Writing on the web since 2003

I’ve just completed two organisational design projects with founders looking at creating the first leadership teams for their businesses. That means I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about role clarity. Which got me to noticing the complete absence of it in so many scaling businesses when I first come across them. Let me give you an example. Last week I had a half hour intro call with a founder who told me her team was “totally…

This week’s selection from my inbox explores three different perspectives on how systems resist founders’ best intentions. I bring you insights about birds that teach us about adaptive leadership, the art of saying no without burning bridges and why brilliant ideas fail when they clash with existing systems. A strand that connects all three of this week’s recommended articles is the fact that founder success isn’t…

I’ve been thinking a lot about control lately. Not in some grand, philosophical way but more in the “why did I just spend 20 minutes researching the optimal way to load a dishwasher” kind of way (and yes, I really did that without catching myself). During my reflections I’ve noticed something about many founders – they’re often truly obsessed with knowing everything. They want answers. They want certainty. They want to feel like…

In this week’s Build I’ve got an exploration of three perspectives on the foundations that shape how founders can work and lead. Rishad Tobaccowala examines the difference between rulers and leaders, Phil Adams looks at how authentic values create competitive advantage and Mike Fisher warns about the hidden costs of cultural neglect. Together these articles make a compelling case that the so called “soft” stuff – values, culture and…

Build #90 – Time to chase curiosity Hey Reader, Happy new year and welcome to 2026! This week’s Build features an article I wrote for Extra Brain’s Founder’s Block newsletter earlier this month. If this is your kind of thing, you can get regular insights from the talented bunch of people (and me) at Extra Brain by subscribing to the Founder’s Block newsletter here. I’m a consultant. People come to me with problems. Or at least they think they do. But really what they come with are the…

This week’s Build explores how we approach decisions and problem-solving. I’ve spotted three great articles that collectively challenge founders to think more carefully about the frameworks they. From questioning whether problems need solving at all, ensuring decisions are truly clear rather than strategically ambiguous and to recognising that major decisions are really just hypotheses to be tested – today’s Build gives you some refreshing…

In this week’s Build I’m sharing a bit about some work I did with a founder last year. I’m very grateful to him for giving me permission to share a bit about his story here. I still remember very well the first call I had with Jonny. “Lack of accountability. That’s the problem we have” was the first sentence of that first call. He talked about how he felt overwhelmed with too many problems bubbling up to his level. He…

This week’s Build explores the fascinating tension that shapes every founder’s journey: the gap between who you are now and who you need to become. Whether it’s learning to wield power without becoming Machiavellian, challenging the beliefs that once served you but now hold you back or navigating the eternal conflict between maximisers and focusers in your scale-up, this week’s three articles all point to the same…