I’ve spent years building and leading hospitality teams that have generated millions in revenue, and now, I help professionals like you tell your unique story on paper.

As an executive resume writer with hands-on experience in operations, I partner with leaders who have well-deserved accolades but struggle to position themselves for the next significant step. 

I've sat on the other side of the table as a hiring manager, so I know what stands out. I excel at transforming your complex, behind-the-scenes accomplishments into clear, compelling narratives that grab attention.

Whether your background is in hospitality, operations, or broader business leadership, my goal is simple: 
To position you as the clear choice for high-profile roles, promotions, and opportunities that truly align with your skills and aspirations.

Specialties include crafting executive and professional resumes, optimizing LinkedIn profiles, and guiding career transitions in the hospitality and operations fields. 

I take pride in working with a select number of clients each month, ensuring a personalized and high-quality experience for each one. If you’re ready to take your career to the next level, let’s connect!

Luke Duggan

There’s one question I ask that tells me almost everything:
“What did you fix that no one asked you to fix?”
Most answers start with tasks.
Strong answers reveal judgment.
They talk about noticing friction.

Seeing patterns others ignored.
Making a decision when there wasn’t a clear playbook.

Leadership shows up before permission does.

Anyone can execute what’s assigned.
Not everyone takes responsibility for what’s missing.
The difference isn’t confidence.
It’s awareness.

When someone can explain why they acted, not just what they did, you’re hearing how they think under pressure.

That’s what hiring teams listen for, even when they don’t say it out loud.

📍How would you answer that question?

Luke Duggan 

Executive Resume Writer | Led Multimillion $ Teams, Now I Help You Land High-Visibility Roles

At the senior level, the best resume isn’t the one with the longest list of accomplishments.
It’s the one that shows you understand tradeoffs.

Most candidates highlight wins.
Few highlight the decisions behind those wins.

“I improved efficiency by 20%” is good.

But “I redesigned workflows to reduce staff burnout and still increased efficiency by 20%” is better.

Senior leaders get hired for how they think, not just what they achieved.

📍 What’s one line on your resume that could say more about your judgment?

There’s a point in every career where hard work stops being the differentiator.
Most professionals stay stuck in output mode: how much they produce, how fast they respond, how many responsibilities they can absorb.

But the roles people want, director, VP, GM, aren’t awarded for volume.
They’re awarded for how your work influences others.

Influence may sound abstract, but it’s practical:

 • People change how they operate after working with you.
 • Teams feel steadier because of how you communicate.
 • Leaders rely on your perspective, not just your execution.

Your resume should show that transition.
That doesn’t mean more metrics.
It means clearer causality: What changed because you were there?

📍 Where has your influence quietly reshaped a team, a process, or a result?

Here’s a thought:
Most people underestimate their strongest work because it came naturally to them.

You solved a conflict without escalation.
You rebuilt trust after a setback.
You mentored someone who now leads confidently.

Those aren’t soft moments, they’re leverage points.

A career story isn’t built on big wins.
It’s built on moments that reveal who you consistently are.

📍 What success felt small at the time but says something big about you now?

Not every gap is a liability.
Sometimes it signals intention.

The period in which you rebuilt, recalibrated, or realigned.

Hiring managers don’t care that you stepped away.
They care whether you can articulate what the return means.

A gap without a story feels defensive.
A gap with clarity feels strategic.

📍 If you reframed your gap as a turning point, how would you describe it?

Every professional reaches a moment where experience no longer fits inside job descriptions.

You’ve led people without the title.
You’ve solved problems that weren’t yours.
You’ve stabilized teams without getting credit.

And for years, you wrote resumes that hid that truth.

Then something changes. Maybe a rejection, maybe a chance conversation, and you realize the story you’ve been telling is too small.

That’s the year your career changes:
when you stop hiding the leadership you exercised quietly.

Documents don’t move careers.
Honesty does.

📍 What truth about your work have you avoided saying out loud?

Executives hire patterns.

They look for three things:
 📌 Judgment
 📌 Ownership
 📌 Transferable impact

If your resume reads like a job description, you’re not giving them any of those.

The fastest way to stand out:
Show the moment you carried the weight no one else wanted to touch.

📍 What moment of ownership belongs on your first page?

I once took on a project thinking it was “small.”
I took a conservative approach but positioned myself like a commodity.

