You can't be bold on an empty canvas.
Notes on leading engineering teams, getting Chartered, and the foundations under both — from twenty years inside vehicle programmes.
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All writing →Leadership isn't about power. It's about responsibility.
Module 1 of what an Oxford Executive Leadership programme taught me — starting with the idea that reframed everything else.
Read the essay →"I think I've left it too late for Chartership."
I hear this more than almost anything else — usually from engineers with 15 or 20 years behind them who are, by any honest measure, more than ready.…
Read the note →The series
Contents →Lessons in Executive Leadership
Eight essays from the University of Oxford Executive Leadership programme, one a month.
- 01Leading for high performance30 September 2026
- 02The job of the leader: Envisioning & engaging28 October 2026
- 03The job of the leader: Choosing & connecting25 November 2026
- 04Leading with power and influence23 December 2026
- 05Leading teams for effective performance20 January 2027
- 06Strategies and models for leading change17 February 2027
- 07Mastering complexity and plurality17 March 2027
- 08Reflect on your purpose as a leader14 April 2027
Finance for People Who Build Things
Four essays on reading and moving the numbers, for engineers who lead without a finance background.
- 01Reading the story in the numbers9 June 2027
- 02Why a pound today beats a pound tomorrow7 July 2027
- 03How good decisions get made4 August 2027
- 04The levers that move the business1 September 2027
Who writes this
About →I'm a mechanical engineer who has spent twenty years leading engineering teams on vehicle programmes, most of it in the UK. I'm Chartered through the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (CEng, 2015) and a Fellow of the Institution.