“We’re not political here.” I’ve heard that sentence hundreds of times over the years. It usually comes from well-intentioned leaders who are proud of the culture they’ve built. To them, politics means gossip, backstabbing, empire building and people advancing themselves at the expense of others. If that’s organisational politics, then of course they don’t want […]
Conflict is often treated as a people problem. When tensions rise, relationships become strained, or teams struggle to work together, organisations frequently respond by investing in conflict resolution training. Leaders are taught how to have difficult conversations, provide feedback, and manage disagreements more effectively. While these skills are valuable, they often address only the symptoms […]
Artificial intelligence has become one of those topics that seems impossible to avoid. Depending on who you ask, AI is either the greatest productivity breakthrough of our generation or the beginning of the end of meaningful work. Most leaders seem to sit somewhere in the middle—curious about its potential, cautious about its risks, and unsure […]
What great leaders actually do is often very different from what leadership books, seminars, and corporate training programs suggest. In my recent conversation with entrepreneur, investor, and author Dave Berkus, we explored the realities of leadership after decades spent building companies, coaching CEOs, investing in entrepreneurs, and serving on boards. Dave has led businesses for […]
What you do in your first 100 days as a leader can shape everything that follows. And yet, this is exactly where many capable leaders lose ground—not because they lack expertise, but because they misread what the moment actually requires. In my recent conversation with JC Gaillard, author of The First 100 Days of the […]
When Good Work Stops Working At some point in your career, something shifts. You’re still capable. Still delivering. Still doing work that matters.And yet, your influence becomes… unpredictable. Some ideas land immediately. Others drift past without traction. Occasionally, someone else says the same thing, and suddenly it’s heard. It’s subtle at first. Easy to dismiss. […]
Most leaders believe AI will make them more productive. Faster outputs. Faster decisions. Faster results. But what if that’s the problem? In this conversation with Philip Topham, author of CRAFT Thinking, we explore a different idea: AI is not just a productivity tool—it’s a thinking tool. And when leaders use it incorrectly, it doesn’t improve […]
Most CEOs don’t fail because they lack intelligence. They don’t fail because they lack ambition. They fail because of CEO blind spots and leadership decision making patterns they don’t recognise. In my recent conversation with Bill Miller, author of What Every CEO Must Know, we explored how these hidden patterns quietly shape leadership effectiveness—and why […]
AI Isn’t Just a Technology Shift. It’s an Energy Revolution. AI isn’t just a technology shift—it’s an energy revolution. And at the centre of this shift is a growing challenge leaders are underestimating: AI energy demand and leadership. We tend to talk about AI as a software story—tools, productivity, automation. But underneath that narrative is […]
For most of their career, capable leaders are rewarded for one thing above all else: competence. They deliver results.They work hard.They solve problems.They build a reputation for being reliable, intelligent, and safe. For a long time, that contract holds. Effort translates into impact. Performance leads to influence. The better you are at your role, the […]