Leaders Who Do This Get Promoted Faster

Remember Kel’s slightly cheeky “haven’t we met before?” trick? Well, a listener tried it on Lucy while she was facilitating, and it sent her into a total tailspin. We’re talking all-day contemplation, questioning everything kind of tailspin. She spent the whole day trying to place a man she’d never actually met. But that’s just the warm-up. Today’s conversation is one Lucy gets asked at nearly every session she runs: how do you get people to have the hard conversations? The awkward, nervy, “oh god, how do I even say this” feedback most of us would do almost anything to avoid. So we get into how to say the hard thing so that it lands, and why doing it is kind, not cruel. In this episode, we cover: Why we dodge hard conversations, and why avoiding them makes everything worse “Clear is kind”: why honest feedback is the kindest thing you can offer The difference between a nice culture and a kind one How to own the conversation instead of hiding behind “other people have noticed” Why feedback needs a regular “home” so it stops feeling like an ambush The SBI framework (Situation, Behaviour, Impact) for giving tough behavioural feedback Why being someone’s cheerleader 99% of the time makes the hard 1% land How to make space for someone’s emotions without trying to fix them Why clunky and awkward usually means you got it right How to have hard conversations at work without dodging or sugar-coating them How to give constructive feedback as a leader, and the communication skills that make it land Why having difficult conversations is a core management skill, not just a leadership nice-to-have

Lucy just got back from five and a half weeks away. It was equal parts heaven and absolute chaos, including the moment a wildfire came over the mountain behind her in-laws' villa and the whole family had to grab their passports and run. (Not exactly what was on the itinerary.) So this episode kicks off with one hell of a holiday story. But it's really a holiday intervention, for Kel, and for anyone who never takes their leave. Kel's sitting on a stack of unused annual leave and is known to bring her laptop to the beach (seek help). If that hits a nerve, welcome, you're among friends. We've all quietly decided that skipping the break makes us noble and heroic. Lucy's here to ruin that for you. The reframe: rest isn't the enemy of success. It might be the thing that makes you better at everything. In this episode, we cover: Why leaders skip annual leave, and how avoiding burnout starts with taking the break How holidays improve your thinking and boost productivity (there's neuroscience behind it) Why you have to "collect new dots" before you can connect them The bold case that holidays make you money, not cost you Why rest sounds boring, but coming back sharper and more creative doesn't How a proper break from work lets you step back and see your life clearly Why holidays stretch time, and the daily grind quietly compresses it How to stop overworking and actually take the leave (book it before the perfect time that never comes) How to switch off from work and disconnect without the guilt

Ever swallowed a chunk of mince pie a stranger accidentally spat into your mouth just to avoid the awkwardness? (Yes, that’s a real story. And yes, it’s how this episode kicks off.) That's people pleasing in its most ridiculous form: putting someone else's comfort ahead of your own to the maxx!! Lucy and Kel get into people pleasing at work: why we do it, what it costs us, and how to stop. Lucy admits she's still unlearning it. Kel's the one who'd stay firmly in her seat, asking why everyone else is standing up. Being liked isn't about keeping everyone happy. The leaders people actually like are clear and consistent. They stick to their values even when that means saying no. In this episode, we cover: How to stop people pleasing, and why it's really a form of self-abandonment Why we people please in the first place (thanks, evolution and our need to be liked) The cost of people pleasing at work, for leaders and their teams Why the most liked leaders are the clear ones, not the agreeable ones How to give feedback as a leader instead of sitting on it The "yes, no, yes" structure for setting boundaries at work without the guilt How to say no at work when your instinct is to say yes to everything Why people pleasing and boundaries are really about whose feelings you're responsible for How to buy yourself time to break the automatic "yes" The mindset shift (thank you Schitt's Creek) that puts your overthinking in its place

What is influence, really? It's not about authority or telling people what to do. It's the skill of understanding how they want to be led. In this *requested* (we’re chuffed with that) episode, Lucy and Kel unpack how to influence people at work without relying on authority. Spoiler: It's got nothing to do with you. Influence is 99% about the other person and 1% about you, and once you get that, it becomes so much easier. In this episode, we cover: Why influence is really "soft power," or leading without authority The number one mistake people make: making it about themselves How to remove friction so people can say yes quickly Why you should treat people how they want to be treated, not how you would How to ask people the way they actually want to receive information Listen to understand, not to respond, and the three things to listen for Why being interested makes you interesting How to build rapport with clients and colleagues, even the tricky ones Reframing "difficult" people as simply different, and getting curious instead

Ever sat across from a team member who's clearly going through something devastating and had no idea what to say? What if the most powerful thing you can do as a leader isn't solving the problem, but simply staying in the room? Grief doesn't clock out when someone walks into the office. Whether it's losing a parent, a relationship breakdown, or fertility challenges, your team members are carrying things you can't always see. And most leaders have never been taught how to handle it. Not in leadership training, not in any management course, not in any boardroom. The truth is, most people avoid these difficult conversations at work because they're afraid of making it worse. But avoiding them is what actually makes it worse. The leaders who build the deepest trust are the ones willing to sit in the discomfort, not fix it. In this episode, we cover: Why bereavement in the workplace is something every leader will face and why so few are prepared The "leaky tap theory" and why grief never fully switches off What to say (and what not to say) when a team member is grieving How to support your team through hard times with practical, meaningful action Why showing emotion at work doesn't make you less professional How empathetic leadership and emotional intelligence in the workplace create stronger, more connected teams The one thing that turns a difficult moment into a relationship-building trust point