Conflict at work doesn’t have to be scary. In this episode of Influence & Impact for Leaders, I talk with Alice Driscoll and Louise Van Haarst, authors of Smart Conflict, about why avoiding tough conversations harms teams — and how to do them better.

You’ll hear the difference between task and relational conflict, learn their 5R model (Reflection, Regulation, Readiness, Response, Repair) and pick up quick, practical tips you can use to calm my nerves, land your message and repair relationships.

Alice Driscoll and Louise van Haarst are the founders of The Power House, a global

leadership development and cultural transformation business on a mission to unlock human and organisational potential. They work with organisations including BBC Studios, PwC, Deutsche Bank, LVMH, Johnson & Johnson, ProperCorn, Bethnal Green Ventures and Zinc VC.

Their new book ‘Smart Conflict - how to have hard conversations at work’ is a highly

practical, evidence-based guide to getting good at conflict and hard conversations at work. Whether your default conflict style is avoidant, inflexible or aggressive, this book will give you the tools to embrace Smart Conflict and transform your leadership, your team and maybe your life.

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Buy Smart Conflict, How to have hard conversations at work:  https://mybook.to/SmartConflict  

Download free resources including our read-along workbook: https://thepowerhouse.company/resources

Take the default conflict style and team diagnostics:  https://thepowerhouse.company/diagnostics

LinkedIn: Alice Driscoll

LinkedIn: Louise van Haarst

Work with Carla:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get support to help you get your voice heard at work and develop your career. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.

In this episode, I’m delving into the common pitfall of many leaders - getting stuck in the weeds of daily tasks and acting operationally instead of strategically. If your calendar is packed with tasks your team should be able to handle, you might be trapped in an operational role rather than leading effectively. Discover how to rise above the day-to-day grind, lead strategically, and drive impact without burning out.

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high-performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately to be better at your job without working harder.

In This Episode:

• Operational vs. Strategic Leadership
• Why Leaders Get Stuck in Doing
• The Cost of Staying in the Weeds
• Signs You’re Too Operational
• The Strategic Leader’s Role
• Building a Self-Sufficient Team
• Creating Space for Strategic

Mentioned in This Episode:

Episode 61 - How to be great at delegation.

Episode 174 - How to be a coach-like manager with Jude Sclater.

Work with Carla:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.

In this episode, I’m joined once again by the brilliant Eleanor Tweddell, coach and change consultant and author of the new book Another Door Opens. You might remember her from an earlier episode where we talked about her first book on redundancy. This time, we’re diving into her fresh take on navigating change—one that acknowledges how messy and human it really is.

Eleanor introduces us to her five-step Change Mastery model, a practical and powerful framework designed to help leaders process change themselves before they try to lead others through it. We explore why traditional approaches to change often fall short, the emotional complexity leaders face in transition, and how we can show up more intentionally and empathetically during uncertain times.

This episode is for any leader navigating change themselves or trying to lead a team through transformation. Whether you’re facing restructures, technological shifts, personal crossroads—or simply the everyday micro-changes of life—this conversation offers clarity and compassion.

Episode highlights:

• Why change is rarely linear and almost never neat
• The difference between managing change and mastering it
• How leaders can work through change themselves before leading others
• The five steps of Eleanor’s Change Mastery model for leaders:

1. Pause – Start by stopping. Create space to rest and think.
2. Mess – Acknowledge the emotional complexity and personal impact.
3. Play – Get curious and explore possibilities without pressure.
4. Try – Take small, intentional steps forward.
5. Restart – Begin again, but with clarity and intention.

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

About Eleanor Tweddell:

Eleanor Tweddell is a coach, change consultant, facilitator, keynote speaker and author. After over two decades working in senior corporate management roles, including Whitbread, Virgin Atlantic and Vodafone, she founded Another Door with the mission of helping individuals, teams and businesses navigate change.

• Website: Another Door
• LinkedIn: Eleanor Tweddell
• Book: Another Door Opens (Coming 4th September 2025)

Work with Eleanor:

Eleanor now offers Change Mastery for Leaders and Change Mastery for Teams—high-impact workshops designed to help people navigate transition with intention and resilience.

Work with Carla:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach...