Ideas on leadership, strategy and how work actually works

Transformation is messy. Leadership is harder than the frameworks suggest.

This is where I write about what I see, what the research says, and what I actually think. Some of it is practical. Some of it will challenge the way you think about work.

Topics range from making strategy real and building leadership capability, the quiet fear epidemic running through modern workplaces, what neuroscience actually tells us about performance, how AI is reshaping the way we work and lead, and why being a decent human being is still the most underrated leadership skill there is.

No theory for theory's sake. Just ideas worth your time.

Design for Thinking, Ways of Working, AI & the Brain Catherine Russell Design for Thinking, Ways of Working, AI & the Brain Catherine Russell

Part 3: Brains on: ways of working

A practical way of working that keeps “brains on” while AI brings the speed. We start with a few habits: one main focus per person, protected deep-work blocks, one-line decision logs, clear AI boundaries, and tidy handovers. It builds self-efficacy and better results. Use AI as a power-assist, not an autopilot.

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AI & the Brain, Leadership & Ways of Working Catherine Russell AI & the Brain, Leadership & Ways of Working Catherine Russell

Part 2 - The Thinking Modes: keep your brain strong in the age of AI

AI is brilliant at speed; it’s not a substitute for your brain. This post introduces the Thinking Modes —analytical, critical, creative, strategic, systems and metacognition—with cognitive flexibility at the centre. In plain language, you’ll see what each mode does, when to use it, and tiny daily drills to keep those circuits strong so you make sharper, more human decisions while AI does the grunt work.

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AI at Work, Leadership, Ways of Working Catherine Russell AI at Work, Leadership, Ways of Working Catherine Russell

Part 1: Brains on: how to work with AI without switching your thinking off 

AI can boost speed and creativity — if we keep our thinking on. This post shows five simple guardrails to avoid automation bias: frame the decision first, compare drafts and sources, check the source+date trail, run a counter-prompt, then make (and log) a human call. Use AI as a power assist, not a replacement for judgment.

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