The Leadership Enigma

Donald Thompson is the CEO and Co-founder of The Diversity Movement with over 20 years of experience of building and selling companies. He passionately describes himself as a lifetime ‘competitive learner’ who pays attention to what he needs to do personally in order to create lasting relationships. As the son of a football coach (American football) he always understood how the individual can hustle with humility in order to be part of a bigger and successful collective. Donald spends his life looking for the good and commonality in each relationship that he builds.  Donald describes how he helps senior leaders make workplaces better beyond just a social justice campaign by linking it to the tangible outcomes that matter to the c-suite. A diverse workforce creates real impact numbers in conjunction to an organisation creating a powerful and meaningful brand and force for good with DE&I being a critical construct of human decencyDonald provides a real example as to one organisation changing their performance reviews and mentorship which led to an increase in 200% of number of people of colour in their high-performance category. Leaders must create inclusive language that resonates with all whilst setting reasonable goals for DE&I in the context of understanding what your organisational culture is ready for which in turn avoids false promises. Loyalty is an active relationship infrastructure that creates an environment of openness, safety, and a source of powerful feedback and learning. Don’t miss this inspiring episode. Get Donald’s new book: ‘Underestimated: A CEO’s unlikely path to success’ based on a number of deeply personal and inspiring recollections of a man who is a true force for good in the face of prejudice and adversity. For free resources, please visit:www.thediversitymovement.comWatch & 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fraser Edwards is the co-founder and CEO of Cheqd. The business was created in 2021 and has already received 2 rounds of funding and has a valuation in excess of $40 million. Fraser is an amazing example of a young entrepreneur who has leveraged his education, life experiences and failures.Fraser comes from a long line of engineers, mother (mechanical), father (civil), uncle (chemical) and two half-brothers, one a civil engineer and one an architect. Fraser’s approach to life and business is rooted in his previous experiences which included crazy and unworkable business projects, the loss of his father at the tender age of 18 and being slow to capitalise on another great business idea that he watched another capitalise on. This didn’t stop Fraser and his business partner from starting Cheqd which focuses on Self Sovereign Identify and the issue of surveillance capitalism. This could be a game changer for every business with customers. Surveillance Capitalism is explained by Fraser as ‘if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.’. He provides a number of real-life examples for us to understand the gravity and importance of what happens to our personal data. Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) is set to become a Government driven approach which may fundamentally change the behaviour of customers in relation to the privacy and the creation and use of personal data. The power is set to shift. Don't miss this episode. www.cheqd.ioWatch & 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Camilla Byk MBE is the CO-FOUNDER of Podium.me and passionate about empowering the younger generation to find their voice. The catalyst for Camilla’s work was during the Clapham riots in 2011 when she spoke to and audio recorded the teenagers impacted during the riots as she realised no one was asking them for their thoughts, views and stories on their own terms.Podium.me was created from Camilla’s kitchen table to serve young journalists using their smartphones to record the stories and opinions of the under 25s  all over the world. The desire was not to start commissioning or producing this generation but simply to equip and enable them. The blueprint for Podium.me was based on a policy of No Selection, No Rejection.  Camilla decided that there was not going to be a set programme but instead she wanted to give the opportunity to any young adult to explore and benefit from the learning of Podium.me by spending no time selecting people but saying yes to everyone who was interested. The result was a very diverse, motivated and talented group of young people, empowered to create award winning content for mainstream channels. Camilla describes herself as a lazy leader as she finds herself saying ‘yes’ to all of the suggestions and projects the young adults bring to her. That level of trust and empowerment has led to extraordinary and award-winning results for all.www.podium.meTED Talk: You already know how to change the world, what’s stopping you? 