How do you keep a team aligned when the plan keeps changing? In this Best Of episode of the Thriving Leaders Podcast, Matt Carroll joins me to share the behind-the-scenes challenge of getting more than 1,000 Australian athletes and officials to the Tokyo Olympics and home during the pandemic. An unexpected connection with the tuna industry became part of the solution. We explore flexible planning, shared purpose and the trust needed to keep teams working together under pressure. For anyone leading across teams or through uncertainty, this conversation offers a practical perspective on what it takes to stay connected when circumstances keep shifting. Listen and consider: does every part of your team know how much their contribution matters?

The strategy meeting ends and everyone appears to agree. Then the real conversation begins elsewhere. I’ve seen this happen in leadership teams, and it leaves me wondering: what made it difficult to say those things in the room?

I’m joined by Megan Reitz, Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School and Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, Oxford University. Megan’s work explores speaking up, listening and the role power plays in our conversations.

We talk about what leaders might miss when a team appears aligned, how we respond when someone offers a different perspective, and why finding space for a meaningful conversation can be harder than it sounds.

In this episode, we cover:

– The meeting after the meeting

– Why some voices are easier to hear than others

– What helps people speak honestly

– How our attention shapes a conversation

– Why making space to think matters for leaders

Megan gave me plenty to reflect on in my own work with teams. If you’ve ever left a meeting wondering whether everyone said what they really thought, I’d love you to listen.

Subscribe for thoughtful conversations about leadership, thriving teams and the way we work together.

Resources:

1. Megan’s book Speak Out, Listen Up
2. Megan Reitz's Website
3. Megan Reitz's LinkedIn Profile
4. Thriving Teams by Claire Gray

#leadership #psychologicalsafety #SpeakUpCulture

Can you be kind to your people and still hold them accountable?

In this Best Of episode, Jeremy and I explore a distinction that can change how we lead: the difference between being kind and being nice.

We talk about the conversations leaders sometimes avoid, and what that means for trust, accountability and the way a team works together.

Are you saying what your team needs to hear, or what feels easier to say?

Watch this Best Of to hear Jeremy’s perspective.

I’m Claire Gray, a leadership and team facilitator, executive coach and author of Thriving Leaders and Thriving Teams. Subscribe for practical conversations about leadership, team effectiveness and creating cultures where people can thrive.

https://www.youtube.com/@thrivingculture#accountability

#psychologicalsafety #ThrivingLeaders