I didn’t set out to be a Bad Leader

I didn’t set out to be a bad leader.

On my first deployment to East Timor, I wanted to be a great leader.
I thought I knew what great leadership looked like, and how I lead was aligned with that vision.

But I failed. I was micromanaging, controlling and hadn’t learned to pause before acting. I learned, and I adjusted.

On my second deployment to Afghanistan, I was determined to lead better.

I did, but I was still off. I still believed I had to have all the answers and hadn’t mastered my emotions.

Again, I learned, and I adjusted.

Every time I’ve stepped into a leadership role, I’ve left something to be desired.
Not because I didn’t care, but because my understanding of what great leadership was was flawed.

And I see this everywhere. Most leaders want to be great. But our behaviour is shaped by our perception of leadership, and that perception is often incomplete or outdated.

The good news? These days we don’t have to guess.

Fields like neuroscience, psychology, and behavioural science have shown us the conditions under which people perform at their best and how leaders can create and sustain those conditions.

When I started diving into this science, I kept thinking: “I wish I knew this 20 years ago.”

The theory isn’t enough on its own. Even with an experienced leader teaching it, leadership still needs to be practiced, tested, and adapted in the real world.

But now we have a science to support the art.

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If you want your leaders to stop guessing and start leading with clarity, courage and real impact, let’s talk.