Sharing Hard-Earned Lessons on Career Growth | Editor of Genesis 2 | Follow for Weekly Insights to Help You Navigate Transitions with Confidence and Purpose

I reckon most charities run on two things. A whole lot of passion, and some scramble behind the scenes.

As a not-for-profit COO, I build the operational backbone that turns that scramble into coordinated action so vision comes to life without burning people out.

In practice, that looks like:

🟢 Turning ambitious plans into clear, weekly execution

🟢 Making it obvious who does what, when, and how

🟢 Simplifying systems so the day-to-day actually feels manageable

🟢 Tightening how things are run and reported so everyone supporting the mission can trust the numbers and the decisions

🟢 Protecting the human side of the work - pace, workload, and wellbeing.

When those pieces line up, you get something rare in this sector: a team that can do more with less and stay human while they do it.

I share thoughts here on the practical side of making a difference:

Leadership, remote teams “doing the work” with limited budget, and the messy reality behind strategy decks.

The thoughts and reflections I share here are my own, drawn from my experience working across the sector.

If you’re working to make a difference and want to compare notes or sanity-check an idea, you’re welcome to connect.

Paul Chen

Kenny Bhosale

Executive Officer

Leadership & Team Development | PCC | EMBA | MSc | Member ICF, IECL and IoDNZ

🎖️Founder and CEO of The Bridge Leaders, an ex-Military Officer (18y active service), ex-Chartered Engineer, ex-Executive leader and Dad to two young boys.

🅱️ Here at The Bridge, our experienced team are here to help develop your leaders, teams, and organisations. We’re also one of the few companies blending evidence-based leadership with health and lifestyle coaching to help busy leaders bring their best selves to both work and home.

🔔 Follow for leadership insights; I post daily! Or better still, reach out for a coffee. 

📩 kenny@thebridgeleaders.com
📞 +64 21 99 2525
🅱️ www.thebridgeleaders.com

Founder | Leadership Coach & Consultant

Helping executive leaders who understand the value of good leadership, and are looking to create the rights leadership culture, systems and process to get the best out of their teams, get results and beat the competition.

“I am disappointed in you.”
It wasn't what I expected to hear 🤔
And it caught me off guard. 

It was 2005. I was 19y old.
Serving on a Navy Patrol Craft as an engineer.

I was tasked with refueling.
I got distracted chatting and lost focus.
That resulted in an unsightly fuel spill.

Whilst not a large spill, the sheen of fuel on the water on a calm day in harbour was visible for all to see. I was embarrassed.

In those days, this meant one thing.
You are going to get a decent bollocking! 
Plus we had a new boss.
So probably he was going to make an example.
And I happened to be the one to bear it.

I was called into his office.
I have had a bollocking before, more then once.
It didn't bother me too much. 
Water off a duck’s back.

But instead of a bollocking, 
I got something I didn’t expect.

“I am disappointed in you Kenny. I think you are better than this.”

It caught me off guard. 
I didn't know what to do with that. 
But I tell you what: it worked 💪 

I never made that mistake again. 
In fact, I worked my butt off not to disappoint him for the rest of the time we served together.

Because sometimes the thought of letting someone down who believes in you is far more powerful, than fear of consequence. 

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

undefined undefined

CEO & Founder | Leadership Coach

Director of Partnerships

Leadership Coach

Advisor

Head of Leadership Development

Founder & CEO, The Bridge | EMBA | MSc | PCC

I accidentally let something slip yesterday.
In a business podcast.
Something I seldom talk about openly 👀

At one point in 2024, I almost abandoned ship
And moved to Queensland.
I was looking at property and schooling there.
And I have family in Brisbane too.

But I didn't.

Those who know me
Know that courage isn't my problem
And taking a risk is not the biggest barrier/issue.

But something just didn't sit right.

We came to New Zealand as immigrants
Because... there was something about NZ.
And I am not talking about the nature and outdoors,
But about Kiwis and our values and beliefs.

We were like that level-headed kid in class
Who rises above petty squabbles
And sees the world through a grown-up lens.

When things get tough,
We roll up our sleeves,
Check in on our injured mates,
And we get on with it,
With a no.8 wire mentality if needed.

But lately, it feels like we've lost that essence.
Like we have decided to 'quiet quit' on NZ.
Not sure how you feel 🤔

The allure of moving never completely vanished.
But after giving most of my life in service of NZ,
Abandoning ship right now didn't sit right.

So last year, we re-shaped our mission and vision:
𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀.
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗭 𝗜𝗻𝗰.

For what it's worth,
We're in the fight for NZ business and economy.
With you, your leaders and your teams.

I didn't expect to feel this emotion as I write this post. But then again, running a business right now kind of feels like that! 😬😄

Shout out to Simon Bridges and the team at Auckland Business Chamber who share this sentiment, and are connecting business leaders who should be connected, on a shared mission.

Thanks for having me on your podcast Simon!

