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Newsletter Archive · 25 issues

Weekly Leadership Brief

Every week, a curated insight, a practical quick win, and a real client story — designed for leaders who are short on time but long on ambition.

Week 39, 2026•Sep 21 – Sep 27, 2026Latest

The hidden cost of meeting overload in your leadership team

This Week's Insight

How to Pick Which Managers to Develop First for Real ROI

Most leadership budgets are tighter than they used to be. That’s not a bad thing. It forces a decision that a lot of organisations avoid: Stop training everyone. Start investing in the few who will ac

Read article →

Quick Win: Accountability

  • Replace 'Who's responsible?' with 'Who owns this outcome?'
  • Make commitments specific: what, by when, to what standard
  • Follow up on what you said you'd follow up on - every time

From the Archives

How to Catch Burnout Early Before It Costs You a Manager

Recognizing Burnout's AEIOU Symptoms

Read article →
Week 38, 2026•Sep 14 – Sep 20, 2026

What high-performing leaders do differently about capability investment

This Week's Insight

How to Build Manager Capability When You Do Not Control the Budget

This is one of the most common situations I see in HR and OD teams.

Read article →

Quick Win: Decision Speed

  • Define your decision deadline before you start discussing
  • Ask 'What would need to be true for this to be the wrong choice?'
  • Separate the decision from the communication of the decision

From the Archives

How to Stop Losing Good Managers to Burnout and Overload

A recent Deloitte survey showed that 53% of employees are looking for a new role that is going to be more healthy in terms of their wellbeing.

Read article →
Week 37, 2026•Sep 7 – Sep 13, 2026

Why doing more is costing you time

This Week's Insight

Why Your Next Generation of Managers Does Not Want the Job

Gen Z has had a front-row seat to: – parents and older colleagues burning out – “high performers” rewarded with more work, not more support – leaders carrying the emotional weight of

Read article →

Quick Win: Delegation

  • Delegate the outcome, not just the task
  • Ask 'What support do you need?' not 'Do you understand?'
  • Set the next check-in before they walk away

From the Archives

What Most Leaders Miss About the Formula for Team Effectiveness

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, the ability to lead high-performing teams is more crucial than ever.

Read article →
Week 36, 2026•Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2026

The One Leadership Lesson Most Senior Leaders Lear - Weekly Leadership Brief

This Week's Insight

The One Leadership Lesson Most Senior Leaders Learn Too Late

An Amazon executive once shared that he receives 1,500 to 2,000 emails every single day. Out of all those messages, only 15 to 20 are genuine emergencies. Yet he can only deal with two or three.

Read article →

Quick Win: Meeting Efficiency

  • Start every meeting with: 'What decision do we need to make?'
  • End 5 minutes early to allow for action item clarity
  • If there's no decision to make, it's an email, not a meeting

From the Archives

How a Clear Team Purpose Protects Against Burnout

“It doesn’t matter how hard I work, I just don’t seem to be making a difference.

Read article →
Week 34, 2026•Aug 17 – Aug 23, 2026

The hidden cost of meeting overload in your leadership team

This Week's Insight

How to Plan Meetings That Produce Decisions Not Minutes

Most people’s meetings are broken. Not just inefficient – completely broken.

Read article →

Quick Win: Managing Up

  • Come with recommendations, not just problems
  • Ask 'What does success look like for you?' early
  • Send the one-line summary before the detailed report

From the Archives

How Better Communication Turns Into Better Team Numbers

Great communicators repeatedly outperform good and bad communicators by a factor of up to 7x.

Read article →
Week 33, 2026•Aug 10 – Aug 16, 2026

What high-performing leaders do differently about leadership

This Week's Insight

How to Get Buy-In When Everyone Has Competing Priorities

How to get voluntary commitment when your project isn’t their top priority

Read article →

Quick Win: Accountability

  • Replace 'Who's responsible?' with 'Who owns this outcome?'
  • Make commitments specific: what, by when, to what standard
  • Follow up on what you said you'd follow up on - every time

From the Archives

How One Leadership Myth Is Slowing Down Every Decision You Make

'We need all the information before we can decide.' If that were true, no major breakthrough in history would have ever happened. Every innovator, every leader, every change-maker would still be wa

Read article →
Week 32, 2026•Aug 3 – Aug 9, 2026

Why doing more is costing you time

This Week's Insight

How to Tell If You Are the Bottleneck or the Amplifier

Quick question: Which type of leader are you?

