E127 | Your Oxygen Mask First with Kevin Lawrence

The highest performers rarely break from pressure itself, they break from the success it brings, because achievement conditions people to put themselves last until the body forces a reckoning. That's according to Kevin Lawrence, Founder of Lawrence & Co. and advisor to CEOs and leadership teams worldwide. Kevin explains why leaders miss their own warning signs, the resilience rituals that keep people charged, and why kindness without accountability quietly destroys teams. He unpacks the ego behind always solving other people's problems, the difference between work, life and self, and why achieving more stops improving quality of life once the basics are covered.  Kevin previously joined episode 74 to discuss The Four Forces of Growth, which you can listen to here: https://evolutionpartners.com.au/podcast/e74-the-four-forces-of-growth-with-kevin-lawrence/  Takeaways   Leaders often miss their own stress until it reaches boiling point.  Resilience rituals recharge the body, mind and spirit regularly, deliberately.  Being too kind to underperformers quietly damages team performance long-term.  Achieving more stops improving happiness once basic needs are met.  Solving everyone's problems feeds ego but builds dependent, weaker teams.  Ask "what do you recommend" to shift ownership back to others.  Work, life and self must all be nurtured, not just two.  Keep your focus on possibilities, not obstacles, to move forward.  Follow Kevin Lawrence https://lawrenceandco.com/  Kevin’s book Your Oxygen Mask First: 17 Habits to Help High Achievers Survive & Thrive in Leadership & Life by Kevin N. Lawrence https://link.amazon/B08bAUGBL  Books recommended The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How To Recognize The Subtle Signs And Act Before It's Too Late by Leigh Branham https://link.amazon/B0aptFwsZ The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William N. Thorndike  https://link.amazon/B0e5JK9xZ  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter  https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)  Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://x.com/bradgiles  Enjoying the show? Leave a review Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Resilience helps people bounce back from adversity, but hardiness goes further, it helps people come back stronger, faster and better equipped for the next challenge. That's the distinction Dr Paul Taylor draws from his PhD research, showing that unlike resilience, hardiness can actually be learned and trained.  Paul is a psychophysiologist, former Royal Navy aircrew officer, who’s worked with business leaders and Australian military officers on hardiness and cognitive fitness.  Paul breaks down the stress vortex and the warning signs of a slide toward burnout, the four orientations of hardiness, control, challenge, commitment and connection, and why physiology matters as much as mindset in building stress capacity. He explores the ancient Greek myth of Hercules at the crossroads, the Stockdale paradox, and how leaders can build hardier teams without burning out the people still learning to cope. Choosing the harder path, Paul argues, is ultimately the path to a better life.  Takeaways  Hardiness, unlike resilience, can actually be trained and developed over time.  Control, challenge, commitment and connection form the four hardiness orientations.  The stress vortex shows how small presenteeism spirals into clinical burnout.  Chronic stress physically shrinks the frontal lobes and enlarges the amygdala.  Exercise is the best stress buster and antidepressant available to anyone.  Recovery and relaxation are not the same thing, know the difference.  Leaders who name challenges honestly build hardier teams than false optimism.  Purpose and values alignment help people cope far better under pressure.  Follow Dr Paul Taylor https://www.drptaylor.com/ Paul’s book The Hardiness Effect: Grow from Stress, Optimise Health, Live Longer by Dr Paul Taylor https://link.amazon/B0iRSYrWl Death by Comfort: How modern life is killing us and what we can do about it by Paul Taylor https://link.amazon/B0crzOiWB  Books recommended The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness by Jonas Salzgeber https://link.amazon/B0blYRmXG Enchiridion by Epictetus Meditations by Epictetus Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter  https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)  Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://x.com/bradgiles  Enjoying the show? Leave a review. Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talent and motivation matter less than where you actually point your attention, because misallocated focus quietly drains performance even when you're busy. Adam Williams calls this the attention tax, and it's at the centre of his debut book, Mega Focus.  Adam is an award-winning innovator and keynote speaker with 30 years' experience in creative innovation and product development, having worked with brands including Toyota, Ikea, McDonald's, Mazda and Lego. He won the 2022 ACRA and B&T Best of the Best Award and studied at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Kellogg and the London Business School.  