The Leadership Enigma

Dr Steven MacGregor is an engineer with a PhD in Design Thinking, an Honorary Professor, author and external consultant for McKinsey & Company. Steven has helped improve the workplace health and sustainable leadership of tens of thousands of professionals worldwide at organisations. Steven and I share an experience from Stanford University d.school and the power of Radical Collaboration and multi disciplinary teams to solve the messiest problems currently facing the world.  Steven outlines the role of 'Participation over Power' and for leaders to welcome ideas and even dissent as they ponder and iterate on how to be a force for good in the world. Steven's research found that the term 'wellbeing' was still being considered by some clients as difficult to adopt, measure and translate into the workplace as they felt it was about compromising performance. The pandemic questioned everything that we all took for granted and forced reflection  to our working practices, time management, experience of life, health and wellbeing as we all tried to identify our own patterns. Steven is now a proponent of mindfulness each and every day which simply means taking the time to stop and reflect on what is going on, aware of what gives us energy, what triggers us and creating space in our days to think.  The problems for so many leaders is the constant killing of the spaces in our day in the pursuit of busyness. This episode is packed full of great advice for all who lead and aspire to lead, such as; Stop starting, start finishingStop telling people what to do, give them a problem to solve. Bring your head and your heart to work - the authentic human centred leader. Good manners are the lubricating oil of any organisation (Drucker) If you are most senior person in the room, people look at you six times more - all leaders needs to understand the power of role modelling.Energy is contagious. Perfection is the enemy of the good.The Daily Reset is available on Amazon. 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.

Sue Conder is an occupational psychologist, business change expert and former partner at Deloitte with over 30 years of experience in people leadership and large organisational change solutions. Sue became fascinated with psychology in her early years when working in a library. Big change programmes need to focus on the people dimension of change and the leaders role to bring vision and clarity to others. Sue tells me that leaders are in the business of generating new habits, at scale. The importance of embracing different is something that Sue focuses on due to the need for us all to embrace diversity of thought and resist simply gravitating towards the familiar and comfortable. Sue's research, 'The Chemistry of Difference' was created off the back of her series of female leadership programmes as she wanted to explore the issue of difference more closely. Just as chemicals react differently when they come into contact with different elements, so do people react and behave differently when exposed to other people and personality types. Sue created The Chemistry of Difference Model to help leaders navigate this complexity. It comprises 10 components and in this episode Sue talks me through a number of them.  Decision Making InfluenceFollowership Fellowship Elevating Relationships EngagementNegotiationCommunication and Expertise https://conder.co/business/the-chemistry-of-difference/sue@conder.coWatch & 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.

Oliver Percovich is the founder of Skateistan which won the Oscar in 2020 for best documentary and a BAFTA. Oliver's story is an amazing example of how one person can create a movement for real change. Oliver is an Australian who decided to go to Kabul with his girlfriend in 2007 with nothing more than a bag of clothes and 3 skateboard decks.  In 2009, Oliver founded Skateistan, which initially operated out of a small skatepark in Kabul. The organisation quickly gained popularity and expanded to include a school that provides free education to children in grades 1 through 9. Skateistan is now providing skateboarding and educational programming to over 4,000 young people each week.Kabul in 2007-09 had a lot of International presence  but nobody really understood what was going on at ground level. Oliver's curiosity and human centred approach meant that he quickly became trusted by the local communities. As soon as he started skateboarding in the streets he became something of a local attraction, especially with the children who were seeing this for the very first time.  Oliver was fascinated how the girls especially, wanted to get involved when local tradition prohibited them from attempting many hobbies. He started using an empty fountain to allow the girls and boys to try skateboarding, (half the population is under 15 years old). He gave the girls preferential treatment to let them try skateboarding yet he only had between 3-7 boards at any one time. The girls quickly became better than the boys in a society that normally promotes the boys first. Oliver also realised that the skateboarding was uniting children from different ethnic and socio economic groups in the area. At this point, little did Oliver realise that he had started a movement.  The challenge for him now was how to scale. Oliver had no resources yet he decided to link the skateboarding to education and schooling whereby he would pay some of the girls $1 each to help teach other girls and also get them off the streets begging and back to school. He was now changing lives! Now he was thinking bigger. After the age of 12 girls and boys needed to be separated in public and so Oliver realised that he needed to try and find an indoor facility to make sure that girls and boys could continue skateboarding in a private facility.  Oliver took advantage of a chance meeting with the incoming President of the Olympic Committee who decided to come and see the sessions at the fountain for himself. He was blown away and decided to give Oliver land for the indoor facility which he had funded by the Canadian Government, again based on an chance meeting. Momentum was now with Oliver, the Norwegian, Danish and German governments now came into the project and  in October 2009 Oliver built the largest indoor sports facility in Afghanistan for children which also included 4 classrooms for the children. Success and social impact led to more success as the facility was seeing 500 kids in a week and Oliver insured that at least 50% of them were girls.  Oliver is an amazing example of resourcefulness over resources and the power of how one person can lead dramatic and sustainable change. Today, Oliver has 12 projects around the world 3 skate schools in Afghanistan. He also has a knowledge sharing network that has inspired a lot of other social skateboarding projects to pop up around the world. He is now connected to over 850 projects in over 100 countries. All resources are available free to these projects as they are not seen as competitors but as an extension to their purpose. Skateistan has received many awards including an Oscar for Best Documentary and a BAFTA. https://skateistan.orgYou can also find Oliver and Skateistan on InstWatch & 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.

