The Leadership Enigma

James Ryan is the President and CEO of Mercedes Benz Financial Services in Canada and this episode is part of our CEO series.  James started his life as a musician, studying Comparative Literature and then moving and working in Germany as an intern for Mercedes Benz in 1995. James has had multiple roles within the organisation leading to his current role as CEO and President responsible for a $5bn portfolio. James and I explore how his early years as a musician (drummer) have crafted his approach to leadership which has allowed James to be very thoughtful and deliberate as regards his leadership, impact and legacy. As a CEO James is humble enough to realise that he can’t be expert in all that he oversees, and his style allows him to empower others whereby he can lead by asking questions and increasing his own awareness in order to be the strategic as opposed to the technical operator. James understood the real power in leading by questioning and with that, James’ style of leadership was underpinned by his ability to listen and really hear others. The Post pandemic environment challenged James’s leadership and questioned his own thinking and norms when it came to the issue of physical office space and flexibility for his teams. James asked his staff a series of questions and quickly understand they need to be a Purpose Driven Organisation and that the office space was not to simply facilitate work but was necessary to create collaboration, connection and camaraderie. As part of James’ focus on listening, he carried out a series of ‘stay’ interviews to complement what they were hearing in the ‘exit’ interviews. The results were fascinating as it helped the organisation understand what people were motivated about including, purpose, personal growth and the importance of culture which has never been so important in post pandemic environment.  James continues to listen intently to his people which has allowed him to consider how he can measure his leadership by focusing on four key components. 1.    Engagement: the experience that leaders create for their people. 2.    Involvement: allowing people to own the whole not just their part3.    Trust: a critical component especially post pandemic as people ask themselves if they trust their leader and the organisation within which they work. The higher the trust the higher the performance as a business. 4.    Values: values drive value and must be non-negotiable and embedded in all that you do.James also shares the two questions that he always asks himself when he considers an opportunity in his life. Can I learn something? Can I bring something unique to the table? Enjoy this great 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 Strode is the author of The Culture Advantage and Group Director of Culture & Strategy for Santander based in Madrid. Dan explains that the best performing companies are doing things culturally in a certain way and that this became the genesis of his book. The pace of change has never been so fast and yet will never be as slow as it is today.  By 2027, 75% of the S&P companies will not be here. Culture patterns and behaviours are important: One of the most important Dan outlines is the ability to rethink your business model and Kodak is a powerful example of not being able to do that. Dan describes culture as “the way we do things around here when no one is looking and there is no advantage to be gained.” Putting people first is essential for any leader. Dan explains that all companies are made up of four key groups; employees, customers, shareholders (financial stakeholders) and finally the communities within which you operate. They create a virtuous circle and by benefitting one you benefit them all. The younger talent populations value meaning, purpose and culture which means the power is shifting and the need for a positive and inclusive culture is non-negotiable.What is the leader’s role in culture? Whilst culture is everyone’s responsibility, Dan’s research reveals that leaders have an outsized role to play. Culture can’t be outsourced to someone else as this simply provides evidence that leaders don’t understand the value of culture. Secondly, leaders must be visible in their role modelling including paying attention to inactivity or tolerance of bad behaviours. Always remember…you are being watched closely as the leader.In the words of Alexander den Heijer, “when I flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” Enjoy this episode and grow your own culture for success.  www.danielstrode.comwww.leadersenigma.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.

Nick Jankel is an author, keynote speaker, serial entrepreneur, futurist and leadership theorist.A transformational team is one that can deliver predictable efficiencies in the old world, plus adapt grow, learn, be purposeful, shape a vision and deliver something new in the new world. Teams are living systems and therefore complex systems whereby the context is more important than the content. Nick explains that this means that relationships are more important than the products, because the products, services, procedures etc will all invariably have to change. This reinforces the point from Part 1 that the modern leader must not be the problem solver and hero but the leader who creates the environment for their people in teams to evolve, grow, learn and problem solve for themselves as they are normally closest to the issues.Nick explains that Transformational Teams should have 4 key roles which he bases on the iconic ‘A’ Team. One person can do all four, but usually this demands more than one person, and each role has a shadow side whereby strengths become blockages.The 4 roles are:1. The Champion (B.A. Baracus)2. The Commander (Hannibal)3. The Creator (Maverick)4. The Connector (Faceman)Nick also outlines the 4 characteristics of a Transformation Team which are:1. Shared vision - it is for the Commander to have a vision of what can be done andcontinually makes sense of how to adapt in the journey towards that vision whilstallowing people the trust and autonomy to adapt as they see fit to reach the sharedvision.2. Co creativity - Allowing people to have new ideas to be agile, to think, experiment,fail and be super rigorous with creativity across functions.3. Collective responsibility – Accountability and dependability with an ability to flexand renegotiate when things need to change to ensure success.4. Mutual trust – Trust is the lubricant of transformation to navigate significant change.Trust was diminished for many organisations during the pandemic as so much wasasked of their people and customers. The organisations that stayed kind and humancentred found themselves in stronger positions than those who treated the pandemic as a purely transactional event.www.switchonnow.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.

