The Neglected Acts of Leadership
Book

The Neglected Acts of Leadership

And How Music Can Help You Rediscover Them

Andy Dent, Catrina Hewitson and Caroline Taylor
Rethink, 2025
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8

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  • Eye Opening
  • Concrete Examples
  • Inspiring

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The stresses of leadership make stepping away nearly impossible, a challenge that runs deeper than just managing your time. Coaches Andy Dent, Catrina Hewitson, and Caroline Taylor suggest helpful practices: pausing to reflect, building trust, and taking time for yourself. They explore global, work-life, and personal tensions that lead to self-neglect. And, they invoke three musical inspirations – David Bowie, the French duo Air, and the singer Raye – to help you reclaim opportunities for thoughtfulness, cultivate collegiality, and form sustainable habits. The authors suggest a paradox: A leader who has the time and energy to read their advice and listen to music may already be practicing what they preach. 

Summary

Thinking matters.

In today’s crisis-driven world, leaders face an uncomfortable paradox: The more critical decisions they have to make, the more stressed they feel and the less equipped they become to make hard choices.

Between 2020 and 2022, the time spent in meetings in the working world increased by 153%, creating a culture of busyness that prioritizes constant action over strategic thinking. In combination with the business mantra “Move fast and break things,” this is a recipe for executive paralysis and assumption-based decision-making.

The French music duo Air demonstrated the power of an intentional pause when they stepped away from their recording studio to mindfully investigate their artistic practices. The break resulted in their groundbreaking album Moon Safari. Achieving clarity requires taking a pause.

Leaders need time to think for planning, identifying opportunities, and solving problems. Instead of frantically putting out fires and rushing from meeting to meeting, leaders must seek quiet breaks to contemplate and learn from their experiences and to apply those lessons wisely.

Global, organizational, and personal tensions impede...

About the Authors

Coach and consultant Andy Dent has held senior roles at Virgin Active, The Institute of Leadership and Management, and The Oxford Group. Catrina Hewitson is a cross-sector consultant, facilitator, and team coach. Caroline Taylor, a global executive and organizational development consultant, leads The Oxford Group and oversees leadership solutions at City & Guilds. 

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