Adam explains the difference between the brain's architect and builder modes, why cognitive outsourcing to AI doesn't make us smarter, and how leaders unknowingly train their teams' attention through their own behaviour. He shares his own story of rebuilding his life around what actually matters, and offers a practical way to audit and retrain where your attention goes.  Takeaways  Attention sits upstream of thought, decisions and strategy execution.  The attention tax is the hidden cost of misallocated focus.  Declining IQ scores may reflect attention, not intelligence, decline.  Cognitive outsourcing to AI doesn't make you better at thinking.  The brain's builder favours comfort, ease and immediate reward.  Leaders' own attention habits silently set team-wide group norms.  Being busy is often mistaken for being important or productive.  Mega focus means aligning who you are with what you do.  Follow Adam Willams https://theattentionarchitect.au/  Adam’s book Mega Focus: Take Back Control. Join the Attention Revolution. https://link.amazon/B05xHKYUE  Books recommended Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention by Johann Hari https://link.amazon/B0eG5pzpI  Atomic Habits by James Clear https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0735211299/ Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1784704008/ Attention Span: Finding Focus for a Fulfilling Life by Gloria Mark  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0008526001/  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/ Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster. Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)   Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth  Enjoying the show? Leave a review Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most workplace tension doesn’t need to be avoided. It needs to be studied, because conflict handled well produces better decisions, stronger relationships and more creative work than harmony ever does. That’s the case Tim Duggan makes after spending three years researching why so few leaders are ever taught how to disagree productively.  Tim co-founded Junkie Media and ran it for 15 years, chairs the Digital Publishers Alliance, writes a weekly column for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and has written four books including his latest, Clear In Tention. He trained with negotiators at Oxford and became an accredited mediator through the University of Western Australia.  Tim unpacks the four terrains of conflict, the difference between positions and interests, and his five-step CLEAR process for working through tension. Getting better at conflict changes how people work, lead and connect with everyone around them.  Takeaways  Conflict is a learnable skill most of us were never taught.  Tension is a pulling force revealing hidden interests beneath stated positions.  Four terrains, summit, arena, swamp, minefield, shape how conflict unfolds.  Trust builds simply through making commitments and consistently following through.  Not every fight is worth having, so test if it matters.  Listening generously means surrendering the urge to interject with yourself.  Pay rise conflicts are rarely about money alone, they signal values.  Relationships inevitably rupture, but repair depends on trust and clarity.  Follow Tim Duggan https://timduggan.com.au/  Tim’s book Clear In Tension: How to Get Better at Conflict https://link.amazon/B04sZQXwJ  Books recommended Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer https://link.amazon/B0doxgH9N  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)  Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth  Enjoying the show? Leave a review Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Great teams don't fail because of a lack of talent or technology, they fail because the relationships between teammates never get the attention that trust, alignment and shared purpose actually require. That's according to Mike Robbins, who has spent 25 years working with leaders and teams on what makes people perform well together, drawing on his own path from being drafted by the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals to a long career studying team dynamics.  Mike explains the difference between healthy conviction and self-righteous debate, how psychological safety shapes the way expectations and consequences land, and why AI can't replace human connection. He also unpacks how leaders should handle talented but toxic performers, individualise feedback, and keep competition constructive rather than corrosive.  Takeaways   Teams underperform when relationships receive less attention than technical strategy.  Healthy debate requires conviction, not self-righteous certainty about being right.  AI has intelligence but lacks the wisdom born from lived experience.  Talented but toxic performers quietly damage team trust and culture.  Healthy competition pushes people forward, unhealthy competition roots against teammates.  Psychological safety determines whether expectations feel motivating or feel threatening.  High expectations without genuine care produce short-lived, stressed performance.  Feedback lands better when people already feel valued day to day.  