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?”

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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
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