I'll be honest. I had a wobble over Christmas. You know the kind - the one that creeps in when you're supposed to be relaxing, when you've got time to look at the spreadsheet and notice next quarter looks thin. All the old demons started kicking in. Maybe that's it. Maybe that's all the work I'm going to get. Wobble after wobble after wobble. So I did what I'd tell any client to do: I changed my perspective. Literally. I grabbed my gravel bike and headed out into the forests around Kielder Water. That ride reminded me what I needed to know: perspective shifts don't come from sitting with the spreadsheet. They come from stepping away and remembering what you know to be true.

Saturday morning. Six miles into our long run with the club, one of the runners shared her frustration: "I can't get under 4:00 hours, whatever I do. I've tried everything. I'm stuck."

Two days earlier, I'd heard almost the exact same words from a Director navigating a career transition: "I keep being passed over for promotion. It's just not fair. I've tried everything. I'm stuck."

Whether I'm coaching runners or senior leaders, I hear these three lines again and again: I keep missing my goals. I've tried everything. I'm stuck.

Here's what I've learned: when someone says "I've tried everything," they usually mean "I've tried everything I can see from where I'm standing." Being stuck isn't about lack of effort - it's about lack of perspective. The answer isn't working harder. It's seeing differently.

It's a cold January morning, and I'm reflecting on my first full year focused on Taggart People.

Three simple questions from the world of cycling have me thinking about what 2025 taught me, what I'm after in 2026, and how I'll get there. What are you carrying forward into the new year?

I got a tattoo this week. Four and a half hours in the chair, and yes, it hurt. But the pain wasn't the point. The story was.

It's Mont Ventoux - the climb that nearly broke me, and the moment I understood something crucial about leadership that 25 years in corporate life never taught me.

When you're halfway up a mountain in 35-degree heat, legs screaming, lungs burning, there's no corporate theatre. Just you, the road, and a choice: keep going or quit.

If you're a senior leader right now - carrying the weight whilst everyone looks to you for clarity, navigating change you didn't ask for, expected to have answers you're still figuring out - you know exactly what that feels like.

Here's what I learned on that mountain about reading the conditions, leading from different positions, and why the strongest leaders don't climb alone. Sometimes the best leadership insights don't come from business school. They come from knowing what it takes to get to the summit.

For senior leaders who are brilliant at helping others find clarity but struggling with their own next step. A reflection on the questions that helped me navigate career transition – and might help you too.

The worst teams lead organisations. And then they pay consultants and coaches to sort it out. While individual executives may be brilliant, as teams they often fall short. Research identifies three recurring patterns: the Shark Tank (hyper-competitive and political), the Petting Zoo (conflict-avoidant and complacent), and Mediocrity (lacking capability and looking backwards). But there are teams that work differently - and it's not an accident.

After 32 years of friendship and a weekend seeing Deacon Blue in Glasgow, I'm reminded that connection isn't indulgent - it's essential. Especially when you're the one everyone else looks to for answers.

Yesterday, I returned to facilitate a team session at a company I'd left 2.5 years ago. They'd changed, I'd changed, but what struck me was how this team had created something rare - a space where people could be themselves completely and deliver brilliantly through their unique strengths. It got me reflecting on my own journey back from some of the lowest points in my career, and what I've learned about taking ownership when you're feeling stuck.

As senior leaders, we're used to being the go-to person when things go wrong. But sometimes that weight on your chest isn't caused by anything you've done wrong.

Here's what I learned about when to stop blaming yourself for outcomes beyond your control.

Last week I found myself on a small Malaysian island, working with aspiring managers genuinely excited about stepping into leadership. What struck me most? This client wasn't waiting or crossing their fingers. They were investing early and deliberately. It got me thinking about a senior leader I spoke with recently who felt increasingly isolated - promoted for technical expertise but struggling with the human challenges no one prepared them for. Sound familiar? In a world where 42% of CEOs cite uncertainty as their top threat, the question isn't whether disruption is coming. It's whether your leadership capability is ready.

I'm in a good place right now. I know that won't last - life has a way of taking over. But here's what I do know: I've built something.

Over the last year, I've made decisions that leave me genuinely privileged to be where I am. The question is: if you're carrying the weight right now, who's in your camp?

A coaching conversation reveals why servant leaders struggle to identify their own needs - and what it takes to lead with both heart and clarity.

The business case for leadership development has never been clearer. With 200,000 UK jobs lost in 2024 and unprecedented disruption across industries, the organisations thriving aren't just those with the best strategies - they're the ones with leadership capabilities that serve people through uncertainty. Research shows 25% performance improvement and 3× revenue growth for companies investing in leadership development. If you're leading through complexity whilst everyone looks to you for answers, discover what this moment actually demands.