Articles

I write about the messy, real parts of transformation and leadership, the stuff that gets glossed over or doesn't fit neatly in frameworks.

This is where I share what I see, call out issues as they are, and offer practical tools and insights that actually help. Topics include making strategy real, building leadership capability, and designing work around how people actually think. Grounded in psychology, neuroscience, and hard-won experience.

Real problems. Practical solutions. Ideas to make work better for everyone.

The Capability Myth (and why your best people still can't do their best work)

Most organisations blame people for not thinking strategically—then wonder why training doesn't fix it. Here's the uncomfortable truth: it's not a capability gap, it's a systems gap. Discover how Design for Thinking helps you structure work around how brains actually function.

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When Did Work Get So Damn Hard?

Something’s shifted in the working world. We’re busier than ever, but not moving forward. Work didn’t get harder — the way we work did. Here’s why it’s time to stop the spiral, strip back the complexity, and design work that actually works.

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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 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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