Dr Katie Best is an author, academic, leadership coach and consultant working with leaders on their messiest problems.  Her passion for leadership stems from the role leaders have in creating a world better led for humanity as a whole. Leaders need to find the balance between the here and now with the need to have great foresight and vision. We all have the ability to lead, regardless of role and experience, we all role model and we are all work in progress. This episode focuses on how leaders can solve their own messy leadership problems. Katie's research for her new book over two decades has identified the most common set of problems for leaders. They are;1. Problems with ......personal effectiveness (achieving what you set out to achieve)2. Problems with ......making good decisions (use of data, evidence, managing bias) 3. Problems with.....influence (gravitas, personal power) 4. Problems with.....culture and values (fit, alignment, role modelling) 5. Problems with......performance (measure, improve, what does good look like)6. Problems with......engagement (motivation, buy in, purpose) 7. Problems with......team performance (working together, managing conflict)8. Problems with......leading strategy (debunking strategy, messaging, execution) 9. Problems with......leading change (making it stick, commitment)10. Problems with.....Katie is in the process of crowd sourcing No.10 with YOU!www.katiebest.com/tenthproblemKatie has also created a framework for problems solving these issues (The 5E Model) ESTABLISH: Identifying the problem initially and using the evidence to support and corroborate. Stopping yourself rushing to solving the wrong problem. EXPLORE: Going deeper into the problem and getting to the root causes through rigorous researchENVISION: Finding the solution that is going to work and challenging your own assumptions. EXECUTE: The action plan. Who and what do you need to support you? ELEVATE: Using your knowledge and research, turn your analysis and thinking to become strong on this area of challenge and pay it forward to others.www.katiebest.com/sign-upWatch & 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.

Giovanni Masala is a senior leader and DE&I lead for VMware based in Italy. His leadership approach and passion is all about kindness and this was pulled into sharp focus when he suffered a coma for 2 months following a road traffic accident on his motorbike.  He vividly remembers when he woke up from the coma that those he was expecting to see were not there but surprisingly others he had not expected were waiting for him with great concern and love. He had a long period of recovery and during that time realised that the accident was a gift of reflection, self awareness coupled with an understanding of what and who was important in life. Giovanni is living his commitment to kindness as he realises that leaders lead people not companies.  Giovanni dedicates time and energy to his people (leadership is the promise of a lived experience for others) which we know from previous episodes is something that is non-negotiable for younger generations in organisations. Giovanni is reverse mentored by a Millennial and he finds the feedback refreshing and powerful in allowing him to realise that the younger generations are the future and it is his responsibility to create the environment for them to thrive. His passion continues in his role as  a coach for an amazing charity focused on those struggling in a ghetto in Italy.  He teamed up with a former police officer to create a social football environment for kids in the ghetto to use the power of sport to foster inclusivity and hope.  They don't just play football, they talk, they brainstorm, they eat together as the power of connection and kindness offers these kids real opportunity for a different way of life. Giovanni believes that people are the mirror for ourselves and senior leaders need the courage and authenticity to allow themselves to become more self aware. 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.

