Exponential Leadership

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Hey there, fellow leaders and curious minds! I recently had a fascinating conversation with the incredible Tim Gard on my podcast. We covered a wide range of topics that I'm eager to share with you today. From exploring the captivating culture of Botswana to digging deep into the power of humour, and even uncovering valuable leadership lessons, this conversation had it all. So, grab your favourite beverage, get comfortable, and join me as we dive into this insightful journey.

Topic 1: Unveiling Botswana's Enchanting Culture and Vibrant Economy

Curiosity hooks: Ever wondered about the hidden treasures of Botswana? What makes its culture and economy so unique?

Botswana, a land of awe-inspiring landscapes and captivating tales, offers so much more beyond what meets the eye. We shared intriguing insights into Botswana's culture, including the fascinating Tuanas tribe and their unexpected reputation. We also explored its vibrant economy, which was heavily reliant on agriculture and an emerging luxury tourism industry. Discover how Botswana's elders play a crucial role in shaping society and how water sources dictate the placement of essential infrastructure. Let's embark on this fascinating journey through the heart of Africa.

Topic 2: Unleashing the Humorous Power: Coping, Connecting, and Communicating

Curiosity hooks: How does humour serve as a powerful tool when facing adversity? Can humour transcend cultural and professional boundaries?

Laughter truly is the best medicine, but it also plays a significant role in our daily lives – from helping us cope with challenges to creating connections and enhancing communication. Tim shared personal experiences and insights into the importance of humour in various professions, including medicine and law enforcement. We delved into the art of using humour without causing pain, shared anecdotes of mishaps during presentations, and discussed the value of adapting when things go awry. Discover how humour can catalyse growth, resilience, and effective leadership.

Topic 3: Leadership Lessons: Honoring Work Ethic, Navigating Challenges, and Fostering Inclusion

Curiosity hooks: How can we cultivate a strong work ethic in ourselves and foster it in others? What can we learn from unexpected leadership role models?

Navigating the seas of leadership can sometimes be challenging, but with the proper guidance and mindset, we can truly make a difference. Tim related captivating stories from his journey, recounting the valuable lessons he learned from his father's work ethic in the Air Force and his experiences in the Navy. We explored the distinction between leadership and authority and the importance of allowing individuals to find their own paths. Join me as we uncover the secrets to fostering a positive work environment, developing inclusive leadership, and understanding the impact of our actions on others.

Conclusion:

Reflecting on my conversation with Tim Gard, I can't help but feel energised by the breadth of topics we covered. From immersing ourselves in the rich culture of Botswana to exploring the power of humour as a universal language, and gleaning insights into effective leadership, I hope this conversation has sparked your curiosity. Whether it be discovering the intricate web of Botswana's society, harnessing the power of humour, or honing your leadership skills, remember that knowledge is a journey worth embarking upon. Stay tuned for more thought-provoking conversations, and as always, lead with passion and compassion!

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Alan has chaired both national and international organisations that champion the interests of professional speakers and have organised the global speaking summit 2022 in Dublin, where the world's professional speakers come together to learn from each other.

A friend of mine introduced me to Allan in 2019, and I have watched and learned from him. he has touched so many lives and leaves them stronger and better for it. I absolutely had to have him on the podcast to share some of his wisdom around crisis and, more specifically, how leaders should communicate in a crisis.

Crises are not planned, not desired and definitely not easy. A crisis needs to be a place where you are on your “A game” yet can also be a crucible for change, and for changing you. When we look back at the war in Iraq, the financial crisis of 2008, the coronavirus and the war in Ukraine, we see changes and choices that may have been postponed for years coming to effect.

I think Winston Churchill said it best. He said “never let a good crisis go to waste”. How often do we see a crisis as only a hindrance instead of an opportunity, a place to look for what can and should change and should have changed? How can we use change as an impetus, as a burning platform that scrambles people to start working on the next future?

In this, communication is critical. Be authentic, stand for what you believe in and find the future after the crisis, remember to create hope. As leaders, hope is one thing that distinguishes us from those that we lead.

After the crisis is something we, as leaders have to take very seriously. Building for a future after a crisis and leading through a crisis is very often just finding the next step. What is your next step in your crisis?

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My name's Eksteen De Waal, and today I'm talking to Rieneke Deelstra. One of the things that's always struck me about Rieneke is that she's not somebody that brags, even though she's done some amazing things in life. She's led large-scale transformations within government, she has consulted and coached leaders at the highest level in local government and in the civil service, and at the same time, part-time, she's also qualified as a clinical psychologist. She just gets on with it and gets it done, and it's such a way that everybody just feels comfortable with her. Now, most coaches probably achieve this, but Rieneke is really special in this regard. She's got a way of helping you see a different perspective without it being forced, and I think that's an amazing ability. Now can you imagine how wonderful that is in a time of crisis?

So today we talk about what leadership in a crisis means. What is the impact on top leadership, middle management, and on the employees that work with the clients or the customers?

So we start talking about what does it mean now for hybrid working? What is the scope of what we term as crisis, or in a crisis how do we get our scope as clear as possible? Then we talked about what it is to impress leaders. We then go on to talk about what working with teams means for their improvement during a time of crisis, and how do you interact with your employees in a time of crisis.

How does confidence feature into this and how can reflection with others and bouncing ideas off of others help you? We also talk about how lonely it is at the top, and about the importance of cognitive empathy, and then looking at triggers and previous traumas and how that feeds into a crisis. We then do a quick stop where we talk about coaching versus psychiatry or psychology. And we talk about the attitudes towards. But also attitudes towards security, peace of mind, vulnerability and even mental health in leaders.

I wonder if Rieneke knows how blessed people are to work with her. And I'm not just gushing. Iit's always a genuine pleasure to talk to her and I find her insights very valuable. I think talking about middle-management and the impact of loneliness in senior management has yet again shone light for me on that we tend to forget that leaders are just people.

When we lead organizations, we also need our support. We also need those people that fight for us. They'll tell us we're doing an okay job, as long as they’re not yes-sayers and they’re people that can understand the vulnerabilities, but at the same time, also be honest and straight up with us. I think those kinds of people need to be cultivated, especially ones with high cognitive empathy that can show you things that you may not be able to see.

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So what if you worked for an organization that has been 200 years in the making, adheres to no rules of society, abides by no laws, and rules with an iron fist? And that is the numbers gang in South Africa, it rules most of the prisons. And specifically, in this case, I'm talking to Welcome Witbooi, and he led 2,700 people out of the 7,000 inmates at Pollsmoor prison, one of the maximum security prisons in the world, and one of the top 10 most dangerous prisons. So is there leadership in crisis more than a gang leader in a prison? Where you’re constantly under surveillance, constantly being judged and have to perform or your life is at stake.

Well today I’m talking to Welcome Wibooi about that. And we talk about how he got into gangs and what that meant. And then we move on to the hierarchy where we talk about how does the structure of such a gang or such an organization work because it's been around for a while. So, how does it police? How does it govern? How does it operate? What are the operational parameters? What are the sales parameters? What does your supply chain look like? How do you manage all of that? And then how do you discipline? How do you make choices that you know, could cost someone their life? Not just that. How far do you think that through?

We talk about loyalty. We talk about trust and distrust. And who do you trust, but also talk about what can we learn from that and do a comparison between that and modern day corporates? Well, I hope you enjoy this session today because I really enjoy talking to welcome. And he is an interesting character, in that he's reformed and runs his own charity, and at the same time he’s doing his MBA. What a turnaround and what insights. Enjoy this with me.

