Episode 53: From defensive to Neuro-Inspired: how the best teams thrive in volatile times
Published on 7 October 2025 • Hosted by Dr Lisa Colledge
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Leading under an invisible load: turn hidden drains into measurable impact
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In volatile times, it’s not skill or people that separates thriving teams from struggling ones. It’s culture.
AI disruption, new regulations, shifting customer expectations, and generational change are all playing their role in amplifying volatility. And now that the pace of change is accelerating to this unprecedented level, the old leadership playbook - the one that worked beautifully in times of stability – is starting to crack.
Those same habits that once kept teams safe now hold them back.
They slow innovation, drain energy, and quietly disconnect people from their mission.
The old playbook is showing its cracks
Most leaders didn’t choose this playbook; it just happened. It was inherited, absorbed from mentors, and reinforced by systems built for predictability.
When pressure rises, it feels natural to double down on what once worked: tightening processes, adding approvals, re-checking everything. It’s a well-intentioned response - a way to stay safe and protect quality. But the outcome is very different in volatiule times than it used to be in stable ones.
Instead of being caring, teams become careful.
Instead of being curious, they become cautious.
Instead of being creative, they become constrained.
Instead of being connected, they become contained.
Instead of being courageous, they become compliant.
The result is what I call a defensive culture - busy, responsible, but inward-looking and energy-hungry. These teams burn energy maintaining the appearance of stability instead of directing it toward progress.
When you try to change, two traps await
As teams begin to evolve, they often fall into one of two traps.
The first trap is the Safe Team. Here, harmony takes priority over challenge. Everyone gets along, but few ideas stretch thinking. The team is caring but not curious, connected but not courageous. It feels good, but growth slows. It’s boring.
The second trap is the Disconnected Team. Here, difference is welcomed, but not managed. Ideas fly, but trust frays. It’s creative but not contained, courageous but not connected. Energy is high, but direction is lost. It’s frustrating.
Both traps waste energy in different ways.
The Safe Team avoids friction, and innovation fades.
The Disconnected Team ignites friction, and trust erodes.
The Neuro-Inspired shift
The solution isn’t to choose between safety and difference. It’s to design for both.
That’s what a neuro-inspired culture achieves.
It applies lessons from neurodivergence inclusion - creating environments where people who think differently can succeed - and uses those same design principles to help everyone thrive.
In a neuro-inspired team, curiosity and care work together. Courage and connection reinforce each other. Creativity has a clear container so it becomes sustainable rather than exhausting.
These are the cultures that turn volatility into velocity. They don’t waste energy patching trust or managing misunderstandings. They direct that energy into results.
You can’t control the storm.
But you can design a team culture that dances with it.
