People Soup - psychology@work
Quick Spoon: Leadership starts feeling difficult
Published: 29 May 2026 at 06:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
In this Quick Spoon, Ross explores the fourth skill in the McIntosh Leadership Framework: Adaptability.
Inspired by a candid reflection from Gabriella Braun, this episode explores what happens when leadership becomes uncertain, messy, political, and deeply human.
So many leadership books promise certainty, control, and easy answers.
But real leadership often starts feeling difficult at exactly the moment complexity arrives.
Ross reflects on what leaders can do when pressure rises, certainty disappears, and their usual ways of coping stop working.
And he shares one practical question that can help turn pressure into purposeful action.
In this Quick Spoon
🥄 Why leadership becomes harder under uncertainty
🥄 What happens when leaders grip tighter under pressure
🥄 The hidden link between rigidity and reduced impact
🥄 A practical reflection question to try this week
Key reflection
“Who do I want to be in this moment?”
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
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