Blog

Autocratic leadership and the illusion of control
Astrid Korin Astrid Korin

Autocratic leadership and the illusion of control

Autocratic leadership may create an illusion of control, but the cost is high if overused, causing fear, silence, and disengagement. When leaders prioritise obedience over trust, they stifle creativity, erode psychological safety, and risk isolating themselves from those they lead.

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The Stories They Tell When You Don’t
Astrid Korin Astrid Korin

The Stories They Tell When You Don’t

What you don’t tell your team matters as much as what you do. When leaders avoid honesty, employees fill the gaps with their own stories - often worse than reality. Transparency builds trust, while withholding information fuels fear and uncertainty. This blog explores the challenges of being honest, why it’s part of human nature and offers a way forward that’s courageous and clear.

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Defying Gravity
Astrid Korin Astrid Korin

Defying Gravity

For minority leaders, every day presents a choice: speak up and risk being dismissed, or stay silent and preserve harmony. Both options come with a price and a prize but neither are guaranteed until you’ve taken the leap. This article explores what I have learned from working with some incredible, brave and resourceful humans.

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Coaching is About the Human, Not Industry Labels
Astrid Korin Astrid Korin

Coaching is About the Human, Not Industry Labels

Many coaching clients seek out coaches who understand their sector. Whilst that may have some benefits in a mentoring relationship, this blog argues that sector/industry knowledge should not a top priority when looking for the right coach for you.

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Leadership skills for today’s world
Astrid Korin Astrid Korin

Leadership skills for today’s world

This blog offers an exploration into what I think leaders need most urgently to thrive in today's world. It is based on what I am witnessing with clients and what our team is hearing from our resilient leadership programme participants. Remaining calm, seeking clarity, being courageous, offering compassion, and maximising curiosity—these are hard skills that can be built through self-awareness and self-care.

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Navigating paradox and contradictions in leadership
Astrid Korin Astrid Korin

Navigating paradox and contradictions in leadership

Two (or more) seemingly contradictory things can be true at once. But, our brains really don’t like it. One of the hardest things to do in leadership is be curious about the contradictions and paradoxes in the world, their relationships and within themselves.

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Meaning-making and the fundamental attribution error
Astrid Korin Astrid Korin

Meaning-making and the fundamental attribution error

When stuff happens, we draw meaning from it and the meaning we draw isn’t always fair. Leaders who are aware of this, who check their assumptions and lean into curiosity reap the rewards of enhanced communication, better relationships and greater levels of trust. This blog explores one common form of meaning-making, the fundamental attribution error.

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Why do people work so hard?
Astrid Korin Astrid Korin

Why do people work so hard?

Relentless hard work, busyness, being always ‘on’ has become the norm for most of the leaders I work with. Most of my clients put this down to the sheer volume of work expected of them. When we dig a little under the surface, we find there is much more to it than that. This blog unpacks everything I have learned about the ‘busyness epidemic’ in my years of coaching executive leaders.

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