What if the one thing standing between you and your biggest goal isn’t skill, resources, or intelligence, but a conversation you haven’t had yet?

The truth is, most breakthroughs, whether in business, leadership, or life don’t happen because someone suddenly has more talent. They happen because someone steps up and has the conversation that truly matters.

The Conversations We Avoid

We’ve been played.

It’s time to create impact, not be forgettable.

In today’s fast-paced, hyper-connected world, we’ve been conditioned to prioritise breadth over depth—more connections, more content, more distractions. But real impact doesn’t come from reaching the masses; it comes from forming meaningful relationships, mastering key skills, and focusing on what truly matters.

What’s one moment in the past year where you felt completely energised?

Not just mildly motivated. Not just productive. I mean truly alive - the kind of energy that makes time disappear, that sharpens your thinking, that leaves you buzzing long after the moment has passed.

I’ve been asking this question a lot lately. And the answers are fascinating.

Because here’s what I haven’t heard:

Influences.

What are yours?

Did you choose them consciously?

When did you last review them?

It’s an important choice that I see from many high-performing leaders and yet they don’t sing it from the rooftops. They just quietly get on it.

Think of a bath. You’re in the bath

As the sun rises today on January 1st millions of people around the world resolve to make this their year of transformation. Whether it’s health, career, or relationships, the start of a new year brings with it a sense of hope and a fresh canvas. But how many of those resolutions truly stick? Research shows that a staggering 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February.

Why?

Because we focus on rigid goals without exploring the simple power of experimentation.

A friend asked this question last night.

“What’s something you’ve always wanted to do, a yearning that keeps coming back to you. Something important, an itch you’ve not scratched”. 

What comes up for you when that question gets asked?

Rate your team’s response from 1-10 to this scenario:

When you propose a new idea, what happens?

1: Groans, rolled eyes, and a “we’re too busy” dismissal.
10: Enthusiasm and a “bring it on” attitude.

Understanding your team’s reaction is more than a diagnostic—it could be the key to achieving your Big Bold Goals. Let’s explore how shifting from resistance to curiosity drives transformative results.

Decisions. We make lots of them every week.

Lots of small ones. Some big ones. Very occasionally some monumental ones.

How much do you think about how you go about making those decisions? 

Your colleagues at work - do they apply more or less rigour to their decisions?

When it comes to moving towards our Big Bold Goals, I believe we should leave no stone unturned to improving our probability of success.

Feels to me like there’s a lot of tension in the world - from war to elections to budgets.

It’s all easy to absorb much of the bad news, to be influenced by it, to allow it to shape our outlook on life.

There’s a sailing analogy - “When you can't change the direction of the wind, adjust your sails”.

Here’s 3 things to think on (aka adjust your sails)…

The world doesn't stand still, and neither should you.

Two weeks ago, I was in the audience at CogX Festival on Leadership hearing from incredible thought leaders on what's changing> Here's some fresh ideas direct from leading thinkers ranging from senior leaders at Google, Open AI, HSBC to policy makers to people tackling the very real issue of Deep Fakes through to Innovators and Entepreneurs.