Today’s business environment is defined by constant change – shifting and challenging markets, rapid technological advances, and evolving customer expectations. In this reality, leaders must do more than deliver results. They must manage energy, maintain engagement, and create positive employee experiences that sustain performance through uncertainty.
This is where positive leadership and strengths-based management come together.
Great leaders are not all the same. They are as unique as their fingerprints. They differ in style, motivation, and personality, proving there’s no one-size-fits-all checklist for leadership success.
What they have in common is self-awareness, passion for their role as leader and perseverance. They know their strengths, trust them, and call on them at the right time. They build complementary teams to cover areas where they’re weaker, ensuring their energy is focused where they add the most value.
Every leader casts a “shadow” over their organization. This shadow can either energise or drain the workplace. In a world of constant change, leaders must be intentional about creating a positive mindset and energy impact.
They do this by:
Managing energy isn’t about pushing people harder – it’s about creating an environment where energy flows naturally and productively.
The best leaders know there’s no universal formula for motivation. Instead, they help employees use their strengths daily – creating the conditions for flow, where challenges match skills, creativity thrives, and productivity peaks.
In a constantly changing world, maintaining this flow is a competitive advantage that drives both engagement and performance.
Positive leadership is about balance. Leaders must help people:
The key is to address these risks constructively, building confidence rather than creating fear.
Growth fuels energy. Without opportunities to develop, even the most engaged employees can stagnate.
Positive leaders keep the workplace dynamic by offering meaningful stretch assignments that build on strengths while pushing people into new territory – whether through new projects, skills training, or coaching roles.
The leaders who will thrive in the future are those who:
Through purposeful alignment of strengths, the removal of energy drainers, and the creation of meaningful growth opportunities for employees, leaders can establish cultures of enduring performance, engagement and innovation.
It’s time to shift from deficit-based management to a strengths-driven, human approach that fuels engagement and sustainable performance. TalentPredix helps leaders understand their strengths, shape positive energy climates, and create the conditions where people thrive.
To explore how TalentPredix can strengthen leadership in your organisation, get in touch or book a free demo today.
This year’s Web Summit in Lisbon was an energy-fuelled, dynamic, and multicultural event. After several years of disruption caused by the pandemic, it was great to finally experience it firsthand. Below are some reflections from the event.
AI dominated almost every conversation, not just as a buzzword, but as a transformative force reshaping industries, workflows, and even business models. Many speakers highlighted the exciting potential of AI to revolutionize how we address customer challenges and unlock new sources of value.
At the same time, the tone wasn’t all optimism. A recurring question surfaced across sessions:
“What will be the net impact of AI on jobs?”
The honest answer: no one really knows, particularly when looking beyond the short term. I sensed a need for a more realistic, transparent dialogue about both the opportunities and disruptions AI will create. Rather than downplaying people’s fears, businesses and policymakers should help the workforce reskill, upskill, and prepare for an uneven transition – one that will bring new career opportunities to some and painful adjustment for others
There was strong consensus that as AI becomes more embedded in work, certain human capabilities will only grow in value – including critical thinking, creative problem-solving, learning & adaptation, and the ability to connect and collaborate.
As one speaker noted, AI doesn’t just plug into existing workflows – it demands an end-to-end rethinking of systems, processes, and even products. Yet too many companies are still bolting AI tools onto outdated structures without addressing the human change required.
To truly realize AI’s potential, organizations must invest as heavily in developing these critical human skills as they do in new technology. Without this balance, even the most advanced AI investments will fall short of their promise.
Leading in today’s environment is already challenging – with economic, political, and technological turbulence testing every assumption and practice. The rise of AI adds another layer of complexity, requiring leaders at all levels to empower people and create inclusive, adaptive cultures where everyone can contribute to shaping the future.
Modern leaders must:
The Web Summit made it clear that we’re entering a new era – one where technology alone isn’t enough. The real differentiator will be how effectively leaders harness both AI and human potential to create resilient, purpose-driven and people-first organizations.
This is your moment to rethink how you build leadership capability and future-ready skills. The organisations that will thrive are the ones that combine smart technology with a deep understanding of human strengths. TalentPredix™ helps leaders unlock this potential with science-based insights, practical tools, and a strengths-first approach to growth.
