Pressure does something odd to our attention. It narrows.
In 2000 I was one of two watch leaders on a boat in the BT Global Challenge, racing round the world with ordinary people, many with no sailing experience. We won the first leg. We were the first boat round Cape Horn.
Then, in front of thousands of people in Wellington harbour, we sailed our 50-tonne boat at full speed into one of the other boats in the race. Our Captain resigned within the week.
How had we gone from winners to failures?
Our only focus was boat speed. Our mantra was “A fast boat is a happy boat.” People became secondary to the numbers. By halfway round the world we were burnt out. Feeling unappreciated, unheard. Exhausted.
We had it the wrong way round. A happy boat is a fast boat.
I learnt the hard way that the numbers are the trailing indicator and the people are the leading indicator.
It isn’t just boats. Gallup’s latest global workplace report found only 20% of employees were engaged at work in 2025, the lowest level since 2020. Manager engagement fell from 31% in 2022 to 22%.
Yet in the best-practice organisations Gallup studied, 79% of managers were engaged. So it can be done.
When the pressure goes up, the first people to drop out of view are often the ones carrying the load.
One question to take into your week.
Who have you stopped noticing?
Three experiments to try
2 minute experiment
Who was the best leader that you ever had? Bring them to mind right now. Were they the best because they only cared about the results, or because they cared about you?
5 minute experiment
Tell one person something they do well. Be specific and detailed. Pick someone who seldom gets recognition.
10 minute experiment
Think of one person in your team who might be struggling. Get in touch and check in on how they are doing. Be 100% present and listen to whatever comes up.
“Caspar was a real highlight of our annual company conference. He brought together his personal experiences with humour and some very relatable lessons on leadership, resilience, and teamwork. It really resonated with the audience, and the feedback afterwards was excellent; people were still talking about the session and the points Caspar had made well after it had finished.”
Edward Gill, energy resilience and transition for liquid fuels
Planning a conference or leadership event? I speak to leadership teams navigating change around the world. Check availability.
SERVICES I OFFER: