Kapable Review

“I’ve learned to pause before responding, understand the other person’s perspective, and communicate my expectations with greater clarity”

The past year has been one of the biggest periods of change in my life. After spending nearly 15 years feeling professionally stagnant, I found myself starting a new company, building a new team, launching new products and entering a completely new sector. For a long time, I had convinced myself that this was simply how things were. I was comfortable, privileged and doing reasonably well, so I never really felt the need to push beyond what was required. That changed when I started putting myself into environments that challenged me to learn again. I realised that I had stopped learning, and once I rediscovered that mindset, I started looking for ways to keep growing.
That was a big reason I joined Kapable. I knew I had the technical and operational experience, but I also knew there were areas where I wanted to become more effective, particularly around executive presence, communication and how I handled high-stakes interactions. I had seen people I admired communicate with remarkable clarity. They could get their point across, keep a conversation focused and make their presence felt without saying too much. I realised I had a long way to go.
One of the biggest changes for me has been the way I structure my thoughts. Earlier, if I had to prepare for a meeting, presentation or important conversation, I would often just go into it and wing it. Today, I find it much easier to organise my thoughts beforehand and create a clear structure around what I want to communicate. I still struggle with doing that spontaneously, especially when the stakes are high, but the difference is that I recognise it now. I can catch myself when I start slipping into old patterns and reflect on what could have gone better.
The change has also gone deeper than communication. I have become more conscious of the other person’s perspective. Earlier, I could get frustrated when someone did not understand what I was asking them to do. I would think, “Why can’t you just do this?” Now I am much more likely to ask myself what might be making it difficult for them and how I can communicate the same expectation in a way that works for them. I saw this clearly when I wanted my team to start using AI more effectively. Instead of repeatedly telling them to learn it, I looked at their actual responsibilities and found ways to connect AI with the work they were already doing. That made the learning much more relevant and easier for them to adopt.
I have also become less reactive. Pausing before responding is something I had never consciously practised earlier, and it has made a difference both at work and in my personal life. There have been situations where I would previously have become frustrated because someone could not see my point. Now I am more capable of stepping back, understanding their perspective and changing the way I respond.
That shift has also influenced how I lead. I have moved from simply telling people what I need to creating clearer structures, expectations and reporting systems so that people understand what is expected of them. I have realised that leadership involves creating an environment where people can learn, grow and take ownership, while still knowing when they can approach me and for what.
I still have areas I want to work on. I want to become more consistent under pressure, reduce my tendency to seek validation and become more comfortable with spontaneity but I now have the awareness to recognise those patterns, and that itself feels like progress. I have stopped looking only at what needs to get done today and started looking ahead. For me, that has been one of the biggest shifts, moving from constantly operating inside the work to creating the systems, people and space that allow me to lead beyond it.