How to ensure your team is greater than the sum of its individual members

Host Michael Millward, talks with Steve Smith, executive coach and founder of GrowthSourceCoaching.com, about the hidden forces that shape how individuals think, behave, and succeed at work.

With 17‑years coaching experience and his unique “growth source”philosophy, Steve explains how environment, upbringing, experiences, and internal narratives influence a person’s confidence, decision‑making, leadership style, and long‑term potential.

Key Themes Covered

• Why modern managers must become coaches rather than command‑and‑control supervisors.
• How emotional intelligence outperforms traditional IQ in leadership roles.
• The danger of affinity bias and recruiting “people like us”.
• Why individuals often follow the ‘easy route’.
• How leaders can build stronger teams by understanding people as individuals rather than categories or labels.
• The importance of aligning personal motivation with organisational mission, not just published values.

Michael and Steve also discuss real‑world examples of how environment shapes ambition, including a powerful moment when a young woman believed people like her were excluded from the career she wanted.

You will be challenged to rethink how

• Potential is formed, limited, and ultimately unlocked.
• How mindset influences performance,
• Why coaching is becoming essential in modern workplaces, and
• How to create the conditions for people—and organisations—to thrive.

Discover more about Steve Smith, and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

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