You know, what I'm taking from the conversation with Welcome today is that he actually thought more about the consequences of applying penalties. Yes. In his case, it would mean someone's life very often. But how often in corporate business do we not make that consideration, not think of the impact, not only on the person, but their coworkers, everybody that they work with, the performance impact on the organization as a whole, or in that department, what mitigating factors we need to put into place.

And it's not just about their skill or their ability, but how could it impact the people around them? Do we think about the emotional impact, the relational impact and the wider impact on that person's family and their friends and associates. He thought about those elements before he made his final decision.

I'm just wondering if we can learn from that in our modern day, corporates. Be a little bit more conscious of what our teams and our organizations really need and be decisive, but considerate.

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In today's podcast, I'm talking to Dorine Velhuyzen, who’s had a very interesting career. She started off by travelling around the world and discovering some communities in Africa, specifically that needed help. She created foundations and charities over the years to help those people in need.

And today she's leading the charge for babies and expectant mothers in the Netherlands in healthcare. I think during this some interesting insights around leading. And in this podcast, we first start off with a journey around the world and then looking at what she's doing today and how the connections that she's formed have helped her in leading and leading for definite and lasting change.

I think what I found most interesting in this conversation with Dorine is that there's always a sense of connection. There's always a sense of connectedness, no matter where she is in the world is looking for those connections that will bring together a network or create a new network that supports not only people locally in a community but attaches them to an international community. I also think those connections, those abilities of hers to ask the right questions. I mean, she's challenged me quite a few times, by asking me some amazing questions, I learn from it all the time. And I think that is one of the things that. I've learned here in the Netherlands and to me, is that they're the epitome of” ask the right question”. Keep on asking the questions till you get the answers that you need to find the best solutions. Don’t just take for granted what people give you as information, always dig a little bit deeper, always find out is that the real reason behind things?

And I think as leaders, that's really important thing to learn for ourselves is that people will sometimes give us the answers they think we want, or even the answers they think we need. But very often we don't get the answers that help us make better decisions. So let's ask a few more, what, and a few more hard questions thrown in a few more open-ended ones at people at sea. If we cannot find out what is both the content we're missing and maybe the emotional turmoil that goes beyond that.

https://nl.linkedin.com/in/dorineveldhuyzen/nl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/babyconnect/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorineveldhuyzen/
https://www.facebook.com/dorine.veldhuyzen.1 https://twitter.com/TALMOR_Dorine
www.babyconnect.org
www.carecodex.org

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A hypothesis is not the same as a theory or hypothesis is something that we can actually say what the statistical validity of it is. So unlike a normal mathematical formula, which tells us every dot to keep in line with hypothesis, we say, what is the statistical chance of something being in a specific spot? I imagine that if you have a mind that is almost predictive in using information to try and figure out what are the chances of something happening or not happening, what would that mind mean for an entrepreneur.

What would that mean for leadership?

And today talking to Anastasia, the question is, what does that mean for a refugee fleeing the war in Ukraine? When you step into your car and you have to drive in a direction, which direction do you choose? What is the statistical probability of arriving safe. And how do you adjust on the road? What does that mean for entrepreneurship?

What does that mean for academia? And what does that mean if you get cancer? Anastasia takes us on her journey from academia to entrepreneuriship to cancer to fleeing the Ukraine and now adjusting to finding a new life, even if it's temporary, but to find a new life in a different country than what she's used to, and yet stay connected and figuring out the probabilities of what wouldn't be successful.

I hope you enjoy today's session with Anastasia because I think it can teach us a lot about having the right mindset to overcome massive adversity .

I think what I learned most today from my interaction with Anastasia is that when the proverbial shit hits the fan and you have to find a way forward looking at the possibilities, the options, looking at ways in which you can find some form of resolution to just put your one foot in front of the other helps you to find the direction that you need in the moment to keep going. I'm not sure if that is part of long-term resiliency, but definitely in the short term, because I think in long-term resiliency, We will also need to deal with those things that have happened to us and all of us deal with things differently.

