Every June, the same thing happens. The holiday requests start stacking up. The office empties in waves. Meetings get cancelled. Inboxes slow to a trickle. And somewhere in the middle of it all, a manager looks around and thinks: how do I keep this team moving? The summer slowdown is real.
There's a fundamental difference between managing and spectating. One requires decisions. The other requires only observation. If you find yourself waiting for perfect information before making a call, you're not actually managing. You're standing on the sidelines, letting circumstances decide for you—and rarely in your favour.
The best ideas in your team might already exist — they're just trapped inside someone who thinks differently to you. That's a provocative thought. But sit with it for a moment. In your last team meeting, who spoke up? Who offered a suggestion, challenged a proposal, or floated a new angle? And who stayed quiet? Because the people who said nothing — they may not have had nothing to say.
There's a phrase that gets used a lot in change management: "people resist change." It's repeated in boardrooms, written into project risk registers, and used to explain why well-intentioned initiatives stall or fail. But it's not quite right. And that small inaccuracy carries big consequences for how managers approach transformation.
There is a quiet crisis happening in many organisations today — not one caused by a lack of talent, strategy, or ambition, but by a lack of accountability. It unfolds slowly, almost invisibly, until one day the best people on your team stop trying quite so hard.
"Just focus." "Try harder." "You need to concentrate better." If you've ever said these words to someone with ADHD, you've made the same mistake as telling someone with poor eyesight to "just see better." The Fundamental Misunderstanding ADHD isn't a motivation problem.
Have you ever noticed how a team meeting can shift the moment a stressed leader walks in? The energy drops. People become guarded. Creativity stalls. This isn't coincidence—it's emotional contagion, and as a leader, you're the primary source. You're Always Broadcasting Whether you realise it or not, you're an emotional broadcaster.
As we close the books on 2025, I find myself doing something I rarely do in December—feeling genuinely energised rather than exhausted. This year didn't just change what we do in Learning & Development; it changed how we think about what's possible.
As we head into a new year, most management advice focuses on what to start doing. New goals, fresh initiatives, bold resolutions. Leadership books overflow with frameworks to adopt and habits to build. But sometimes the most powerful changes come not from addition, but from subtraction.
The war for talent is intensifying, yet many organisations inadvertently exclude excellent candidates before they even apply. Research suggests that up to 20% of the population is neurodivergent, representing a vast pool of talent with diverse skills and perspectives.
100% money back guarantee if people don’t change as a result of our work with you Discuss The Training Your Team Requires 
I'm Bob Bannister, owner, and trainer at iManage Performance, the specialists in training for remote workers and managers with over 20 years of experience in this sector.
As the UK has rapidly shifted towards working from home, this challenges the norms in which we work and manage We can help to fast track your remote management or team skills. Speak to us about our training options today.
call today +44 (0)1444 474247
email bob.bannister@imanageperformance.com