Onyi Anyado is a UK born global leadership speaker with a passion for people. Born in Hackney with an early memory of his dad leaving the family when he was young, his mother and sister became his primary support network with a strong and proud Nigerian background.Onyi attended university and in his second year of study, he made a series of decisions that changed and shaped his life. Onyi decided to leave University and join his friends to live a street life as he describes, ‘hustling’ for a living. In a 10-year period that followed, six of his friends were murdered, he was shot at, and served two separate prison sentences. Onyi remembers a comment from a particular prison guard that he was always happy, cheerful and reading whilst in prison and this in part prompted a sudden realisation that he needed to change his life and that he was fed up of being fed up.Onyi uses his early experiences of not being responsible or taking accountability for his actions as a catalyst for seeking how he can be a force for good.  Experiencing the murder of 6 friends made Onyi feel heartless, and London feel like a war zone full of money, girls and fun whereby he had become anaesthetised to the dangers around him.Today, Onyi uses his background as his own personal power. He trained to be a Counsellor and started consuming learning like a sponge to develop as a speaker and trainer. He also works with young adults in schools throughout London to help them become a leader of distinction as he tells them his frank story as an inspiration of how anyone can excel and change their life for good.Onyi created ‘Cutting Edge Leadership’ based on three pillars of Influence, Impact & Inspiration coupled with the ability to be a creative, collaborative and critical thinker.Listen to this episode for a full explanation and inspiration for all of us to become ‘legacy minded.’LinkedIn: https://t.co/TXf0ESrPQU Twitter: @Onyianyado777Enjoy this special 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.

Nick Jankel is an author, keynote speaker, serial entrepreneur, futurist and leadership theorist. Nick explains there is no ‘new normal’, and we must be prepared for the ‘never normal’ of operating in a constantly changing and complex environment both personally and professionally.Nick explains that complex is not the same as complicated. A complicated system is basically a machine with lots of bits, like a plane with high levels of predictability as it doesn’t change or adapt by itself. A complex system is a live system where the parts self-organise, adapt to change and are interconnected with emergent capabilities. Innovation is an example of an emergent capability.Organisations are made up of people and therefore are complex living systems. Leaders must shift from merely thinking about a better plan or strategy to run a machine to considering how they can orchestrate the conditions for talented people to self-organise in teams and projects and evolve as a complex system in meeting the ever-changing world.Future leaders must therefore understand that the old world was about efficiency and the new world is about effectiveness which requires leaders to create time for people to connect, think, reflect as opposed to just execute.The future of work that we thought was the future, is now here due to the pandemic.Leaders are grappling with issues that can’t simply be dealt with efficiently. Organisations can’t run on low trust and high coercion which just creates a transactional workplace.If meaning is the new money, leaders must consider the 4M’sMeaning: Purpose and impactMastery: Autonomy and empowerment, being given space and time to try, fail and evolveMembership: Being part of something and cared for with space and time for wellbeingMajesty: Dignity, inclusivity, respect and being remunerated fairly.Future ready leaders must continue with the best of the old world, to create sustainable businesses with predictable return on investment and expand themselves to do things that many of us were never taught, such as to play, adapt, be curious nimble, vulnerable, empathetic and leveraging our overall human centred leadership capabilities. Human growth is one of the most rewarding gifts a leader can bring to those within their organisations.Nick outlines that leaders today must (i) develop, learn and grow (ii) recognise that the leader as hero is dead, the leader is now the creator of culture where lots of heroes can thrive (iii) work on self to shift understanding that the never normal is here to stay, It is not an inconvenience but an invitation to grow, learn and adapt and thrive. (iv) there is no data about the future only the past, so leaders can never wait for perfect data to make decisions but optimise their intelligence to operate in the complex world based on Intuition, Insight and Imagination.www.switchonnow.comFree assessment for all listeners.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.