Get in touch or book a free demo to explore how we can help your people lead with confidence in the age of AI.
In a world obsessed with innovation, agility, and disruption, consistency has quietly slipped off the list of celebrated capabilities. Yet, if you look closely at the difference between good and great performers – in individuals, teams, or organizations – it often comes down to one thing: the ability to deliver high performance consistently, not occasionally.
Consistency doesn’t usually make headlines. It lacks the glamour of creativity or the adrenaline of rapid change. But in reality, it’s the hidden capability that turns potential into results. Just like an elite athlete, a consistent performer builds credibility, trust, and momentum. They don’t just excel once; they keep showing up, executing well, and improving steadily. Over time, that reliability compounds into enduring excellence.
In today’s digital age, information and sensory overload constantly compete for our attention. The modern workplace rewards adaptability and speed, often at the expense of depth and follow-through. Employees are urged to embrace change, pivot quickly, and take on new challenges, all important capabilities, but sometimes this culture of perpetual motion undermines stability.
As a result, many professionals and organizations find themselves chasing novelty rather than mastering the fundamentals. Projects begin with enthusiasm but lose steam before completion. Teams pivot so often that they forget what they were optimizing for. Younger employees, eager to progress, can sometimes move between roles so quickly that they never fully develop the muscle memory of consistent performance.
In short, we’ve mistaken movement for momentum, and activity for progress.
If consistency is to regain its rightful place as a performance accelerator, leaders and organizations need to create the conditions that allow it to flourish. Here are four practical ways to do so:
Consistency may not be as flashy as transformation or innovation, but it amplifies both. Without it, change efforts falter and new ideas fade. With it, even modest initiatives can scale into lasting impact. In an age of constant flux, the ability to perform with steady excellence is no longer old-fashioned, it’s essential.
When everything around us moves fast, steady, reliable performance becomes a rare advantage. Shifting your focus from constant motion to consistent habits strengthens trust, raises standards, and creates more predictable success.
TalentPredix™ helps leaders and teams build the strengths, routines, and insights that sustain high performance. If you want to unlock more consistent results, get in touch or book a free demo today.
In our work with leaders and managers, we frequently meet individuals who identify as perfectionists. This isn’t surprising – many high achievers are driven by a desire to excel, and perfectionism often reflects deep commitment, ambition, and pride in delivering high-quality work.
At its core, perfectionism involves striving for flawlessness and holding oneself, and often others, to very high standards. While these traits can fuel professional success, they also carry potential downsides that may impact a leader’s well-being, relationships, and overall effectiveness if not managed with self-awareness and balance.
On the positive side, perfectionists often bring exceptional attention to detail, a strong work ethic, and high personal accountability. In certain contexts, especially technical or quality-critical roles, this can lead to outstanding performance. These individuals care deeply about doing things well and are often seen as reliable, competent, and committed.
However, the same strengths can become liabilities when taken to the extreme. Here are some common risks we’ve observed in working with leaders:
It’s important to note that perfectionism itself is not inherently bad. When managed well, it can be a powerful force for excellence and innovation. The key is developing self-awareness and learning to flex between striving for high standards and knowing when “good enough” truly is enough.
Some practical shifts include:
Perfectionism, like many leadership traits, lies on a spectrum. At its best, it fuels excellence. At its worst, it leads to burnout, disconnection, and diminishing returns. Leaders who recognise this duality and learn to temper their perfectionist tendencies with empathy, balance, and flexibility are far more likely to build resilient teams and sustainable success.
As with all strengths, the goal isn’t to eliminate perfectionism, but to manage it so that it serves you, your people, and your organization more effectively.
It is possible to keep the best of perfectionism while letting go of the self-criticism, burnout, and fear that hold your people back. TalentPredix™ helps leaders and organisations understand how perfectionism shows up in their strengths profile, culture, and performance – and how to turn it into a force for growth rather than a source of risk. If you would like to explore how our strengths-based assessments and leadership programmes could support your team, get in touch or book a free demo today.
