Feeling overwhelmed by competing priorities? Working after bedtime because your strategic work keeps getting pushed to the margins? You’re not alone.

In this episode of Lead the Room, hosts Briony and Lyndsey tackle one of the biggest challenges facing purpose-driven leaders: how to prioritise effectively when everything on your plate feels urgent.

If you’re leading a team turnaround while trying to maintain your human-centered approach in a KPI-focused environment, this episode is for you. Briony and Lyndsey share three practical, research-backed strategies you can implement in 15 minutes or less to shift from reactive firefighting to responsive, strategic leadership.

You’ll learn:

How to use the Impact vs Effort Matrix to identify your high-impact work and eliminate time drains

The crucial difference between being reactive and responsive — and why urgency is a feeling, not a fact

How to implement the Expectations Email: a weekly 10-minute practice that sets boundaries, manages stakeholder expectations, and protects your time for transformational work

Why responding immediately doesn’t demonstrate professionalism — it demonstrates a lack of boundaries

How to make your human-centered, strategic approach visible in environments that prioritise quick wins over sustainable change

This episode is perfect for managers, team leaders, and emerging leaders who are passionate about people-first leadership but struggling with overwhelm, burnout, or the constant pressure to do more with less.

Connection at work gets dismissed as a "soft skill." But here's the truth: human connection is a survival skill. Without it, even the most capable teams burn out during transformation.

⁠Download our 3 habits, 3 weeks, 0 burnout guide here.⁠⁠

In the final episode of our sustainable leadership series, Lyndsey and Briony reveal why burnout isn't caused by hard work - it's caused by feeling alone in that hard work. Learn three connection habits that prevent isolation and build resilient teams:

• The 15-Minute Human Check-In (daily conversations that aren't about tasks)
• The Real Question Practice (specific questions that create real conversations)
• Connection Rituals (weekly team practices purely about connection, not work)

This isn't about forced fun or toxic positivity. It's about intentional practices that help people feel seen, heard, and like they belong - the basic human needs required for high-performing teams.

Perfect for transformation leaders managing distributed teams, navigating burnout risk, or stuck in surface-level status updates when their teams need real support.

Download the free complete 3-part habits workbook covering achievement, joy, and connection.

Complete the series: Listen to Episodes 1 (Achievement) and 2 (Joy) for the full sustainable leadership framework

Think joy at work is a luxury when you're drowning in transformation chaos? Think again. In episode 2 of our sustainable leadership series, Lyndsey and Briony reveal why joy isn't optional - it's the fuel that prevents burnout during long-term change.

⁠Download our 3 habits, 3 weeks, 0 burnout guide here.⁠

Discover why "if it's hard, it should feel miserable" is destroying your team's momentum, and learn three practical joy habits you can implement this week:

• The Joy Audit (15-minute one-time exercise to identify what actually brings you joy)
• Daily Joy Blocks (intentional 15-minute slots for your own enjoyment)
• Bright Spot Team Rituals (weekly wins that shift your team culture)

This isn't toxic positivity. It's intentional, evidence-based practice that reduces burnout and increases performance. Joy doesn't happen by accident - you have to create it.

Perfect for transformation leaders tired of the "just push through" mentality who want to lead change in a way that's both effective and sustainable.

Download the free 3-part habits workbook in the show notes.

Episode 3 coming next week: Connection habits for sustainable transformation leadership