Jane Counsel & Associates

One of the most important mindset shifts in leadership is learning to observe rather than absorb.

What would change for you if you stopped carrying every challenge your team brought to you?

In leadership, we talk a lot about the leadership shadow - the idea that the way we lead shapes the culture, behaviours and emotional environment around us.

So it’s worth asking: what kind of shadow is your leadership casting over your team?

Is it creating an environment where people feel psychologically safe, trusted, included and genuinely connected to their work? Or simply a group of people gathering each day to complete tasks, meet deadlines and get through the workload?

One of the things I see time and time again in my coaching, is the gap between how leaders think they are showing up for their team versus how the team actually experiences their leadership. Because leadership is never just about what we say, it's actually about what people consistently experience in our presence.

And here's the thing. Most people whether it be founders, business owners or managers in large organisations, find themselves in a leadership role without any kind of training.

So many end up carrying the emotional and mental load of everything in their business or team by over-solving, over-functioning and therefore building dependency on themselves because what they've learnt is managing tasks and performance, not leading people with intention, empathy and presence.

That’s exactly why I created the Leader as a Coach program.

Not to create “perfect coaches”, but to help leaders make the mindset and skill shift away from managing tasks to truly leading human beings.

This program brings together many of the things I care deeply about - courageous conversations, psychologically safe leadership, communication that builds trust, coaching for growth, not dependency, self-awareness and helping leaders reconnect with the kind of leadership they actually want to be known for.

Yesterday, I officially kicked off the first cohort and I genuinely couldn’t be more excited.

It is amazing just how much you notice when you take people out of the "busyness" of their every day workplace.

In a world of constant distraction, out of control inboxes and back-to-back meetings, genuine presence at work has become a rarity.

Last week, among the tranquility and quiet of nature in the NSW Hunter Valley region, I delivered a half-day team workshop for a client looking to enhance their communication skills.

Communication is one of the most important, yet under rated skills of any workplace.
Why? Because every conversation we have in the workplace matters.

Communication shapes culture, relationships, performance and ultimately impact.
People don’t just hear our words, they feel: our attention, our energy, our intent and our willingness to truly listen to understand not just to respond.

When I explored with my client what communicating with impact actually looks like we talked about the importance of:
• Clarity in communication to build confidence – people don’t grow or align with ambiguity
• How trust shapes how messages are received – when trust is high conversations become faster, safer and more effective
• Emotion influences every conversation – people will always remember how you made them feel in the conversation more than the actual facts that were discussed
• Listening is often more powerful than speaking – true influence starts with understanding people and perspectives
• Intent matters – people will respond differently depending on whether communication is driven by control, collaboration or ego.

What’s poor communication costing your workplace or business?

Got a workplace or team communication challenge?
I’m always greatful to facilitate these kinds of conversations with leaders and teams across industries. Hit me up if you’d like to learn more.

Yesterday I visited one of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders the Grand Canyon in Arizona in the US.

Amazing rockfalls shaped by thousands of years of water erosion - contrasting colours of rust, gold, brown and purple hues.

What struck me the most was how few people actually sat and quietly took in the true beauty of what was in front of them.

Most were so determined to get their Instagram perfect shot or complaining about their tour times they missed the true beauty of what was in front of them.

Thousands of years of nature at its best, lands that have sustained the traditional owners the Hualapai Tribe for generations and a true wonder of the world unspoiled by civilisation.

As I sat quietly soaking it all in, it reminded me of the importance of being present, not caught up in the performance of life - but simply being in the moment appreciating all the beauty life has to offer.

When we stop and start noticing we realise what we have been missing all along.

thrive4women

A powerful story of strength, courage and resilience.
Thank you Lauren and Simone Huxley for so generously sharing Lauren’s incredible story of survival and resilience against the odds.

International Women’s Day is always an important day in my calendar but this year it holds an even more special place in my heart through the privilege of sitting beside two courageous and resilient women and hearing them share their incredible story of violence, recovery, family, love and hope.

20 years ago, Lauren Huxley suffered an horrific attack in her family home that left her minutes away from death. She was given a 5% chance of survival, had to learn to eat, walk and talk again but through incredible courage, grit and determination she defied the odds and on Friday she and her beautiful sister Simone shared Lauren’s incredible story to a beautiful community of women in Goulburn.

Lauren’s journey is a powerful story for the IWD 2026 theme “Balance the Scales” – which invites us all to reflect on the fact that while progress has been made, the scales are still tipped against women in many areas of life - in safety, opportunity, leadership, and the way women’s voices are heard and valued.

Thank you, Simone and Lauren for so generously sharing Lauren’s incredible journey of unimaginable violence, the courage and resilience of her long recovery and the beautiful bond between the two of you that can never be broken.

Thank you, Ash Pakis, for inviting us into your warm and gracious community of women in Goulburn, thank you to the women of Goulburn and the surrounding area who showed myself and the Huxley sisters such warmth, kindness and love – it truly was a very special afternoon.

To the women in my Sydney community, I encourage you to come and hear Lauren and Simone’s story at the Women’s Commercial Finance Forum event in Sydney on Thursday March 19.

🎟 Tickets $60
🥂 Drink on arrival + light refreshments
💛 Supporting The Sanctuary - The Hills Women's Shelter
🗓 Thursday 19 March | Bella Vista Hotel | 2pm

There are many events on for International Women’s Day but this is not one to be missed – it truly is a day you will never forget and a story that will remind you of the importance of perseverance, determination and courage when the odds are entirely stacked against you.

Tickets are still available and you can purchase yours here:

https://lnkd.in/e4Ss-Mjk

TThrive4women Communitytthrive4womenJJane Counsel PPanache Financial Mortgage Specialist