The Magic of Bringing People Along for the Journey

When you're leading a team or project, it's tempting to work everything out yourself and then delegate tasks. But there's a much more powerful approach that transforms both results and relationships.

This question was answered by Katie Feder – Registered Psychotherapist and Mental Health Expert – who brings deep understanding of human psychology and workplace dynamics, and Mike Tsapazi – Managing Director at The Edison Agency – whose 25+ years of retail expertise with brands like Nike and Bunnings has shaped his human-centered leadership approach. The conversation was hosted by Andy Wright, Founder of Never Not Creative, who asked: "What's the best piece of career advice you have been given?"

Why inclusion beats delegation every time

Katie's career-defining advice was beautifully simple: "bring people along for the journey." Rather than making decisions in isolation and then asking others to execute them, involving your team in the process creates something magical.

"It develops teams and teamwork and has such a massive positive impact on culture," Katie explains. "It's empowering as well and critically people take ownership when they're involved in building something and from there that when they take ownership that's when the magic starts to happen."

The ownership effect

When people feel genuinely involved in creating something, their entire relationship with the work changes. They stop being passive recipients of instructions and become active contributors with skin in the game.

As Katie puts it: "You'll never get the input or the output that you want" if you simply tell people what to do after you've already figured everything out. The collaborative approach unlocks both better ideas and stronger commitment.

Embracing authenticity over perfection

Katie also shared a transformative moment from her studies when she was struggling to keep up with other students' perfectly polished responses. Her course leader helped her realise something profound: "This is not asking for you to rinse and repeat what you already know how to do. This is asking for you to come into your heart and operate from a different space."

The lesson? Sometimes our constraints force us away from our default patterns and towards more authentic ways of working. "I can be me, that I'm enough that I actually if I just show up authentically, stop trying to play a role or do a thing, that that makes space for a much more powerful way of moving through the world."

Finding support through NNC Circles

If you're navigating leadership challenges or feeling isolated in your creative work, Never Not Creative's Circles programme offers peer support in small groups of 8-10 creatives. These monthly sessions provide a safe, confidential space to share experiences and learn from others facing similar challenges. The programme focuses on mental health education, practical skills, and building lasting supportive relationships. Learn more about NNC Circles.

The best career advice often isn't about which job to take or which skills to develop. It's about how we work with other people. When you bring others along for the journey, you're not just getting better results – you're creating the kind of workplace culture where everyone can thrive.

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