Question of the Month – January 2026

 Question: At the beginning of a new year, what is the most important intention a leader should set to create the conditions for better relationships and performance? Answer: At the beginning of a new year, leaders often return refreshed, optimistic, and focused on the promise of improved results and renewed momentum. Employees likewise re-enter the organisation...

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Good Leadership? It All Starts With Trust

By Abbey Lewis, Harvard Business Review Comment by Sean Hagger, Managing Director, Legitimate Leadership: Trust is an essential component of any high-performing group. The leadership of that group builds trust in two fundamental ways – firstly, by being overly concerned about their people; they know them as human beings and understand what drives them –...

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Leading Through Challenge & Change: Reflections From HCSA 2025

Back in November, I spent two days at the Telford International Centre with 900 healthcare procurement and supply chain professionals for the HCSA Annual Conference & Exhibition. Since then, I’ve been travelling and working in the USA and South Africa, which has given me time to reflect on what was a truly great conference and...

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Legitimacy and Governance

At the end of October 2025, an important advancement in corporate reporting in South Africa was released. The Institute of Directors in South Africa (IoDSA) and the King Committee of South Africa released this iteration, known as King V, which is a significant move forward, as the landscape has shifted in the past nine years...

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Question of the Month – December 2025

 Question: How can leaders reflect on their year in a way that deepens humility, gratitude, and commitment to serving their people? Answer: Gratitude is an emotion very much worth cultivating. Studies have shown that when we feel grateful, it unlocks the best in us and makes us more generous. Leaders who regularly show gratitude spend...

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Middle Managers Feel the Least Psychological Safety at Work

An article in the Harvard Business Review by Jan U. Hagen, a professor of management at ESMT Berlin, Germany, and Bin Zhao, a professor of management and organisation studies at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business in Vancouver, Canada. COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE BY STEFAAN VAN DEN HEEVER, ASSOCIATE, LEGITIMATE LEADERSHIP: Psychological safety is a...

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If You Want To Make Dotted Line Reporting Work, You Need To Do 3 Things

First published in 2018, this article by Ian Munro, Director at Legitimate Leadership, explores the leadership complexities of dotted line reporting and why making it work requires clarity, consistency, and conscious intent. Its insights remain as relevant today as when it was first written. Effective leadership is easier said than done at the best of...

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Question of the Month – November 2025

 Question: What does the Legitimate Leadership Model say about dealing with “victims” in organisations? Answer: The issue of ‘victimhood’ is surfacing more and more as the world of work has become more complex, and where people are confronted with the lack of time and with mounting pressures to perform. On the surface, this victimhood mentality is...

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Inside Legitimate Leadership’s Recent London Workshop

“I’d do this in a field with a flip chart if I could,” said Sean Hagger of Legitimate Leadership, reflecting on his passion for Legitimate Leadership workshops – and why he’s happy to set a 5am alarm to facilitate them. In other words, it’s not just about the venue – he would do them anywhere....

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October 2025 – Question Of The Month

Question: How do we encourage growth discussions in one-on-ones when all the coachee wants to speak about is work? Answer: Your role as a leader together with your organisational values around growth, are your friend. They give you a starting license for the conversation, so don’t beat around the bush. Say that you’d like to support their...

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Question of the Month – January 2026

 Question: At the beginning of a new year, what is the most important intention a leader should set to create the conditions for better relationships and performance? Answer: At the beginning of a new year, leaders often return refreshed, optimistic, and focused on the promise of improved results and renewed momentum. Employees likewise re-enter the organisation...

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