The Leader's Kitbag

In one of my earliest podcast episodes, I interviewed Connor Pearce - now President of Samsung Electronics in Poland - who shared a powerful piece of leadership advice he received early in his career: 

“Think like a man of action. Act like a man of thought.” 

In today’s Leader’s Kitbag, I unpack that quote and explore how to apply it in your day-to-day leadership, whether you're naturally more of a doer or a thinker. 

You’ll learn: 

• How to balance thoughtful decision-making with courageous action 
• The difference between reactive and considered responses 
• Why quiet conviction is one of the most underrated leadership strengths 

It’s not necessarily about speaking more or acting faster, it’s about choosing clarity, timing and purpose over noise and speed. 

Get Leadership Tools Straight to Your Inbox 

If this episode gave you food for thought, don’t miss a single one. 

Sign up for The Leaders Kitbag email series to get each video, podcast and leadership insight delivered straight to your inbox, helping you grow your confidence, sharpen your communication, and lead with impact. 

Sign up here and join a growing community of thoughtful, high-performing leaders.  

In this episode of Leading the ScaleUp, I’m joined by Peter Cohan - author of Scaling Your Startup, lecturer at Babson College, and advisor to hundreds of early-stage and high-growth companies.

Together, we dive into the four essential stages of scaling and why skipping just one of them can derail even the most promising business. Peter shares candid insights on how successful scale-ups intentionally build culture, the dangers of cognitive lock-in among senior leaders, and why intellectual humility is a core leadership trait for those who last the distance.

This is not just a conversation about business mechanics; it’s a conversation about the mindsets and moments that shape enduring leadership.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The four stages of scaling — and the hidden risks of skipping the second
• Why culture doesn’t need to be defined early — and when it absolutely must be
• How founders can avoid poisoning their culture with the wrong hires
• The difference between cognitive hunger and cognitive lock-in
• Why the best leaders are the ones still learning

Whether you're leading a fast-growing team or preparing your business for its next chapter, Peter’s experience and clarity will help you lead more deliberately through scale.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Peter’s Book: Scaling Your Startup

Peter’s Latest Book: Brain Rush: How to Invest and Compete in the Real World of Generative AI

Connect with Peter on LinkedIn 

Next Steps:

If you're looking for tailored executive coaching or leadership development training to support yourself or your team through a scale-up journey, I’d love to hear from you. Just drop me an email at [email protected].

If you’ve ever felt that the only way to be noticed in a meeting is to raise your voice, this episode is for you. 

In today’s Leader’s Kitbag, I challenge the belief that volume equals influence. 

Whether you’re a reflective thinker, naturally quieter, or simply not the first to speak up, you’ll discover simple, practical strategies for showing up powerfully and being heard, without compromising your style. 

You’ll learn: 

• How to own your natural communication style and still have impact 
• Phrases you can use to interject and contribute with clarity 
• Why preparation is your secret weapon when it matters most 

Leadership in meetings isn’t about how loud or often you speak, it’s about the value you bring. 

Get Leadership Tools Straight to Your Inbox 

If this episode gave you food for thought, don’t miss a single one. 

Sign up for The Leaders Kitbag email series to get each video, podcast and leadership insight delivered straight to your inbox, helping you grow your confidence, sharpen your communication, and lead with impact. 

Sign up here and join a growing community of thoughtful, high-performing leaders.  

Could speaking less actually make you a more impactful leader? 

Inspired by a quote from author Graham Greene, “The more you say, the more likely you are to look foolish,” this episode of The Leaders Kitbag explores the power of intentional communication in leadership. 

Some of the most effective leaders I know don’t feel the need to be the loudest or most frequently heard voice in the room. But when they do speak, they speak with clarity and purpose. 

In this episode, I share three practical strategies to help you say less and lead more effectively. 

You’ll learn: 

• Why concise communication increases the impact of your message 
• How to create space for others and avoid dominating airtime 
• The value of modelling thoughtfulness and restraint as a leader 

Leadership isn’t about always being the loudest voice in the room, it’s about knowing when to speak and how to make your words count. 

Get Leadership Tools Straight to Your Inbox 

If this episode gave you food for thought, don’t miss a single one. 

