Trust first — until given a reason not to

This week I explore why the way we approach trust shapes how we hear messages, and how we lead.

It’s drawn from countless moments I’ve seen over the years, where suspicion without real cause drowns out lessons that matter.

We talk about:

• Why starting from mistrust creates noise that blocks genuine insight
• Why trust should be our default, until evidence tells us otherwise
• And how real leadership means building cultures where trust is the expectation, not the exception
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Because Success is Messy, but without trust, it is messier

In this episode, I share a lesson from early in my naval career that changed the way I see leadership.

It is about the responsibility leaders carry, not just to look after their people in the moment, but to serve the long-term health of the organisation, even when that means preparing someone to one day surpass you.

We explore:

• Why real leadership demands confidence, humility and perspective
• What it means to be a steward of your team or Service
• And how to recognise when it is time to champion someone else’s rise, even if it comes at a personal cost

Because Success Is Messy, and leadership should be too.

#SuccessIsMessy #LeadershipMatters #MilitaryLeadership #Stewardship #Mentorship #OrganisationalHealth

Mistakes do not break leaders, not learning from them does

In this episode, I explore why leaders must build environments where people can fail well, learn fast, and improve.

Drawing from personal experience on the bridge of a ship, and lessons from the psychology of learning through mistakes, we look at:

• Why leaders need to balance confidence with humility
• How feedback and reflection turn mistakes into growth
• Why a mistake is only truly a mistake if it is repeated
• And how safe-to-fail spaces develop the kind of thinking that wins wars and grows organisations

We’ve always done it that way” is not a strategy.

In this episode, I explore why shifting culture — not risk, not pressure, not even failure — has been my biggest leadership challenge.

We’ll unpack:

Why unquestioned habits persist long after their usefulness ends

How I worked to change that mindset on one ship

The dangers of blind routine in any organisation

And why “why” is still the most powerful question in leadership

Because culture isn’t always conscious.

And success is never automatic.

#SuccessIsMessy #LeadershipMatters #CultureShift #CriticalThinking #MilitaryLeadership #QuestionTheProcess

When Silence Sounds Like Failure

In this episode, I explore how the absence of feedback can be just as damaging as dishonesty — and why silence, particularly for high performers, often sounds like failure.

Drawing on lessons from UK Special Forces, naval training, and leadership coaching, I explain why even elite performers sometimes withdraw — not because they’re failing, but because they think they are.

We’ll also explore:

• The danger of assuming people “just know” they’re doing well
• How a few words of encouragement can make the difference between retention and resignation
• A practical method for delivering balanced, honest feedback

If you lead people — or want to be led well — this one’s for you.

#SuccessIsMessy #Leadership #Culture #Retention

🎙️ Moral Courage — Up and Down the Chain

In this episode, I explore one of the quietest — but most essential — forms of leadership: moral courage.

Prompted by a powerful comment from a colleague, this episode unpacks why leaders must have the strength to speak the truth when it’s uncomfortable, whether that means challenging upwards or giving honest feedback to their teams.

We’ll look at how industries like aviation and surgery embed moral courage into their daily routines — and what we can learn from them. I also share a personal reflection on the damage caused by dishonest feedback, and how well-meaning silence can cost organisations their best people.

Leadership isn’t about comfort. It’s about clarity, accountability, and the courage to do the right thing — even when it’s hard.

🔍 Key themes:

• The authority gradient in aviation

• The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist

• The harm of over-inflated appraisals

• Why honesty and compassion go hand in hand

• Three things every leader needs moral courage for

If you’re leading people — or being led — this one’s for you.

📢 Share your thoughts, and let me know where you've seen moral courage make the difference.

#SuccessIsMessy #LeadershipMatters #MoralCourage #AuthenticLeadership #SpeakTruthToPower

What’s your first response to underperformance — replacement or retention?

This week on Success is Messy, I share a moment from a leadership conference that revealed just how many organisations fail to give feedback… until it’s too late.

We talk training vs letting go, the misuse of PIPs, and why coaching before cutting is always the better first move.

You don’t own success.

You own preparation.

In this week’s Success is Messy, I share how letting go of the result — and focusing on the process — helped me win a case against the odds.

Not because I believed in the outcome. But because I believed in the prep.