Steve Krupp is an academic, author, entrepreneur and Partner at Heidrick & Struggles based in the US offices. Steve has a PhD in organisational behaviour and has always been fascinated with what distinguishes the best performers. Much of Steve’s research has shown that Agility is the single biggest differentiator for high performers in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex & Ambiguous) world. Many organisations are still tackling the challenge of shifting from slow to fast, bureaucratic to nimble, hindsight to foresight, rigid to adaptive and knowing to learning. Covid with all the disruption and need to rethink ways of working and customer relationships put the Agility emphasis on steroids. Steve’s research showed that 93% of leaders said Agility is the key to success. Steve describes Agility as the ability to pivot in order to adapt to changing circumstances. He also explains that Agility has four key components 1.     Foresight: The ability to anticipate where the future might be going or at least have thoughts of the different possible options and scenario plan accordingly. Leaders must be able to test their own assumptions and be ready to admit when they are wrong, and Steve’s research suggests that this area is the biggest agility gap for most leaders as they are used to being successful and knowing the answers. Foresight failure comes from arrogance and not challenging self or having a culture whereby the leaders can be constructively challenged. 2.     Adapt: Being Devil’s Advocate and seeking out the contrarians. It is uncomfortable for leaders to change what has worked previously. Adapt is the ability to flex and shift direction by embracing the skill set of challenge. Leader’s embarking on a plan, must make sure they have someone to take on the counterpoint and pressure test the alternatives. This in turn allows a leader to embrace diversity of thought and generate better decision making. Getting curious and searching out a different point of view will enrich thinking. 3.     Learn: A leader’s ability to learn may be their single biggest competitive advantage in a VUCA environment. We all need to move from know it all to learn it all. In a world that changes constantly, what we know becomes irrelevant almost immediately and so a learning culture is an absolute necessity. We have to learn from success and failure and know how to leverage the wisdom going forward. The military has understood for many years the power of an After-Action Review. 4.     Resilience: This starts with having a sense of purpose that can carry a leader forward during tough times and bounce back from adversity. We all face sets backs and future ready leaders will utilise the power of their purpose to bind their people through the challenge. Steve talks about the importance of a strong sense of purpose contributing to A World Better Led with more inclusion, more humanity with increased agility. Don’t miss this great 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.

Terence is the Director of Organisational Effectiveness in technology for META (Facebook). Terence is a great example of a ‘squiggly career’. He was born in Sierra Leone after his mother had an 11-month pregnancy and describes himself as just a small boy from Freetown who left for the US at the age of 9 and realised he had a great opportunity. That opportunity allowed him to attend Albert Einstein High School and later Brown University (Ivy League). Terence fondly remembers his time at Brown University where he studied the third world transition programme to learn about the history, heritage and purpose of Brown University. He learned tolerance at Brown as their ethos that everyone has the right to be themselves and each should celebrate the differences. As a young black male, he found himself working on Wall Street and experiencing racial injustice and having to balance being authentic with the ability to switch his behaviour to fit in and ‘code switch’ to ensure the comfort of others.Terence has learned to balance the privilege he experiences with the injustice that surrounds him and yet still focus on the comfort of others and not be defined by the way others act towards him. Terence is totally in control of how he sees himself and his value internally. The Sum of the Parts is an inspiring episode especially poignant for young leaders. Stay open minded, allow opportunities to identify themselves to you and be open to the challenge as tomorrow is not guaranteed or promised. Touch, change and empower people. In summary:1.     Leadership is collective sport. You don’t have to be the hero leader in the current ever-changing environment. 2.     Create cultures and environments that unleash the talents of others. 3.     If you don’t make sure your personal life is excelling and intact, all your business aspirations and dreams will simply not be worth it. Here is a link to a Vigro Deep sampler https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/vigro-deep-sampler/pl.u-2aoqX6aHGDYqdKAAnd here is a link to an Amapiano Samplerhttps://music.apple.com/us/playlist/amapiano-sampler/pl.u-kv9lbVLsJAGebglWatch & 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.

