Brigadier General Chris Murray CBE FCILT | Lead Well. Stay Real

Leadership often looks very different when the pressure is real and the consequences are felt in people’s lives. In this episode, I talk with Brigadier General Chris Murray CBE FCILT about what it means to lead well, stay real, and serve the people who trust you.

Leading Well When the Stakes Are High

Brigadier General Chris Murray brings a depth of leadership experience from his time in the British Army, including serving as Commander of British Forces in Bosnia and Director of the Royal Logistic Corps. He has led people in complex, high-risk environments where trust, clarity, and responsibility are not optional, they are essential.

In our conversation, Chris talks about how trust is earned, not granted by rank. Soldiers may respect the badge, but real trust only forms when they know who you are, what you stand for, and that you will stand with them when things become difficult. That picture of leadership translates directly into business, where people follow leaders they believe in, not just leaders with a title.

Trust, Service, and Real Influence

One of the key themes in this episode is servant leadership. Chris reflects on the Sandhurst motto, “Serve to Lead”, and how that shaped his view that he was only as effective as the people he was leading. His first responsibility as a leader was to know his people, support them, and help them grow. When people feel genuinely cared for, they are willing to step into difficult tasks and stay engaged, even when it stretches them.

We also explore the idea of leading from behind and leading through influence. You do not always need positional authority to bring value. Chris describes situations where he had no formal responsibility, yet he could still improve outcomes by bringing structure, clarity, and calm. For leaders in business, this is a powerful reminder that you can contribute to better performance even when you are not the one “in charge”.

People Before Convenience

Another strong insight from Chris is how a leader’s character is revealed at times of transition. When leaving a major post, he had the choice to dispose of everything quickly in a single transaction, or to do the harder work of looking after the 650 civilian staff who had supported the organisation. He chose the more complex path so that each person had the opportunity to purchase items that would help them and their families.

This is people-first leadership in action. It shows up in the small details as much as the big decisions. For business leaders, it raises an important question: when change comes, do we take the convenient path, or the path that leaves people in a better place than we found them?

Training, Readiness, and Thinking Ahead

Chris also shares how high-performing teams handle pressure. When the environment is demanding, people fall back on their training. Routine tasks must become second nature so that leaders and teams have the mental space to respond to what goes wrong. His advice is simple and direct: train people so well that they have capacity left for problem solving when the unexpected happens.

Applied to business, this means building clear systems, habits, and expectations. When people know what good looks like and practise it consistently, they are better able to adapt when things change. Leadership development, skills training, and regular review are not extras, they are the foundation for resilience.

Questions for Your Own Leadership

As you watch the vodcast and listen to the podcast above, consider a few questions for your own leadership:

• How are you earning trust with the people you lead?
• Do the people in your organisation believe you genuinely care about them?
• Where are you leading through influence, not just position?
• Are your systems and training strong enough to support your team when things go wrong?
• When you move on from a role, will people feel that you left them better than you found them?

If you are a founder, executive, or senior leader, I believe you will find this conversation both grounding and stretching. It is a reminder that leadership is not about image. It is about service, responsibility, and the way we show up for the people who trust us.

I encourage you to take the time to watch or listen, reflect on what stands out for you, and consider what leading well and staying real looks like in your world right now.