The Apprentice Mindset: Humility in Action
Giving Back Through Leadership
One of the proudest moments in my career didn’t come with a title or a milestone, but in a quiet moment watching two people early in their careers I'd been working with present a complex systems support solution to a customer - confidently, competently, and entirely in their own right.
It reminded me of something simple but powerful: the mark of leadership isn’t in the spotlight you stand in, but in the space you create for others.
Creating Space, Not Stealing It
Throughout my career, I’ve benefited from people who gave me space. As an apprentice, I was fortunate to work with first-line leaders who treated me as an equal member of the team. They gave me room to learn, to try, and to occasionally fail, but always to get back up and keep progressing. That ethos stayed with me.
Later, as I moved into leadership roles myself, I realised how important it was to pass that same principle on: not just to manage, but to enable. Not to shield early careers professionals from difficulty, but to treat them with the same respect and expectations as their peers. To offer real responsibility, and the support to thrive within it.
It’s not always about grand gestures. Sometimes, it’s the deliberate choice to let someone else take the lead in a meeting. Or to ensure that an apprentice has a seat and voice at the table - not as a token presence, but as someone whose voice genuinely matters.
Leadership Through Enablement
A few years ago, I sponsored a transformation programme within our business. Whilst it helped to 'fix the broken windows', the real aim was much deeper. We wanted to create an organisation where people could improve their own environment. One initiative handed financial delegation directly to First Line Managers, allowing them to invest in tools and things that would improve efficiency and pride on the shop floor.
That was a pivotal moment for me. It crystallised something I’d long believed: leadership isn’t about solving every problem, it’s about enabling others to solve the ones that matter to them.
I’ve seen the power of this approach time and again. Whether through formal programmes, like sponsoring a Young Professionals Network, or through informal mentoring conversations. The impact comes from listening, backing others, and being willing to let go of the need to have all the answers.
A Better Place Than We Found It
I’ve always believed that the job of a leader is to leave the organisation stronger than when you found it - more capable, more resilient, and better prepared for what comes next.
That means thinking beyond your own tenure. It means building systems and structures that develop people - not just to fill roles, but to shape futures. And it means not seeing talent as something to retain, but something to release - allowing people to grow even if that growth takes them beyond your part of the business.
This mindset is especially powerful in the context of social mobility. I’ve seen apprentices and graduates join the business and discover, sometimes for the first time, that someone like them could become a Managing Director. It’s a responsibility I take seriously - to create the kind of organisation where potential isn’t limited by background, but shaped by opportunity.
That’s why I’ve worked closely with employee networks, championing equity and opportunity. Because giving back isn’t just a sentiment, it’s a strategy for building better organisations and fairer futures.
What We Leave Behind
Humility in leadership doesn’t mean putting yourself down. It means knowing what matters and using your role to make things better. Not to get credit, but to help others succeed. Real leadership leaves a legacy through the people and systems you’ve helped grow.
If The Apprentice Mindset teaches us anything, it’s that leadership starts with learning and ends with enabling. It comes full circle.