This episode was created in collaboration with Heidrick & Struggles.  I chat to a panel of young leaders to discover what they want from their leadership and culture and what kinds of leaders they aspire to become in order to shape a World Better Led.The panel includes Sarah Sage, Floris Hondmann, Lea Evers and Jacob Vincent with huge thanks to TA Mitchell and Luisa Muse. This is an important episode for all leaders in a multigenerational working environment. All of these young leaders are passionate about a ‘World Better Led’ and how their work can create clarity, purpose, meaning and opportunities for growth and development. Human Centred Leadership has taken pole position and profit now becomes a far more complex and contextualised question for organisational leaders to answer and provide a compelling narrative to those they seek to recruit. Young talent has an expectation for their leaders to be authentic but not perfect and to take the time to understand, respect, communicate and lead in a personalised way. Empathy is important to them all, they care. They have a strong bond and sense of collaboration between themselves, and they know more about each other's lives than perhaps was common in early careers just a few decades ago. The pandemic allowed all of us to reassess priorities and identify our own non-negotiables and the way we work will never be the same.  We discuss the idea that working  from the office is  actually the time that we need to switch on our ‘out of office’ notifications. They want the office to be productive and focus on celebration, connection and education rather than endless meetings, reports and zoom calls which can be done at home. Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos ArticlesEmpathetic leadership: Taking it to the next levelWalking the Talk: How leaders can have a greater impact on the S in ESG through supply chainsHybrid Work: Finding the Perfect BalanceCost of living crisis: It’s time to address financial wellbeingWatch & 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.

Matt Abrahams is the host of the globally ranked Podcast 'Think Fast, Talk Smart' and lecturer at the world famous Stanford University Graduate School of Business in California.  Matt is passionate about helping people hone and develop their communication skills.  Think Fast, Talk Smart started many years ago where Matt began helping students at Stanford to be able to deal with questions from faculty and it has since grown into a global powerhouse of learning fuelled by the rise of podcast consumption during the pandemic. As fellow podcasters we investigate how the process of humble enquiry and listening has allowed us both to create very real, powerful and intimate connections with our guests. Public speaking is a ubiquitous fear for many as we risk our status being eroded in a social hierarchy by a poor performance.  However the importance of a leaders ability to communicate effectively is clear and we all need to invest the time and effort to practice and hone our communication style for maximum impact. Matt is full of top tips including helping people deal with the anxiety associated with public speaking using his two pronged approach to managing 'Sources' and 'Symptoms'.  Sources are what generate, initiate and exacerbate our anxiety and symptoms  are the things we experience. The basis for many nerves if our fear of a potential negative outcome in the future so by being more present and in the moment we can mitigate that fear. We also discuss how leaders can prepare to speak 'off the cuff' and deal with questions and interventions.   Matt's methodology is (1) get out of your own way, don't judge and evaluate yourself all the time. What we need to do is utilise the improvisation technique of 'Dare to be Dull'. As Matt explains, just get it done as opposed to heaping pressure on yourself. This will actually reduce the cognitive load by striving for mediocrity so you can achieve greatness. (2) Structure your content (approach) so you can simply slot your answer or response into a pre determined structure. A good structure to deal with questions Matt uses is A.D.D. as opposed to discovering the answer as you ramble!  Answer the question Detailed and concrete example must then be providedDescribe relevance or value Think Fast, Talk Smart is available on all major podcast platforms www.nofreakingspeaking.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.

Adrian Simpson is the co-founder of Wavelength and in this episode we discuss the global research that has highlighted ‘Foresight’ as a critical skill for CEO’s and senior executives for a world in constant change.What does the term ‘Outside-In’ mean for future leaders and why is it important for individual and collective success?Adrian describes ‘Outside-In’ as the discipline of learning from people, industries and sectors that are very different from your own. The world is so fast paced and volatile, that leaders must press the pause button, stop what they are doing and spend time looking outside for inspiration, education and provocation in order to develop real breadth and not just depth of capability.Organisations that embrace an Outside-In approach are also very human centred which in turn makes them a great place to work,  such as Four Seasons and Southwest Airlines have proved. Adrian outlines the incredible recruitment process of Southwest with their focus on attitude over skills and an uncompromising focus on culture.So why is the outside-in approach so important? There are simply too many important agendas for any single leader to manage and leaders will find it refreshing and supportive of others to simply say, “I don’t know.”Adrian refers to Roselinde Torres who carried out her own research on what makes great leaders. One such capability is the ability for leaders to ask themselves critical questions such as  ‘where are you looking for pattern identification, ideation and stimulus?’ and she goes on to suggest that the answer will be found simply by looking in the leader’s diary. This in turn, Adrian suggests, raises the issue of a leaders ‘Personal Boardroom’ and the company that they keep. For example do you have people who will be your ‘nerve giver, ‘coach’, ‘sponsor’, or ‘chief connector’ or have you merely created an echo chamber that lacks diversity of thought.All leaders need to start to experiment with structures around them that will elevate the opportunities and results of their curiosity.We discuss how the pandemic was the ultimate outside-in event which has forced organizations to consider their ‘Gathering Strategy’ to cope with the new ways of working and requirement for flexibility. Leaders again must look to see what works from across sectors and regions and understand that the office needs to be a place of education, connection or celebration and if successful, coming to the office is the time to put on your out of office notifications as the formal becomes informal and the informal, formal. This episode is packed full of learning and great examples from Adrian’s global network and experiences.www.wavelengthleadership.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.