The client was shocked at how genuine the finished version was.

We didn’t rewrite their resume.
We rewrote their identity.

Their confidence grew.
Their interviews changed tone.
Doors opened that they thought were closed.

I didn’t underprice the work.
I underpriced what it felt like for someone to be seen.

📍 When did you realize your value wasn’t in the task, but in how you helped someone transform?

You don’t get promoted because you’re busy. Everyone's busy.
You get promoted because you make other people’s jobs easier.

And that shows up in quiet ways:
 The meeting you de-escalated.
 The decision you clarified.
 The standard you held when no one else wanted to.

📍 What’s one invisible contribution you make that deserves a line on your resume?

Most job seekers chase volume.
Few chase relevance.
You can apply to fifty roles this month, or you can apply to five with clarity.

When your resume, profile, and outreach all signal the same message, 
This is exactly who I am, and this is the value I move, doors open faster.

The best candidates aren’t everywhere.
They’re unmistakable when they choose to show up.

📍 What would your search look like if you optimized for relevance instead of activity?

Every new year comes with a list of ambitions.
But most careers shift because of one habit, not ten.

For some people, it’s clearer communication.
For others, it’s finishing the work before the self-doubt kicks in. Damn you, imposter syndrome.
And for others still, it’s finally asking for what they’ve earned.

One habit creates the momentum that goals rely on.

📍 What habit, just one, would change the trajectory of your work this year?

Your profile is doing one of three things right now:
Making you look transactional.
Making you look dated.
Making you look like a leader with a point of view.

Most profiles fall into category one or two because they focus on tasks, not transformation.

If your profile doesn’t say who you help, how you think, and what outcomes you create it’s not competing in the right rooms.

A strong profile isn’t a summary.

It’s positioning.

📍 What message do you want people to take away after reading yours?

Most resumes fail quietly.
Not because they’re weak.
Not because the candidate lacks experience.
But because they don’t help the reader decide where to place trust.

A hiring manager isn’t asking, “Can this person do the job?”
They’re asking, “Can I rely on this person when things go sideways?”

That’s a different question, and most resumes never answer it.

Listing responsibilities doesn’t reduce risk.
Metrics without context don’t build confidence.

What does?
Judgment. Ownership. Decision-making under pressure.

When a resume shows why you made a choice, how you navigated constraints, or what changed because of your leadership, it stops being a record and starts being a signal.

The strongest resumes don’t try to impress.
They make it easier for the reader to say yes.

If your resume could belong to anyone in your role, it’s not telling the story that gets calls.

📍Which line on your resume would make a decision-maker trust you faster, if it were written differently?

I used to price my work based on effort.
Hours. Revisions. Scope.

Then I worked on a project that forced me to rethink everything.
The work wasn’t complex, but the clarity it created quickly changed outcomes. Decisions sped up. Confidence returned. Momentum followed.

That’s when it clicked:
People aren’t paying for effort. They’re paying for leverage.
The ability to see what matters.
To articulate it clearly.
To shorten the path between confusion and decision.

Once I understood that, I stopped undervaluing my contribution and stopped attracting work that treated it like a commodity.

📍Where in your work are you still pricing effort instead of impact?

No one is coming to champion you.

Not your boss.

Not HR.

Not even your closest mentor.

Your opportunities scale with two things:
 📌 How clearly you articulate your worth.
 📌 How consistently you deliver it.

📍 What advice would you give your younger self about ownership?

Every week has noise.
But patterns are quiet.

What you resist.
Where you hesitate.
What you avoid.
What you keep doing even when exhausted.

Patterns tell the truth about who you’re becoming.

📍 What pattern do you want to break before Q1 ends?

Being reliable keeps things running.
However, it doesn’t always move careers forward.

Leaders advance when they’re known for:
• resolving ambiguity
• making decisions that move the business forward
• raising standards without drama

If your brand is “dependable,” you may be overdue for a repositioning.

Reliability is what's expected of you in this role.
Impact must be your differentiator.

📍 What do people rely on you for, and what do they recognize you for?

It isn’t strategy.
It isn’t communication.
It isn’t even execution.
It’s discernment.

Knowing what deserves urgency, what needs a conversation,
what needs escalation, and what needs to wait.

Discernment is how senior leaders create calm inside complexity.

And it’s the skill hiring managers assume but rarely see.

📍 Where has discernment made your work easier this year?

