Taking the non traditional path to leadership
Barbra Carlisle • October 31, 2025
Ever felt like you had a chip on your shoulder ? Here is how to flick it off!
“I went straight to work, so I always had a chip on my shoulder that I was not as bright as everyone else around me, so I had to go back to university to deal with that issue.”
– Steve Butler
It is so often assumed that leaders have every opportunity to them on a plate. A great school, great results, great career opportunities. But no, for many this is not the case.
Many small business leaders didn’t follow the traditional academic path. And yet, they’ve built successful companies, led teams, and made real impact. Still, that lingering sense of “not being enough” can creep in, I see it particularly in people I coach and train who are in midlife (40 - 60 year olds)
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Steve Butler who talked to me for The Unlikely Executive Podcast
gave a powerful example of how not going to University played on his mind, so much so that he did learning outside work and is now on his way to secure a PhD.
Similarly I was training women in the construction sector and a good handful hadn't gone to university and up till the training had been feeling a sense of imposter. By the end of the training, and talking to peers like them, they are now in a much more confident space, recognising the value that their lived experience brings to their teams, to business and to clients.
Over 50% of UK adults have experienced imposter syndrome; it’s more common among high achievers. Those with non-traditional education paths often feel the need to “prove” themselves, despite strong performance.
I currently mentor some brilliant leaders via the Help to Grow: Management programme which is designed specifically for SME leaders, again many without formal business training, offering mentoring and peer support.
When you know or think that you have that chip on your shoulder - whereever it has come from and what ever it is please do take time to do the following:
- Acknowledge your achievements.
- Talk about your career path as your story is likely to inspire others and help you own it.
- Invest in your own development—not to “catch up,” but to grow with purpose.
I offer:
- Coaching for midlife professionals navigating imposter syndrome, transitions, and confidence dips.
- Leadership development workshops tailored to small business realities.
- Support for non-traditional leaders who want to own their story and lead with clarity.
👉 Or explore: Leadership vs Management
Ideas and thoughts on how to lead well through complexity and change
The Intergenerational Advantage: Why Construction Firms Who Blend Ages Will Outperform Everyone Else
If you’re worried about not having enough young people, including women coming into construction, you’re asking the wrong question. The real risk is what happens when you don’t use the people you already have properly. The Crisis No One Is Solving Properly Across the UK, the construction workforce is ageing faster than it’s being replenished. There are 20% more workers aged 55+ than under 25. And it gets worse: 35% of the workforce is now over 50, and only 20% is under 30. Yes this presents an industry risk, but closer to home we see organisational risk. Leaders worry about recruitment, apprenticeships, T levels, Skills Bootcamps all useful, but none of them address the real issue: Experience is walking out of the door every single day, and new capability isn’t being integrated fast enough. This is exactly what my conversation with Colin McEllin MCIOB of Clan Contracting highlighted. When a 21 year old commercial graduate joined Clan Contracting, Colin didn’t roll his eyes or think, “another kid who’s never been on a site.” He leaned into it and welcomes thoughts, ideas and advice from 'young Aaron'. Massive benefits for him, and Aaron, and the wider team. Why Intergenerational Leadership Is Now a Strategic Priority The construction sector is staring at a workforce cliff edge: • 140,000+ vacancies lie unfilled. • By 2036, 750,000 skilled workers will retire, stripping the industry of vital capability. • The UK will need nearly 1 million additional construction workers by 2032. Yet recruitment alone isn’t enough. You cannot hire your way out of this crisis. We must integrate generations on purpose, not by accident. What Younger Workers Bring (That Leaders Ignore at Their Peril) Younger talent offers: • Modern thinking around sustainability and digital tooling • Analytical approaches and better documentation habits • A willingness to question processes that haven't been updated since the 90s • A commercial lens shaped by newer training systems In Colin’s words, their thinking “took him right back to when he was 21” eager, energetic, ideas driven. You want that energy before they lose it. What Older Workers Bring (That You Can’t Replace) Your experienced people have: • 30+ years of instinct • Pattern recognition that no textbook teaches • Quiet influence that stabilises teams • Technical fluency on heritage, concrete, structure, sequencing, conservation, problem solving These people are your institutional memory. Once they go, they’re gone. And currently, UK engineering employers admit they only retain knowledge effectively from 57% of retiring staff. That is a crisis hiding in plain sight. Leadership Actions That Works 1. Create deliberate two way mentoring (not hierarchical mentoring). Younger staff teach digital skills, new processes, sustainability thinking. Older staff teach technical judgment, site sense, risk spotting. Both feel valued. 2. Give young people actual responsibility, not token tasks. The CITB plans 40,000+ industry placements a year. It means nothing if leaders hide young people in the corner. Let them make decisions, with support. 3. Systemise knowledge transfer. You cannot afford to rely on “ask Dave if you need help.” You need processes, templates, technical walkthroughs, shared documentation. 4. Remove the “that’s not how we do it here” reflex. 76% of construction workers say current training doesn’t adequately prepare people for the job. So your way probably isn’t the best way anymore. Your Competitive Advantage Is Sitting Right Under Your Nose When generations work in isolation, capability leaks. When generations work together, capability compounds. The firms who win over the next decade won’t be the ones who grab the talent, it will be the ones who blend talent. Listen to the full episode of the podcast here or watch on You Tube here About me I write about topics that my podcast guests bring to the podcast. They have years of experience with challenges and opportunities along the way, highs and lows and are in the thick of leading with purpose and passion, faults an'all. As a coach and trainer I work with leaders and their times to help them thrive, laugh, enjoy their work, be productive and to build teams of all ages.
We love what we do so we grow in that role, we end up as leader with people around us but we want to stay doing the thing we love doing. Balancing leadership is hard.
