Why We Don’t Push Back on Senior Leadership (Even When We Are Right)

Published 18 August 2026

Author(s): Laragh de Bhulbh

One conversation has really stuck with me over the last 2 months. I’ve come back to it again and again. It was a roasting hot day and thankfully the hotel managed to sort the air-con for the Clarity workshop I was running. Prior to the workshop the team had completed the CATALYST diagnostic to assess their cross-functional leadership skills. We were talking through the aggregate results of the CATALYST diagnostic for the whole Medical Team. There was a mix of experience in the room but as a whole they had a really strong foundation.

We were talking about prioritisation and holding boundaries touching off the“Active Collaboration” and “Trust and empowerment”, the second and third of the eight pillars in the CATALYST framework. It was clear the trust within the Medical team was strong from the ease of the conversation and the open way they discussed challenges. Yet time and time again I see that this doesn’t always translate outside functional teams.