Leadership Signals
Leadership insight. Market evidence. What we're seeing.
Douglas Jackson Leadership Signals brings together our research, executive market data and observations from conversations with leaders across the markets we serve.
28 October 2026
More than 60% of the senior Utilities Leadership moves we tracked earlier this year had Technology, Digital, IT or Data explicitly in the title, around 150 […]
14 October 2026
Why Salary Benchmarking Can Still Leave You Unable to Hire The gap between market averages and the salary required to attract the people you actually want […]
1 October 2026
A practical framework for diagnosing leadership capability gaps in investor-backed businesses Investor-backed organisations often begin with a job title. “We need a COO.” “We need a […]
25 September 2026
Organisations are investing heavily in transformation, but Executive sponsorship is often still passive. Transformation is being pushed by programmes and teams rather than pulled through the […]
17 September 2026
What does a Chief Customer Officer do, what should you pay them, where do the best CCOs come from and how do you appoint the right […]
14 September 2026
Executive roles are getting broader. But when accountability expands faster than authority, does a bigger job really create better organisational outcomes?
9 September 2026
Executive roles are getting broader. But when accountability expands faster than authority, does a bigger job really create better organisational outcomes?
3 September 2026
A bad leadership hire doesn’t always look like a bad hire. That’s part of the problem. The obvious failures are relatively easy to recognise: somebody leaves […]
10 August 2026
Executive roles are getting broader. But when accountability expands faster than authority, does a bigger job really create better organisational outcomes?
6 August 2026
Skills and experience still matter. But at senior level, they are increasingly not enough. What separates a credible candidate from the leader most likely to succeed may be the part of the requirement that never made it into the job description.
2 July 2026
A successful executive career doesn't automatically translate into a successful Board career. The shift from operator to NED requires a different proposition, one built around judgement, perspective, challenge and the value you bring to the Boardroom.
2 June 2026
The Investor backed leadership trigger points founders should recognise as Utilities and Infrastructure businesses scale. Technically strong founding teams can secure investment, but scaling into a […]
9 May 2026
As Executive Leaders are asked to do more, they are increasingly turning to a trusted advisor hence the rise of the appointments of a Chief of Staff
1 May 2026
Originally Published in Leadership Observations When transformation fails, organisations often look first to the top but was the strategy wrong, did the CEO communicate it badly, […]
9 April 2026
Executive Career Services: How to Position Yourself for Senior Roles, NED Opportunities and C-Suite Progression
Explore The Archive
Explore earlier Douglas Jackson articles, research and observations on leadership, talent and the changing world of work.