The WYA Blog has been revisited, tidied up, and reframed. Over the past few weeks, I’ve examined the entire Wave Your Arms archive - every post, idea, and half-formed thought, dating back to 2008. This includes over 200 articles written in various roles, cities, and stages of my journey. Some reflect immediate responses; others are more deliberate. All aim to make sense of leadership, organisations, and the evolving world of work. I finally did what I've meant to do for years: review, edit, and refine everything. What did I discover?

Dan Cable, a Professor at LBS, talks about the value of keeping a personal highlights reel. Mine usually combines the bloopers with the magical moments, but 2025 felt unusually golden from start to finish.

In October, Seven Dials was published. Finishing a novel was a nice moment, but the real objective - the very reason for all the hours - is that you want others to read and explore the worlds created within the pages. Any feedback is valuable, nice words are heartening and recommendations to others that they should “join the quest” (so to speak) are very precious indeed. Some recent reviews from Amazon and Goodreads below.

John Adair died this week. He’s probably not a name many people would recognise, but through his teaching, he changed many lives.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, Adair became one of the most influential thinkers on leadership around. He came up with a wonderfully simple idea — that good leadership is about balancing Task, Team and Individual

I am just back from a very good lunch with some friends I met in 1987. There was no deep discussion of who we were then, and how we got here; the convivial conversation was shaped by humour, good food and great wine. But on the 38 bus, I scribbled some notes about then and now and what we might learn from the past.

Welcome to another week! How are you feeling? Well, if you’re a manager or the leader of others, please sip that coffee, take a deep breath and contemplate the gravity of the task ahead.

For over 50 years, Gallup has tracked workplace hashtag#engagement. The headline figures often grab the attention, but when you dive below the waterline, the 2025 data is wholly dispiriting — and that’s based on a dataset of over 5 million employees globally.

I’ve always had a particular fondness for Fleetwood Mac. I discovered them late, like half the planet listening to Tango In the Night, which remains one of the best-sounding records ever made. Then, in 2021, after interminable lockdown restrictions, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac (a British cover band who are exquisitely good) was the first band I saw live at Cadogan Hall. It felt like my brain and senses had been reborn.

“I drink and I know things.”

I miss Game of Thrones. The initial seasons were exceptional, but the later ones suffered from rushed storytelling and failed to sustain the quality and visceral world-building found in George R.R. Martin’s original books. It’s been over a decade since I read A Dance with Dragons. Since then, The Winds of Winter, once highly anticipated, now nearly mythical, remains unpublished, more than a decade after Martin’s last book, with no clear release date in sight.

As with so many good intentions, life got in the way. Then came the lockdowns, and the world shifted dramatically before gradually settling into what we now call the “new normal.” Fortunately, the invitation was extended again — and six years after that first suggestion, I finally boarded the Eurostar to France and made my way across the border into Belgium to visit The Apple Chapel, created by my friend, colleague, and constant source of inspiration: Peter Hinssen.

Last year I launched The Organisational Advantage (The OA). It’s an irregular newsletter that explores how leaders can build genuine cohesion and connection in today’s hybrid world. The OA recently passed 1,000 subscribers. That’s 1,000 real people — not bots — who read, share, and comment on the ideas I put out. I’m grateful, humbled, and still surprised.

Those nice people at Troubador, the publisher for Seven Dials, have sent me the draft of the front cover. The concept is based on an original photographic work by Trey Ratcliffe, an art photographer based in New Zealand. Trey kindly allowed me to use the image for the cover of my debut novel and I think its rather gorgeous.

Since 2014, I have had the privilege of working with London Business School; first as a consultant, then as a member of staff. Over the years, there have been numerous memorable moments and lessons learned, but above all, what has always stood out are the people: the colleagues, contributors, and incredible participants who make this work so rewarding.

Thrilled to share that I’ve been shortlisted for Best Thought Leadership Speaker at the 2025 Speaker Awards! I’m also incredibly honoured to be a finalist for the Booker’s Choice Award — a special shoutout to the friend (you know who you are!) who encouraged me to apply.

Over the past two years, I’ve spoken to organisations across industries about one urgent yet simple idea: We need to rethink leadership for a disconnected world.

I’m delighted to share that my new book SEVEN DIALS will be published on 28th October 2025.

SEVEN DIALS ia fast-paced modern thriller set in London’s enigmatic district, with a parallel historical backstory about its founder, Thomas Neale. SEVEN DIALS will be published by Troubador and will be available for pre-order this summer and in bookstores in October

Finding great music used to be easier. Two decades ago, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Each week brought terrific new bands, artists, and tunes. Record shops [remember them?] were addictive, and many hours were purposefully wasted browsing. Video may have killed the radio star, but streaming has killed bands that take time to nurture and release. Today, when I find a gem, I run around the house naked (except for headphones), immersing myself in hope. OK, maybe not naked, but you get the point.

I have been re-reading several articles about Working From Home (‘WFH’) or WFA (“anywhere”) written by highly articulate advocates. These advocates often, coincidentally, also run a consultancy business on how keeping employees apart from each other is a genius move for increasing productivity, collaboration, and engagement. In the comments section, I sometimes write “WFH has all the hallmarks of a cult” and wait for the outraged blowback to head my way.

Five years ago this week, the UK was closed because of pandemic fear, fuelled by a hysterical media, inflamed by dodgy data from an “expert” at Imperial College and not helped by pathetic politicians who lacked critical thinking skills. As we discovered later, the politicians knew the actual danger to health was close to zero for anyone under 80 years of age, and so they partied, socialised and had affairs regardless, while continuing lockdowns and furlough policies which polled as popular.

One of the best-selling books in the UK is The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.  The author explores the recent catastrophic decline in youth mental health and its potential causes, focusing on the impact of technology, social media and overprotective parenting. It’s a sobering read, and I am sure the book will get some blowback based on his challenging views. Still, for this reader, it offers some profound thoughts about the importance of (and the lack of) real-world connections, close relationships and friendships among young people.

The acronym debate rages: WFH v RTO.  [Work From Home or Return to Office]. As a friend said at lunch this week, it's almost like "another dimension to the culture wars". Liberty-equality-duvet, versus to the tyranny of the commute and the humdrum office. It is The Rebellion vs The Empire, the remote planet outliers living the dream on Alderaan, while the menacing Death Star looms: with Vadar-like CEO's issuing RTO mandates: ‘get on board, or we'll destroy your world!’

I wrote a few months ago that remote working could turn out to be the tobacco of the early 21st century. Some thought I’d overstated the point.  But just because something is popular, and widely enjoyed by millions, doesn't mean it does not have unforeseen consequences.