Why do capable people stop performing under pressure — and why doesn't better planning fix it?
In this episode of Organizational Intelligence, I sit down with Natalie Gleeson, VP of Human Capital at Pure Harvest Smart Farms, to talk about pressure as an operating-system problem, not a people problem.
Natalie has spent more than 20 years leading HR across the UAE, and she brings a background in the psychology of work and neuroscience to how she thinks about leadership and culture. She's also the creator of The Future-Ready Set™, a framework built on three human capabilities: emotional intelligence, adaptability and resourcefulness.
We get into why pressure blocks people from using the skills they already have, what it means for a leader to "lend their nervous system" to the room, why good is often good enough, what middle managers know about what slows them down (and why nobody asks them), and why AI tends to amplify dysfunction rather than fix it.
Plus a rapid fire: draft to draft or polished reveal? Plan more or test sooner?
What I'm taking with me:
Pressure doesn't remove skills. It blocks access to them.
Leaders lend their nervous system to the room.
Good is often good enough.
Middle managers already know what slows them down.
AI amplifies what's already there, including the dysfunction.
Connect with Natalie
🌐 Website: https://nataliegleeson.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliegleeson
Connect with Organizational Intelligence
🎙 Subscribe for new episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Organizational-Intelligence
🌐 Website: https://orgintelligence.io/
💼 Your podcast host, Yosr Najjar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yosrnajjar/
#OrganizationalIntelligence #Leadership #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalCulture #ChangeManagement #HumanCapital #AIatWork #Podcast
🎙 ORGANIZATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Organizational Intelligence explores how organizations actually function, through the intersection of teaming, culture, systems, leadership and the human experience of work.
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform: https://organiztionalintelligence.buzzsprout.com/
Follow Organizational Intelligence on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/organizational-intelligence-oi/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Organizational-Intelligence/
#OrganizationalIntelligence #FutureOfWork #TeamEffectiveness #OrganizationalDesign #Leadership #DecisionMaking #WaysOfWorking #AIatWork
Organizational Intelligence is a podcast about people, practice and possibilities at work.
We explore how organizations actually function: how decisions get made, how information moves, how teams learn, how power works, and the everyday systems and behaviors that make work either harder or better.
🎙 ORGANIZATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Organizational Intelligence explores how organizations actually function, through the intersection of teaming, culture, systems, leadership and the human experience of work.
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform: https://organiztionalintelligence.buzzsprout.com/
Follow Organizational Intelligence on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/organizational-intelligence-oi/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Organizational-Intelligence/
#OrganizationalIntelligence #FutureOfWork #TeamEffectiveness #OrganizationalDesign #Leadership #DecisionMaking #WaysOfWorking #AIatWork
Organizational Intelligence is a podcast about people, practice and possibilities at work.
We explore how organizations actually function: how decisions get made, how information moves, how teams learn, how power works, and the everyday systems and behaviors that make work either harder or better.
Host — Yosr Najjar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yosrnajjar/