New leader, old baggage: how to build trust in a troubled organisation

New leader, old baggage: how to build trust in a troubled organisation

A new leader doesn’t inherit a blank page.

A new leader doesn’t always inherit a fresh start.

They may arrive after years of restructures, disappointing decisions, internal conflict or ambitious plans that never quite materialised. On paper, the organisation may look ready for a new chapter. In reality, people can be tired, wary and quietly waiting to see what goes wrong next.

And this is not only a problem for chief executives stepping into visibly troubled businesses.

It can happen to a new director taking over a department, a manager inheriting an established team or a leader promoted from within who suddenly becomes responsible for problems they did not create.

The organisation does not have to be in full-blown crisis either. Sometimes the baggage is much less obvious. It appears as low-energy, guarded conversations, simmering resentment, or what I can only describe as a slightly surly silence.

People still come to work. Meetings still happen. Targets still get discussed. But underneath it all sits a lack of confidence that anything will really change.

Why new leadership confidence can backfire in a troubled organisation.

That creates a difficult temptation for the person taking charge.

They want to show energy. They want to reassure everyone that they know what they are doing. They may feel under pressure to set out a vision before they have found the loos, let alone understood the history, relationships and frustrations shaping the place.

That instinct is understandable. New leaders are expected to lead. They are supposed to arrive with ideas, make decisions and give people a sense of direction.

But too much certainty, too quickly, can easily backfire.

People who have already lived through several rounds of change do not necessarily want another confident speech about the future. They want to know whether this leader understands what happened in the past and why colleagues may be reluctant to believe the latest promises.

They will also be watching closely.

Every comment, visit, email and meeting will be examined for signs of what the new regime might mean. Is another restructure coming? Will priorities change again? Are jobs at risk? Is this simply another grand plan that will quietly disappear in six months?

A new leader cannot undo everything that came before them. Nor should they become trapped in endless conversations about the past.

But before they can take people forward, they need to understand what those people have already been through.

The handover won’t tell them everything

And they should not have to work that out alone.

HR teams, communications colleagues, managers and long-serving employees often hold the knowledge that never appears in an official handover document. They understand the emotional weather, the subjects that make people roll their eyes and the decisions that still cast a shadow.

Used well, that knowledge can help a leader avoid obvious mistakes and begin earning trust from the moment they arrive.

In this article, I’ll share five practical ways to help a new leader understand the organisation they have inherited, communicate with greater confidence and give people a genuine reason to keep listening.

How to help leaders talk about the things that matter in a way that sounds clear, confident and human

How to help leaders talk about the things that matter in a way that sounds clear, confident and human

Try this.

Go somewhere quiet where you won’t be overheard. Then, without using any notes, say out loud in two or three sentences what your organisation does and how it helps people.

Not the official version from the website.

Not the strategic narrative from the slide deck.

Just say it in your own words, like you would in a normal conversation.

How did you get on?

For many leaders, this is where things start to wobble. They know the work. They understand the strategy. They may believe in the purpose, the values and the direction of travel. But knowing something is not the same as being able to say it clearly.

But knowing something is not the same as being able to say it clearly.

That is the bit we often miss. Leaders are given the email, the slide deck, the briefing note or the official wording, then expected to go out and make the message land. Sometimes they are asked to do this before they have fully absorbed it themselves.

So when someone asks, “What does this actually mean?”, the answer can become too long, too vague or too full of corporate language.

And that matters.

Because leadership communication does not only happen in formal presentations. It happens in team meetings, one-to-ones, client conversations, supplier meetings, networking events and quick questions from colleagues who want to understand what is going on.

If a leader needs 15 minutes to explain what the organisation does, or has to reach for words that sound borrowed from a strategy document, the message loses energy.

People do not just need information. They need meaning.

They need to understand what matters, why it matters and what it has to do with them. They need to hear it from someone who sounds clear, confident and human.

This is not usually a knowledge problem.

