How to Lead with Kate Waterfall Hill

In this episode of 'How to Lead,' discover how when everything feels urgent in organisations it can affect team performance and morale. Kate explains how urgency is often a result of poor prioritisation and offers practical strategies to distinguish real urgency from noise. Learn about the DISC profiling tool to understand how different personality types handle urgency, and get concrete tips to reset pace without sacrificing momentum.
Episode Highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Why Everything Feels Urgent
00:20 Meet Your Host: Kate Waterfall Hill
00:48 Today's Topic: The Illusion of Urgency
00:56 Linda's Team Meeting: A Case Study
01:29 Understanding the Real Problem
01:50 The Impact of Urgency on Teams
02:06 The Role of Leadership in Creating Urgency
04:48 How Different Personalities Handle Urgency
06:10 The Risks of a Permanent Urgent Culture
06:57 Distinguishing Real Urgency from Noise
07:59 A Practical Model for Prioritization
09:50 Rebalancing Fast Pace with Quality
10:30 Practical Checklist for Leaders
11:27 Final Thoughts and Next Steps
12:02 Conclusion: Lead with Clarity, Care, and Curiosity
Useful links:
The Digital Academy Online Course
Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes
Buy the "How to Lead" book
Connect with Kate on LinkedIn
Follow Kate on TikTok
Contact Kate

In this episode of the 'How to Lead' podcast, Kate provides practical tools and strategies for building trust as a new leader in a team. She emphasises the importance of vulnerability, consistency, clear communication, and understanding team dynamics. Key tips include observing before acting, being explicit about work expectations, maintaining reliability, and fostering a collaborative environment.
Episode Highlights
00:00 Introduction to Building Trust as a New Leader
01:13 Common Misconceptions About Leadership
02:10 Practical Steps to Build Trust
05:34 Five Key Actions to Build Trust
07:19 Engaging with Your Team
09:11 Common Mistakes New Leaders Make
09:53 Leadership Development and Support
11:05 Addressing Team Dynamics
12:02 Final Thoughts on Building Trust
12:30 Conclusion and Call to Action
Useful links:
The Digital Academy Online Course
Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes
Buy the "How to Lead" book
Connect with Kate on LinkedIn
Follow Kate on TikTok
Contact Kate

Kate discusses why teams often fail to take ownership and provides actionable strategies to fix this issue. She emphasises creating conditions for genuine ownership by stepping back, granting real decision-making power, setting clear outcomes, and integrating ownership into regular work rhythms. Leaders are encouraged to foster a culture of belief and trust within their teams, which in turn can lead to sustainable and effective leadership.
Episode Highlights
00:00 Introduction: Why Your Team Doesn't Take Ownership
00:21 Meet Kate Waterfall Hill: Your Leadership Coach
01:09 The Hidden Burden of Low Ownership
02:30 Linda's Story: A Case Study in Ownership
03:33 Leadership Design Problems
04:07 Four Habits That Undermine Ownership
06:43 Four Ways to Foster Ownership
08:40 Closing Reflections: Shifting Leadership Habits
09:17 Conclusion: Lead with Clarity, Care, and Curiosity
Useful links:
The Digital Academy Online Course
Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes
Buy the "How to Lead" book
Connect with Kate on LinkedIn
Follow Kate on TikTok
Contact Kate

In this episode of 'How to Lead,' leadership coach Kate shares the top five leadership techniques essential for managers and leaders. She emphasises the importance of outcome-based delegation, consistent one-to-ones, clarity first principles, high-quality feedback, and balancing direction, support, and accountability. Featuring practical examples and frameworks, Kate provides actionable strategies to help leaders create thriving teams and achieve positive results.
Episode Highlights
00:00 Introduction to Leadership Techniques
01:03 Linda's Satirical Leadership Tips
01:42 The Importance of Practical Leadership Techniques
02:30 Technique 1: Outcome-Based Delegation
04:38 Technique 2: Consistent One-to-Ones
06:17 Technique 3: Clarity First Principle
07:35 The Role of Self-Awareness in Leadership
09:31 Technique 4: High-Quality Feedback
11:15 Technique 5: The Leadership Triangle
12:51 Recap and Final Thoughts
14:08 Conclusion and Call to Action
Useful links:
The Digital Academy Online Course
Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes
Buy the "How to Lead" book
Connect with Kate on LinkedIn
Follow Kate on TikTok
Contact Kate
Mentioned in this episode:
Digital Academy January Sale
Click here for the How to Lead: Digital Academy: www.waterfallhill.co.uk/htl-digital-academy

In this episode of 'How to Lead,' leadership coach Kate dives into managing underperformance, a challenge that affects all leaders. Kate shares practical tools and strategies to address underperformance in a structured, calm, and human way. Learn how to handle different types of employee responses and the importance of consistency in follow-up. The episode concludes with self-reflection questions to help leaders improve their approach to managing underperformance.
Episode Highlights:
00:00 Introduction to Managing Under Performance
02:05 Common Mistakes in Handling Under Performance
03:20 Understanding the Root Causes of Under Performance
05:26 Effective Conversations for Managing Under Performance
07:09 The LECA Framework for Performance Conversations
08:53 Handling Different Types of Responses
10:26 When to Escalate: Reset Conversations and Formal Processes
12:10 Consistency and Self-Reflection in Leadership
13:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Useful links:
The Digital Academy Online Course
Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes
Buy the "How to Lead" book
Connect with Kate on LinkedIn
Follow Kate on TikTok
Contact Kate
Mentioned in this episode:
Digital Academy January Sale
Click here for the How to Lead: Digital Academy: www.waterfallhill.co.uk/htl-digital-academy