Read article →

Quick Win: Decision Speed

  • Define your decision deadline before you start discussing
  • Ask 'What would need to be true for this to be the wrong choice?'
  • Separate the decision from the communication of the decision

From the Archives

How to Build Lasting Leadership Impact Instead of Short Bursts

Have you ever stopped to think if you’re truly making a difference in your leadership role? We all like to think we are, but what if we could do even more without working harder?

Read article →
Week 31, 2026•Jul 27 – Aug 2, 2026

The Amazon Executive Story - Weekly Leadership Brief

This Week's Insight

How One Mindset Shift Gives Leaders Back Hours Every Week

Picture this for a moment. An Amazon executive shared that he receives 1,500 to 2,000 emails every single day. Out of those, only 15 to 20 are genuine emergencies. Yet he can only deal with two or thr

Read article →

Quick Win: Delegation

  • Delegate the outcome, not just the task
  • Ask 'What support do you need?' not 'Do you understand?'
  • Set the next check-in before they walk away

From the Archives

How to Make the Shift from Managing Tasks to Leading People

This week, let’s dive into a topic that hits home for many professionals: the struggle to transition from being a manager operating on the limit of their energy and capability to a high-performa

Read article →
Week 30, 2026•Jul 20 – Jul 26, 2026

The one thing most leaders get wrong about leadership

This Week's Insight

Why Most Team Goals Fail and How to Set Ones That Stick

Why goals fail 23x more often than behaviours (and what to do about it)

Read article →

Quick Win: Meeting Efficiency

  • Start every meeting with: 'What decision do we need to make?'
  • End 5 minutes early to allow for action item clarity
  • If there's no decision to make, it's an email, not a meeting

From the Archives

How Flexibility in Your Team Drives Innovation and Results

Are you ready to redefine leadership and create a work environment that fosters growth, innovation, and exceptional performance?

Read article →
Week 29, 2026•Jul 13 – Jul 19, 2026

The hidden cost of generic training in your leadership team

This Week's Insight

Why Manager Training Is Not Moving Your Numbers

You’ve probably lived this loop.

Read article →

Quick Win: Team Performance

  • Catch people doing things right - be specific about what and why
  • Address the first sign of drift, not the tenth
  • One clear priority beats three competing ones
Week 28, 2026•Jul 6 – Jul 12, 2026

What high-performing leaders do differently about decisions

This Week's Insight

How to Buy Manager Development That Changes Your Numbers

If you want leadership to move the business this quarter, you cannot buy leadership development like an annual event.

Read article →

Quick Win: Managing Up

  • Come with recommendations, not just problems
  • Ask 'What does success look like for you?' early
  • Send the one-line summary before the detailed report

From the Archives

How Trust Between Your Managers Speeds Up Everything

Imagine being in the Board Room, talking about the commercial upside of being a leader who builds trust.

Read article →
Week 27, 2026•Jun 29 – Jul 5, 2026

Why doing more is costing you time

This Week's Insight

How to Pick Which Managers to Develop First for Real ROI

Most leadership budgets are tighter than they used to be. That’s not a bad thing. It forces a decision that a lot of organisations avoid: Stop training everyone. Start investing in the few who will ac

Read article →

Quick Win: Accountability

  • Replace 'Who's responsible?' with 'Who owns this outcome?'
  • Make commitments specific: what, by when, to what standard
  • Follow up on what you said you'd follow up on - every time

From the Archives

Why Forcing High Performance Backfires and What Works Instead

It’s a common and frustrating experience for leaders – you invest in programs, you try to motivate your team, but that spark of high performance just seems out of reach.

Read article →
Week 26, 2026•Jun 22 – Jun 28, 2026

The Reality - Weekly Leadership Brief

This Week's Insight

How to Build Manager Capability When You Do Not Control the Budget

This is one of the most common situations I see in HR and OD teams.

