26/09/2026
Has your organisation recently been through a restructure, a merger, or some other kind of change?
And if I asked you how your people are feeling right now, would you honestly know the answer?
Many leaders I work with describe the same thing. The strategy is on paper, the new structure is in place, but something feels stuck. Energy is low. Meetings are quiet. Performance is slipping in ways that are hard to pin down.
You are not alone in this. And the fix is rarely another workshop on soft skills.
I don't teach soft skills. I teach tactical, operational leadership that moves the needle. Across my work as a facilitator, coach, consultant, strategist, author and speaker, one lesson keeps proving itself: tactical strategy wins, every time.
So here is a quick test. Three questions. Sit with them in isolation and answer them honestly. That honesty will tell you more about your leadership than any personality test ever could.
1. Do you know what your people are actually carrying into the business?
Empathy sometimes gets dismissed as a "nice to have." But what your people carry shows up everywhere: in their energy, their focus, their performance, their willingness to go the extra mile. You can see it when it shifts.
My challenge to you is simple. Don't assume you know. Ask. When you genuinely understand what your people are carrying, you understand what is holding performance back.
2. Can your team disagree with you without feeling fear?
Think about the last time you walked into a meeting. Did the room get louder, or did it go quiet?
If it went quiet, that silence has a cost. It means ideas are being held back, problems are going unreported, and strategic thinking is dying before it ever reaches you. That costs you money.
The strongest leaders don't surround themselves with people who agree with them. They surround themselves with people who challenge their thinking and help them see the whole business more clearly.
3. This one is just for you. Are you leading from a place of recovery, or are you glorifying exhaustion?
The World Health Organization recognises burnout as an occupational phenomenon. Many of us have quietly adjusted to living with constant pressure, and we wear it like a badge. But we were built to handle moments of stress, not to live in it all day, every day.
And if that is how you are running, ask yourself how your team is running. How stretched are they? How close to burnout are the people holding up the foundations of your business?
If any of these questions made you a little uncomfortable, good. That discomfort is where better leadership starts.
These three come from a set of fifteen I use with leaders going through change. I call it A Leader's Compass. The principle behind all of them is the same: before you fix the structure, get honest about the people, the room, and yourself.
So here is my invitation. Pick one of these three questions this week. Don't answer it in your head. Write it down, or better yet, put it to your team and actually listen to what comes back.
If you'd like to work through the full compass, you know where to find me.
I'm here to build relationships and add value, one honest conversation at a time.