Every hiring process carries a promise: if we select the right person, performance and motivation will follow. Yet too often, the glow fades after the offer is signed. New hires stall, teams lose energy, and leaders wonder why the carefully chosen “right person” isn’t delivering at the expected level. The gap isn’t usually skill. It’s the way we manage and motivate after the hire.
As I often say, “managers tend to hire for strength, then undermine motivation and morale by managing to weaknesses.” That single sentence explains a surprising amount of post-hire disappointment.
Motivation drops first, then discretionary effort (the extra effort employees choose to give beyond minimum requirements), then collaboration and customer experience. Early attrition rises, internal mobility stalls, and the original hiring business case collapses. None of this is inevitable.
You hired for strengths – keep managing for them. That doesn’t mean ignoring risks; it means organizing work so strengths do the heavy lifting while you actively mitigate performance limiters.
People feel seen for what they do best, and accountable for how they use it. Energy and discretionary effort rises, execution accelerates, and strengths multiply across the team. You preserve the hiring promise by aligning day-to-day management with the very reasons you chose the person in the first place.
It’s time to shift from deficit-led management to strengths-based performance. At TalentPredix™, we help leaders, HR teams, and coaches unlock lasting motivation and results through science-backed strengths assessments, coaching, and consulting.
Get in touch or book a free demo today.
For too long, leadership thinking has been dominated by the myth of the “perfect leader.” Business books, political campaigns, and media profiles often portray leaders as heroic figures – larger than life, flawless, and capable of solving every challenge single-handedly. Even People Management magazine, in its August–October issue, reinforced this outdated idea by asking the unhelpful question: “What makes a perfect leader?”
But the truth is simple: there is no such thing as a perfect leader. Every leader, no matter how experienced or successful, has both strengths and weaknesses. Trying to hire for or develop the well-rounded, perfect leader creates unrealistic expectations that harm both leaders and the organizations they serve.
The “hero” model of leadership suggests that one person must be all things to all people – visionary, strategic, emotionally intelligent, decisive, operationally brilliant, and politically astute. However, in reality, no human being can embody all these qualities at once. History makes this clear: leaders such as Steve Jobs, Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, and Richard Branson achieved extraordinary impact because of their standout strengths – yet each also had very visible shortcomings in other areas. Jobs was a brilliant innovator but often abrasive and difficult to work with. Churchill inspired a nation during war, but his impulsiveness and controversial views drew criticism. Disney was a creative genius, yet his perfectionism and financial missteps caused real strain. Branson built one of the world’s most recognisable brands, but his lack of attention to detail led to several failed ventures. Their legacies remind us that even the most admired leaders are far from perfect – their greatness comes from playing to their strengths and building teams that complement their weaknesses.
When we cling to the myth of the perfect leader, three damaging things happen:
Worse still, the hero-leader mindset can open the door to leaders accumulating too much unchecked power, sometimes pursuing their own agenda rather than serving their people, customers, and stakeholders.
Instead of expecting perfection, we need to help leaders understand and optimize their unique strengths. By leaning into what energises them, leaders can deliver real value, inspire others, and lead with authenticity.
Equally important is recognising and managing weaknesses. This doesn’t mean obsessing over flaws or trying to fix everything, but it does mean being aware of blind spots, building safeguards, and surrounding oneself with complementary strengths in the team.
Great leaders aren’t perfect; they are self-aware, grounded, intentional and agile. They know when to lead, when to listen, and when to empower others.
No leader can succeed alone, especially in the complex and uncertain era we are now entering. That’s why the focus should shift from idolising individual leaders to building energized, effective and emotionally intelligent leadership teams.
Strong leadership teams bring together a diverse mix of strengths, skills, and perspectives. A visionary strategist is complemented by a detail-oriented operator. An empathetic communicator is supported by a commercially driven decision-maker. Collectively, these leaders cover more ground, make better decisions, and deliver stronger outcomes than any “perfect” individual ever could.
When organizations build leadership teams with complementary strengths, they:
The challenges businesses face today – from digital transformation to sustainability, from diversity to rapid change – are far too complex for any single leader to navigate alone. Success will belong to organizations that embrace shared leadership, diverse strengths, and collective accountability.
