Carry on regardless
10 June 2026
One in four adults will experience some form of mental health challenge each year. Yet despite the growing awareness of wellbeing, many people still find themselves waiting for help, unable to access it or simply uncomfortable asking for it. Over... read more
Why I choose optimism
10 May 2026
Many years ago, as part of my MSc, I spent time studying optimism. Since then, life has given me plenty of opportunities to put the theory to the test. Some of those experiences have been rewarding, some painful, and a few downright exhausting. Yet... read more
When survival starts choosing for us
10 April 2026
Many of the qualities we admire in leaders are not learned in boardrooms, classrooms or leadership seminars. More often than not, they are forged much earlier in life through adversity, uncertainty and the quiet determination to keep going when... read more
A Royal Navy with no warships
10 March 2026
When I joined the Royal Navy in 1978, Britain was still a maritime power in every meaningful sense of the phrase. The Cold War was at its height. The Soviet fleet roamed the oceans and the Royal Navy maintained a constant global presence. Ships deployed... read more
When fear becomes a strategy
12 September 2025
Labour swept to power in 2024 with 412 seats. Just a year later, poll-of-polls suggest they could slump to 119, while Reform rockets from 5 seats to a projected 368 - enough to form a government. The Conservatives? Reduced to just 36 MPs. If a week is a... read more
Power, performance and the price of peace
15 August 2025
I’ve been in enough negotiation rooms - at sea, in boardrooms, and now watching politics with a wary eye - to know one thing: the real work of leadership rarely looks dramatic. True breakthroughs usually happen behind closed doors, after the cameras... read more
The cost of standing still
1 August 2025
Leadership is often judged in crises: the bold decision, the difficult call, the moment when everything changes. But sometimes the harder test is not in chaos, but in drift. The news that the UK economy failed to grow in July may not sound dramatic... read more
Secrets, silence and the slow death of trust
18 July 2025
I’ve led people in high-pressure environments - at sea, in boardrooms, and now observing leadership with what I hope is a clearer lens than ever. And one thing I’ve learned is this: leadership is built on trust, and trust depends on truth. That’s... read more
Where have all the Churchills gone?
20 June 2025
In July 1940, Winston Churchill made one of the most agonising decisions of his career. With France fallen to the Nazis, the Vichy government in uneasy collaboration with Hitler, and the French fleet stationed off Algeria refusing to surrender or move to... read more
A powerful framework for enhancing personal and team productivity
23 May 2025
Time is the one resource every leader shares equally. Regardless of role, ambition, or experience, we each get 1,440 minutes per day - no more, no less. The challenge isn’t in acquiring more time, but in using the time we do have with intention. For... read more