Battling with Business

In this week’s episode we continue our exploration of what it really means to lead and manage in a world increasingly shaped by AI. Rather than asking whether AI is good or bad, we focus on a harder and more important question: how leadership, culture, trust and experience change when intelligent systems begin to make decisions alongside us, or instead of us.

We reflect on how quickly AI is moving from a...

In this week's episode we start a new mini series by asking a question that sits underneath all the noise about artificial intelligence and jobs.

What does leadership and management actually mean when AI becomes a permanent participant in how organisations think, decide, and act?

Rather than debating whether AI is good or bad, we focus on the practical reality that it is already here and al...

In this week’s episode we look at one of the most uncomfortable leadership stories of the modern business era. Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos force us to confront how easily confidence, narrative, and status can be mistaken for competence and truth. We explore how a young, driven, and highly credible founder built a nine billion dollar company, attracted world class investors, and became a symbol of innovation, while quietly crossin...

In this week’s semi-emergency episode we discuss the recent events in Venezuela attempting to look beyond the obvious political and moral dimensions, and instead look to see what we can learn from a leadership, management and culture perspective. Of course, knowing Gareth and Chris it also leads to a conversation about the future of NATO!

If you've ever wondered what it takes to plan a military raid, wel...

Leadership under extreme pressure is rarely about heroic speeches or rank. It is about judgement, trust, and knowing when to lead and when to follow.

In the second part of our conversation with Baz Gray former Royal Marine, polar explorer, leadership coach and now Yeoman Warder of the Tower of London we explore what Shackleton’s Antarctic expeditions really teach us about leadership today. Baz draws on h...

In this episode of Battling with Business, Gareth Tennant and Chris Kitchener record from one of the most iconic leadership environments in the UK, the Tower of London, joined by Baz Gray, former Royal Marine, Arctic explorer, and Yeoman Warder.

Drawing on a career that spans reconnaissance operations, mountain leadership, extreme expeditions, and senior military command, Baz explores what calm, credible...

Battling with Business returns with Part Two of its Influencers series on Charles de Gaulle, moving from wartime exile to political dominance and lasting national legacy.

In this episode, Gareth Tennant and Chris Kitchener examine how leadership is forged not just through bravery or competence, but through narrative control, political instinct, and an unyielding sense of purpose. As de Gaulle outmanoeuvr...

In this Part 1 of 2, re-release of an earlier Influencers series of Battling with Business, Gareth Tennant and Chris Kitchener explore the leadership and influence of Charles de Gaulle, a figure often overlooked in British narratives of the Second World War. Through the lens of military history and modern management thinking, they examine how conviction, strategic foresight, and personal ego combine to shape leaders i...

This episode explores how leaders can navigate unprecedented change by understanding the hidden forces reshaping conflict, technology, and decision making. In this conversation with Dr Matthew Ford, we unpack how the smartphone has quietly transformed modern warfare and why leaders in every sector must rethink how they interpret information, manage uncertainty, and respond to rapid shifts.

We start to lo...

This episode  of Battling with Business dives deep into modern leadership and management through the lens of defence innovation. Gareth Tennant and Chris Kitchener are joined by John Ridge, Chief Adoption Officer at the NATO Innovation Fund, to explore how technology, agility and organisational culture shape today’s capabilities.

Leaders often talk about innovation, speed and agility, but how do those id...

In this episode Battling with Business explores leadership and decision making under pressure through a deep dive into “The War Game,” a five‑part immersive geopolitical simulation from Sky.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wargame/id1547225334

Gareth and Chris unpack how realistic war gaming exposes blind spots, stress‑tests assumptions, and reveals how people truly behave when ev...

"Thank God I have done my duty."

This episode explores leadership through the life and legacy of Admiral Horatio Nelson. Gareth and Chris unpack the myth, the reality, and the enduring lessons behind one of Britain’s most iconic naval commanders.

What makes someone a great leader when history elevates them to near‑mythical status? And what happens when we discover the real person beneath th...

In this the week of remembrance in the UK, we commemorate those who have served and died in conflicts.

In a worthy re-release of a previous episode we sat down with Commander Roly Woods, a retired Royal Navy officer with over 46 years of service, to explore the personal and institutional journey of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the British Armed Forces.

This week's re-release is particularly relevant...

Leadership is not just about having data. It’s about knowing when the data matters, and how to apply your experience. In a world obsessed with dashboards and algorithms, are you still cultivating your leader’s instinct?

In this episode of Battling with Business, Gareth and Chris  dive into one of the most pressing questions for modern leaders: how do you balance data with intuition? From battlefield inte...

Change is inevitable, but how leaders handle transitions, both their own and their team’s, defines long-term success. In this reflective episode, Chris  and Gareth explore the many faces of transition: from promotions and career shifts to redundancy, retirement, and identity change.

Drawing on Chris’s recent personal experience of redundancy, they unpack how leaders can guide themselves and others throug...

In this high-stakes episode, a release of one of our very first episodes, Gareth Tennant shares a gripping real-world account of how a small, well-trained team of Royal Marine Commandos outsmarted a group of Somali pirates, and what it reveals about building truly adaptive teams.

Discover how elite military units use repetition, rehearsals, mission command, and common operating procedures to stay agile under pressure. From battlefi...

In this episode of Battling with Business, hosts Gareth Tennant and Chris Kitchener explore the life and leadership lessons of Sir Richard Branson the entrepreneur, adventurer, and founder of the Virgin Group. Branson’s story is one of audacious vision, relentless optimism, and authentic leadership that continues to inspire generations of business leaders.

What does it take to build a global empire while...

In this episode of Battling with Business, Gareth Tennant and Chris Kitchener take on the challenge of Red Teaming, a structured way to challenge assumptions, stress test plans, and think like competitors or critics. They put the concept into practice by running a live exercise on air.

Listeners will learn why Red Teaming is different from everyday critique or boardroom debates, how it helps organisations avoid blind spots, groupth...

Gareth Tennant and Chris Kitchener reveal the second half of the UK military’s seven-step planning model, and show how every business can boost resilience and performance with clear, communal frameworks.

This episode focuses on turning strategy into execution: allocating resources, orchestrating timing, defining coordination, and establishing practical control measures. The discussion tackles cross-departmental alignment, reporting...