, we know that the language we use can make or break people, cause our teams to fly or fall or the ship to sink or sail. We know this to be true as parents or in our personal relationships and it’s important to remember how important our words are as a leader. The Four, Three, Two, One Language of Leadership has been road tested and has proven to be useful for leaders when having to navigate this complex Covid era. So, keep leading through the power of language and seize that remote control!

The Triple P Model

We all make decisions each and every day, from the moment we wake up until we drift off to sleep in the evening. A lot of the decisions we make on a day-to-day basis won’t have huge consequences, although these innocuous small decisions can become habits…but that’s a blog for another day! Most of us will, however, have to make some crucial decisions throughout our day and this is what today’s blog is all about. I have worked across a number of sectors where critical decisions have to be made for the immediate, mid or long-term performance of the company, sports team, board or school. Over time I have field-tested a model that I would like to share with you that will encourage a more measured approach to making those key decisions in life when they arise. I’ve used this model extensively. It now leaves you with the key decision…Do I read on or not?

I call this system the Triple P model and it is comprised of three key action phases:

PAUSE – PERSPECTIVE – PRIORITIES

Press Pause

We all live our lives at such a frantic pace and if you’re anything like me, you’ll shift into autopilot mode numerous times a day. Even during these uncertain and challenging times, though our working days may have changed to varying degrees, we are all still facing pressure, such as balancing working from home with family commitments, keeping our teams engaged, ensuring the longevity of our companies during these times as well as many, many other factors. When we are caught in these moments of pressure – it is often easy to make knee-jerk decisions that we haven’t had the chance to properly assess and in doing so, we may make uninformed choices. In this model the first element is therefore crucial at supporting us to overcome this downfall. When faced with a big decision we need to press the pause button whilst we consider our next move. To be clear, this isn’t stopping. Stopping is final and requires a significant effort to restart. So what does pressing pause mean? Well, when we press pause this simply means we take a ‘breather’ and buy some time to think about and decide on our next move.

Author Daniel Kahneman, in his book Thinking Fast and Slow, lays out two distinct ways in which the human mind thinks. The first way is System One thinking. When we make decisions through System One thinking, our cognitive process is based on familiarity and it is in those times when we are quick to go with our gut instinct. These decisions feel easy and they may be appropriate for a lot of what we do. However, we can fall into the trap of making more crucial decisions through System One thinking, and that isn’t so great! The pause stops us automatically making that knee-jerk decision and buys us some time to think things through.

Perspective Gained

What is System Two thinking? When we have paused and taken time to reflect and gain some perspective of the choices we have in front of us. This is what Kahneman calls System Two thinking. It allows us to take a step back and see the bigger picture. When we are focused on the context of our situation, our method for making decisions is much more effective and we are likely to make the better choice. Life is so often more complex than a simple black or red decision as there are always a range of factors to consider before taking the leap!

As part of the process of gaining greater clarity and perspective we should also seek the views of those around us. You wouldn’t think about deciding on the new colour scheme for your dining room without consulting with your significant other half (would you…really…perhaps that is just me because of my inept ability at interior design?). So why would you make critical decision about your business or team without listening to the views of trusted stakeholders? Use the pause time to seek out views, talk to colleagues or to do some research – depending on the time you have. My mentor used to say to me, “let’s pick this up tomorrow” and how often had my view changed by the following day? Honestly, it would do quite often. And if my position hadn’t changed from my initial gut feeling, then perfect – I knew with real certainty that it was the right decision. I had gained perspective.

Priorities Setting

As a result of pressing pause and gaining some much-needed perspective, then and only then can we begin to set our priorities in this decision-making process. The clarity that we have now gained will bring the important factors into sharp focus. What impact do you need your decision to have and how does it need to be executed? I’m not referring to the execution of the work that will follow on from the decision/s being made, but more about the contributing factors that will need to be executed well, that will then lead you to making the right decisions. There will be a number of priorities that need to be considered when making decisions. Some of these will become clear as a result of you gaining perspective and there is no right or wrong number of priorities. But it will be much clearer if you can boil it down to just a few.

In this phase we need to try and keep on track with the System Two thinking. We know what the issue is, we know the wider picture and the context in which the issue sits and now our priorities can be set out in order to help us make a clear and appropriate final call. Whether we are dealing with a challenging situation with a student in a school or entering a game-changing situation in a game of rugby, there will be priorities that underpin the decision that we have to make and this final part of the process is key.

