The Leader's Kitbag

In this episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I explore something that most leaders experience but rarely address: walking into a meeting still carrying the weight of the one before it.

Research on emotional contagion tells us that your team picks up on your state within seconds of you walking into a room. If you’re stressed, distracted, or mentally still in the last conversation, that transmits, and it affects everyone’s performance, not just yours.

The good news is that while you can’t always control what happens to you, you can control what you do in the moments before you show up for your people. I share two simple breathing techniques, and more importantly, a practical way to actually remember to use them.

Because knowing about a technique and building it into your day are two very different things.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why your emotional state spreads to your team faster than you realise
• What’s happening in your nervous system when you’re under pressure, and how to reverse it quickly
• One simple breathing technique you can use in under sixty seconds
• Why most people know about these techniques but don’t use them, and how to close that gap
• A straightforward habit to build so the reset becomes automatic

Ben’s Key Takeaways

States are contagious. The mood and energy you carry into a room will affect how everyone in it thinks, feels and performs. This isn’t just a leadership idea, it’s what the research on emotional contagion consistently tells us.

Deliberate breathing works… but only if you actually do it. Most leaders are aware of breathing techniques but forget to use them in the moment, because there’s no trigger.

Set three alarms on your phone - one at the start of your day, one at lunch, one at the end - labelled with a word that connects to the reset. When it goes off, take thirty seconds to breathe and reset.

This isn’t about building a meditation practice; it’s about building a habit of pausing before you show up for other people.

A final thought:

You can’t always choose what’s on your plate. But you can choose what you carry into the room.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

The expression of interest form is now open for the next cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme.

If you’re ready to:

• Build confidence and capability as a leader
• Break free from firefighting and become more proactive
• Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Learn more and register your interest here.

In this episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I explore one of the most common and draining patterns I see when working with leaders, moving from one meeting straight into the next with no pause, no reset, and no time to think.

While back-to-back meetings might feel unavoidable, the reality is they come at a cost. They narrow our focus, reduce our ability to be present, and limit our capacity to learn and improve.

I share why this way of working is so problematic, and more importantly, what you can do about it, even if you feel like your diary isn’t fully in your control.

Because the difference between good and great meetings often comes down to what you do in the minute before the next one begins.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why back-to-back meetings keep you in a reactive, narrow mindset
• How constantly jumping between meetings impacts your presence and effectiveness
• The hidden cost of losing reflection time between back-to-back meetings
• Practical ways to create space, even in a packed diary
• How small changes to your meetings can increase your influence as a leader

Ben’s Key Takeaways

When you move straight from one meeting to the next, you carry over stress, distraction, and unfinished thinking. This leaves you physically present, but mentally elsewhere.

This means that creating a deliberate break between back-to-back meetings - even just 60 seconds - allows you to reset your focus and choose how you show up next.

Which is key. Because your state sets the tone. The energy and mindset you bring into a meeting are contagious. Managing your transition between meetings doesn’t just improve your performance, it impacts everyone else’s too.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

Enrolment is now open for the cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme.

If you're ready to:

Build confidence and capability as a leader

Break free from firefighting and become more proactive

Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Learn more and secure your place on the programme here.

If you’re someone who feels constantly busy, moving from one thing to the next with very little time to pause and think, then this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I explore why reflection is not a “nice to have” but an essential leadership skill.

Too often, leaders prioritise action over thinking, filling their days with meetings, emails and outputs, while neglecting the very thing that drives real growth - learning from experience.

I share a common challenge I hear from leaders: even when they create space to reflect, it either gets taken over by other priorities or feels uncomfortable, even indulgent.

But the reality is simple - experience alone doesn’t make us better.

It’s reflected experience that drives improvement.

I also introduce two practical shifts to help you build reflection into your routine, along with a simple framework you can use immediately to start learning more effectively from your day-to-day leadership.

Because leadership isn’t just about what we do - it’s about how we learn from what we do.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why reflection is a critical (and often overlooked) leadership skill
• How constant busyness prevents real growth and learning
• Two simple shifts to help you create and protect time to reflect
• A practical three-question framework to improve your leadership through reflection

Ben’s Key Takeaway

As leaders, we’re often conditioned to prioritise action over thinking.

But without reflection, we risk repeating the same patterns and mistakes over and over again.

Taking time to pause, review and learn isn’t a luxury - it’s a discipline.

By protecting time to reflect and being intentional about how we use it, we can accelerate our growth, make better decisions and lead more effectively over time.

Because ultimately, leadership isn’t just about experience.

It’s about learning from that experience.

The Leader in Me Programme

Click here to learn more about the Leader in Me programme and express your interest with no commitment at this stage.

In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I explore a simple but powerful idea that can transform the way you lead: you can’t lead effectively if you’re constantly in the thick of the action.

