I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageIn this instalment of my personal stories, I continue to recount my time in command of Royal Air Force Coningsby and, this time, I focus on flying the Typhoon. This was an incredibly special time in my career as being charged with bringing a completely new RAF capability into service was an enormous privilege. It was also quite daunting as, having spent all my previous flying tours in the nuclear strike, ground attack o...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageGiven that this episode will be first published on Remembrance Sunday 2024, my guest this week could not be more appropriate. Vice Admiral Paul Bennett had a stellar Royal Navy career, with multiple warship commands, culminating in a 3* role in NATO's Allied Command Transformation HQ in the USA.As the title makes clear, Paul is now the National President of the Royal British Legion and, in that capacity, he has a key role in...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageMy guest this week is John Cordle, a former US Naval Captain who still works closely with the US Navy as a Human Factors Engineer and is based in the eastern United States.I met John through episode 43 of the podcast when I interviewed Keith Green and we discussed his book, "Black Officer, White Navy". As you will hear in the episode, John became friendly with Keith following the Black Lives Matter protests in the US, and we ...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageMy guest this week is Hardeep Dhanjal, a professional international speaker and mindset coach based in Copenhagen, Denmark.I first met Hardeep when he was engaged as the motivational speaker to kick off a workshop session that I was subsequently facilitating for Deloitte Denmark. I was hugely impressed by his inspirational story and I'm delighted that he accepted my invitation to come on the podcast. I'm equally delight...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageOne of the greatest privileges of my RAF career was being able to fly as a fighter pilot on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) for the 2005/2006 display seasons whilst I was in command of RAF Coningsby.This was a truly unique opportunity and one that I will always cherish because it was simply so special to be able to fly these wonderfully iconic aircraft, and get a bit more appreciation for what the WW2 generation of pil...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageMy guest this week is Steve Fletcher, the Founder and CEO of The Leaders' Club (www.theleadersclub.org).I first met Steve almost exactly 10 years ago when I was transitioning out of the Royal Air Force and another colleague suggested I join The Leaders' Club. I joined immediately and, since then, Steve and I have become good friends and, more recently, colleagues since I am now a Director and the Deputy CEO of the Club myself...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageContinuing the story of my time in command of Royal Air Force Coningsby, this episode focuses on aspects of the buildup of the Typhoon Force. In the 20 years since I was privileged to command this great base, it is amazing to see how much the Typhoon has progressed not only as an individual military aircraft, but also as an immensely capable force within the overall RAF structure. I am immensely proud of the work that m...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageIn this second part of the story of my time in command of Royal Air Force Coningsby, I focus on some of the specific leadership dynamics and organizational structures of the base. The episode builds on Episode 59 and sets up a series of further episodes that will cover, inter alia: the build of of the RAF's Typhoon Force; flying the Typhoon; flying the Jaguar; flying the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the Battle of Britain Memorial Fl...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageMy guest this week is Simon Reid, the Head Teacher of Christ's Hospital, a 900 bed independent boarding school, near Horsham in West Sussex, UK.Previously the Head Teacher at another famous independent school, Gordonstoun in Scotland, Simon has been at Christ's Hospital for the past 8 years and will step down at the end of the Sumer Term in 2025. Having spent all his adult life in education, this was a fascinating conversatio...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis is the first of several episodes charting one of the standout tours of my RAF career! It was the privilege of a lifetime to command Royal Air Force Coningsby, and there are a huge number of life experiences and leadership lessons that came from this single two year period in my career.In this initial episode, I set out my stall in terms of some of the big areas of interest and focus that set this role apart from everythi...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageAnother week and another amazing guest on Leading 4 Life "Stories. Lord Graham Brady was MP for Altrincham & Sale West from 1997-2024, and for the last 14 of those years he was also the Chairman of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee, which is the committee of back bench MPs that, amongst other things, is responsible for electing the leader of the party. Graham stepped down from Parliament prior to the 2024 Gene...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageIt was a great privilege this week to have Professor Michael Mainelli, the 695th and current Lord Mayor of London, as my guest on Leading 4 Life "Stories". Michael has had the most fascinating career, with a host of executive and non-executive roles on his CV, as well as his journey through the ranks of the City of London Corporation as an Alderman, Sheriff and now Lord Mayor.We had a really interesting and diverse conversati...