Read article →

Quick Win: Decision Speed

  • Define your decision deadline before you start discussing
  • Ask 'What would need to be true for this to be the wrong choice?'
  • Separate the decision from the communication of the decision

From the Archives

How Clarifying Role Purpose Lifts Productivity by 20 Percent

In our previous blog posts, we explored the significance of having a personal purpose and how to find it. Now, we’re moving to the next level of the purpose pyramid

Read article →
Week 25, 2026•Jun 15 – Jun 21, 2026

The one thing most leaders get wrong about the next generation of leaders

This Week's Insight

Why Your Next Generation of Managers Does Not Want the Job

Gen Z has had a front-row seat to: – parents and older colleagues burning out – “high performers” rewarded with more work, not more support – leaders carrying the emotional weight of

Read article →

Quick Win: Delegation

  • Delegate the outcome, not just the task
  • Ask 'What support do you need?' not 'Do you understand?'
  • Set the next check-in before they walk away

From the Archives

How to Get Off the Hamster Wheel and Into High Performance

How Busy Managers Can Become Effective Leaders

Read article →
Week 24, 2026•Jun 8 – Jun 14, 2026

The hidden cost of meeting overload in your leadership team

This Week's Insight

The One Leadership Lesson Most Senior Leaders Learn Too Late

An Amazon executive once shared that he receives 1,500 to 2,000 emails every single day. Out of all those messages, only 15 to 20 are genuine emergencies. Yet he can only deal with two or three.

Read article →

Quick Win: Meeting Efficiency

  • Start every meeting with: 'What decision do we need to make?'
  • End 5 minutes early to allow for action item clarity
  • If there's no decision to make, it's an email, not a meeting
Week 23, 2026•Jun 1 – Jun 7, 2026

What high-performing leaders do differently about meetings

This Week's Insight

How to Plan Meetings That Produce Decisions Not Minutes

Most people’s meetings are broken. Not just inefficient – completely broken.

Read article →

Quick Win: Team Performance

  • Catch people doing things right - be specific about what and why
  • Address the first sign of drift, not the tenth
  • One clear priority beats three competing ones

From the Archives

Why AI Cannot Replace Your Purpose as a Leader

AI can write the report and model the forecast. It cannot supply the purpose, judgement and trust your managers lead with. Here is why that is a commercial issue, not a soft one.

Read article →
Week 22, 2026•May 25 – May 31, 2026

Why doing more is costing you time

This Week's Insight

How to Get Buy-In When Everyone Has Competing Priorities

How to get voluntary commitment when your project isn’t their top priority

Read article →

Quick Win: Managing Up

  • Come with recommendations, not just problems
  • Ask 'What does success look like for you?' early
  • Send the one-line summary before the detailed report
Week 20, 2026•May 11 – May 17, 2026

The one thing most leaders get wrong about leadership

This Week's Insight

How to Tell If You Are the Bottleneck or the Amplifier

Quick question: Which type of leader are you?

Read article →

Quick Win: Decision Speed

  • Define your decision deadline before you start discussing
  • Ask 'What would need to be true for this to be the wrong choice?'
  • Separate the decision from the communication of the decision

From the Archives

How to Set Up Hybrid Working So Your Managers Can Still Lead

The concept of the Great Resignation and how businesses can configure themselves differently for the future which will

Read article →
Week 19, 2026•May 4 – May 10, 2026

The hidden cost of meeting overload in your leadership team

This Week's Insight

How One Mindset Shift Gives Leaders Back Hours Every Week

Picture this for a moment. An Amazon executive shared that he receives 1,500 to 2,000 emails every single day. Out of those, only 15 to 20 are genuine emergencies. Yet he can only deal with two or thr

Read article →

Quick Win: Delegation

  • Delegate the outcome, not just the task
  • Ask 'What support do you need?' not 'Do you understand?'
  • Set the next check-in before they walk away

From the Archives

How Trust Between Your Managers Speeds Up Everything

Imagine being in the Board Room, talking about the commercial upside of being a leader who builds trust.

