PepTalk Presents: David Meade Webinar

When was the last time your leadership team had a truly honest conversation about how they're really coping with change? The replay of our recent webinar with communication psychology specialist David Meade offers practical insights that challenge conventional leadership thinking and deliver measurable results.

Why resilience and team building matter now more than ever

In an era defined by rapid change and persistent uncertainty, resilience is an organisational imperative. Companies that invest in resilient teams and stronger workplace connections consistently outperform competitors, especially during disruption. Today, resilience and team building are competitive advantages. Most organisations still rely on outdated playbooks that prioritise control over connection.

• Reduced turnover costs: Connected, supported employees are less likely to leave, saving recruitment and onboarding expenses
• Enhanced discretionary effort: When teams feel valued and aligned with purpose, they go beyond minimum requirements, driving innovation and productivity.
• ‍Faster adaptation: Resilient organisations pivot more effectively during market shifts, regulatory changes, or restructuring.
• Improved decision-making: Leaders who model calm, connected confidence create psychological safety, enabling clear thinking under pressure.

These benefits are especially visible during leadership offsites, all-hands meetings, away days, employee engagement weeks, wellbeing events, and HR leadership summits.

Lead with gratitude to unlock discretionary effort

Research shows recognition, particularly personal, sincere gratitude, creates stronger, more sustainable motivation than financial incentives alone. A specific, authentic "thank you" signals that contributions matter and fuels discretionary effort. Generic praise falls flat; timely, specific acknowledgment builds lasting connection.

Focus on connection over metrics

During challenging times the instinct is to increase measurement and monitoring. Meade's work shows performance rises when people feel seen and supported as people, not productivity units. Regular human check-ins that go beyond project updates build psychological safety, the foundation for innovation, honest feedback, and collaborative problem-solving.

Model the mindset your team needs

People mirror leaders' behaviour. Projecting calm, realistic optimism helps teams hold both the reality of challenges and belief in their capacity to navigate them. This modelling is crucial at leadership offsites and people-team away days where tone cascades through the organisation.

Align purpose to drive performance

Performance improves when personal and organisational purpose overlap. Help people connect daily work to real-world impact by regularly articulating how individual contributions serve larger goals. This makes work meaningful and embeds it in identity rather than treating it as a transaction.

Set bold expectations in uncertain times

Uncertainty calls for ambition, not retreat. Visible ambition from leadership signals confidence in the team's capabilities and creates a forward-looking orientation that prevents paralysis. Bold expectations motivate teams to rise to possibilities rather than shrink from them.

Building resilience that lasts

Meade’s interactive sessions translate psychological insights into actionable leadership practices, making them suitable for podcasts, awareness days, leadership summits, and events where leaders gather to enhance effectiveness. These approaches help organisations move from surviving uncertainty to thriving within it.

Ready to build a more resilient organisation?

Book David Meade or one of our other resilience and team-building experts for your next event. Our speakers deliver practical, research-backed strategies that create lasting impact, not just inspiration that fades by Monday morning.

• Email: hello@getapeptalk.com
• Message us via the chat
• Call: +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US)

What to watch next

• Dr Martin Gutmann Webinar [Watch The Replay]
• Dr Mark Bloomfield Webinar [Watch The Replay]