It doesn't matter how heavy the situation is you come out of, for some people, the threshold is lower for traumatic experience. We see with PTSD, the same thing, I remember, my struggles with PTSD and what that taught me about my own consciousness and my own ability to deal with stresses and all the tools I learned along the way.

I definitely believe that when you ever come adversity, you learn a lot, not just about your reaction to your environment but about what you can and cannot do. And you learn tools to be better off the next time. I don't wish adversity on anyone, but I'm thankful for that which I've had, which has allowed me to become more resilient and stronger and taught me the tools that I can now help other people.

I wish this for Anastasia and for all the Ukrainians that currently fleeing the war and all refugees. Did you find the strength and you find the wisdom to learn the tools that you need for later in life? Because every adverse situation can be an opportunity for growth, no matter how bad.

As long as it doesn't break you, you will learn something.

And if you've gone through something like having nightmares, you're not sleeping, while you break out in cold sweats. You have unexplained reactions and triggers. When somebody say something you overreact, just think about it. You may have had a traumatic experience. You may have such deep seated trauma that you may need to seek help.

And I knew the help that I sought in my life has helped me to learn more about myself and to find new coping methods. So don't be afraid to reach out. There are always people that are willing to help or you need to do is ask.

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Our guest today is a neuroscientist, business psychologist and recalibrating your brain expert. She has owned three businesses, she is an international professional speaker (in fact she is the current National President of the Professional Speaking Association UK&I) mentor to senior business people, founder of the Neuroscience Professional Development Programme and the Learning Lab, and is often in international newspapers and magazines and a regular guest on national radio.

I think what really stuck with me today is that for starters, when you start getting to the metaverse, we're not quite sure yet what would form in and outgroups, I personally think it is the way that we can represent ourselves within the metaverse. If we look at gaming, for instance, who has the best gear, who looks the spiciest, who has the most knowledge of the environment, each one of those creates its own little group. You also have things like formalised structures like gills , will those kinds of things happen in the metaverse as well, we have these VR worlds that we've been around for awhile, but the full immersion of it, now looking at at the metaverse, what will that mean for team engagement and for a biological need to be able to see people's facial expressions and how much of that would already happen.

I Mean, one of the things that zoom and other platforms are adding is the ability to change your face into an avatar that picks up on your lip movement and your eyebrows, but not full facial expression yet, but we're getting close. So how long would it be for somebody that is as overweight as me can look slim and svelte and buff on a metaverse and would I want to?

The other thing that I enjoyed today in the session with Linda was about leadership and the impact that leaders can have on returning to the office. We tend to think that things may go back the way it was, but what if it doesn't, what if hybrid is here to stay? When should people be in the office? I think Linda makes a very good point in that we need to find a day where everybody's together. And not cram it just full of meetings and activities for people to do, but get people to bond, find ways in which people can connect. Even if it's during a meeting, make sure that those interpersonal relationships are built , which gives us loyalty, which gives us connection with gives us binding to the company and organizational citizenship behavior. Instead of it just being a bunch of people that get together every so often and do stuff together. Well, I hope you enjoyed learning as much as I did today.

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/lyndashaw
Website www.drlyndashaw.com

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Today I am talking to Mark McLaughlin. Mark's a neurosurgeon, and at the same time, also a youth wrestling coach. Can imagine that? How do you explain what you do to the youth? And at the same time, inspire them to be their best selves, Give them self-confidence. And how do you learn from that again? And bring that back into a neuro-psychological surgical team in hospital, we've got to lead brain surgery in essence. I mean, we'll even use that as reference, “It's not as bad as brain surgery”. Now, Mark does that on a daily basis. So what can we learn from mark? And from the way that he leads and the way that he coaches and the way that he talks to west point about what leadership is.

He wrote a book about cognitive dominance. That sounds really dominating, or as he calls it almost like Darth Vader, but in this case, it is about how we act in a crisis. I think no more relevant than it is today. So I hope just like me, you look forward to this talk today with Mark McLaughlin.

