I got leadership wrong in 2024. Despite having founded Inventium 18 years ago and having advised countless organisations on people and culture, I made mistakes that put our celebrated team culture at risk and turned our Four Day Week into five days of struggle for many team members. The hardest part wasn't the challenges themselves (as tough as they were), but confronting my role in creating them.

I've learned enough lessons to fill a book, but I've distilled the most critical ones below. My hope is that by sharing these very real, very humbling experiences, I might help you navigate whatever workplace challenges 2025 brings your way – hopefully with more clarity than I initially managed (or at very least, help you feel that you are most definitely not alone).

I saw every problem but lacked the courage to act (AKA: Hope is not a strategy).

Spotting problems is like noticing dark clouds on the horizon – useful, but completely different from actually seeking shelter before the storm hits. When I stepped back into a leadership role in early 2024, I had a mental list of changes that needed addressing. But instead of taking action, I hesitated – held back by what I can now recognise was fear.

I kept thinking things would improve if I just gave them enough time. They didn't. What I've learned is that hope makes for a poor strategy. The best leaders don't just identify problems – they move decisively to address them. I failed to do this when it mattered most.

My fear of conflict created more problems than it prevented

During a therapy session early last year, my psych delivered this insight: "Amantha, people like you who have a high need to please others shouldn't be managers."

At the time, struggling as interim CEO and wrestling with self-doubt, I nodded along thinking, “He's right – I should never be in a leadership position."

Fast forward to now, and I'm back in the CEO role and – surprisingly – actually loving it. The difference between 2024 and 2025 feels like trying to run through treacle versus sailing with a tailwind. Do I still want people to like me? Sure. But releasing that paralysing fear of disapproval has been transformative.

Your team is only as psychologically safe as your least psychologically safe person

My biggest culture lesson from 2024 was about psychological safety - it must be universal, not just widespread. In smaller teams especially, when even one person doesn't feel safe to speak up, the entire system breaks down.

The pattern is clear: Without complete psychological safety, genuine concerns move from open forums to private conversations. Issues fester beneath the surface. Team members develop separate realities - what's said in meetings versus what's discussed afterward. Innovative ideas remain unspoken.

Working with our clients at Inventium, I've seen environments where psychological safety existed unevenly. I used to think this wasn't a significant problem but now, my views have shifted. Partial psychological safety inevitably leads to dysfunction - people say one thing but feel another, important feedback never reaches its recipients, and trust erodes.

I now think of psychological safety as a chain - it's only as strong as its weakest link. In small teams, where relationships are concentrated and interdependent, a single person operating from fear can fundamentally alter your organisation's effectiveness and culture.

Tenured people = Good; Tenured ideas = Bad

Most leaders value tenure – after all, recruitment is expensive and onboarding takes precious time.

But with tenure, the subtle 'that's how we've always done it' mindset can often creep in. The longer people stay, the more entrenched certain approaches can become.

What surprised me most was catching myself – the founder, supposedly the champion of innovation – getting pulled into this mindset too. Instead of advocating for fresh approaches that acknowledged how our clients and market had evolved, I began accepting "we tried that before and it didn't work" as a legitimate reason to maintain the status quo.

I've realised that "we tried it before" is often code for "we're comfortable with how things are" – which is particularly problematic when the market is changing around you. It's a subtle form of resistance that can infiltrate even the most innovation-focused cultures, wearing the disguise of experience and wisdom.

When I was drowning in doubt, I forgot storms always pass

I can recall a period many years ago at Inventium when several staff departures led to a surprising cultural renaissance, and I rediscovered my passion for the work. But when you're in the midst of challenges, it's nearly impossible to remember you're simply in a temporary cycle.

January 2025 marked our turning point. During our team offsite, I watched as people shared thoughts and feelings that had been buried for months. The psychological safety in the room was palpable – something I hadn't experienced in far too long. Seeing people engage with such authenticity made me realise the Inventium culture I'd always cherished wasn't gone – it had just been dormant.

This reinforced something I'd intellectually understood but emotionally forgotten: while culture can take years to build, it can bounce back with surprising speed. The recovery process is unique to each team, but I believe our resurgence came from a place of radical transparency.

This year, I've really ramped up my own openness with my team - sharing my misgivings, second thoughts, and mistakes without reservation. I acknowledged where I'd fallen short, owned my errors completely, and maintained honesty throughout.

Making tough decisions I'd previously avoided became essential, even when they scared me. What made this possible was knowing that our team genuinely cares - about the work, about each other, and about building something meaningful together.

I'm profoundly grateful for my teammates who stayed committed through the turbulence, because that is seriously hard to do. Their dedication reminds me daily that while we can't control when storms arrive, we can navigate through them together, knowing clearer skies always await on the other side.

​

Did someone send you this newsletter? Subscribe here to get more stuff in your inbox from me.