ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS…
… IS THE LUXURY OF UNSCHEDULED TIME
It may be an unusual place to start, but let me begin with a confession. A confession shouldn’t be controversial, but somehow still is, so here is mine: I love luxury. I truly do. I appreciate beautiful things. I notice craftsmanship. I enjoy well-made handbags, jewellery with substance, clothes that sit well on the body, and age gracefully. I like the elegance, quality, and the confidence that comes from things made with care rather than speed.
THE TRIPLE AXIS OF SERVICE
PEOPLE, PURPOSE, IMPACT
There is a misunderstanding that often follows leaders through much of their work: the belief that service is simple, singular, or neatly contained. Many assume service is something directed exclusively toward people — the team, the clients, the individuals who depend on their decisions. But service in leadership is far more dimensional than that, and reducing it to one direction flattens the very depth that gives leadership its meaning.
CREATING PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY WITHOUT CODDLING
WHY HIGH STANDARDS AND HUMAN DIGNITY ARE NOT OPPOSITES
There is a strange tension in modern work culture, a tension most leaders feel but hesitate to name. We talk about psychological safety more than ever, but the meaning of the term has drifted into an entirely different landscape than the one it originally belonged to. It has become softer, more padded, more anxious in its intent. And the softness, rather than creating strength, often produces something far more fragile.
THE MOMENT YOU REALISE YOUR LIFE STILL WORKS
BUT NO LONGER FITS
There comes a moment — it usually sneaks up on us and is rarely convenient — when you notice that your life is still functioning exactly as it always has, yet something inside you no longer quite settles into it. Nothing has broken. Nothing dramatic has happened. The routines still run, the responsibilities are still met, and the identity you have built still holds. But a subtle dissonance begins to form, the kind that doesn’t announce itself loudly but lingers, asking to be acknowledged.
WHEN VALUES BECOME SLOGANS
WHY REPEATING VALUES IS NOT THE SAME AS LIVING THEM
There is a German expression that speaks volumes: “Nach außen hui, nach innen pfui”, which would translate to: “ Shiny on the outside, shabby on the inside.”
It captures something I keep noticing in companies, in leadership, and in life: how easily we polish what’s visible and neglect what actually matters.
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
WHY REAL POWER BEGINS WITH SERVICE
Before we dive in, let’s make one thing unmistakably clear:
Service is not submission.
It’s strength — directed.
A conscious decision to use your influence in the service of something larger than yourself.
THE LEADERSHIP THAT STAYED WITH ME
WHY THE BEST LEADERSHIP LESSONS ARE RARELY TAUGHT — THEY ARE EXPERIENCED.
Some leaders change your career.
A few change your life.
When I think back to my very first relevant job, I realise how quietly fortunate I was. I didn’t know it then, but I had stepped into an environment that would shape not only how I work but how I lead, coach, and relate to people to this day.
LEADERSHIP…
… THE INNER PRACTICE
Beyond Titles and Positions
There is a particular kind of quiet that settles in a room when real leadership is present.
Not the quiet of hierarchy—people waiting for the one with the title to speak—but the quiet of attention. A stillness that comes when those in the room feel seen, not managed; trusted, not measured.
THE POLITENESS TRAP - HOW CIVILITY HIDES DYSFUNCTION
THE POLITENESS TRAP - HOW CIVILITY HIDES DYSFUNCTION
Why we confuse being nice with being real — and how honest leadership heals what politeness hides
There’s a moment I have experienced more often than I can count:
Someone greets me with, “Hey, how are you?” — and before I can answer, they’re already talking - usually over me.
PRESENCE OVER PERFORMANCE
WHY DOING LESS OFTEN ACHIEVES MORE
There is this particular kind of fatigue that doesn’t come from overwork but from overextension — the exhaustion of being everywhere and nowhere at once.
For years, I mistook that state for ambition.
In a way, performance had even become my armour.
INTEGRITY
THE QUIET REBELLION
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your integrity was called into question?
There was a time when integrity was assumed — not marketed.
When doing the right thing didn’t require a press release, and decency wasn’t branded as authentic leadership.
Somewhere along the way, the world inverted: honesty became radical, and silence was mistaken for absence.
CHOICES
THE FREEDOM AND THE WEIGHT OF BECOMING CONSCIOUS
There are moments in life when we tell ourselves we have no choice.
We stay where we are — in the job, in the relationship, in the story — because it feels safer to assume that change isn’t possible.
We convince ourselves that circumstances have decided for us.