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