The Hidden Source of Stress in Modern Leadership We have all heard the humourous lines about stress. One suggests that the greatest source of stress is other people not doing or thinking what we believe they should. Another describes stress as that moment when the mind overcomes the body’s desire to strangle someone who desperately [...]
Most people approach retirement as a financial milestone. The number matters. The plan matters. The super matters. What often gets left out is the harder question: Who am I when my work role is no longer doing the heavy lifting for me? This is where retirement can quietly unravel — not because people lack freedom, [...]
Why organisations are exhausting their people—and what leaders can do about it Modern organisations operate in a VUCA environment: volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Strategy cycles are shorter, restructures are frequent, and employees are asked to adapt—again and again—often while doing more with less. Two related but distinct forms of exhaustion sit quietly beneath the [...]
It’s Time to Rethink Workplace Expectations Before They Become Psychosocial Hazards For years, phrases like: “We need to do more with less.” “It’s a fast-paced environment.” “We’re all wearing multiple hats right now.” “Change is the only constant.” …have been accepted — even celebrated — as signs of agility, resilience, and high performance. But under [...]
Have you ever skipped meals because you were “in the zone” — only to realise hours later that you were starving? Or maybe you missed someone’s frustration because you were too focused on getting praise from your boss? These moments aren’t flukes. They’re features of how your brain filters the world. And they come down [...]
Your mind is the most powerful force you’ll ever face. It can build empires or trap you in invisible walls. Most people think they’re logical. They’re not. They’re emotional creatures, rationalizing after the fact. Cognitive biases are the tricks your brain plays to protect you—but those same tricks can destroy clarity, discipline, and growth. The [...]
Have you ever found yourself disproportionately irritated by someone else’s behaviour—only to realize, uncomfortably, that they’re displaying a trait you secretly dislike in yourself? That intense emotional reaction may not be about them at all. It may be about you. This phenomenon is more common than you might think, and psychology has a name for [...]
Imagine asking someone, “Do you think everyone sees the world the same way you do?” Almost without exception, the response would be a dismissive “Of course not, that’s silly!” Yet, in our daily lives, our actions often contradict this logic. Most of our stress and anxiety arise from the implicit expectation that others should think [...]
As people near the end of their careers, many imagine retirement as the golden reward — a time of freedom, leisure, and personal choice. But for a surprising number of retirees, something unexpected and unsettling creeps in: a lingering sense of being left behind, overlooked, or no longer needed. This feeling has a name — [...]
Many people strive for self-improvement, reading books or attending courses to change aspects of their personality they dislike. What they often don’t realise is that the person they are today is a direct result of their past experiences—an adaptation to the challenges they’ve faced. Your Defence Mechanisms: Built for Survival From an early age, we [...]
Dr Susan Roberts says: