THE HARD TRUTH ABOUT COLLABORATION: WHY TEAMWORK IS SO HARD (AND HOW TO FIX IT)
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Editor-in-Chief
Datu Dr. Haji Azhar bin Haji Ahmad
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Awang Ismail bin Awang Hambali Abdul Rani Haji Adenan
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WHY LEADERS CAN’T FAKE AUTHENTICITY IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW TO GET BUY-IN FOR YOUR IDEA: TIPS TO SEAL THE DEAL
THE WEAKNESS ADVANTAGE
DOES YOUR TEAM HAVE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY OR JUST COMFORT?
SARAWAK STRENGTHENS FUTURE LEADERS THROUGH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
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Leader’s Digest is a monthly publication by the Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service, dedicated to advancing civil service leadership and to inspire our Sarawak Civil Service (SCS) leaders with contemporary leadership principles. It features a range of content contributed by our strategic partners and panel of advisors from renowned global institutions as well as established corporations that we are affiliated with. Occasionally, we have guest contributions from our pool of subject matter experts as well as from our own employees.
The views expressed in the articles published are not necessarily those of Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service Sdn. Bhd. (292980-T). No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the publisher’s permission in writing.
Empowering Leaders for Sarawak 2030
As Sarawak advances toward its aspiration of becoming a developed state by 2030, the character and capability of its civil service leadership will be a decisive factor. The challenges ahead, ranging from economic diversification and digital transformation to climate resilience and social inclusivity, demand leaders who are not only competent but also resilient, agile, innovative, and firmly grounded in principles.
Developing such leaders requires a deliberate shift from conventional training to a more holistic leadership ecosystem. This includes embedding adaptive thinking, ethical decision-making, and systems leadership into development programmes, while exposing officers to real-world, cross-sector challenges. Agility must be cultivated through continuous learning and openness to change, while innovation should be encouraged through safe spaces for experimentation and collaboration across agencies and with external partners. Equally important is the anchoring of leadership in strong values, integrity, accountability, and a deep sense of public purpose. In an era of increasing complexity, principled leadership builds trust, ensures sound governance, and sustains long-term progress.
Ultimately, Sarawak’s journey to 2030 is not merely about infrastructure or economic indicators, but about building a future-ready civil service, one that is resilient in the face of adversity, bold in its ideas, swift in its action, and unwavering in its commitment to serve the people with integrity and excellence.
Datu Dr. Azhar Bin Haji Ahmad Chief Executive Officer Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service
Liminal Competence: The Skill of Becoming
BY ELENA DOLMAT
Leadership in transition
There is a phase in leadership that almost no one prepares you for. The old way no longer works, but the new way is not yet clear. Your role is shifting, your strategy feels outdated. Your identity feels unstable. You feel you are no longer who you were, but you are not yet who you are becoming. It’s when the scale of the new no longer fits into the capacity of the old and you find yourself stuck in between.
This space is known as liminality - the state of being 'inbetween'.
In today’s world, leaders don’t pass through this state once in a lifetime. The challenge is to sit in that discomfort without misinterpreting a capacity stretch as a lack of competence.
What is Liminal Competence?
Researchers Elizabeth Borg and Jonas Söderlund noticed something interesting when studying people living in ongoing change. Some people feel drained and disoriented in uncertainty. Others grow, deepen, and even thrive. The case differs according to capacity.
Liminal competence is the ability to remain in uncertainty without turning it into a problem that must be urgently solved and to stay there long enough for something meaningful to clarify. It is the ability to be in the in-between without panicking, forcing clarity, or shutting down. Like any leadership capacity, it can be developed.
What Happens in the Brain During Transitions?
When we enter uncertainty, the brain reacts quickly. The amygdala - our internal alarm system - becomes more active. It scans for danger. It pushes us toward quick resolution.
At the same time, the prefrontal cortex - the part responsible for analysis, perspective, and strategic thinking - works best when we feel safe and regulated.
That’s why during transitions leaders often feel restless, irritated, and impatient.
Or, on the contrary, stuck and confused.
The nervous system wants certainty. It wants relief. But growth requires staying present in the uncertainty a little longer.
When leaders learn to regulate themselves - through selfreflection, developmenttal dialogue, and support – they stretch their thinking capacity and their thinking becomes more flexible. Creativity increases as they begin to see patterns and possibilities that were invisible before. To put it simply:
If you rush to certainty, you protect comfort. If you stay with uncertainty, you expand capacity.
Three Foundations of Liminal Competence
1. Valuing the Between Space
Liminality is essentially a generative space. When familiar rules loosen, creativity can emerge. New identities can form. New strategies can take shape.
Try this: Notice when you label uncertainty as failure.
Ask: What might be forming here that I cannot yet see?
Create space to pause instead of filling every gap of unknown with action.
Ask yourself:
» What am I trying to rush right now?
» What might clarify if I allow more time?
2. Holding a Double Perspective
This means seeing both from inside and outside at the same time. Most leaders get stuck because they only look from the inside out, in which they react to their own stress. The ability to look this way is Systemic Self-Awareness – a framework, which I developed in 2025.
Perspective Focus Key Question
The Inside Your biology & ego "Why am I so annoyed right now?"
The Outside The environment "What pressure is the company putting on my team?"
This ability expands perspective and reduces emotional reactivity.
Practice Systemic Self-Awareness by asking just two things:
» What assumptions am I holding?
» How would an outsider describe this situation?
3. Turning Experience Into Narrative
When experiences remain unnamed, they feel chaotic. When we put them into words, something shifts. Creating narrative helps the brain integrate emotion and meaning. It turns confusion into learning.
Try this: Journal during transitions. Share your in-between experience with someone you trust.
Ask: What is this period teaching me about myself?
Maintaining Energy and Pace in Uncertainty
Transitions can be exhausting. The brain works harder without clear reference points.
