I hope you’re enjoying the new series of Confessions of a Guru. Here is our latest episode, Part 5: The Marvels and the Spoon. The “Guru” label is deliberately ironic as, in the age of the un-curated digital platform, everyone - it seems - is suddenly a Guru. Self-proclaimed anyway. 😉 The format is to choose a story from my 30+ years of working with leaders globally, which illustrates the best or the worst of some aspect of leadership. After telling the story, I then extrapolate the message application for you to consider in your life and work. I know you’re busy, so it will always be brief! Part 5: The Marvels and the Spoon One of the FAQs aimed in my direction is the basic question, “What actually is Leadership?” (and how does it differ from Management) One of my favourite ways to explore this is to tell a little-referenced vignette from “The Alchemist” (by Paulo Coelho), which puts both into neat context. It’s the short tale of a boy sent out to discover the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. In this episode, I share the vignette and then deconstruct it through the following themes: -Visionary Vs Doer: what’s the difference? -Visionary Vs Doer: which one are you? -Managing the Tension vs. solving the Problem -How to guarantee failure -What to do to avoid it And as always, there are some key reflection questions to mull over at the end as you navigate your own path. Support the show…

The New Series Yes, indeed, Leadership in Chaos is truly back with an exciting new series – Confessions of a Guru. The “Guru” label is deliberately ironic as, in the age of the un-curated digital platform, everyone - it seems - is suddenly a Guru. Self-proclaimed anyway. 😉 The format is to choose a story from my 30+ years of working with leaders globally, which illustrates the best or the worst of some aspect of leadership. After telling the story, I then extrapolate the message application for you to consider in your life and work. I know you’re busy, so it will always be brief! Part 4: Calmest Person in the Boat We start 2025 with a new episode of the latest series, “Confessions of a Guru”. The theme is appropriate to the foggy uncertainty we find ourselves in on the eve of the Trump inauguration and the essential need for leaders to keep calm in pressure, tension, complexity and uncertainty. This episode explores the following: -What’s the connection between the 1970’s Vietnamese refugee crisis and leadership? -Limbic Leadership = The Dominant Emotion wins -Leadership reputation is won or lost in the high-stakes Moments that Matter -It’s about Impact, stupid The featured story is about a Function Head who spread dis-ease amongst her team, wholly unconsciously and sabotaged beyond repair the good engagement before it had barely taken off the ground. And, as always, there are some key Reflection questions to mull over as you sail into 2025. Support the show…

The New Series Yes, indeed, Leadership in Chaos is truly back with an exciting new series – Confessions of a Guru. The “Guru” label is deliberately ironic as, in the age of the un-curated digital platform, everyone - it seems - is suddenly a Guru. Self-proclaimed anyway. 😉 The format is to choose a story from my 30+ years of working with leaders globally which illustrates the best or the worst of some aspect of leadership. After telling the story, I then extrapolate the message application for you to consider in your life and work. I know you’re busy, so it will always be brief! Part 3: “Can you handle the Truth?” This is the story of a Boomerang client who revealed to me why, at her previous company, the executive had decided not to go any further with the Change project we were working on with them. “I absolutely loved what you were doing. It was having a great impact. But you were getting too close to the Truth…and Leadership didn’t like it”. Honestly. Support the show…

The New Series If you haven’t already noticed, Leadership in Chaos is back with an exciting new series – Confessions of a Guru. The “Guru” label is deliberately ironic as, in the age of the un-curated digital platform, everyone - it seems - is suddenly a Guru. Self-proclaimed anyway. 😉 The format is to choose a story from my 30+ years of working with leaders globally which illustrates the best or the worst of some aspect of leadership. After telling the story I then extrapolate the message application for you to consider in your life and work. I know you’re busy so it will be always brief! Part 2 : The “Non-Negotiables” This story is very recent and, as we’re in Strategy season, stems from an Executive off-site to accomplish just that. The Episode title comes from a scene from Season 3 of The Bear (Disney+) where Carmy is relating his view of what’s required for a restaurant to be “excellent every day” – his "Non-Negotiables". Bon Appetit! Support the show…

Leadership in Chaos is back with an exciting new series – Confessions of a Guru. The “Guru” label is deliberately ironic as, in the age of the infinite digital platform, everyone, it seems, is a guru. By self-appointment. 😉 The format is to choose a story from my 30+ years of working with leaders globally, which, illustrates the best or the worst of some aspects of leadership. After telling the story, I then extrapolate the message application for you to consider in your life and work. I know you’re busy, so it will be always brief! This Episode – Part One The first story is one that goes back to the very start of my career more than 30 years ago and tells about why I decided against undertaking a lucrative Change project with a client because they fell down on the Say-Do gap. I hope you enjoy…. Support the show…

