Anton Guinea
Entrepreneur, Speaker, bestselling author, and founder of The Guinea Group of Companies. For over 15 years, Anton has helped leaders move their teams to become psychologically safe, physically safe and overall better versions of themselves.
Have you ever felt like the gap between where you are and where you want to be is just too big to cross?
I have. And I’ll be honest, I used to think making a difference meant massive, sweeping changes. Big gestures. Big goals. But over time, through my own mistakes and wins, and by working with thousands of leaders, I’ve realised something more honest: the biggest impact almost always starts with the smallest steps.
And those steps? They’re often so small that no one notices them at first. Not even you.
Small steps feel boring because they’re supposed to
There’s this idea floating around especially in leadership and personal development, that if you’re not making huge strides, then you’re not making progress.
But that mindset is dangerous. It leads to burnout. Or worse, stagnation.
What I’ve seen over and over again is that real change happens in the small stuff. Waking up 15 minutes earlier. Asking one more question in your team meeting. Rewording that tough email so it sounds like you actually care. Following through, again and again, until your actions quietly speak for you.
That’s not glamorous. But it’s what works.
If you’re leading a team, building your career, or just trying to do life a bit better, it’s the small wins that stack up over time.
Here’s an article that breaks this down beautifully: the progress principle. Make consistent, visible progress and people stay engaged. That includes you.
What slow progress really looks like
I used to beat myself up for not moving fast enough. Then I came across a concept that completely reframed how I think about progress:
“If you get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done.” (Source: Atomic Habits)
That hit me. And I’ve repeated it to almost every group I’ve spoken to since.
Most leaders think they need to overhaul everything to be respected. But you don’t need to rewrite the whole playbook. You just need to take deliberate, imperfect, consistent action.
So let’s say you’re trying to build a more psychologically safe workplace. That doesn’t mean having a massive offsite with beanbags and whiteboards. It could start with asking, “Is there anything you’d like me to know about how we’re working together?” That one question creates room. That’s the small step.
Here’s another piece that echoes this idea. It’s not about making a splash. It’s about ripples.
How to know what small steps are worth taking
Not all action is useful. That’s the other trap.
I often talk about conscious leadership and that means knowing which steps matter. I’m not talking about being busy. I’m talking about being focused.
There’s a big difference.
Sometimes the most impactful step you can take is stopping. Pausing before replying. Waiting before judging. That’s why emotional control is so central to everything we teach at The Guinea Group.
We talk a lot about this in our habits and leadership workshops. If your habits aren’t working for you, it doesn’t matter how good your intentions are.
If you want something to change? Track it. Write it down. Say it out loud. Let people hold you accountable.
One of the smartest things I ever started doing was asking my team at the end of each week: “What’s one thing I did this week that helped you and one that didn’t?” I didn’t always love the answer. But I always got better because of it.
Why leaders resist small changes
Let me say this clearly: Small steps don’t feel rewarding in the short term.
Our brains are wired to chase dopamine. Wins. Recognition. That’s why it’s so hard to stay patient when you’re not seeing immediate results. But most growth doesn’t show up for months. Or years.
That’s why it helps to have a system, not just a burst of motivation.
If you want to see what this looks like inside a team, check out our article on moving from ideas to action. It’s one of the best ways we help organisations shift from high intention to real-world results.
And if your team needs a structured way to build these conversations into your culture, I strongly suggest looking at our speak safe training experience. It’s where we teach how to build psychological safety through repeatable behaviours.
What small wins actually do for your culture
You’d be amazed what happens when leaders stick with small actions:
- Teams start to speak up more
- People start to own their work
- Trust builds faster
- Work gets better
- Stress goes down
There’s a reason we built an entire framework around small leadership habits. They work.
And don’t just take it from me. This case study shows how organisations that embrace incremental change outperform those that rely on big, one-time shifts.
I also wrote about this idea when reflecting on what it means to be a resilient leader. If you’re interested, you can read more about it in our piece on resilient leadership.
Final thoughts
You don’t need to do everything at once. You just need to do something. Today.
Pick one action. Make it ridiculously small. Stick with it.
Then another.
That’s how you turn pressure into progress. That’s how you lead well, even when it’s hard. That’s how you turn small steps into something bigger than you ever imagined.
And if you’re not sure what that first step is? I’m always here to talk.
Reach out any time. Or if you’re ready, book me in.
Let’s take that first step together.
Please click the image below if you’d like to chat about what leadership means to you
If you would like to learn more about Anton or The Guinea Group, please click here to book into Anton’s calendar, to:
UPGRADE your Mindset
UPSKILL your Leadership
UPLIFT your Teams