A phrase that travels If you have spent time in the British Army, you will recognise the phrase “bullsh!t baffles brains.” It describes a familiar communicative behaviour: the use of complexity, jargon, or confident delivery to obscure rather than clarify. Whether deployed deliberately or absorbed culturally, the effect is consistent; understanding is displaced by impression. What is less frequently acknowledged is how readily this dynamic can be observed beyond the military

In the quiet moments, whether a university lecturer is marking a student’s paper or a consultant is conducting a corporate performance review; there is often that subtle, nagging realisation that we are awarding success to something that, in any practical sense, is non-functional. To understand this friction, we must look toward Carl Jung and his concept of the Shadow. Jung famously observed: s entimentality is a superstructure on top of brutality. It is a jarring paradox. H

Leadership is often presented as something structured and orderly, defined by frameworks, models, and formal authority. Yet in practice, it is rarely experienced in such controlled terms. It emerges in uncertainty, under pressure, and in moments where outcomes depend less on plans and more on how individuals think, interpret, and respond in real time. It is within this space that the connection between human psychology and leadership becomes critical. Leadership in high-stake

We often talk about the future of work in terms of skills, innovation, and adaptability. In business schools across the UK, we are actively shaping that future, developing graduates who are not only technically capable, but also equipped to lead, manage, and make decisions in increasingly complex environments. I see this firsthand. The students I work with are ambitious, thoughtful, and pragmatic. Many are balancing studies with part-time work. Some are the first in their fam

In tattoo studios across the country, a rhythmic buzzing provides the soundtrack to a transformation that is as old as warfare itself. To the uninitiated, it is simply a needle moving at high frequency. But for the soldier sitting in the chair, it is a physiological bridge; a mind-body dialogue that turns internal resolve into external reality. In the British military, within every regiment or corps, tattoos are not merely fashion; they are embodied archives. They are the per

In the military world, we have a specific term for people who pretend to be something they aren't: a 'Walter Mitty,' or simply a 'Walt.' The term originates from James Thurber’s 1939 short story, but in military circles, it has evolved into a visceral insult. A 'Walt' is someone who dresses up in medals they didn’t earn, wears a beret they didn’t sweat for, and tells tall tales about special operations they never went on. They crave the respect, the social standing, and the a

Throughout this series, I have explored the precarious reality of mental health work in Higher Education: the managerial lottery that dictates support, the protection gap that leaves practitioners exposed to high-level clinical risk, and the competing narratives that force staff to act as shock absorbers for the institution. The data from my research paints a clear picture: our current approach to staff support is often reactive, inconsistent, and overly reliant on individual

In the previous instalments of this series, I have focused on the tangible structures of support and the inconsistency; the managerial lottery, that defines how those structures are experienced on the ground. However, to truly understand the lived experience of mental health teams in higher education, we must move beyond the how of support and look at the where. Specifically, the precarious organisational space these practitioners inhabit. My research revealed a fundamental c

In my previous article, I outlined the formal and informal structures intended to support university mental health teams. On paper, the framework of supervision, case meetings, and clinical oversight suggests a robust safety net. However, when we look beneath the surface at the lived experience of these practitioners, a more complex and fractured picture emerges. The most striking finding from my research was the degree of variability in how support is actually experienced. W

Over the past decade, student mental health has become one of the defining issues of higher education. What was once a relatively contained area of student services has expanded into a core institutional responsibility, shaping policy, governance, funding decisions, and public accountability. Universities are now expected to intervene earlier, respond more rapidly to crisis, and provide meaningful, compassionate support to students experiencing psychological distress. This sh

In the complex world of modern organisational life, the pursuit of an ideal company culture often leads to elaborate frameworks, multi-page policies, and intricate values statements. Yet, a growing number of companies and organisations are demonstrating that some of the most powerful cultural directives can be distilled into a single, memorable, and often unconventional line. These mottos, while seemingly simplistic, can profoundly influence staff behaviour, foster a cohesive

As the clock runs into a new day, as I turn the metaphorical pages of the latest assignment submission and as the rain lashes the windowpane, a familiar question echoes in the quiet contemplation: "So what?". This seemingly simple query, which we so often tell students to articulate in their essays, reports, research proposals and dissertations holds a profound and unsettling mirror to the broader academic research itself. While we diligently train the next generation to expl

The British Army currently stands at a crossroads. As we navigate the complexities of 2026, the strategic landscape is defined by Grey Zone; the space in between peace and war in which state and non-state actors engage in competition, threats and the structural shifts of Programme CASTLE. Yet, our primary engine of career progression within the British Army remains the Officers’ Joint Appraisal Report (OJAR). While viewed as a 'Golden Ticket' to promotion, mounting evidence a

The 1999 film Any Given Sunday, directed by Oliver Stone, featured what has become one of cinema's most analysed motivational monologues: Coach Tony D’Amato’s (Al Pacino) locker room speech. Delivered at a pivotal moment to a struggling, fragmented team, the “Game of Inches” speech is not merely a pep talk, but a profound exercise in crisis communication and transformational leadership. This article critically analyses the speech through the lens of key leadership concepts, a