When I reflect on what I just talked to mark about, one of the things that he said in one of his talks that actually came to mind. Casual and casualty. If we treat leadership casually, we don't use this as a learning process to become a little bit better every single day, then our people are the casualties and in a world dominated by violence at the moment and by war, why should we still accept leadership that causes casualties. Can we take ownership duty? Take that little bit of care with people's lives to make sure that we can actually make a difference, make it better and leave no casualties behind. Let's all not treat our people casually, our leadership casually and let's learn, grow and become the best leaders.

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Today we’re in Ireland to speak to Professor Patrick Flood of Dublin University. He’s been publishing work since 1989. He specialises in working out how CEOs and Human Resources affect organisations. Cumulatively, his research work has attracted €2m in research grant support.

We talk all about remote working, and how it’s going to affect us in the future. We start with noting that there’s actually been an increase in workplace performance since it was introduced. One of the problems he brings up is trust, and how we can bond as teams in the virtual world. We try and work out how to solve problems in fairness and networking. A dilemma we really try and tackle is fun in the workplace vs vulnerability of leaders. We end by discussing the effects of bad management and how to deal with stress in the team.

You’d be amazed how much quality collective thought can be captured using two simple tools: a voice connection and a shared screen.” ― Jason Fried.

00:00 Introduction
14:12 Working Together
24:55 Fairness
35:51 Networking
43:02 Fun
49:00 Networking
54:26 Team Stress
1:11:38 Conclusion

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Today I’m speaking to another man who thinks exponentially. The Digital Speaker, Mark Rijmenam. He does the “Function of X is equal to the Exponential X” newsletter, or “F of X equals E to the X” for short. He’s a future tech strategist, looking at how technology will impact organisations. He’s got a new book coming out all about how the world will change when the physical and digital worlds merge in the metaverse.

Data is something we keep coming back to throughout our conversation, how it needs to be guarded as much as possible. We talk about how immersive the metaverse can be, and how it can trick us. The “explosion of identity” is something we get very excited about, but we also discuss how it can shape identity, and what could happen if children start wearing VR headsets too early. Social issues, such as class and healthcare, are touched on, and who is going to stop me playing for five hours a day? Would it have to be me, or the government? We close by thinking about a conversation with a virtual twin.

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Today I’m speaking to Jackie Handy. Her mission is “ensure everyone feels safe, valued and understood at work”. She’s the creator of the BRAVEwork programme, which gives businesses training in diversity, equity and inclusion, but in a slow and manageable way. That the ethos she’s brought to her book, “the little book of belonging”, which is 52 weeks worth of simple ideas. She says inclusivity opens up a more motivated and successful workforce, and makes companies more trusted and respected.

We start by discussing various labels and identifiers, such as sex, gender, cis and genderfluidity. We move on to talking about trans people in the workplace, and the difficulties of educating people and how often we can just be preaching to the converted. We talk about how tiny remarks can really add up when they come in droves. She gives us two tips for businesses, and the difficulties we’re all facing. We discuss problems of trust and mentality, and how to foster that in a hybrid working environment. We end by talking about the dichotomy of getting on with a task and being done with it, versus the human element of being part of a team.

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My guest today is Tsitsi Mutendi. She’s a family business expert in Africa, who worked in Zimbabwe before going to Johannesburg. She specialises in building multigenerational family wealth. She’s currently building brands that include a Montessori primary school in Harare, and a network to link family businesses together.

She first tells us about her work helping families discover their core motivations, history and values. We spend a long time speaking about the clash of legal and cultural norms, and how the law looks at different people in Africa. After that, we try and work out what makes people giants. Tsitsi tells us about how important it is to think about broad societal questions about where we are in the conversation, and what parts we’re playing and what parts we aren’t. We finish by talking about who we trust, and why?

