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Working in a context of increased anxiety is causing leaders to regularly say things that result in "little bruisings" for those below them, and leave employees feeling disregarded and dismissed, a leadership specialist says.

But helping those who suffer these "bruisings" or "infringements" to understand what's behind their leader's behaviour can give them the courage to lead up, says The Change Company director Paul Donovan.

He tells HR Daily that lately he's noticed increased demand for guidance on how to work with people who are more senior.

It helps if employees understand the effect that becoming more senior and being under more pressure tends to have, he says. It makes a person more likely to be, unwittingly, "a little bit more dismissive or disregarding of other points of view", especially when those views are coming from below, and especially when the leader is feeling anxious and pressed for time...