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You know what good leadership looks like. So why is it so difficult to lead that way when the pressure is on?
As the pace of work accelerates and expectations grow, the qualities of exceptional leadership are becoming more difficult to access and ever more important. Leaders are expected to make sound decisions amidst uncertainty, build trusting relationships, navigate complexity and care for the wellbeing of others – all within systems that increasingly reward urgency.
Over the past few decades, leadership development has given us models, frameworks and evidence about what good leadership looks like. Yet, when the pressure is on, even experienced leaders often react defensively, rescue rather than empower, avoid difficult conversations, overwork, people-please or lose sight of what matters most in favour of quick wins. These leaders are well-intentioned but human – and pressure activates deeply ingrained, evolutionary patterns of survival that disconnect us from our best judgement, values and relationships.
Steady argues that leadership is more than a set of skills to learn – it’s an inner practice. Drawing on executive coaching, psychology, neuroscience and mindfulness, Astrid Korin offers a practical roadmap for developing the awareness, presence and responsiveness that allow leaders to choose how they respond.
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Brings concepts to life through real leadership stories drawn from interviews with leaders.
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Brings together the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, mindfulness and leadership while making complex ideas accessible.
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Inspired by the author’s successful leadership development programme, Inside Out Leadership ™ , each chapter includes reflections and practices that help translate knowledge and insight into everyday leadership.
Whether you're leading a team, an organization or simply trying to stay true to yourself in a demanding role, high performance is an inside job.
Astrid Korin is an executive coach, leadership development practitioner and co-founder of Inside Out Leadership™. She has coached leaders across education, healthcare, finance, consultancy and entrepreneurship, supporting them to navigate complexity, uncertainty and change without losing themselves in the process.
Before becoming a full-time coach, Astrid held senior leadership roles leading international teams through periods of growth, challenge and transformation. Drawing on more than 1,600 hours of executive coaching, she developed the Inside Out Leadership ™approach, which integrates insights from psychology, neuroscience, mindfulness and coaching to help leaders cultivate greater awareness, presence and resilience. The programme has supported hundreds of leaders and is consistently described by participants as transformational.
Steady brings together the learning from that work, alongside wider leadership research and practice.
Introduction: Why capable leaders still struggle
Part 1: Inner World Capacity - the New Leadership Imperative
Chapter 1: Knowing is not enough
Chapter 2: Awareness (self, others, context)
Chapter 3: Presence
Part 2: The 5Cs – the Practices of Building Inner Capacity
Chapter 4: Curious – The power of not knowing
Chapter 5. Connected – Grounded in the body, rooted in present the moment and in relation with ourselves and others
Chapter 6. Clear – Aligned with shared/common purpose, values and intention
Chapter 7. Courageous – Acting with integrity despite fear
Chapter 8. Compassionate – Balancing accountability with kindness for self and other
Part 3: Leading Systems From the Inside Out
Chapter 9. Inner Capacity as Organizational Capability
Chapter 10. Sustaining the Practice
Conclusion