#57 2025 in Review: Hiring Smarter, Developing Leaders, Managing Stress & Protecting Culture

We wrap up 2025 with a recap of the year’s most important leadership lessons. This episode brings together four critical themes every modern leader needs to master if they want to build high-performing teams and sustain long-term success.

We start by unpacking how great leaders interview effectively, including how to look past nerves, ask the right behavioural questions, and identify key red flags. You’ll learn why a conflict-management question is non-negotiable and how to create an interview environment where candidates can genuinely show their best selves.

Next, we explore the importance of properly appointing and developing new leaders. We outline why motivation matters, what happens when organisations promote without training, and how poor leadership appointments can erode performance, culture, and morale.

We then revisit our conversations on self-optimisation and stress management, discussing why leaders must avoid “red lining” and how unmanaged stress can damage decision-making, wellbeing, and relationships outside of work.

Finally, we dive into the role leaders play in protecting organisational culture, highlighting why you can never avoid difficult conversations with problematic employees—and how timely, honest dialogue preserves standards, performance, and team trust.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, this episode offers practical insights to help you hire better, lead smarter, operate sustainably, and strengthen your workplace culture.