Articles.
Writing on healthy conflict, high performing teams and leading through change. Practical, research informed, and drawn from the rooms where it happens.
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The more you try to change people's minds, the more they resist
The harder you push your point, the more people resist. Prime the conversation first: get genuinely curious, and name the shared intent before you make your case.
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Stop "empowering" your teams
Giving autonomy without clarity leaves people feeling the weight of ambiguity, not freedom. Trust, then clarity, then agency is how championship teams are built.
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13 guiding beliefs for disagreeing well
The teams that consistently outperform treat disagreement as something to design for, not avoid. These 13 mindset principles help you and your team build a healthier relationship with conflict.
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Why are we treating workplace culture like an iOS update?
Culture can't be installed from the top down. Organisations have many cultures, and a leader's job is to cultivate the conditions where they can connect and serve a shared purpose.
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Disagreement, radical open mindedness and truthfulness
Ray Dalio calls holding a strong opinion that is wrong, when you could have learned better, "the greatest tragedy of mankind". Here are five practical ways to swap the certainty game for the truth game.
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How conflict avoidance quietly erodes culture
Most teams put harmony ahead of honesty, and excellence pays the price. Healthy conflict, built on trust and challenge, is what lets a team think clearly, decide well and do its best work.
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How the pursuit of workplace comfort created misery
In trying to make everyone comfortable, many workplaces have made people miserable. Why we mistake politeness for performance, and how to build healthy high performance instead.
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Lines worth stealing.
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No.07
The door to persuasion opens from the inside.
The more you try to change people's minds, the more they resist -
No.06
You end up with a team of cautious subordinates waiting for the tug on the collar.
Stop "empowering" your teams -
No.05
Conflict is a thermostat, not a fire alarm.
13 guiding beliefs for disagreeing well -
No.04
They tried to install culture like an iOS update.
Why are we treating workplace culture like an iOS update? -
No.03
Let curiosity, not certainty, guide your response.
Disagreement, radical open mindedness and truthfulness -
No.02
The best ideas rise not because they are popular but because they withstand scrutiny.
How conflict avoidance quietly erodes culture -
No.01
Too often we’re mistaking politeness for performance, harmony for progress, and silence for success.
How the pursuit of workplace comfort created misery
Challenge, Confidently.
A weekly email on healthy conflict, high performing teams and building one team culture. Practical ideas for leaders who want braver conversations.