It’s time to move beyond the myth of the perfect leader. Instead, let’s build strong, diverse leadership teams that harness individual strengths, safeguard against overreach, and work together to create lasting value for people, organizations, and society.
Unlock the power of strengths assessment, coaching, and team development to build resilient, high-performing leaders and leadership teams.
Contact us at us at info@talentpredix.com
In my 30 years of working in leadership development, one of the most common requests I hear from managers and leaders is: “How do I manage up?”
It’s a critical question. In periods of restructuring or cost-cutting, leaders often tighten control – making quick decisions with less consultation or input from their teams. While this may be necessary in moments of crisis, it can also create challenges for those who report to them. The good news is that managing up isn’t about agreeing with everything your leader says or trying to win favour in inauthentic or sycophantic ways – it’s about building a productive partnership based on mutual trust, openness, and collaboration.
Here are seven strategies to help you influence upwards more effectively.
Begin by getting clear on what’s driving your boss: the pressures they’re under, their key goals, challenges and how their performance is evaluated. But go deeper: study their personality, motivations, strengths and leadership style. Do they prefer detailed updates or top-level summaries? Do they thrive on bold ideas or cautious, well-tested plans? Tailoring your communication to their unique personality and strengths shows empathy and makes it easier to be trusted and heard.
Trust is the foundation of influence. Consistency, reliability, and clarity matter – deliver on commitments, avoid surprises, and demonstrate credibility in every interaction.
But trust also grows from recognising that your boss is human too. Check in on how they’re doing, show empathy during stressful periods, and remember they have good and bad days like anyone else. Small gestures, such as occasionally inviting them for a coffee, lunch, or a drink can build rapport beyond day-to-day tasks. These actions, combined with anticipating their needs and offering support, strengthen your working relationship and increase your ability to influence.
Don’t wait to be asked – step forward with the strengths, skills and support you can offer. If your boss is under pressure, they’ll welcome someone who can lighten the load, solve problems, or provide fresh perspectives. This positions you as a valuable partner rather than a passive follower.
When you want to propose new ideas, start by actively listening to your leader’s perspective. Show genuine curiosity about their thinking, priorities, and concerns before jumping in with your own ideas. Ask clarifying questions and summarize key points they have made to fully understand their viewpoint and the reasoning behind it. Once you’ve listened, validate their perspective by acknowledging what makes sense or where you agree. This demonstrates respect, encourages openness and trust, and lowers defensiveness – creating space for a more honest and constructive exchange.
For example:
By affirming their perspective before adding your own ideas, you build alignment instead of conflict.
Managing up doesn’t mean being a “yes person.” Strong leaders value candour, respectful challenge, and honest feedback. Don’t be afraid to share a different view, but do so with tact, backed by evidence, framed positively, and focused on solutions.
When giving feedback, choose the right moment and try using the “more of, less of, differently” approach. For example: “It would help if we had more regular updates on the overall business, less overrunning meetings, and perhaps tried sharing learning more after each project is delivered.” This makes feedback clear, actionable, and balanced. Thoughtful candour not only builds trust but also strengthens collaboration.
Just as important, don’t hesitate to ask your boss for feedback on how you can strengthen your own contribution. A simple question such as, “What would you like to see more of, less of, or done differently from me?” signals openness, humility, and a willingness to grow. It also gives your boss permission to share constructive input that can help you be more effective and aligned with their priorities.
Take ownership of your sphere of influence and control – the areas where you can truly make a difference. Focus your energy on the issues and decisions you can shape, rather than trying to win every argument or push every idea through. This demonstrates maturity, perspective, and an understanding of the bigger picture.
To influence effectively, you also need to understand what influences your boss. Notice who and what shapes their thinking – whether it’s senior leaders, mentors, or external sources such as books, podcasts, or thought leaders they admire. Be aware of their core beliefs, values, and drivers, and align your approach accordingly.
By recognising your own sphere of influence and understanding what influences them, you can propose solutions, make decisions where appropriate, and engage in conversations that resonate. This not only lightens your boss’s load but also positions you as a thoughtful, strategic partner with strong leadership potential.
