Leadership in 180 Seconds

Do you want a long and successful future?

As we head toward Christmas, I’m reminded how powerful small, consistent steps can be—not just in leadership, but in life. John Kotter’s eighth principle of change, Embrace Continuous Improvement, lands especially well this time of year. And there’s no better example than Jesus himself whom we will celebrate in just a couple of days! He was unmistakably clear on His vision. The historical accounts show a leader who walked patiently with His disciples for three years, encouraging small shifts, growth moments, mindset changes—day by day. Those incremental steps formed the largest, most influential movement in human history. That’s the power of steady, intentional improvement. As you prepare for 2026, let me encourage you: You don’t need a massive overhaul. You just need the next 1% step. Maybe that’s deepening connection with your team. Maybe it’s removing one unnecessary barrier. Maybe it’s refining your vision, your habits, or your leadership presence. Whatever it is, choose one thing—then commit to improving it just a little every day. That’s how momentum builds. That’s how cultures shift. That’s how leaders transform themselves and those they serve. Wishing you all the best during this festive season. May God bless you richly as we anticipate the best year ever to come in 2026!

Do you see some success and then take the foot off the gas?

Ever notice how starting change is easy… but sustaining it quietly breaks most leaders? Kotter’s research is blunt: this is where change efforts die. We love the early momentum—the excitement, the quick wins, the buzz. But once the novelty fades? Discipline decides the outcome. I learned this the hard way. In my early 20s I would save aggressively… then undo half my progress because a shiny new TV caught my eye. The problem wasn’t my goal—it was my ability to stay the course. Organisations fall into the same trap. A few wins land, confidence rises… then focus drifts, attention scatters, and acceleration stalls. Before long, the “change effort” becomes a dusty guitar in the corner—full of potential, but untouched. Reflection: Where have you lost momentum in your leadership? And what’s the “dusty guitar” you need to pick back up?

Do you love a party? Here is your excuse to celebrate at work!

Ever been part of a team that starts strong, then slowly loses steam? A few setbacks, a little negativity, and suddenly, the vision feels heavy. John Kotter’s sixth principle of change reminds us: celebrate the small wins. Change is hard. Progress isn’t always obvious. But when we stop and remind our teams of how far we’ve come, we reignite belief and motivation. Research by Amabile and Kramer calls this “the progress principle” — the most powerful driver of performance is seeing progress in meaningful work. So, here’s the challenge: What small win could you celebrate today? It might be a finished task, a difficult conversation handled well, or simply a team that keeps showing up. Celebrate it. Name it. Because small wins fuel big change.

If you find it hard as a team leader to encourage change, you’re not alone.

Let me paint the picture for you. You come up with a brilliant idea. It comes directly out of a complaint from a client, you know how to fix it but it is going to require more than you can do by yourself. You go to your boss and share it. She says ‘no’. Demoralising right? Now, let me put the shoe on the other foot.  You are in the middle of a project, your team member barges into your office with a great idea, and you just don’t have the time.  You say ‘no’. Do either of those scenarios sound familiar? Kotter’s 5th Principle for change is to Enable Action by Removing Barriers. The leaders in this scenario were creating barriers.  Where do you think these types of barriers lead? Yep, you’re already thinking this through: A demoralised team member. Lack of productivity. And if it happens repeatedly, team members will stop trying to innovate. The innovation wheels stop turning completely. Now let’s take a step back. Because, you as a leader, know that there is often good reason for saying ‘no’. And you would be right! Elad Sherf and his colleagues write an excellent article in the Harvard Business Review which point out that many organisations are set up so that team leaders are not empowered to change. If I as a leader am required to go through a significant process of approvals and meetings to change something, is it really going to be worth it? I barely have the headspace for my own projects. The more hurdles I must jump, the less inclined I am to empower my team to change as well. Company reviews, KPIs and targets are all set up to keep us focussed on short term success.  So where is the space for change and thus possible failure? Where is the space in our organisations to dream, to innovate and to change? So how can you change, when your team leader can’t change and our organisational structure doesn’t encourage change? How do you as the key decision maker encourage change when you feel the pressure to keep that bottom line positive? If you are a business leader, you need to understand that if you don’t change, your organisation will cease to exist. If we don’t encourage innovation and failure our talent will leave. Change, failure, and mistakes because we are innovating are actually the things that are going to keep our bottom line positive. If that causes a bit of anxiety. Contact me and we can work on it together. Or if you’re a part of a team, I want you to understand that your role is to lead up. Understand that organisational structures don’t encourage change, so don’t blame your team leader. Flick this podcast to them, print the HBR article I am referring to. Help them to understand the need for change without the blame games. When we start taking the ‘no’s personally and start blaming our leaders, we are on the road to our exit. In some situations that might be necessary, but I encourage you first to try to work things out. It is better for everyone. Let me change direction, Leaders and managers are not the only barrier to change. A person may need upskilling, they may need extra resource, or help for a project. And when we as team leaders can provide these things, you are not only making the work possible. You are communicating that your team member is valuable. You are encouraging them to reach above their station. You are leading a person in a way so that when they lead, they will be a remover of barriers too. Steve Jobs grew one of the largest companies in the world. He says, ‘It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.’ If you want your team to act smart, treat them like they are smart. If this podcast hits home, call me. If you are a team leader, I offer executive one-on-one coaching packages that could help you over the next 10 months to create a strategy to get to where you want to go. If you are the key decision maker and are trying to make changes in your organisation and having no success. You need to call me. You understand your product, I understand people and I can help you to navigate your greatest asset, your people, so that your organisation can become more innovative, productive and agile.

Your preferred future is clear. So are you communicating it? Enough?

In John Kotter’s research, he found that most leaders under communicate their vision by a factor of 10. To paint a picture, that’s like if I was to tell you, I went for a 10 hour hike the other day. I got an hour in, sat down, poured water on my head and congratulated myself for a job well done and walked back to the car! Does that make you think about your communication? Last week on my podcast, I talked about Kotter’s 3rd Principal of change in which we must form a strategic vision.  Once it is formed, we can’t expect that the communication piece is going to be a one time town hall or leadership meeting.  We need to communicate the vision daily, at every chance we get. ‘We are going to work on this project, because it is going to help us achieve our vision of, dot dot dot.’ ‘Yes, I love that you are going back to that client with that solution, it reflects our vision to become, dot dot dot.’ The more that the vision is fresh in your mind and the minds of your team, the more that we will remember it, respond to it and act according to it. Further, communication isn’t just about what we say. In fact, what we say is going to mean nothing if we don’t walk the talk. Communicating our vision by re-ordering our own priorities and goals will get noticed. Continuing to do something which may not have immediate financial reward, but does have tangible links to your vision is going to help your team see that you are passionate about where your team is going. It will encourage greater engagement and productivity. And at the end of the day, it will create greater financial reward as well. Walking your talk is the greatest way to communicate your vision and excite people that they are a part of something that matters. Remember: Talk about your change vision as much as you can. It might not inspire someone today, but perhaps it will sink in tomorrow. Address people’s concerns and anxieties. And don’t be dismissive. The issues our team are facing are real in their mind and when we show empathy, they are going to respond with loyalty and that extra push you’re hoping for. Apply your vision everywhere you can. Tie every situation back to your vision. Make sure you clearly understand the answer to the question, ‘How does this project, this new hire, this staff reduction, this building programme help us to achieve our vision? And most importantly, Communicate your vision by your actions. A leader who leads by example will see far greater engagement and buy in than someone who lives in their ivory tower. I’m cheering for you! As you communicate your vision this week, May you find yourself well on the way to the peak of that hike!