Read article →
Week 18, 2026•Apr 27 – May 3, 2026

What high-performing leaders do differently about leadership

This Week's Insight

Why Most Team Goals Fail and How to Set Ones That Stick

Why goals fail 23x more often than behaviours (and what to do about it)

Read article →

Quick Win: Meeting Efficiency

  • Start every meeting with: 'What decision do we need to make?'
  • End 5 minutes early to allow for action item clarity
  • If there's no decision to make, it's an email, not a meeting

From the Archives

How to Get Full Performance from Your Youngest Managers

Unlocking the Performance Potential of Millennials and Gen Z in Your Team is like a secret sauce. Imagine tapping into the youth, boundless enthusiasm

Read article →
Week 17, 2026•Apr 20 – Apr 26, 2026

Why doing more is costing you time

This Week's Insight

Why Manager Training Is Not Moving Your Numbers

You’ve probably lived this loop.

Read article →

Quick Win: Team Performance

  • Catch people doing things right - be specific about what and why
  • Address the first sign of drift, not the tenth
  • One clear priority beats three competing ones

From the Archives

How One Question Can Stop Burnout Before It Takes Hold

Did you know that burnout costs between $125 billion (USD) and $190 billion every year in healthcare costs?

Read article →
Week 16, 2026•Apr 13 – Apr 19, 2026

Smart HR Teams Are Buying Leadership Development L - Weekly Leadership Brief

This Week's Insight

How to Buy Manager Development That Changes Your Numbers

If you want leadership to move the business this quarter, you cannot buy leadership development like an annual event.

Read article →

Quick Win: Managing Up

  • Come with recommendations, not just problems
  • Ask 'What does success look like for you?' early
  • Send the one-line summary before the detailed report

From the Archives

How a Clear Team Purpose Protects Against Burnout

“It doesn’t matter how hard I work, I just don’t seem to be making a difference.

Read article →
Week 15, 2026•Apr 6 – Apr 12, 2026

The one thing most leaders get wrong about leadership programs

This Week's Insight

How to Pick Which Managers to Develop First for Real ROI

Most leadership budgets are tighter than they used to be. That’s not a bad thing. It forces a decision that a lot of organisations avoid: Stop training everyone. Start investing in the few who will ac

Read article →

Quick Win: Accountability

  • Replace 'Who's responsible?' with 'Who owns this outcome?'
  • Make commitments specific: what, by when, to what standard
  • Follow up on what you said you'd follow up on - every time

From the Archives

How to Lead Effectively When the World Will Not Stop Changing

In a world that seems to spin faster each day, leaders are finding themselves at the helm, tasked with keeping your team on course toward high-performance.

Read article →
Week 14, 2026•Mar 30 – Apr 5, 2026

The hidden cost of meeting overload in your leadership team

This Week's Insight

How to Build Manager Capability When You Do Not Control the Budget

This is one of the most common situations I see in HR and OD teams.

Read article →

Quick Win: Decision Speed

  • Define your decision deadline before you start discussing
  • Ask 'What would need to be true for this to be the wrong choice?'
  • Separate the decision from the communication of the decision

From the Archives

How the Right Kind of Connection Keeps Your Team Engaged

Last week we started discussing the idea of connection – in particular the idea of connecting new starters to the business, their peers, and the wider network they need to succeed.

Read article →
Week 13, 2026•Mar 23 – Mar 29, 2026

What high-performing leaders do differently about the next generation of leaders

This Week's Insight

Why Your Next Generation of Managers Does Not Want the Job

Gen Z has had a front-row seat to: – parents and older colleagues burning out – “high performers” rewarded with more work, not more support – leaders carrying the emotional weight of

Read article →

Quick Win: Delegation

  • Delegate the outcome, not just the task
  • Ask 'What support do you need?' not 'Do you understand?'
  • Set the next check-in before they walk away

From the Archives

How Being Too Available Is Making Your Team Less Capable

Many leaders think that being “always available” is the hallmark of effective leadership. But here’s the reality: being constantly available isn’t just a distraction—it’s a career killer.

Read article →

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