Influence is one of the most important leadership skills to master. It can be learned and strengthened over time. Seek out mentors, coaches, or peers as sparring partners to practise and refine your approach.
Here are some strategies that can help you strengthen your influence:
The more you practise these techniques, the more confident, persuasive, and effective you’ll become as a leader who can influence upwards with authenticity and impact.
Influencing up is about partnership, not politics. By understanding your boss’s needs and personality, building trust, offering expertise, validating their perspective, and being candid yet constructive, you can create a more effective working relationship. Patience is essential. Building a trusted partnership takes time, intention, and a positive belief that the effort will pay off.
In uncertain times, the ability to manage upwards with confidence and empathy is more than just a useful skill – it’s a career-defining one.
TalentPredix™ Founder James Brook is an experienced executive coach and business psychologist with nearly 30 years’ experience helping leaders in some of the world’s most successful organisations strengthen their leadership impact and ability to influence effectively.
To find out how James and the TalentPredix™ team can support your leaders, contact us at info@talentpredix.com.
London, September 2025 – TalentPredix™ has launched TalentPredix™ 360, a next-generation online feedback system that reimagines the traditional 360 by focusing on what people do best and how they can build on it. Grounded in the science of positive psychology, TalentPredix™ 360 helps leaders and employees grow the confidence, self-awareness, and agility needed to perform at their best. By delivering feedback that fuels empowerment and growth, it enables organizations to unlock potential and drive lasting impact in today’s fast-changing, digital age.
Unlike conventional reviews that can feel overly critical, TalentPredix™ 360 is designed to be positive, inclusive, and empowering. It gives individuals a clear, energizing view of how they show up at work, combining self-insight with constructive, strengths-based feedback from colleagues, managers, and teams.
Developed by experienced business psychologists and pioneers in strengths assessment, TalentPredix™ 360 is more than a feedback tool – it’s a catalyst for thriving, high-performing workplaces. By shifting the focus from fixing weaknesses to amplifying strengths, it helps people grow with confidence and enables organizations to build thriving cultures of trust, engagement, and high performance.
“We created TalentPredix™ 360 to provide strengths-based, inclusive feedback that not only uncovers hidden potential but also empowers people at every level to thrive and make a lasting impact in the Digital Age. It’s feedback designed to inspire confidence, accelerate growth, and fuel meaningful, sustainable change.”
At TalentPredix, we help organizations unlock exceptional talent and create thriving, high-performing workplaces through innovative strengths assessment, consulting, and coaching. Trusted by top global companies like LVMH, PwC, Salesforce, and Samsara, we are leaders in using strengths approaches and the latest psychological science to help organizations unlock potential, passion, and peak performance so people can grow, thrive, and adapt.
TalentPredix™
For decades, competency frameworks have served as the foundation for how organisations recruit, assess, and develop their people. Born from McClelland’s pioneering work in the 1970s, the competency movement gave HR teams a much-needed structure to define “what good looks like.” But today, in a fast-changing world of hybrid work, AI, and dynamic team collaboration, these traditional models are showing their age.
In short, what got us here won’t get us there.
While widely adopted, competency models often fall short for three key reasons:
Add to that the fact that they’re often bloated, abstract, and overwhelming. It’s therefore no surprise that many HR and talent leaders are looking for a better way.
Today’s talent wants more than a competency checklist. They want work that energises them, leaders who coach them, and development that reflects their individual strengths, motivations, and values.
And organisations? They need adaptive, creative, purpose-aligned people who can learn fast, collaborate well, and thrive in ambiguity.
This requires a shift from rigid competency models to dynamic strengths + skills + values frameworks – ones that evolve with the individual and the organisation.
A strengths-powered approach offers a powerful alternative by:
✅ Focusing on what people do best – helping them build on their unique talents instead of obsessing over weaknesses.
✅ Creating energising performance conversations – where employees feel seen, valued, and supported.
✅ Aligning work to personal values and purpose – increasing engagement and long-term motivation.
✅ Encouraging creative ways to manage around limitations – through team design, smart delegation, tech, or collaboration.