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Today my guest is the queen of love and the queen of the african mindset, Dr Beatrice Lukose. She started out at the slopes of Mount Kenya, and has now travelled to Europe to be a speaker, diplomat, and mother. She’s the author of three books about healthy marriage, which are all well received. She’s also the European Coordinator of Women in Business Network, helping provide women in business access to European market opportunities. To list everything she does to help people will take the entire podcast.

We begin by just trying to figure out what love is, and she speaks about the four pillars of love. She has a lot to say about how to manage being married business partners. We talk about the difference in connectedness between Europe and Africa, and how she felt in Europe the first time. I speak about somebody I know who used hostage negotiation techniques with his teenage kids, which leads us onto cognitive empathy and family relationships. We end by talking about the importance of random acts of kindness, and how much it can improve somebody’s day.

Does the phrase “leadership is a relationship” hold the same for all cultures? I’ve approached this thesis for the podcast somewhat as a human universal. However, speaking to Beatrice showed me the culture differences between Africa and Europe in terms of relationships.
It sounds like it’s a much lesser jump to have such a dynamic in the workplace in Africa, and more complex in Europe. The motivations and incentives are different, socially, so the end result of that kind of approach is going to change. Perhaps in Europe it’s more novel, something to set the company apart and motivate people. I wonder what the response would be in the more socially minded Africa.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

~John Quincy Adams

https://nl.linkedin.com/in/dr-beatrice-lukose-mba-dba-52b68b46
https://www.facebook.com/public/B%C3%A9atrice-Lukose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcSkCWvMb3k
https://imotivat.com/ https://mindflixmedia.com/

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Today I’m speaking to Investor and academic Professor Adrian Saville. He’s from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and in the past 15 years, has been given the school’s Excellence in Teaching Award thirteen times. He likes to give his students “impossible questions” and make sure they find an answer.

We start by talking about the investment club he started in 1994, which formed the basis for his whole career. We then ask what pushes against progress, and what role for-profit organisations have to make good, purposeful change. A topic we talk about in depth is inclusivity, and exactly how much a boardroom can have at any one time. We end by talking about coaching and the importance of belonging. Without any further discussion, let’s hear from Adrian.

Adrian talked about economics should start with defining wellbeing. I wonder whether or not that works in practice the same way it does in the classroom. Who gets to define my wellbeing, and do they have my individual interests at heart? How often can a nation state get to work with specifics, rather than broad generalisations considering the vast differences across demographics? How aligned are they with mine, considering the goals of running a country, that being prosperity in order to pay for things, can play against what helps me stay happy day-to-day. He also said that very obvious problems make obvious market gaps for benevolent businesses. Comedian Henning Wehn said that charity is a failure of government’s responsibilities. But maybe there are some charities and benevolent companies that are just forced into existence based around this very dilemma. Perhaps the two will just always have to work together.

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Bio
Pursey Heugens is a professor of organisation theory, development, and change at the Department of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM). His research interests include comparative corporate governance, business ethics, and bureaucracy, institutional, and demographic theories of organisation. He has won numerous awards and his specialties include: research methods, issues management, beer breweries, genetically modified food industry.

Summary
The key word for our discussion is identity. We begin by talking about how people use disposable income in the third world. We move on to conspicuous consumption and how people use craft beer as a statement. One thing we spend a long time discussing is the relationship between brand and consumer, is it a reciprocal relationship? We close by talking about Dolly Parton and country music, and how songs like Coat of Many Colours show the importance of identity.

Reflection
What’s the line between a product for your identity and a product for necessity? I feel no connection to where I fill up my car and I’m not going to pay for artisan craft petrol, but I do choose my ornaments extremely carefully. Perhaps it comes down to how many people see me, and my connection is to those people around me. Although even if it’s just myself sometimes, I hardly want to drink a wine made by somebody I greatly dislike. I remember reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo, where she says you should hold something you own and ask “does this spark joy” as to whether or not to keep it. Maybe I’ll try a variation on that. Does this say something about me? I wonder what I’d end up being attracted towards.

