A community for coaches and curious leaders

Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.

On The Mat is a space for coaches, consultants, and curious leaders committed to the deeper practice of Creative Leadership.

Whether you’re facilitating a team, coaching individuals, or simply staying close to your own growth edge, this newsletter is designed to support you with insights that are field-tested, grounded, and alive in practice.

I write about:

Bringing Creative Leadership alive in individuals, teams and systems
How to use the Leadership Circle Profile with more depth and range
Field-tested insights from executive coaching, team development, and enterprise leadership programs
The stories, identities, and belief systems that shape how we lead - and live
Tools, practices, and reflections to help bring more clarity and intention into your work

The name On The Mat comes from a simple object I use in leadership programs: a floor mat. It’s where we gather to explore what’s really happening—beneath the models, beyond the slides. It’s where the theory gets applied, and the learning gets lived.

This newsletter is an extension of that mat. A place to reflect and stay connected to what this work is really about.

Thanks for being here.

—Paul

Below are a few upcoming pieces to give you a feel for what’s ahead.:

👉 What We Miss in the Debrief

A look at how to go beyond the data and into the real story behind the LCP.

👉 The Shift to Creative: Three Lenses

An accessible framework for helping leaders move from reactive to creative leadership.

👉 Coaching at the Threshold

Supporting leaders in transition, when the old way stops working but the new way isn’t clear yet.

👉 The Mat and the Model

Why presence, pacing, and permission matter more than content—and how to bring the work to life.

🔍 Looking for Something Specific?

You can browse and search the archive for a selection of my past LinkedIn posts on:

Narrative coaching
Polarities and paradox
LCP group work
Debrief strategies
Reflections originally published on LinkedIn

You can also look here for just my posts on the LCP.

🔗 Stay Connected

If you’d like more frequent, short-form reflections, you can also follow my writing on LinkedIn:

→ Follow me in LinkedIn

Many of the ideas in On The Mat begin there and unfold more deeply here.

Thanks again for subscribing. This space is meant to be useful, reflective, and grounded in practice.

If something resonates—or sparks a question—you’re always welcome to reach out.