Some progress is loud.
Most isn’t.

Success often shows up as:
• Better decisions
• Clearer boundaries
• More aligned opportunities
• Fewer tasks that drain you

Growth rarely announces itself.

But you can feel it when your work starts pointing in the right direction.

📍 What’s one quiet sign that your career is shifting in a healthier direction?

There’s a plateau that hits after competence.
You’re good at what you do.
You deliver results with ease.
You’ve earned trust where you are.
And yet, nothing moves.

More effort doesn’t create momentum.
More output doesn’t create opportunity.

That’s because advancement stops being about execution at this level. It becomes about articulation.

I’ve seen talented leaders stall here for years. Not because they lack ambition, but because they assume their work will speak loudly enough on its own.

It doesn’t.

Decision-makers don’t see your full body of work. They see fragments, resumes, conversations, and impressions formed under time pressure.

If you don’t translate your impact clearly, someone else fills in the gaps. And they rarely fill them generously.

This is the shift most people aren’t prepared for:
Working harder stops helping. Communicating better starts mattering more.
The leaders who break through this plateau learn to name their value without posturing. To frame their experience without inflating it. To make their judgment visible, not just their output.

📍Have you felt yourself working harder without moving forward, and wondered why?

Launching Human Edge OS & CoachingExercises.com | Coaching Psychologist | Favikon #1 UK Meditation & Mindfulness | Salesforce Leader

Most performance and leadership challenges aren’t skill gaps...
They’re operating system problems

Capable professionals often hit friction after success; not before
More responsibility. More visibility. More pressure
The work still gets done, but it starts to cost more internally

I work with technology professionals and leaders to understand how they operate under pressure. And where hidden strain, blind spots, or unsustainable patterns are quietly forming

My approach is diagnostic-first, not motivational

Before advice, we build clarity around:
- how energy and recovery are really holding up
- how decisions narrow or shift under load
- how stress shows up in behaviour, communication, and boundaries
- whether the current pace is actually sustainable

This work sits at the intersection of conscious leadership, performance psychology, and applied neuroscience

It’s developmental, not clinical and designed for people who want insight and agency, not labels or hype.

Much of my work focuses on modern, distributed work where performance depends less on supervision and more on self-regulation, clarity, and recovery

If you’re:
- technically strong but carrying increasing pressure
- stepping into greater leadership or visibility
- performing well externally while compensating internally

You’ll likely find the diagnostics in the Featured section useful

👉 Start with the Burnout Risk & Recovery Scan or the Leadership Operating System Diagnostic

Note: All views expressed are my own and relate to general workplace psychology, not any past or current employer

Stephen Baines

The most dangerous employee isn't the under-performer

It's the high performer who's given up

Still hitting targets
Still showing up
Soul already gone

Look at this image

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗫:

High performers don't quit by doing less
They quit by caring less

Work stays excellent
Metrics stay green
Reviews stay glowing

But mentally? They're interviewing elsewhere

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗘𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘:

Not the surface signs:
• Working to rule (that's boundaries)
• Saying no to extra work (that's wisdom)
• Not volunteering (that's self-preservation)

The real signs:
• Best ideas stay in their head
• Innovation goes to side projects
• Used to challenge → now just nods
• Camera on → camera off

They become ghosts in high performers' bodies

𝗧𝗛𝗘 5 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘:

After coaching 200+ professionals, here's what I've noticed breaks them:

🔴 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀
"Next year will be your year" (2 years running)

🟡 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁
Their ideas. Someone else's promotion

🟢 𝗡𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵
Same role, new title, lateral "promotion"

🔵 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲
Another pivot ignoring everything they built

🟣 𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽
Managed by someone they'd never choose

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗨𝗣:

When excellence isn't recognised:
• Dopamine drops 40%
• Motivation becomes mechanical
• Brain redirects passion elsewhere

It's not attitude
It's biology protecting itself

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗:

Not:
❌ Unambitious projects
❌ Limited progression
❌ "Great job!" feedback

Just:
✅ Growth that's real
✅ Recognition that's fair
✅ Leaders worth following
✅ Work that matters

They're not asking for the moon
They're asking for meaning
Purpose

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗜 𝗦𝗘𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗𝗟𝗬:

Year 1: Enthusiasm and Excellence despite frustration
Year 2: Performance despite disengagement
Year 3: Gone

The tragedy?