Here are practical ways to stay grounded:
• Regulate before you decide Breathe. Calm the nervous system before making strategic choices.
• Avoid artificial certainty
Quick answers feel good but often cost more later.
Ask: Am I choosing this because it’s right or because I’m uncomfortable?
• Design small experiments
Instead of waiting for full clarity, try small steps. This restores momentum without forcing false stability.
• Separate identity from role
When roles change, identity can feel shaken. Remind yourself: I am more than this position.
Why You Should Not Navigate This Alone
There is one important nuance. Developing liminal competence in isolation is extremely difficult. When we are in transition, our internal mirror becomes foggy. That's why we need those who are in similar transitions or who have walked this path before.
This is where individual coaching and team coaching become powerful.
Coaching strengthens your capacity to stay with meaningful questions. Team coaching helps groups normalize uncertainty, surface hidden tensions, and build a shared narrative without losing trust or energy along the way.
Without support, uncertainty drains. With the right support, it transforms.
Closing Thoughts
In the age of AI and constant disruption, the advantage is now depth.
Liminal competence is about growing through change. The future will to those who can stand there - aware, grounded, and open - long enough for something new to emerge.
If this resonates, perhaps ask yourself:
Where in my life or leadership am I currently 'between'? How am I choosing to meet it?
Elena Dolmat
Elena Dolmat is an Executive Coach based in Malaysia, working with leaders and teams across the globe. She specializes in Vertical Leadership Development and integrates neuroscience-based approaches to expand leadership capacity and awareness. Elena is an experienced debriefer for 360° leadership assessments and has coached numerous individuals and organizations, helping them achieve powerful breakthroughs and meaningful, lasting change.
The Hard Truth About
Collaboration:
Why Teamwork is So Hard (and How to Fix It)
BY EVA CHRISTODOULOU
Collaboration sounds simple — until you actually have to do it.
Collaboration is one of the most celebrated ideas in modern organisations. It appears in mission statements, leadership frameworks, performance reviews, and town halls. Teams are encouraged to break silos, work cross-functionally, and align to common goals.
And yet, collaboration remains one of the most persistent organisational struggles.
Projects stall. Departments compete. Meetings multiply. Misunderstandings compound. Teams claim alignment while quietly optimising for different outcomes.
While leaders often stress the importance of collaboration, they tend to underestimate the forces working against it.
The Myth of Natural Teamwork
Research consistently shows that effective collaboration is not automatic.
According to Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, high-performing teams require psychological safety — a shared belief that it is safe to take interpersonal risks. Without it, individuals withhold ideas, avoid conflict, and default to self-protection.
Meanwhile, research on social loafing (Latané, Williams & Harkins, 1979) demonstrates that individuals exert less effort when working in groups than when working alone — especially when accountability is diffuse.
From a cognitive standpoint, humans are not naturally wired for seamless collaboration. We evolved for small-group survival, not matrixed corporate ecosystems involving multiple reporting lines, digital communication layers, and competing incentives.
In other words, collaboration is not instinctive at scale. It is designed — or it fails.
What Stops Teams From Working Well Together?
1. Misaligned Incentives
One of the most significant barriers to collaboration is structural, not behavioural.
Teams are often evaluated on functional KPIs — sales targets, operational efficiency, cost containment, customer acquisition — while collaboration is treated as a soft expectation rather than a measurable outcome.
Research in organisational design shows that people optimise for what they are rewarded for. If incentives are not aligned across teams, cooperation becomes optional — and competition becomes rational.
For example, it is indeed very easy to have a scenario where sales may prioritise revenue speed, operations may prioritise cost discipline, and compliance may prioritise risk mitigation. Each team may succeed individually while the company underperforms collectively.
2. Goal Misalignment: Are Team Goals Truly Linked to Company Strategy?
In theory, cascading objectives align teams to corporate strategy.
In practice, research by Gallup indicates that only about 40% of employees strongly agree that they know what their organisation stands for and how their work contributes to it.
This suggests that company goals are often too abstract, team goals are translated unevenly and trade-offs between functions are rarely clarified.
As strategy moves downward, interpretation expands. What begins as a corporate ambition (e.g. Increase market leadership”) becomes multiple departmental interpretations — some complementary, some conflicting.
Without explicit trade-off discussions, teams pursue “local optimisation” rather than enterprise value.
3. Identity and In-Group Bias
Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) explains that individuals derive part of their self-concept from group membership.
Within organisations, this manifests as “Finance vs Marketing”, “HQ vs Field”, or “Operations vs Sales”.
Even when unintentional, this in-group/out-group bias shapes perception:
» We see our constraints as real.
» We see others’ constraints as excuses.
» We interpret our motives as strategic.
» We interpret others’ motives as political.
Cross-team collaboration therefore becomes less about shared goals and more about defending territory.
4. Communication Overload Without Clarity
Modern teams communicate more than ever — emails, Slack channels, dashboards, shared drives, project tools.
Yet research from MIT’s Human Dynamics Lab suggests that the quality of interaction patterns — energy, engagement, and exploration — predicts team performance more than sheer communication volume.
More interaction does not equal better collaboration. Often, collaboration fails because decisions are ambiguous, ownership is unclear, meetings substitute for alignment (but fail to achieve it), and difficult conversations are avoided. The absence of structured decision-making creates friction disguised as busyness. So much communication – yet people seem to be ever more unclear about the stance that is required.
5. Fear of Conflict
Patrick Lencioni’s work on team dysfunction identifies fear of conflict as a core barrier.
Teams that avoid productive disagreement:
» Experience artificial harmony.
» Suppress dissent.
» Fail to surface trade-offs early.
» Escalate problems later.
Ironically, teams that appear harmonious may be the least collaborative — because collaboration requires constructive friction.
