The news is littered with examples of ethical lapses and corruption. In fact, a Strategy& study showed that it was the biggest reason for CEOs resigning. Yet, compliance is still a word and a practice that is not always considered pivotal to the success of organisations. It’s often perceived as part of the bureaucracy that stops or slows down progress. Who better to talk to than a man who has transformed himself from somebody who was corrupt and sent to jail to somebody who is now a world au...
Feb 15, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 3
How much do you suppress your emotions at work? What if you could be more aware of them, in control of them, and learn from them? That’s the topic of my conversation with Liz Fosslein in this episode. She shares her stories, research, and experience of tapping into Big Emotions, captured so brilliantly in her book of the same name, co authored with Mollie West Duffy. We talk about how to handle and learn from your anger, burnout, comparison, feelings of uncertainty. So if you’re feeling any of t...
Jan 31, 2023•34 min•Season 4Ep. 2
You’re looking to build a higher performing team, or organisation, where more people can do their best. Sounds simple, right? But there are some biases and blockers in the way. You know that you’ve got work to do but you’re not sure where to start. You look around and realise that you hire and promote people who look like you and the other members of your leadership team, whether intentional or not. You want to be a good ally to people in under-represented or under-estimated groups but you’re no...
Jan 18, 2023•38 min•Season 4Ep. 1
What can a banker who built one of the biggest financial empires in the world and was a major philanthropist teach us about strategic leadership? A lot, in fact. I talk to Dan Gross, the author of a biography on Edmond J. Safra called ‘A banker’s life’. It’s a fascinating counter to many of the practices we hear and see – for better or worse – in modern day life. Safra was incredibly ambitious, looking to build wealth, nurture his community, and build bridges across the world. We hear about his ...
Jan 04, 2023•39 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Bill George tells me that this the most difficult time to be a leader he’s seen in his life as they face major generational, political, societal shifts and challenges. The traditional command and control approach to leadership and management doesn’t work. Instead, we need more authentic leaders have a clearer, longer-term view of what it takes to make their organisation successful. Leaders who take a stand on important issues, particularly the issues their employees and customers care about. Lea...
Dec 21, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 8
What would it take to show and give your absolute best at work? Even having to ask the question suggests there’s something amiss. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been told what we’re not good at that we’ve forgotten what we are good at. Or we’ve been wearing a mask for so long that it’s all become part of a performance. Andy Woodfield has spent his career trying to figure out the uniqueness and the dreams of the people he works with. That curiosity leads to powerful human connection, and a conversati...
Dec 07, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 7
When you’re feeling life is tough, you’re typically told to ride it out, put your head down, get through it. That might help some people, for a while. But it’s missing something. Only when we reach out to others, find a connection, get some support that we truly feel better – using fortitude. In this podcast Bruce Daisley challenges conventional wisdom by arguing that the power of social connection is the critical aspect of resilience. For example, the biggest predictor of well-being after major...
Nov 23, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Inclusion has been one of those terms we might reserve for HR, an initiative, or a special interest group. Wrong. It’s critical to the success of any organisation, and a moral responsibility. For too long, traditionally disadvantaged groups – by race, gender, sexuality – have progressed slower and had poorer experiences at work. Their leaders – from a majority group – have employed avoidance tactics, in some cases standing away and not giving eye contact, sticking to their familiar places and fa...
Nov 09, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 6
We’re moving into the age of psychological capital based on curiosity and creativity. We need to harness data on behaviours more effectively to help us understand people in an unbiased, objective, and meritocratic way. It might sound straightforward but it will require overcoming resistance especially from those who have grown into senior leadership roles in the system; they fear what the data may show them, revealing some home truths. Aspiring leaders have to be willing to challenge the way bus...
Oct 26, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 4
How strategic are you with your time, attention, and energy? Many successful executives aren’t, surprisingly. Their days are overly busy (some feel proud of this), as if their schedules run their life. They’re racing against the clock, trying to get through never-ending to-do lists. They feel exhausted by the weekend, and frustrations fester as they don’t progress important professional or personal projects. Sound familiar? How do you wrestle back control, tackle the chaos, and make time for wha...
Oct 12, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Work relationships can be hard. Too often we grin and bear it as if we have no choice. Or throw up our hands because one-size-fits-all solutions haven't worked. Many of us walk away, avoiding difficult people. But we can only endure so much thoughtless, irrational, or malicious behaviour—there's your sanity to consider, and your career. In her book Getting Along, workplace expert and Harvard Business Review podcast host Amy Gallo identifies eight familiar types of difficult coworkers—the insecur...
Sep 28, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Time is running out for our planet. We are taking more than we are giving. CSR targets don’t go far enough. And societal inequality is on the rise. It requires a rethink of how we do business, how we lead organisations, how we measure impact. Who better to set out the manifesto for change than Paul Polman, the former CEO of Unilever and co founder of Imagine One. He’s done what he’s advocated; turned a global company into a force for good whilst still delivering exceptional shareholder value. He...
Sep 14, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 1
You feel there’s something important to say at work. An idea that could make a big difference. Or a behaviour that’s not good. But you’re not sure whether you should because there isn’t enough psychological safety. Perhaps there’s toxicity in the culture or a strong prevailing way of doing things. You calling something out might be risky to your standing and your career. What does it take to be courageous to speak up about something important? What strategies and tactics can you use? Professor J...
Jul 20, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Many organisations say that they are customer-centric. But when you look inside they’re far from it. Customers come a distant second to their product or service. And when they do focus on them, they often apply simplistic assumptions about how we think, feel, and behave. Andrea Olson is a behavioural scientist who has studied how to learn what customers need, but don’t always tell you. In this podcast find out: ★ What stops customers telling you what they want. ★ What it takes to create a custom...
Jul 06, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 21
About Jeffrey: Jeffrey Shaw is a speaker and small business coach who helps self-employed and small business owners gain control of their business in what seems like otherwise uncontrollable circumstances. Drawing on his experience as a renowned portrait photographer, Jeffrey shows business owners how to see business through a different lens and strategies to compose the often-chaotic pieces of life and business into sustainable success. Jeffrey’s TEDx Lincoln Square talk is featured on TED.com,...
Jun 22, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 20
You're a founder, Board member or Senior Executive. Tasked with scaling your business profitably and sustainably. But you're facing a complex, dynamic, volatile and uncertain environment. How do you make smart decisions about where to focus, and how to stimulate innovation in a world of ecosystems? How do you use venture capital wisely? How can you upskill your team to make important decisions? These are questions - and more - that Chris Rangen has been advising on, speaking about, and teaching ...
Jun 08, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 19
How do you scale-up a start-up? How do you make sure a large corporate doesn't stifle innovation? These are questions - and many more - that Steve Blank has been addressing for decades as one of the world's leading authorities on entrepreneurship and innovation. In this podcast find out what: Companies do to innovation as they grow. The problem with innovation theatre is. It takes to create an ambidextrous organisation. The distinction is between an innovator and entrepreneur - and why successfu...
May 24, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Summary : Imagine your daughter or son, niece or nephew telling you that they couldn’t access the facilities like a museum, taxi, or arts gallery. What would you do? You’d feel disappointed. You might even write a letter to complain. But would you try to overhaul the system? That’s a big ask for any parent or relative. But that’s exactly what Janice Lintz did. Over the last twenty years she has fought for access for the deaf and hard of hearing like her daughter. Induction loops are now fitted i...
May 11, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Summary: Whether we realise it or not, we all use mental models to think about our context (customers, competitors), make choices, structure work, and undertake key activities (such as doing innovation or pursuing M&A). But how often do you stop for a moment to challenge them? Often we operate on autopilot. If they don't work, we try again, and again, without thinking of an alternative. My guest in this episode, Roger Martin, has spent his career developing these alternative mental models an...
Apr 27, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Summary: Innovation is a topic that always comes up in my work with CEOs, senior executives and entrepreneurs. We focus on how to: create an innovation portfolio. balance different types of innovation. develop a more innovative culture. open up the organisation to external stimulus. But there are lots of myths and misunderstandings. Innovation "theatre" too. People talk a great game, but innovation practice doesn't live up to the promise. Who better to talk to about these topics than Bill Fische...
Apr 20, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Summary : “Digital transformation” is a big buzzword in business. But digital initiatives alone are not enough to win in the marketplace -- companies need to reimagine the compelling value they will offer and how they will create it in a differentiating way. Two senior partners from Strategy&, former colleagues and friends, set out s even leadership imperatives for transforming companies in the new digital era based on extensive research of twelve companies, including Philips, Microsoft and ...
Apr 13, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Summary : The last few years will have forced or encouraged us to make changes in our lives. In a positive light, some people have spent better quality time with family and friends, enjoyed the company of their neighbours, exercised more regularly and taken up hobbies again. But when the pressure's on, and there's no systemic "shock" to deal with, it's natural that we slip back to some of our old ways. To overcome this, Katy Milkman says we should understand our internal obstacles — or “opponent...
Apr 06, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Summary : Strategy is a mystery to many of us. It’s an over-used, misunderstood term in business. Put simply, a strategy is a plan to create value. Don’t start with profit though. That’s the result of strategy. Instead, use a "value stick" which provides a way of measuring the two fundamental forces that lead to value creation and increased financial success: (1) the customer's willingness-to-pay (the top of the stick); and (2) the employee's willingness-to-sell their services to the business (t...
Mar 30, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Summary : Being a founder of a start-up takes courage, grit, entrepreneurial spirit. It takes a special kind of person. Somebody who is enormously self-driven, -determined and -motivated. But how far will these traits take you as you look to scale your business? And what will you need to start, stop and change in your leadership style? How will you work hard and smart to avoid burn out and mental health problems? Alisa Cohn, confidante and coach the founders and CEOs of some of the world’s most ...
Mar 23, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Summary : How many of us set goals for ourselves? It might be in one of those dreadful HR processes at work. Or a memorable event during the year, like New Year or your birthday. We write them down, sometimes share them with family and friends, work at them. But how many of them help us really get somewhere? Too often we settle for the status quo, or baby steps. But what would it take to do something that really matters in life. To develop goals, Worthy Goals, that are thrilling, important and d...
Mar 16, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Summary Many of us are impatient. We’re ambitious, keen to see the spoils of success, but also a little insecure, wondering if we’re going to make it or whether a friend or colleague will get there first. So we go all in, putting in the hours, risking overwork or burnout. Or we focus on what feels easy, guaranteed or glamorous in the moment. At the same time we want to live healthier lives, more connected to our families, and friends. But it doesn’t seem possible to have it all. Or does it? Dori...
Mar 09, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Summary: Women of color are one of the fastest-growing segments in the corporate workforce, yet often we are underrepresented—among the first, few, or only ones in a department or company. For too long, corporate structures, the social zeitgeist, and cultural conditioning have left them feeling exhausted and downtrodden, believing that in order to “fit in” and be successful, we must hide or change who they are. How can they “find, feel and forge their power in the corporate world”? Understanding...
Mar 02, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Summary : Organisations are crying out for more strategic leaders. These are the people who are brave enough to make a commitment to an extraordinary path, and skilful enough to make a multitude of choices to get there. They’re able to reframe complex problems as they shape brighter futures for those around them. In conversation they stretch and support, nourish and confront in equal measure. In this podcast, Niko Canner, founder of Incandescent, speaks eloquently about their traits, mindsets, a...
Feb 23, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Making a career transition is hard at the best of times. And it’s likely that more of us will make them, either by our own making or by necessity as we live longer. It can be even harder when you’ve operated at an elite level. How do you take the best bits of your performance and use them in a new field? How do you reposition yourself, recreating your brand, and establish credibility in a new space when people know you for something else? And when you have a new career and you’ve established you...
Feb 09, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 6
How do you master the process of changing as a professional and as a person? How do you understand where you are on the S-curve of learning? And when you do, what will you do next? Dig into exploring the possibilities in front of you, shift gear and career, or disrupt yourself once you’ve reached mastery? How to avoid the distractions that impede your progress, and focus your attention wisely? Whitney Johnson, CEO of Disruption Advisors, and the author of a brilliant book called Smart Growth: ho...
Feb 08, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 5