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

CEO Auckland Business Chamber, board director & business person

Auckland Business Chamber

Let's get REAL abut changing careers. 

Because it's less of a magical moment, and more about clarity, discipline, and planned actions.

That's what helps our clients in reality.
And that's what helped me, Make that pivot my career.

———————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

If you want to live without “self-doubt”
Then don’t be a leader.
Seriously.

Because people leadership is not a process.
People in general are irrational and emotional.
So despite your ability
You will get things wrong 
You will be pushed
You won’t have all the answers
And you will constantly face situations
That you have never faced before.
That’s part of the messiness of people leadership 💪

𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂.
𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 
From your own expectations of “confidence”
And of perfection, when it comes to leadership.

A bit of self-doubt is natural
When you are faced with something new.

Take it from me, I doubt myself all the time 
As I am always trying out new things 
And pushing the envelope a bit further! 

The only way to grow is to do it.
You might not get it right or perfect the first time,
But you will be better next time.
So might as well get on with it, eh?

———————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

I am speaking at the WRPPA Conference next week.
They had me at the Conference title 👇

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱

My one term on the Board of Greenhithe Primary School was enough to give me a real appreciation for the challenges schools face in the education sector, especially with the raft of changes happening right now.

Leading through that level of complexity, and doing it at pace, is not always straightforward.

I am looking forward to sharing some insights and connecting with leaders from the 180+ primary schools across the Wellington region! 

———————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

A big shout out to all these awesome women who surround me at The Bridge! 🙌

From Shelley Smith, the OG and the first associate to join The Bridge 2.5y ago, and helping kick start what is today the Energy Lab for leaders.

To Victoria McDonald, without whom I am often lost and overwhelmed... and that is an understatement!

To Yumi Perkins, Coach and now helping keep the ship on track as our new Head of Client Success, helping clients get real results.

To Suzanne M., who can connect with people like no other, and continues to support us as Head of Partnerships.

To the steady and graceful coaching of Nikki Joyce, Emma Piggot, and the support of Antoinette Bradley.

Yes, we have blokes in the team too, before you wonder that. They were not in the photo, so 🤷

Five years ago there was nothing.
No business. No team. No clients. No impact.
It has been a heck of a ride.
But having good people onboard makes it more fun!

The mission remains unchanged:
Better Leaders
Stronger Teams
Proven Results
Strengthening NZ Inc.

Happy #InternationalWomensDay

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

The Bridge

Founder | Health Coach

Virtual Assistant at Virtual Assistants

Career and Leadership Coach

Executive and Career Coaching | Strategic Partnerships | Stakeholder Engagement

Qualified Leadership Coach | Business Leader | Passionate About People & Growth | Team Coaching Specialist | Eternal Optimist

Metabolic Health Coach

Executive MBA | CG (Affiliate) | People Leader | Operations Manager | Business Strategy

Don’t judge your leadership by YOU feel.

Great leaders don’t always feel confident, calm, or in control. But they show up anyway and make others feel what they can’t always feel themselves.

You can be stressed, yet make others feel safe.
You can have self-doubt, yet inspire confidence.
You can feel disengaged, yet motivate others.

Leadership isn’t measured by how we feel, but by how we make others feel.

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

A small business 
Isn't a mini-corporate.
So stop copying
The big company leadership solutions. 

Too many founders and CEOs fall for this
Most "leadership solutions" come out of big corporate 
And too many 'experts' are ex-corporate, 
Thinking that's "best practice"

But most tools don't fit. 
They're either overkill or plain wrong.
You don't have the numbers, 
Nor the HR and L&D department to implement 

Plus, trying to force corporate rules 
Onto a fast-moving, tight-knit team? 
It's a recipe for friction, confusion, 
And wasting your time and money.

Leadership in a small business should be practical, 
Be flexible, rooted in daily reality. 
And part of your DNA.

Why do I say that?

Because we made that mistake early on, 
When working with startups and SMEs. 
We tried to apply the same playbook 
It didn't work. 
So we ditched it. 

Because we don't want to give you "best practice" 
We want you to get results, 
And do it without your company losing its soul, 
The thing that makes you, you.

So don't let big company playbooks stifle your growth.

And if this resonates, then let's catch up over a coffee or beer, and chat how you can help you drive business success through better leaders and stronger teams!

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

Many leaders fall into this trap.
The confidence message is everywhere.

Podcasts.
Coaches.
Leadership books.
LinkedIn
Your colleagues.
Your boss.

If you are new to leadership
Or have just stepped up into a more senior role. 
And are feeling a bit of self-doubt  
Then these messages can feel very relatable.
So we buy into it.
And that can be a giant red herring.

Because, while confidence is important,
It is not the main indicator of leadership success.
Getting the best results through your team is.

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 '𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁'.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.

I have seen highly confident, charismatic leaders fail miserably because they could not get things done through their teams.

And I have seen leaders full of self-doubt and uncertainty, who gracefully navigate complexity and deliver strong results through their people.

