I’ve sat in boardrooms where the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife, yet everyone is smiling. The most dangerous moment for a business is not the crisis itself. It is the silence right before it. Over the last few years, I have watched executives lose their grip on operations because they confuse…
Introduction You likely started your leadership journey with a distinct sense of purpose. You stood for something bold and had a clear vision of the impact you wanted to create. But lately, you might find yourself staring at a screen or sitting in a boardroom, realising that the fire has gradually burnt out. The work…
In 2021, I walked away from my job because of values-based burnout. It was not just general exhaustion. I found myself in an environment that was the absolute definition of toxic, creating a profound clash of values. For six solid months, I dealt with anxiety and a deep lethargy that I had never experienced before….
There comes a point where the corporate machine stops serving you, and going independent feels like the only logical next step. It is a thrilling prospect. Then a frustrating reality blocks your path. What exactly does a consultant do on a day-to-day basis? The answers you find online are usually vague and entirely unhelpful. In…
Introduction I remember helping a mid-career professional step into the world of contracting. They were exhausted by corporate politics and craved autonomy. We worked out the transition, they landed a great day rate, and for a moment, it felt like a massive win. But just a few months later, we sat down, and they admitted…
My wife and I recently packed our bags and headed to a cabin in the woods. There were no notifications. Artificial intelligence was completely absent. As professionals heavily reliant on digital tools to build, scale, and communicate, we realised that to reset truly, we needed to disassociate from the digital noise completely. What I wrote…
Introduction Last week, I attended the Trustee Exchange and Memcomm events in London, surrounded by leaders of small to medium enterprises and charities. Underneath the polite networking and warm handshakes, a heavy anxiety hung in the room. These organisations, typically generating between £15 million and £55 million a year, are feeling an immense squeeze. They…
I was sitting in a room with non-executive directors, trustees, and CEOs last week, and the tension was palpable. Everybody is still talking about AI, but nobody in that room was asking which tool they should use. They already know the tools. The question keeping them awake at night was entirely different: What happens to…
In the consultancy world, we often talk about “leverage”, the ability to amplify our output without linearly increasing our hours. We seek systems that multiply our impact, drive performance, and align delivery with strategic outcomes. Yet, when it comes to the AI tools we use to build that leverage, we act in ways that are…
In the consulting sector, there is a rapid shift occurring, a technological arms race that is fundamentally altering how value is delivered. Over the last 90 days alone, we have seen major systemic updates across the leading AI models. Yet, the majority of independent consultants are still processing their meetings manually, or worse, using AI…
Remember when ChatGPT first launched? I certainly do. I sat there, stared at the screen as it generated a strategic breakdown in mere seconds, and felt a very real, heavy knot in my stomach. The thought was immediate: my job is gone, and the bots are taking over the whole operation. But as the months…
I will never forget a conversation I had about twelve years ago. I was working in a central booking service, spending my days stuffing envelopes and passing letters between departments. A new starter joined the team. When I asked him about his background, he casually mentioned he had just finished a PhD in genetics or…