It is a fluency problem.

Why do I still doubt myself even though I’m a senior leader?

Why do I still doubt myself even though I’m a senior leader?

Why do I still doubt myself even though I’m a senior leader?

Why self-doubt in senior leadership is more common than you think

Why do I still doubt myself even though I’m a senior leader?

It’s a question I hear more often than you might expect.

I’m talking about capable, experienced, well-regarded people. Senior managers, SLT members, executive team members, board members, managing directors and chief executives. People who have worked hard, proved themselves, earned respect and reached a level where, from the outside, you might assume they feel completely sorted.

Bulletproof, perhaps.

Or, as I sometimes think of it, Teflon-like. Nothing sticks. No nerves. No second-guessing. No awkward little 3am thought loop about whether they said the right thing in that meeting.

Except that’s not what I see.

I come across many senior leaders who carry a low-level discomfort. They question themselves after interactions. They worry about whether they landed their message. They wonder whether they were heard, whether they sounded credible, whether they were engaging enough, or whether everyone else in the room secretly has a stronger grip on things.

And that can feel confusing.

Because surely confidence should rise with seniority, shouldn’t it? Surely by the time someone reaches a senior role, all that uncertainty should have quietly packed its bags and left the building?

Not necessarily.

A few years ago, I worked with a female leader who was moving into a board role. On paper, she was more than ready. She was experienced, knowledgeable about the organisation and had absolutely earned her seat at the table.

But the new role asked something different of her.

It wasn’t just about doing the work anymore. It was about being heard in a more senior space. It was about landing her message, influencing others, communicating with credibility and showing up as a leader in a way that felt clear, confident and authentic.

That’s when the self-doubt started to surface.

Not because she lacked ability. Not because she was suddenly in the wrong room. But because the rules around her had changed.

Let’s look at why this happens—why self-doubt can show up just as you move into a bigger, more visible, or more strategic role. And, just as importantly, what might help when it starts getting in the way of how you feel, lead, or communicate at work.

Because self-doubt at a senior level does not mean you are failing.

Very often, it means you are stretching.

Gender pay gap action plans – what does meaningful action look like?

Gender pay gap action plans – what does meaningful action look like?

In this episode, I chat with Gillie Fairbrother, Global Responsible Business Officer at Davies, about what a gender pay gap action plan actually looks like in practice — and why employers really do need to get on with it.

She oversees ESG at Davies, a global professional services and technology business, and brings a really grounded, commercial perspective to everything she discusses.

Employers with 250 or more staff are being encouraged to explain what they are actually doing to close their gender pay gap and support employees experiencing menopause. We discuss what meaningful action looks like in practice — and how organisations can finally move beyond just publishing the numbers.

For Gillie, the timing really matters. She told me it is about asking harder questions and getting much more specific about what will actually change things.

As she put it in our chat, “People will no longer be able to get away with saying things like, ‘we will consider’ and ‘we aim to’. It’s now about: how are you going to do it, and how is that going to impact?”

Why gender pay gap action plans matter for employers, investors and clients

She makes the point that many employers have been publishing gender pay gap figures for years — but just putting the numbers out there is no longer enough. The real question, she said, is whether leaders actually understand what is behind those figures and are willing to act on them.

In her words, “I think what the government is looking for are those key drivers that explain the gender pay gap. What do these numbers really mean, and why are they where they are?”

She also points to the commercial pressure building here, particularly from clients, investors, and ESG assessors. As she put it, this is not just the right thing to do anymore — it is becoming a business issue.

In short, gender pay gap reporting is showing up everywhere organisations are assessed — and people are starting to notice.

What a stronger gender pay gap action plan should look like

She is pretty direct about this: vague promises and one-off initiatives won’t cut it. Companies need to take their data seriously, own the decisions and follow through.

She tells me she would love to see businesses use this moment to properly understand where the issues actually sit — whether that is in specific teams, grades or divisions — and then respond in a much more targeted way.