6. Complexity and Cognitive Load
As organisations grow, interdependencies multiply. Cross-team work demands perspective-taking, systems thinking, negotiation, prioritisation under ambiguity. Cognitive psychology tells us that under high cognitive load, individuals revert to simplifying heuristics: protect your own goals, minimise risk and avoid any additional uncertainty at all cost.
In high-pressure environments, collaboration is often the first casualty.
The Illusion of Alignment
Organisations frequently claim alignment because everyone attended the strategy town hall, OKRs were cascaded and slides were shared on specific matters. That should do it right? But alignment, is not information transfer.
Alignment requires shared interpretation, agreed trade-offs, and visible consequences for misalignment. Without these, teams may nod in agreement while internally redefining goals in ways that suit their own metrics.
True alignment is tested not when things are easy — but when objectives conflict.
Within-Team vs Across-Team Collaboration
The challenges differ in important ways.
1.
Within Teams
Barriers tend to revolve around psychological safety, role clarity, accountability and interpersonal trust. These can often be strengthened through leadership behaviour, team norms, and clear feedback loops.
2. Across
Teams
Barriers are more structural - competing KPIs, resource constraints, status differences,, ambiguous authority and differing time horizons. Cross-team collaboration requires governance clarity, decision rights, and explicit integration mechanisms — not just better relationships.
So What Could Change All This?
Collaboration improves when organisations address structure and psychology simultaneously.
1. Align Incentives, Not Just Intentions
Shared goals must be measurable and interdependent.
For example:
» Introduce joint KPIs across departments.
» Tie bonuses partly to enterprise outcomes, not just functional success.
» Reward cross-functional problem-solving.
When collaboration affects compensation and recognition, behaviour shifts.
2. Make Trade-Offs Explicit Leaders should openly clarify:
» What will be prioritised.
» What will be sacrificed.
» Who has final decision rights.
Ambiguity breeds territorial behaviour. Clarity reduces political friction.
3. Design for Psychological Safety
Leaders must model admitting uncertainty, inviting dissent, framing failures as learning and separating ideas from identity.
Psychological safety does not eliminate conflict — it enables healthy conflict.
4. Create Shared Experiences
Research on intergroup contact suggests that structured collaboration around shared challenges reduces bias.
Cross-functional simulations, strategic problem-solving labs, and enterprise-wide initiatives create perspective alignment faster than policy memos ever will.
When people experience trade-offs together, empathy increases.
5. Improve Decision Architecture
Instead of relying on consensus or escalation, organisations benefit from clear RAPID or RACI frameworks, defined escalation paths and agreed conflict resolution protocols.
Collaboration improves when decision rights are transparent.
6. Build Enterprise Thinking as a Leadership Skill
Leaders must be trained not only to run their teams — but to think systemically.
Enterprise thinking involves understanding second-order effects, anticipating interdependencies, and balancing shortterm wins with long-term positioning. Without this capability, collaboration becomes negotiation rather than integration.
A Final Reflection: Collaboration is Not About Harmony
Collaboration is often romanticised as agreement and positivity.
In reality, effective collaboration is:
» Structured disagreement.
» Visible trade-offs.
» Shared accountability.
» Collective ownership of consequences.
It requires emotional maturity, organisational clarity, and systems design.
Most teams struggle not because people are unwilling, but because incentives conflict, goals are abstract, authority is unclear and psychological risk is high.
The good news is that collaboration improves when leaders design for it.
When organisations align structure with behaviour, clarify trade-offs, and reward enterprise outcomes over local wins, collaboration stops being aspirational — and starts becoming operational.
And when that happens, teams do not just work together. They move together.
Eva Christodoulou
Eva was formerly the Research & Development leader at Leaderonomics. Prior to that, she was an editor at Leaderonomics.com. Today, she is the Product leader of Happily, an engagement app at Leaderonomics Digital. She believes that everyone can be the leader they would like to be, if they are willing to put in the effort and are curious to learn along the way, as well as with some help from the people around them.
5 Ways to Sharpen Your Perspective Daily
BY AMIRAH NADIAH
How to break the autopilot cycle.
We all have hobbies. Some love to read, others play sports, hike mountains, or simply enjoy a stroll through the park. These activities are fun and undeniably good for both body and soul.
However, there are habits that often go unnoticed. They seem mundane, yet they quietly refine how we think, sharpen our understanding, and create space for self-reflection.
In a life that is constantly busy and full of distractions, sometimes the simplest things we do daily can be the most effective mental workouts. Below are a few activities that might seem trivial but have a massive impact on how we understand life and ourselves.
1. Write things down
Most of us live inside our thoughts without ever examining them. We react, decide, assume — all at speed.
That’s when you put something on paper, you’re forced to slow your thinking enough to actually see it.
In the act of writing, you start to recognise patterns in your decisions, fears, and even underlying beliefs. The page becomes a mirror reflecting the architecture of your thinking.
What once felt like isolated incidents slowly reveals a deeper narrative about who you are and how you make sense of the world. From there, you can decide whether to keep those patterns — or change them.
2. Talk through what you’ve just learned
Learning alone isn't enough. After picking up something new, try explaining it to someone else.
When you try to explain a concept in simple terms, you are actually testing your own grasp of the subject. If you can explain it simply, it’s a sign that you truly understand it.
3. Fix things instead of tossing them
In our ‘fast-fashion’ world, it’s easy to just replace something the moment it breaks. Try taking the time to fix it first. Sometimes you just need to prop up a wobbly chair with something instead of spending another $50 on a new one.
With countless tutorials on YouTube and TikTok, help is always available. The process of repairing something teaches you how things work, builds patience, and hones your problem-solving skills. More importantly, it builds the confidence that you are capable of learning new skills at any time.
4. Curate your digital intake
What we consume daily shapes how we think. Instead of mindless scrolling, try to intentionally choose content that adds value—it’s just as infinite as the entertaining stuff, but far more rewarding.
When you control your information input, you are slowly sculpting your mindset. The right content can open new perspectives and help you see the world with more clarity.
