Your capability is not yours to withhold
There’s a story I’ve heard hundreds of times.
This week, in a gathering where it was being recounted, one of its lessons arrived for me as though for the first time.
Putting your hand up when you have the requisite capability and experience is not arrogance. It’s a responsibility.
And what happens when the boat sails without you anyway.
I teach this. I still struggle with it.
This week, someone asked me what my highlights were.
I paused. And then I talked about watching a group of leaders show up differently - behaviours committed to in words, lifted off the page and becoming visible in real time.
The gap between knowing and doing was narrowing. In front of me. And I sat with that glow in my heart.
Because I know how hard that is. I'm on both sides of it simultaneously.
#Theweekthatwas @ 25/01/2026
Having responsibility isn't always a choice, taking it always is
Running into my soul
When I run, I go unplugged. No music. No distractions.
Sometimes what surfaces is mundane. Other times, it’s the kind of insight that stops you in your tracks.
This reflection explores what it means to carry responsibility across continents, the quiet shift from trust to control and how slowing down can reconnect us with the part of ourselves that already knows the way forward.
What two young people taught me about holding back
Some lessons arrive in unexpected ways. This week, two young people taught me something I didn’t know I needed to learn about perfectionism, contribution and holding back.
From Guilt-absorption to Victimhood to Freedom
Leaders are human first. Leaders cannot afford to be prisoners of their past — or captives of someone else’s story. If we live trapped in either perpetual guilt or perpetual victimhood, we are not free. And we lead from fear, not clarity.
The Secret Behind Great Leadership? The Team Around You
Last week, I had the privilege of being part of a volunteer team that delivered a hugely successful community event. Over the course of the day, we hosted around 4,000 people — families, friends, neighbours, colleagues and strangers — all coming together in celebration, connection and joy.