Show Notes
Confidence isn't something you find. It's something you build. Professional cricketer Dane Cleaver knows that confidence comes and goes. In elite sport, performance is your currency, and there are days when self-belief is low but the expectation to deliver never changes. The difference isn't feeling confident—it's trusting your preparation, controlling what you can and continuing to perform anyway. In this episode of the Fireside Leadership Podcast, Chris Turkington sits down with Dane to explore the mental side of high performance. They discuss resilience, preparation, process over outcomes, learning from failure, managing pressure, staying present and why consistency beats motivation every time. Whether you're leading a team, building a business or simply trying to perform better under pressure, this conversation is packed with practical lessons that extend far beyond the cricket field. Why confidence isn't required to perform at a high level How elite performers separate process from outcomes The role preparation plays in handling pressure Why failure is essential for long-term success Practical techniques to stay calm under pressure How reflection accelerates improvement Why consistency beats motivation over time What it takes to keep showing up when things aren't going your way Dane Cleaver is a New Zealand international cricketer, Central Districts Stags wicketkeeper-batsman and high-performance athlete. Across a long professional career, he has developed a reputation for resilience, professionalism and leadership, sharing practical lessons on preparation, mental performance and building confidence through consistent daily habits. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danecleaver/ Central Districts Cricket: https://www.cdcricket.co.nz/ The Fireside Leadership Podcast brings you conversations with exceptional leaders from business, sport, the military and public service, uncovering the experiences, decisions and lessons that shape outstanding leadership. Hosted by Chris Turkington. Produced by Aegis Leadership. Fuelled by Dark Horse Coffee. https://www.aegisleadership.co.nz https://darkhorsecoffee.co.nz
More from Fireside Leadership Podcast
Reuben Araroa joined the military at 16. His career later took him through corporate operations and into iwi leadership, where he had to reconsider some deeply established ways of working. In this episode, Reuben joins Chris Turkington to discuss the discipline he carried forward and the assumptions he had to question. He reflects on learning to sit, listen and be present, and explains what te ao Māori has taught him about leadership and connection. They also discuss responding to pressure, bringing in outside expertise, and trusting people without leaving expectations unclear. Reuben shares three principles he uses with teams: embrace reality, decide what matters most, and acknowledge when you need help. He closes with the challenge of recognising you may have climbed the wrong mountain, even after working hard to reach the top. Connect with Reuben: Whakaaro: https://www.whakaaro.co.nz/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reuben-araroa-54b30382/ Aegis Leadership: https://www.aegisleadership.co.nz/ Thanks to Dark Horse Coffee for powering the show. https://darkhorsecoffee.co.nz/ Follow Fireside Leadership for more conversations about leadership, decisions and the lessons people learn through experience.
If pushing harder has always helped you succeed, slowing down can feel like letting your standards slip. Health and performance coach Aaron Callaghan joins Chris Turkington to explore what happens when drive and discipline start costing you more than they deliver. Aaron discusses why recovery needs a place in your diary, how to adjust exercise around your wider stress load, and why a strength such as coachability can sometimes limit your judgement. The conversation also turns to home: achieving professionally while becoming disconnected from your family, and the small boundaries that help you give them your full attention. Aaron finishes with a practical evening reflection for recognising progress and choosing one achievable improvement for tomorrow. Find Aaron: https://www.aaroncallaghan.com/ Explore leadership development with Aegis Leadership: https://www.aegisleadership.co.nz/ Thanks to Dark Horse Coffee for powering the show: https://darkhorsecoffee.co.nz/ Follow Fireside Leadership Podcast for more conversations about leadership, performance and life beyond work.
You’ve done the preparation. The pressure rises, and you start thinking harder and pushing harder. Then your performance gets worse. Racing driver and 2024 New Zealand Grand Prix winner Liam Sceats recognises that pattern in himself. He can prepare until he makes the task too complex, or force the pace behind the wheel and lose time. In this episode of Fireside Leadership, Liam joins Chris Turkington to explain how he recognises when effort is working against him and returns his attention to the basics. They discuss: • When preparation becomes overthinking • Using breathing and task-focused self-talk under pressure • Resetting after a mistake before it causes another • Preserving tyres for the teammate taking over the car • Processing a career setback without deciding you’re not good enough For anyone who responds to pressure by doing more, Liam’s experience offers a useful way to examine whether that extra effort is improving the result. CONNECT WITH LIAM Website: https://liamsceats.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liamsceats/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liamsceatsmotorsport/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-sceats-86276021a/ AEGIS LEADERSHIP Find out more about our leadership development work: https://www.aegisleadership.co.nz/ Thanks to Dark Horse Coffee for powering the show. https://darkhorsecoffee.co.nz/ Follow Fireside Leadership for more conversations with leaders, athletes and people with experience worth learning from.
A joke in a meeting can lighten the mood. It can also say something people are hesitant to raise directly. Dr Allanah Johnston joins Chris to talk about her research into workplace humour and what it can reveal about trust, tension and team culture. They discuss the line between banter and a pointed remark, why leaders should not try to force humour, and how clips from The Office helped one organisation discuss workplace behaviour. The conversation also turns to change. Allanah explains why leaders should listen to people who push back: they may see consequences the change team has missed. Allanah is the founder of Future Calibrate, a consultancy focused on organisational change. Connect with Dr Allanah Johnston Future Calibrate: https://www.futurecalibrate.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-allanah-johnston-9973a812/ Connect with Aegis Leadership https://www.aegisleadership.co.nz/ Thanks to Dark Horse Coffee for powering the show https://darkhorsecoffee.co.nz/
Capable leaders can stay composed at work and still lose control at home. Jacqlin Richards says that is not a knowledge problem. It is a capacity problem. When pressure rises, the space between being triggered and reacting begins to disappear. We may know exactly how we want to respond but still find ourselves yelling, avoiding, shutting down or trying to keep everyone happy. Jacqlin is an international bestselling author and founder of the Resourced Parenting Method™. She joins Chris Turkington to discuss parenting as our first experience of leadership, the five survival states and the danger of needing your children or your team to like you. She also shares why she called the police on her seven-year-old son, what that moment taught her about firm boundaries and how her rewind tool helps repair the relationship after a reaction. This conversation is for parents and leaders who know how they want to behave but cannot always access that response when the pressure is on. Find Jacqlin, her book and the Resourced Parenting Method: https://jacqlinrichards.com/ Explore Aegis Leadership and the Fireside Leadership Podcast: https://www.aegisleadership.co.nz/fireside-leadership-podcast Thanks to Dark Horse Coffee for powering the Fireside Leadership Podcast. You can check out their latest roasts at: https://darkhorsecoffee.co.nz/