5. Walk without earphones
We are constantly surrounded by noise: music, podcasts, videos. Try walking without earphones for a change. Listen to the ambient sounds around you—the wind, birds, the clacking of a keyboard, or even the hum of a fan at home.
It might feel uncomfortably quiet at first. But in that silence, your mind is finally given the room to breathe and wander. Often, the best ideas don’t appear when we are searching for them, but when we finally give ourselves the space to think.
Amirah Nadiah
Amirah Nadiah holds an academic background in Malay Language and Linguistics. This foundation, combined with her passion for reading and staying current on contemporary issues, enables her to maintain a sharp awareness of diverse topics. As a Content Editor, she specializes in translation and is actively involved in creating engaging and compelling content.
Source: Freepik
Digital Overload: A Sad Way to Live
BY GREGG VANOUREK
How can you disconnect from digital overload?
What a SAD way to live: letting the digital overload of Screens, Algorithms, and Devices take over so much of our lives. If you spend an average of just two hours a day on your device—a conservative estimate for most—you will have given up a staggering 10 years of your waking life to screens by the time you reach age 80. Many people spend double that. That’s 20 years.
Yes, our devices are amazing, but are they worth giving up so much of our time on the planet?
Clearly, there are tradeoffs. Technology is great because you can text your spouse about the grocery list, connect with friends, and buy things at the click of a button. But what about binge-watching, doom-scrolling, validation seeking, comparison scrolling, Pavlovian notification checking, clickbait chasing, impulse buying, and rabbit-hole falling? How much time have you spent on those?
"Some
days, we just need to turn the quiet up. "
-Dr. SunWolf, Professor, Santa Clara University
And how dependent are you on your phone? These days, there’s even a term for it: “nomophobia” (when you fear being detached from mobile phone connectivity, i.e., “NO MObile PHone PhoBIA”).
Think about how you feel when you’ve been on your device for a while. Frazzled. Dull. Lifeless. Mopey. Exhausted. In a nutshell, probably worse.
The Value of Screens and Devices
You can of course derive great value from technology and devices. You might use educational apps to learn a new language. Take online courses to advance your career. Attend virtual meetings to save time. Use video calls to stay close with distant relatives. Use health apps to track wellness goals. All good.
But there are also many risks and downsides to using screens and devices so often.
The Downsides of Digital Overload with Screens and Devices
Mounting research connects heavy screen use with a host of potential harmful consequences, including:
» addiction
» increased anxiety and depression
» reduced attention spans
» reduced cognitive function
» eye strain
» trouble maintaining focus
» exposure to disturbing or harmful content
» reduced time outdoors
» sedentary behavior
» sleep disruption
» social isolation
What About Algorithms?
As with screens and devices, so it goes with algorithms. An algorithm is essentially a set of invisible instructions that tells a computer what to do or show you next, based on your behavior (clicks, view time, etc.). When YouTube cues up a string of related videos after you watch one, that’s the algorithm at work.
The algorithm isn’t designed to serve your best interests. It’s designed to keep your eyes on the screen, because more time on the platform means more advertising revenue for them. In other words, they’re selling your attention to advertisers. They’re monitoring and monetizing you.
"Imagine walking into a control room with a bunch of people hunched over a desk with little dials, and that that control room will shape the thoughts and feelings of a billion people. This might sound like science fiction, but this actually exists right now, today…. Right now it’s as if all of our technology is basically only asking our lizard brain what’s the best way to impulsively get you to do the next tiniest thing with your time, instead of asking: in your life, what would be time well spent for you?
-Tristan Harris, Executive Director, Center for Humane Technology"
The Benefits of Algorithms
Of course, there are many benefits that can come from algorithms. For example, you can use them to do (or help with) many things, including:
» solving crimes
» analyzing huge data sets (e.g., monitoring power grids for failures, detecting early signs of cancer in medical imaging)
» automating boring or repetitive tasks
» identifying students at risk of dropping out of school
» developing vaccines
The possibilities are remarkable. But there are also dangers that are easy to miss.
The Insidious Effects of Algorithms on Our Lives
In his book, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity, English writer Paul Kingsnorth notes that even the words we use to describe the tech we use every day (e.g., the web, the net) are revealing: “These are things designed to trap prey.” They trap us with the promise of dopamine hits from likes and the hope of finding that super-cute cat video.
Author Cathy O’Neil calls a certain class of algorithms weapons of math destruction:
"The math-powered applications powering the data economy were based on choices made by fallible human beings. Some of these choices were no doubt made with the best intentions. Nevertheless, many of these models encoded human prejudice, misunderstanding, and bias into the software systems that increasingly managed our lives. Like gods, these mathematical models were opaque, their workings invisible to all but the highest priests in their domain: mathematicians and computer scientists…. I came up with a name for these harmful kinds of models: Weapons of Math Destruction."
- Cathy O’Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy
Here are some ways that algorithms can be harmful:
» amplification of bias and discrimination (e.g., in criminal sentencing, hiring/screening job candidates, housing/renting, insurance rates, loan applications, university admissions)
» manipulation of consumers and voters (e.g., giving people only information that supports their preferences or preconceptions, or taking people down “rabbit holes” with conspiracy theories)
» spreading of misinformation and false narratives
» intensification of polarization
» erosion of privacy
» distortion of your self-image (e.g., body shape).
Another issue with algorithms is that they’re often mysterious. Sometimes even their programmers don’t fully understand them.
Though they’re very effective at many things, algorithms often miss the nuances associated with complex endeavors, leading to unforeseen consequences. Consider when they’re involved with decisions about teaching students or caring for sick patients.
What’s more, the errors associated with (or caused by) algorithms are often magnified due to the scale that technology facilitates. According to journalist and author Hilke Schellmann, “One biased human hiring manager can harm a lot of people in a year, and that’s not great. But an algorithm that is maybe used in all incoming applications at a large company… that could harm hundreds of thousands of applicants.”
