Ego Is the Enemy of Good Leadership

15/11/2018

Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images On his first day as CEO of the Carlsberg Group, a global brewery and beverage company, Cees ‘t Hart was given a key card by his assistant. The card locked out all the other floors for the elevator so that he could go directly to his corner office on the 20th […]

What is inclusive capitalism, and why does it matter?

14/11/2018

The concept of building shareholder value has been a driving force of business since companies began to go public. Yet as businesses and governments adjust to the new realities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the idea that the ultimate value of business success is the extent to which it enriches shareholders is now being questioned […]

From 600 Young Global Leaders, 5 actions to create a sustainable future for all

12/11/2018

The World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders (YGLs) and its Alumni community committed to promising targets during their 15th Annual Summit held in San Francisco on 15-18 October 2018. The 616 YGLs from more than 85 countries around the world participated in wide-ranging discussions where ideas, innovations and trends to co-create a sustainable future for […]

Women Act More Ethically Than Men When Representing Themselves — But Not When Representing Others

11/11/2018

Alex and Laila/Getty Images Research tells us a lot about why people behave unethically. For example, there is evidence that people tend to be more dishonest later in the day, because they’re more fatigued, and when they’re anxious, because they’re more likely to look out for themselves. Many of these studies, however, only look at […]

To Give a Great Presentation, Distill Your Message to Just 15 Words

10/11/2018

Fearless public speaking is about more than combating nerves. It’s about knowing the technique, the art, and the business of public speaking. Start with the idea and why you are the right person to take the stage and deliver this big idea. While it must be a big idea, you need to be able to […]

Why business can no longer turn a blind eye to poor vision

09/11/2018

If you have poor vision, glasses are highly likely to help you enjoy a better quality of life and work longer. If you are a driver with poor vision, glasses could well extend your life and others on the road will be safer as a result. If you are an employer your workers will be […]

If Your Employees Aren’t Speaking Up, Blame Company Culture

08/11/2018

PM Images/Getty Images Companies benefit when employees speak up. When employees feel comfortable candidly voicing their opinions, suggestions, or concerns, organizations become better at handling threats as well as opportunities. But employees often remain silent with their opinions, concerns or ideas. There are generally two viewpoints on why: One is the personality perspective, which suggests […]

How to Gracefully Exclude Coworkers from Meetings, Emails, and Projects

05/11/2018

Here it is/Getty Images You and about 20 of your coworkers are sitting around a crowded conference room table, discussing the details of some project. Some people are fighting for attention, trying to get a word in. Others won’t stop talking. Others have tuned the meeting out, retreating to their laptops or phones. At the […]

Do we really need eight hours of uninterrupted sleep a night?

04/11/2018

We’re often told by the popular press and well-meaning family and friends that, for good health, we should fall asleep quickly and sleep solidly for about eight hours – otherwise we’re at risk of physical and psychological ill health. There is some evidence to suggest that those who consistently restrict their sleep to less than […]

Why Leaders Don’t Embrace the Skills They’ll Need for the Future

03/11/2018

amriphoto/Getty Images Innovative. Agile. Collaborative. Bold. Over the past year, we’ve been struck by how many times we’ve heard C-suite leaders use these words, or very similar ones, to describe the strengths they believe are critical to transforming their businesses, and to competing effectively in a disruptive era. What’s equally striking is how difficult organizations […]

CEO vs owner: What is the correct name for a business owner?

26/10/2018

There’s lots of content on the web about naming your business, but what about your own title as the founder of the business? While becoming a CEO is many people’s dream job title, there’s also a feeling that it can be a bit pretentious to deem yourself CEO when you’re one of only a handful […]

Which Types of Companies Are Adding Women to Their Boards, and Which Aren’t

24/10/2018

Executive Summary Since April 1, 2018 till date, 228 women have been appointed to boards relative to 433 men.  That data points to the well-known gender disparity in the board room.  However, 57 women have been appointed to boards of such large companies relative to only 19 men. Pressure from the media and large institutional […]

One Reason Mergers Fail: The Two Cultures Aren’t Compatible

18/10/2018

Executive Summary Amazon’s 2017 acquisition of Whole Foods was met with a lot of fanfare. The deal would allow Amazon to grow beyond e-commerce and collect significant shopper data, while Whole Foods could lower its prices and scale up after its recent declines in sales. But a year later, stories of Whole Foods employees crying on […]

Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss” — and Other Lessons in Ethical Leadership

16/10/2018

Executive Summary The ethical misconduct of leaders in not a new concern, but it seems to be a more prevalent concern today. So what should today’s leaders do to build trust with their teams and the public? Showing your team that you exercise caution, take calculated risks, and will adhere to organizational principles will go […]

Stop Wasting Money on Team Building

14/10/2018

    Most corporate team building is a waste of time and money. I say this based on my 25+ years of research and practice in the field of team effectiveness. Seventeen of those years were with Mars Inc., a family-owned $35 billion global business with a commitment to collaboration. Many companies, when they decide […]

How Self-Reflection Can Help Leaders Stay Motivated

09/10/2018

Executive Summary Occupying a leadership role often comes with more prestige, money, and flexibility. We often forget, however, that leadership is hard and exhausting work. A team of researchers tested a short daily intervention to see if it would help leaders remain energized throughout the day at work. Leaders take a few minutes in the morning […]

Execution Is a People Problem, Not a Strategy Problem

06/10/2018

Photography by Joe Munroe Paul,* the CEO of Maxreed, a global publishing company, was having trouble sleeping. Publishing is an industry that’s changing even faster than most other fast-changing industries, but Paul wasn’t awake worrying about his strategy. He had a solid plan that took advantage of new technologies, and the board and his leadership […]

The 15 Diseases of Leadership, According to Pope Francis

03/10/2018

Executive Summary Pope Francis has not tried to hide his desire to radically reform the administrative structures of the Catholic Church, which he sees as imperious and insular. The Church is, essentially, a bureaucracy, full of good-hearted but imperfect people – not much different than any organization, making the Pope’s counsel relevant for leaders everywhere. […]

From cheeseburgers to coral reefs, the science of decision-making can change the world

02/10/2018

Daniel Kahneman, the psychologist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics, credits some recent public policy successes to the application of behavioural science. He helped establish this field and its “nudge” approach to changing the behaviour of large groups of people. Nudge economics has had a profound influence, everywhere from No 10 Downing Street to […]

Having a Growth Mindset Makes It Easier to Develop New Interests

25/09/2018

  [T]echnology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.  — Steve Jobs Steve Jobs’s vision for Apple was rooted in the belief that the arts and sciences do not live in isolation. They complement and enhance each other. John Lasseter, […]

Susan David: The gift and power of emotional courage

15/09/2018

Psychologist Susan David shares how the way we deal with our emotions shapes everything that matters: our actions, careers, relationships, health and happiness. In this deeply moving, humorous and potentially life-changing talk, she challenges a culture that prizes positivity over emotional truth and discusses the powerful strategies of emotional agility.  Read More

Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability

13/09/2018

Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.  Read More

You Don’t Find Your Purpose — You Build It

24/07/2018

“How do I find my purpose?” Ever since Daniel Gulati, Oliver Segovia, and I published Passion & Purpose six years ago, I’ve received hundreds of questions — from younger and older people alike — about purpose. We’re all looking for purpose. Most of us feel that we’ve never found it, we’ve lost it, or in some way we’re […]

How to Be an Exceptional Coach with Michael Bungay Stanier

20/07/2018

Do you interact with people? Then you need to learn how to be an amazing coach. My guest, Michael Bungay Stanier, will show you how with The Coaching Habit. Source: SPI 325: How to Be an Amazing Coach with Michael Bungay Stanier

Leaders Focus Too Much on Changing Policies, and Not Enough on Changing Minds

06/07/2018

Not long ago, I asked 100 CEOs attending a conference how many of them were currently involved in a significant business transformation. Nearly all of them raised their hands, which was no surprise. According to a study by BCG, 85% of companies have undertaken a transformation during the past decade. The same research found that […]

3 Transitions Even the Best Leaders Struggle With

04/07/2018

We love to read about the dynamics of success. We study it, celebrate it, and try to emulate how successful leaders rise to the top. I’m no different: I’ve spent my career helping executives succeed, either through coaching and development or assessments of their strengths and opportunity areas to identify the development work they need […]

Do Not Ignore Your Consumers Throughout a Merger

23/06/2018

When companies merge, client experience (CX) is often neglected — yet it’s arguably among the most important elements of any company. In truth, inning accordance with Gartner research study, tomorrow’s companies are anticipated to complete mainly on client experience. I just took my business through an acquisition and found that even the tiniest functional change […]

Can Being Overconfident Make You a Better Leader?

23/06/2018

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs approached AT&T about partnering on a new kind of mobile phone — a touchscreen computer that would fit in your pocket — Apple had no expertise in the mobile market. Yet AT&T executives quickly came to believe so strongly in Job’s vision that they skipped internal process protocols to land the deal. Randall […]

A TED speaker coach shares 11 tips for right before you go on stage

21/06/2018

The weekend before a TED conference, each speaker rehearses their talk in the TED theater. It’s a chance for the speakers to get to know the space, for our curators to give last-minute suggestions on talk content, and for our speaker coaches to give advice to help each speaker feel their absolute best the day […]

The Best Leaders Are Great Teachers

12/06/2018

Kundapur Vaman Kamath was a teacher. But he didn’t work at a school or stand in front of a class. Instead, he delivered his lessons at the office—to the employees who served under him during his four decades as a senior executive at, and then CEO of, India’s ICICI Bank. Whether he was offering tips […]

new food trends

Interview with James Davidson, CEO of tails.com

08/03/2018

James Davidson is Co Founder of the challenger brand tails.com, which he started just 3 years ago with Graham Bosher, Founder of Graze, and LOVEFiLM. Their web based subscription service for dog owners calculates the nutritional needs of each individual pet, then crafts a unique tailor-made food blend to match them. Think ‘personalised meal-planning for […]

Interview with Ben Greensmith, Chief Operating Officer of PROPERCORN Part 2

07/03/2018

Ben Greensmith is Chief Operating Officer of PROPERCORN, the UK’s Number 1 premium ‘posh’ popcorn challenger brand. Established just 7 years ago, this multiple award winning healthy snack alternative never compromises on flavour, with unusual and exciting tastes like Sweet Coconut and Vanilla, and Fiery Worcester Sauce and Sun Dried Tomato. With over 100 million […]

leadership-engagement

What’s Your Story?

29/01/2018

How the rules of leadership engagement have changed… Here we share a cautionary tale from executive search worth reflecting on if you haven’t recently checked what story people are hearing about your organisation. Business for many continues to be challenging, and this means that more than ever getting the best people into any organisation is […]

When leadership fit goes wrong; avoid these four common mistakes…

27/01/2018

When it all goes wrong In today’s more competitive and complex landscape the pressure for results has narrowed the focus on how to create workplaces where talent can both thrive but also fit for the long term. With so much effort spent understanding how leadership, vision and values create success, it is a surprise that […]

Lessons from Leaders – Campari Managing Director UK Part 2 – Pietro Mattioni

23/09/2017

Part of our ‘Signium Speaks’ interview series where we reveal insights, and lessons learnt by successful Leaders… Pietro Mattioni is Managing Director UK & Nordics for Gruppo Campari, the global top 10 spirits business with distribution across 190 markets of their 50 brands including Campari, Aperol, Gran Marnier, and Appleton Estate Rum. On March 1st […]