These weren't burnouts
They were opt-outs

Opt-outs that see companies lose their best people not in dramatic exits
But in quiet surrenders

While planning their next project,
That high performer is planning their exit

𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗚𝗡𝗜𝗭𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙:

You're not broken
Your standards aren't too high
Your ambition isn't the problem

You're in the wrong environment

Excellence needs a home, not a cage

Build your bridge quietly
Network strategically
Exit gracefully

High performers don't burn bridges
They build better ones

💬 What's the moment you think high performers realise it's over?

🔍 Discover your Leadership Blind Spots → www.humanedgeos.com
📬 One Email. Five Growth Strategies. Every Week → www.stephenbaines.coach

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that supports the humans behind the title

Salesforce Leader & Founder of Human Edge OS | Human Skills for Clarity, Leadership, and Performance in an AI-Driven World

No one's born a great leader
They build it. One skill at a time

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘:

Most people think leadership is charisma
Or intelligence
Or years of experience

It's not

It's mastering a specific set of competencies
That anyone can learn

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛:

→ Self-awareness beats ego
→ Emotional intelligence beats IQ
→ Authenticity beats authority

And it all starts with leading yourself

Before you can inspire others
Before you can drive change
Before you can build culture

You must master the mirror

𝟭𝟱 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗭𝗘𝗥𝗦:

Lead Yourself:
1/ Self-awareness: know your blind spots before they derail you
2/ Emotional intelligence: read the room, manage your reactions
3/ Authenticity: be real, not a leadership persona
4/ Courage: speak up when it's easier to stay quiet
5/ Resilience: bounce back from setbacks faster and stronger

Lead Your Team:
6/ Communication: make complex things simple
7/ Coaching: help people find their own answers
8/ Delegation: give away your work so good people can grow
9/ Recognition: catch people doing things right
10/ Accountability: own your mistakes, expect others to own theirs

Lead Your Company:
11/ Vision setting: paint a picture so clear others want to help create it
12/ Change leadership: make change feel like an adventure, not a threat
13/ Strategic thinking: see around corners, connect dots others miss
14/ Decision making: make good choices with incomplete information
15/ Culture building: create an environment people want to show up for

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘'𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚:

The best leaders aren't the loudest
Or even the smartest

They're the ones who do the work

Start with one skill
Practice for 30 days
Then add another

Small actions compound into transformation

💬 Which competency is hardest for you to master?

🔍 Discover your Leadership Blind Spots → www.humanedgeos.com
📬 One Email. Five Growth Strategies. Every Week → www.stephenbaines.coach

♻️ Share with a leader who's committed to growth

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that builds leaders worth following

The best people don't leave for more money
They leave because they feel undervalued

And replacing them costs far more than keeping them

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬:

Retention isn't about perks
It's about how people feel

Valued. Trusted. Heard.

Get that wrong and no salary will save you

𝟵 𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘:

1/ Pay them what they're worth
↳ You can't afford to underpay high performers. Replacing them costs more than retaining them ever will.

2/ Default to recognition
↳ Say thank you. Write a personal note. Share wins in meetings. Recognition is retention fuel.

3/ Run stay interviews
↳ Every 6 months ask: What makes you stay? What might make you leave? How can we support your vision?

4/ Enforce a no-jerks policy
↳ Your culture will never exceed what you tolerate. One toxic person drives out ten good ones.

5/ Be soft on the person, hard on the problem
↳ When mistakes happen, protect the human. Attack the issue.

6/ Give autonomy with ownership
↳ Let people own products, clients, initiatives. Autonomy + Trust = Retention.

7/ Protect focus time
↳ Implement no-meeting days. Give people space to do deep work without constant interruption.

8/ Make feedback the norm
↳ Create an expectation for honest feedback. It deepens relationships and drives continuous improvement.

9/ Stop micromanaging
↳ Mediocre leaders add red tape and constant oversight. Great ones remove barriers and trust their team.

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘'𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚:

People don't leave jobs
They leave environments where they don't feel seen

Retention isn't a HR problem
It's a leadership problem

And the fix isn't complicated
It's intentional

💬 Which of these does your workplace get right — and which needs work?