She’s clear on this point: “So instead of just pumping out the numbers, it’s about understanding those numbers and then making really strategic decisions about how you might change.”

Menopause, management and workplace culture

We also get into menopause support, and Gillie is pretty passionate about this one. It should not be a niche or awkward topic — and organisations need to be bring managers and leaders into these conversations, not just women.

“How can we upskill team leaders and managers, including male managers, so they feel less frightened of this topic?” And she made a great point — hybrid working has already proved that organisations can adapt when people need flexibility.

“We know it works, so why should it be any different here?”

Why gender pay gap action is everyone’s job

Something that kept coming up in our conversation was the idea that this work cannot just live in one team or one report. Gillie is really clear on it: you do not get culture change unless more people feel like it is their problem to solve.

As she explained it to me, “We don’t want to be a business that has a sustainability team or a business that has a culture team working over here on a culture initiative. We want to be a diversely cultured business that is sustainable.”

She told me that the same thinking applies directly to gender pay gap action. This is not just an HR issue. It is for leaders, managers, and, honestly, anyone who wants to play a part in shaping a fairer workplace.

Her challenge to everyone listening: “Even if you don’t think this is your job, is there some way you could make an impact?”

Gender pay gap action plans

Gender pay gap action plans: why visibility and strategic confidence are key to success

Gender pay gap action plans: why visibility and strategic confidence are key to success.

Early in my career as a business journalist, I noticed something odd.

If you looked at the guests we booked for TV and radio business programmes, you could be forgiven for thinking women did not work in business at all.

The contributors were overwhelmingly male. Male chief executives, male finance directors, male marketing directors, male authors, male experts. My little black book of contacts was full of them. And I remember thinking, surely there are women in business. Where are they?

At the time, I drew the wrong conclusion. I assumed maybe women just did not like doing this sort of thing. Maybe they were less interested. Maybe they did not want to put themselves forward.

Of course, that was not the truth. The truth was far more revealing. Women were there. They just were not visible. And if you cannot see someone, it becomes surprisingly easy to leave them out of the room when it matters.

Why does my team go quiet when I walk into the room?

Why does my team go quiet when I walk into the room?

Why does my team go quiet when I walk into the room?

It’s one of those questions that rarely gets asked out loud, but it sits there quietly in the background for a lot of leaders. You might not phrase it exactly like that, of course. It often shows up as a feeling instead. A slight shift in the room that you can’t quite explain, or a sense that something isn’t landing in the way you expected.

You walk into a meeting and, just before you arrive, there’s a bit of chatter, a few laughs, people settling into their seats. Then you join, and the atmosphere changes. It’s subtle, but noticeable. People sit up straighter, the conversation tails off, and suddenly the room feels more serious than it did a moment ago.

Or perhaps you’ve just delivered your update in a town hall. You’ve been clear, concise, maybe even engaging. You finish, open it up, and… nothing. No questions, no comments, no challenge. People are listening, but they’re not interacting, and that lack of response can feel a bit baffling.

Why silence is rarely a good sign

It’s tempting to interpret that silence as agreement, or even as a sign that everything is running smoothly. But in reality, silence rarely means everything is fine. More often, it’s a response to you. Not just to what you’ve said, but to how you show up.

That’s the part that can feel uncomfortable, because most leaders don’t set out to create this kind of reaction. In fact, many are working hard to be authentic, consistent and “themselves” at work. The challenge is that your team doesn’t experience your intention, they experience your behaviour. And when that behaviour shifts, even slightly, depending on the situation, the pressure you’re under, or the people in front of you, others start trying to interpret what that means.

Effective leadership conversations

Communicating upwards: why won’t my message land?

If you’ve ever walked out of a senior meeting thinking “Well… that went nowhere”, you’re not alone. This is the frustration that sits underneath many executive and board conversations.

