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Moral Mazes are Part of the Job

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Hello! I hope you’re doing okay? Thank you so much for being a reader of Practical Acts of Leaders.



You’ll Never Have All the Answers

A couple of Sundays ago, my wife, eldest son, and I took a walk around the beautiful city of Edinburgh. It was his 19th birthday, and as we wandered from the heights of Calton Hill through the historic streets to the energy of the Grassmarket, we found a literal "Tardis" of a place: Armchair Books.


The shop is ram-packed with old books, a messy, beautiful maze of antique maps and "hidden landscapes". While software vendors often promise us "clarity" through a firehose of data, the reality for a change-maker is usually more like these crowded shelves: a complex landscape where we must find our own way. Among the stacks, I found a book by Philip Pullman titled The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. It is a title that forces you to sit with a paradox, much like the way Formula E proves that elite speed and systemic impact are not mutually exclusive.


The point of telling you this is to encourage us to think about our blind spots and how we navigate the "moral mazes" of leadership. As we lead through any transition, we are often told that more data is the cure for uncertainty, but we will never have enough information to guarantee a "clear" conclusion. Real leadership doesn't happen in a spreadsheet; it happens in the visceral change - the kind that moves beyond performative pledges to real-world action.


Navigating the Maze

To make critical choices, we have to apply radical curiosity and work hard to see through our own inherent biases. This isn't just about choosing better news sources - though I rely on the bias-analysis of Grounded.News and the Reuters Trust Principles to keep my perspective honest. It is about the practical act of "widening the door" rather than guarding the gate.


When I plan projects, I make a point to step outside my "bubble" and consult people in completely different fields. For example, look at how Napa Valley wineries are trading competition for collaboration to build a stronger market, proving that a cooperative model builds more value than isolated growth. This shift - from extractive power to professionalized, purpose-led systems - is what allows us to move beyond the "growth treadmill" and focus on being better, not just bigger.


I was thrilled to meet a hero of mine, Jacqueline Novogratz, recently. Her insights on Moral Leadership and building a world based on dignity are more than theory; they are a call for the "courage to be seen". As Elj Abid’s work suggests, this kind of vulnerability is the bedrock of genuine followership - the "human moment" that allows a leader to be trusted even when they don't have all the answers. Jacqueline noted that our hardest years often spark our most important innovations. This reframes the daunting moral maze as a potential growth engine - much like Volvo proving that aggressive climate goals can sharpen a competitive edge.


The Practice: From Thinking to Tinkering

Getting good at navigating uncertainty takes practice. In our Psychology for Change community, we focus on bridging the "connectedness gap" - the space between management theory and the actual "human moments" required for deep trust. We explore how "slowing down in crisis" prevents reactive, fear-based leadership.


Think of it like the material rescue sessions led by Surface Matter. They don’t just talk about sustainability; they physically rethink how to recycle "waste" into value. As leaders, we must do the same with our outdated habits. The ROI on this shift is undeniable: UK B Corps are growing at seven times the rate of ordinary SMEs, seeing a 20% increase in turnover compared to the 3% average.


Transformation doesn't have to be a financial burden; as Volvo and Formula E have proven, it can be a growth engine. The "politics of inevitability" tells us we must choose between speed and systemic impact, but the practical act of leadership is proving they can coexist. 


We get the future we choose not by waiting for clarity, but by having the audacity to tinker while moving at 200mph.

Reflections:

The Waste Audit: "Looking at your leadership habits through the lens of 'material rescue,' what is one outdated process you are currently treating as 'waste' that could actually be recycled into your team’s next big innovation?" 


The Growth Reframe: If you were forced to choose "better" over "bigger" for the next six months, which performative project would you cut immediately to make room for a truly visceral, systemic change?

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