Ep 185: What is 'Sustainable Leadership'?

This episode of the podcast is based on a webinar we recently ran on the topic of emotional literacy. In this session, Dr. Richard MacKinnon and Ross McIntosh explain what sustainable leadership is, the role of emotional literacy in leadership, the risks of neglecting it and some simple ways to develop it.  This is part of our 'Sustainable Leadership' series and you can find out more and access our free white paper on the topic, by clicking the link below. Resources for this episode Find out all about sustainable leadership here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainableleadership Watch our recent webinar on the role of psychological flexibility in sustainable leadership here: https://youtu.be/QeGSpYbeguY Find out more about psychological flexibility here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility

Welcome to another episode of My Pocket Psych, which is part of our ongoing 'Sustainable Leadership' series. In this episode, Richard is joined by clinical and coaching psychologist Dr. Petra Gwilliam, to discuss the importance of mental health when it comes to leadership. We've previously looked at some of the challenges leaders can face at work, and the benefits of cultivating psychological flexibility (Episode 186). In this episode, Richard and Petra discuss some of the many challenges to leaders' mental health specifically, how dips in mental health can show up in leaders' emotions, attitudes and behaviour, and the importance of taking early action when mental health issues become apparent.  Resources for this episode Our Sustainable Leadership information hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainableleadership Download our free white on Sustainable Leadership: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sustainable_Leadership_whitepaper.pdf   Ep 186 - Why leaders need to be psychologically flexible: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/186 Our Psychological Flexibility information hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility  Find out more about Dr. Petra Gwilliam here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petragwilliam/  Register for our upcoming free Sustainable Leadership webinars here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/sustainable-leadership-4167563  Visit https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/187 for full show notes, Petra's detailed bio and a selection of important mental health resources. 

Continuing our theme of the importance of Sustainable Leadership, this episode is a little bit different.  Earlier this month, I facilitated a webinar with my good friend and collaborator Dr. Rachael Skews.  It was the first of our new series of free monthly webinars on the topic of Sustainable leadership - and I'll put a link to the booking site so you can see the details of the remaining sessions. The focus of our session was making the case for boosting psychological flexibility in leaders. I explained what we mean by sustainable leadership, Rachael introduced the concept of psychological flexibility, and then we looked at how it can address some of the many challenges leaders can face at work. We wrap up with exploring some of the ways leaders can cultivate these important skills. And while we have a lovely video recording of the webinar live on our YouTube channel, I know lots of you prefer to access this kind of information via audio, as you go for a walk or a run, do the housework, or navigate your daily commute. So here's a slightly edited copy of the audio from last week. As always, get in touch with your questions, comments and feedback by email via [email protected] Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode The video recording of this webinar: https://youtu.be/QeGSpYbeguY  Download the slides that accompany this webinar here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Why-leaders-need-to-be-psychologically-flexible-slides.pdf  You can find all the resources that accompany this series at our dedicated page: https://www.worklifepsych.com/SustainableLeadership Download our free white paper on Sustainable Leadership here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sustainable_Leadership_whitepaper.pdf We’re also running a series of free leadership-focused webinars over the next few months. You can find out more and reserve your place by visiting our Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/sustainable-leadership-4167563 Finally, you can learn all about Psychological Flexibility by visiting our resources page here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/PsychologicalFlexibility 

This episode is the first in a new series where we'll unpack all aspects of leadership, leadership development and the wellbeing and performance of leaders.  In this episode, Richard is joined by Dr. Wayne Mullen, an experienced leadership development expert, to set the scene, outline our rationale for focusing on leadership, and explore some of the ways leadership can go wrong.  In the coming episodes, we're going to look at topics like the role of coaching in leadership development, the importance of leaders' mental health at work, and why resilience just isn't enough.  We hope you'll join us on the journey Resources for this episode You can find all the resources that accompany this series at our dedicated page: https://www.worklifepsych.com/SustainableLeadership  We're also running a series of free leadership-focused webinars over the next few months. You can find out more and reserve your place by visiting our Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/sustainable-leadership-4167563  Details of our 'Considering Coaching?' webinars can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/considering-coaching-4113743 You can find Wayne's blog post about intentional leadership here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainable-leadership-leading-on-purpose/ 

In this episode, we wrap up our 'Thriving at Work' focus on wellbeing by asking a simple question: when it comes to improving your health and wellbeing, have you considered actually doing less?  So much of the advice we get about our wellbeing implies the need to do more of something: new foods, new diets, new exercises, new methods and approaches. But if we look at the root causes of so much of our pain and ill health, it stems from over-consumption, over-exertion and overwhelm.  If you're clear on what matters, focus on moving in that direction, being more intentional along the way. Small things, done with consistency, can have a wonderfully positive impact on our wellbeing. Far more so than any fitness or diet fad. Take a moment to identify what responsibilities and project you can set down, what tasks you can leave undone, and what demands you've placed on yourself you can shrug off.  As always, thanks for listening! Resources for this episode You can find our 'Thriving at Work' hub here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thriving  Find out all about our approach to wellbeing at work: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wellbeing    