Filmed at Berkhamsted Castle - a place steeped in history following the events after 1066 - I reflect on how great leaders throughout history positioned themselves not in the chaos of battle, but above it.

From that vantage point, they could see clearly, think strategically, and make better decisions.

And the same principle applies to us today.

Too many leaders get pulled into the day-to-day. Firefighting, problem-solving, and doing the work themselves. But when we’re constantly in the weeds, we lose perspective.

We stop thinking ahead. And instead of leading, we start reacting.

That said, leadership isn’t about staying distant either. There are moments when we must step in - to stabilise, to support, and to shift momentum.

The real skill lies in knowing where you need to be, and when.

Because our greatest value as leaders rarely comes from doing the work. It comes from creating the conditions for others to succeed, making sound decisions, and maintaining a clear view of the bigger picture.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why being constantly “in the fight” limits your effectiveness as a leader
• The importance of perspective and taking a strategic vantage point
• When leaders should step in - and when they should step back
• How to balance involvement with oversight
• A simple question to help you refocus your leadership in real time

Ben’s Key Takeaway

If you’re always busy doing, solving, and firefighting, it’s worth asking whether you’re truly leading.

Leadership is about perspective.

It’s about stepping back far enough to see what’s really going on - and stepping in only when it genuinely adds value.

So build the habit of pausing and asking yourself:

• Where do I need to be right now?
• And where do I add the most value?

Because the answer to those two questions will often determine the difference between reacting… and leading.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

Enrolment is now open for the cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme.

If you're ready to:

• Build confidence and capability as a leader
• Break free from firefighting and become more proactive
• Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Secure your place on the programme here.

Time management is something we talk about constantly as leaders.

But the reality is… time isn’t something we can actually manage.

It keeps moving, regardless of what we do.

In this episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I explore a more effective and sustainable approach - shifting our focus away from managing time and towards managing our energy and attention.

Because when we’re constantly juggling competing priorities, trying to keep everything in the air, something will eventually drop.

And more often than not, it drops at the exact moment our energy is at its lowest.

Drawing on insights from tools like Strengthscope, I explain why understanding what energises and drains you is critical to performing and leading at your best.

Your strengths aren’t just what you’re good at; they’re the activities that give you energy.

And when we ignore that, we create what I call the double-drain effect -tackling energy-draining tasks at the point in the day when we’re already fatigued.

The result?

Lower performance, more mistakes, and work that feels far harder than it needs to.

Instead, I share two simple but powerful questions that can transform how you structure your day, your week, and ultimately your leadership impact.

Because leadership isn’t about doing more.

It’s about being deliberate with where and how you invest your energy.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why time management is a flawed concept for leaders.
• The difference between managing time and managing energy.
• How your strengths are directly linked to what energises you.
• What the double-drain effect is and how it impacts performance.
• Two simple questions to help you align your work with your energy.

Ben’s Key Takeaway

We can’t manage time, but we can absolutely manage our energy, focus and attention.

And that’s where the real opportunity lies.

When we understand when we’re at our best, and what gives us energy, we can start to make far better decisions about how we structure our days.

That means aligning our most important work with our natural energy peaks.

It means being more intentional about when we tackle the tasks that drain us.

And ultimately, it means leading and performing in a way that is more effective, more sustainable, and far less exhausting.

Because leadership isn’t about keeping everything in the air.

It’s about being deliberate about where you put your energy.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

Enrolment is now open for the cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme.

If you're ready to:

Build confidence and capability as a leader

Break free from firefighting and become more proactive

Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Register your interest for the programme here.

Work–life balance is something we talk about a lot.

Many of us say we want better work–life balance. Many organisations encourage it. And yet for many leaders, it still feels frustratingly difficult to achieve.

Part of the problem is that we often chase the idea of work–life balance without ever really defining what it means for us personally.

In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I explore why work–life balance can feel so elusive and why measuring it day by day or week by week often sets leaders up to feel like they’re falling short.

Instead, I suggest taking a longer-term perspective on work–life balance and looking at how aligned your life is over periods of time rather than individual days.

More importantly, I explain why achieving meaningful work–life balance starts with being clear about your core values - the things that truly matter most in your life and leadership.

Because work–life balance isn’t about splitting time equally between work and life.

It’s about aligning your time, energy and attention with what matters most to you.

I also share a simple reflection exercise that helps leaders clarify their priorities and regularly check whether they are actually living in line with them.

Because like pilots navigating a long flight, we will inevitably drift off course from time to time.

But with the right waypoints in place, we can make small adjustments that bring us back on track and help us maintain a healthier and more sustainable form of work–life balance.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why work–life balance often feels difficult to achieve for leaders and managers
• Why measuring work–life balance day by day can be misleading
• Why taking a longer-term perspective gives a more realistic view of balance and wellbeing
• How identifying your core values helps define what work–life balance actually means for you
• A simple reflection exercise to help you realign your time, energy and leadership priorities

Ben’s Key Takeaway

Work–life balance isn’t about perfectly balancing every day or every week.

