In this episode, as part of our Sustainable Leadership series, Richard explores some of the many ways that leadership development activities can fail to deliver.

While it's often one of the most important people development investments an organisation can make, the results can fall of short of expectations for a variety of reasons. From a lack of evidence, over-reliance on fads, and use of 'motivational speakers', through to avoiding any kind of evaluation.

Let us know what you think about the leadership development you've experienced, or have been responsible for - we love to hear from listeners. Email us your questions and reflections at 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com'.

Thanks for listening!

Resources for this episode

• Our Sustainable Leadership information hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainableleadership
• 'What is sustainable leadership?' https://youtu.be/2jsVtHRpg4Q
• Blog post: When leadership development goes wrong: https://www.worklifepsych.com/when-leadership-development-goes-wrong/

This is the second part of Richard's two-part interview with Dr. Richard Duggins, all about his work in treating burnout. You can find the first part of this interview here.

In this episode, Dr. Richard Duggins explains the role of the workplace and workplace culture in employees' experiene of burnout. Why 'keeping calm and carrying on' is precisely what not to do in the face of overwhelming demands. And busts some common myths about burnout.

We also look at the role of leadership and its demands when it comes to burnout, the dangerous and unsustainable coping strategies leaders may be tempted to use, and how post-burnout growth can represent a light at the end of the tunnel.

Again, big thanks to Richard for his time and expertise.

And to everyone else, thanks for listening!

Resources for this episode

• Find out more about our Sustainable Leadership campaign here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainableleadership
• Find out more about Dr. Richard Duggins here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-duggins-dr/
• Find Richard’s book here: https://uk.jkp.com/products/burnoutfree-working
• Our video on the wellbeing challenges faced by leaders: https://youtu.be/Uk4uCpEzzfQ

In this episode of our 'Sustainable Leadership' series, we explore the antithesis of sustainable work: professional burnout.

Richard is joined by Dr. Richard Duggins, consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who is known as the 'Doctor's Doctor' due to his work with physicians experiencing burnout in the NHS. His recent book 'Burnout-free working' explores the topic in detail, demystifying burnout and explaining how recovery is possible.

In this first part of a two-part interview, we establish what burnout actually is, explore the 'burnout cliff' concept, learn about the role of 'radiators' and 'drains' the key impact of organisational culture.

Huge thanks to Dr. Richard Duggins for taking the time to join us for this discussion. Part two of the interview follows in the next episode.

Thanks for listening!

Resources for this episode

Find out more about our Sustainable Leadership campaign here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainableleadership

Find out more about Dr. Richard Duggins here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-duggins-dr/

Find Richard's book here: https://uk.jkp.com/products/burnoutfree-working

This episode of the podcast is based on a webinar we recently ran on the topic of emotional literacy.

In this session, Dr. Richard MacKinnon and Ross McIntosh explain what sustainable leadership is, the role of emotional literacy in leadership, the risks of neglecting it and some simple ways to develop it.

This is part of our 'Sustainable Leadership' series and you can find out more and access our free white paper on the topic, by clicking the link below.

Resources for this episode

• Find out all about sustainable leadership here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainableleadership
• Watch our recent webinar on the role of psychological flexibility in sustainable leadership here: https://youtu.be/QeGSpYbeguY
• Find out more about psychological flexibility here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility

Welcome to another episode of My Pocket Psych, which is part of our ongoing 'Sustainable Leadership' series.

In this episode, Richard is joined by clinical and coaching psychologist Dr. Petra Gwilliam, to discuss the importance of mental health when it comes to leadership.

We've previously looked at some of the challenges leaders can face at work, and the benefits of cultivating psychological flexibility (Episode 186). In this episode, Richard and Petra discuss some of the many challenges to leaders' mental health specifically, how dips in mental health can show up in leaders' emotions, attitudes and behaviour, and the importance of taking early action when mental health issues become apparent.

