My title could have read Why I Champion Conscious Empathic Leadership In Men, to emphasise the extra importance of men having to work more consciously at displaying empathic behaviours in their leadership, but that feels just as sexist as saying that female leaders need to ‘man up’! Traditional ‘male’ characteristics…

In June of 2016 I was alone, relaxing in my flat, when I noticed something not quite right. A strange tingling and weakness in my right side. It was quickly getting worse… I just managed to call 999. By the time I made it to hospital I’d lost the use…

Let’s start with a definition of scaling. The ScaleUp Institute defines it as a business that is growing by at least 20% per annum for three consecutive years, measured in revenues or headcount. ScaleUp Nation says “scaling is the achievement of outsized results through small smart moves, aided by good…

During a recent webinar, the owner of a B2B professional services company said she had a sales problem: she was finding it difficult to win new business. Revenues had been flat for a long time. What did I suggest? I asked if she thought the issue was around converting prospects…

After many years’ hard work, a client of mine got his business up to several millions pounds of turnover; the company’s profitable, cash positive, and ready to scale. He asked me a classic question, one I’m often asked: “I’m feeling really bullish at the moment. We’ve developed a range of…

During the Global Financial Crisis, I noticed that some companies suffering from declining revenues decided to go for almost any business from anyone in order to survive. This approach usually produced short-term relief but hurt them later. For example, a premium software development company that suddenly lost its largest client…

Many years ago, I worked with a client who ran a five-star hotel in an exclusive part of London. Running a business in that area was very competitive. One of my client’s key metrics was measuring the percentage of guests who returned. So, he decided to focus on what he…

My beloved Bowers & Wilkins headphones — the bees knees — finally gave out after three years’ sterling service. I phoned the factory, got through to a helpful young woman within a few minutes, “No problem, sir, we’re sorry to hear that, we’ll post you a box to return them…