Follow Mike Robbins https://mike-robbins.com/  Mike’s books Nothing Changes Until You Do: A Guide to Self-Compassion and Getting Out of Your Own Way https://link.amazon/B07zzZpFP We're All in This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust and Belonging https://link.amazon/B071hwUiY Bring Your Whole Self to Work: How Vulnerability Unlocks Creativity, Connection, and Performance https://link.amazon/B05yr6nYD  Books recommended Theo of Golden by Allen Levi https://link.amazon/B0fQ4a3q6  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter  https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster. Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)  Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth  Enjoying the show? Leave a review Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discipline, ambition and experience are not enough to sustain high performance, because what actually runs out is biological capacity, not capability. That's according to executive performance advisor Alessandra Edwards, author of The DNA of Performance, which introduces the DNA energy signature, a framework for sustaining high performance around individual biology rather than one-size-fits-all routines.  Alessandra explains how genetic factors like circadian wiring, glucose metabolism and stress chemistry determine when and how someone performs best, and unpacks superhuman syndrome, the deceptive high-functioning state that often precedes burnout.  She shares the early warning signs leaders miss, from needing more caffeine to shortened emotional fuses, and offers practical guidance for self-assessment and for supporting a struggling direct report.  Takeaways   Capability rarely declines with age, but daily capacity often does.  Circadian wiring determines when someone naturally reaches peak cognitive performance.  Genetic testing revealed one client's early rising was undermining their sleep.  Understanding your energy rhythm beats copying someone else's morning routine.  Blood glucose stability affects focus, mood and leadership quality daily.  Superhuman syndrome feels invincible but quietly drains long-term capacity.  Needing more caffeine than usual signals approaching burnout, not resilience.  Knowing your stress-response genotype helps you turn pressure up or down.  Follow Alessandra Edwards  Alessandra’s book The DNA of High-Performance Leadership Action Plan https://link.amazon/B05CehPJb  Book recommended by Alessandra Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Dr Peter Attia with Bill Gifford  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1785044559/  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter  https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)  Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth  Enjoying the show? Leave a review Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Kristy Goodwin has spent her career studying what technology does to the way we think, work and perform, and her own descent into burnout taught her the cost of ignoring the warning signs. With a PhD examining the impact of digital technologies, she works with leaders and organisations to understand how stress, distraction and constant connection affects sustainable performance.  Kristy explains why our ancient biology can't keep pace with AI-driven acceleration, and how the "botsitting" left over from automation is quietly exhausting knowledge workers. She unpacks the concept of a success tax, the hidden price high performers pay when they live out of sync with their human operating system.  Kristy shares her three pillars of powered-up performance – stress adaptability, focus and proactive recovery – along with practical tools like the energy audit and piccolo, tall and grande breaks.  Takeaways   We are living and working incompatible with our ancient human operating system.  AI adoption increased digital intensity instead of delivering promised efficiency gains.  “Botsitting” now consumes nearly a full workday evaluating AI output.  Burnout is a slow, erosive process that blindsides even the experts.  Stress adaptability, focus and recovery form the three performance pillars.  Piccolo, tall and grande breaks structure recovery throughout the working day.  Energy, not time, is the real lever leaders should be pulling.  Consistent sleep and wake times matter more than total sleep hours.  Follow Dr Kristy Goodwin https://www.drkristygoodwin.com/  Kristy’s books Dear Digital, We need to talk: A guilt-free guide to taming your tech habits and thriving in a distracted world https://link.amazon/B0dqwwuQk Raising Your Child in a Digital World: What You Really Need to Know! https://link.amazon/B0fsF3UX9  Books recommended Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less https://link.amazon/B0bunCrL1 Four Thousand Weeks: Embrace your limits. Change your life. Make your four thousand weeks count. https://link.amazon/B0hCB3Pui  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter  https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)  Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth  Enjoying the show? Leave a review   Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The best person to facilitate a company’s planning session is often the one who knows the business least. Because their job is to challenge assumptions, surface disagreement and create genuine alignment. A plan only becomes powerful when the people responsible for executing it have helped build it.  I’m joined by my fellow Evolution Partners coaches Andres Zylberberg, Richard Peake and Sue Turk, to discuss the role of the facilitator in creating a planning process where everyone has a voice, ideas are challenged and the team genuinely commits to the outcome.  