Lesego Holzapfel is the founder of Bokomoso Impact Investments who dedicates her life to empowering communities and promoting diversity and inclusion emanating from a deep place of gratitude. Ezanne Gouws grew up in wine industry in South Africa and is a trainedwine maker and serial entrepreneur.Lesego and Ezanne met only a year ago on a course they attended virtually and immediately realised that they shared a passion for servant leadership.They started Kai Wine together as an amalgamation of two unique cultures refined with the diversity of their life experiences and infused with their deep passion for people. They are both very proud of South Africa and helping the rest of the world understand its true capabilities.Lesego’s charity (founded with her husband) called ‘Raise the Children’ offers scholarships for high performing orphans, as she too was an orphan. The charity assists those from the townships with their education and social mobility in the workplace. Lesego also talks about her struggles as an orphan and her incredible passion for promoting the indigenous beekeeping capabilities as an important commodity whereby South Africa can play its part in saving the honeybee population while promoting education through agriculture and sustainability by aiming to have 1 million beehives locally owned and operated in the poorest regions by 2025.This is a deeply personal and inspiring episode of two very different social entrepreneurs who want to be a force for good within the communities in South Africa and beyond.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.

John Spencer is the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies and a 25-year veteran of the US military having served two combat tours. He is also the author of ‘Connected Soldiers.’ John joined the US military at age of 17 as a Private, working his way through to the senior ranks which allowed him to explore the ‘burden of command.’When the bullets were flying, instinct and training kicked in. However, it’s during the downtime and when the mission is not clear that leadership skills became even more important to inspire, communicate and create an environment of trust, sacrifice and true connection. John remembers taking over a dysfunctional team of soldiers where he realised that the WHY was even more important than the WHAT of any mission or task as he slowly crafted them into an elite team. War requires a group response made up of complex individuals and leaders must set the standard and communicate clearly to all. John reinforces that shared understanding is at the foundation for success for all teams. For John the highest form of power was not rank but reverent power where he had the respect of the team, based on his ability to speak from a position of strength of having risen through the ranks himself. No one starts as the CEO, we move from individual contributor to team player to leader of others. John understands the power of connection for all teams. The bonds between individuals is a powerful mechanism for high performance. How well do you actually know the people on your team? As the world changes, new connections now exist that did not exist in the past, for example the digital social connections and tribe that most people have. Leaders must understand what connective functions or activities need to be done organisationally that complement the countless connective mechanisms that people have and require on a personal level. John talks about the importance of his team eating together as an important function of simply creating connections that were leveraged when the bullets started to fly. Everyone wants a leader that they WANT to follow. Your leader’s shadow has a ripple impact and is representative of your entire team and organisation. John also outlines a powerful story of how some recruits found Covid restrictions disastrous for their ability to bond and connect. This is an inspiring episode full of humility, courage, human centred focus, and deep insight created from operating in life and death combat missions. www.johnspenceronline.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.

Alice Dyson is the COO of One Media IP a business listed on the London Stock Exchange operating within the music industry. Alice also sits on the Board of BPI, responsible for amongst other things, The Brits.  On a personal note, Alice has had two near death experiences and in her spare time plays hockey for Great Britain. Alice explains she is from a family of musicians. Her father a classical composer and her mother a music teacher and so her career has an element of inevitability in her exploration of the business of music. There are few senior female leaders within the music industry and Alice understands the lessons from her childhood have stood her in good stead for her professional journey.Alice has always recognised when she is surrounded by talented people from whom she can learn and role model. Her focus and resilience have always been critical foundations for her success, and her personal resilience has been tested more than most. Alice was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis that almost crippled her initially. Her medical treatment plan meant that her immune system has been compromised in fighting infection. She caught sepsis (blood poisoning) on one occasion and more recently and perhaps inevitably caught Covid having isolated for over a year. Both experiences could have proved fatal. One of Alice’s most personal lessons was that you always need people to be able to advocate for you and speak for you when you can’t, in her case because she was too ill. However, you must also be able to advocate for yourself, especially when young and passionate in crafting a creating a future. We are all leaders, even as children and we must always be able to attribute skills and capabilities to yourself when appropriate and recognise how we can develop and be brave enough to tell people when you good at something. To that end, Alice is passionate about more woman finding their voice within the profession and as a leader she is always looking for people with the best skills and capabilities to do the work she can’t. Alice talks about having a 360 view and acute listening systems all the time to sense make with laser focus on the music consumer in order to keep learning and adapt to market shifts using the team with the right skills and complementary capabilities. Alice is an inspirational leader who will continue to learn in all that she does.  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.