General Leadership Articles – From the frontline
This category explores the real work of leading operations when it counts most, not in theory, but in action. Here you’ll find practical insights for leaders who are tasked with delivering results, often under pressure. The articles focus on turning plans into progress, aligning teams around execution, and navigating complexity with clarity and control. Whether you’re stabilising a business, driving performance, or simply trying to keep the wheels turning when resources are tight, this is where we unpack what it takes to lead operationally, and get things done.
The Most Misunderstood Quote in Business Strategy
The Most Misunderstood Quote in Business Strategy Why "No plan survives contact with the enemy" means the opposite of what most people think The Quote Everyone Gets Wrong "No plan…
The CEO’s and MDs Guide to Accelerating Team Execution
The CEO's Guide to Accelerating Team Execution When Your Management Team Knows What Needs Doing But Struggles to Get Traction The Strategic Gap That Costs You Months You've assembled a…
Series 1: From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing
This series explores what it truly means to lead from the touchline – that critical space where board members, Chairs, NEDs, and investors shape performance without directly controlling it. It examines the art of strategic influence, intelligent restraint, and perspective maintenance. Through practical disciplines and real-world insights, the series provides a framework for non-executive leadership that creates rhythm, clarity, and direction while maintaining the unique vantage point that allows leaders to see what others miss.
Series Introduction
From the Touchline – Leading Without Playing Series Introduction Not every leader belongs on the pitch. Some of the most decisive impact happens from the touchline, watching closely, listening carefully,…
You don’t need the ball to change the game
"You don't need the ball to change the game." Part 1 in the "From the Touchline" series The most effective leaders aren't the ones calling every play from the centre…
Series 2: Strategy Without Illusion – Cutting Through False Alignment
When growth plans fall apart, it’s often not because the idea was weak, but because alignment was false. This series addresses how strategic confusion creeps in, energy fades, and execution stalls despite everyone initially nodding in agreement. It offers practical approaches for non-executive directors, Chairs, and portfolio managers to challenge alignment without undermining trust, distinguish between financial plans and real strategic direction, and establish the right rhythm of strategic check-ins that transform delivery and cut through wishful thinking.
Why Most Board-Approved Plans Never Deliver
Why Most Board-Approved Plans Never Deliver Part 1: Strategy Without Illusion The board pack's clean. The numbers stack up. A few tweaks, and the plan is signed off. Sometimes it…
Strategy Without Illusion: A Series for Leaders Who Want More Than a Budget
Strategy Without Illusion: A Series for Leaders Who Want More Than a Budget Series Introduction The numbers stacked up. A few tweaks, and the plan was signed off. Everyone nodded.…
Series 3: Portfolio Performance – From Drift to Direction
For portfolio managers facing investments where performance is drifting, forecasts are being missed, and progress seems elusive. This series provides a measured, deliberate approach to implementing effective change without disruption. It examines how to identify real operational blockers, provide support that strengthens rather than sidelines management, build credible recovery roadmaps, and manage stakeholder expectations during underperformance – ultimately delivering a complete framework for portfolio intervention that restores performance without creating unnecessary noise.
Portfolio Performance: From Drift to Direction
From Plan to Progress: Building Credible Recovery Roadmaps Part 3: Portfolio Performance - From Drift to Direction Recovery plans are easy to write. Recovery progress is much harder to achieve.…
Identifying the Real Operational Blockers
When Good Investments Drift: Identifying the Real Operational Blockers Part 1: Portfolio Performance - From Drift to Direction The numbers tell part of the story. EBITDA is falling. Cash is…
Series 4: The Lender’s Perspective – Control Without Chaos
This series addresses the challenges faced by relationship leads at specialist lenders when portfolio companies show signs of distress. When cash is tightening, forecasts are changing, and covenants are under pressure, the right kind of operational support becomes critical. This five-part exploration provides lenders with a framework for measured intervention that protects positions without forcing unnecessary distress, bringing stability, transparency, and controlled progress to troubled facilities.
The Lender’s Perspective: Control Without Chaos
The Lender's Perspective: Control Without Chaos Series Introduction When businesses you've backed start missing forecasts, the pressure mounts quickly. Covenant tests tighten. Board conversations become more pointed. And you find…
Reading the Real Signals in Distressed Businesses
Reading the Real Signals in Distressed Businesses Part 1: The Lender's Perspective - Control Without Chaos When businesses start missing forecasts, the numbers tell you something's wrong. But they don't…
Series 5: Value Creation Through Operational Excellence
For forward-thinking portfolio managers who understand that even the best strategy fails without proper execution. This series explores how to build the operational foundations necessary for investment success, whether in newly acquired companies or during critical transitions. Rather than theoretical frameworks, it offers practical approaches to translate strategic intent into operational reality, identify hidden risks, build resilience, and prepare contingencies without undermining confidence – maximising the probability of investment success through operational excellence.
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What Really Happens
Behind-the-scenes intelligence for business leaders navigating crisis. From someone who’s sat on both sides of the table – as a CEO facing these challenges and as the advisor others call in to assess the damage. This isn’t advice on what you should do. It’s intelligence on what really happens when businesses hit the wall.
