What does it take to lead with empathy, build high-performing teams, and
embrace both the challenges and magic of leadership? In our very first
episode of Uspire Unlocked, Amanda Downs sits down with Paul Barbour,
executive and team coach, certified business psychologist, author, and
lead tutor at Henley Business School to share his leadership journey and
philosophies.
From growing up during conflict in Northern Ireland, to a thriving career in
corporate leadership, to co-authoring one of the leading books on team
coaching, Paul shares deeply personal lessons in collaboration, the power
of systemic team development, and why real transformation starts with
connecting on a human level. Hear how he helps leaders tap into what’s
already within themselves and why “connection before the work” is his
mantra for impactful team change.
Here are the highlights:
00:00 Intro: Welcome to Uspire Unlocked and Paul’s inspiring story
04:38 Henley Business School and the inspiration behind his book
07:05 Leading “teams of teams” for collaboration across organisations
08:10 Coaching the spaces in between
12:02 How unmet needs and unspoken issues impact teams and
organisations
13:22 Paul’s early leadership moments
18:27 Why leaders’ confidence is crucial for development
21:07 Paul loves hearing real stories, working with diverse organisations,
and human collaboration
23:15 Navigating work-life balance, and being purposeful as a leader
26:41 Empathy in practice: How to care for others with personal boundaries
28:08 Honest conversations and feedback delivered with care
33:52 Top tip: Cultivating a “way of being” - transformational leadership
through connection, courage, humility, and self-awareness.
If you’re inspired by Paul Barbour’s honest reflections on leadership, don’t
forget to follow Uspire Unlocked so you never miss an episode.
If you’d like to unlock this for yourself, join us for our upcoming webinar:
The Leader as a Mentor, on Thursday 12 th February 2026 at 1pm, when
Uspire’s Mark Francis will explore why mentoring is a vital leadership skill.
You can register for your complimentary place here: https://26700668.hs-sites-eu1.com/leader-as-a-mentor
About The Uspire Partnership:
The Uspire Partnership: Building the future of business
The Uspire Partnership helps businesses evolve. From start-up, scale-up,
to corporate growth, we build ecosystems that empower your organisation,
elevate your leaders, and drive lasting transformation.
Their collective of specialist brands build confidence, capability, capacity,
and connection for companies across the full business lifecycle. Their
family includes;
- Uspire – Leadership and commercial development designed to build capable leaders and high-performing teams
- Be Human – Empathy training helping organisations embed human connection into business
- Energize Partners – A growth and transformation partner for scaling businesses
- Business Doctors – Trusted advisors helping small businesses achieve their vision
Together, The Uspire Partnership builds human-led solutions that unlock
confidence, inspire growth and deliver lasting transformation.
Connect with The Uspire Partnership:
Website: www.theuspirepartnership.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/
About Paul J Barbour:
Paul is an executive and team coach, Certified Business Psychologist, and
author with over 20 years of experience leading businesses at Kerry Group
plc. A writer and speaker with strong interests in human collaboration and
conflict resolution, he is also a lead tutor on the Henley Professional
Certificate in Team and Systemic Coaching and part of the UK ICF Team
Coaching Working Party.
Paul is co-author with Lucy Widdowson of Building Top-Performing Teams:
A Practical Guide to Team Coaching to Improve Collaboration and Drive
Organizational Success (Kogan Page, 2021; 2nd edition, 2025), among
other publications including Becoming a Team Coach: The ICF Essential
Guide (2025), with Lucy Widdowson, Jonathan Passmore, and Katerina
Kanelidou.
Find Paul’s book, Building Top-Performing Teams: A practical guide to
team coaching for organizational success (2 nd Ed) here
Connect with Paul:
Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/pauljbarbour
Produced by Winter Audio
