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The myth of the ‘born leader’. Stop telling new managers to "just figure it out!"
“She's a natural leader." "He'll find his feet." These are just a few of the lazy tropes organisations use to excuse a fundamental lack of investment in their human capital. Let’s be clear, leadership is not an innate trait, it is a highly complex, emotionally taxing discipline that requires deliberate practice, deep resilience and intentional development. Yet, a glaring corporate paradox persists. Companies routinely allocate ample budget for hard skills – certifications
David Martin
Jun 13 min read


The career U-curve - from blissful ignorance to productive doubt…
Self-belief is a topic that surfaces most in my coaching conversations. It may not always be framed directly as such, but it’s there - shackling otherwise brilliant, capable people from acknowledging their own knowledge, skills and value. It is easy enough to spot because I’ve experienced those exact feelings myself. Most professional careers pass through three distinct psychological phases, and those familiar with the Dunning-Kruger effect will immediately recognise the pa
David Martin
May 42 min read


The ROI of the middle – why developing mid-career talent can be a strategic force multiplier
In many organisations talent development budgets can often follow a ‘barbell’ strategy where investment is weighted heavily towards onboarding new talent and then again towards the high-stakes world of the C-Suite. This frequently leaves the mid-career, mid-level leadership layer - the very people responsible for translating strategy into reality - in a developmental void. Research actually suggests that this approach is often both counterintuitive and counterproductive with
David Martin
Apr 82 min read


The strategy of sensemaking - why clarity is the new leadership advantage
Few would probably contest that we’re living in a largely incomprehensible world right now where the role of leadership is no longer to simply provide the answer but to provide the framework for functional teams to find meaning. In 2026 clarity is arguably a greater competitive advantage than certainty. For many years leaders have consciously or subconsciously hung on to the VUCA model which recognises a world which is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. A more recent
David Martin
Mar 42 min read
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