Leaders in EdTech

Five things to do to stay strong, as the leader, the entrepreneur, the pioneer:

1. Acknowledge your weakness, your fears, your vulnerability

It's all too easy to associate being a leader, an entrepreneur or a pioneer with having to be the

If you've ever felt a hint of this, read Brene Brown's 'Dare to Lead' (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dare-Lead-Brave-Conversations-Hearts/dp/1785042149/ref=asc_df_1785042149?mcid=99873d01ae9535a083a353f730c0380f&th=1&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697292583740&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5238451077096160325&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006753&hvtargid=pla-571406288834&psc=1&gad_source=1), where she writes:

Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behaviour (p67)

By the way if, like me and most entrepreneurs, you're a bit neuro-divergent, the book is really easy to read, as it's full of short sections, is in big font, and written in plain English ??

2. Be yourself

I've read far too much stuff which says you have to be this or that: the servant leader, the architect, the visionary etc etc. Here's my message:

Get to know yourself quickly and deeply by reflecting on how you have dealt with past events....

Here's a blog post I wrote about this subject: https://www.nobelthinking.com/self-awareness/

Ask friends and family to distil who you are into just a few words.

Then:

• Build a team around you that complements that distillation.
• If you're a bit scatter-brained, make sure you have a black-belt organiser alongside you.
• If you know you have a tendency to wallow in the detail, you need someone close by who is great at taking the 50,000 ft view.
• Instead of worrying that you're just not good enough, isolate your particular strengths and use your team in a way that boosts them.

Aagh. I just wish I had learnt this when I took on my first big leadership role at 34.

3. Get perspective

All too often, I would let myself get into a state of high anxiety, usually about investors, or cash flow, or not having gone through the accounts thoroughly enough, or someone in my team letting me down. During most of my leadership years, I was incredibly fortunate to have two brilliant coaches (sadly the first, Will Wesson, died in his forties), who helped me to stand back from my situation and

In fact, I was so impacted by the relationship I had with my coaches, and what they got me to do that when I set up my own firm, after selling my equity in The Key, I called it 'Nobel Thinking' because I wanted my work to be all about taking thinking to the highest level, with the people I was going to work with.

4. Mix up your week

It is just too easy to bury yourself in your work. 'Hey, I'm an entrepreneur, so I need to put in 18 hour days...', like Bill Gates, or whoever. ABSOLUTELY NOT. You really need other ingredients in your week if you are to create the most nutritious and interesting dish. A bit of...

...and possibly a bit of

or even

5. And finally... EMBRACE WHO YOU ARE

Don't let your leadership or entrepreneur role define you. Like politics, failure is bound to come your way at some stage or other, especially if you steer well clear of a 'stay safe at all costs' attitude.

(Cheesy, but memorable: FAIL = first attempt in learning).

When I interview people, I'm always much more interested in how they dealt with set backs that with their huge achievements, because it tells me so much more about their strength of character.

I am no longer a CEO and,

I resolved, several years before stepping down as CEO of The Key, that I would make sure my identity was not wrapped up in being the leader. I wanted to be known for kindness, wisdom, love for my family and friends, rather than achievement and success. If I have to rely on status, or preening from others, I'll be in for bitter disappointment. Particularly as we get a bit older, we need to work on who we want to be, and what we need to do - or think - to get there. On this subject, I found Richard Rohr's book, 'Falling Upwards' super helpful. It's written from a spiritual perspective. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Falling-Upward-Spirituality-Halves-Life/dp/0281068917/ref=asc_df_0281068917?mcid=f5d84457c3f432f4951b78a439d65a5d&th=1&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697218329706&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13263298873981198307&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006753&hvtargid=pla-318310545787&psc=1&gad_source=1

Wishing you a happy and holy 2025