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We assume our leaders lead. I’m no longer sure that’s true. Britain has just appointed its seventh Prime Minister in ten years. Most of the commentary lands on the same word: direction — or rather, the absence of it. It made me go back to the word itself. Lead comes from the Old English lædan, […]

Every leader I work with tells me the same thing. No time to think. Too many crises to manage, too many fires to put out. And every one of them believes that once things calm down, they’ll finally get to the strategic work. The moment you say it, you know in your heart: things never […]

Every decision you make is an act of destruction. That’s some statement and it’s not hyperbole. When you go back to the origin of the word, decision comes from the Latin decidere, literally meaning  to ‘cut off.’ When you decide, you don’t just choose one path. You eliminate every other possibility that existed a moment […]

The next crisis isn’t coming. It’s already here and we keep acting surprised. The past week has been a scorcher in London.  The Met Office issued amber warnings, then red. Temperatures held in the mid-to-high 30’s for days on end. Schools closed early. Hospital staff struggled to keep patients comfortable in wards that were never […]

I’ve just come back from a few days in Liverpool — a city I barely knew. I’d booked a 1:1 day with my own coach there and decided to arrive early, stay late, and let the place breathe on me a little. On that first afternoon, I did what I always do when I’m somewhere […]

The word itself comes from the Old French ‘pouair’, meaning to be able. Not to control. Not to dominate. Not to defend. Simply: to be able. Somewhere between the 12th century and the modern boardroom, something got lost in translation. In twenty years of working with senior leaders, I have come to one consistent conclusion: a […]

The rung isn’t broken at the bottom anymore. It’s breaking in the middle — and everyone in the room is helping it happen. For years, McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report told a familiar story. Fewer women than men advancing into leadership. The gap opening early and widening from there. The 2025 report contains a […]

The room went quiet when you walked in. That’s not respect. That’s a warning. You’ve seen it happen. The room is buzzing. People talking, laughing, the hum of a team at ease with itself. The leader enters. And within seconds — silence. I’ve been in that room many times. Waiting for the leader. And I’ve […]

The latest McKinsey Women in the Workplace report contains a finding that should stop every senior leader in their tracks. Women now represent 48% of entry-level leaders. By the time you reach the C-suite, that figure is 29%. The pipeline is full. The talent is there. Something is happening on the way up. For years, […]

A cock-up at the highest level of government. Peter Mandelson appointed US Ambassador against the recommendation of security vetting officials. The Foreign Office overruled them. The Prime Minister wasn’t told. When it unravelled, the resignations followed: Mandelson out. Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, gone. Olly Robbins, the permanent under secretary at the Foreign Office, […]