Because leadership is not just about how confident you feel. It is about how effectively you lead others.

If you buy into the wrong measure,
You end up naval gazing.

You focus too much on your own feelings
And miss the real work of leadership.

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

When chaos gets louder,
Leaders get quieter.

Because in chaos and complexity
𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.

This was 1 of the 5 key takeaways I shared in my keynote at the WRPPA Conference yesterday, on how to lead strongly in chaos and complexity.

Because in reality, many leaders do the opposite. They feel the pressure to step in, speak more, decide more, and direct more.

Hollywood style leadership stories have a lot to answer for, in shaped the false hero and saviour narratives many of us still associate with ‘good leadership’ today. 

But strong leadership in complex moments often looks different. It means creating the space for yourself and for others to think, speak and step-up.

And if you cannot go quiet in those moments, then it's worth holding the mirror up to yourself and asking:

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗜 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀?

Confronting perhaps, but real.

I have asked that question many times.
And every time I had to confront that question,
Both my team and I came out better on the other side.

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

This is one mistake you might be making.
Trying to bring a bit of humour back into work!

Because somewhere along the way, workplace humour has picked up a bad reputation.

In our efforts to be “politically correct” and avoid offending people or worse - getting cancelled, we may have over-sanitised our workplaces. Do you agree?

What is apparent is that humour has become sensitive territory and many people just choose to avoid it now. 

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 it.

So how do you bring humour back without crossing the line?

Read more in Issue #𝟲𝟭 of 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗹𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱, our weekly newsletter, where I break down how to bring humour back into work, and what to watch out for. 

Not subscribed yet?

✉️ Join 5,000+ leaders getting real, no B.S. thinking on leadership, culture, and teams so you can get 1 percent better every day.

🔗 Link in comments.

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

Learning is a team ritual.
And it’s often the first thing to go 
When you get busy 😔

So you stop learning as a leader.
You stop sharing lessons with one another.
And stop growing as a team. 

In reality, it takes deliberate effort.
Someone to organise it.
To think of a topic for discussion.
And facilitate the learning so it's not just a chat.

It’s something we’re very aware ourselves  
As a team at The Bridge
Making space to stay sharp matters.
Both for us, and for YOU the leaders we serve! 

Yesterday we revisited Coaching Styles.

All coaches have a signature style.
Good coaches lean on it and niche down on it.
Great coaches don’t.

They adjust in real time.
Playing with pace and pauses.
Tone, energy and questioning style. 

Not based on what feels natural to them.
But what the leader in front of them actually needs.

Sometimes that means being a challenger.
Sometimes a cheerleader.
And other times just holding the space.

It’s a learned and practised skill.
And it gets rusty real quick!
As professional coaches, we have to keep it sharp.

Thanks Yumi Perkins for leading the session.
Good learning!

💡PS: If you want to create a learning ritual, we can help. Our 'lunch and learn' style micro sessions are perfectly designed for sharp, to-the-point insights and follow-up actions. 

———————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

Conventional thinking 
Trains leaders to solve problems like this:
𝗔 → 𝗕

Identify the problem.
Explore options.
Create a clear plan.
Execute
Evaluate. 
A text book rational decision model

That works… until you move into senior leadership and start operating in the strategic space. 

In that space there are rarely simple problems.
Only wicked problems.
Problems that are complex, unclear, and shifting.
With shades of grey, and no certainty.

Everything is a trade off.
There are always competing priorities.
There is rarely a clear right or wrong answer. 
Simple solutions often create new problems.
There are many moving parts.
And you cannot force certainty where none exists.

But here is the good news, if you are a senior strategic leader, or aspiring to become one: 

Wicked problems are not solved by 'a leader'
They are worked on by a group of leaders.

As a team who can collaborate.
Disagree, challenge each other.
And still make progress.

That is the domain of strategic leadership.
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. 

———————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.
🎓 Image Credit: businessillustrator.com

A few years ago I lost my entire strategy presentation a few hours before presenting to the Board 😦

Weeks of refinement. Lost.

I had to rebuilt it, in under 2 hours
Sitting at a cafe at 6:45am in the morning. 

The presentation deck was messy.
Incomplete, and full of gaps.

I walked into the meeting expecting it to fall apart.

But instead, it ended up being one of the best strategy presentations I had made as a senior leader at the time. 

What was different?

Check it out more in 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 #𝟲𝟬 of 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗹𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱, our weekly newsletter. 

Not subscribed yet?

✉️ Join 5,000+ leaders getting real, no B.S. thinking on leadership, culture, and teams so you can get 1 percent better every day.

🔗 Link in comments.

—————————
🔔 Follow for daily leadership posts. 
🅱️ Head to our website to see how we work.

taplio

The Battle

Paul Chen

Kenny Bhosale

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreKenny Bhosale's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Paul Chen

Kenny Bhosale

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Kenny Bhosale's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreKenny Bhosale's LinkedIn Performance