I descend from boatmen...

I descend from boatmen, the ones who worked the canals and carried coal through the heart of Britain.

When I was a kid, my Grandad used to point out the old brick tunnels taking the waterway through hills. He’d comment, “They built these to last longer than they did.”

At the time that went right over my head.

Recently I was reminded of his comment when I walked to Crick Tunnel, on the Leicester Section of the Grand Union Canal.

Length: 1,528 yards (≈ 1,397 metres).
Completed: 1814 by Benjamin Bevan.

Grandad is long gone, but his lesson has stuck with me.

I've seen similar “they built these to last longer than they did” moments in my career.

All the best growth leaders I’ve met - whether executives, consultants, or entrepreneurs -approach relationships the same way. Not as quick transactions, but as something meant to endure.

They take the time to understand what their clients are really chasing, not just the task at hand. They measure their work in outcomes that matter. They show up when things are smooth ... and especially when they’re not.

And over time, they become more than service providers. They become trusted partners. Sometimes even part of that client’s life story.

Funny how that works: the leaders who focus less on chasing wins often end up building the strongest, longest-lasting ones.

What about you? Are you building tunnels, or chucking bricks?