Why I'm Here: A Journey into Leadership Development
This is Post 1 in a series of 8 intending to share the integrated view that underpins my leadership coaching and strategy advisory work.
Since COVID brought our familiar world to a standstill, I've been rekindling my understanding of meaningful change and how to support it. This journey has led me to see leadership in a new light – not as command and control from the top, but as something far more fundamental to human growth and adaptation.
In the coming months, I'll be sharing insights about leadership and how we can navigate change in ways that support genuine thriving. My focus is on creating contexts where both individuals and systems can flourish – from teams and organisations to communities and networks.
Early Lessons in Change
Born in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, in a mixed-culture family, I was raised alongside a sister (Sara) with a rare genetic condition (Pitt Hopkins Syndrome). Northern Ireland was a confusing place to be born – particularly in a family with deep ties to the more extreme ends of the conflict. It exposed me early to the consequences of tribalism and anger when taken to extremes, and to the power of genuine connection to transcend these divisions.
The complexity of that environment – where simple actions could have profound ripple effects through interconnected communities – taught me early lessons about systems thinking that would later prove invaluable in my work.
Sara's way of being in the world – characterised by wonder and genuine connection – taught me something even more fundamental about thriving in challenging circumstances. While I was navigating the complexities of a "normal" school system with its intrigue and power dynamics, Sara was breaking through every developmental barrier medical experts had set for her, creating joy and connection wherever she went.
Given little chance of living beyond a few days by Western medicine, her continual growth left me with no doubt about our capacity to thrive in challenging circumstances. Where conventional approaches focused on limitations and control, Sara showed me a different way – one of genuine presence, joy, and natural development.
These early experiences showed me something profound about change and leadership. They taught me that genuine growth emerges not through force or control, but through creating the right conditions – something I'd later understand as the fundamental basis of effective leadership.
The Journey to Leadership
Given all of this, it's perhaps not surprising that alongside my career in engineering and sustainable design – which I value highly for the skills it taught me in working efficiently with those aspects of life that are predictable – I've been fascinated by how we engage more skilfully in the art of life.
Engineering taught me the value of precision and systematic thinking. Yet it also showed me the limitations of applying mechanical thinking to living systems. The most interesting challenges I encountered weren't technical - they were human.
How do we create conditions where people can collaborate effectively?
How do we navigate complexity and uncertainty?
These questions led me beyond traditional engineering approaches to explore deeper patterns of change and development.
Beyond Command and Control
The leadership I see in the world today often feels disconnected from these truths. We tend to view leadership as a singular, self-driven commander sitting atop a hierarchical pyramid, dictating rules to others who must obey or be cast aside.
But reality is fundamentally interdependent. We don't exist as isolated entities occasionally bumping into each other before wandering off alone. We exist because of the constant interplay between what we perceive as "us" and "not us."
Though science hasn't exactly landed on a nice, neat theory, a wide range of perspectives – from quantum field theory to physicist David Bohm's implicate order – suggest that beneath our sense of an individualised self lies a reality in which we are fundamentally inseparable.
This understanding shifts leadership from a story about authoritarian figures to a narrative about our capacity to steer the ship of our body and life in ways that are meaningful as we navigate an interconnected world.
Safety and Growth
This understanding reveals something crucial about change: safety must precede development. Just as a seed needs stable soil before it can sprout, we need basic security before our system can orient toward growth.
In organisations and relationships, this means creating environments where both safety and appropriate challenge exist. Our nervous systems are wired fundamentally for connection, making us exquisitely sensitive to social acceptance.
This creates an interesting challenge. We're wired to seek safety in connection, so we tend to prioritise social belonging and fitting in with the group. Yet we're also wired to seek self-actualisation – the fullest expression of who we are – and to contribute to our world.
The tension between these needs – between safety and growth, between individual authenticity and group belonging – isn't a problem to solve. It's a compass pointing us toward opportunities for meaningful development.
What I Do Now
Today, I help leaders and organisations navigate change in ways that support genuine thriving. This work takes two primary forms:
Leadership coaching: Working one-on-one with clients to support their development as leaders, helping them achieve their goals while building the capacity to create conditions where both they and those around them can flourish.
Strategic advisory: Supporting project teams and businesses to define and achieve goals while developing long-term vitality. This is about understanding context deeply and ensuring you're set up to navigate it effectively.
When I work with clients, we don't talk about theory or spend hours going through frameworks. We get into the task of addressing the real-world challenges facing you, right now. This might mean:
Developing your capacity to read and respond to system dynamics
Creating conditions that enable genuine collaboration
Building resilience in the face of uncertainty
Supporting your team's growth while maintaining operational effectiveness
Navigating complex stakeholder relationships
The Journey Ahead
Over the next seven posts, I'll share an integrated view of leadership and change that has emerged from these experiences – one that's been refined through years of practice, study, and work with clients. We'll explore:
How organic growth actually works (Post 2)
Using tension as a guide for development (Post 3)
Working with rather than against reality (Post 4)
Expanding our awareness beyond habitual patterns (Post 5)
Creating contexts that enable genuine thriving (Post 6)
An integrated view of change (Post 7)
Putting it all into practice (Post 8)
Moving Forward
Everything I'll share has emerged from decades of direct experience, study, and work with clients. It represents the truest way of navigating change that I've encountered – one that works with rather than against natural patterns of development.
My invitation is to take none of what I share at face value, but rather to be open to trying it on in your own experience. Take what resonates, and let the rest drift away.
Some of you may not need the theory – if that's you, I'd encourage you to reach out directly for a free 30-minute conversation about your specific needs. But many of us appreciate understanding the philosophy and research that underpins a way of working. This series is for you. (You can read Post 2 here.)