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrea Crosta is the Founder and Executive Director of Earth League International (ELI). Earth League International was created 12 years ago as an NGO and became the first Intelligence Agency for the Earth, triggered by Andrea’s experience of working in security in Kenya and being exposed to the scale of the elephant poaching crisis. His story is an intense human centred and purposeful example of one person becoming a force for good. Andrea soon realised that investigating poaching and ivory trafficking at a local level would lead him to links with international terrorist funding and organised crime syndicates. Andrea saw the convergence of environmental crime with more serious crime across geographic boundaries and realised he needed to build the capability of ELI to be able to investigate complex networks, so he recruited former FBI, CIA and undercover operative to be able to continue this work. Through Andrea’s leadership and passion, he began advocating for global law enforcement agencies and governments to understand the criminal convergence of these two worlds. He recruited people who believed passionately about the purpose of ELI where the meaning was their money. Andrea tells the story of their first ever investigation into Jaguar parts trafficking, especially fangs and bones for the illegal black market as fake tiger parts. Very soon that investigation led to the criminal networks involved at a global scale and a trade worth millions of dollars.The work of ELI in creating Confidential Intelligence Briefs for major law enforcement agencies has changed the nature of environmental crime investigations and prosecutions in pursuit of their purpose of becoming Earths’ first intelligence agency to protect our planet. Hope is not part of Andrea’s vocabulary as his work is non-negotiable. You can see more about the work of Earth League International in two documentaries on Netflix and National geographic. ‘Sea of Shadows’ and ‘The Ivory Game’ www.earthleagueinternational.orgDon’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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nic Marks’s TED talk on the Happy Planet Index has been viewed millions of times. He studied maths at Cambridge, is a trained therapist and statistician and was a member of the Think Tank (New Economics Foundation) working on wellbeing that became hugely successful and influential at Governmental level. A happy team is a successful team. Happiness is ill defined and therefore can be thought of at three different levels. ‘I feel happy’ which is an emotion, ‘I am happy with…’ which is a cognitive judgement and ‘I am a happy person’ which is a personal trait. Happiness is not a state to reach and maintain, it is a wave function where we go up and down; in and out of happiness. When we are happy, we should carry on, when not happy we need to make a change. Happiness all the time would actually be dysfunctional. Happiness is a very social emotion. We are 30% more likely to laugh in the presence of another person. This is all about generosity and giving, our ability to have multiple relationships which require the investment of time. “Are you happy at work?’ is a simple question relevant and east to answer from the CEO to the newest intern (from shop floor to the top floor)KPI’s are usually a lagging indicator, so leaders need to consider focusing on leading indicators such as a weekly ‘happiness’ check in for teams. Happy individuals deliver better quality and quantity of work and creativity is heavily linked to positivity.We can’t separate our home and work life as regards happiness, organisations are full of human beings who need care, empathy and understanding to allow all to feel valued and deliver value. This episode is packed full of top tips and strategies for any leader to start to make happiness a KPI in their organisations. To check out your own happiness at work see: www.fridayone.comTo learn more about Friday Pulse: www.fridaypulse.comRead more about Nic and his work: www.nicmarks.org and www.happyplanetindex.org 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ian Clarke is Founder of award-winning culture transformers Delight Consulting and the author of 'Project Speak Up' - a global D&I report and change campaign that sent ripples across the global financial sector, broke 5 CSR world records and changed the perception of people and conduct risk forever.A multi-award winning philanthropist, rights campaigner and D&I consultant, Ian is a leading authority on human uniqueness and the value of difference.Racially non-binary, queer, disabled and 37, Ian’s innate diversity is helping him build bridges in an age division. In this episode, Ian recounts some deeply personal lessons from a childhood often experienced as an outsider, sometimes even an imposter. Now outside of banking, Ian’s on a self-declared mission to “ensure humanity can reach its full potential”Here he explains how meaningful change towards more diverse workforces will be well worth the effort. Increased productivity, new ideas and perspectives, improved marketability, strategic optimisation, and an ability to attract and retain legitimate top talent are just a few of the benefits awaiting brave firms open to change. Because it’s commercial, not just correct.www.deilightconsulting.comwww.deilightconsulting.com/projectspeakup/https://www.linkedin.com/in/iahclarkeWatch & 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Garry Ridge is the CEO and Chairman of WD40, a publicly traded company of the iconic blue and yellow can with the red cap. His 25 years as CEO have been his apprenticeship in all things leadership and culture. Garry describes himself as the consciously incompetent, probably wrong and roughly right CEO of an iconic product that can now be found in 176 countries. Culture is at the heart of everything that Garry believes in and commits himself to. His tenure has seen Employee Engagement scores of 93.5%. 