What to Do About Digital Overload
What does this mean for you? How can you derive the benefits of technology without succumbing to digital overload? Here are five things you can do to reduce the damage caused by excessive use of screens, algorithms, and devices:
1. Set boundaries around your device use
Example: no screens for the first and last hour of each day. This would give you time to ease into your morning with coffee and a book instead of emails, and wind down at night without the blue light and mental stimulation that can interfere with sleep. Also, track your average daily device time and take action when it’s ballooning.
2. Create screen-free zones in your home
Example: keep devices out of the bedroom so it remains a space for rest and connection. Establish a no-phones-at-the-table rule so meals become a time for talking instead of scrolling.
3. Calendarize offline activities
If screen time is preventing you from engaging in hobbies, reading, exercising, cooking, meditating, or spending time outdoors, develop a system to help turn the tide. Example: block out an evening each week for your hobby. Take a short walk after lunch every day. Set aside Saturday mornings for reading with your coffee.
There are two keys to this approach. The first is to develop habits and routines that make it easier to do things you enjoy instead of defaulting to passive digital consumption. The second is to get outside much more. Journalist and author Richard Louv laments what he calls nature deficit-disorder, which he defines as “a diminished ability to find meaning in the life that surrounds us.” He explains that it’s not a medical diagnosis; rather, it’s a simple way to describe the growing gap between us and nature.
"There’s no WiFi in the forest, but you’ll find a better connection."
-author unknown
4. Turn off notifications
Frequent pings and buzzes fragment your attention and create unnecessary urgency around trivial things. Action: disable all notifications except calls and texts from your favorites list, so you’re not interrupted by every new email or social media like while you’re working on a project or having dinner with friends. (And just because you see a notification doesn’t mean you need to address it now.)
5. Create a digital detox routine
Example: designate every Sunday as a screen-free day to recharge and reconnect with loved ones and the natural world.
Conclusion: Defeating Digital Overload
Sometimes our use of technology masks deeper issues. Are you using tech to avoid problems at home or to numb your pain? Do you resort to screens and devices instead of developing a rich inner life?
It’s now painfully clear that even though we’re deriving great value from these products, we’re also paying dearly for them in terms of our precious time, wellbeing, and sanity.
How about you? Is it time to take your life back from the SAD three (Screens, Algorithms, Devices) so you can spend more time living, breathing, connecting, serving, loving, and thriving? I suspect you know the answer. The key is keeping your focus on what really matters—and counting the cost of trading it away for the digital abyss.
Here’s to living well and deploying our devices to serve our own needs and not vice versa. –Gregg
This article was originally published on Gregg Vanourek's LinkedIn.
Gregg Vanourek
Gregg Vanourek is an executive, changemaker, and award-winning author who trains, teaches, and speaks on leadership, entrepreneurship, and life and work design. He runs Gregg Vanourek LLC, a training venture focused on leading self, leading others, and leading change. Gregg is co-author of three books, including Triple Crown Leadership (a winner of the International Book Awards) and LIFE Entrepreneurs (a manifesto for integrating our life and work with purpose and passion).
Are You Guarding Dry Paint?
BY ROSHAN THIRAN
The Story I Read
Yesterday, I received a Whatsapp image from a friend which captured a short story. The story quickly got me thinking about my own organisation and team and that sometimes, even in my life and organisation, we end up doing meaningless things that are completely non-productive and a waste of time. I am retelling the essence of the story (in much a summarised way) below.
Here goes:
A newly appointed camp commander was doing his first inspection when he stumbled upon a strange sight: two soldiers standing guard beside an old wooden bench. Curious, he asked, “Why are you guarding this bench?”
The soldiers shrugged. “We don’t know, sir. The previous commander ordered it, and we’re just following tradition.”
Perplexed, the commander called up the last few commanders. Each one gave the same reply: “I don’t know. The one before me started it, and I just kept the tradition.”
Finally, he tracked down a retired general who had run the camp decades ago. Laughing loudly, the old man said, “What? You mean they’re still guarding that bench? All I did was tell a couple of men to watch over it for a few hours while the paint was drying!”
And so, for sixty years, soldiers had been wasting time and energy guarding dry paint—all in the name of tradition.
The Lesson
This little tale captures the danger of blindly following traditions and the status quo without ever questioning their purpose. What began as a practical instruction turned into a meaningless ritual because no one dared to ask why. And this is quite common in many organisations and sometimes in our own lives. It would be good to take some time to re-examine the rituals and practices we have in our organisations
The Dangers of Blind Tradition
Here are some research and data points that I have gathered that reinforce this story. It is not something absurd but it is something common in many workplaces, creating multiple issues including waste, groupthink, and has even implications on your culture and innovation. Check these data point below:
1. Organisational Waste
Research by Harvard Business Review (2015) found that up to 30% of organisational processes are “rituals” with no measurable value, yet they persist because “that’s how it’s always been done.” McKinsey estimates that companies waste 20–30% of resources annually due to outdated procedures that are never challenged.
2. Groupthink and Stagnation
Social psychologist Irving Janis’ famous work on groupthink shows how blindly conforming to established practices suppresses creativity and critical thought. The Challenger disaster in 1986 is a tragic example—NASA engineers followed existing norms despite clear warning signs, leading to catastrophe.
3. Cultural and Social Impact
A 2020 Deloitte survey revealed that 52% of employees feel trapped in outdated work practices, leading to disengagement and reduced innovation.
In families and societies, traditions can also perpetuate harmful stereotypes or practices if never questioned. For instance, the World Bank notes that in many developing regions, rigid traditions around gender roles suppress women’s participation in the workforce, limiting economic growth.
