Rebecca Sutherns on Team Alignment, Strategy, and Smarter Decisions

The Science of Human Flourishing with Sue Langley

The way we think becomes the way we lead. Our habits, emotions, assumptions, and internal stories shape how we show up every day, often without us even realising it. In this episode, Sue Langley explores the science behind human flourishing and why understanding ourselves may be one of the most important leadership capabilities of all. I’m joined by Sue Langley, one of Australia’s leading experts in positive psychology, emotional intelligence, and neuroscience. Sue is the founder and CEO of The Langley Group and has spent decades helping leaders, teams, and organisations apply the science of human flourishing in practical and meaningful ways. She’s known for translating complex research into tools leaders can actually use every day. This conversation is packed with practical insights, powerful stories, and simple shifts that can help us better understand our emotions, strengthen our relationships, and lead with greater awareness and intention. In this episode, we cover: * Why habits are not just behavioural, but also emotional and cognitive * The neuroscience behind thought patterns and emotional regulation * How leaders can strengthen emotional intelligence over time * Why wellbeing directly impacts performance and decision-making * The difference between powering through versus recognising emotional overload * Why positive psychology is not about “being positive all the time” * The role of psychological safety, empathy and emotional awareness in leadership * How leaders can create healthier conversations and stronger relationships at work through active constructive responding * Why accountability and wellbeing must coexist in thriving teams * The importance of finding wellbeing strategies that genuinely work for you My favourite part of this conversation was Sue's discussion about active constructive responding. The questions we ask matter. When we respond with curiosity instead of judgement, possibility instead of limitation, we create space for better thinking, stronger relationships, and better outcomes. What might change if, instead of asking why something won't work, we started asking what could make it possible? If there’s one idea from this conversation that stayed with you, share this episode with someone who’d appreciate it too. Until next time, keep leading with curiosity and heart.

Your Busyness Is a Fear Response: How our Nervous System Responds to Complexity with Jennifer Garvey Berger

If you've been feeling stretched, reactive, or like you're constantly doing more without actually moving the needle, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Jennifer Garvey Berger, CEO and co-founder of Cultivating Leadership, Harvard-educated developmental psychologist, and one of the world's leading thinkers on adult development, complexity, and leadership. Jennifer is the author of four widely acclaimed books: Changing on the Job, Simple Habits for Complex Times, Unlocking Leadership Mind Traps, and Unleash Your Complexity Genius. I first came across her work through colleagues at Harvard Kennedy School, and I've been a fan ever since. This conversation goes deep on why complexity isn't just a business problem, it's a nervous system problem, and what leaders can actually do about it. We explore how polarity thinking reframes some of the most persistent tensions in organisations, why psychological safety isn't about comfort, and what it means to lead with embodied intelligence in a world where AI is changing everything. So many nuggests of gold in this episode. In this episode, we cover: * Why complexity is experienced as a threat by the nervous system, and how that drives leaders and teams into reactive busyness instead of purposeful action * The honest bind leaders are in right now: needing to project hope while being unable to guarantee anything * What it really means to lead from the body, not just the head, and why Jennifer shifted from being a sceptic to a convert * The power of polarity thinking: how holding two interdependent goods at once transforms cross-functional collaboration and team dynamics * Why psychological safety is not about comfort, it's about the capacity to be in discomfort together * How AI is changing the way we connect (including why nervous systems can't co-regulate through a screen the way they can in person) * What thriving teams actually have in common: genuine liking, not just functional respect I loved this conversation for so many reasons, but the thing that really resonated with me was Jennifer's reframe of busyness. When leaders and team members say 'I'm just so busy right now', she suggests what they're really saying is 'I'm afraid.' And busyness becomes the modern response to a frightening world. It connects to something I see constantly in my work: leaders who are doing a lot, but not necessarily doing the right things. Pushing harder on what no longer works. Jennifer's reminder that doubling down is often a fear response, not a strategy, is one I'll be taking into my work with teams. Teams thrive when leaders slow down enough to actually show up. If this conversation sparked something for you, share it with a leader in your world who's navigating complexity right now. And if you haven't already, follow the Thriving Leaders Podcast so you never miss an episode.