On paper, these meetings should be decisive. The people in the room are experienced, intelligent and trusted to steer the organisation. Yet in practice, the opposite often happens. Meetings run long. Decisions drift. Conversations get bogged down in updates rather than outcomes.

What should be a focused, decision-shaping discussion quietly turns into a reporting session.

You can almost feel the energy leak out of the room.

Senior teams are rarely short of information. If anything, they’re overwhelmed by it. What they’re short of is clarity. They want to know: What’s the issue? Why does it matter? What do you need from us?

When those questions aren’t answered early and explicitly, meetings stall. Slides multiply. Explanations lengthen. And this is the crucial point. Conversations don’t unravel because the person presenting lacks ability. They unravel because the conversation hasn’t been framed for decision-making.

This is often the moment when confidence wobbles. Someone gets challenged, becomes defensive or retreats into detail. The room loses focus. Clarity disappears.

When information is moved around the room but thinking doesn’t move forward, the cost is real.

Slow decisions sap momentum. Unclear decisions increase risk. Repeated conversations waste time and quietly erode trust. Over time, senior teams lose confidence not in the data but in the communication.

The good news is this doesn’t require you to become slicker, louder or more polished. It requires you to communicate differently.

And that starts with understanding what senior conversations are actually for.

Town hall meeting

Is your town hall meeting in trouble?

Is your town hall meeting in trouble?

Why your town hall meeting might be turning people off.
You’ve got everyone in the business together. The slides are ready. The execs are lined up. You’re streaming to hundreds of screens. So why does it still feel like a bit of a flop?

Town halls should be a highlight – a chance to bring people together, share progress, spark ideas and build momentum. But too often, they miss the mark.

Instead of being energising, they’re predictable. Instead of creating a connection, they reinforce a divide. Instead of landing messages, they lose the room.

We’ve all been there. Cameras off, minds wandering. A speaker droning through 30 bullet points while you mentally reorganise your weekend. And if you’re the one organising it? It can be disheartening to watch the effort go nowhere.

Visible leadership mistakes

Visible leadership mistakes and how to avoid them

Visible leadership mistakes and how to avoid them.
Visible leadership isn’t just about being present; it’s about genuinely connecting with your team, being approachable and staying engaged.

But let’s face it, even the best leaders can make mistakes – sometimes an attempt to be more visible can backfire, creating distance instead of connection.

In this blog, I’ll cover some of the common traps and share practical advice on how to avoid them. By the end, you’ll have the tools you need to build real, lasting connections that strengthen your leadership.

How to give a farewell speech that shows real leadership

Could you just say a few words please?
Ever been asked that, or had to ask it of someone else?
It’s for that moment in an office, when there’s a ‘leaving do’ – a team member is retiring, going on maternity leave, moving on to another department or a new job somewhere else – and it’s someone senior’s job to mark the occasion with a small speech-ette.
But it can fall a bit flat, can’t it? We’ve all witnessed it. The departing person feels unappreciated, the team are embarrassed. And you’ve missed an opportunity to communicate culture and to show how valuable your people actually are.
So let’s get on top of these moments as leaders, make the most of the chance to be visible and ultimately make them more meaningful.

Visible leadership: The coffee strategy

Being visible as a leader is hugely important. Visible leaders can engage others, share key messages, values, and behaviours – making your job a bit easier, perhaps?
It’s a huge topic, so today I’m giving you just one thing that you and your colleagues can adopt to be more visible and more confident. The challenge of networking
I regularly hear frustrations from my clients about leaders and emerging talent sticking to their silos, not sharing their worth, and failing to build a network.
I wasn’t proactive in making connections when I was an employee, which slowed down my career progress and made me feel cut off from the ‘big picture’ at work.
Most people aren’t strategic network builders, which is a shame because nothing beats getting support, know-how, and a chance to be visible in front of a wider group.
When we hear ‘network’, we often think of ‘networking’ – not instantly appealing, I have to say.

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How do I know if I need coaching?

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What is executive presence?

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