Behaviour

You’d think by now we’d have cracked it. After all, we’ve had years of practice. Endless Teams calls. Countless Zoom meetings. Surely, by 2025, everyone in the workplace should know how to present a document on screen.Apparently, no. For a generation raised on smartphones and social feeds, the inability to navigate a simple screen share is oddly persistent.

We spend most of our waking hours at work. That’s far too much life to live with only half of who we are. It’s time to retire the idea that being ‘yourself’ at work is risky. The real risk is pretending for so long that you forget who that self really is.Somewhere along the line, we absorbed the idea that professionalism requires performance. Over time, this creates a quiet divide in our identity. Leaders have a role to play in this.

As a consultant in organisational culture, I see senior leaders who are masters of their industries but are increasingly disconnected from the digital and social currents shaping the future. They’re leading companies through digital transformation having never used the platforms that define their customers' daily lives. The problem isn't a lack of wisdom; it's a crisis of relevance. The solution? We need to flip the script.

We live in the age of the meme. Communication is often reduced to a slogan, a swipe, or a sentence. Social media has trained us to value quick hits over considered arguments. In this environment, the art of persuasion - once essential to leadership and culture change - is quietly being eroded. The truth? Behaviour doesn’t change because people are informed. It changes because they are persuaded.

Recognition is one of the most powerful forces in the workplace - and one of the most undervalued. When someone sees your effort, acknowledges your input, or thanks you for going the extra mile, it does more than boost morale. It creates a sense of belonging. Recognition isn’t just about good manners it’s fundamental to shaping a productive culture. Recognition also reinforces an organisation's behaviours.

We’ve all heard the advice: “Fake it ‘til you make it.” Say it with enough confidence, and it sounds almost empowering. It’s a useful push to keep going despite feelings of self-doubt. But not far behind those words lies a quieter voice that whispers, “You don’t belong here.” That voice belongs to Imposter Syndrome - which can show up even when we’re not faking anything at all - the persistent belief that your success isn’t deserved.