Phil Jewell
The Irrelevant Leader
Phil Jewell
The Irrelevant Leader
Biography
Phil is a graduate of the British Army’s Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions for developing leaders who inspire trust, serve their teams, and thrive in complex, high-stakes environments.
Phil’s career is defined by a servant leadership philosophy: the belief that leadership is not about authority or power, but about empowering others, building trust, and achieving shared success.
From combat zones to government offices and private-sector boardrooms, Phil has consistently demonstrated his commitment to putting the needs of the team first, creating environments where people feel valued, supported, and capable of exceeding expectations.
Early in his career, Phil led teams in overseas combat environments, where the stakes were high, and success depended on fostering trust, unity, and mutual respect. He learned that the leader’s role is not to stand above the team but to serve as a guide, ensuring everyone has the tools, clarity, and confidence to perform at their best. This ethos of servant leadership has shaped his approach in every role since.
Phil transitioned from military service to senior leadership positions in provincial and federal governments, where he continued to prioritize the growth and success of the teams he led.
Whether driving collaborative efforts across nations, leading complex projects, or managing crises, Phil’s focus remained on enabling his people to thrive, even in the most challenging circumstances.
Now an executive coach, mentor, and entrepreneur, Phil draws on his extensive leadership experience to help others unlock their potential and embrace a servant leadership mindset. His approach combines practical wisdom, emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of what it means to lead with humility, empathy, and purpose.
Phil’s leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief that the leader exists for the team—not the other way around. His ability to inspire trust, build meaningful relationships, and prioritize the success of others has been the foundation of his career. By embracing a servant leadership mindset, Phil continues to empower leaders and organizations to achieve remarkable results while fostering cultures of collaboration, respect, and shared purpose.
Speaker Videos
The Irrelevant Leader 2025
Speech Topics
The Irrelevant Leader
Helping organisations maximise talent by encouraging leaders to become more irrelevant by trusting, delegating, and empowering those around them.
Whether serving as a young army officer leading soldiers in combat, working in the public service, or his numerous diverse roles and responsibilities in between, Phil’s signature keynote speech focusses on powerful personal stories from leadership roles spanning countries, cultures, and continents.
His messages centre around one theme – the more irrelevant we can make ourselves the more impact our collective teams can have. He draws out universal lessons to share the key principles, practical questions, and thoughts to ponder anyone wanting to elevate and develop those around them should have.
He does this whilst recounting his times on patrol in the wadi’s and deserts of Afghanistan and the lessons he learned on the way; ones that had been introduced to him during his training and became embodied during some of the most intense challenges a leader can face. These lessons have helped shape him, yet they don’t define him.
He also shares powerful stories and lessons he’s learned on the way, whether working in a fast-food restaurant during high school or trying to be the best parent he can to two wonderful children. What he shares and how he does it is as real and authentic as it gets.
With such broad experience, Phil Jewell bridges the gap from his stories and message to make it resonate with leaders at all levels, across all industries and professions.
Main takeaways:
- Uncover the single most important measurement there is to leadership ability and performance.
- Discover the importance of character and mindset in creating an environment where empowerment and delegation can thrive.
- Understand how to attach meaning to work.
- Gain the courage and confidence to be truly authentic and show-up exactly as ones true self.
- Leave with the one enduring thought that is at the core of everyone’s success.
10 Leadership Behaviors That Sabotage Success
This dynamic keynote exposes the subtle yet damaging pitfalls that undermine effective leadership. It challenges leaders to see opposition as loyalty and to seek fresh perspectives beyond titles and experience. It warns against the blurring of lines when we prioritize friendship over respect and becoming the leader teams want instead of the one they need. It shows the limits we create when we focus on accountability and not capability, pile on tasks without clearing clutter, and become too accessible, inadvertently reducing resilience. Finally, it challenges the role of a leader in motivating the team and highlights how we waste energy solving the wrong problems. This keynote empowers leaders to break these habits and lead with clarity, strength, and purpose.
Main Takeaways:
- Uncover the everyday leadership habits that quietly hold us back and traits we didn’t know were limiting our impact.
- Equips leaders with insights that immediately improve team performance and decision-making.
- Builds leadership capacity across the organization—not just in individuals, but in how teams operate and deliver results.
Testimonials
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