The Leader's Kitbag

You may have the title, but do you have followers?  In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I explore the often-overlooked side of leadership: followership.  We focus on three powerful behaviours that effective followers demonstrate, and how we, as leaders, can enable and encourage them.  From creating clarity to fostering intelligent disobedience, this episode is about empowering your people to challenge, contribute and take responsibility.  In this episode, you’ll learn:  Why clarity around roles and goals starts with us How to encourage real, two-way communication What it takes to build a psychologically safe team that challenges upwards  Get Leadership Tools Straight to Your Inbox  If you found this episode useful and want more grounded, real-world ideas on leadership and team development, sign up for my newsletter right here.  No fluff. Just honest, practical insights that will help you build better teams and become a more effective leader. 

Team development is not something you can half-arse.  In this episode, I share my own lessons from both sides of the fence; leading teams and facilitating team-development sessions.  I reflect on why I no longer deliver one-off off-sites, and how those well-intended but poorly followed-up sessions often do more harm than good.  Through a full English breakfast analogy (you’ll see), I unpack why leaders need to be all in for team development to work.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why team development is a daily leadership habit, not an event The ‘chicken and pig’ test for commitment What to do before calling in a facilitator  Get Leadership Tools Straight to Your Inbox  If you’re serious about team development and want real, practical leadership insights that cut through the fluff, then subscribe to my newsletter here.  I’ll send you tools, ideas, and reflections to help you show up better every day, not just when you’re at an offsite. 

Not every group of people reporting to the same person should be treated as a single team.  In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I share a personal story that highlights what happens when we force people into team structures that don’t reflect how they actually work together.  It’s a real-world example of what I talked about in the previous episode: if your people don’t share goals, aren’t interdependent, and don’t hold each other accountable, they’re not a team - and you need to lead them differently.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why cramming non-teams into team routines wastes time How to structure meetings for different types of groups A better way to connect people without forcing false collaboration  Get Leadership Tools Straight to Your Inbox   If you want more straight-talking, practical content on leadership, communication, and team development, delivered in a relaxed, real-world way, then join my community via the newsletter here.  It’s free, useful, and designed for busy leaders who want to cut through the noise. 

In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I challenge the common assumption that every group of direct reports is automatically a ‘team’.  Spoiler alert: they’re often not.  Drawing on three key characteristics, shared goals, interdependence, and mutual accountability, I offer a simple framework to help you identify whether you’re truly leading a team or just a group of individuals working in proximity.  Recognising the distinction is more than semantics; it has a real impact on how we lead, motivate, and structure our people. Get this right, and you’ll be leading with clarity and purpose.  In this episode, you’ll learn: The 3 defining features of a true team How to spot if you’re leading a group, not a team Why mislabelling workgroups as “teams” drives the wrong leadership behaviours  Get Leadership Tools Straight to Your Inbox  If you enjoyed this episode and want more practical, no-nonsense insights on leadership and team development, subscribe to my newsletter right here.  You’ll get tools, strategies, and reflections that will help you lead with clarity, build real teams, and get better results without burning out. 

If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated by a planning or productivity system — or wondered “why can’t I just stick to this?”- this episode of The Leaders Kitbag is for you. It may not be a discipline problem at all. Instead, it could be a mismatch between the tool you’re trying to use and how you actually perceive time. In this episode, I explore why so many productivity and planning tools are built with through-time people in mind, and why those with an in-time perspective often find them restrictive or draining. You’ll discover: The difference between in-time and through-time approaches to planning Why one-size-fits-all productivity advice often fails A simple 3-3-3 formula for in-time leaders to stay focused while retaining flexibility This is about working with your natural strengths, not forcing yourself into someone else’s system. For the First Time Ever: Join My Open Leadership Programme For the first time ever, I’m opening up one of my most practical and impactful leadership programmes to the public. Normally, I only deliver this training inside organisations, but due to repeated requests from smaller businesses and individual leaders, I’m creating a brand-new open cohort. Here’s what’s included: 4 x half-day interactive workshops 1-hour Learning Transfer Session Small group format (max 18 delegates) Indicative cost: £540–£600 (VAT included), with payment plans for self-funders This is a first-of-its-kind opportunity to access the same training I usually deliver privately to companies. I’ll only run it if I get 30+ expressions of interest. Register your interest here.