Responsibility - Stefan’s Week-notes 02/05/2026
Inspired by the weeknotes of friends and coachees including John Fitzgerald, Steve Messer and Nour Sidawi - I thought I'd give it a go.
This week was about responsibility - and learning how to carry it differently.
1. What filled the week
Grounded. Real.
Coaching.
Conversations.
Thinking space.
The week started with supervision where I was the coachee – exploring expectations and how I’m holding them. That was a useful reset.
From there it was leaders stepping into new roles and asking who they are now – not just what they need to do.
A global role years in the making too – preparing someone not just for the interview, but for the responsibility it brings. That one felt special.
A leadership reflective group opening with ‘What are you carrying?’ – and creating a space that feels rarer than it should; properly honest.
Alongside that, I’ve been working on my offering, my brand, and my approach – the kind of work that stretches you, but in a good way.
And then football on the sidelines – Vera’s first match, Willoughby’s first cup final.
They lost, but they scored. And more importantly, they loved it.
Life and work, side by side. As it should be.
2. The thread - Responsibility – and how we carry it.
This showed up everywhere this week.
Leaders stepping forward into bigger roles.
Leaders questioning how they show up.
Leaders carrying weight – for people, outcomes, and systems.
And if I’m honest, it showed up in me too.
Noticing where I’m still wearing clothes from an older version of myself. Ways of being that were right then, but maybe not quite right now.
Not about losing the experience.
Just wearing it differently.
Responsibility doesn’t go away.
But how you carry it can.
Responsibility isn’t the weight – it’s how tightly you grip it.
3. What stood out (in the work)
‘I’ve been invited into a very high profile meeting…big black door’ (To paraphrase).
That message from a coachee said everything.
Not just the opportunity – but who they’ve become to be invited into it. That’s the real shift.
I also started new work with a new organisation, 360 feedback and a coaching programme - Eurpoean team alignment work possibly too. I also agreed a programme with a founder in Brussels – both felt aligned, the kind of work you want to lean into.
And then seeing clearly how ready one of my coachees is for a global role we’ve worked towards for years.
Especially given the stewardship responsibility it holds across a sector.
That kind of progress doesn’t happen overnight.
It’s earned.
4. What I wrestled with
The urge to push.
To do more.
To move faster.
To keep things ticking over.
Instead, I let things settle a bit more this week.
Not everything needs acting on immediately.
There’s a difference between what I want, what is possible, and what is wise – and I don’t always give myself space to see that clearly. yes - even coaches - do that. I’m human and that helps me support other humans.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Simple phrase. Still learning to live it.
5. What I noticed (in myself and others)
What struck me this week is that the people I work with REALLY care.
Genuinely - like - epic - care.
Every conversation had a thread of contribution running through it – wanting to make things better, and not just in the short term.
And yet…
Many are carrying more than is theirs.
Stepping in where others don’t.
Not setting the boundaries they need.
I see it a lot.
The leaders who stood out were those able to hold responsibility and question how they hold it.
That feels important.
Stewardship of others starts with stewardship of self.
6. What stayed with me
Willoughby on the halfway line.
There was something in that moment – past, present, and future all in one place. Pride, excitement, and a sense of what’s possible. Perhaps him, stood ‘in the middle’ - represents that.
And alongside that, the new banner I’ve created – on linkedin - me; plimsols and chore jacket; relaxed.
What are you carrying? and a new ‘logo’ ± - Plus and minus.
What we hold.
What we release.
It feels like more than a question now.
It feels like a lens I’m starting to look through more consistently.
7. What sat beneath the surface
Some leaders are quietly burning out.
Not because they’re not capable.
Not because they don’t care.
But because they’re carrying responsibility that was never theirs to hold in the first place.
I see it more and more.
Which is why this phrase keeps coming back to me:
Start less. Finish more.
And when I look at the rush into AI through that lens – it raises the same question.
Are we starting too much, too quickly, without really thinking about how we steward it well?
Feels like a moment for a bit more patience.
11. What I’m carrying forward
Jubilation in my thinking – there’s something opening up there.
Energy for training too – being back in rhythm after a tough year physically has made a bigger difference than I expected. riding the bike and opening out my lungs is both physcal expansion and metaphorical and metaphysical. I love and need that.
And a calm confidence that the right things are forming.
Particularly spaces for people who care about responsibility to come together.
That feels important.
And it feels like it’s coming.
12. A thought to leave you with
You deserve joy.
And maybe the better question is this –
Who could help you bring more of that into the world… for you?
Onwards - what are you carrying?
If something in this resonates - or you’re carrying something you want to think through - just reply.
stefan@stefanpowell.co.uk