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Greg Savage's session at Recruitment Agency Expo London 2026 offered an honest perspective on leadership, sharing the experiences and mistakes that helped shape his approach over more than four decades in recruitment. In Failing My Way to Success, he spoke openly about mistakes he made during his career and what those experiences taught him about leadership. As Greg explained, "the real thing about making mistakes is the ability to learn from them."

While many of the examples came from recruitment, the principles he discussed apply to leadership in almost any industry. Building trust, developing self-awareness, making difficult decisions and learning from failure are challenges shared by leaders regardless of sector. That made the session particularly relevant because many of the hardest leadership lessons are learned through real situations, not training manuals.

Many recruitment leaders begin their management journey after being successful consultants. They know how to sell, influence and deliver results.

But leading people brings different challenges.

Greg Savage reflected on the importance of self-awareness, especially when leaders are dealing with pressure, ego, performance issues or difficult team dynamics. He reminded the audience that "you can be good and flawed", a point that reinforces why experience alone does not automatically make someone an effective leader.

The move from recruiter to leader can expose weaknesses that were not obvious before.

One of the strongest themes from the session was that mistakes are not always failures if leaders are willing to learn from them. Difficult conversations, poor decisions, moments of conflict and periods of pressure can all shape better judgement over time. The key is whether leaders reflect honestly on what happened and change their behaviour as a result.

Recruitment is a fast-moving industry. Leaders are often making decisions under pressure. That makes self-awareness even more important. As Greg put it, "an honest recruiter owns their own failure." The same principle applies to leadership, where taking responsibility often builds more credibility than trying to avoid mistakes.

Greg also spoke about the danger of avoiding uncomfortable situations. In recruitment teams, small issues can grow quickly if they are not addressed. Poor behaviour, inconsistent standards or unresolved performance problems can affect morale and culture. Leaders may avoid conflict because they want to keep relationships intact, but silence can send the wrong message. As Greg observed, "a difficult conversation handled properly is often better than allowing problems to continue."

The most useful message from Greg Savage's session was that leadership is not fixed. People can become better leaders if they are prepared to be honest about their mistakes, listen to feedback and keep improving. Greg also warned against complacency, saying, "Only the paranoid survive," encouraging leaders to continually question whether their skills, thinking and business models remain fit for the future.

Taking Ownership
He also challenged leaders to take greater ownership of their own development, arguing that "90% of what happens to you at work is because of what you did or what you didn't do." Rather than blaming circumstances or other people, he encouraged leaders to focus on the actions they can control and the decisions they make every day.

For recruitment business owners and managers, this is an important reminder. Leadership is not about always getting it right. It is about learning quickly, taking responsibility and building stronger judgement over time. Greg encouraged leaders to continually challenge themselves, asking, "What do I need to stay relevant?" In a changing market, that mindset may be one of the most valuable leadership skills of all.

It's About More Than Performance
He closed with a reminder that leadership is measured by far more than performance or job title. "Your reputation is what people say about you when you're not in the room," he said, reinforcing that trust, consistency and integrity shape how leaders are remembered long after individual decisions have been forgotten.