Chris Grant OBE has worked at the most senior levels across sectors including Chair of the Chip & Pin Programme for all the banks and retailers, he served on the Board of Sport England and currently as The Chair for British Basketball Federation . Chris received his OBE for services to Sport from the late Her Majesty in 2021 and has worked with great musicians, business leaders, athletes, and sports teams. Chris is the ultimate observer of human beings and group dynamics and has always found solace and safety at the front of the room as opposed to staying in the background. Chris’s personal leadership enigma is how he considers life and embraces the unknown by pushing his own capabilities and increase his own self-awareness. We are all the product of our parents and Chris recounts how his father served in the Second World War and was part of the Windrush generation where he dealt with overt racism and systemic bias. Chris was able to leverage his ‘heritage’ (pride) and ‘baggage’ (obstacles) to craft his own path by understanding that he had an ability to arbiter, facilitate and bring people together.  Chris shares the deeply personal story of how he was diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago and how the experience changed and shaped his outlook on life with an increased sense of mystery about himself with the realisation that you are never really in control. The devastating news challenged his personal belief systems and biases and modified his thinking to make room for new a new reality and let go of some lifelong assumptions. As Chris tells me, ‘we are all dying’, therefore we need to make the most of the time we have and to lead a life of service. All leaders must ask themselves, ‘what’s the shape of the hole you are leaving behind us and what’s the space you are creating for others to perform?’ Chris also sought strength from the advice of Max De Pree in that, the ‘first responsibility of the leader is to define reality and the last is to say thank you’ Chris is thankfully on his way to full recovery This episode is packed full of learning nuggets and reflections from an experienced yet deeply humble leader. I also ask Chris a question at the end of the show that I have never asked a guest before, the answer is the reason I continue this work…thank you Chris. Check out the YouTube Channel to see all the photos referred to in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosWatch & 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.

Anthony Stephen Malone is a former 5th Generation soldier with the British Army, author of 5 books and was taken hostage by the Taliban for 190 days. Anthony Joined the Paras at age 17 and served in multiple locations across the world. He has dedicated his life to various intelligence and security agencies which in turn led to his period in captivity having been taken by the Taliban for 190 days. Anthony's military training has ensured he has a very positive mindset where failure is never an option.  Anthony chose to keep going back to hostile environments after his military life as he always felt at home living and working in chaos. He returned to Afghanistan as part of  Operation Patriot which was focused on helping local veterans get out of the country  following allied force withdrawal and the Taliban retaking control of large areas of the country. It was when Anthony returned to Afghanistan overtly to try and assist families leave the country that he was abducted spending 190 days in an underground Taliban interrogation centre in Kabul. Anthony had no reason to believe that his liberty was at risk prior to this event as his efforts in country were purely humanitarian.  Anthony was the victim of an internal power struggle within the Taliban itself and it was the extremist element that decided to remove Anthony and two others from the street and take them to HQ which then turned into 190 days of captivity.  Anthony was soon to endure over 4 weeks of torture and interrogation leaving him with broken bones, nerve damage, concussion and more. It was at this point that mindset became all important for Anthony to push away any feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, even with the fear of execution being mooted by his captures. Anthony had two options, either curl up, cry and die, or make the best of the situation and focus on the potential for a positive resolution. Anthony explains a fascinating exchange he had with his interrogator that became a battle of purpose and wits which eventually led to his release. His biggest takeaway remains the ability to use negative and painful experiences to help others navigate and cope with stress and challenge. Check out the YouTube Channel to see all the photos referred to in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videosWatch & 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.