In episode 181, I explained how getting clear on what matters - our values - can be a great place to start when we want to improve our wellbeing.  This time round, I look at the benefits of putting these values into action and being more intentional about our actions. Instead of framing our attempts at change as 'pass' or 'fail', we can frame our options as either moving towards what matters to us, or away from some form of psychological discomfort. This can take the pressure of perfection or completion off the table and intead allows us to focus on what's possible in this moment.  Do get in touch with your questions and feedback. You can email me at 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com'. It's always wonderful to hear from listeners.  As always, thanks for listening!  RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE Use this online tool to get clarity of your own values: https://www.valuescardsort.com Check out our Thriving at Work hub here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingatwork Listen to this (much longer) episode all about values: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/159/ The video version of this episode is available on our YouTube channel at worklifepsych.tv How do values and goals differ? https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-do-values-and-goals-differ/ How to use values and goals together https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-to-use-values-and-goals-together/ Values: Yes, but not like that! https://www.worklifepsych.com/values-yes-but-not-like-that/

I recently spoke at the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference in Birmingham on supporting employees to overcome challenges and setbacks. On the back of lots of positive feedback, I decided to record an episode outlining the main points I shared with delegates on the day, to share with a wider audience. And hopefully improve on my delivery! In this episode, I explain what Psychological Flexibility is, how psychological rigidity shows up, why flexibility helps us deal with the everyday challenges and setbacks we can expect to encounter at work, and how the skills that comprise the psychological flexibility skill set contribute. Do get in touch with your questions and comments (podcast at worklifepsych dot com) and let me know how this topic resonates with you.  As ever, thanks for listening.  Resources for this episode Lots of psychological flexibility resources on our online hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility Learn how to cultivate your own psychological flexibility on our course: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingwithpsychflex/  Check out our upcoming free webinars here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/worklifepsych-ltd-14905781162  Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025: https://healthwellbeingwork.co.uk  You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube via this link: https://youtu.be/7GgMsx2Dh2U 

In this episode, we look at why it's so important to be clear on our values when making changes to improve our wellbeing.  Values help us make authentic changes, help us persist when we don't feel like it, and give us an opportunity to take values-based action on a daily basis. Values remind us of the person we want to be, an incredibly useful touchstone as we progress on our change journey.  Don't forget you can get in touch with your questions and comments by emailing 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com'.  Thanks for listening!  Resources for this episode Use this online tool to get clarity of your own values: https://www.valuescardsort.com  Check out our Thriving at Work hub here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingatwork Listen to this (much longer) episode all about values: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/159/  The video version of this episode is available on our YouTube channel at worklifepsych.tv 

Change is at the very heart of the work that I do with my clients. Changing behaviour, changing attitudes. Changing in response to changes in the environment. In this episode, I take a look at some of the different levels at which change can take place - from daily habits all the way through to identity. This enables us to get nice and specific about what it is we actually want to change, and do so in an authentic and realistic way.  Do get in touch with your questions and comments. You can always email the show: 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com'. We love to hear from our listeners.  Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Find out more about our 'Thriving with Psychological Flexibility' wellbeing course here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingwithpsychflex  Find out more about the skills of psychological flexibility here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility  Ep 164: A flexible self-concept: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/164/ Ep 153: Why can't I stick to my habits? https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/153/  Ep 152: The dark side of goals https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/152/  How do values and goals differ? https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-do-values-and-goals-differ/ How to use values and goals together https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-to-use-values-and-goals-together/ 

And now for something completely different! Richard is joined by coach and actor, Lena Kaur for a discussion about coaching actors.  We try to keep our definition of work and the workplace as broad as possible and in this episode, Richard and Lena explore the particular challenges faced by actors and how increasing their psychological flexibility can make all the difference.  Lena explains how being can actor can help when coaching other actors, but also when it can get in the way. And we take a look at the wellbeing challenges that actors frequently face.  Thanks for listening!  Resources for this episode  Lena's online profile: https://lenakaur.com/  Our Psychological Flexibility hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility 'Thriving with Psychological Flexibility' course details: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingwithpsychflex  Our Thriving at Work information hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/ThrivingAtWork  Self-care - what is it and why does it matter? https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/  Self-care: 5 mistakes to avoid https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-5-mistakes-to-avoid/ Self-care - an intentional approach https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-an-intentional-approach/