Power, Permission and Conscience

What can an organisation grant a leader — and what must remain personal?

After a day at Make It In The Emirates in Abu Dhabi, admiration for technology was interrupted by an incoming-attack alert over the city. This essay begins with that moment and opens into a wider reflection on leadership, responsibility, organisations, defence and moral judgement.

Power can be delegated. Permission can be formalised. Conscience cannot.

For leaders, boards and organisations working in a world where legality is not always enough, this short essay asks a harder question: who is sitting in the chair where judgement should be?