Have you ever said something clearly, only to watch it land badly? Have you left a meeting thinking, That went well, then discovered that everyone heard something different? Communication is one of the most important skills a leader can develop. It is also one of the easiest to take for granted. Most of us assume we communicate reasonably well. We …

Ever feel like your familiar, home-grown company has suddenly become chaotic and mysteriously uncontrollable? People want pay rises. Managers want more authority. Customers expect more. Everyone seems to need an answer from you… and somehow, you’re still the person who notices the empty printer paper and sorts it out. You’re working harder than ever, yet the business feels less manageable. …

Would your organisation cope if you were away for a month? What about one of your senior people? Or the person who “owns” your biggest client relationship? If the honest answer is “not really”, you may be dealing with key person dependency. It’s easy to mistake dependency for success. After all, being the person everyone turns to feels like recognition. …

What would happen if one of your biggest clients asked to speak to somebody other than you tomorrow? Would the relationship continue smoothly, or would everyone quietly panic? And if you took a proper holiday, would your clients feel well supported… or would they wait for your return before making any decisions? For many founders and senior directors in professional …

Does every difficult question eventually find its way to you? A customer wants an exception. A manager needs approval. Two people disagree about who owns a problem. A supplier issue has suddenly become “urgent”. Someone asks whether they can make a decision, even though it sits squarely within their role. And before you know it, your desk is covered in …

What do your workplace values look like when the pressure is on? What happens when a high performer hits their targets but leaves a trail of bruised colleagues behind them? What do your people learn when someone behaves badly, everyone knows it, and leadership says nothing? These are not theoretical questions. They are the moments that reveal your culture. Most …

Are your one-to-one meetings helping people do better work… or are they simply another appointment in the diary? Do your team members leave feeling clearer, more confident and more supported? Or do you squeeze them in at the back of a taxi, over a pint, or three weeks late? One-to-one meetings matter. Done well, they create space for honest conversations, …

Are you good with people? Do clients trust you? Do colleagues enjoy working with you? Are you approachable, easy to talk to and generally well-liked? That is a strong foundation for leadership. But is it enough? In my experience, it often isn’t. Many people become managers because they are technically excellent, commercially capable or highly trusted by clients. They know …

Are you thinking about what happens to your business when you are no longer running it? Do you want to protect the culture you have built, reward the people who helped build it and avoid handing the company to a buyer who may change everything? An employee ownership trust could be one answer. It is not the right answer for …

What happens when the person everyone turns to is no longer running the business? Who makes the difficult decisions? Who holds the customer relationships, the knowledge and the confidence of the team? And, perhaps most importantly… can the business thrive without you at the centre of it? That is the real test of business succession planning. It is not simply …