Thank You!
22 December 2025
A Small Pause Before Christmas
As we edge towards Christmas 2025, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you.
Thank you for reading, for the conversations, the messages, and the private nods of recognition. They mean a lot to me, and I am sincerely grateful for each and every one of you.
Most of all, thank you for walking a few small steps with me this year - I’ve made quite a few of my own, believe me.
However, his time of year naturally invites a pause.
It’s a chance to step back from the busyness, the deadlines, and the constant sense of “that was good, but what’s next”. I hope you’re able to find a little space over the coming days to rest, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most to you.
Behind the scenes, I’ve been quietly working on a few changes of my own.
There’s a new website taking shape, some rebranding of this newsletter underway, and a handful of new ideas that I’m excited to bring to life as we move into 2026.
For now, I simply wanted to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.
May you find calm where you need calm, joy where you need joy, and be generous to all in the moments that count.
Remember, the path to extraordinary is walked with a thousand small steps, you’re doing great!
Barry Marshall-Graham
Executive coach and leadership advisor
Get the Difficult Conversations Guide
A practical resource for leaders who want to say the thing that needs saying, without burning bridges or avoiding the moment.
Keep reading
31 August 2026
The Sentence They Nearly Said
A pause or changed expression may lead to the useful part of a conversation, but noticing it doesn't give the coach permission to decode it.
24 August 2026
You Cannot Coach Someone You Are Secretly Judging
Second-hand information may be useful, but once it becomes a character verdict it changes the leader’s listening, questions and tone.
17 August 2026
A Good Question Can Be Badly Timed
The wording may be excellent, but a coaching question can still arrive before the relationship or the moment is ready to carry it.
10 August 2026
Whose Goal Is It Anyway?
A goal can be strategically sensible and still feel unowned. The answer is honest internalisation, not coaching somebody into believing it was their idea.
3 August 2026
The Leader Who Uses Coaching to Avoid Leading
Coaching can create room for another person to think, but it can also help a leader postpone the feedback, standard or decision that belongs to them.
27 July 2026
Advice Wearing a Hat
A coaching question can sound wonderfully curious while quietly steering somebody towards the answer their leader already prefers.
20 July 2026
The Emotional Cost of Being the Reliable One
Reliability earns trust, but it can also turn one capable leader into the place where unfinished work, uncertainty, and organisational risk accumulate.
13 July 2026
The Relief of Finally Saying the Thing
An overdue conversation occupies far more space than the words themselves. Relief begins when reality is finally allowed back into the room.
6 July 2026
The Sideways Shove
Peer conflict cannot be solved with the Manager Card. Influence begins when leaders stop pushing across borders and repair the working relationship.
29 June 2026
Clarity Under Pressure
Authority is tested when the room tightens. Clear leaders make reality, uncertainty, and the next decision visible without adding drama.
