There’s a lot to unpack about leadership, and this week’s live stream with Emilie and me was no exception. Inspired by the now-infamous video of BrewDog founder James Watt and Georgia Toffolo discussing their relentless work ethic, we dove headfirst into the complexities of leadership, blind spots, and the delicate balance between humanity and commerciality. Spoiler: It’s messy, but it doesn’t have to be.
“Everything he said was incredibly tone-deaf, but I completely agree with the concept.”
The premise of the video was clear: work-life balance is a myth, and work-life integration—where work seamlessly infiltrates every part of your life—is the ideal. Admirable in theory, but tone-deaf in practice. As one of our viewers, Sean, aptly put it, “Everything he said was incredibly tone-deaf, but I completely agree with the concept.” That’s the paradox, isn’t it? It’s not about the ambition—it’s the delivery, the privilege, and the implications on everyone else around you.
The blind spot of leadership
During the discussion, I reflected on what happens when leaders, intentionally or not, fail to bridge the gap between their own ideals and the realities of their employees. Leadership, as I see it, must be built on empathy and understanding. You cannot design a company that works only for people who are like you. Blind spots emerge when leaders design experiences that reflect their own needs rather than those of a diverse workforce. I gave the example of James Watt’s ethos and how dangerous it is to assume all employees should share the same relentless drive for work.
Emilie built on this point, highlighting the risks of ignoring the unique needs of employees. “Imagine you’ve been in a company two months, and your manager comes to you and asks, ‘Why are you here?’ If your answer is, ‘To get paid,’ how does that impact your progression? It’s dangerous to set these expectations without really showing empathy and understanding the employee’s experience,” she said. It’s a brilliant reminder that everyone’s reasons for working differ—and they change over time.
Empathy, not assumption
The importance of empathy was reinforced by several viewers. Dara summed it up beautifully in the comments: “The less policy in place, the better, in my opinion. Great leaders who do that well.” Policies, though necessary, often stifle innovation and limit flexibility. Worse, they can prevent managers from creating a culture of trust and autonomy within their teams. Greg chimed in with a pointed observation: “Policies are often written to deal with one bad actor but end up restricting everyone”.
“The less policy in place, the better, in my opinion. Great leaders who do that well.”
Emilie gave a great example from her experience working in New Zealand. She explained how the company encouraged head office staff to spend time on the shop floor to better understand the challenges faced by retail employees. “When you see how decisions impact people on the ground, you develop empathy and insight that you’d never get from sitting in a head office,” she said. It’s a simple but effective way to build trust between leaders and employees.
“When you see how decisions impact people on the ground, you develop empathy and insight that you’d never get from sitting in a head office.”
Bridging humanity and commerciality
One of the most compelling parts of our conversation centred on the Humanity to Commerciality scale. It’s a framework Emilie and I use to explore the extremes in leadership. At one end is the relentless drive for profit, à la James Watt. At the other, there’s the overly empathetic approach, where businesses focus exclusively on happiness without considering outcomes. Somewhere in the middle lies the sweet spot: a mutually beneficial relationship between employer and employee.
Emilie highlighted the importance of this balance, particularly when it comes to designing employee experiences. She said, “There’s a tendency to over-focus on feelings in reaction to rigid, process-driven policies. But just giving employees what they say they want isn’t enough—it’s about finding what they truly need to thrive”. That’s the crux of user-centred design: listening to employees, but also digging deeper to truly understand their motivations.
The road ahead
Ultimately, leadership is about listening, adapting, and sometimes admitting when you’ve got it wrong. James Watt, for all his faults, stepped back from the CEO role at BrewDog, acknowledging he might not have been the right person to lead anymore. That level of self-awareness is rare but crucial.
To close, I’ll leave you with a thought from Greg: “It’s all about the people. People make the world go round.” Leadership, done right, has the power to elevate those people and create workplaces where both humanity and commerciality thrive. But it starts with asking the right questions—and being prepared to act on the answers.