I'd joined a new team, and there were a few behaviours I knew weren't great. Nothing dramatic — nobody was doing anything outrageous. It was small stuff. Conversations that ran on too long. Time spent talking about things that had nothing to do with work. The kind of thing that's very easy to let go.

When I first moved to the UK, work started at nine and I was at my desk by seven. I stayed late whenever anyone asked me to, and often when no one did. I pushed hard through the day to see more cases than anyone else — enough that my numbers were never in question, even if the quality was sometimes only okay rather than brilliant. I took on extra work, worked weekends, and said yes to everything. I was determined to prove I could add value. And what did all that effort earn m

Some years ago, in a previous business, I overheard a conversation I've never forgotten. One of our occupational health techs (OHT) was running late — badly late — for his third and fourth appointments of the day. His manager caught him between clients and went straight at him. You're late. You've irritated the clients. What were you thinking? No questions, no pause, just judgment. When the manager finally calmed down, the OHT explained. The client he'd seen that morning had

One of the questions I get asked most by younger leaders is, "How are you so confident when you're making decisions?" I always smile because the question is based on an illusion. What people see is confidence. What they don't see is experience. Most of the decisions I make today are decisions I've made dozens, if not hundreds, of times before. They're familiar. I've seen similar situations, made mistakes, learned from them, and gradually built up what I can only describe as

One of the biggest transitions when you step into management isn’t learning how to plan, prioritise, or run meetings. It’s learning how to let go. Most new managers struggle with delegation—not because they don’t understand it, but because it feels risky. You were often promoted because you were good at doing the work. Delegation can feel like stepping away from the very thing that made you valuable. I know this because I’ve been there. Early in my leadership journey, I told

Reflection is something I see a lot in my professional world. In healthcare, doctors, nurses, and allied professionals are required to write reflective pieces regularly. Something happens — an incident, a decision, an outcome — and they are expected to look back and ask some fairly uncomfortable questions: What did I do well? What did I get wrong? What could I have done differently? What will I look out for next time? And actually, when you think about it, it’s a brilliant pr

In the fast-paced world of leadership, the line between dedication and self-destruction can be perilously thin. We are often told to lead from the front, to be tireless and inspiring. But there’s a truth many overlook: if your cup is empty, you cannot possibly fill the cups of others. Burnout among leaders is not just an individual issue; it has a ripple effect across teams, organisations, and cultures. If leaders want to sustain high performance — not just for a season, but

The other day I was involved in an interview; it was rather interesting that before we got started, the interviewee asked, "Can you...

We all spend a lot of time talking about being good leaders and there are numerous articles out there giving advice on how to be a better...

With management being one of the most studied elements of business, you may wonder why I have chosen to write about Leadership instead? ...