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A photo of a children's puzzle on a step in sunlight

The Puzzle Workshop: A Powerful Way to Teach Business Agility and Leading Change

I use a children's puzzle to teach leaders about change. It sounds childish — but I have now run this workshop over 700 times, with teams as small as six and groups as large as 140. The pattern is always the same.

A photo of a small sand timer

Time Blocking: A Practical Guide to Focus, Attention, and Better Weeks

Time blocking is one of the simplest tools I use to stay focused. It is also one of the most misunderstood — not about controlling time, but about seeing clearly how you are spending it.

A photo of a railway bridge in London

What Stoicism Teaches Managers About Leadership

Stoicism was a quiet revelation for me — not as abstract philosophy but as something practical that could be lived and tested every day in the world of work. Nine lessons for managers who want to lead well under pressure.

A barn in Winchester, Hampshire, England

Why Design Matters More Than Managers Realise

Design is not just how products look and feel. It is how work flows, how value is created, and how clearly the path from idea to value is designed — or left to chance.

A photo of a tower in Basingstoke

Why Employee Engagement Surveys Miss the Point

Employee engagement surveys have become a corporate ritual. But engagement cannot be outsourced or surveyed into existence. It is created, daily, by managers in the work itself.

A photo of a bridge over the River Thames, London

Fourteen Principles of Leadership

One of the questions I am asked most often is simple: how do I become a leader? There is no single answer. But over the years I have developed fourteen principles that guide how I try to lead.

A photo from Brighton seafront

Why Most Culture Change Fails

Almost every organisation now claims to be transforming its culture. Around 70 percent of those efforts deliver no meaningful change. The reason is rarely complexity — it is a misunderstanding of what culture actually is.