Advanced Executive Leadership

In this episode, I’m joined by leadership coach and mindfulness teacher Susan Grandfield for a conversation that blends personal insight, scientific rigour, and deep practicality of meditation.We explore why meditation isn’t just a wellness fad or spiritual escape, but a practical, evidence-based tool for leaders navigating complexity, overwhelm, and continuous partial attention.  Susan brings both academic and lived experience, and together we discuss:The different types of meditation (and how to find the one that suits you)Why a consistent 10-minute practice can genuinely shift your leadership presenceWhat neuroscience reveals about time, focus, and decision-makingHow meditation strengthens creativity, resilience, and moral courage  Susan is an experienced leadership and mindset coach and has worked internationally with senior leaders, managers and with teams in corporate and SME organisations for over 20 years. In that time, she has had the opportunity to work in the public, private and third sectors and across a diverse range of industries. Susan’s coaching is based on the power of inner work.  It is rooted in the perspective that to change things on the outside, we need to start with what is going on on the inside.   She holds a Master’s degree in Studies in Mindfulness, is a qualified and experienced mindfulness and compassion coach and has been published on the subject of mindfulness and compassion in business in journals and the book “Mindful Heroes: stories of journeys that changed lives.  Her suggestions for starting or supporting your meditation journey are:The Mindfulness Association - https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/Breathworks - https://www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk/Headspace App - https://www.headspace.com/Insight Timer (app) - https://insighttimer.com/  As well as a number of useful resources on her own website – www.susangrandfield.comIf you want to find out more about Waldencroft and the work we do with executive leadership teams, head over to Waldencroft.com

In this episode, I’m joined by Jamie Livingston, Founder and CEO of Livingston James Group and Co-Chair of the youth leadership charity Columba 1400. Jamie brings decades of experience placing senior leaders into C-suite and board-level roles. In our conversation, he reflects on how leadership expectations have evolved from the traditional command-and-control model to the need for leaders who are purpose-led, agile, and capable of navigating complexity, paradox, and moral dilemmas. We explore:What organisations are really looking for in executive leaders todayThe tension between competency-based assessment and deeper human capacitiesHow Livingston James has embedded purpose through ownership, structure, and valuesThe role of moral courage in leadershipThe importance of early moral and intellectual development, with a nod to the German idea of Bildung and Jamie’s work with young people through Columba 1400This is a wide-ranging and thoughtful conversation about leadership as principled action—especially in times of disruption.

In this solo episode, I explore what the Netflix drama Toxic Town can teach us about moral leadership.Using James Rest’s Four-Component Model of ethical decision-making, I contrast two characters - Roy Thomas and Sam Hagen - and examine how their choices offer a powerful lens for executive leaders navigating complexity, responsibility, and risk. This episode is especially relevant for anyone in a leadership role asking:What makes ethical action possible?How do status and proximity to power shape our moral clarity?And what can we do to develop the courage to act when it counts?If you read my recent Suite Spot newsletter, this conversation will take the thinking a step deeper. 🎧 Listen in to reflect on the anatomy of moral failure - and what it takes to lead with integrity.If you'd like to stay in touch with what we're doing in Waldencroft, you can sign up to our mailer here: https://waldencroft.com/newsletter/

What does it take to lead a major organisation through collapse, recovery, and into a decade of growth?In this episode Dr Jacqueline Conway is joined by David Conway, HR Director at London Gatwick Airport, to explore how executive leadership transformed in the wake of the pandemic. Gatwick lost nearly 100% of its passengers during COVID — a near-total shutdown of operations. David shares the personal and collective journey of rebuilding an executive team fit for the future. From defining shared strategic priorities to embedding resilience and fostering true collective enterprise leadership, this episode is rich with hard-won lessons for anyone navigating disruption at the top. You’ll hear:What resilience for growth really looks likeHow HR can play a strategic, shaping role in the C-suiteWhy technical brilliance doesn’t always translate to executive readinessWhat it takes to develop a high-functioning executive team after traumaDavid has been the HR Director at London Gatwick since January 2021, bringing with him over 30 years of experience in various industries such as oil & energy, aviation, and retail. He has worked for notable brands including BP, British Airways, and Safeway.Before joining London Gatwick, David spent 13.5 years at BP, where he held the position of HR Vice President for the company's Alaska business. In this role, he oversaw operations related to the Prudhoe Bay oil field and the trans-Alaska pipeline. David also has experience working in operations and HR at British Airways, as well as starting his career at Safeway in customer service and operations.

In this latest episode I introduce FieldSense — a structured yet human approach to working through complex issues as a leadership team.Too often, the capacity in senior teams isn’t unleashed as they try to solve gnarly problems or issues - not because the people aren’t capable, but because they’re talking at cross purposes, each operating from a different stage of the problem.FieldSense makes those stages visible, helping teams align on where they are, what the work is right now, and what comes next.You’ll learn:The three phases and six moves of the FieldSense frameworkWhy slowing down early helps speed up better decisions laterHow to shift from reactive dialogue to shared, grounded actionIf you’ve ever been in a meeting where something important needed to be solved — and the conversation got stuck — this episode is for you.And if you want to learn more about how FieldSense works, or how you could deploy it in your leadership team, reach out to us at: https://waldencroft.com/contact/