Working with People You Don't Agree With, Like, or Trust with Adam Kahane

Most of us know the feeling. There's someone at the table we don't agree with, don't particularly like, or don't quite trust, and the situation isn't going away. Whether it's a difficult peer, a misaligned executive, a stakeholder relationship that's gone a bit stale, or a cross-functional partnership that feels like it's going nowhere, the instinct is often the same: work around it, avoid it, or wait it out. And as Adam Kahane will tell you, that rarely works. Adam Kahane is founding partner of Reos Partners, a global organisation specialising in collaborative approaches to complex challenges. Over more than 35 years, he has worked in over 50 countries supporting governments, corporations, and civil society through some of the world's most difficult situations, from the democratic transition in post-apartheid South Africa to peace processes in Colombia. He is the author of six books, including the newly revised Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don't Agree with or Like or Trust (Second Edition, 2025), which carries a foreword from Nobel Peace Laureate Juan Manuel Santos. Nelson Mandela described his earlier work as addressing "the central challenge of our time: finding a way to work together to solve the problems we have created". In this conversation, Adam unpacks why working across difference is becoming harder just as it's becoming more essential, and what leaders can actually do about it. We explore his concept of "enemyfying", the limits of conventional collaboration, and why the real breakthrough in any difficult collaboration is rarely about changing the other person. In this episode, we cover: * Why our capacity to work across difference is declining just as the need for it is increasing, and what's driving that gap * What "enemyfying" actually means, why we all do it, and why it's such an unhelpful starting point for getting anything done * The difference between conventional collaboration and stretch collaboration, and how to know which one your situation actually calls for * Why telling people to "think of the whole" or "leave your interests at the door" is often unrealistic, and in many cases manipulative * How complexity and conflict change the rules of collaboration entirely * The four options we have in any difficult situation, and why collaboration is just one of them * What Adam calls "The Click", the turning point moment that shifts a stuck group toward real progress * The most practical thing you can do when you're tempted to keep telling someone they're wrong I loved Adam's framing that working with people we don't agree with, like, or trust is not a new idea at all. What's new is how much we've retreated from it, and how much the quality of our leadership, our teams, and our organisations depends on us getting better at it again. If this conversation resonated, share it with a leader or team navigating a difficult stakeholder relationship, a silo situation, or a collaboration that feels more stuck than it should be.

Rebecca Sutherns on Team Alignment, Strategy, and Smarter Decisions

What if your team is using the same words, but imagining completely different futures? This conversation is a powerful reminder that alignment is not about sameness, it is about helping people see clearly, think together, and move forward with intention. In this episode, I’m joined by Rebecca Sutherns, trusted advisor, bestselling author, master facilitator, certified coach, and someone I deeply admire for the way she helps people unlock courage, clarity and momentum. With more than 25 years of experience, Rebecca works with mission-driven organisations to help leaders reimagine what’s next and get aligned on what matters most. In our conversation, we explore what it really takes to get people “watching the same movie” in teams and organisations. Rebecca shares why strategy needs more imagination, why leaders need to get clearer about the problem they are actually solving, and why waiting for perfect information can become the very thing that keeps teams stuck. This is such an important conversation right now because so many leaders are navigating complexity, competing perspectives, and decision fatigue. Rebecca brings a grounded, practical lens to all of it, and I think you’ll walk away with fresh ways to lead better conversations and better decisions. Let’s dive in. In this episode, we cover: * Why teams can use the same words but still be picturing completely different futures * How to create a vivid shared vision, not just another polished vision statement * Why “what problem are we solving?” is one of the most important questions a leader can ask * How to clarify decision-making criteria before people get attached to their preferred solution * Why waiting for full information is often just a stall tactic in disguise * How facilitation slows teams down at the beginning so they can move faster later * Why thriving teams do not just predict the future, they help create it I loved this conversation because Rebecca puts language to something so many leaders experience but struggle to name. My favorite part was her reminder that alignment is not about making everyone the same, it is about making thinking visible so people can understand each other, challenge well, and move forward with intention. The future does not just happen to teams. The strongest teams help shape it. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a leader, facilitator or executive team who is working through complexity and trying to make better decisions together.

Creativity is Not a Luxury, Building Creative Confidence with Paul Fairweather

So many leaders are not short of ideas. What they are short of is space, confidence, and permission to bring those ideas to life. In fast-moving workplaces, creativity can feel like something we will get to later, but as Paul Fairweather reminds us in this conversation, later rarely comes. In this episode, I’m joined by Paul Fairweather, creative leadership speaker, workplace culture facilitator, former CEO of a 55-person architectural practice, award-winning architect, artist, and author of Bold, Brave, and A Bit Quirky. Paul helps leaders and teams reconnect with their creative confidence, not as a nice-to-have, but as a vital capability for problem-solving, connection, and innovation in a world increasingly shaped by AI. In our conversation, we explore what creativity really means, why so many capable people don’t see themselves as creative, and how leaders can create the conditions for more original thinking at work. We also unpack the tension between AI and human creativity, why uncertainty is part of the creative process, and what practical leaders can do to build more creative, thriving teams. This is such an important conversation right now, because in a world that is becoming faster, noisier, and more automated, the human skills of curiosity, creativity, courage, and connection matter more than ever. In this episode, we cover: * Why creativity is often misunderstood, and why it is about far more than art * How Paul defines creativity as identifying potential or opportunity, then fostering its development * What leaders can learn from staying longer in uncertainty, instead of rushing too quickly to clarity * The difference between using AI as a helpful tool, versus using it as a substitute for original thought * Why many adults have had their creative confidence diminished over time, and how to rebuild it * How simple, practical exercises can help teams think differently and unlock fresh ideas * What thriving teams need in order to create, connect, and contribute more meaningfully together I loved Paul’s reminder that creativity is not just about ideas, it is also about the courage to do something with them. Thriving teams are not built by speed alone. They are built when leaders create enough safety, space, and confidence for people to think, experiment, and contribute in more meaningful ways. Creativity thrives when leaders make space for uncertainty, not just answers. If this episode resonated, share it with a leader, teammate, or creative thinker who needs a reminder that their ideas still matter. Until next time, keep leading with curiosity and heart.