Ten AI Things to Do This Week
Three articles in, it's time to get practical.
Ten concrete things any leader can start this week to close the Leadership AI Gap - no transformation programme required.
The Natural Split
There's a moment on every group ride when the pack divides. The same thing happens in careers. If you're chasing a pace that's leaving you worn out rather than energised, it might be time to ask whether the group you've been following is heading somewhere you actually want to go.
Five Traps That Catch Leaders Out with AI
Enthusiasm for AI is running ahead of critical thinking in most organisations.
This is the third article in the The Leadership AI Gap series - five traps every leader needs to know about before they fall into one.
What Would Better Look Like For You?
Watching Gorky's 1904 Summerfolk at the National Theatre, Mark Taggart found himself recognising something uncomfortably familiar — the gap between a successful life and a fulfilling one. If you're carrying that weight right now, this one's for you.
Five Ways to Lead Better with AI
AI isn't just an efficiency tool.
In the second article in the Closing the Leadership AI Gap series, Mark explores five specific roles AI can play in making you a better leader — with some honest personal examples along the way.
Something is a Little Off
A slightly deflating gig and a very strange lyric led to an unexpectedly relevant moment. If you're a senior leader with that nagging sense that something feels off - this one's for you.
The Two Hours Before the Ride
Most people see the ride. They don't see the two hours before it. Bedford-based leadership coach Mark Taggart pulls back the curtain on Breakaway — outdoor coaching delivered on bikes — and what genuine preparation looks like for senior leaders.
My Stable & Sustainable Partner
AI can theoretically support 91% of what leaders do. Most aren't using it.
This is the first in a series exploring the gap between what's possible and what's actually happening — and what senior leaders can do about it.
The Promotion Trap
Promoting your best person doesn't automatically make them your best manager. The skills are different, the aptitude distinctive, and the motivations often completely altered.
Here's what most organisations get wrong, and what the good ones do differently.
The Apprentice Who Became the Champion
Geraint Thomas rode three weeks of the Tour de France with a broken hip. For someone else's victory.
His story isn't just about cycling - it's about what the invisible years of leadership actually build in you, and whether we're giving our best people enough time in the engine room before we hand them the keys.
Breakaway Didn't Start as a Business Idea
There's a photo on my phone I keep coming back to. Me, mid-ride, somewhere in the middle of the country, two days into a 250-mile solo trip I needed more than I realised.
This is the story behind Breakaway - and why I believe the space you think in changes the quality of the thinking itself.
Why. How. What.
Feeling ready for change but not sure where to start?
In this post I share the three questions I explore with every client who finds themselves stuck at this crossroads - on purpose, energy, and the shape of what comes next.
Breaking away
What if your best thinking didn't happen in a meeting room? Breakaway is professional coaching delivered on a bike – for senior leaders who ride and are navigating something significant.
Why your talent review is failing you
Most talent reviews produce the same list, the same conversations, and the same frustration.
This post explores why - and shares a practical framework for connecting your talent strategy directly to the business outcomes you're trying to deliver.
When the formation breaks down
Feeling like you're pedalling hard but going nowhere? It might not be you. It might be the formation.
Mark Taggart reflects on working in a founder-centric business and what it taught him about sustainable leadership.
I’m not a cyclist
I haven't ridden my bike outdoors since December 31st.
Until I wrote this, I hadn't told anyone. This is a post about the stories we tell, the masks we wear, and why it's never too late to stop and be honest with yourself.
What happens if there is a fire?
There's one in every room. The one who arrives late, checks their phone, and asks the question designed to derail the whole session. But buried inside that question is one of the most useful lessons I know about leadership.
What I've Learned About LinkedIn
I thought LinkedIn was straightforward: post consistently, share insights, build followers.
After three months of impressive metrics but zero business conversations, I realised I had it completely backwards.
Here's what I learned about building genuine business relationships on LinkedIn
Talent Strategy is a Leadership Problem
Talent Strategy was my job for years. It took stepping away from corporate life to realise I was the wrong person to be doing it - not because I wasn't capable, but because talent strategy isn't an HR problem. It's a leadership one.
Some days it's all about survival
Some days leadership is about survival, not sprinting. Mark Cavendish knew this - even the greatest sprinter spent most Tour days just getting through.
The question is: are you in the right team, or do you need to reframe how you're riding?