In this short, informal episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, host Ben Morton uses the historic setting of Berkhamsted Castle to illustrate a core leadership principle: leaders must avoid being constantly immersed in day‑to‑day firefighting. Drawing a parallel with the 1066 battle where kings Harold and William observed from higher ground, Morton argues that staying in the weeds erodes perspective and control. He acknowledges that leaders sometimes need to step into the fray, but the key is to know when and where they add the most value. He introduces a simple habit: pause, breathe, and ask two questions – “Where do I need to be right now?” and “Where do I add the most value?” – to shift from reactive firefighting to proactive leadership. The episode closes with a brief promotion of a live, online leadership programme for busy managers, offering practical tools, mindset work, and skill development.
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Hi there, I'm Ben Morton, and welcome to The Leader's Kitbag, the podcast that delivers practical leadership insights in less than 10 minutes. Each episode tackles a real challenge faced by leaders and managers with simple ideas and tools you can take away and apply immediately. And because leadership doesn't happen sitting behind a desk, Many of these episodes are recorded outside whilst I'm walking and thinking. They're informal, unscripted, and straight to the point. So, wherever you are, let's get started and sharpen your leadership skills one episode at a time.
If you're the sort of leader who finds yourself constantly getting pulled into everything, Maybe solving a few too many problems for your team. Maybe it's firefighting all the time or getting dragged into the minutiae and all of the detail. Then today's episode of The Leader's Kitbag is for you.
I'm filming this at what's left of Berkhamsted Castle, and it's said that this is where the Archbishop of York surrendered to William the Conqueror shortly after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Now, I was watching a series on TV recently about that period in history, and one thing really stood out for me. The two kings, Harold and William, they weren't constantly in the thick of the fighting. Instead, they took a position on higher ground. They took a vantage point so that they could see what was happening across the entire battlefield.
Because if you're in the middle of the fighting, you start to lose sight of the bigger picture, and you can't see what's unfolding. Ultimately, this means you lose control. And this is something I was taught very early on in my army career. If you're fighting, you're not commanding.
And the same is true for us as leaders today, right? If we're constantly in the weeds, doing the doing, solving every problem and issue for our team, then we start to lose perspective. We too don't see the bigger picture, and then we just start reacting and become stuck in firefighting mode, and that means we're not leading. But, and this is important, it doesn't mean that leaders should never get involved because there absolutely are moments and times when we need to step in. Even in those battles, there were times when William and Harold rode into the thick of the fighting to steady things, to shift the momentum or show presence. And that's what we need to do as leaders. That's the balance we need to strike. It's about knowing where you need to be in any given moment. And for us as leaders, more importantly, it's about knowing where we add the most value. For William and Harold, it was rarely swinging a sword in the middle of the battle. And for us as leaders now, I don't know, it's rarely going to be about us being in every single sales meeting or solving every issue in the warehouse.
And for us as leaders, it's rarely about us being in every sales meeting or us solving every issue in the warehouse. Instead, our real value comes from thinking ahead, from making better decisions and creating the conditions for others to succeed. So, that being the case, Here's a simple practice or habit for you to try and develop. It starts with pausing and taking a breath. And then asking yourself two very simple questions. Number one, where do I need to be right now? And number two, where do I add the most value? That's it. If we can build that habit, we can become much more effective as leaders. And that's it for today's episode of The Leader's Kitbag. As always, I hope it's been useful. Remember, look after yourself and those you've got the privilege and responsibility to lead. And until next time, lead on. Before you head off, if you enjoy the ideas we explore together here on The The Leader's Kitbag. And you'd like to go a little deeper, then I've created a new leadership programme designed specifically for busy leaders and managers. It focuses on the practical side of leadership, the mindset, skills, and tools that help you support your people, make better decisions, and get the results you're accountable for. The programme is delivered live and online over several half-day sessions, making it practical and perfect to fit in around the day job. If that sounds useful, you can find out more details via the link in the show notes. That's it for now. Hopefully, I'll see you in the next programme very soon. And until then, look after yourself and those you've got the privilege and responsibility to lead.