When setting these priorities, I believe it is helpful to ask ourselves some final fundamental questions that will help frame our thinking and make the right decisions. Questions such as;

‘What matters most right now?’ ‘What is our important/urgent?’

and

‘What will really make the difference now?’

can all be useful. Keeping with the sporting example from above, this would be key in tweaking and adjusting the team’s tactics and wider game plan.

In closing, I want to address the issue of time frames. I often get the challenge of “how is this possible in the heat of the moment?” There is always time and the process can be as long or as short as you have time. In the heat of a game of sport, a decision may need to be made quickly following an opponent’s try or goal. A team can then press pause, form a huddle to gain context and clarity and the captain can work with the team in deciding the next play or tactic. This has to happen in 60 to 90 seconds! At the other end of the spectrum, a senior team can go on a weekend retreat to decide on the next phase of the group’s journey and the process can take 48 hours over activities, meals and informal interactions. The timing will need to be relevant and appropriate to the circumstances.

I can’t and shouldn’t tell you what decisions to make, but hopefully this model will help you make better decisions for yourself and those around you. As ever, I would love to hear you views, so please get in touch via the contacts page!

Crisis: /ˈkrʌɪsɪs/ a time of intense difficulty or danger

We are facing unprecedented times. The current worldwide events are unlike anything that we have ever experienced or could have imagined. If we spent 30 seconds focusing on the definition of crisis, I think we would all agree that there is little doubt that we are now in the midst of a very real and global crisis. The purpose of this blog is to therefore offer a simple framework that might help us navigate through these challenging times. Remember, as John Maxwell said “a crisis doesn’t make us; it reveals us!” During these times we learn a lot about:

a) Ourselves
b) People immediately around us
c) People we work with and the world at large

“A crisis doesn’t make us, it reveals us.”

I’ve been working with a number of leaders over the past three weeks using a new simple framework that I have developed. The main objective of this framework is to help leaders navigate through the current crisis and have a simple message to communicate to their teams. The crucial underpinning theme beneath this whole framework is awareness. A heightened sense of awareness is one of the key survival techniques in these times and it will enable us to address the three core elements of this model:

• Acceptance

• Adaptation

• Ambition

1) Acceptance

We’ve all heard the sayings; “It is what it is” or “We are where we are.” As glib as these sayings can sometimes appear, when we stop and think about them they are actually quite salient. We have to be clear about what we can and can’t control. As humans we like to be able to control things. However, as uncertainty increases our ability to control decreases. The result of this is that our levels of anxiety, worry and fear increase exponentially. It is important to focus on what we can control; control the controllable. And the things over which we have no control? To quote the famous anthem from the Frozen movie, Let It Go!

“As uncertainty increases, our ability to control decreases.”

2) Adaptation

Once we have accepted our circumstances we need to adapt to our new reality. There is a golf adage that talks about adjusting our way to success. This is crucial during crisis, because things will have to change. Adjustments will almost certainly be needed and it’s true, some people will need to adjust more than others. But how do we know what the right personal adjustments are for us? This is when experimentation comes into play and we trial different methods. This trial and error process will enable us to understand what is needed from us as individuals and what works in our leadership of those around us. Then and only then can we effectively adapt. Central to this are two key aspects in my view. We must adapt and shift the way we think about our lives, or our business (or ideally both!). Once we’ve done this we can adapt and shift the way we act.

“Adapt and shift the way we think…and act”

This altering of our practice, both mentally and physically, will be what gets us through these times. Being shocked into a state of trance or retreating to a safe place just won’t cut it in during a crisis. We have to lead. Whether a fully operating publicly listed company, a furloughed workforce, a locked-down sports team, school or your family – this is courageous leadership in action and doing what we’ve always done isn’t going to get us through this. We need to adapt!

3) Ambition

Just because we are in a crisis, doesn’t mean our standards should slip. As Tony Robbins said, “We get what we tolerate.” We need this ambition and belief that we will get through these times and come out the other side. Our ambition should coexist with aspiration and drive us to be the very best that we can be. We are leading people through this crisis and as Napoleon was famously quoted as saying, “Leaders are dealers in hope”. Whatever we believe are the values and behaviours to making us good leaders, they are never going to be as important to us as they are now in giving hope to those around us. No matter what, keep both your expectations and standards high.

“Leaders are dealers in hope”

So in summary:

Accept it
Adapt yourself and your practice
Ambition is the key to keeping going

Awareness Remember, this underpins all of the above!

If you would like to discuss the above framework or have any other issues you would like to discuss, please get in touch via the information in our Contact page.