4. The Innovation Penalty
Clayton Christensen’s research on The Innovator’s Dilemma shows that industry leaders often fail because they stick to old practices while disruptive newcomers ask fresh questions. Kodak, for example, clung to film traditions long after digital photography was viable—resulting in bankruptcy.
Closing Thought
Tradition can be beautiful when it gives meaning, roots, and identity. But when tradition becomes mindless habit, it turns into soldiers guarding a bench that no longer needs guarding.
Leaders, organisations, and even families must constantly ask: “Why are we still doing this? Does it serve its purpose—or are we just guarding dry paint?”
Roshan is the Founder and “Kuli” of the Leaderonomics Group of companies. He believes that everyone can be a leader and "make a dent in the universe," in their own special ways. He is featured on TV, radio and numerous publications sharing the Science of Building Leaders and on leadership development. Follow him at www.roshanthiran.com
Roshan Thiran
Why Leaders Can’t Fake Authenticity in the Age of Social Media
BY WILLIAM ARRUDA
Why you don't have to jump on every trend. People can spot a fake from a mile away. Building an engaged audience isn’t about putting on a persona or pursuing polished perfection. It’s about authentic branding. Aura farming, the practice of curating a highly stylized persona that’s disconnected from reality, is flooding social platforms, and it’s starting to experience a backlash. The term went viral after many celebrities began appearing a little too perfect in their online posts. Travis Kelce, for example, participated in a TikTok trend showcasing highly stylized, meme-worthy vibes. While playful and entertaining, this approach can backfire when you try to create a persona solely to capture attention rather than build trust. What grabs viewers’ attention quickly typically loses credibility just as fast.
Why Authenticity Matters More Than Ever
SEO agency Studio 36 explains it this way. “Consumers, particularly Gen Z, are hyper-aware of authenticity. They can tell when a persona is engineered solely for engagement, which risks eroding trust instead of building it.” At its core, personal and corporate branding have always been about authenticity. In the age of AI, that foundation is even more important. AI can easily generate a shiny, manufactured persona and produce attention-grabbing content at scale. But attention is not the same as emotional connection, and it doesn’t inspire enduring trust. Sure, it’s tempting to take on an AI-generated perfect persona or engage in aura farming, but it won’t help you reach your goals. Being real will. A 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report revealed that 65% of consumers would stop buying from a brand if they felt it was inauthentic online. For leaders, that makes inauthenticity a business risk.
Trying to farm a vibe is tempting because there’s so much noise online. It’s becoming more challenging to stand out and get noticed. Aura farming could get you some short-term notoriety, but research tells us that it’s unlikely to translate into ongoing, meaningful engagement. Fake personas see 25–30% lower retention on content engagement than authentic storytelling, according to a 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub study. Brands that are perceived as genuine grow community loyalty twice as fast over 12 months, even if their social content isn’t 'memeperfect'.
Aura Farming is the Oppposite of Authenticity
Aura farming may seem fun and innocuous, but it can negatively impact your brand. It comes with a lot of challenges:
» Confusion. Trying to mimic viral trends can take you away from what’s real and create confusion among the members of your audience.
» Short-Lived Attention. Meme-driven hype fades quickly, leaving little long-term impact. You get a spike of engagement, which feels exciting. Then, people move on, and you’re forgotten.
» Public Skepticism. Audiences can detect inauthenticity and often publicly call out contrived content. That gives you the wrong kind of brand visibility. In the age of AI, real, human connection is what builds confidence.
Source: Freepik
Why you don't have to jump on every trend. Brands Should Create an Experience Based in Authenticity Instead of an Artificial Aura
Being real is the most important of 17 personal branding trends for 2026. But being authentic doesn’t mean ignoring social media trends altogether. It’s about integrating content that aligns with your mission, humanizes your brand, and engages your audience consistently. Short-term virality can be fun, but long-term loyalty comes from values, transparency, vulnerability, and relatability. “Brands that invest in a real digital aura, not a manufactured one, will see better engagement, higher trust, and sustainable growth,” said Digital Marketing Expert Andrew Witts from Studio 36. He advises businesses to focus on five authentic, sustainable strategies:
1. Define Your Brand Mission and Values
You need a solid foundation on which to build your communications. Don’t chase every trend. Know and communicate what your brand genuinely stands for. Brand clarity creates consistency, which is the key to building brand connection and loyalty.
2. Showcase Relatable Human Stories
User-generated content, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and employee perspectives resonate more than staged imagery. Real people outperform perfect visuals when it comes to building credibility and emotional connection.
3. Align Social Content with Your Area of Expertise, Product, or Service
Everything you publish online should reinforce your core message rather than mimic virality. Put your content through a brand test and rework content that feels off-brand.
4. Engage Consistently, Not Opportunistically
Regular, honest engagement builds trust. Sporadic meme hijacking risks backlash that could tarnish your brand. Every post should reinforce what you’re known for, not chase what’s trending.
5. Measure Engagement Beyond Likes
Retention and sentiment are the signs of loyalty. Likes only reveal a passing interest. Although it’s tempting to publish content where the like-ometer increases rapidly in real-time, those likes will be forgotten just as quickly as they accumulated.
Be Real, Authenticity is The Key to Genuine Engagement
Authenticity is no longer optional. Audiences, employees, and clients can tell when a brand is performing instead of being real, and the cost is trust. Personal branding consultant Bhavik Sarkhedi put it this way, "I’ve seen this up close, and I genuinely believe manufactured personas work like credit, you get attention now and pay for it later with lost trust. Authentic branding is cash: slower to build, but it never defaults. The strongest personal brands don’t spike for a moment; they quietly compound over time." Engage in regular, on-brand communications. Leaders who resist the urge to chase trends and instead commit to clarity, consistency, and connection will build brands that create deeper, more emotional relationships. That type of connection far outlasts the social media fad du jour.