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Do you think, like Rasmus Hougaard, that to lead other people effectively, we need to avoid “mental rigidness”?

Bio

Today we have our first professor on the podcast, John B Molidor. He's President of Michigan State University Flint Area Medical Education. He focuses on helping people understand how their brain, communication and interviewing can work together.

Synopsis

We begin at the very beginning, by talking about how babies connect with people. This leads us to discuss facial expressions and the limits of video calling. We speak a lot about how brains are wired, and what we can do to change that later in life. He tells us about how labels can affect us and how we can avoid them. One of the parts of neuroscience I found really fascinating was talking about the connection between the body and the brain. We finish by talking about intentionality, and how important deliberate actions can be to us.

Reflection

I think what I found interesting about this discussion with John was that cut off around about 25 years of age. I finally came out when I was 26, I think it's because I realized at that time that who I was was not going to change. I was just wondering how much are we actually influencing people around us that they have to carry that with them the rest of their lives. I mean, when we're going into work in our early twenties, how much of that relationship burden we get saddled with are we going to be stranded with when we're over the age of 27, and how are we gonna deal with it now with a pandemic being rampant and we're not really getting that personal interaction. Are we gonna be restructuring brains forever? And could we use neuroplasticity, even if we have to push it to the limits, to reconnect as people?

Well, I know from personal experience that after my PTSD in the military it took me a while to get back, to connect with people. And I now know that it's possible, but it takes a lot of work. So, can we all commit to helping people under the age of 25 to find relationships that are worthwhile, authentic, and helps them to understand the connection between humans and how that is really, really important to be able to do our work properly? Well, I'm there, and I will, and I hope you are too.

More from John
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-b-molidor-ph-d-2916218
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OWRBLI/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Crazy Good Interviewing: How Acting A Little Crazy Can Get You The Job

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Tom Peters said that Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing. What do you think?

Bio

Hannes Leroy is Associate Professor at Erasmus University and Distinguished Research Professor at Exeter Business School. As Academic Director of the Erasmus Center of Leadership, Hannes helps to oversee the quality of leadership development at different levels in Erasmus University (undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and executive education). Furthermore, as steward of the League of Leadership initiative he helps to oversee an international consortium of top business schools across the world with the mission of collectively enhancing quality standards of leadership development. Aligned with these efforts, Hannes has published numerous studies on leadership and its development in top journals, has taught a wide variety of leadership classes and is principal coordinator of various leadership development curricula.

Summary
We start by talking about how you need to be curious about people in order to motivate them. This leads us on to talking to your boss, and the importance of each party being able to admit mistakes. Next, we discuss being challenged as a leader, and what challenges leaders are facing. We close by asking if alignment is the ultimate form of authenticity.

Reflection

Hannes said that your non-verbal signals have to correspond to what you’re saying. I wonder how much people can trust somebody if their main point of contact is emails and the occasional zoom call. How many non-verbal signals can somebody’s brain pick up on, if they’re not around the person enough? That’s something I didn’t really think about in office working, the greater chance of creating that relationship just with your small day-to-day actions. I remember Cynthia Bryant talking about the importance of closing your eyes and trying to figure out what you can tell beyond that. Maybe I should now do the opposite, keep my eyes open but try not to listen, putting my fingers in my ears or something. How much information can I impart just beyond the words I’m saying?

More about Hannes

https://www.ted.com/talks/hannes_leroy_i_was_never_trained_for_this

https://www.rsm.nl/people/hannes-leroy/

www.rsm.nl/leadership/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-011-1036-1

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‘We all have common ground, we are all human at the very core, we all experience the same emotions, just about different things and in different ways.’

