Issue 18 | The Half-Term Juggle: How Leaders Show Up Under Pressure

When the juggle is real

This October feels like a milestone for me - my son is coming up to finishing his very first half term in Reception.

And it means it's my first taste of the half-term juggle: deadlines don’t pause, colleagues are off, family needs are real. It’s disruption - and it tests how we show up.

I remember the same feeling in my years in law. Everything felt urgent, everyone wanted something, and my patience was often the first thing to go.

And I know I’m not alone. In law firms, I see it happen again and again. Leaders under pressure tip into different patterns: some carry the overwhelm quietly, others snap outward, and only a few manage to stay steady enough to bring out the best in themselves and their people.

How pressure shows up in behaviour

When pressure hits, I see leaders slip into different patterns:

• Some carry it inward - feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, doubting they can hold it all together.

• Others let it spill outward - frustration bubbling over, snapping at colleagues who “aren’t pulling their weight.”

• And then there are moments when we hold steady - calm, confident, compassionate, able to get the best from ourselves and our teams.

None of us stay in one place all the time. Under stress, we all move between these states.

To help leaders make sense of this, I use a framework called the OK Corral (which comes from Transactional Analysis and is covered in Ali Stewart's The Pioneer and Liberator, which I am a licenced Master Practitioner).

The OK Corral maps how we see ourselves and others - and it gives us a way to notice when we’re slipping, and practical tools to reset back into that “steady” space where performance is healthiest.

Three ways to reset when the juggle hits

Here are some small but powerful resets I share with leaders:

1. Pause before you react. A simple breath or a deliberate pause before responding stops frustration spilling over.

2. Check your story. Are you assuming someone isn’t pulling their weight, or do they have a juggle of their own?

3. Anchor back to your role. Ask: “What do my team and clients need most from me right now - clarity, calm, or urgency?” Then choose the behaviour to match.

From short fuse to steady leadership

One client I worked with - a senior lawyer - often found herself snapping in meetings. She wasn’t short-tempered by nature, but the pressure of deadlines and her own high standards tipped her into frustration, which was written all over her face.

Her team started to hold back, worried about her reactions. Promotion discussions stalled.

In coaching, we explored what triggered her shift out of balance. She began practicing small resets: preparing more intentionally, pausing before she responded, and learning how to name her frustrations calmly.

The change was visible. Her team described her as “clearer” and “more approachable.” She rebuilt their trust, her performance stabilised, and within months she was promoted.

That’s the power of noticing - and resetting - before cracks widen.

And saved so much time of the People Team to catch it then, before it all unravelled like it does for so many others (me included when I was in law).

Your reflection this week

As a People Director, you’re balancing your own juggle and noticing it in your people.

✨ Where are you, or your leaders, tipping out of “I’m OK, You’re OK”? ✨ And what difference would it make if they could reset more quickly?

Vikki

P.S. In 1:1 coaching, my StressLess Academy and Elite Leadership programme, I use models like the OK Corral to help leaders notice when they’re slipping - and give them practical ways to reset. If you’d like your people to have access to these tools, let’s chat.gle is real

This October feels like a milestone for me - my son is coming up to finishing his very first half term in Reception.

And it means it's my first taste of the half-term juggle: deadlines don’t pause, colleagues are off, family needs are real. It’s disruption - and it tests how we show up.

I remember the same feeling in my years in law. Everything felt urgent, everyone wanted something, and my patience was often the first thing to go.

And I know I’m not alone. In law firms, I see it happen again and again. Leaders under pressure tip into different patterns: some carry the overwhelm quietly, others snap outward, and only a few manage to stay steady enough to bring out the best in themselves and their people.

How pressure shows up in behaviour

When pressure hits, I see leaders slip into different patterns:

• Some carry it inward - feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, doubting they can hold it all together.

• Others let it spill outward - frustration bubbling over, snapping at colleagues who “aren’t pulling their weight.”

• And then there are moments when we hold steady - calm, confident, compassionate, able to get the best from ourselves and our teams.

None of us stay in one place all the time. Under stress, we all move between these states.

To help leaders make sense of this, I use a framework called the OK Corral (which comes from Transactional Analysis and is covered in Ali Stewart's The Pioneer and Liberator, which I am a licenced Master Practitioner).

The OK Corral maps how we see ourselves and others - and it gives us a way to notice when we’re slipping, and practical tools to reset back into that “steady” space where performance is healthiest.

Three ways to reset when the juggle hits

Here are some small but powerful resets I share with leaders:

1. Pause before you react. A simple breath or a deliberate pause before responding stops frustration spilling over.

2. Check your story. Are you assuming someone isn’t pulling their weight, or do they have a juggle of their own?

3. Anchor back to your role. Ask: “What do my team and clients need most from me right now - clarity, calm, or urgency?” Then choose the behaviour to match.

From short fuse to steady leadership

One client I worked with - a senior lawyer - often found herself snapping in meetings. She wasn’t short-tempered by nature, but the pressure of deadlines and her own high standards tipped her into frustration, which was written all over her face.

Her team started to hold back, worried about her reactions. Promotion discussions stalled.

In coaching, we explored what triggered her shift out of balance. She began practicing small resets: preparing more intentionally, pausing before she responded, and learning how to name her frustrations calmly.

The change was visible. Her team described her as “clearer” and “more approachable.” She rebuilt their trust, her performance stabilised, and within months she was promoted.

That’s the power of noticing - and resetting - before cracks widen.

And saved so much time of the People Team to catch it then, before it all unravelled like it does for so many others (me included when I was in law).

Your reflection this week

As a People Director, you’re balancing your own juggle and noticing it in your people.

✨ Where are you, or your leaders, tipping out of “I’m OK, You’re OK”? ✨ And what difference would it make if they could reset more quickly?

Vikki

P.S. In 1:1 coaching, my StressLess Academy and Elite Leadership programme, I use models like the OK Corral to help leaders notice when they’re slipping - and give them practical ways to reset. If you’d like your people to have access to these tools, let’s chat.