The Leadership Enigma

Welcome to Episode 100. Renée Elliott is the founder of Planet Organic and co-founder of Beluga Bean. Renée has devoted her working life to offering and supporting a life of wellbeing. She built Planet Organic on the basis of being able to offer healthy food to create healthy lifestyles. Her passion is laser focused on helping entrepreneurs and business owners understand their 'Whole Self Leadership' potential. We chat about the need to KNOW yourself, BE yourself and MANAGE yourself. Renée explains three important lessons in relation to our wellbeing. Firstly wellbeing is individual, secondly that our wellbeing is made up of our physical, occupational, psychological, economic, social and spiritual spheres. Thirdly that our wellbeing is constantly in flux. This episode is a wonderful example of a strong successful leader who manages to balance and promote self awareness and vulnerability combined with a strong human centred approach to all that she does. Renée even asks me some questions and it becomes very obvious I need to go on her course! Enjoy. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony O'Driscoll is a Professor at Duke University and author of his recent book "Everyday Superhero." Tony's work is at the cutting edge of modern day leadership as we discuss the challenge for organisations to transform in perpetuity and the absolute need to understand that people make an organisation stop or go. We also discuss the necessity for leaders to create clear and compelling narratives for change to engender followership and mitigate the status quo. Tony chats thorough his People Centric Transformation Model so leaders understand how they can nudge the culture towards the 4A's of Aspiration, Autonomy, Accountability and Alignment. In a world of constant change, Tony explains how the hierarchy no longer works and leaders need to embrace and catalyse the network to create resilient and captive organisations. We also talk through Tony's Centre Leader Model which demonstrates the power and effectiveness of the inside- out approach to change by harnessing the 'dynamo' centre of any organisation that sits at the interface between Strategy and Results, Culture and Change. You can get the resources we talk about by visiting tonyodriscoll.comEnjoy this valuable episode. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chester Elton is one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and culture having spoken in over 45 countries. He is a 7 time Wall Street Journal Best Seller a 5 Times New York Times Best Seller. He is part of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 and the King of Gratitude. Chester shares his personal journey that led to the writing of his recent books, “Anxiety at Work and “Leading with Gratitude”One of the key strategies to deal with anxiety at work is to maximise our ability to be grateful as we can’t hold two emotions simultaneously.Anxiety is a huge problems for all leaders. Pre pandemic figures recorded 18% of employees stated they were experiencing anxiety issues that prevented them working properly. After the pandemic that figure rose to 30%. And in those employees in their 20’s and 30’s that figure jumps to 42%. The stigma re mental health is still a prevailing issue.Chester shares his rule of three in dealing with anxiety: Firstly normalise the conversation, secondly, de-stigmatise the issue and thirdly use empathy not sympathy. Chester shares the powerful difference between sympathy and empathy and the impact each will have.We also discuss the question as to whether as humans we are anti-fragile? The answer may surprise you.In relation to gratitude Chester explains how top athletes have managed to tame their inner critic and all have positive mantras. We can all re-train our inner critic by asking ourselves what would our best friend say to us in this moment?The power of gratitude is very real for all leaders. It is a discipline to be practiced as we engage peoples hearts and minds. As you lead, we must understand that you will say things to people that you will never remember but they will never forget. Be kind, be generous, be grateful. Next time you are with your family at the dinner table ask the following three questions to practice the skill:1. What was the best part of your day?2. Who are you grateful for who is not at the table?3. Who are you grateful for at the table who has not been thanked yet?This episode is compelling, enjoy every second.Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay Goldman is the co-founder and CEO of Sensei Labs, a New York Times best-selling author of ’The Decoded Company', HBR contributor and TedX Speaker. Jay chats to me about the need for speed in our organisations and in our leadership especially as the global pandemic was a ‘forcing function’ that delivered 10 years of digital transformation in just 2 years.A successful company exists within a virtuous cycle of being able to find and attract the best people which creates an environment that allows them to do their best work, which delivers products and services that are loved by customers, which leads to more revenues and funding to attract more talent.  We also talk about Minimal Loveable Products and how behaviours of both employees and customers have changed which therefore requires leaders to continue to challenge and rewire norms in the workplace and beyond. Jay also provides some great advice as to how a leader can approach decision making in ambiguity by separating decisions that are ‘one way’ doors from those that have ‘two way’ doors.  Don’t miss this episode.Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Howard Tiersky is the CEO of From The Digital Transformation Agency and Wall Street Journal best selling author of "Winning Digital Customers The Antidote to Irrelevance."In this episode we discuss how leaders and organisations have navigated the accelerated digital environment in order to understand changing customer needs and behaviours in order to avoid becoming irrelevant. Howard explains to me how organisations that are not digital natives such as Starbucks and Taco Bell have thrived and embraced technology and changing customer behaviours. We also chat about evolutionary psychology as a primary reason for people being resistant to change and the digital leader super powers such as 'Super Vision' and an ability to 'Speak All Languages" as critical components for success. Don't miss this episode. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scott O’Neil was the CEO of the Philadelphia 76’s (NBA) and the New Jersey Devils (NHL) and former President of Maddison Square Garden, the venue that has hosted some of the most iconic sporting and entertainment events. Scott is also the author of “Be Where Your Feet Are” which he wrote as a purposeful mechanism to heal after tragically losing a close friend. Scott grew up in a strong family unit with four siblings and both parents working in the leadership advisory field. Positive role models were all around him from an early age.The pandemic has provided a moment in time, magnifying the need for all leaders to be a force for good in a constantly chaotic environment. Each of us must now decide what are we willing to celebrate and what are we willing to tolerate going forward with a ‘palms up’ approach to life. Scott has a simple mantra: Do something for your mind, something for your body and something for your soul every day. Work life balance is a concept Scott doesn’t believe in as he finds it impossible to disentangle the two. It is all about our ability to be present in the moment. As a CEO Scott has hired hundreds of people and has noticed that successful people tend to have 3 characteristics that stand out. Firstly, they work unreasonable hard, secondly their intellectual curiosity in an ever-changing world and thirdly, being an extraordinary teammate. Don’t miss this episode. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Lewindon is the current Head of Performance, Science & Medicine for the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) and former physio for the England Rugby Team. We chat about the personal journey we are all on in the pursuit of high performance and how progress requires the need to courageously jettison a reliance on our technical and expert capabilities and leverage more of our innate human centred leadership capabilities. We all chat about the different mindsets and levels of resilience that Dan experienced in the elite environments of team sport (Rugby) to the individual gladiatorial battle of singles tennis. Don't miss this episode. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Sursi is an experienced people manager at the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). All leaders continue to grapple with the ability to live and lead themselves and others through constant change. Law enforcement provides an environment where the scope and requirement to change can literally mean the difference between life and death. Peter discusses a number of projects that he has been involved in where critical lessons have been learned. These include addressing peoples' fear of loss of control or even feelings of grief. How to combine the best of the old with the best of the new so that people feel valued and part of the iterative or even transformational change process. We chat about a leader's ability to focus and prioritise as critical for success and to ensure change initiatives are about evolution not revolution. This episode is essential for all leaders in all size organisations as the world constantly changes around us and we have to adapt or become irrelevant. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dustin Seale is the Regional Managing Partner EMEA, Hedrick Consulting, part of Heidrick & Struggles. Dustin is passionate about taking responsibility for working with as many leaders and organisations as possible in order to foster a world better led and to create positive and sustainable change. This episode is an absolute must for all leaders as we discuss the importance of culture in a post pandemic environment and how leaders must consider meaning, flexibility and focus. Dustin draws insights from Heidrick's global research and highlights one of the biggest detailers for leaders has been an inability to prioritise. This is a packed episode full of great learning, wisdom and storytelling from leader who walks the walk as well as talks the talk. Join the conversation and enjoy this episode.  Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elliot Evans (aka Elliot the Coach) was a typical teenager trying to impress, achieve, understand life and attract validation. When the going got tough he felt the need to throw himself even further into work and radical self development techniques. This was until he suffered a breakdown at the age of 25 following a series of set backs and failed attempts at finding his authentic self. Mental health is and must be at the centre of all leaders thinking as we navigate our way out of a global pandemic into a world of constant change. This is a courageous, authentic and moving episode from someone who came to understand that being kind to yourself and knowing your personal why is an important first step to finding your authentic self. Watch & Subscribe: 👀 https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosListen & Subscribe: 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/5NSnRyHzPmyY5OWhGzKU5Pwww.leadersenigma.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.