Leadership Lounge

The Pressure Paradox: Why Do Hard Working People Keep Saying Yes?

“You don't have to be struggling to be under too much pressure.”

Belinda is incredibly hard working. She prides herself on getting things done and will burn the midnight oil if she needs to. This week she’s got two major reports to hand in, 3 annual reviews to do, on top of her usual weekly work. Then her boss calls her in and says, ‘I know you’re busy but I’ve got some stuff that needs to get done by Thursday and I know I. A trust you to get it landed. Belinda knows what she wants to say , but like watching a slow mo, she watches her lips say the words, “yes of course. I’ll get that done.”

Welcome to the Leadership Lounge. This episode, Anna Hennell James and I will be discussing the topic that sit rights at the heart of Belinda’s slow motion inability to say no to even more work. We are discussing

David Haze is a Red Bull sponsored adventurer and 7 times world record holder in Stand Up Paddle Boarding. But, life wasn’t always that good. David has had a journey of transformation following twice being in prison and he decided he must turn his life around. Colin Tapscott interviews David, a former pupil of his, to discover what he has learnt about life, leadership and resilience. It’s a fascinating listen, so do tune in and hear his story.

Warning - David does mention suicide at one point in this interview but does not go into details.

It should be simple to talk to someone honestly about an issue but so many leaders find it hard. Radical Candor means ‘caring personally while challenging directly’. Colin Tapscott and Anna Hennell James explore what it is and simple ways to do it and structure the conversation. Your critical conversations could be transformed.

As leaders, one of our aims is to bring our organisation to achieve high performance. Countless books have been written on it, on how to aim high and achieve it and ensure your team is a well oiled machine to constantly achieve high performance. But if we distil it all down, what is high performance and how do we achieve and maintain it? This month we invite Hayley Partridge and James Pointon, from Higher Performance Marketing, to discuss these questions and more. Hayley is a Multi-business owner, qualified therapist, and business coach and mentor for female entrepreneurs. James spent over three decades in sales and marketing, and built and sold a multi-million pound IT business in 2019.

We first met James & Hayley at Stowmarket Chamber of Commerce networking events and just recently they have been the success behind the new Everyday Leader website. In talking to them, it was obvious to me that they would be great guests on the podcast and particularly to discuss the topic of ‘High Performance’. So, we are delighted to welcome them both to the Leadership Lounge.

We need to be wise people and wise leaders. But what is wisdom? The dictionary says that ‘wisdom is the ability to apply accumulated knowledge, deep insight, and life experience to make sound judgments’, but what helps us evaluate wisdom amongst the noise of our own experiential confidence and our ego? Jane Lovett is Colin’s guest and they unpick how good counsel, seeking out discomfort and challenge, emotional intelligence and even our own bodies can contribute to inner wisdom. Join us to discover how to be part of a journey of wisdom.

Most leaders say they want engaged teams. But very few ask the deeper question: what creates engagement?

It’s not pizza Fridays.

It’s not staff surveys.

And it’s not motivational posters.

Engagement is something much more human.

You hear it said, “I have Imposter Syndrome.” You may even feel it yourself at times. Colin & Anna explore whether the SYNDROME actually exists. What if there was a different way of viewing it?

Content warning:

Laura shares honestly and openly about her significant mental health struggles, including being sectioned. Some listeners/viewers may find the content hard. Please watch/listen only if you are in a healthy space to consider mental health issues.

Laura Baines is the founder of Embrace Forever Flowers. I met Laura at a networking event, and I was struck by her story and the power of how she used her personal story which included huge challenges with mental and physical health to shape her company and shape and make a difference to the lives of others. 

Laura’s story helps us understand that struggles with mental health need not hold us back. Her story also helps us understand how you can model ‘Everyday Alchemy’ and ‘Transform Trash into Treasure’. 

We explore topics like

• Personal purpose shaping the name and purpose of the company
• Purpose shaping the product (affirmation cards and unique vases and jugs)
• Social action sitting at the heart of what our company does: “Even if one bouquet a year changes someone’s mind to realise their worth, then it is worth it.”
• Everyday Alchemy – not letting trashy moments define you but using them for good
• ‘What could my support of you look like today? How can I help you?’

Here we are in podcast 5 of 5 in the Everyday Alchemy series. We have learnt how to Pause, Reflect and Respong in the moment to make the best of the moment. We have learnt how to ReVISIT, ReVIEW, ReFRAME and ReBUILD aftwerwards to develop ourselves and our practice. But so what? Is it all just about bettering ourselves?In the fifth of our ‘Everyday Alchemy’ series of podcasts, Anna Hennell James interviews Colin Tapscott about his book Everyday Alchemy and this episode focuses on ‘Treasure’. We explore the Zulu phrase, ‘Ubuntu’ and the Japanese phrase ‘Ikagai’ to see how the Everyday Alchemist truly ‘transforms’ even beyond themselves and impacts on others. How we move from being an apprentice to truly being and Everyday Alchemist.

The ancient Alchemists transformed metal into gold. They changed its form. Everyday Alchemists look to take moments beyond their current form into a better way for the future. After the moment they have ReVISITed and ReVIEWed and now it is time to ReFRAME it and ReBUILD.

In the fourth of our ‘Everyday Alchemy’ series of podcasts, Anna Hennell James interviews Colin Tapscott about his book Everyday Alchemy and this episode focuses on how to ReFRAME, understand what a better way could look like and what you are in control of developing in your skills, knowledge or practice and ReBUILD helps you work out what you take forward in your mindset or actions based on the 4P’s of Priority, Power, Partner and Plan.