We have never had access to more information, analysis or support for making decisions. AI can summarise a report in seconds, challenge an argument, compare scenarios, prepare a presentation, suggest options and increasingly carry out parts of the work itself. The possibilities are extraordinary, and they will undoubtedly continue to change how organisations operate. I am less convinced, however, that this makes leadership easier. In some ways, it may ask more from us. Leader

Why understanding the individual side of change may be the most important part of transformation When organisations talk about transformation, the conversation often revolves around strategies, operating models, systems, structures and project plans. Yet organisations themselves do not change. People do. One decision, one behaviour, one conversation and one habit at a time. Over the years, I have noticed that many transformation initiatives struggle not because the strategy i

Most strategies don’t start badly. There is a vision.There are ambitions. There are numbers attached to it: increase market share, improve profitability, attract new customers, grow faster. On paper, it often makes sense. And yet, somewhere between the strategy deck and everyday reality, something happens. Or rather, something doesn’t happen. The results don’t fully follow. When strategy becomes a list of intentions Part of the difficulty is how strategy is often understood.

When change arrives in an organization, the visible shifts tend to take centre stage: new processes, new structures, new systems. What is less visible — and often far more decisive — is what happens to people. Change destabilises. Even when it is necessary, well-intended, or exciting on paper, it disrupts routines, identities, and informal certainties. And when that happens, people do not turn first to strategy decks, project plans, or leadership statements. They turn to thos

In almost every large transformation I have been close to, a familiar question appears sooner or later: “Should we bring in a consulting firm to run this — or should we build the capability inside?” The question is usually framed as a binary choice. Either we outsource the thinking and delivery to experts, or we struggle internally and hope people learn along the way. In practice, this framing is too simple — and often unhelpful. What matters more is how external support is u