We explore why AI can support strategic planning but shouldn’t replace human debate, how the “power of the pen” can create unconscious compliance, and why an external facilitator can uncover blind spots, encourage psychological safety and challenge the thinking inside the room.  Takeaways   A good plan creates commitment when the people involved build it.  AI can support planning, but it cannot manufacture genuine team commitment.  External facilitators challenge assumptions that internal leaders may unconsciously overlook.  The team that builds the plan is less likely resisting.  Leaders cannot effectively facilitate while simultaneously participating in strategic planning discussions.  Psychological safety allows teams to surface disagreements, concerns and alternative perspectives.  Great facilitators create tension that leads to better strategic decisions.  The cost of executing a weak plan far exceeds facilitation fees.  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter  https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster. Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)   Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth  Enjoying the show? Leave a review Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can't out-hack evolution, says cognitive performance specialist Clint Rahe. Business leaders who try to operate at peak intensity all year are setting themselves up for burnout instead of sustainable results.  A former Royal Air Force physical training instructor, Clint has since worked with business leaders, teams and elite athletes on preparing for high-stakes moments without running at full throttle year-round.  Clint explains why leaders should treat their calendar as a performance tool, how to train for high-pressure moments the way athletes and military operators do, and why recovery doesn't require a week in Bali. Sometimes it's just the gap between two meetings. He also unpacks how AI is quietly increasing cognitive load, and why after-action reviews deserve a place in business as much as they have in sport and the military.  Takeaways  Elite athletes and soldiers train hard, then deliberately recover fully.  Business leaders rarely rehearse the high-pressure moments that matter most.  Cognitive periodisation structures your year, quarter, month, week, and day.  Treat your calendar as a genuine performance tool, not clutter.  Schedule preparation and decompression time around your hardest meetings daily.  Recovery can simply be the gap between two back-to-back meetings.  After-action reviews turn experience into lessons instead of repeated mistakes.  AI creates spare capacity, and leaders instantly refill it again.  Follow Clint Rahe The Cognitive Athlete https://thecognitiveathlete.com.au/  Clint’s book The Cognitive Athlete: Sustainable Peak Performance for Leaders, Thinkers and Doers https://link.amazon/B0hA2t6el  Books recommended Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet https://link.amazon/B04xHQKaH  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter  https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster. Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)  Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth  Enjoying the show? Leave a review Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The right business operating system isn’t the one with the best software or the most passionate followers. It’s the one that helps your people consistently execute, adapt and achieve what the business needs at its current stage.  I’m joined by Evolution Partners leadership coaches Andreas Zylberberg, Sue Turk and Richard Peake to explore what happens when a business outgrows its operating system — and whether the real problem is the system at all.  We discuss why habits, discipline and execution matter more than methodology, how a business’s needs change as it grows, and the difference between an implementer, advisor and coach. We also explore why the quality of the coach can matter more than the tool, and why the best coaches meet businesses where they are rather than forcing them into a one-size-fits-all framework.  Takeaways  The right operating system adapts as your business evolves.  Software cannot compensate for poor habits, discipline and inconsistent execution.  Your business needs change as complexity, people and markets evolve.  The best coach adapts frameworks to your business’s specific circumstances.  Don’t choose a system because everyone else says it works.  The quality of coaching matters more than the software itself.  Great coaches identify blind spots and strengthen leadership team capability.  Choose what helps your business achieve its desired outcomes.  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter  https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/  Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster. Bigger isn’t Better, Better is Better: Avoiding the pressure of endless growth to build a better business (and better life)   Follow me: on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles  on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth  Enjoying the show? Leave a review Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionpartnersperthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.