The Accidental CEO Part 8

“Life is a prototype”

7 a.m., walking down Borough High Street, like I do most mornings, and it hit me. This year marks my 25th anniversary of “real” working life. Not counting Saturday jobs, of course. Twenty-five years of navigating career twists and turns, learning, failing, and growing. As I walked, I started to think about the lessons I’ve learned along the way, the moments that shaped me, and how, more than anything, people have been at the centre of it all - dare I say it, for better and for worse!

If there’s one overarching theme to my career, it’s this: Life is a prototype. No plan is ever perfect, no decision is final, and no leader has it all figured out. Experimentation and iteration have been the foundation of my leadership style, and embracing that mindset has made all the difference.

Insight one: The power and pitfalls of people

Let’s start with the most important and often most challenging aspect of leadership - people. I’ve always been a people person. I thrive on connection, on building relationships, and on creating environments where others can succeed. It’s what drives me, but it’s also where I’m most vulnerable. When you invest so much in people, the hard moments (which, let’s be real, are inevitable occasionally) - disappointments, difficult decisions, and letting people go - hit harder.

But the truth is, people are what make leadership meaningful. They bring energy, ideas, and inspiration. And while it’s not always easy, prioritising people is the single most important thing you can do as a leader.

Insight two - Embracing experimentation

One of the biggest shifts in my mindset over the years has been embracing the idea that leadership isn’t about getting it “right” all the time. It’s about testing, learning, and iterating. Leadership, much like life, is a prototype.

I’ve learned to:

• Try, fail, adjust: Not every decision will work out, and that’s okay. The key is to adjust quickly and keep moving forward.
• Seek feedback constantly: Whether it’s from your team, your peers, or your mentors, feedback is the lifeblood of growth. The more open you are to it, the better your leadership becomes.
• Stay curious: Experimentation thrives on curiosity. Asking “What if?” or “Why not?” can unlock ideas and opportunities you hadn’t considered.

When you view leadership as a prototype, you stop worrying about perfection and start focusing on progress.

Final thoughts:

As I reflect on 25 years of working life, the biggest takeaway is that it’s all a work in progress. The challenges I’ve faced and the lessons I’ve learned have shaped me, but they haven’t defined me. Leadership, like life, is a constant evolution. One experiment, one iteration at a time.

So, as I continue down Borough High Street and into the next 25 years of my career, I’ll hold onto the mindset that has carried me this far: Life is a prototype. And it’s one worth building, testing, and rebuilding again.

– The Accidental CEO

If you enjoyed this, you might like some of my other posts:

The Accidental CEO #1 - The Accidental CEO

The Accidental CEO #2 - Embracing uniqueness shaped my career

The Accidental CEO #3 - Trade-offs are part of success

The Accidental CEO #4 - Take a chance on me

The Accidental CEO #5 - The rollercoaster ride of leadership

The Accidental CEO #6 - The power of connection?

The Accidental CEO #7 - The 3 Cs