Quick Spoon: Leadership starts feeling difficult

Quick Spoon: Leadership starts feeling difficult

Author: Ross McIntosh May 29, 2026 Duration: 1:51

In this Quick Spoon, Ross explores the fourth skill in the McIntosh Leadership Framework: Adaptability.

Inspired by a candid reflection from Gabriella Braun, this episode explores what happens when leadership becomes uncertain, messy, political, and deeply human.

So many leadership books promise certainty, control, and easy answers.

But real leadership often starts feeling difficult at exactly the moment complexity arrives.

Ross reflects on what leaders can do when pressure rises, certainty disappears, and their usual ways of coping stop working.

And he shares one practical question that can help turn pressure into purposeful action.

In this Quick Spoon

🥄 Why leadership becomes harder under uncertainty

🥄 What happens when leaders grip tighter under pressure

🥄 The hidden link between rigidity and reduced impact

🥄 A practical reflection question to try this week

Key reflection

“Who do I want to be in this moment?”

People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.

If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.

Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.


Here's the People Soup Website.

And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.

Visit Ross' Website.

Connect with Ross on LinkedIn

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.


Ever wonder why we do the things we do, especially at work or when trying to lead others? People Soup digs into that question, but it doesn’t stop at theory. Each episode is built on a foundation of behavioural science, which means you’ll get more than just interesting stories-you’ll get a clearer understanding of the human ingredients that make up our daily interactions. The conversations here feel real and unscripted, often touching on the messy, rewarding, and sometimes frustrating experience of simply being human. You’ll find that this podcast operates at the intersection of our professional ambitions and our personal well-being, exploring how they influence each other in ways we might not immediately see. It’s for anyone who has left a meeting baffled by a colleague’s reaction, struggled to motivate a team, or just wanted to navigate their own goals with a bit more clarity and less friction. The ideas discussed are deliberately practical, designed to be used almost immediately, whether you’re looking to improve a process, a relationship, or your own mindset. Tune in for a blend of thoughtful analysis and actionable insight that aims to make the complex recipe of human behaviour a little easier to understand and work with.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

People Soup
Podcast Episodes
Quick Spoon: Why did I react like that? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13
In this Quick Spoon, Ross explores the first skill in the McIntosh Leadership Framework: Pause.Inspired by a powerful reflection from Gabriella Braun, this episode looks at those moments when our reactions feel immediate…
Quick Spoon: That difficult person at work [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25
Every workplace seems to have one.The difficult colleague.The challenging client.The person who pushes your buttons before they’ve even opened their mouth.In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we…
Why work feels so personal with Gabriella Braun [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:04
In this episode of People Soup, Ross is joined by consultant, psychoanalytic thinker, and author Gabriella Braun for a deeply human conversation about why work can feel so personal.Drawing on her remarkable book All That…
Quick Spoon: Speak to three people [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29
What do you do when anxiety shows up… right when something matters?A networking event.A room full of strangers.A voice in your head saying:“Your Spanish isn’t good enough.”In this Quick Spoon, I share a very real moment…
Quick Spoon: If I was at my absolute best... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25
What do you do in those moments when emotions are running high?An awkward conversation.A difficult email.A family disagreement.A colleague who’s pushing your buttons.In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric…
Quick Spoon: Pain is part of being human [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34
What if the goal was never to become stress-free?Or anxiety-free.Or grief-free.In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we challenge a myth that many of us still buy into:That difficult emotions are…
Quick Spoon: Get off autopilot [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33
Ever noticed how pressure can shrink your options?A difficult conversation.An awkward email.A deadline.A piece of feedback you weren’t expecting.And suddenly… you’re reacting before you’ve even realised it.In this Quick…
Quick Spoon: Locked out of the controls [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30
Why do we sometimes react in ways that don’t feel like us?Why do we say things we later regret, shut down under pressure, or act against our values?In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we explor…
Quick Spoon: When the threat system takes over [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:35
Why do good people sometimes say things they later regret?Why do we shut down, snap, or go into fight mode when pressure rises?In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we explore a powerful idea:Som…
Quick Spoon: We don't choose who we become [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18
Why do some people push our buttons so easily?And what if compassion wasn’t about excusing behaviour… but understanding how people are shaped?In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we explore a po…