The Compass
Reflections, strategies, and real leadership insights to help you navigate change, challenge, and growth.
The Real Reason Teams Break Down (It’s Not What You Think)
Your team is failing, and you know it. The deadlines are slipping. The energy is gone. The talent you fought to hire is mentally checking out. And while you're busy crafting the next all-hands speech about "getting back on track," your best people are already updating their LinkedIn profiles.
You want to blame market conditions. Remote work. Generational differences. The economy. Anything but the person staring back at you in the mirror.
But here's the brutal truth that's going to hurt: Your team isn't broken because they're incompetent. They're broken because you are.
Why Protecting a Toxic Performer Is the Fastest Way to Erode Your Culture
Every leader has encountered that person.
They hit every target, dominate client meetings, bring in new business, and consistently “deliver results.” On the surface, they’re a dream hire. But look more closely, and you’ll see the signs: junior staffers avoiding eye contact, nervous laughter in meetings, high turnover in their team, and a growing sense of emotional tension that no KPI dashboard can measure.
The Advertising Industry's Identity Crisis
The advertising industry has always prided itself on reinvention. It’s weathered the rise of digital, the dominance of platforms, and now, the sweeping impact of automation and AI. But in 2024 and beyond, we’re facing a different kind of disruption—one that’s not just technological or creative, but existential.
The Unseen Cost of Leadership: Emotional Labour
In leadership, we measure performance by the numbers. Revenue targets. Productivity. Efficiency. But what about the emotional labour leaders shoulder daily—the invisible work that keeps teams together, but rarely gets acknowledged?
Emotional labour isn’t just about being “nice” or “empathetic.” It’s about strategic communication, conflict management, and the capacity to foster psychological safety in the workplace. It’s the glue holding teams together. And yet, it remains invisible.
Imagine a workplace where emotional labour was as valued as revenue targets. Where leaders were recognised not just for what they deliver but for how they show up for their people.