Life and leadership simply don’t work that way.

Some periods will demand more from work. Others will require more focus on family, health, relationships or personal priorities.

The real question is whether, over time, we are living in line with the things that matter most to us.

That’s why clarity on our values is so important.

Our values become the waypoints that help guide our decisions about how we spend our time, energy and attention.

And like any long journey, we will occasionally drift off course.

But if we take time to check our direction and make small adjustments along the way, we can ensure we stay broadly aligned with what matters most.

Because sustainable work–life balance isn’t about perfection.

It’s about intentional alignment over time.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

Enrolment is now open for the cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme.

If you're ready to:

• Build confidence and capability as a leader
• Break free from firefighting and become more proactive
• Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Secure your place on the programme here.

Prefer bite-sized learning?

Check out the 10-4-10 Leadership Programme, my free online course that delivers powerful, practical leadership tools in just 10 minutes a week.

You’ll get:

• Weekly lessons on topics like delegation, motivation and prioritisation
• A short video, podcast, and book recommendation each week
• Simple tactics you can use straight away

It’s practical, no-nonsense leadership training that fits into your busy schedule.

Learn more about the 10-4-10 programme here.

Where do your best ideas happen?

For many of us, they don’t appear when we’re sat at our desk trying to force a solution. Instead, they arrive when we’re walking, driving, swimming, or doing something routine.

In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I explore why that happens and what neuroscience can teach us about thinking more effectively as leaders.

I explain the difference between two key brain networks - the Central Executive Network and the Default Mode Network - and why both are essential if we want to lead well.

The challenge is that modern leadership often traps us in constant task mode: meetings, emails, decisions, and deadlines. When that happens, we lose access to the reflective thinking that helps us gain perspective, process emotions, and connect ideas in new ways.

And yet perspective is one of the most valuable things a leader can offer.

This episode is a reminder that switching off isn’t indulgent - it’s essential. Because leaders aren’t just paid to do.

In this episode, you will learn:

1. Why your best ideas often appear when you’re not actively trying to solve the problem.
2. The difference between the Central Executive Network (task-focused thinking) and the Default Mode Network (reflective thinking).
3. Why leaders need both execution and reflection to lead effectively
4. How constant busyness can reduce creativity, perspective and emotional processing
5. Why creating deliberate thinking space is part of your leadership responsibility

Ben’s Key Takeaway

Leadership is about two things: tasks and people.

The Central Executive Network helps us manage the tasks.

But the Default Mode Network helps us process experiences, understand emotions, and see the bigger picture - both for ourselves and for the people we lead.

If we stay permanently in execution mode, we may become efficient in the short term. But we lose perspective, creativity and our ability to properly understand what’s happening around us.

And perspective is one of the most valuable things a leader can offer.

That’s why creating space to think isn’t a luxury.

It’s leadership work.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

Enrolment is now open for the cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme.

If you're ready to:

1. Build confidence and capability as a leader
2. Break free from firefighting and become more proactive
3. Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Learn more, read testimonials and register your interest for the programme here.

Prefer bite-sized learning?

Check out the 10-4-10 Leadership Programme, my free online course that delivers powerful, practical leadership tools in just 10 minutes a week.

You’ll get:

1. Weekly lessons on topics like delegation, motivation and prioritisation
2. A short video, podcast, and book recommendation each week
3. Simple tactics you can use straight away

It’s practical, no-nonsense leadership training that fits into your busy schedule.

Learn more about the FREE 10-4-10 programme here.

Over the past 13 years of coaching and training leaders, one of the phrases I hear time and again is this: “I just need my people to step up.”

And yet, here’s the uncomfortable truth I’ve had to learn myself.

It’s very hard for people to step up if their boss has their foot on their chest.

Not intentionally. Not maliciously. But through subtle, well-meaning behaviours that quietly hold people back.

In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I share a personal story from my time working in the Leadership Academy at Tesco, where I unintentionally stopped a talented graduate from developing simply because I thought I was “helping”.

This episode is a practical reflection on how we sometimes suppress the very growth we’re asking for.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why leaders rarely hold people back deliberately but often do so while trying to help
• How giving quick answers can slowly reduce your team’s ability to think for themselves
• The hidden cost of redoing someone’s work and the impact on their motivation
• Why stepping back without disengaging is critical for long-term development

Ben’s Key Takeaway

If I truly believe that my job as a leader is to support, develop and look after the people I have the privilege and responsibility to lead so that they can deliver the results I’m accountable for, then sometimes the most powerful thing I can do is step back.

Not to abandon them.

But to give them space.

