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.
How much of your leadership is shaped by what’s going on inside—not outside?
I’ve asked myself this a lot over the years. Especially after coaching leaders who seem stuck. Not because they don’t know their KPIs or have the right experience, but because they haven’t done the work within themselves. The truth is, no leadership strategy or team offsite will matter if you’re not willing to look in the mirror first.
You can’t lead others until you lead yourself
I say this to leaders all the time, and it usually gets an eyebrow raise. But here’s what I mean: your team will only grow to the extent that you do. If you haven’t addressed your own emotional triggers, your values, your beliefs about control—then your leadership will hit a ceiling, fast.
I was thinking about this after a recent conversation around coaching roles. There’s often this sense that external coaches are there to “fix” things. But the real work? That’s on the inside. It’s not about someone else telling you what to do—it’s about being willing to ask yourself better questions. That’s where growth lives.
This piece on how to develop into a transformational leader highlights that self-awareness is more effective than another checklist of leadership skills.
The pressure isn’t the problem. It’s your response to it
I’ve had moments where the pressure has been so thick you could almost feel it in the air. Site deadlines. HR dramas. Big contracts at stake. But what I’ve learnt is that it’s not the pressure that breaks us—it’s how we respond to it. That’s self-leadership.
Doing the inner work means knowing how to stay calm, even when it’s messy. It means owning your emotions, rather than letting them spill onto your team. And it means having the guts to admit when you’re off track. I unpack this more in our article on why emotional intelligence is a leader’s greatest asset.
Your team can feel your energy
You don’t have to say a word—people can sense when you’re grounded or rattled. I’ve seen leaders who walk into a room and instantly change the atmosphere. That’s not charisma. That’s presence. And presence comes from doing the work behind the scenes that no one else sees.
If you’re leading from a place of insecurity or fear, your team will pick up on that. But if you’re grounded in your values, if you’ve built emotional discipline, then your leadership becomes more stable—no matter what’s going on around you.
Here’s another article that shares how the best leaders build their influence by working on their internal clarity first—not after the chaos sets in.
Transformation doesn’t start with a plan. It starts with a pause
Most leaders try to fix problems with action. Do more. Add another system. Launch a new process. But real change? It comes when you slow down and actually sit with your own patterns.
Ask yourself:
- What triggers you?
- What stories are you telling yourself about control or success?
- Where are you still holding on to habits that no longer serve the kind of leader you want to be?
If you haven’t explored these questions, you’re not leading—you’re reacting. That’s not where transformation lives. I talk more about this in this piece on who you’re becoming as a leader, which gets into the guts of identity-based leadership.
You don’t need a new skillset—you need a new lens
Too many leadership programs focus on performance. And while results matter, what’s even more important is perspective. Self-reflection. Humility. The stuff that doesn’t come with a certificate but shapes everything else.
This article from The People Side reinforces the idea that inner work shapes how leaders influence culture and behaviour—not by techniques, but by example.
That’s why we work with leaders through personalised coaching sessions that go beyond strategy. We get into what’s really going on behind the scenes—and how to shift it.
Because let’s be honest: most of your challenges aren’t external. They’re internal. And no one else can shift those but you.
If you want a breakthrough, start from within
That’s not a slogan. That’s experience. It’s why so many leaders we work with say they finally feel more like themselves—not the version they think they’re supposed to be.
One leader recently told me, “I finally stopped trying to be what everyone else needed. I started working on who I actually am.” That’s the shift I’m talking about.
And if you’re ready to get clear again, this article on how to restart personal growth will help you refocus without shame or spin.
Reach out here if you want to talk honestly—no pitch, just real conversation.
You can’t skip the inner work. But you don’t have to do it alone either.
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