What if the biggest barrier to your best performance isn't your skill, your resources, or your time, but the doubt inside your own head?

In this episode of @thehrldpodcast Nick Day is joined by Chris Sund, President and COO of Uniti Med and GQR Healthcare, a Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach, and author of You Are Capable of More. Chris's research surveyed over 200 professionals and uncovered a striking gap between what people believe they can achieve and what they actually deliver.

Chris brings a rare blend of hands-on leadership and personal reinvention to the conversation, having grown a business twelve-fold in two years while winning multiple workplace awards, and having rebuilt his own sense of possibility after an unconventional and often difficult start to his career. Together, Nick and Chris explore why 92% of people believe they are capable of more, yet 71% regularly fall short of what they intend to achieve, and why self-doubt, not time, money or opportunity, is revealed as the single biggest barrier standing in the way.

This conversation unpacks what it really takes to close the gap between potential and performance. Nick and Chris discuss why the most talented person for a role might already be sitting inside your organisation, why rapid business growth exposes culture rather than creating it, and why companies that build fences to retain talent often lose people anyway, when what they should be building are launch pads for growth instead.

They also explore why coaching, not managing, is the most overlooked skill in leadership today, why difficult conversations are so often avoided and what happens when they are, and how Chris's own framework for those conversations builds trust rather than eroding confidence. The discussion highlights why imposter syndrome often runs deepest at senior levels, why busyness is frequently used to avoid the one task that actually matters, and why personal and organisational responsibility both have to show up if real change is going to happen.

In a world where self-doubt is quietly costing organisations their best performance, this episode examines why closing the confidence gap may be the single highest-leverage investment HR and L&D leaders can make in their people this year.

A must-listen for HR leaders, L&D professionals, and anyone ready to stop letting self-doubt decide what they're capable of.

Enjoyed this? Check out our sister podcast @thepayrollpodcast for more great content!

This episode is sponsored by Deel

Managing a global team is complex, Deel makes it simpler with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance all in one place. That's why over 35,000 businesses trust Deel to hire, pay, and manage their teams worldwide.

See how Deel works at https://www.deel.com/nickday

Guest and Host:

Connect with Chris Sund: linkedin.com/in/christophersund

Book: YouAreCapableOfMore.com

Website: chrissund.com

Nick Day's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/

Find your ideal candidate with our job vacancy system: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/919cf6b9ea

Sign up to the HR L&D Newsletter: https://jgarecruitment.ck.page/23e7b153e7

Stay tuned for the next episode of the HR L&D Podcast, brought to you by Nick Day, CEO at JGA Recruitment, landing soon!

Timestamps:

(00:00) The Real Reason 92% of People Fall Short of Their Potential

(01:49) Meet Chris Sund: Author of You Are Capable of More

(03:00) Your Best Hire Might Already Be On Your Team

(05:55) The Story Behind the Book: A Father's Reflection at a Company Party

(08:00) Chris's Own Story: Dropping Out, an Arrest, and Rebuilding Belief

(12:42) Inside the Research: Why Self-Doubt Beats Time, Money and Resources

(17:49) Busy Bravery: Why We Avoid the Task That Actually Matters

(21:29) Fences vs Launch Pads: Rethinking Employee Retention

(30:32) Culture Is Like Hot Clay: What Rapid Growth Reveals About Leadership

(33:05) The Missing Leadership Skill: Coaching Through Difficult Conversations

(44:38) Personalizing Growth: How to Help Employees Become Their Best

(48:16) Career Lessons, Leadership Beliefs & Advice for the Next 12 Months