Leadership & Management

Articles examining the distinction between leading and managing, the limits of managerialism, and the conditions under which authority, judgement, and responsibility can be exercised well.

Giving Bad News, Badly

Bad news rarely breaks trust; bad delivery does. Too often managers turn necessary cuts into needless cruelty. Yet, predictability, clear reasons, real control, and concrete compassion can preserve dignity and actually build trust even when decisions hurt.

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 13 Jan 2026

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Abstract geometric painting with a bold diagonal black grid dividing white and grey fields, punctuated by solid blocks of blue, yellow, red, ochre, and pale grey.

An Eight-Part Playbook for Human-Centred AI

A practical playbook for human-centred AI: redesigning workflows, building capability, governing judgment, and sustaining talent pipelines so AI amplifies human agency rather than hollowing out the organisation.

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 23 Dec 2025

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Geometric abstraction by El Lissitzky (_Proun 19D_, 1920) showing overlapping planes and lines in dynamic spatial relation, evoking structured systems and layered design.

A Six-Move Playbook for Managers Who Need Truth and Traction

A practical guide for managers who need candid teams and consistent delivery. Six disciplined moves that sharpen judgment, normalise challenge, and build the structures that keep work honest, focused, and on track.

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 9 Dec 2025

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A square abstract painting featuring large blocks of red, blue, yellow, and white divided by thick black lines, arranged in a balanced Mondrian-style geometric grid.

A Delicate Dance of Trust and Openness

Psychological safety is often miscast as comfort. It's time to restore a harder edge: as a discipline that lets teams surface error early, challenge authority safely, and keep standards sharp—especially in hybrid work, where voice is fragile and candour is the real performance engine.

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 2 Dec 2025

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Brightly coloured circles of varying sizes float against a dark, cosmic background, overlapping and glowing like orbiting planets in an abstract night sky.

Trust in the Age of the Machine

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 28 Sep 2025

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Bruegel’s Renaissance painting of the Tower of Babel shows a vast spiraling tower under construction, teeming with workers and scaffolding above a busy city and harbor.

AI Is Changing the Structure of Organisations, The Future Is a Rhomboid

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 21 Sep 2025

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Jan Brueghel the Younger’s 17th-century satire shows monkeys dressed as humans trading tulips—bargaining, planting, and dealing amid a lively garden and forest scene.

Lessons from Bach: Rethinking Modern Hiring Practices

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 14 Sep 2025

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A lively 17th-century painting of musicians gathered around a table, playing lutes, violin, and singing.

Why Trust Matters More Than Data in Decision-Making

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 7 Sep 2025

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A painting by Winslow Homer showing four boys and a man sailing a small boat called Gloucester across choppy seas under a clo

The Creator vs. the Passenger: Rethinking Recruitment in Charities

Many charities hire from big-name firms expecting transformation, only to find prestige doesn’t equal performance. The real divide isn’t charity versus business—it’s creators versus passengers. Creators build momentum from scarcity; passengers coast on brand halo. Recruitment must look for scars, no

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 31 Aug 2025

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Baroque painting by Peter Paul Rubens, The Fall of Phaeton, depicting a chaotic mythological scene where Phaeton is cast from

Your Job Title Is the Ceiling They Hand You, Your Capability Is the Skylight You Cut

Titles often serve as tools of exclusion rather than accurate barometers of capability. Skills-based approaches expand opportunity and strengthen outcomes. By rethinking hiring signals, leadership speech, and development pathways, organisations can unlock talent, foster fairness, promote moral agenc

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 10 Aug 2025

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Three shirtless men scraping a wooden floor in a sunlit Parisian apartment, bent over their work in synchronized poses, surro

Managing People Isn’t a Side Hustle: Time to Re-Professionalise Management

Managing People Isnt a Side Hustle Time to Re Professionalise Management0:00/618.6721× A while back I mentored a gifted software engineer—let's call her Priya. Priya

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 3 Aug 2025

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Diego Rivera’s mural Man at the Crossroads, depicting a central figure operating futuristic machinery with radiating propelle

The Importance of Visibly Ethical Leadership in Organisations

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 27 Jul 2025

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A dramatic 19th-century painting depicting the violent destruction of a classical empire. A colossal headless statue looms in