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Leading well under pressure.

A screenshot of Jo and Kush from Race Across the World from the BBC.

Negative character trait? The limit of ‘it’s just how I am’ is not true.

If something about you feels negative, and you say ‘that’s just how I am’ or ‘it’s just my personality’ – you’re limiting your possibilities. When you release yourself from the…

Lists of unhealthy pressure vs unhealthy pressure on a plain blue background

Pressure: How do the best CEOs handle it?

Pressure is part of scaling. But not all pressure is the same. There’s healthy pressure – the kind that sharpens you. Energises you. Keeps you clear-headed and grounded even when…

Dark blue background with the quote from Helen Amery "There are no winners if you burn out."

He Worked Until 1am Every Night. Then He Crashed

“Push through – it’s just part of scaling.” I disagree. If you’re already overwhelmed and heading towards burnout, more pushing is the last thing you need. One of my clients…

Justin Perkins standing to the left of the picture wearing a ski jacket and woollen hat with a background of snow, some trees and a mountain in the distance.

His anxiety made no sense – Justin’s experience

Everything looked good from the outside, which made Justin’s anxiety reactions all the more illogical. And frustrating. Justin could feel the waste of his time and energy on dealing with…

Photo of Ben DePraz - smiling man wearing a cap, sunglasses on top of the cap. Mountains in the background.

Choosing to remove internal pressure and perfectionism – Ben’s experience

Ben’s life was going well – he had his business, a lovely young family, they’d just moved to their dream location. He wasn’t in any kind of crisis. But he…

Black and white image of a gushing bath tap

Great leaders are like valves

I heard this brilliant analogy for great leadership: Great leaders are like valves – not open taps. They hear and consider the input from external pressure sources, then consciously choose…

Man in white shirt leaning forward with his head in his hand. the other hand resting on his leg dropping down.

Signs of internal pressure problems

How do you know you’ve got internal pressure problems? Simple. Internal pressure feels bad. Period. Forget that people will tell you ‘it’s normal’. Drop the idea ‘of course I feel…

Man in relaxed suit on the phone. Top of head and eyes not in the frame.

Stressed? Release the pressure here.

Dear John, I’ve seen how busy you are. I expect you’re dealing with a stream of questions from staff, continuing to improve behind-the-scenes systems, and also maintaining your own customer…

Screenshot of Helen Amery YouTube channel

Great leaders respond instead of react

We all react sometimes. But if you’re reacting consistently. If you can’t let go and move on. If you’re hard on yourself because of all that – you’re in the…

Great leaders maintain presence in turbulent times

No matter the level of external turbulence, great leaders hold the pressure and continue to lead. Not through gritted teeth and forced effort. Through grounded presence. Amidst global turbulence, the…

Drama Triangle by Steven Karpman - an inverted triangle image. Top left 'persecutor', top right 'rescuer', bottom middle 'victim'

Every problem you have is the drama triangle

If you’re blaming anyone, or anything – you’re in victim mode. And that can be a spicy recognition! The ‘victim’ topic I wrote about last week…how does it land for…

Man leaning on desk telling team member off.

Are you blaming the world?

Are you blaming your team, the economy, the government… ? Justifying feeling stressed, when it’s actually time to take responsibility. I posted recently about the way that we love to…

Black and white image of a man sitting forward on a sofa looking away from the camera

Signs you’re not operating at your best

It’s easy to continue powering on through, even when things feel a bit sh!t. But the truth is, you don’t have to. And everything gets better with that interference removed.…

Why Great Leaders Don’t Need to Belong

Great leaders navigate a unique role, and inner-security is essential. I reckon everybody has a desire to be part of a pack of some kind. The more secure you are…

Androgenous person in black vest top holding their head at either side, with a squiggle of white in front of their face.

End overthinking by tackling its root cause

Overthinking is now shared so readily as a problem that most people believe ‘it’s just how some of us humans work’. That you have to learn to live with it.…

Light blue text on dark blue background - Feelings don't need solutions. Reactions and resistances do.

Quit Fixing Feelings – Clear Reactions

“Feelings don’t need solutions” It was a pivotal moment for me back in 2018 when Piers Thurston first enlightened me of this fact – feelings don’t need solutions. But it…

Green code on a black background like the movie The Matrix

Get Your Emotional Code Running Smoothly

Your human system works perfectly! We had our neighbours round yesterday. One of them’s a doctor. He was telling us that about 90% of Achilles injuries are now left to…

Image of torso and head in a turquoise colour as though made of glass or resin.

Body Truth: For Strategic Advantage

The body doesn’t lie. Trust the body over any cognitive rationale. When you’re carrying negative reactions, the body literally cannot BS you. It shows you – 100% reliably – when…

When you’re delivering big

Whether it’s a big project…a culture change…stepping into your next-level role….preparing to speak on your biggest stage yet…setting yourself up for a successful exit. These big moves test you. They’re meant…

In The Business of Healthy Masculinity

There are two ways change happens… 1. You keep pushing on through, ignoring the fact it’s getting worse, using more control to try and get back on track, till you…

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