I left a 20-year career in the City of London. I'd had enough. I couldn't stand it any more, it felt toxic and it wasn't just me. On my daily commute, I would stare out of the train window, using music and noise-cancelling earphones, desperately trying to block out the noise around me. What the hell was I doing? Whatever it was, I hated it.

How had we got here? I thought it was leadership, or the lack of it. Despite the many millions of pounds that had been spent on leadership development, there were no more leaders that day than 20 years ago. Anytime we heard the word 'leadership' it was usually in the context of 'poor leadership'. Why was that? Here’s the story that led to a lightbulb moment that changed my life.