Why do good people sometimes become leaders they never intended to be?

In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Preetie Boler, founder of Empowered by Design and creator of the Shiftcode™ methodology, to explore what really happens to our behaviour when pressure rises.

Preetie’s work focuses on the gap between intention and impact - the space between the leader we believe we are and the leader other people actually experience.

We talk about why capable leaders can become reactive or controlling under pressure, whether the accelerating pace of work is making leadership behaviour worse, and why organisations continue to promote technical excellence without paying enough attention to behavioural capability.

We also explore Behavioural Intelligence, whether it can and should be measured, the hidden commercial cost of poor leadership behaviour, and why behaviour deserves a place alongside financial, operational and governance risk in the boardroom.

And as AI and constant connectivity reshape the workplace, we ask an increasingly important question: are leaders becoming so busy responding that they are losing the space required for reflection and self-awareness?

Perhaps the biggest question of all is whether people can genuinely change. Can a leader who has behaved a certain way for decades reinvent how they lead, or does pressure simply reveal the patterns that were there all along?

This is a conversation about leadership beyond titles, frameworks and good intentions. It is about how we show up when things get hard, because ultimately, that is the leadership the people around us experience.

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The way we work has changed dramatically. But has the way we lead kept pace?

In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Jennifer Selby Long, founder and CEO of Selby Group, who has coached senior leaders and executive teams across organisations including Airbnb, LinkedIn, Cisco and Nestlé.

Jennifer has spent years helping leaders navigate organisational transformation, rapid growth, acquisitions and the complex human dynamics that can make or break a leadership team.

Together, they explore why organisational change often needs to begin with personal change, what happens when leaders become the biggest barriers to their own success, and why emotional intelligence is no longer a nice-to-have but a critical business capability.

They also unpack what really happens behind closed doors in executive teams, the uncomfortable conversations leaders avoid, the everyday habits that build trust, and how to measure whether leadership coaching is actually making a difference.

And as AI reshapes the workplace, Jennifer challenges us to consider what technology can do for leaders and what must remain fundamentally human.

If the world of work is changing faster than our leadership behaviours, what needs to change first?

Please enjoy this conversation.

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What separates a team that performs well from one that consistently delivers exceptional results? And how much of that comes down to the person leading it?

In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Curtis Sprouse, Founder and CEO of Eureka Connect, who has worked with more than 5,000 individuals, including senior executives and business leaders, helping them better understand themselves, strengthen their leadership and build high-performing teams.

Curtis brings a fascinating perspective on the relationship between self-awareness, behaviour and performance. We explore why talented people sometimes struggle to work together, the blind spots that hold leaders back and what it really takes to create a culture where people can do their best work.

We also discuss his work developing young people, the lessons he has learned supporting entrepreneurs and innovators, and why understanding people remains one of the most important skills any leader can develop.

Because high performance isn't simply about hiring the best people. It's about creating the conditions that allow them to succeed together.

A conversation about people, potential and the leadership behaviours that make a difference.

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