In this episode, I’m exploring observation as a leadership skill, and why being too close to a team, habit or way of working can make important patterns almost impossible to see.
A recent conversation with a former boss reminded me how powerful it can be when someone reflects back something about us that we cannot currently see for ourselves.
I also look at what happens when observations are ignored, dismissed or acknowledged without anything changing. Because noticing a pattern is only the beginning.
Real leadership means creating enough safety for people to speak honestly, receiving what they say with curiosity, and then choosing to disrupt the habits that keep pulling everyone back to the familiar.
Highlights:
(01:30) – The comment from a former boss that made me see myself differently
(03:30) – Why being close to a system can make its patterns almost invisible
(05:19) – Awareness without disruption is just more sophisticated repetition
(06:10) – The three ways observation tends to fail inside organisations
(08:10) – Why your first response to feedback is often defence, not curiosity
(10:43) – The complete loop: notice it, receive it, then actually let something change