🔍 Discover your Leadership Blind Spots → www.humanedgeos.com
📬 One Email. Five Growth Strategies. Every Week → www.stephenbaines.coach

♻️ Share with a leader who wants to keep their best

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that builds teams people don't want to leave

Mindful leadership isn't a personality trait

It's a daily practice

And one of the fastest ways to:
→ Make better decisions
→ Build deeper trust
→ Lead without burning out

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬:

Most leaders run on autopilot

Back-to-back meetings
Reactive decisions
Always "on" but rarely present

The best leaders do something different
They pause

𝟭𝟮 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗙𝗨𝗟 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣:

1/ Start a meeting with a 1-minute mindful breath
2/ Journal 3 things you're grateful for as a leader
3/ Consciously disconnect from tech for a break
4/ Send a brief message of appreciation
5/ Reflect on a recent challenge with a growth mindset
6/ Pause to observe your environment without judgment
7/ Practice active listening during a one-on-one
8/ Offer your full presence to a team member in need
9/ Take a brief mindful pause before replying
10/ Take a 10-minute mindful walk outside
11/ Mindfully review your calendar and prioritise tasks
12/ End the day by acknowledging your team's efforts

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘'𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚:

None of these take long
Most take minutes

But together?
They change how you lead
And how your team experiences you

Presence beats productivity theatre
Every time

💬 Which one will you try today or what would you add to this list?

🔍 Discover your Leadership Blind Spots → www.humanedgeos.com
📬 One Email. Five Growth Strategies. Every Week → www.stephenbaines.coach

♻️ Share with a leader who could use a mindful moment

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that builds present leaders

Listening has 5 levels. Most people rarely get past 2

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟱 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚:

Level 1: Waiting to Talk
You're rehearsing your response while they're still speaking
They feel dismissed

Level 2: Hearing the Words
You catch phrases while multitasking
Details get lost. Meaning gets warped

Level 3: Understanding Messages
You track intent and paraphrase back
Alignment increases. Misunderstandings drop

Level 4: Noticing Emotions
You name tone, body language, and feelings
Trust builds. Defensiveness lowers

Level 5: Hearing the Unsaid
You surface assumptions, needs, and patterns
Root causes emerge. Commitment follows

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗜 𝗦𝗘𝗘:

Most people operate at Level 1-2
And genuinely believe they're at Level 4-5

The gap between how we think we listen and how we actually listen?

It's massive

𝗠𝗬 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘

Presence is a core skill

During my mindfulness meditation teaching training, we spent a lot of time exploring 'listening'

Not listening
Passive listening
Active listening
Mindful listening

What came up for me is what could be perceived as the awkwardness of more mindful listening

Yet done right, this is ONLY a perception

It becomes quite abundantly clear that when you are tuning in mindfully ('hearing the unsaid') you are connecting to the speaker on a deep level

This is where great leadership happens

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬:

The best leaders I've worked with?
They listen at Level 5 without thinking about it

They don't just hear words
They hear what's underneath them

And people feel it instantly

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗢𝗠 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘:

Listening isn't passive
It's a skill

And most of us have never been taught it

Be honest with yourself:
What level are you really at?

💬 Which level do you default to; and which do you want to reach?

♻️ Share with someone who needs to level up their listening

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that builds leaders worth hearing

Technical Executive & Founder of Human Edge OS | Human Skills for Clarity, Leadership, and Performance in an AI-Driven World

The best leaders I know have one thing in common

A terrible boss who showed them exactly who not to become

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗔:

Managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement (Gallup)

Not the work
Not the company
Not the pay

THE MANAGER

When that manager is incompetent, abusive, or absent, their peoples:
• stress levels rise
• performance reviews suffer
• Sunday evenings fill with dread

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗜 𝗦𝗘𝗘:

The strongest leaders I work with all share one thing

They had at least one terrible boss

Not despite that experience
Because of it

They learned what happens when you:
• Micromanage instead of trust
• Hoard information instead of share
• Blame instead of problem-solve
• Take credit instead of give it

Every terrible decision became a case study
In exactly what to avoid

𝗜𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗪:

→ Control the controllables
You can't change their behaviour
You can manage your response
Set boundaries. Document decisions. Build your own feedback loops

→ Build external credibility
Bad managers gate-keep and steal credit
Connect directly with stakeholders
Let your work speak across the organisation

→ Extract the lesson
You're not just surviving
You're building a mental playbook of leadership failures

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛:

Your current situation is temporary
The lessons don't have to be

One day you'll lead
And you'll remember exactly who you refuse to become

💬 What did your worst boss teach you?

