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