The Compass
Reflections, strategies, and real leadership insights to help you navigate change, challenge, and growth.
Why Leaders Who Support HR Will Survive (and thrive) IN the Next Talent Crisis
Why Leaders Who Support HR Will Survive the Next Talent Crisis
Talent isn’t what’s scarce right now. Leadership is.
AI will replace tasks, but not trust. Technology will streamline operations, but it won’t build belonging. The leaders who thrive in this downturn will be those who understand one truth…
Mentoring vs. Coaching vs. Counselling: What Today’s Ad Leaders Actually Need
Mentoring vs. Coaching vs. Counselling: What Today’s Ad Leaders Actually Need
Leadership support is everywhere, but often misused.
Ask a leader if they’ve had a mentor, coach, or counsellor and they’ll usually say “yes.”
Ask them if they know the difference and… silence.
The Emotional Tax of Leadership: Why Burnout Is the Biggest Competitive Threat
Leadership today demands far more than business acumen. It demands emotional stamina.
The modern leader isn’t just tasked with driving outcomes. They’re expected to hold space, regulate culture, coach performance, and buffer stress. The cost? Emotional burnout.
A 2024 Beyond Blue study found that nearly 60% of Australian media and advertising leaders report high levels of stress, emotional fatigue, and decision exhaustion. Most worry they “can’t show weakness.” That silence is dangerous.
From Redundancy to Resilience: How Advertising Talent Can Rebuild Their Edge
The advertising industry is on break-glass alert. Agencies are laying off employees, shrinking teams, and recalibrating service offerings—all in the name of efficiency. According to a recent analysis, this trend isn’t a failure; it’s shape-shifting. But for everyone let go, it’s a moment of reckoning.
The Quiet Crisis in Middle Management (And Why It Deserves Urgency)
Middle managers are the organisational glue we keep forgetting to reinforce.
They lead teams, translate strategy, manage projects, soothe clients, mediate tension, uphold culture, and respond to both executive pressure and frontline frustration — often within the same day, sometimes within the same meeting.
They are not just conduits. They are shock absorbers. And they are breaking.