98% of employees say they love to tell people that they work for WD40 and 97% say they respect their coach (manager). The company has also seen its market cap rise to $3billion. The evidence for culture being at the heart of success is unequivocal. The episode is packed full of insight from the battle scars of a leader passionate about people. Garry talks about the Maniac Pledge within WD40 and how he uses the Culture Equation to create results: CULTURE = (VALUES + BEHAVIOUR) x CONSISTENCY. You don't want to miss Garry's overview of AL, the soul sucking CEO of Fear Incorporated and the need for all leaders to have the self awareness to realise that we are all work in progress.Garry has an insatiable focus on happiness. Happy employees lead to happy families, communities, countries and a world better placed for constant change and challenge. Garry also outlines the four pillars of Care, Candour, Accountability and Responsibility as part of his journey towards his re-firing into the next chapter of his incredible career as The Culture Coach. www.thelearningmoment.netWatch & 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Gautam Gulati is a physician entrepreneur and world-renowned keynote speaker focused on using unconventional and contrarian techniques to drive innovation in health.By being a "sponge to the world", Dr.G has an uncanny ability to identify problems, spot trends, and uncover patterns that most others miss.He uses a personal mantra called GO.BE.DO. to serve as a guiding filter for his life decisions - GO to interesting places, BE with interesting people, and DO interesting things. Dr. G chats with me about spotting trends as the "observation of the accelerated present" and innovation as the "uncommon arrangement of common ideas". We chat about the three characteristics of leaders found in most organizations who often resist change: the Chameleon, the Ostrich, and the Sea Squirt. This episode is packed full of actionable advice for leaders on how to create a culture of innovation. Using provocative stories, Dr. G shares with us a few contrarian techniques we can all apply to think differently as innovative leaders of our organizations - including what it means to live in our customers' reality, how to create small acts of meaning, and why we need to beware of the super chickens. This episode is packed full of useful and inspirational advice. You won't want to miss it!To learn more about Dr.G's work or to book him as a motivational speaker, visit: www.iamdrg.com.To learn more about his new venture called The Well Home, visit: www.thewellhome.coTo listen to his award-winning storytelling audio docuseries on human resiliency, visit: www.superhumans.healthConnect with Dr.G on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gautamgulati, and follow him on Twitter @drgautamgulatiWatch & 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hidde de Vries is the founder of Recharge, a former Googler and the author of “Work Smart, Play Smart’ which he released in the UK live on this podcast episode. Hidde recalls losing his business, his income, his girlfriend and his flat as the catalyst for his journey to avoid burnout and depression. It was only when Hidde was full time at Google and loving his work did he start to reconsider how he could best manage is own energy and vitality and so he used himself as an experiment for what became his Recharge Programme. As humans we know we can work hard, and with the new technologies around us, we also have the ability to literally work ourselves to death! Sustainable performance is more than just wellbeing, it’s about empowering people to work smarter which in turn allows people to regulate all the various internal and external energisers that allow us to improve our ability to be productive in all that we do in order to improve our ‘live life balance.’The pandemic eroded even more boundaries between our working life and our personal life. Many of us travelled from the bedroom to the laptop on the kitchen table back to the bedroom in order to do it all over again the next day. As many organisations attempt to tackle what flexibility means for their people, the critical component is trust. Leaders must switch their mindset to output, as opposed to hours, location and depersonalised ways of workingWatch & 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lisa Hurley is a writer, TV host, Podcaster and Activist. We met when both of us were separately featured in Podcaster Inc Magazine. As soon as I heard Lisa's story, this episode became a priority. We are two totally different people who share a passion for trying to add value and positivity in the world. Our curiosity allows us to see our commonality and human spirit for positive change. Lisa explains how she deals with being an introvert, and how she created her podcast, The Introverted Sisters to stay connected to her sister in Barbados during the global pandemic. However, her purpose to speak up at injustice became too strong for her introversion after the murder of George Floyd. That day became a moment in time when we all asked ourselves some profound questions. What do we stand for in the world? How can we be a force for good? How can we be an ally to each other and leverage our collective to lead an inclusive life? How can our innate human curiosity serve our ability to understand what we don't know? This was an episode that was created by chance and served to prove how strangers become friends one conversation at a time. 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.