The Ambition Diaries

There is a version of investment that looks like leadership but functions more like hope. And hope, without the other person moving towards you, is just distance with good intentions.

The wise head at the table is not there to recount war stories. They are there because they have a relationship with risk that cannot be taught in a classroom or built from a case study. They have calibrated, in real time, what to hold onto and what to let go. They have made the call when there was no good option and lived with what followed.

I have a theory about Monday morning meetings. They are either the quiet engine of a well-run organisation, or a beautifully scheduled waste of everyone's time. There is very little middle ground.

I have been thinking about stability. Not the kind that shows up in a growth chart or a five-year plan. The kind that underpins how clearly you think, how confidently you lead and how well you make decisions when the pressure is on.