Post tagged in "building safe teams"

Have you ever stopped to look at your team and wondered if they are mirroring your best traits or your most stressful habits? I’ve spent more than twenty years obsessed with one thing: how we, as leaders, show up when the pressure is on. It’s a personal mission for me because I almost didn’t make it home from work one day. It taught me that my actions don’t just affect a balance sheet. They affect the safety and spirits of the people I lead. When I talk to people on my podcast about what leaders can learn about influence, I’m... read more

Have you ever wondered what one conversation could do for your team? When I first started leading teams, I underestimated the power of honest dialogue. I thought that as long as tasks were done, everything was fine. But over time, I realised that without open communication, no team truly thrives. That’s why I always stress how to start an open conversation with your team. It’s not about filling an hour with talk. It’s about creating a space where people feel safe to speak up. When a team knows their thoughts and concerns are heard, engagement goes up, creativity flows, and... read more

Over the years and especially through conversations on the Find Your Influence Podcast. I’ve had the privilege of speaking with CEOs, founders, frontline leaders, and entrepreneurs. Different industries. Different personalities. Different challenges.But the same leadership truths keep showing up. These conversations have reinforced something powerful: Leadership isn’t about position. It’s about influence. Here are the biggest lessons I’ve learned from talking to great leaders and how you can apply them immediately. 1. Influence Is Alignment, Not Control One of the strongest patterns I’ve noticed? The best leaders don’t try to control everything. They focus on alignment. In my conversation with... read more

Do you want more influence in your team, or are you still waiting for the authority that makes people listen? The leaders who carry the most influence are not the loudest. They are not the most charismatic. They are not the ones with the flashiest title. They are the ones who take ownership. If you want more influence, start there. why leaders must own before they lead I say this often in workshops and boardrooms. You cannot lead what you refuse to own. Ownership is not about control. It is about responsibility. It is the decision to say, “This is... read more

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself whether your influence is lifting people up… or quietly weighing them down? I think about this a lot. Influence is not about authority. It is not about your title. And it is definitely not about being the loudest voice in the room. Positive leadership influence is about how people feel after they’ve interacted with you. Do they feel clearer? Braver? More willing to act? Or do they feel smaller? Over the years, I’ve seen one truth play out again and again. You can’t force behaviour. But you can shape belief. And belief drives... read more

Have you ever walked away from a conversation with a leader feeling smaller, quieter, or unsure of yourself and wondered why? I’ve spent more than two decades working with leaders across Australia, and I can tell you this with certainty: damaging leadership influence rarely starts loud. It creeps in. It shows up in small behaviours that slowly shift how people think, speak, and act at work. Most leaders I meet don’t wake up wanting to harm their teams. The problem is that influence works whether you’re conscious of it or not. And when leaders aren’t aware of the signals they’re... read more

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself what really happens when the influence you carry as a leader starts to work against you instead of for you? I’ve spent most of my career life around leaders. Some outstanding. Some struggling. Some completely unaware of the impact they were having on the people around them. And one thing I know for certain is this: leadership influence is never neutral. It’s either building trust and belief, or it’s quietly tearing things apart. When leadership influence turns toxic, it rarely starts with bad intent. It starts with pressure. Stress. Blind spots. A lack... read more

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what people actually feel when you walk into the room? I’ve spent years sitting with leaders after things have gone wrong. Not just KPIs missed or projects delayed, but moments where trust cracked, people shut down, or silence took over. And almost every time, the root cause wasn’t strategy. It was influence. More specifically, how that leader showed up when it mattered. The influence you carry shapes the culture you create. Culture doesn’t live in posters on the wall. It lives in behaviour. Yours first. Culture doesn’t start with values statements I hear... read more

Have you ever finished speaking in a meeting and wondered whether your message actually landed? I’ve asked myself that question more times than I care to admit. Over the years, I’ve learnt something simple and uncomfortable: the most influential voices don’t speak louder or longer. They speak with intention. Intentional communication isn’t about sounding polished. It’s about knowing what you want to shift in the room, choosing words that people can hear, and saying them in a way that builds trust rather than tension. If you’re leading people right now, your voice matters more than ever. People are watching for... read more

Have you ever noticed that the harder you push people, the more quietly they pull away? You can’t force commitment. You can only earn it. The leaders who try to control every move might get short-term compliance, but they rarely get trust, care, or people who genuinely want to do their best work. Influence is different. Influence lasts. And influence starts long before you ask anyone to follow you. Why control feels tempting and why it keeps failing I get why control feels safe. When pressure is on, deadlines are tight, and responsibility sits on your shoulders, it can feel... read more