This isn’t just “soft” stuff, it’s strategic. Research shows that strengths-based cultures lead to a multitude of positive outcomes, including higher productivity, better retention, improved creativity and stronger business outcomes.
The future of work demands more than ticking boxes on a behavioural checklist. It calls for agile, real-time application of diverse skills and strengths – the ability to adapt fast, co-create across boundaries, and lead with clarity and confidence in an ever-evolving world.
That means talent strategies must:
Tools like TalentPredix™ are helping forward-thinking organisations do just that – providing deep insight into people’s strengths, values, and career drivers, and turning this insight into actionable development strategies.
To make this shift, HR and talent leaders must partner with executives willing to rethink outdated people systems. Leadership must move beyond order, compliance, and control toward authenticity, curiosity, and empowerment.
That means asking bold questions:
Competency models aren’t inherently bad, but they’re no longer sufficient for the modern workplace. To attract, grow, and retain exceptional people in a fast-moving, AI-enabled world, we need a more human, more dynamic, and more future-fit approach. Strengths, skills, and values – rather than competencies – are the building blocks of tomorrow’s workforce.
It’s time to move from outdated models to strengths-based, future-ready talent strategies. With TalentPredix™, HR leaders and coaches can unlock people’s unique strengths, values, and career drivers to build thriving, agile organisations.
Ready to transform how you attract, develop, and retain talent? Get in touch or request a free trial of TalentPredix™ today.
For decades, expert knowledge has been a prized currency in business and society. But today, leadership influence in the digital age looks very different. Knowledge workers, subject matter experts, consultants and business thought leaders have been celebrated as engines of economic growth, and leaders have often been hired and promoted primarily for what they know and the experience they’ve accumulated.
Because knowledge is built on facts, ideas, and learned experience, organisations have invested heavily in building it – from sponsoring MBAs at top business schools to funding specialist certifications, often seen as the “gold standard” of management expertise.
Let’s be clear: expert power based on specialised knowledge is still valued and rewarded. But the question is – will it remain an enduring source of influence in today’s rapidly evolving digital age?
Several powerful trends are reshaping the landscape, and undermining knowledge as a long-term competitive advantage.
Today, information is abundant, instant, and democratised. Ask a Gen Z or millennial professional where they turn for answers and they’ll likely say Google, YouTube, LinkedIn networks, or AI assistants rather than in-house “experts.” Social platforms, online learning hubs, and generative AI have made high-quality knowledge accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Public trust in “established wisdom” has been declining for years. We’ve seen governments, businesses, and even global institutions face scepticism, with expert advice frequently questioned or ignored. In an era of misinformation, deepfakes, and AI-generated content, the credibility of the source now matters as much as the quality of the knowledge itself.
Knowledge is static; insight is dynamic. Insight is the ability to connect the dots, understand patterns, and anticipate change. It’s contextual, forward-looking, and increasingly powered by big data, collective intelligence, and human–AI collaboration. Influence today comes less from holding knowledge and more from making sense of it in real time.
1. Become Accelerators of Learning and Insight
Shift from being the “source” of knowledge to being a curator and catalyst. Build teams that draw on diverse expertise – from customers, partners, AI systems, and frontline employees – to generate better, faster insights.
2. Embrace Digital Intelligence and AI
From predictive analytics to generative AI, technology is transforming how decisions are made. Leaders who understand and leverage these tools can uncover new opportunities, mitigate risks, and deliver greater value.
3. Foster Constructive Challenge and Debate
Insight thrives in environments where diverse perspectives are welcomed. Leaders must create a culture where questioning, critical thinking, and open discussion are safe, encouraged, and valued – even when it challenges senior voices.
In the digital age, knowledge and expertise alone are no longer enough. Lasting influence will belong to leaders who blend deep domain knowledge with the agility to learn, adapt, and create insights that drive positive change and meaningful value.
It’s time to shift from relying solely on knowledge to building the insight, agility, and strengths that drive real influence. At TalentPredix™, we help leaders and organisations thrive in the digital age by unlocking strengths, accelerating learning, and creating future-ready workplaces.
Get in touch or request a free trial of TalentPredix™ today to see how our strengths assessment can transform your leadership.