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EIRIK SKARHOLT
“Cowboy Leaders or Conscious Leaders?”
Season 1, Episode 1: burnout, team leadership and safer project culture
Listen / Watch Part 1:
Spotify – Listen to Part 1
Youtube– Watch Part 1
In this episode of Hard Hats & Clear Minds, Eirik Skarholt and I explore burnout, leadership and the human side of high-pressure project environments.
This conversation is especially relevant for HSE professionals, site managers, supervisors, team leaders, project managers and companies working with temporary teams, subcontractors and demanding deadlines.
We discuss the difference between “cowboy leaders” and conscious leaders — and why technical competence alone is not enough to create safe, healthy and high-performing teams.
About the Guest
Eirik Skarholt has more than 25 years of experience working with people through chiropractic work, coaching, leadership development, sales teams and corporate environments.
Through his work, he has seen how stress, lifestyle, emotional pressure and psychological strain can show up as physical pain, burnout and reduced performance. Today, his work focuses more on coaching, leadership, emotional awareness and helping people create healthier ways of working and living.
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Episode Themes
Burnout in leaders and high performers
Stress in project environments
Cowboy leadership versus conscious leadership
Why top performers often push past warning signs
How project pressure affects supervisors and site managers
The missing human side of safety culture
Trust, empathy and leadership in industrial teams
Why team building before a project matters
How temporary teams and subcontractors can become disconnected
Why first-line leaders need better support and soft-skill training
My Reflection
This episode is about something I have seen many times in industrial and energy projects:
Companies expect people to deliver fast, safe and high-quality work — but often forget to build the human foundation that makes this possible.
A project may have procedures, safety programs, reporting systems, inspections and technical plans. But if the people do not know each other, trust each other or feel safe enough to speak openly, the safety culture stays weak.
Eirik and I spoke about burnout and why it often affects strong performers. Many leaders, supervisors and site managers do not stop when the yellow flags appear. They keep pushing, solving problems, absorbing stress and trying to survive the project. By the time the red flags appear, the nervous system may already be exhausted.
This is a serious risk for both people and companies.
In project environments, pressure can come from many directions at once: missing tools, unclear procedures, new teams, subcontractors, production pressure, long hours, poor communication and lack of recovery. If leaders do not have tools to manage their own stress, they may pass that pressure directly onto the team.
This is where the difference between cowboy leadership and conscious leadership becomes important.
A cowboy leader pushes people to get the job done, often without enough attention to trust, communication, recovery or long-term consequences.
A conscious leader still wants results — but understands that people perform better and work safer when they feel seen, respected and connected.
This is not about being soft.
It is about better leadership.
It is about creating enough trust that people speak up before problems become serious. It is about supervisors and team leaders having the human skills to notice stress, build connection and support safer decision-making.
For me, this episode connects directly to HSE. Safety is not only about rules and equipment. Safety is also shaped by leadership style, team atmosphere, communication, fatigue, stress and whether people feel able to tell the truth.
If companies want better safety culture, they need to invest in first-line leaders. Many team leaders are promoted because they are technically strong, but they may never receive real training in communication, trust-building, conflict prevention or human awareness.
That gap creates risk.
This episode is a reminder that safer projects need more than procedures.
They need conscious leadership, stronger team connection and a more human approach to performance.
“Connect the Team Before the Project Starts
Season 1, Episode 2: site managers, team connection and proactive safety culture
Listen / Watch Part 2:
Spotify – Listen to Part 2
Youtube– Watch Part 2
In this second episode of Hard Hats & Clear Minds, Eirik Skarholt and I continue the conversation about leadership, wellbeing and safer project culture.
This time, we focus more on site managers, supervisors, first-line leaders and the importance of connecting teams before a demanding project begins.
This conversation is relevant for HSE professionals, project managers, site managers, supervisors, team leaders and companies working with temporary teams, subcontractors and offshore or industrial project environments.
Episode Themes
Site managers and supervisor pressure
Wellbeing in high-pressure project environments
Why first-line leaders need emotional awareness
How leaders can notice stress, insecurity and fatigue in the team
The importance of connecting teams before project start
Project kickoff facilitation and team-building
Why technical skills are not enough for leadership
How trust improves safety, communication and performance
Why team leaders need coaching, not only instructions
The human side of subcontractor and temporary project teams
My Reflection
This episode is about something many companies still underestimate:
Teams do not automatically become connected just because they are placed on the same project.
In industrial, offshore and energy projects, people often arrive from different companies, countries, cultures and work backgrounds. Many are subcontractors. Some have never met each other before. Still, they are expected to deliver fast, safely and with high quality from day one.
That is a big expectation.
If the team has no trust, no connection and no shared understanding, the project starts with hidden risk.
Eirik and I spoke about why site managers and first-line leaders need more than technical experience. A good leader needs to notice people. They need to see who is stressed, who is tired, who is insecure, who has influence in the team and who may need support before a problem becomes serious.
This does not mean leaders need to become therapists.
It means they need human awareness.
A site manager or supervisor who can build trust, ask better questions and create a more open atmosphere can influence the whole project. People speak earlier. They report more honestly. They help each other more. They make fewer unnecessary mistakes.
This is safety culture in practice.
We also spoke about project kickoff facilitation. Before a demanding project starts, companies often focus on tools, procedures, logistics, planning and production. These are important. But the human connection is often missing.
Who are the people in the team?
What experience do they bring?
How do they communicate?
What pressure are they already carrying?
How do they handle stress?
What does good teamwork look like on this project?
These questions matter because people are not machines. If we treat them only as resources, we lose the human intelligence that creates safer and stronger teams.
For me, this episode connects directly to proactive HSE work. Companies often talk about being proactive with reporting, inspections and risk prevention. But real proactivity should also include leadership coaching, team connection and preparation before the project begins.
If companies want fewer conflicts, less burnout, better communication and stronger safety culture, they need to invest in the people who lead the work every day.
Especially first-line leaders.
Because a technically strong team leader without communication skills may still create risk.
But a conscious leader who can connect people, build trust and keep the team grounded can improve both safety and performance.
This episode is a reminder that safer projects begin before the first task starts.
They begin when people are seen, connected and prepared to work together.
Want support for your team?
If your company needs help with HSE support, safety culture, project kickoff facilitation, team connection or resilience training, contact InvesTid.