A Manifesto for Leadership with Purpose
I didn’t start my career in a corner office or behind a boardroom table.
I started in overalls.
With tools in my hands, dust in my lungs, and supervisors who didn’t know my name.
I’ve worked my way up from Mechanical Fitter & Machinist to Project Engineer,
Project Manager, Snr Project Manager, Shipyard Operations Executive, and
now stepping into international fleet leadership. Along the way I earned a BSc in
Mechanical Engineering, MSc Degrees in Project Management and
Engineering Management, a PG Diploma in Naval Architecture, and every
lesson the real world could beat into me.
My classroom was the workshop floor.
My teachers were Mechanics, Welders, Boilermakers, Riggers, Electricians,
Cleaners, Sailors, Engineers, Executives, and the mistakes I had to live with.
I created The Thinking Executive because I don’t believe leadership is just a title or
a LinkedIn headline.
It’s a responsibility.
A duty.
A privilege with consequences.
And I don’t believe companies exist solely to “maximize shareholder value”, as Milton
Friedman once insisted. That idea-built decades of corporate thinking, and it also
burned trust, damaged people, and confused profit with purpose.
Profit is not a purpose.
Profit is proof.
Proof that a company is healthy.
Proof that customers believe in you.
Proof that your people feel safe enough to build something real.
But profit alone cannot be the mission.
What I Stand For
I believe leadership is a service.
Not servitude. Not sacrifice. But service.
To the people. To the business. To the future of the industry, you operate in.
A company exists to:
– Create value that outlives the quarter
– Build environments where people don’t need to choose between dignity and a
paycheck
– Reward shareholders because it took care of everyone else first
A CEO’s first responsibility is to the continuity of the corporation, not the stock
price at the end of the month.
I refuse to be the kind of executive who hides behind jargon, uses fear as a
motivator, or blames employees for failures that begin at the top.
Why This Platform Exists
This is not a motivational page.
This is not “thought leadership theatre”.
This is not corporate spirituality.
This is where I think in public.
Where I question the systems, I’ve worked in.
Where I challenge the myths we were forced to accept.
Where I dissect governance, leadership, and accountability without pretending to
have all the answers.
This platform is for:
– People who want to lead, not perform leadership
– Workers who want to understand how decisions are made
– Managers trying to grow without losing themselves
– Executives who feel the old rules are failing
– Anyone tired of pretending that leadership is easy
If even one sentence irritates you into becoming better, GOOD.
The Identity of The Thinking Executive
A Thinking Executive is not defined by status.
It’s defined by posture, a posture of responsibility and awareness.
A Thinking Executive:
– Thinks long term
– Accepts complexity instead of hiding behind simplicity
– Treats people like partners in value, not cost canters
– Balances efficiency with humanity
– Leads with context, not ego
– Knows how to operate the machine and how to protect the people inside it
A Thinking Executive knows that Emotional Intelligence is Operational
Intelligence.
They know that unionisation isn’t the enemy, it’s a signal. A voice where a voice
didn’t exist. A language created because leadership stopped listening.
They know that governance isn’t paperwork, it’s protection.
For the company. For the employees. For the shareholders.
For the future.
Where We’re Going
On this website, you will find:
– Blogs on governance, accountability, performance, and purpose
– Debates on the tension between profit and principle
– Podcasts from my home library, real conversations, not rehearsed scripts
– Corporate reflections and controversial topics society refuses to discuss
properly
We will talk about leadership the way it actually happens:
In hallways, behind cranes, in dry docks, in boardrooms, and at 2am when a project
is going wrong and everyone expects you to have the answer.
The world doesn’t need more executives.
It needs better ones.
Ones who think.
An Open Door
If you made it this far, you are already part of this.
Not because you agree with me, but because you care enough to question.
Challenge me.
Disagree with me.
Teach me something.
Ask for clarity.
Share your experience.
Leadership is not a solo sport.
It’s a conversation.
This is mine.
Welcome to The Thinking Executive.
Please note:
I don’t think for one second that my account is a definitive account. I offer it no more than an opening round in a conversation that I hope you will join in.