Blog

In the high-stakes world of executive leadership, burnout often hides behind achievement. Many leaders are celebrated for pushing harder, staying later, and never switching off until their edge dulls and the crash hits.

In this edition, we explore how new executives can move beyond operational competence to become trusted leaders who build influence quickly and credibly.

What to do when your top performer becomes your biggest problem.

Let’s talk about the executive elephant in the room — the underperformer.

Not the obviously-wrong hire, or the new starter finding their feet.

I’m talking about the one who used to crush it.

When disruption hits, strategies may shift and processes can stall, but trust, when it’s been carefully cultivated, becomes a strategic asset. High-trust cultures consistently outperform in times of uncertainty, offering resilience, cohesion, and speed when it matters most.

Executive teams are the engines of strategy. When they’re aligned, they generate momentum, clarity, and confidence across the whole organisation. But when tensions build, even subtle ones, progress stalls. Disagreements over priorities, unspoken rivalries, or poor communication at the top can ripple downwards, leaving staff confused and disengaged.

Why tensions escalate
Conflict at the executive level often stems from three pressure points: