The Leadership Enigma

Lisa Bodell is the CEO of Future Think, award wining author and one of the world's Top 50 Keynote speakers on issues such as creating simplicity and killing complexity. This episode was filmed in New York City during the 'Future of Everything' Festival. Lisa always thought of herself as a helper and was naturally creative from an early age. She grew up in Michigan, studied business and wanted to go into marketing and advertising. However, she wanted to find a path where her ideas would be heard and mattered. At this point, the entrepreneur emerged and Lisa decided to do her own thing, start her own business and create a platform for ideas and collaboration. Lisa's books became a global calling card for her thought leadership and ability to help others learn and master new skills and capabilities. Time is a non renewable resource that we never get back and this became the catalyst for Lisa's focus on simplification. In a society fixated with more, Lisa is intent we also see the value in less. This requires focus and an ability to get rid of things. What will you stop doing is a wonderfully powerful question for all leaders although fear is something that holds all of us back. Stopping and saying 'no' is a critical ingredient for innovation. Simplicity is not about being more productive, its the front end of innovation and gives people the space to do what matters. It's also not about getting rid of everything, it's about getting rid of unnecessary complexity, the invisible waste, the work without the benefits. This is all about getting to the work that matters and not being more productive. As a leader, are you defining what meaningful work is? Grooves and ruts look and feel the same. Grooves are productive, ruts are a waste of time. Lisa speaks all over the world and I asked her in this episode what she wanted to talk about that she doesn't usually talk about in order to make this episode truly memorable. She decided to connect simplicity to wellbeing so we can feel that we are doing what we were born to do. Lisa explains that much of our daily workload is based around meetings and emails, therefore within our control to change, yet most will not. As Lisa says during her keynotes, many of us 'survive another meeting that should have been an email.' Technology has amplified the issue of complexity and the ease to create meeting after meeting. If you could kill off any 2 rules at work, what would they be? Many of the answers she hears are not even rules, they are just historical methods of working. Lisa's top tips include (1) for leaders to mandate the right for people to get rid of things that they feel are unnecessary, and (2) model the behaviour. All businesses fear becoming irrelevant, especially during great technological change. To be relevant we must change, we must innovate and people need time to think. People want to leave a legacy, not shareholder value. Simplicity is not a productivity exercise it's a about helping people to get to the work that they were hired to do in the first place and be their best self. Simplicity is also a foundation for a high performing culture. In an age of Generative AI, time is something to harness and allow people to think more. As Lisa explains. 'thinking is a daring act'. Perhaps now, we have more time to be human which is actually the basis of our leadership capability. www.futurethink.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giuseppe Stigliano is the global CEO of Spring Studios in New York which was the venue for the Wall Street Journal 'Future of Everything' Festival. We filmed this episode on the rooftop of the studio overlooking The Hudson river and surrounding area. Giuseppe is Italian and moved to Milan to study marketing working in multiple businesses with early experiences of leadership. He now travels between London and New York in his role as CEO for Spring Studios. He has an entrepreneurial spirit so the NYC location is a multiple use site including an event space, studio business, private members club and more making it a unique agency with a core business focused on luxury, fashion and lifestyle. Giuseppe is an entrepreneur by background, an author with Philip Kotler (the grandfather of marketing) adjunct professor and keynote speaker who also holds a Phd in marketing and economics. Giuseppe believes that the more you curiously explore opportunities and relationships the more life has to offer. He is currently redefining retail in a landscape of significant digital transformation and specialises in helping people navigate the 4P's of marketing (product , price, place & promotion) with a mindset shifting from making people want things to making things people want. Is the High Street dead? Giuseppe says no, if you can make it absolutely compelling for people to leave their sofas and online lives. Some of the biggest shifts for a retail business is the role of 'Figital', a three dimensional world of the physical, digital and the virtual. The plethora of data allows business to target the right message to the right person at the right time. Gen AI is changing the landscape again as it can create new ways of using what we already have available to us. However, Giuseppe also reminds us that AI will give us back time and can never compete with the truly human centred capabilities such as curiosity, empathy and creativity, simply more time for us to be human. Marketing is key for every business. This is also changing. Supply exceeds demand so the competition is high. Marketing has historically been focused on making people want things but now the sheer amount of data available allows people to consider what do we need to create for the people based on the insights we have. Gen AI can now help the smallest of businesses to master the data analytics. Giuseppe is always learning as a leader. He is a believer that the next generation of employees require servant leaders but also recognises that no one size fits all. Leadership has to flex to the context of the businesses growth and maturity. Giuseppe understands the importance of allowing smart people who are more expert that the CEO to be allowed and fully empowered to operate as they see fit. A leader must know when to get out of the way. www.linkedin.com/in/giuseppestigliano/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Viv Anderson MBE is our special guest for Episode 200 filmed in front of a live audience at Capco in central London in support of the amazing charity Leadership Through Sport & Business, which Viv is a patron. Viv has played for a number of teams including Manchester United, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. He was the very first player signed by Sir Alex Ferguson and played for Brian Clough winning the Football League, European Cup, League Cup, FA Cup and made British sporting history by becoming the first black player to play a full international for England. This is an amazing insight into Viv, his family, the Windrush generation and how he went on to become a trailblazer for diversity in the beautiful game. His big break came via a scout from Sheffield United which in turn led to a scout from Manchester United asking him to trial as a young schoolboy. Manchester United rejected Viv which he explains was devastating however that prompted him to try for his home team, Nottingham Forest which in turn led to his debut at 17 yers old. The Nottingham Forest years meant that Viv played for the iconic Brian Clough. Viv shares some incredible stories about life under Clough as a young black player in the 70's and 80's and how Clough helped him to build the personal resilience to cope and still play whilst dealing with overt racism. We discuss the state of diversity in football and football leadership in the modern game and concede that there is still much to do. When Viv found out that he had been selected for England, Brian Clough was again a supporting influence in his life whilst also keeping him grounded and humble. Viv also remembers being signed and playing for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Alex Ferguson was a passionate but hard task master. Alex Ferguson's early years were not easy but he knew how to man manage each and every player which led to him becoming the serial winner that we know today. Both Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson had clear non-negotiables with their superstar players. Viv outlines how senior players had a positive impact on his career including Brian Robson We also have a few surprises for Viv, with messages from Stuart Pearce and Marlon Harewood. For more information on Leadership Through Sport & Business (LTSB) www.ltsb.charity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah MacDonald operates in a world that has been dominated by men since 1209. She is a Canadian-born conductor, organist, pianist, and composer, living in the UK, and she holds the positions of Fellow and Director of Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and Director of the Girl Choristers at Ely Cathedral. This episode is a glimpse into a world few know about but many have experienced including during the Queen's funeral and the King's Coronation. Sarah has recently been appointed to the role of President of the Royal College of Organists, where she is the third woman to hold this role which is the highest position offered within this niche world. The world of cathedral music is steeped in history and tradition and is celebrated globally especially during Christmas. As a young girl growing up, Sarah was not allowed to sing in the choirs so she discovered that being female would not preclude her from conducing so she decided to become an organ scholar at Cambridge University and essentially never left. In the cathedral tradition, all roles were male for hundreds of years. In fact it was only in the late 19th century that female students were allowed to study at Cambridge University. In this incredible episode Sarah explains the history and nuance to working, studying and leading at Cambridge University where she became the University Organist, a role founded in 1670 and Sarah is the first female in that role. The role of religion is an obvious element to the world of cathedral music and Sarah explains that it is a community of all faiths and none as they promote inclusivity for all. We discover how Sarah balances her intense search for perfection with teaching her students to experiment, make mistakes yet strive to be the very best they can be in high stakes performances. www.sarahmacdonald.live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Julian Edwards is the strengths explorer! As leaders always learning, should we focus on our strengths or our development areas? Mark suggests it should be our strengths. All the research shows if we fully develop our strengths, we are going to be 3 time happier and more productive. This episode is all about how we identify our latent talents and complimentary strengths and partnerships. The context and success of our work is about how we combine abilities to leverage the sum of the parts. Micro organisations and start-ups tend to play to peoples’ strengths more readily than large scale organisations This suggests that competency frameworks are problematic as we are not always great at everything. It is the leader’s role to set the tone as how an organisation will identify people’s strengths and combine them. Mark explains that our strengths are fairly set by our mid 20’s, it can still morph but it is more about how we increase our awareness of how we partner, collaborate and add value with others. Mark explains that some of the happiest leaders he meets and works with are those who truly understand who they are, what they are good at and are content to identify and work with people who are better than them. A leader’s happiness is directly linked to their ability to be genuinely happy for others to thrive and succeed. Mark took a turn in his career when he finished a project in Majorca and then reflected on what next? He identified his own core strengths as connection, creativity, humour and play. Based on these he decided to embark on a photo portrait book titled ‘Faces of Majorca’ interviewing and photographing 59 locals. This project led to a series of accolades including writing for Lonely Planet, exhibiting at various photographic festivals, travel show presenting and more. It’s about our ability to be vigilant and see the strengths in others and tell people about them. In this episode Mark also helps me understand my results from The Clifton Strengths Finder diagnostic tool that he asked me to complete prior to recording this episode. Mark also outlines that a strengths based culture is where everyone is aware of their own strengths but also aware of how best to apply them for the work and how best to combine talents to drive results. www.thestrengthsexplorer.com Ted X Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig9uXAhXm2I Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer Sundberg is the co-Chief Executive of Board Intelligence a technology company helping thousands of businesses make better decisions. Jennifer was originally a strategy consultant, and her light bulb moment came when she was asked to be a ‘fly on the wall’ during a client’s board meeting. The client was riding high, but the storm clouds were gathering as regards future challenges. During the three hours she observed the board, they never got to the heart of the matter. It wasn’t based on the wrong people being on the board, she realised it was because they simply didn’t have the right information in front of them within the reams of paperwork. All the information they had was backward looking. Jennifer realised that all boards are drowning in information partially based on habit and convention, much of which doesn’t matter, so they struggle to find the signal through the noise. Together with her business partner, Pippa, she started Board Intelligence to try and help boards leverage better and more appropriate information on which to base their strategic and critical decision making. Jennifer is genuinely bemused as to how she became a successful entrepreneur as she in her own words ‘doesn’t fit the stereotype’. However, she also realises that her intellect and insatiable curiosity drove her to choose this path. Jennifer is motivated to promote and empower women on boards. She outlines that we have seen great changes. From 5% of women on boards to 40% and from half the FTSE 100 boards being male only to none today. Jennifer’s first client was EasyJet which propelled her business into numerous discussions with boards. At this point they had no idea of the technology angle that they were set to embark on. Board Intelligence moved from a very analogue and paper driven approach to a business that today is a fully developed technology business. This change in business model was based on the realisation that very similar questions were being asked by CEO’s and Boards. They started to build up a question bank and then using technology packaged them up into a technology platform called ‘Lucia’. This created the ‘Question Driven Insight Model’ Today, Board Intelligence is helping executive teams and boards focus on the conversations that matter, avoid wasted time and effort and do less harm with the right data and information. Badly informed boards make bad decisions. Board Intelligence will help people manage the big audacious and knotty problems all businesses now face. Jennifer’s new book ‘Collective Intelligence’ is based on her desire to help more and more people leverage the collective in making better decisions and cascade it through entire organisations by building three critical capabilities. In this episode, Jennifer explains those capabilities/habits that are necessary. They are. 1. Critical thinking: 2. Clear communication: 3. Focus: It is every leader’s responsibility to empower the level below them. As one CEO told Jennifer, ‘The important decisions are not made in my boardroom’ as he was aware that it was his people working day to day who were making the most critical decisions. Too much power concentrated in one person makes us stupid. www.boardintelligence.com Collective Intelligence is available on Amazon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ralph de la Vega is the former Vice Chairman of AT&T Inc. and CEO of AT&T Business Solutions and AT&T International. Ralph had a 42 year career at AT&T and is now living in Florida. His father was in the food distribution business and he came from a strong and religious tight knit family in Cuba. Once the Castro Regime took over they nationalised all food production and distribution and his fathers business was taken over by the regime, food was rationed and small kids were being indoctrinated in schools to turn on their parents if they held views that were against the revolution. Ralph's parents decided to leave Cuba for the USA when he was 10 years old and in doing so they had to turn over all of their possessions to the Government. Once they arrived at the airport as a family of four (both parents and his younger sister) they were met by the militia who said to them five words that Ralph will never forget, "only the boy can go." Ralph's parents made the heart wrenching decision to send Ralph by himself to the USA which is where he stayed alone without his family for four years. When he arrived he spoke no English and had not a dollar to his name. From this incredibly humble start Ralph became the Vice Chairman of a Fortune 10 company, AT&T. Ralph credits his Grandmother for helping him reach his potential as when she arrived in the USA she told him "don't let anybody put limitations on what you want to achieve." His mantra to young adults is to dream big. Ralph tells me that his early years of adversity meant that when it came to his oversight of the merger with AT&T Wireless for $41bn, that was easy! Ralph has learned his leadership skills over four decades with over 200,000 employees and operations in 200 countries. The best leader is one who can take a group of talented individuals and get them to do things that they thought were impossible to do. Inspiring people is always more powerful than coercing and pushing. Followership is important especially in a large organisation. Ralph hopes that as an immigrant to the USA he can inspire others to achieve their dreams and potential. Ralph is very proud that in his career he worked with Steve Jobs in launching the iPhone, connectedTesla cars for Elon Musk and launched the Kindle with Jeff Bezos worldwide, yet his favourite memory is that 24 of his previous employees that he directly led have gone on to become CEO's of their own companies. This is an episode packed full of anecdotes and stories from a senior leader who believes in helping talented people fulfil their dreams as he is now the sponsor of the De la Vega Entrepreneurship Award which is in its 4th year. This episode also includes Ralph's fond memories of working and sharing the stage with Steve Jobs who was a great practitioner for promoting simplicity. Ralph is the author of "Obstacles Welcome: How to Turn Adversity to Advantage in Business and Life." available from Amazon. Ralphdelavega.com Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donna Easton is a Joyologist. What's a Joyologist I hear you shout? It's somebody who is obsessed with the things that make us feel happy and the things we can do to help ourselves to feel more joy in life. In a world of constant change and chaos we could all do with a little more fun and joy in life, so enjoy this episode. Donna outlines the importance of each of us building a baseline in happiness not based on toxic positivity but by creating enough joy in our day to day activities in order to mitigate the challenges and tough times when they inevitably come. Donna has not always been the happiest person in the room. Childhood trauma, rejection within the performing arts, alopecia and other life challenges all pushed Donna into making the decision to dedicate her time and effort to identify what humans can do to create more joy and happiness in a crazy world. All of us have to deal with the inner critic and Donna has called hers 'Crow.' 'Crow' is always reminding Donna that good things should not happen to her and that she is not worthy or competent enough to deal with life's opportunities. Thankfully, Donna has learned how to address what 'Crow' says and still be able to push through and not feel paralysed by the negative thinking. Our inner voice is actually just trying to keep us safe. Donna has created 6 steps of the ELATED System. Everything starts with the practice of Gratitude followed by Energy (how we are showing up for ourself and others) Laughter (find your Wally brian), Access the Creative (connect your body & mind), Try new things, Exist in the Now (with a sense of wonderment) and Do You (in a way that is beautiful and kick arse). Happier people are 17% more productive, but you know that don't you!!! www.mylifeshines.com Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sane Ngidi is a young female black leader in Africa working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This is an episode of two halves, the first focuses on some of the learning Sane has gained in her early corporate life and the second is a story of vulnerability, self reflection and resilience. Sane started corporate life as an industrial psychologist with her initial roles in Durban until she moved to Johannesburg. Sane is thankful for the strong role model of her mother when growing up and being told that you can always pave the way for others and lift those around you. During Sane's Phd she carried out research into perceptions of black African leaders in financial services. A common theme was of leaders not feeling ready or worthy of the role. However they also reported the power of male ally ship which helped them through their careers. Sane describes Africa as a place that lacks diversity but craves diversity in the workplace. Organisations are trying to ensure that they 'see' everyone as they build diversity of thought in their leadership teams. The Employment Equity Act is also a powerful guide for African businesses for the quotas they must fulfil. When Sane initially moved to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2021, life changed. In December 2021 Sane's father died suddenly and unexpectedly. She later discovered he knew he was dying but didn't share the news with his family. Whilst still grieving, in February 2022 Sane's aunt fell ill and died, followed in April 2022 her uncle was tragically stabbed and died. Sane realised that the cumulative impact of these losses meant she was not coping and she openly asked for help. She was not able to be her best self and she took a break from work for about 6 weeks. Then in September 2022, Sane's mother passed away. Of all the deaths, her mother's was emotionally peaceful due to a long illness. 2022 fundamentally changed Sane's view of mental health. She told this story in 2023 at the 'Ignite' staff event so people could understand her personal story. She was overwhelmed by the care, love and compassion from others and for their understanding that is OK not to be OK at times in our life. Trauma, grief and mental health can't be seen and Sane realised the need to speak up and be vulnerable in order to get the help she needed. Big thank you to Mark Watt, Partner at Heidrick & Struggles for being my super connector for great guests especially in Africa. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Russo is the CEO of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB). This episode was recorded in Nairobi on the site of KCB's Leadership Centre. KCB is part of the critical financial infrastructure for 33 million people. They are present in 7 East African countries running over 300 branch networks, over 4000 agency outlets with 12,000 staff and a strong legacy as KCB is over 120 years old. Paul is a deeply committed CEO who believes passionately that 'people are everything' Paul is a also a very humble leader from humble beginnings which has crafted the human leader he has become. He is from a family of 6 siblings, his parents were nomads from the north and he was the only one to go to school due to the efforts of the Catholic Church and local community and the NGO Indigenous Information Network. Paul is incredibly grateful to the community who ensured he was able to get an education, he therefore uses his role as CEO to lift as many people as possible. Paul has committed time to continually engage staff across the business as he understands that his leadership must be 'energy expensive.' As the CEO Paul understands that he must absorb the difficulties of the business in order to allow his people the space and time to create the value necessary for success. He is the role model to thousands inside the business and is well known across the country so his actions matter to millions. The new purpose of KCB if 'For People, For Better' and Paul is committed this will be the North Star for the financial success that the bank must also attain and sustain. People technology and partnerships are Paul's primary focus yet people remain the paramount consideration. Paul's background is human capital and he leverages that experience to focus and understand his own human centred leadership style. Paul remembers his late parents and the resilience instilled in him as a child dealing with drought, bandits, disease and disadvantage. He leverages these experiences to harness his own ability to overcome challenge combined with his burning desire to never go back to his old way of life. Paul is an outstanding example of a Human Centred Leader driving his business as a Force for Good. Paul explains he is paid to care and the results will come and he works tirelessly to provide all of his people the reason to believe. Additional Heidrick & Struggles article with Paul Russo https://www.heidrick.com/en/insights/leadership-assessment/people-dont-just-matter-they-are-everything_an-interview-with-paul-russo-group-ceo-of-kcb-group Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Van Zyl is the CEO of Working Families, a UK based charity focused on helping working parents and carers. Their mission is to remove the barriers that people with caring responsibilities face in the workplace. They do this in three ways, a free legal advice line to help people with their issues and concerns, working with employers to help create and sustain flexible working and thirdly by pushing for practical and positive change at a policy level. Working Families has contributed to the Government's Flexible Working Task Force since 2018. As part of this close consultation and a recent private members bill, employees in 2024 will be able to request flexible working from day one of their employment and be able to make that request three times in one year whereby employers must respond to the request. The ability of an employer to understand and consider flexible working is an attractive proposition for a modern, diverse and talented workforce. What does flexibility actually mean? It's not a new concept. It refers to all of the ways you can work flexibly, such as term-time working, part time, hybrid, job share etc. The pandemic shone a light on people working from home for increased periods of time. Jane explains to me that working from home during the pandemic was desperately difficult for so many in shared, cramped and isolated accommodation. However the pandemic also allowed us to understand what roles could be delivered successfully form home or other virtual locations. Many countries experienced the rise of the digital nomad! Working Families have also carried out in depth research which highlighted that lower income families were not able to access flexible working options that were available for different demographics of the workforce. Jane outlines that the role of the office has changed forever. Why do we even need offices? Perhaps it is to enhance the ability for people to collaborate, educate and celebrate as opposed to endless meetings and zoom calls. Jane explains that one of the primary keys to success for any organisation is the ability to truly understand the each job design and define the job description with clarity so that the flexible options can be identified early on for all parties with the intent to ensure that the role can ensure the role is 'human sized.' Leaders must role model or in Jane's words 'real model' how their businesses can adapt and adopt more modern processes and practices to enhance flexible working. Jane is passionate about her work as she shares a deeply personal story of how flexible working transformed her relationship with her father. Working Families as an organisation that itself is now wholly remote and their work is helping families all across the country. This episode is a fascinating and essential insight for any leader of any sized business into the changing world of work. You can access research and other important information by visiting www.workingfamilies.org.uk Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob Moore was riddled with debt before reinventing himself to become a multi millionaire property investor, world champion, author of 19 books including his latest, 'Money Matrix' and the host of Disruptors with over 1000 episodes serving over 3 million subscribers across platforms. This episode turns the tables on Rob from interviewer to interviewee as we peek behind the curtain of Rob Moore. This is a deeply personal episode with Rob who has a very public face for millions as regards his mission and passion to create global impact and educate as many people as possible to manage and enhance their personal finances. Rob shares his early memories of watching his father (his role model) deal with mental health issues and the impact it had on him to push himself through intense feelings of shame in order to strive and make personal changes in his life. Rob understands that he has become a successful financial provider for his loved ones and his expanding team across fourteen businesses. With this responsibility comes an increased sense of accountability and personal purpose. Rob and I candidly discuss a number of his proudest moments in life and also his thoughts on the difference between being liked and respected. Rob never refers to himself as a leader and this episode requires Rob to think about his own style of leadership across 14 businesses with an extreme focus on leading self, first and foremost which Rob explains is all about managing emotions with extreme self awareness. For Rob, leadership is about how many people you nurture and lift up not how many direct reports you may have. Rob understands the difference between being liked and respected. He used to do all he could to be liked as it is much easier to be liked. To be respected requires a level of challenge with care. He now focuses on being respected based on the clear and non negotiable standards he holds for himself and those who are part of his businesses. Rob's best advice for entrepreneurs in a world that is constantly changing features in his new book 'Money Matrix' where he outlines the 4 stages of wealth. Make it, Manage it, Multiply it and Maintain it. Start Ups need to 'start now and get perfect later.' More mature businesses need to rekindle their start up spirit and avoid slowness. If the pace of change external to your business is faster than the pace of change within your business, it's all over! Money loves speed and hates friction and therefore will inevitable become more digitised centrally which Rob explains carries certain dangers where we become the product and susceptible to unwanted levels of control. Rob tells me that the biggest misconception about money is that money is not one of the biggest issues in our lives. This fuels Rob's passion to help educate as many people as possible to learn how to build and manage their wealth. Always pay yourself first Rob explains, never spend more than you earn. He outlines a simple procedure where each of us must save a third, invest a third and spend a third. As part of Rob's role as the host of Disruptors, he has interviewed numerous guests including the eclectic and controversial. Guests include the Tate Brothers, David Icke, Chris Eubank, Will.I.Am, Jordon Peterson, Dan Wootton, Grant Cardone, Katie Hopkins and many more. I ask him what he has learned from recently spending 7 hours interviewing the Tate brothers post their recent arrest. You may be surprised at this answer. www.rob.team Money Matrix is available from Amazon Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic George is from California but is now based in New York City and has a passion for helping black men working in middle manager positions. This episode is all about how to leverage the Messy Middle. George's passion for education and continuous learning was sparked by his 5th grade teacher and he learned the value of relying on other people when he was competing as a professional athlete in the swimming pool. Middle managers in George's view are the group who have a direct tie to the leaders who are creating company strategy, policy and vision and a direct tie to the individual contributors within an organisation. The middle manager population can sometimes be missed due to their size and scale with competing interests and priorities. This can be the issue for many who decide to transition from a business as they get fed up of waiting for some form of focus and effort on their needs. The reality is that the messy middle is full of diverse thought and skills and is actually the dynamo of the business which can either drive and enable change or even block change. One of the biggest challenges is communication or the lack of communication with the messy middle, partly associated with the different demographics that now exist within our organisations. George also tells me that new first line managers also make up the messy middle. They are full of enthusiasm and zest as they start to get traction in their careers and then suddenly they find themselves lost in the sheer size and inaction of the centre of the organisation and their momentum stalls. Limiting beliefs also exist within the middle manager group, for example visionaries don't think they can have the impact they should have and as such some lose self confidence and even start to abdicate their personal power to the more senior levels. George's top tips for any senior leader to get the most from the messy middle include: 1. Really see and connect with your people in this space to really understand the value, need, challenges and successes of this group. 2. Tailor professional development opportunities for this group, their sheer size and influence can drastically shift the momentum of an organisation. 3. Pull people forward. Senior leaders must create space and opportunity for the middle managers to step into new growth experiences. George also focuses on helping black men within the middle of a business. He sees that they are under leveraged in most instances and are waiting for permission to step up or they lack the opportunity to show what they can do. George coaches black men to define those spaces for themselves and identify sponsors within a business to be ambassadors for the change needed. Thankfully George is seeing positive change within organisations. www.linkedin.com/in/dominiccgeorge dominic@visionleadershipforlife.com Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alice Breeden is Regional Managing Partner CEO & Board practice for Heidrick & Struggles based in London. This episode is based on the recent research completed by Heidrick focused on CEO and Board confidence. Alice highlights that there is so much happening in the world over shorter time periods that no leader has all the answers and every leader must be ever ready for the challenges. CEO and Board positions are a world that only few will occupy. Those who do, will need to operate in an environment of constant change, pressure and expectation. The Confidence research is being tracked quarterly by Heidrick throughout the year in order to help advise leaders and also stay up to date and relevant as possible. The research findings represents data from almost 3,500 respondents from major organisations and key findings included low confidence in an organisations ability to reach their 2024 goals and low confidence in the longer term succession and leadership planning. The low confidence around reaching goals was predicated on leaders dealing with themes beyond their control combined with strategy being difficult to execute without constant amendments, This compares with the fact that confidence is high in executive teams so organisations feel they have the right people but the landscape is problematic. The role of the Board has also changed over time, they too have shifted in their capabilities coupled with a deep sense of curiosity to deal with complex topics such as AI, climate and sustainability to name just a few. I also ask Alice about her thoughts on the role of Human Centred Leadership in CEO and Board roles . She explains that those in role understand success will be determined not just by their technical competence but very much by their ability to lead as a human with a deep sense of propose, curiosity, humility. constant learning, adaptability and agility. The Top 4 concerns for CEO's according to the Heidrick research included 1. Economic uncertainty 2. Geopolitical volatility 3. Workforce attraction and retention and 4. Shifts in market dynamics. We also talk about culture in this episode as 83% of the companies surveyed are actively working on their culture as it is a key differentiator in the quest for success. To access the research: https://www.heidrick.com/en/insights/board-of-directors/ceo-and-board-confidence-monitor-a-worried-start-to-2024 www.heidrick.com/en/people/b/alice_breeden Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Howe is a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles based in their New York office and specialises in helping organisations to proactively kill complexity and promote simplicity. This episode is essential for leaders of any sized business. Adam realised during the delivery of large scale transformation programmes that people were overwhelmed and overloaded and that the idea of taking things away and subtracting tasks would improve productivity. Complexity is a huge issue and has never been higher. Research has found that on average, large publicly traded companies waste 10.2% of their EBITDA and high tend to suffer from low employee engagement ad lack of innovation. The solution for many companies is rooted in good leadership and culture. Heidrick & Struggles research has shown that companies who have high quality cultures drive 90% more revenue growth and 30% more profit growth over 5 years. The vast majority of organisational complexity is actually self generated by peoples decisions and behaviours. Leaders must become complexity conscious and be able to distinguish between good ad bad complexity. Good complexity is where the value of the complexity outweighs the cost and the inverse is true for bad complexity. As the context of an organisation changes, good complexity can become bad complexity so leaders must remain curious and vigilant. The role of complexity being used to undermine is well known as Adam explains how the CIA taught its operatives to use complexity in the 1940;s in its fight against governments it was at war with. Adam outlines the major root causes of complexity and the need for leaders to look holistically across the business. He also shares some examples of organisations who have benefited from killing complexity and promoting simplicity. As humans we are wired to create complexity and we need to avoid 'zombie complexity' which Adam explains as complexity that is simplified but the root causes were never dealt with so the complexity comes back. To sustainably drive simplicity within your business you must have a culture where everyone can call out complexity, they can speak up with our fear and know they will be listened to. Adam's advice is for leaders to be bold, clear trusting, pragmatic and obsessed in becoming complexity conscious. Check out the episode to hear about Home Depot, the Balance Bike and JEEP (Just Enough Essential Parts) Adam's top tips for any leader are to do the following: 1. Write down on one page your top 3 priorities and your team are aligned on them 2. Empower your team and your teams teams to really identify where bad complexity is getting in the way. Thereby getting clear on your complexity shadow. Start today by asking yourself and your teams, 'what have you said no to today?' www.heidrick.com/en/people/h/adam_howe Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Graham Curtis is Director of learning and research at Roffey Park Institute and leads their Masters programme. Roffey Park was first established in the 1940's by the UK Government and a number of sponsoring companies focused on the rehabilitation of workers after the war. Today, Roffey Park is established on a multi acre site in Horsham helping to deliver educations and research to aid the health and well being of the workforce (they are validated by the University of Sussex). Roffey Park specialises in carrying out research to try and help leaders make better decisions based on evidence as opposed to mere hunches or biases. They are also passionate to help organisations identify and recognise talent from all levels to ensure that talent is maximised and where you were born or what school you went to is not a disadvantage. Graham explains that every single organisational context is different and those in senior leadership must remain attached to what is happening at the lower levels which means spending time on the 'shop floor' in order to pressure test assumptions, listen and learn from those closest to the customers and problems and being open and vulnerable to pivoting and changing direction. Graham talks passionately about coming from Sunderland and growing up on a tough estate and attending a comprehensive school but was always alive to opportunity as and when it came knocking. He remembers an incident when he was 7 years old and hospitalised through ill health yet he became the centre of attention through the love he received from family, teachers and medical staff. This helped him understand that he was worthy of investment, something that continues to motivate Graham in seeking to always help others. www.roffeypark.ac.uk to access multiple research papers including their important post pandemic research. www.linkedin.com/in/dr-graham-curtis-6b931911 Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nuala Walsh is a former senior executive for a FTSE 100 company, behavioural scientist, Ted X speaker, non executive director (including the Football Association and British & Irish Lions) various businesses and charities, author of 'Tune In' and has been recognised as one of the most influential women in finance. Nuala has interviewed Presidents, top sports stars and executives so this episode focuses on her learning and experience as a senior leader with an insatiable curiosity to understand why people do what they do. In a noisy world, when we are rewarded by speed, the crisis is growing as regards a leaders inability to ensure that they are making safe, sound and ethical decisions that truly consider the wider implications. Nuala's Ted X talk was at the University of Salford and focused on 'How to overcome Indecision.' The key message is that indecision is temporary, hidden and is normally a state of mind. No leader admits they are indecisive. Leaders's can control it by understanding one of three barriers that may exist (1) the decision is too big (2) it's too far in the future and a decision doesn't need to be made (3) or its too hard a decision. The solution is to chunk or split the decision into smaller and easier components whilst visualising the end result. 'Tune In' is all about how to make smarter decisions in a noisy world. Nuala describes that the world is very visual and fast paced with too much data coming at leaders from all directions but inside a leader's head is just as crowded and noisy as the external world. Nuala also describes 'Power Recognition' as one of 10 misjudgement traps. She explains that there are three categories which include 'power seekers', 'power holders' or those who have 'lost or are afraid of losing power.' and she provides some interesting examples which highlights that many leaders have an obsession with identify, title and status. Leaders must consider their own deaf spots - ask yourself are you a tuned out or tuned in leader? If you are not tuned in you are missing signals that matter. Nuala has interviewed Presidents, the first man on the moon, top sports stars and executives and she has always been curious as to the human being element of their accomplishments. In this episode she shares some insights from her interview with former President Bill Clinton and top golfer José María Olazábal. Don't miss this episode. www.nualagwalsh.com Tune In is available on Amazon Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Gary Crotaz is a former medical doctor, professional ballroom dancer turned coach, author and podcast host. This episode is a collaboration between The Unlock Moment and The Leadership Enigma. Gary realised after 8 years of medical training that he wanted a different career which in turn created opportunities for him in consulting and retail. Ballroom dancing had always been a parallel passion so Gary and his wife also travelled the world competing in professional tournaments with those who are well known to us from the TV hit 'Strictly Come Dancing.' Gary's shares my passion for curiosity, learning and conversation. One of Gary's first client's called him at 4am to declare that he realised that he wanted to pursue happiness and not success for the sake of it. This in turn allowed Gary to realise that people have unlock moments of clarity. An Unlock Moment is a moment when you think back and remember exactly where you were, who you were with and you suddenly know something that you had not realised before. Perhaps some may call it an epiphany. Two critical questions for all of us are firstly "if we want to really understand the person you are today, where do we need to start the story?" and "if you think about a remarkable moment of clarity, what do you think about?" In this episode Gary asks me a number of questions which lead me to remember a deeply personal moment with my daughter which was the catalyst for my exploration into my own Human Centred Leadership and sense of purpose. What is your Unlock Moment? The Unlock Moment: https://open.spotify.com/show/4yzWepuXTf5rursAv9O1NZ www.garycrotaz.com The Idea Mindset is available on Amazon. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blaire Palmer is a global educator, keynote speaker, former journalist and producer at the BBC and now the author of multiple books including 'Punks in Suits' This episode explores our ability to fake it as opposed to bringing our true authentic self to the workplace through fear or lack of self confidence. Is our youthful rebel or inner punk an asset that we cease to rely on in order to comply? Blaire discovered coaching early on in her professional career as she became disillusioned with journalism. She decided to help leaders myth bust and stop operating on old Victorian values whereby we view work and the people at work as part of a machine to deliver a mere product or service. The role of a leader is not to simply get people to do what you want them to do! Many of the challenges in the system come from Gen X based on the values and experiences they had growing up in the 70's and 80's. Now is the time to stop and reflect to consider the inefficiencies in the system in trying to create the best environment for humans to thrive. Blaire describes the concept of 'Punks in Suits' as capturing the spirit and irreverence of our youth when we questioned everything, embraced our individuality and authentically explored what was possible. The collective wisdom of what makes a good leader requires an element of 'faking it' in all of us. Blaire is keen to explore how leaders feel on their last day when they hand their laptop in and come face to face with who they could have been and the legacy they could have left having navigated and survived over three decades of corporate life. Blair's advice to any leader within the Gen X demographic is to consider your willingness and ability to trust others on a daily basis combined with an acceptance to be wrong or at least not right on everything! "Listen so hard so that you might change your mind. Blaire also suggests we change the focus on autonomy (the role of self) to citizenship (the power of we and taking responsibility for your part in the world) www.thatpeoplething.com Punks in Suits in available from Amazon Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Lancaster is one of the world's top speechwriters. He first became a speechwriter in the late 1990s working for Tony Blair’s Cabinet. He has since written speeches for the CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the world including Unilever, HSBC and InterContinental Hotels Group. A leader's ability to communicate is critical to success and first impressions last! Simon's journey started as a musician with a dream of becoming a songwriter yet by the age of 24 he became a Minister's Private Secretary. Not bad he tells me for a kid that grew up on a council estate with his single mum. Simon was paired up with Alan Johnson MP who became an important mentor in his life as Alan went on to become Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007. Simon listened to Alan deliver multiple iconic speeches over the years mixing his personal story with the national story during the Thatcher years. Simon explains that a good speechwriter has to find what's inside someone's soul. Most great speeches must not simply contain a list of your attributes and achievements as the audience is not that interested. Simon remembers advice from Peggy Noonan (speechwriter to Ronald Reagan) who said "reading is collecting wisdom and writing is spending it." Simon has a passion for helping the younger generation learn this skills and shares his advice of 'be proud to be yourself and be proud to show yourself to the world.' Simon's 3 Top Tips for any leader include: 1. The audience is more important than the speaker. It's not what you want to say but what the audience want to hear. 2. Emotions are more powerful than logic, this is based on biological fact. 3. Less is more www.bespokespeeches.com He is the author of 'Connect' a book that helps a general audience that wants to be better at connecting and communicating with people. Available on Amazon. Simon would love to write a speech for Oprah, so if you are listening...........! Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos Listen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5P www.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.