Current Thinking

Forthcoming Work

An excerpt from the manuscript in progress:

The last chapter begins with my daughter.

Holding her for the first time, something shifted that I hadn't anticipated and couldn't have prepared for. Protection stopped meaning defence. It started meaning direction. Who I needed to become. What kind of world I was shaping around her. Legacy stopped being abstract in that moment and became pressing and urgent.

The chapter that follows works through that question seriously — through Aristotle's telos and the relentless pursuit of arete, through Marcus Aurelius writing in private to stay anchored while the world tried to destroy him, through Kierkegaard's warning that losing oneself can happen very quietly, as if it were nothing at all. Through Frankl, who watched his family perish in concentration camps and still believed that the one freedom nobody can take from you is the ability to choose how you respond.

It ends with Erikson's fork in the road: generativity or stagnation. You either build something that outlives you, or you rot.

The legacy we leave is not the story told at our funeral. It is the story our children tell themselves, alone in the dark, trying to decide who they want to become.

Publication date to be confirmed. Register interest: matthew@veritashighperformance.com

A selection of essays and reflections. Updated regularly.

Reflection and Celebrating Wins

Issue At the end of a busy quarter or financial year, many leaders feel like the needle hasn’t moved — even when the team has delivered under pressure. Attention naturally gravitates toward gaps, missed targets, or the next objectives. Wins, particularly in capability, resilience, and team behaviours, are often quietly dismissed. This pattern creates invisible friction. Teams may feel their effort is invisible, leading to disengagement. Leaders themselves risk burnout as they

3 min read

Leadership Decisions Under Pressure

Issue Under pressure, many of us hesitate rather than act. We search for certainty that is rarely available and misinterpret discomfort as risk. More information is gathered, opinions are solicited, and time passes in the hope that clarity will emerge on its own. In parallel, leaders often reach for control to feel stabilised, assuming that tighter oversight or centralised decision-making will reduce uncertainty. What usually results is compliance, not commitment, and slower,

2 min read

Identity & Authenticity

Issue Under pressure, many of us lose sight of who we truly are. Gradually, role expectations begin to override personal identity, and decisions are made to satisfy external expectations rather than internal principles. Performance becomes the priority; principles become negotiable. This shift is often subconscious. We adapt without noticing, assuming that “fitting in” or “delivering results” is the safer path. The result is inner friction: cognitive load rises, confidence er

2 min read

Growth with Intent

Issue At the start of the year, many of us arrive with thoughtful, well-intentioned growth plans. We are motivated, organised, and serious about improving performance. Yet despite the effort and intent, these plans frequently fail to become reality. The issue is rarely ambition. Growth is almost always approached through addition : new goals, new habits, new systems. What receives far less attention is subtraction , alongside the cost that growth inevitably demands. Behaviou

2 min read