BioJennifer Johnson is not only an award-winning businesswoman and lawyer, but she is the immediate past president of the Mississippi bar association. The Mississippi bar is a compulsory bar. Every lawyer in Mississippi has to pay into it, but historically not every lawyer has been represented. Jennifer has set the first steps into making an integrated future a reality. I am proud to talk to this 21st-century lawyer, advocate, award winner and awesome mother on the podcast today.

Synopsis
She starts by talking about how she was elected and the state of the bar. We talk about how some people don’t see a racial issue in that state and the idea of racism being “over”. The need to temper honesty with compassion, and the strength gained with diversity. We end by talking about the personal truths of each person, how people can end up being defined by a social category they are assigned to, and how important it is that we don’t see those so vividly, and connect with each other.

ReferencesBooks / Articles
Radical Candour
Thanks for the Feedback

Organisations
The Mississippi Bar Association
Harvard Law School
University of Southern Mississippi
Oscher Lifelong Learning Institute
ABOTA, the American Board of Trial Advocates
The Magnolia Bar Association

People
George Floyd
Robert Gibbs
Sacha Baron-Cohen
Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen
Douglas Stone
Sheila Heen
Chris Voss

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General Powell said that great leaders are great simplifiers, offering a solution everyone can understand? What do you think?

Bio
Vlada started his career in strategy consulting under the leadership of Tim Hough, former Managing Partner of Bain & Company’s Johannesburg office. Tim was an astonishing leader, mentor and strategist who helped fast-track Vlada’s career within the industry.

Effective in engaging with stakeholders throughout the life cycle of consulting projects, from the sales process to implementation where necessary. He has presented to Board-level Executives and has worked collaboratively with culturally and functionally diverse teams across 14 different countries.

Specialising in strategy, business model and organisational design, Vlada prides himself on delivering excellence in all that he does, and has consistently achieved excellent feedback from organisations about the quality of products and strategies delivered to date.

Since joining NIBC he has worked closely with ExCo members to lead strategy and organisational design projects that have reshaped the organisation and continue to work in identifying and implementing organisational bottlenecks that may impede their strategic intent.

Synopsis:

We talk at great length about organisations as complex adaptive systems. This is especially relevant as we work more from home and connections become more tenuous.

He tells us how an underlying purpose is essential to join a large operation together. We then talk about managing people and how personnel need to be suited to the context the business operates in. We move onto talking about how the pace of innovation is increasing, the fact people need to adapt, and the challenge inherent in that in both the long and short term.

Reflection

Vlad said that a leader may excel in a business at one stage of its life, and yet become irrelevant in a very short space of time when the business enters a new phase or the environment changes. It is a little scary on a personal level, but I think if we learn to dance in the moment and move like the proverbial willow in the wind, we can see the change for what it is and adapt. Rigidity is our biggest enemy as a leader.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/g7psaPFkDk8
Blog: https://exponentially.me/podcasts/004/

More from Vlad
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakcevic

http://www.genesis-analytics.com/

http://www.africaia.com/

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If a leader takes people where they want to go, does a great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be?

Bio

Cynthia Bryant has worked in federal agencies for over 20 years. She has led mediations to resolve workplace conflicts and been part of an advising body to the president on diversity and inclusion. She has served on the boards at the University of Kansas Law School, and the Seeing Eye guide dog school, which incidentally, is close to her heart as she uses a guide dog too.

Synopsis

We begin by talking about her experiences with President Jimmy Carter, before moving onto broader topics about how disability knows no race or colour or gender. She gives incredible insight into the difficulties of segregation, and the search for solutions that help people move forward. We then talk about the best qualities of a leader, how to engage with people and deal with their assumptions. We close by discussing why we need to take a moment, shut our eyes, and just listen. When we see less , we often hear more.

Reflection

Something I found interesting was her mother deliberately exposing her to a wide range of cultures growing up, causing her to see empathy as an essential quality in a leader, especially as she talked about the difficulties of segregation. I know I have cast my net quite wide over my lifetime, but don't we all sometimes miss something?

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