Resources for this episode

• Our Sustainable Leadership information hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainableleadership
• Download our free white on Sustainable Leadership: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sustainable_Leadership_whitepaper.pdf
• Ep 186 - Why leaders need to be psychologically flexible: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/186
• Our Psychological Flexibility information hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility
• Find out more about Dr. Petra Gwilliam here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petragwilliam/
• Register for our upcoming free Sustainable Leadership webinars here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/sustainable-leadership-4167563

Visit https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/187 for full show notes, Petra's detailed bio and a selection of important mental health resources.

Continuing our theme of the importance of Sustainable Leadership, this episode is a little bit different.

Earlier this month, I facilitated a webinar with my good friend and collaborator Dr. Rachael Skews. It was the first of our new series of free monthly webinars on the topic of Sustainable leadership - and I'll put a link to the booking site so you can see the details of the remaining sessions.

The focus of our session was making the case for boosting psychological flexibility in leaders. I explained what we mean by sustainable leadership, Rachael introduced the concept of psychological flexibility, and then we looked at how it can address some of the many challenges leaders can face at work. We wrap up with exploring some of the ways leaders can cultivate these important skills.

And while we have a lovely video recording of the webinar live on our YouTube channel, I know lots of you prefer to access this kind of information via audio, as you go for a walk or a run, do the housework, or navigate your daily commute. So here's a slightly edited copy of the audio from last week.

As always, get in touch with your questions, comments and feedback by email via podcast@worklifepsych.com

Thanks for listening!

Resources for this episode

• The video recording of this webinar: https://youtu.be/QeGSpYbeguY
• Download the slides that accompany this webinar here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Why-leaders-need-to-be-psychologically-flexible-slides.pdf
• You can find all the resources that accompany this series at our dedicated page: https://www.worklifepsych.com/SustainableLeadership
• Download our free white paper on Sustainable Leadership here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sustainable_Leadership_whitepaper.pdf
• We’re also running a series of free leadership-focused webinars over the next few months. You can find out more and reserve your place by visiting our Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/sustainable-leadership-4167563
• Finally, you can learn all about Psychological Flexibility by visiting our resources page here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/PsychologicalFlexibility

This episode is the first in a new series where we'll unpack all aspects of leadership, leadership development and the wellbeing and performance of leaders.

In this episode, Richard is joined by Dr. Wayne Mullen, an experienced leadership development expert, to set the scene, outline our rationale for focusing on leadership, and explore some of the ways leadership can go wrong.

In the coming episodes, we're going to look at topics like the role of coaching in leadership development, the importance of leaders' mental health at work, and why resilience just isn't enough.

We hope you'll join us on the journey

Resources for this episode

You can find all the resources that accompany this series at our dedicated page: https://www.worklifepsych.com/SustainableLeadership

We're also running a series of free leadership-focused webinars over the next few months. You can find out more and reserve your place by visiting our Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/sustainable-leadership-4167563

Details of our 'Considering Coaching?' webinars can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/considering-coaching-4113743

You can find Wayne's blog post about intentional leadership here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainable-leadership-leading-on-purpose/

In this episode, we wrap up our 'Thriving at Work' focus on wellbeing by asking a simple question: when it comes to improving your health and wellbeing, have you considered actually doing less?

So much of the advice we get about our wellbeing implies the need to do more of something: new foods, new diets, new exercises, new methods and approaches. But if we look at the root causes of so much of our pain and ill health, it stems from over-consumption, over-exertion and overwhelm.

If you're clear on what matters, focus on moving in that direction, being more intentional along the way. Small things, done with consistency, can have a wonderfully positive impact on our wellbeing. Far more so than any fitness or diet fad.

Take a moment to identify what responsibilities and project you can set down, what tasks you can leave undone, and what demands you've placed on yourself you can shrug off.

As always, thanks for listening!

Resources for this episode

You can find our 'Thriving at Work' hub here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thriving

Find out all about our approach to wellbeing at work: https://www.worklifepsych.com/wellbeing