Part 1: Ruthlessly Caring Leadership – Navigating the paradoxes of high performance

Part 1: Ruthlessly Caring Leadership – Navigating the paradoxes of high performance

30th September 2025, 6:00 pm

£35.00

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TLC Zoom

Tuesday 30th September & Wednesday 1st October @ 18:00 BST

Joe Duhan & Lt. Gen Sir Nick Borton KCB DSO MBE

Ruthlessly Caring Leadership and Military Lessons for the Boardroom Battlefield

I am delighted to invite you to an exclusive two-part leadership masterclass featuring a unique blend of military expertise and cutting-edge business insights. This unparalleled event promises to equip you with practical strategies for navigating today’s complex leadership landscape.

 Part 1: Ruthlessly Caring Leadership – Navigating the paradoxes of high performance (September 30th)

Joe Duhan of Deloitte will introduce the five key leadership paradoxes at the heart of Ruthlessly Caring, Amy Walters-Cohen’s acclaimed framework now echoed in a groundbreaking framework highlighted in Deloitte’s 2025 Human Capital Trends Report. Joe will delve into the crucial balance between the seemingly opposing forces that underpin effective leadership today. Learn how embracing these tensions, rather than attempting to resolve them, is the key to unlocking high-performance teams. Drawing on diverse examples from various sectors, including the military, this session will provide you with immediately applicable frameworks.

 Part 2: Military Lessons for the Boardroom Battlefield – Personal perspectives on 35 years of leading in high-stakes environments (October 1st)

In Part 2, we will hear Lt. Gen Sir Nick Borton share personal insights from leading in some of the world’s most austere and challenging environments, where the pressures of navigating these 5 tensions are extraordinarily high. Nick will share invaluable perspectives on leadership, strategy, and decision-making, directly applicable to today’s challenging business environment. He will explore the critical skills and judgement needed to lead complex organisations in competitive landscapes, drawing parallels between battlefield command and the demands of the modern boardroom. You will hear about:

  • The importance of collective leadership and Mission Command;

  • The power of a bias for action and the value of ‘swift 80% solutions’;

  • The critical role of strategy and planning in achieving long-term goals;

  • What’s really at the heart of cultivating a high-performing, happy, and engaged team.

As Sir Nick’s ‘natural habitat’ for a large chunk of his 35-year Army career was at the head of large military formations in Iraq & Afghanistan, you can expect his characteristically raw perspective on the challenges of leadership to be gripping, powerful, and instructive. 

Come prepared to reflect, challenge your assumptions, and leave with a sharper lens for what leadership really demands today.

This unique two-part series offers a powerful combination of theoretical frameworks and practical, real-world experience. It’s a truly exceptional opportunity to enhance your leadership capabilities and gain a competitive edge.

 Event Details:

  • Part 1 (Joe Duhan): September 30th at 18:00

  • Part 2 (Lt Gen Sir Nick Borton): October 1st at 18:00

 Biographies

Lt. Gen Sir Nick Borton

Sir Nick was commissioned into the British Army in 1991. Over a 34 year career, he has served in UK, Germany, Belize, Bosnia, Brunei, Cyprus, Iraq and Afghanistan. He has worked in strategy and policy in the UK Ministry of Defence, and commanded at every level from platoon to corps. His most recent appointments included: Commander 16 Air Assault Brigade; Commander 3rd (UK) Division, and Chief of Staff UK Permanent Joint HQ, where he was responsible for the daily running of all UK joint operations globally. His most recent appointment was command of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, UK’s senior field formation, focused on NATO deterrence in Europe.

He was awarded the MBE in 2002, the Distinguished Service Order for commanding his Battalion in Helmand, Afghanistan in 2008, and was appointed Knight Commander of The Order of the Bath in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours. He is a graduate of: University of Stirling; Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Cranfield University; Joint Services Command and Staff College; National Defence University Washington DC, and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute. On leaving the Army, he has pursued various strategic advisory, board and business roles and is a NATO Senior Mentor.

Joe Duhan

After an 18-year career as a commissioned RAF officer, Joe moved to Deloitte in 2015. For the past six years, he’s been driving high performance leadership in public and private sector organisations, helping his clients develop systemic leadership capabilities and coaching senior leaders & their teams to achieve exceptional results. In business development, Joe collaborates with his Deloitte Leadership colleagues to design innovative offerings that help build and sustain team cohesion, collaborative mindsets, and equip clients to thrive in competitive markets. He also works with the central Deloitte learning team to develop leadership capability amongst colleagues.

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