It took me a long time to discover that eating right, exercising and doing all the ‘right things’ isn’t enough to be well. I tried everything from raw food to hot yoga, from reducing my work hours from 14 to 7 hours per day, but I was still missing the most important ingredient.

It leaves leaders bewildered when plans aren't executed, milestones are missed, and results are wanting. How could people not understand the well prepared, clearly articulated monologue you delivered?

Accountability is a mindset leader look for most in their people. Higher levels of ownership across the organisation so everyone's focused on the right things and resources are utilised efficiently.

The small stuff can feel like relief, a sabbatical from the pressure of how to deal with the big stuff, especially when the big stuff is unclear or feels overwhelming - even though we know that staying in the small stuff is not the way to lead people into new levels of performance.

But if I break it down for you, these are the 3 things that, if you do them consistently over time, with the right intention and with integrity, you will see people transform their mindset, willingness to work together and ability to achieve a new goal right before your eyes.

There is a 'normal' within your organisation that has been accepted and is adhered to, not through intention, but from shared habit. It's often a silent acceptance, but it keeps costly workarounds hidden and enables finger pointing at others for change.

To create a trust culture, a leader must do the work of self-reflection to understand what's missing in their skills, abilities, communication, understanding, management and leadership such that their team is not performing.

There are benefits on both sides when men mentor women" explains David Smith, author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. For example, "women advance faster (and) men increase their interpersonal skills.”

Communication Intelligence (CI) originally related to the quality of data captured from communication. But, for me, the term speaks directly to our skills and ability in what we bring to communication.

When we live from our hearts we have no interest in comparing ourselves to what anyone else is doing or what we think we should be doing. We let go our expectations and judgments of ourselves and others, and get on with creating in a way that inspires us from the inside out.

Bigger questions are being asked than we dared ask before, more demands are being made than we once considered ourselves worthy of making, and expectations are heightened beyond what we ever considered were fair to expect.

But all of that belongs to the old way, the old paradigm of leadership.... and it's no longer enough to meet the outcomes that business, community and economies are forecasting and the practices people are seeking.

That moment was a catalyst that catapulted me toward wanting to understand more deeply what made human beings tick, and the difference between what was going on inside a person to how they were perceived on the outside.

Neuroscience tells us that after the age of 35 we are 95% unconscious as we go about our day, living our lives based on a memorised set of behaviours, emotional reactions, habits, attitudes and beliefs.

Every person you meet is hiding behind some kind of mask. Hiding pieces of themselves they don't want you to see. A part of their identity they've decided won't be liked, accepted or welcomed by you or the tribe they want to belong to.

There's no denying busy is part of our day to day life, but if a busy mindset becomes a chronic condition, your team might look like they're moving when in fact they're comfortably treading water.

As leaders, our job is to hold the light of the future, make it so bright and clear and compelling that our people want to give their absolute best, follow us into treacherous territory (if needed) and eventually take over the lead.

Through coaching women and men in leadership for many years, I have learned that while there are significant differences between how we feel, how we process those feelings and how we connect, there are also significant similarities in what we seek and yearn.