What does it really take to lead a team well? Over this “How to Lead: Edition 2025” series, we asked that question through conversations with women who have led in boardrooms, classrooms, theatres, newsrooms, and movements for justice. Each brought a different perspective, and together they revealed a set of practical lessons that any leader can carry into their daily work.
This series is not about prescribing leadership from above. It is about navigating the lived practice of leading, where daily acts of trust, courage, and generosity turn teams into true communities. The first 3 episodes are about leading teams through strategy days?
Ruth Sims – The Power of Choosing to Follow
Ruth Sims reframed followership as an active choice rather than a passive act. She argued that very often followers decide to commit before a leader even makes their bid to lead. That choice to follow is fundamental, and it cannot be taken for granted.
The implication for leaders is clear. Authority is never automatic. Every day, team members are making micro-choices about whether they are truly with you. Leading therefore requires you to understand followership. You must create conditions where people want to contribute and where they know their choice to follow matters. And when someone else is better placed to lead, you must be willing to follow well yourself.
Paula Redway – Know Your People Before the Strategy Day
Paula Redway was frank about strategy days. Many people come into them expecting to be bored, ignored, or used to push through someone else’s agenda. She emphasised that the only way to change that is to know your people well before the session begins.
For Paula, leading a strategy day means taking into account lived experiences, different working pressures, and the unspoken doubts people carry into the room. From the way the room is set up, to the structures used for conversation, to how disagreement is handled, everything should be designed to draw out the best in everyone. Strategy is only real when people at all levels feel ownership. Without that, there will be no commitment to implementation.
Dr. Fiona Kerr – Proximity Makes Us Smarter
Dr. Fiona Kerr brought the science of psychology into focus. She explained that when people are physically and emotionally present together, their brains literally sync. Eye contact, tone of voice, and micro-gestures release electrochemical signals that fuel creativity, empathy, and trust. She summed it up in the phrase “proximity makes us smarter.”
It means that leaders who want good decision-making and genuine collaboration need to focus on presence. Invite people to look at one another. Encourage listening and moments of stillness. These small acts change the chemistry of the room and directly shape the quality of decisions that are made.
Susan Taylor – The Inner Condition Shapes the Room
Susan Taylor reminded us that leading a team begins before you step into the room. She quoted a former mentor: “The success of any intervention is dependent on the interior condition of the intervenor.” In other words, your own mindset and energy shape everything that follows.
If you walk into a meeting anxious, distracted, or doubtful, that will ripple through the group. If you walk in confident, grounded, and clear, you create a space where people feel safe to contribute. Susan’s advice is practical. Check yourself before you begin. Notice how you are feeling and reset if necessary. Set the tone internally so that you can set the tone externally.
Autumn Phillips – Permission Before Creativity
Autumn Phillips knows what it takes to draw creativity out of people who do not see themselves as creative. She explained that you cannot just flip a switch and expect creativity to appear. You must first gain permission and trust.
That means explaining why you are asking people to do something different, such as a brainstorming exercise or a new way of structuring conversation. People need to know the purpose, otherwise they will resist. And when they push back with questions, do not dismiss it as obstinacy. Treat it as curiosity and engagement. That questioning is often the first step toward real buy-in.
Julia Middleton – Speaking as a Core Part of Leading
In her solo episode, Julia Middleton reflected on her own journey with public speaking. She admitted she once dreaded it but came to realise that being able to speak well is a core part of leading. It is how leaders bring people with them.
Her advice was practical. Prepare talks using keywords, not scripts, so that you spend more time looking at your audience than at your notes. Make eye contact. Keep your energy directed outward. A good talk is not about performance. It is about connection. And that connection is what makes people want to follow.
Anita R. Ratnam – Building Trust and Thriving in Chaos
Anita R. Ratnam drew lessons from decades of work in the arts. Leading creative teams, she said, requires patience and trust. You must value the positive quality in every member, no matter how different their background or pace.
She also argued that leaders of creative teams must learn to love chaos. Creativity is not neat. It often begins in disorder, and leaders who rush to control too soon can crush the process. Trust that order will emerge if you give people time and space. By holding steady in the chaos, you create room for the team’s best work to appear.
Zainah – Bravery is Shared, Not Solitary
Zainah has spent decades challenging authority, often in contexts where the risks were high. She spoke about the difference between fearlessness and bravery. Fearlessness is unrealistic. Bravery is about acting despite fear.
For her, the leader’s role is not to appear invincible, but to model courage in a way that others can share. Bravery becomes sustainable when it is collective, not solitary. Leaders must support their teams in finding their own voices, so that the weight of risk and responsibility is not carried alone.
Monica Medina – Feedback is a Responsibility, not Risk
Monica Medina tackled one of the most uncomfortable parts of leading: giving feedback. Many leaders avoid it because they are afraid of hurting someone or damaging a relationship. But she pointed out that avoiding feedback is actually unfair. It leaves people in the dark and makes problems worse.
Feedback, given early and with care, protects trust and helps people grow. It is not about criticising a person but about giving them the information they need to succeed. Leaders who see feedback as a responsibility rather than a risk build stronger, healthier teams.
Julia Cleverdon – Balancing Task, Team, and Individual
Julia Cleverdon closed the series by revisiting task, team, and individual. Leading, she explained, is about holding all three in tension. Too much focus on the task neglects the people. Too much focus on the individual weakens collective purpose. Too much focus on the team can mean individuals feel invisible or feel obliged to fit in. Balance is the art.
She also reminded us to notice people’s contributions in the moment. Catch them doing things right, not only things wrong. And she offered a memorable metaphor: teams need both “racehorses,” who bring bursts of speed and breakthrough ideas, and “cart horses,” who bring persistence and steady progress. A good leader values both.
Across these episodes, one truth came through again and again. Leading is deeply human. It is not about heroic acts, but about daily choices: to listen, to trust, to follow when needed, to be brave, to give feedback, and to balance people’s needs with the work at hand.
Teams thrive not because of slogans or abstract strategies, but because leaders create spaces where people feel seen, respected, and trusted. If there is one lesson to carry forward, it is this: your team will remember less of what you said and more of how you made them feel while working alongside you.
Breadcrumbs for the Practice of Leading
As we close this series, here are the tips we gathered for anyone in the practice of leading:
- Remember that followership is active. People choose to follow, so create conditions where they want to.
- Know your people before you bring them into the room. Strategy only works when everyone feels ownership.
- Proximity fuels smarter decisions. Presence, eye contact, and listening matter more than you think.
- Your inner state sets the tone. Lead yourself before you lead others.
- Ask for permission before you invite creativity. Purpose builds trust.
- Speaking is part of leading. Connection is more important than perfection.
- Build trust patiently and accept that chaos is part of creative work.
- Bravery is not solitary. Share courage so that it multiplies.
- Feedback is not optional. Give it early and with care.
- Balance the task, the team, and the individual.
Listen to the episodes here
