People SoupI'm not a robot
On ambition, performance and remembering we're human. At work, we're encouraged to improve performance, achieve more and keep pushing towards our goals. But what happens when the pursuit of performance starts to crowd out the things that make life worthwhile? In this short solo reflection, I draw on recent conversations with Dr Amanda Super, Chris Rodgers-Wilson and Dr Joanne Gray to explore ambition, self-criticism, professional identity and the organisational pressures that can get in the way of doing our best work. The argument isn't that we should lower our ambitions or simply do less. It's that psychological flexibility gives us more freedom to choose how we respond. Sometimes that means persisting; sometimes it means pausing, asking for help or changing our approach. I leave you with three questions to consider: What am I trying to achieve, and why does it matter to me? What is the way I'm pursuing this costing me? Is there a way to pursue what matters without losing sight of the rest of my life? And a final thought: we're often asked to click a box to confirm we're not a robot. How often do we apply that same test to our working lives? We're human beings, not performance machines. People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful. Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human. In collaboration with Contextual Consulting I'm running an ACT in the Workplace: Train the Trainer Programme in February 2027. If you're interested in bringing practical evidence-based behavioral science to organizations, this course will equip you to work with groups, understand the stance of the ACT facilitator, and help make a difference to wellbeing in the workplace - then please check out all the details here. The early bird prices run until 5 November and if you use the code WORK20 - you'll receive an extra 20% discount. Here's the People Soup Website. And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here. Visit Ross' Website. Connect with Ross on LinkedIn People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