This article was originally published in Forbes
William Arruda
William Arruda is the bestselling author of the definitive books on personal branding: Digital YOU, Career Distinction and Ditch. Dare. Do! And he’s the creative energy behind Reach Personal Branding and CareerBlast.TV – two groundbreaking organizations committed to expanding the visibility, availability, and value of personal branding across the globe. For more information on Personal Branding , please visit williamarruda.com
How to Get Buy-in For Your Idea: Tips to Seal the Deal
BY KARIN HURT
Great idea. Lots of nods. No decision. Now what?
You’re trying to get buy-in for your idea—an idea you know would add real strategic value—but it’s stuck in conversation purgatory. People are talking about it. Agreeing with it. Circling it in meetings. Saying, “Let’s see,” and then… talking about it some more. Lots of nods. No decision.
So what do you do when your idea has momentum, but not commitment?
5 Ways to Seal the Deal on Your Great Idea
Today’s Asking for a Friend comes from Seal Bay in Australia, where the sea lions are experts at knowing when it’s time to lounge—and when it’s time to move. And if you want to stop discussing your idea and actually get buy-in, here’s what works.
1. Lead With Value, Not Just the Idea
If you want to get buy-in for your idea, start by positioning it in terms of value—not effort, not features, not passion.
Ask yourself: Why does this matter to the colony?
Why does this matter to your stakeholders? customers? employees? the business right now?
In our executive development programs, we say this all the time: your first sentence should be so compelling the other person puts down their phone. When people clearly see the value, buy-in comes faster
2. Translate Your Expertise
Here’s where many smart ideas lose traction.
When you’re close to the data—or deep in the expertise—it’s easy to assume the solution should be obvious. But if you want to get buy-in, your job isn’t to prove how smart you are. It’s to be a translator.
Translate complexity into clarity. Data into meaning. Insight into impact.
If someone can’t explain your idea to someone else, they won’t advocate for it. And without advocates, buy-in stalls.
3. Create a ‘Squeeze Play’ for Buy-In
If you’re relying on one conversation with one decision-maker to get buy-in, you’re making it harder than it needs to be.
Instead, look sideways.
Who else has a credible perspective?
A different angle?
Who influences the people who influence the decision?
Engage them early. When leaders hear about your idea from multiple respected voices, buy-in builds organically. I call this the squeeze play—your idea gets attention because it’s coming from everywhere.
4. Anticipate Objections Before They Surface
Every idea creates ripples. Some create waves.
If you want to get buy-in, don’t wait for objections to appear in the room—bring them up yourself.
Try:
“If I were you, I might be wondering…”
“Here’s the concern I’ve already thought through…”
“Let me address the risk you may be thinking about…”
When you name objections first, you lower resistance and increase trust. That’s how you turn hesitation into buy-in.
5. Make the Path Forward Feel Simple
People don’t resist ideas—they resist ideas that feel like a lot of work.
If you want to get buy-in for your idea, make the first step small. Consider a pilot, a prototype, or a way to trial in one market.
When the path forward feels manageable, people are far more willing to say yes.
6. End With a Clear Ask
This is where many good ideas quietly die.
To get buy-in, you need a specific ask:
“I’m asking to pilot this here.”
“What I need is $5,000.”
“Can I try this for 60 days?”
Clarity creates commitment—and commitment is real buy-in.
So… asking for a friend—what would you add?
What advice would you give someone who’s trying to get buyin for their idea and finally seal the deal?
This article was first published on letsgrowleaders.com
Karin Hurt
Karin Hurt helps human-centered leaders find clarity in uncertainty, drive innovation, and achieve breakthrough results. She’s the founder and CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders, an international leadership development and training firm known for practical tools and leadership development programs that stick, and the author of four books including Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers and Customer Advocates
The Weakness Advantage
BY DAN ROCKWELL
The crack is where the light gets in. Weakness is an asset.
You’re disqualified from leadership if you don’t have weaknesses.
Don’t wait until you have it all together to lead. Make the most of frailties.
Weakness…
1. Expands thinking.
Frailties enable you to think deeply about yourself and broadly about others. What do you learn about yourself? How do your shortcomings make space for the strength of others?
Your gaps are where your team’s strengths fit. When you reject help, you tell others they don’t matter.
2. Extends impact.
Receive help to multiply your impact. Leaders who reject help limit their potential.
3. Creates opportunity.
Serve with frailties. Your struggle is your laboratory.
You feel energy and ownership for the solutions that most help you.
The most powerful solutions you bring are the ones you find for yourself.
4. Enlarges empathy.
Those who embrace their own frailties understand the frailties of others. The alternative is a hard heart. Those, for example, who grapple with cancer, feel empathy for others fighting cancer.
5. Reduces arrogance.
Bullies have blind spots. But scars are bridges.
Pretending you’re strong where you’re weak limits potential, elevates stress, and hinders relationships.
At your next meeting, lead with a problem you haven’t solved yet.
A Rule of Engagement
Don’t make excuses based on shortcomings.
Own flaws but never use them as a crutch.
Successful leaders compensate for frailties. Failures make excuses.
Don’t be less strong because you don’t have it all together. Competencies create success. But the path to successful leadership includes defining, embracing, and feeling the discomfort of weakness.
How might weaknesses make leaders better?
This article was originally published on Leadership Freak
Image Source: Freepik
Dan Rockwell
Dan Rockwell is a coach and speaker and is freakishly interested in leadership. He is an author of a world-renowned leadership blog, Leadership Freak.
Does Your Team Have Psychological Safety or Just Comfort?
BY ROSHAN THIRAN
Psychological Safety vs Psychological Comfort
Lately, as we’ve been working at Leaderonomics on how to operationalise values, I’ve been thinking about one value that is not formally written on many walls… but had better be alive in every team: Psychological safety.
And here’s the problem. Many leaders hear psychological safety and think it means: be gentle, avoid discomfort, don’t upset people, keep things pleasant.
But that is not psychological safety. That is often just psychological comfort. And comfort, while nice, is a terrible long-term growth strategy.
