Before the Next Stripe
This week I attended the Leading Edge Aviation graduation, watching a new group of people celebrate the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Moments like that always make me reflective, because progression is exciting, achievement matters, ambition matters too. But I’ve learned over the years that leadership isn’t just about how quickly you move forward, it’s about whether you’re truly ready for what comes next.
I often speak about the time I failed my first attempt at becoming a captain. Not because failure itself is unusual, but because I think too many people look at leaders and assume they’ve somehow moved through life untouched by setbacks, self-doubt or difficult decisions.
The reality is usually very different.
At the time, I had returned to work after a period of illness and was determined to continue progressing. On paper, I was ready for the next step. In reality, I ignored several signs that I wasn’t as grounded as I needed to be. I pushed forward anyway, eventually everything caught up with me.
Looking back, the lesson had very little to do with aviation and everything to do with leadership. I see versions of that same pattern playing out constantly in organisations now. Leaders pushing through exhaustion. Teams operating in a constant state of pressure. Businesses chasing growth while quietly hoping people will recover somewhere along the way. The problem is that performance built on unstable foundations is fragile. You can sustain it temporarily, but eventually something gives: decision-making, communication, culture, wellbeing, trust. And I think many leaders are still treating turbulence as though it’s temporary, something to “get through” before things return to normal.
But uncertainty is the environment now.
Which means leadership today requires something different. Not just resilience, but honesty. Not just ambition, but self-awareness. Not just speed, but judgement. The leaders who will navigate this well are not necessarily the loudest or fastest moving. They are the ones willing to pause long enough to recognise what needs adjusting before pushing for the next level. Sometimes the strongest thing a leader can do is stop pretending everything is fine. And perhaps one of the most important leadership questions we can ask ourselves is this: Am I genuinely ready for what I’m asking of myself and my team next?