Burning Out or Burning Bright – Rich Hanrahan

October 9, 2025

Burning Out or Burning Bright – Rich Hanrahan

Leadership. It’s at the heart of every conversation I have about workplace culture and team performance. This latest episode of Beyond the Water Cooler is no exception. I’m joined by the fabulous Rich Hanrahan, co-founder of RPNA, to pick apart the link between leadership, wellbeing, and organisational output – and, as you might expect, the conversation is packed with insights that anyone in management or working with teams needs to hear.

Rich shares findings from his recent report focused on wellbeing across the government sector. But here’s the thing – its recommendations and lessons aren’t just for that field. As Rich so clearly spells out, the biggest impact we can have on employee wellbeing is by improving the quality of leadership at all levels. It’s not about adding another standalone ‘wellbeing programme’ – it’s about embedding thoughtful, people-focused leadership into the very fabric of how we work.

We challenge the numbers-driven approach to engagement surveys – that relentless focus on scores, rather than real conversations. Rich’s view? Be curious, not just competitive. Create space and time for meaningful discussions. That’s where managers can really support teams and where real improvement lives.

I loved exploring findings like 88% of frontline staff wanting to contribute more. Imagine if we actually asked people what they want to get involved with and gave them the space to help shape change! But there’s a flip side: discomfort remains, with 69% of frontline staff not feeling emotionally safe with their first-line manager. For me, this underlines the crucial need for managers to focus as much on the people side as they do the numbers, and to create a culture of genuine psychological safety.

And then there’s conflict. As Rich points out, much of it grows out of people caring deeply. If we can reframe conflict as healthy disagreement and tackle its systemic causes, we’ll see teams thrive – not just survive.

This is an episode for anyone wanting to create a workplace that’s about more than ticking boxes. If you care about happy, motivated, high-performing teams, this one’s for you.

More about Rich:

Rich holds a Masters Degree in Coaching, Mentoring & Leadership. He believes in leadership that transforms wellbeing and results. He co-founded RPNA to help leaders and their teams flourish on the jagged frontier of the future of work, as they adopt new technology, adapt to change in societal expectation of work and service, and reimagine the future of their organisations.