Being a leader is one of the hardest things to do. You may not have realised it at first, but becoming a Team Leader isn’t just a change in responsibilities. It is a change in STATUS. How you are perceived by others, and how YOU perceive yourself.

Death and Bereavement - the biggest taboo at work? It can be so difficult to think clearly and know what to do after losing someone, while trying to stay focused and motivated in your job.

Relying on the resilience of your employees is only going to take you so far. The recruitment industry ALWAYS bounces back, and I have no doubt that it will do so again in 2026. But...you HAVE to look after your people.

Even if we have 20 colleagues who we get on well with, if there is ONE who we find difficult then they can take up so much of our thinking, our time and our emotional energy.

I find it fascinating to see how the lexicon we use as a society is always shifting, enabling us to describe mental health in more nuanced ways.

As a leader, you will already know that some situations clearly call for Carrot, and some for Stick. But what about the AMBIGUOUS ones, when the solution is less clear?

If you would describe your work as "crazy busy" right now, how are you looking after yourself, mentally, emotionally AND physically?

Every experience we had growing up helped create the blueprint for our lives today. The career you chose, how you work with others, how motivated you are to earn money - everything is influenced somehow by our past.

The word ‘should’, and our internal belief system about the ‘right’ way to do things, comes from our Superego, which has been formed over the course of our lives through our parents, our upbringing and our schooling.

Bain’s 6 ‘Worker Archetypes’ describe the different types of people in a work environment. Where would you put yourself?

It is important to remember that everyone has their own unique perspective on things, influenced by their own history and experience, and whatever is happening for them in that moment. These different perspectives are often at the root of conflict at work - and our different personality traits will also influence how we act on these perspectives.

Counselling. Mentoring. Coaching. Therapy. What do they all mean? Sometimes it can be hard to know what you need.