Chartered Management Institute

Being a vice president in a high-profile London firm at age 29 might sound like the path of someone who always knew they were destined for leadership. But Julia Constable CMgr MCMI went through something of a baptism of fire, albeit one of her own choosing. Originally from Norwich, Julia studied business management and German at the University of Leeds. From the start, she was always drawn to the idea of working internationally.

Leading a multi-generational team For many young professionals, the journey to a leadership role is less about following a defined path and more about seeking the right opportunities for growth. While studying digital marketing at university, Ayo didn't immediately have a specific career in mind. “I wasn't really sure where I was going at first. I worked in multiple different roles and even though I didn’t initially have a clear career path I was always willing to learn and develop.

A few weeks into 2026, it’s looking like another wildly unpredictable year. Ann Francke OBE CMgr CCMI, CMI’s chief executive, used her latest column in The Times to address the anxiety that leaders often face during unstable times. “In a fast-moving environment, silence is toxic,” she warned. She urged leaders to be clear on their intent and honest about what’s unknown, while setting short-term priorities and empowering line managers to lead with empathy.

This creates pressure to move beyond subjective claims about influence or insight. Melanie explains that benefits are often realised after an engagement ends, but that is no longer an excuse for vague value statements. Consultants need to translate softer outcomes into business language, asking ‘So what?’ and linking improvements such as confidence or new ways of working to time saved or costs reduced. Rachel Lambert CMgr FCMI ChMC, co-owner and managing director of Studyflex, echoes this shift.

John Harle CMgr FCMI began his career in an ambulance. From 2003, he wore the bottle-green uniform of an emergency paramedic. Call-outs to road accidents, domestic incidents and industrial sites may feel miles away from his work these days in management, but many of the skills he gained then remain vital. “The thing I’m probably best known for is managing when a crisis hits,” says John. “I’m usually the calmest person in the room, thinking quickly and making clear decisions.

Yet this reality remains largely invisible in workplace culture. Too few organisations have policies or cultures that recognise the complexity of modern caregiving. For those supporting a child with SEND, it’s not just the emotional weight – it’s the constant uncertainty. A medical appointment, a therapy review, an urgent school meeting or a crisis in provision can arise at any time. Flexibility isn’t a luxury; it’s necessary for survival.

Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits our ability to see novel uses for tools or objects we’re already familiar with. Over our lifetime, we acquire knowledge about the world around us and the functions of objects. This understanding of objects and their conventional uses helps us navigate daily life, but it can also hinder us from thinking creatively about alternative uses. This tendency to mentally ‘fix’ an object’s function to its familiar use is what we call functional fixedness.

Modern leadership is no longer defined by authority or productivity alone; it’s defined by empathy, adaptability and the ability to create spaces where every individual can produce their work. As organisations have become more informed about neurodiversity – which includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other variations in how people think and process information – the conversation is now shifting from being aware to taking action. The next frontier for inclusive leadership is psychological safety.

Overcoming age barriers Stepping into management in her early career, Paige quickly encountered resistance. In her first job after graduating - a customer service management role - reactions to her age were immediate. “When one person found out my age it spread throughout the team like Chinese whispers. They felt I was too young to manage them, it was like they were working against me, rather than with me.” When Paige addressed the pushback directly, her colleagues were honest about their concerns.

“That’s when I slowly realised that my strengths were in organising things, allocating resources and managing people,” she says. “I’ve always taken the view that things can always be improved, and that’s what I was striving to do: create that ethos of continuous learning and improvement.” “I’d found my calling” Discovering CMI and embarking on the Chartered Manager process after this lightbulb moment was an obvious next step.