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageLeading 4 Life "Stories" makes a return to guest interviews this episode with a fascinating session with Rob Pepper, internationally renowned artist and Principal of Art Academy London, a leading higher education art school based in the heart of the city.Rob is the first guest I have had from the creative industry world, and we had a great conversation about a wide range of issues including the obvious personal challenge Rob faces ...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageSo it was once again on to bigger and better things! This week's episode sees me move to the role of Group Captain Typhoon, a new job, in a new rank, in a new RAF Headquarters. I was now part of Number 1 Group, which was at that point located in "Bomber Harris' former headquarters building at RAF High Wycombe.This was an amazing tour on both a personal and professional level. Bringing a brand new aircraft into RAF...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageMotivation is critical to success both for you personally and for any teams you may lead. In this thematic episode I share my thoughts on how I think about motivating myself and the teams I have been fortunate enough to lead. What works for you will probably be different to many around you and, in my experience, learning to recognise the key motivational elements in yourself and in your people is key to setting yourself...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis week’s episode covers the first part of my post squadron command journey and my first (and only!) tour at RAF Strike Command. Being the Head of Briefing & Coordination was a fascinating 18 months that gave me a huge amount of insight into the workings of the highest levels of the RAF. It really sharpened my focus on the need for attention to detail and it was a great privilege to be able to be present at a huge range ...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageAt the start of the week in which this episode was recorded, the world suffered what was arguably one of the most serious and significant cyber failures yet seen, when a poor quality Crowdstrike software patch caused mayhem in a wide range of industries right across the globe. By pure coincidence (at least I think it was coincidence!!), this same week saw my own personal iMac fail permanently and irrecoverably. Luckily m...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageIn this shorter than normal thematic episode, I start a conversation about "Communicating with Impact". There will be further episodes on this topic in the future but, for now, what I wanted to do was highlight some of the key things to think about when you are communicating as a leader. Style, timing, accuracy, format all matter when you are trying to land your message well and this episode shines some light on the key...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageMy guest this week is Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, the current Chairman of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and a former Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force. In another first for Leading 4 Life "Stories", this episode was recorded as an event for The Leaders' Club, with an online audience who were able to ask questions of Steve once the recording was complete.Steve and I joined the RAF and went through fly...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageSome recent personal issues have led me to produce this short episode on Family & Friends, largely because I think too many of us neglect these vitally important stakeholders in our lives. I know from my own experience that I could always do better at looking after my personal relationships; I never do enough and my best efforts to improve are often not as robust or meaningful as I would like them to be. I exhort al...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageAfter more than 4 years on the ground, it was time to return to flying and this time as a Squadron Commander! Command of a front-line flying squadron is something that is pretty much at the top of the wish list for every career minded fighter pilot, and I was immensely privileged to take command of Number 6 Squadron at Royal Air Force Coltishall in July 1999.This episode covers the high points of that tour both from a flying ...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis week's episode is a double first. It is the first time I have interviewed two guests at the same time, and those two guests happen to be father and son with two amazing life stories to share.Ralph Arundell is a former British Army officer with a distinguished career in the infantry, and who is now the Director of Operations at Harrow School. Henry Arundell is an elite level rugby player coming to the end of his third yea...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageIn a slight break from normal procedure, I've recorded this episode on video whilst I was on the road with Deloitte University this week. It's shorter than many of my episodes but the content will hopefully resonate with you as it is an important topic. Lifelong learning and taking the time to invest in yourself are incredibly important for anyone's development, especially those that are in leadership roles. Makin...

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageAs the UK celebrates Pride month, my guest this week is Matt Lindley. Matt is a former RAF pilot who spent the majority of his military time on 32 (The Royal) Squadron at RAF Northolt near London, where he was an instructor pilot and captain on the HS125 VIP transport aircraft. In that role, he routinely flew the UK's most senior VIPs including HM The Late Queen Elizabeth II, the Prime Minister and many others from the ...