🔍 Identify your Human Edge with our FREE Score → humanedgeos.com
📬 Weekly Success Strategies to your Inbox → stephenbaines.coach

♻️ Share with someone surviving a bad manager

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that builds better leaders

A true test of character is how we treat others

Yet we often forget that character is revealed in patterns

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬:

Character isn't what you say in interviews
It's what you do when no one's watching

The patterns:
→ Kindness shown consistently
→ Responsibilities honoured quietly
→ Empathy extended freely

Not once
Every time

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧:

How do you treat people who can't help you?

The intern who's learning
The cleaner who's invisible to most
The colleague who's struggling

That's where character lives

Not in boardrooms
In the small moments no one sees

𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦:

Same title
Same experience
Completely different impact

One leaves people drained and doubting themselves
One leaves people energised and believing in themselves

The difference isn't skills
It's character

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘'𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚:

The real measure of success?

How you make people feel
Especially when there's nothing to gain

Experience gets you the role
Character keeps you respected

💬 What's the biggest character test you've seen a leader pass — or fail?

🔍 Discover your Leadership Blind Spots → www.humanedgeos.com
📬 One Email. Five Growth Strategies. Every Week → www.stephenbaines.coach

♻️ Share with someone who leads with character

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that builds leaders worth following

Zero talent required...
Zero excuses left!

The most valuable people at work aren't the smartest

They're the most reliable

Look at this image

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬:

None of these require talent:

→ Get shit done
→ Keep your word
→ Show up on time
→ Bring solutions, not problems
→ Stay humble
→ Be coachable
→ Cheer others on
→ Finish what you start

Zero talent
100% choice

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗜 𝗦𝗘𝗘:

People who get ahead:
• Do what they said they'd do
• Make others feel heard
• Ask how they can help
• Admit when they're wrong

People who stay stuck:
• Overpromise, underdeliver
• Talk more than they listen
• Wait to be asked
• Defend every mistake

One group has more talent
The other gets promoted

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛:

Talent is overrated
Consistency is underrated

I've hired brilliant people who were nightmares
I've hired average CVs who became indispensable

The difference was never ability
It was reliability

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗢𝗠 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘:

You can't control your IQ
You can't control your circumstances
You can't control your starting point

But you can:
• Show up
• Follow through
• Lift others up
• Stay humble

That's not talent
That's character

And character compounds

💬 Which one do you need to work on?

🔍 Grab your FREE Diagnostic here → www.humanedgeos.com
📬 Weekly strategies → www.stephenbaines.coach

♻️ Share with someone who needs this reminder

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that builds better humans

The best leaders I know don't manage time

They manage energy

Here are 9 frameworks smart leaders use to prioritise:

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦:

→ Eisenhower Matrix: Sort by urgent vs important. Decide fast
→ Pareto 80/20: Find the 20% that drives 80% of results. Double down
→ Buffett 5/25: List 25 goals. Circle 5. Treat the rest as distractions

𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘-𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗦:

→ RICE: Rank by Reach × Impact × Confidence ÷ Effort
→ MoSCoW: Tag everything: Must / Should / Could / Won't
→ ABCDE: A = must-do, B = should, C = nice, D = delegate, E = eliminate

𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗙𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗦:

→ Eat That Frog: Do your hardest task first. Win the morning
→ Time Blocking: Protect deep work with calendar blocks
→ Batching: Group similar tasks. One mode at a time

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗜 𝗦𝗘𝗘:

Busy leaders react to everything
Effective leaders protect their focus

The difference isn't time management; it's energy management

When you're clear on what matters, saying no becomes easy

𝗠𝗬 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘:

I used to chase every "urgent" request

Now I block 50% of my calendar for deep work and key initiatives

The result? Less stress. Better output. More capacity to lead and be strategic

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗢𝗠 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘:

You don't need more hours

You need better filters

Pick one framework. Test it for a week. See what shifts

💬 Which framework do you use most? Which one are you going to try?

➕ Follow Stephen Baines for psychology that protects your capacity to lead

taplio

The Battle

Luke Duggan

Stephen Baines

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreLuke Duggan's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStephen Baines's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Luke Duggan

Stephen Baines

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Luke Duggan's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStephen Baines's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreLuke Duggan's LinkedIn Performance