Real psychological safety is not the absence of tension. It is the presence of trust strong enough to handle tension. It means I can say: “I think this plan has a flaw.” “I made a mistake.” “I need help.” “I disagree.” “We may be missing something.” And I can say it without being punished, humiliated, or quietly sidelined.
But here is the part many organisations forget: Psychological safety without accountability does not produce performance
It produces a comfortable team. A nice team. A pleasant team. Sometimes even a very happy team. But not necessarily a learning team. If nobody has challenged a decision in the last month… if no one has surfaced a mistake… if no one has said, “I’m not convinced”… then your team may not be psychologically safe.
They may simply be socially polite. And politeness is not the same as courage.
This matters because the best teams are not built on comfort alone. They are built on the pairing of safety and challenge. People feel safe enough to speak honestly. And accountable enough to improve what they reveal. That is the real goal.
Not a team where everybody feels warm and heard but nothing changes. But a team where people can speak truth, confront reality, and then do the hard work of getting better.
So if I were to operationalise psychological safety, I would never do it as a standalone value. I would tie it tightly to accountability.
Image Source: Freepik
Because safety says: “You can speak.”
Accountability says: “And what we learn must shape what we do next.”
That means leaders must create rituals where people can surface concerns, challenge ideas, admit mistakes, and ask naïve questions… but also rituals where the team acts on what emerges. Otherwise, “safety” becomes group therapy with snacks. Helpful maybe. Transformative rarely.
So here’s one simple question for leaders: Is your team psychologically safe… or just psychologically comfortable?
A few signs you may have comfort without safety:
» meetings are smooth, but shallow
» people nod quickly
» dissent happens only in corridors after the meeting
» mistakes are discussed softly, but rarely studied deeply
» everyone feels “supported,” but weak ideas still survive
The teams that really learn do something different. They make it safe to speak up. And they make it normal to be challenged. They normalise disagreement. They examine failure. They surface risks early. And then they follow through.
Because the goal of psychological safety is not to protect people from discomfort. It is to create enough trust that discomfort can be used productively. And that is where growth lives.
Not in silence. Not in niceness. Not in avoiding hard conversations. But in teams where people know: “I can tell the truth here… and together, we will do something useful with it.”
That is not comfort.
That is courage with structure.
And you may ask, how do we do this? How do we operationalise psychological safety with accountabilty as a system or process or as rituals? Here is my attempt to suggest a few practical rituals to operationalise psychological safety, paired with accountability.
How Leaders Can Foster Safe and Accountable Teams
1. The “challenge round” before every key decision. Before closing a decision, go around the room and ask: “What are we missing?” “What could fail?” “Who sees it differently?” Then assign one owner to address the biggest concern raised.
2. Mistake-to-learning ritual. Once a week or once a month, ask: “What went wrong, what did we learn, and what will we change?” No blame, but no vague hugs either. Every reflection ends with one concrete adjustment and one owner.
3. Red team / designated dissenter. Rotate one person in each major meeting to challenge assumptions, test logic, and surface blind spots. The rule: dissent must be specific, and the team must either adapt the plan or explain why not.
4. Leader-goes-first vulnerability. The leader starts with: “Here’s where I may be wrong,” or “Here’s a mistake I made this week.” That lowers interpersonal risk. Then the team follows with one concern or one lesson. End with next steps, not just empathy.
5. Speak-up and close-the-loop. When someone raises an issue, never let it vanish into the corporate Bermuda Triangle. Acknowledge it, decide what will happen, name the owner, and circle back. Nothing kills safety faster than honest input disappearing into a black hole.
6. Challenge-and-commit rule. During discussion, vigorous disagreement is welcome. Once the decision is made, everyone commits to execution. That prevents fake harmony before the meeting and passive resistance after it.
My own view: psychological safety becomes real when people know two things at the same time — I won’t be punished for speaking up, and I won’t be allowed to stay passive once truth is on the table. That pairing is what turns safety into performance. It’s an inference from the research and a very practical leadership design principle.
Roshan Thiran
Sarawak continues to move forward in strengthening leadership development by establishing the Leadership Institute, a dedicated institution that aims to produce credible, ethical and far-sighted leaders to face the challenges of the 21st century.
Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg said that to ensure the institute functions effectively and has sufficient resources, the Sarawak Government will provide a special endowment, encompassing expertise, global networks and supporting infrastructure.
According to him, the institute will be a centre for leadership transformation to ensure that future leaders not only have intellectual capabilities, but also strong leadership ethics.
“Leadership development cannot be done alone. It requires strategic collaboration with various parties to ensure its success.
“Today marks a historic step in the journey, and I am pleased to announce that this Leadership Institute will become a reality,” he added.
He said this during his speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Contemporary Leadership International Summit 2025 (CLIS2025) here, on Tuesday.
Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari stressed that excellent leadership does not solely depend on natural talent, but rather requires systematic development through structured training, mentoring and strengthening of universal leadership values.
He also proposed that if contemporary leadership is the answer to today’s challenges, then it needs to be practiced systematically and institutionalised to ensure the sustainability of quality leadership in the long term.
“Great leadership is not borned by chance, it needs to be nurtured, shaped and strengthened with the right knowledge and principles.
“Therefore, we cannot let the development of future leaders happen by chance. It must be based on a planned, inclusive and farsighted system,” he added.
The establishment of this Leadership Institute is expected to put Sarawak with a solid foundation in producing future leaders who are not just skilled but also capable of driving the state towards excellence.
This step will place Sarawak as a pioneer in the development of systematic, progressive and resilient leadership.
Also present were the Speaker of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, Sarawak Secretary, Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Economic and Development Planning), Dato Sri Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel, Chairman of the Malaysian Research and Education Foundation, Emeritus Professor Dato’ Abang Abdullah Abang Ali, heads of departments and other guests of honour.
