I’ve always believed that results are not just shaped by resources, strategy, or even talent — they are profoundly influenced by mindset.

At apetito UK, one phrase became a rallying cry:

“Someone has to be the best. Why shouldn’t it be us?”

We weren’t the biggest company in our sector when we started. Far from it. But by instilling belief — in our people, in our culture, in our ability to perform — we created the conditions to grow from £27m to £260m in sales.

Mindset wasn’t about arrogance. It was about giving people the confidence to think bigger, act bolder, and perform at their best.

The Power of Big Goals

Another lesson I’ve carried with me is the value of BHAGs — “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals.”

Here’s the truth: teams who set BHAGs don’t always achieve everything they set out to do. But they almost always achieve more than those who aim low.

Why? Because big goals inspire effort, creativity, and collaboration on a different level. They stretch people beyond their comfort zones, creating growth that simply doesn’t happen when the target is modest.

Even if the full BHAG isn’t reached, the act of striving toward it raises the bar for everyone.

Coaching and Mindset

In coaching, I see this again and again. Leaders who approach challenges with belief and ambition unlock far more potential — in themselves and in their teams — than those who play it safe.

The right mindset doesn’t guarantee success, but it shifts the odds in your favour. It creates energy, resilience, and the possibility of breakthroughs.

Final Thought

If results are a reflection of mindset, then leaders have a simple but profound responsibility: to set the tone, create belief, and raise ambition.

Because someone has to be the best.
Why shouldn’t it be you?

When people talk about a leader’s legacy, they often point to what was achieved during their time in charge — growth, results, milestones.

But I’ve come to believe that legacy is less about what happens when you’re there, and more about what happens after you’ve gone.

• Did you leave the organisation with the strength and depth to keep growing?
• Did you develop people who were ready to step up and lead?
• Did you create the culture that allowed new leaders to take things further — even in ways you hadn’t imagined?

A Personal Reflection

During my years as CEO of apetito UK, I was incredibly proud of what our team achieved together. We grew the business from £27m to £260m in sales, built a strong culture, and delivered real impact for our customers and communities.

But what matters to me even more is that I believe the best years of apetito are still ahead.

The organisation is in great hands with a new generation of leaders. They have the strength, depth, and confidence not just to maintain what was built — but to break new ground, innovate, and take the company in directions  I hadn’t imagined.

That, to me, is the true test of leadership: whether you’ve left behind a culture and a team that can thrive without you.

Legacy as a Platform, Not a Pedestal

Legacy isn’t about being remembered for what you achieved personally.
It’s about creating a platform so that others can succeed, grow, and shape the future in their own way.

When leaders focus only on their own results, their impact ends when they leave.
When they focus on building people, culture, and resilience, their impact multiplies long after they’re gone.

Final Thought

A great leadership legacy is not measured in personal achievements, but in the ability of others to achieve after you.

To beat complacency, leaders and teams must be obsessed with continuously creating competitive advantage and becoming 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺. It’s not easy because it requires:

• a commitment to continuous change and evolvement
• constantly challenging yourself to improve
• potentially questioning some of what you hold dear

Even as you deliver your best ever results, it is vital to be asking “what’s next?” How will you ensure that the competition remain breathless trying to keep up?

You should be able to list a series of key initiatives that are currently in play. Not minor tweaks!  I mean substantial developments that will evolve your products/services and markets – and create “clear blue water” between you and the competition. If you are not, be sure that they are!

The most important role of a CEO and leadership team is to steer their organisation so it stands out in an ever more competitive world.

The Leadership team must set the vision and direction of their organisation and then pursue the chosen strategy in a disciplined way with brilliant execution.

Effective leaders make choices – what to do and where to invest for growth. They also decide what not to do, where to deprioritise and divest – a vital and often challenging task.

Leaders inspire passion and belief; they energise and foster an optimistic and creative work environment that encourages innovation and creativity. Leaders carry the can for failures and dish out the praise to the team for successes.

Leaders know that market leadership is very different to market followership. They know that to become and remain a market leader they must continuously create competitive advantage and deliver solutions that create clear blue water from the competition.

Enduring leaders are paranoid about complacency – they know that complacency is the disease of the successful.

Great leaders and leadership teams know that they have a responsibility, not just for their customers and the financial performance of their business, but for the health, well being and livelihoods of their team. They also know that their role is to serve the organisation and customers – not the organisation to serve them.

Leaders inspire passion and belief; they energise and foster an optimistic and creative work environment that encourages innovation and creativity. They celebrate when an idea for a product, service or promotion, that has nothing to do with them, is rolled out. It shows that the team is moving up the gears.