Sign up for The Leaders Kitbag email series to get each video, podcast and leadership insight delivered straight to your inbox, helping you grow your confidence, sharpen your communication, and lead with impact. 

Sign up here and join a growing community of thoughtful, high-performing leaders.  

In these ‘SHORTS’ episodes of my podcast, I select my favourite moments from previous episodes. This one comes from episode 182, with Lord Mark Price, former Managing Director of Waitrose, Deputy Chair of the John Lewis Partnership, and UK Trade Minister, who unpacks key insights on happiness at work and the inspiration behind his WorkL initiative. 

Once you’ve listened to the ‘SHORT’, why not click the link below and tune in to the full episode?  

Enjoyed The Short?  

Listen to the full episode here. 

Do you ever walk out of a meeting questioning whether you said enough, or even doubting if you made any impact at all? 

In this episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I explore a common struggle for reflective, internal-thinking leaders who often equate airtime with impact. 

Spoiler alert: the two are not the same. 

I share three practical tips to help you communicate effectively and confidently, without needing to be the loudest voice in the room. 

You’ll learn about: 

• Why your presence can be just as powerful as your words 
• How to leverage your natural listening and summarising skills for maximum impact 
• The importance of speaking with timing and relevance, not just frequency 

This episode is especially useful for leaders who identify as internal processors, introverts, or simply thoughtful contributors looking to enhance their leadership presence. 

Need More Support?  

If you’d like support with leadership training, coaching or conference speaking, do drop me a line via [email protected], I'd love to help.  

In this episode of The Leaders Kit Bag, I unpack a common leadership pitfall I call "fire and forget goal setting" - when we set big, ambitious goals for our team, then disappear, hoping for the best. 

Setting the target isn’t enough. Support, guidance, and course correction are essential to turn bold goals into real achievements. 

You’ll learn:  

• Why goals that feel manageable to you may feel overwhelming to your team 
• The psychological effect of stretch without support 
• How to break big goals down to keep motivation high 
• The importance of milestones, check-ins and the opportunity to reset 
• A lesson from my own early career that highlights what not to do 

Need More Support? 

If you’d like support with leadership training, coaching or conference speaking, do drop me a line via [email protected], I'd love to help. 

In this episode of Leading the Scale-Up, I sit down with Lord Mark Price — the former Managing Director of Waitrose, Deputy Chair of the John Lewis Partnership, and UK Trade Minister — to explore why happiness might just be the most underrated leadership strategy of our time. 

With four decades of leadership experience and as the founder of WorkL, Mark has dedicated his career to proving a powerful point: happy employees aren’t just nice to have — they’re essential for performance. 

Together, we unpack: 

• What really drives engagement (it’s not pay… and it’s not ping pong tables) 
• The six drivers of workplace happiness — and how they directly improve performance 
• How Waitrose doubled store count without losing its values 
• Why leaders must stop chasing the ball and start playing their position 
• What to do when values and commercial decisions collide (hint: they don’t have to) 

I also add my own lens as a leadership coach working with scale-up organisations, reflecting on the deep connection between feeling valued and leading effectively.  

You’ll also hear one of the simplest, most powerful boardroom strategies I’ve ever come across for getting tough decisions right — while keeping the team aligned and engaged. 

In this short but powerful episode of The Leaders Kit Bag, I share one simple leadership truth: when you support your team with their personal goals, not just their professional ones, you’re far more likely to get their support in return. 

This is rooted in a well-known psychological principle of reciprocity, and it’s something most leaders overlook. 

By tuning in, you'll learn: 

• Why professional development shouldn’t be a one-way street 
• How supporting personal goals breeds greater commitment 
• The role of reciprocity in building high-performing teams 
• A practical challenge to implement this in your own leadership practice 

Need More Support? 

If you’d like support with leadership training, coaching or conference speaking, do drop me a line via [email protected], I'd love to help. 

In this episode of The Leader’s Kit Bag, I explore how two people with the same skills, experience and motivation can produce vastly different results, and why the difference often comes down to the language we use when setting goals. 

You’ll learn about: 

• Towards and away-from motivation styles 
• How to spot them 
• How tailoring your language to match can significantly increase goal achievement across your team. 

Need More Support? 

If you’d like support with leadership training, coaching or conference speaking, do drop me a line via [email protected], I'd love to help.