Because people can only rise up when we take our foot off their chest.

This week, ask yourself:

Where might I be unintentionally pinning someone down whilst wanting them to step up?

Is there a meeting I could let them lead?

A problem I could coach them through instead of solving?

A presentation they could deliver in my place?

If we want growth, confidence and accountability in our teams, we have to create the conditions for it.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

The waitlist is now open for the cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme.

If you're ready to:

• Build confidence and capability as a leader
• Break free from firefighting and become more proactive
• Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Join the waitlist here for early access and updates on the next open programme.

Prefer bite-sized learning?

Check out the 10-4-10 Leadership Programme, my free online course that delivers powerful, practical leadership tools in just 10 minutes a week.

You’ll get:

• Weekly lessons on topics like delegation, motivation and prioritisation
• A short video, podcast, and book recommendation each week
• Simple tactics you can use straight away

It’s practical, no-nonsense leadership training that fits into your busy schedule.

Learn more about the 10-4-10 programme here.

In the last episode, we introduced the Leadership Equaliser - an idea that helps us visualise how much time we spend doing, managing, and leading, and why so many leaders unintentionally let the “leading” dial drop to zero.

If you missed it, you can find it here.

In today’s episode, we’re staying with the basics of how to be a leader in the truest sense of the word - not just someone who gets things done, but someone who leads with purpose, presence, and intention.

Because here’s the truth: doing and managing will always fill your day. If you’re not deliberate, leadership becomes something you do only when time allows.

And there’s never time left over.

This episode of The Leader’s Kitbag is your practical guide to how to be a leader who makes a real impact - on your team, your culture, and your results.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. The shift from being an individual contributor to a people-focused leader
2. How to recognise the ripple effect you have on your team—and their families
3. A powerful mindset and daily question that refocuses your leadership efforts
4. Why understanding the responsibility and privilege of leadership changes everything

If you’ve ever wondered how to be a leader when your diary is packed, your inbox is full, and you’re constantly firefighting - this episode is for you.

Ben’s Key Takeaways

Knowing how to be a leader starts with a simple truth: it’s no longer about what you deliver.

It’s about how you support, develop, and care for your people, so they can deliver what matters most.

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

The waitlist is now open for the cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme.

If you're ready to:

1. Build confidence and capability as a leader
2. Break free from firefighting and become more proactive
3. Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Join the waitlist here for early access and updates on the next open programme.

Prefer bite-sized learning?

Check out the 10-4-10 Leadership Programme, my free online course that delivers powerful, practical leadership tools in just 10 minutes a week.

You’ll get:

1. Weekly lessons on topics like delegation, motivation and prioritisation
2. A short video, podcast, and book recommendation each week
3. Simple tactics you can use straight away

It’s practical, no-nonsense leadership training that fits into your busy schedule.

Learn more about the 10-4-10 programme here.

As always, look after yourself and those you’ve got the privilege and responsibility to lead.

Until next time…

#LeadOn

In the last episode, we explored the crucial balance between leadership and management,  and why it’s never a case of choosing one over the other. 

If you missed it, you can find it here. 

In today’s episode, I’m building on that idea by tackling one of the most common and damaging traps I see leaders fall into… Leading In Your Spare Time, or as I call it, LIYST. 

It’s what happens when you get so bogged down in doing and managing that leadership only happens if there’s time left over. 

But let’s be honest - there’s never time left over. 

This episode will help you change that. 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why leadership must be intentional, not incidental 
• The Leadership Equaliser model - and how to use it 
• How to rebalance your efforts between doing, managing and leading 
• The 3-part strategy: Ditch, Delegate and Do 
• Simple ways to free up time so you can lead with purpose 

If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly firefighting, always busy, but never quite leading, this episode is for you. 

Ben’s Key Takeaway 

Your team deserves more than the scraps of your attention. Leadership can’t live in the gaps between meetings and tasks. 

It has to be prioritised, protected, and practiced, just like any other key part of your role. 

Want to take your leadership skills to the next level? 

The waitlist is now open for the cohort of my ‘Leader in Me’ programme. 

If you're ready to: 

• Build confidence and capability as a leader 
• Break free from firefighting and become more proactive 
• Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results… 

 Join the waitlist here for early access and updates on the next open programme. 

Prefer bite-sized learning? 

Check out the 10-4-10 Leadership Programme, my free online course that delivers powerful, practical leadership tools in just 10 minutes a week. 

You’ll get: 

• Weekly lessons on topics like delegation, motivation and prioritisation 
• A short video, podcast, and book recommendation each week 
• Simple tactics you can use straight away 

It’s practical, no-nonsense leadership training that fits into your busy schedule. 

Learn more about the 10-4-10 programme. 

As always, look after yourself and those you’ve got the privilege and responsibility to lead. 

Until next time… 

#LeadOn