Sally Percy on Leading Through Turbulence, Values-Driven Leadership, and the Truth About Elon Musk

How do you lead well when the world feels increasingly unpredictable? In this bonus episode, journalist and author Sally Percy joins Paul Bulpitt to explore how leaders can stay grounded through uncertainty, and why nuance, empathy, and authenticity matter now more than ever.

From fairytale pricing to AI anxiety, corporate resilience to career reality checks, this is a wide-ranging conversation with one of the UK’s leading commentators on leadership and modern business.

About the Guest:

Sally Percy is a business journalist, Forbes contributor, and author of The Disruptors and 21st Century Business Icons. She specialises in leadership, strategy, and the big forces shaping the future of business. Her work explores what today’s leaders need to thrive, not just in growth cycles, but through crisis, complexity and change.

This Episode Covers:

💼 How to lead through turbulent times: uncertainty, AI disruption, resilience and preparing for worst-case scenarios

🧭 Nuance in leadership: why leaders need to stay curious, open-minded, and emotionally intelligent - especially when the world is polarised

📈 Purpose & performance: why successful businesses exist to solve real problems - and how staying close to your values builds loyalty

💬 How to retain your soul while growing a company: challenges of scaling culture and staying people-first as businesses grow

🌍 The ripple effects of global instability: leadership in the context of war, underinvestment, and political fragmentation

👩‍💼 C-suite reality check: the pressure, scrutiny, and stamina required to lead at scale - and why some executives are more vulnerable than they seem

📚 From Elon Musk to Goldilocks pricing: leadership lessons from icons, disruptors, and fairy tales

Links:

🔗 Sally on LinkedIn

📝 Sally's Blog on Forbes

📘 The Disruptors – Buy the book

📗 21st Century Business Icons – Buy the book

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