The Keynote Season Part 2: The Leadership Contribution Leadership isn’t about position, title, or privilege – although many organizations operate as if it is. Leadership is best seen as a form of contribution. In this episode, we unpack exactly what makes up that contribution. Insights include: -What is Leadership? -Ask the Audience – we all know great leadership -Organisations are awful at developing leadership -Why the Peter Principle is alive and well in corporate life Related Episodes Episode 53, 54, 55 : Leadership in the New World (Dis)Order (Parts 1-3) Episode 47 : Chaos is the New Normal Episode 39 - 42 : Leading Teams in Chaos Episode 26 : The Leadership Contribution Episode 25 : What is Leadership? (in Chaos) Episode 8 : Building Trust Support the show…

The Keynote Season Part 3: Create Clarity In times of ambiguity and uncertainty, people look intensely to their leaders. As that leader, if you can be nothing else, be clear. This episode explains why and how. Insights include: -Why people don’t do what they’re supposed to…and what to do about it -Why Ambiguity is Enemy No1 for High Performance -Leadership’s 2 Clarity Traps -How we judge Ourselves Vs How Others judge us Related Episodes Episode 57 – Keep Your Focus – Avoid Procrastination Episode 32 – Planning and Prioritising in Chaos Support the show…

The Keynote Season Part 4: Inspire Commitment “The more digital the world becomes, the more we must emphasise what makes us most human” – Jack Ma This episode unveils the 4 Emotionally Intelligent “Cards” that – played right – help build connection and commitment: Humanity’s trump card in an increasingly digital deck. Insights include: -Leadership is a contact sport -Quality of Interaction = Quality of Commitment -Why Trust is harder – and more critical – during Uncertainty -The 4 Emotionally Intelligent Commitment Cards Related Episodes Episode 53, 54, 55 : Leadership in the New World (Dis)Order (Parts 1-3) Episode 47 : Chaos is the New Normal Episode 39 - 42 : Leading Teams in Chaos Episode 26 : The Leadership Contribution Episode 25 : What is Leadership? (in Chaos) Episode 8 : Building Trust Support the show…

The Keynote Season Part 1: Chaos? Always! “Events, dear boy, events” was Harold Macmillan’s succinct reply when asked about the greatest challenge for a statesman. Well, so too with this humble Podcaster who – through force of “events” - has been absent from the podcast platform for exactly one year today. The absence, however, hasn’t been wasted and, on this the very anniversary of my previous episode, I am rebooting with an omnibus quadruple-decker edition entitled the Keynote Season . The title comes from the many Keynotes I’ve been invited to deliver during the past 12 months to address the overwhelming client desire to understand the updated principles of “How to Lead in an Age of Chaos and Disruption ”. We’re born without all the answers, we die without all the answers, yet we spend most of our lives looking for certainty. The problem lies not with the stars …but with ourselves. We spend this first episode of the Keynote series exploring why we crave certainty so much when the natural state is one of change, ambiguity, and Chaos. Therein lies our collective discomfort. Insights include: -It’s not You Chaos, it’s Us -It’s our expectations, stupid -It’s OK not to feel OK -Embrace the Discomfort & look for the Opportunity -How Big corporations are capitalizing on the insight Related Episodes Episode 53, 54, 55: Leadership in the New World (Dis)Order (Parts 1-3) Episode 47: Chaos is the New Normal Episode 39 - 42: Leading Teams in Chaos Episode 26: The Leadership Contribution Episode 25: What is Leadership? (in Chaos) Episode 8: Building Trust Support the show…

“The most scarce resource in the world today is attention” – Yuval Noah Harari The only 2 industries that refer to customers as “users” are Big Tech and drug cartels. We live in an increasingly technology-fuelled Garden of Eden – an attention economy where the most sophisticated dark forces are constantly, covertly intent at work to distract you. If time is your most precious asset as a leader, then saving and spending it wisely becomes paramount. Your old biological defences are hardly sea-worthy any longer and in this age of fierce clandestine competition for your attention, you’re gonna need a bigger boat (or at least a better way to navigate!) to stay afloat. Insights include: -What happens when ancient human biology collides with 21st century technology -Living in a state of Continuous Partial Attention -The recipe for Deep Work -Navigating the Struggle phase towards a state of Flow -Why Multi-Tasking is a myth -The 2 Fundamentals to combat Distraction Related Episodes Episode 57 – Keep Your Focus – Avoid Procrastination Episode 32 – Planning and Prioritising in Chaos Support the show…

“Imagination is more important than Knowledge – Albert Einstein ” What has Art got to do with Leadership? Throughout nearly 30 years of working with leaders and leadership, the very best leaders I’ve encountered all have had one thing in common irrespective of geography or industry: the sensibility of an artist. This was reinforced to me recently when attending a screening of a documentary produced by Maria Doyle Kennedy about the life and work of Irish artist Patrick Scott. After all, leadership is all about creating something novel and new from just your imagination combined with the resources at your disposal whilst inspiring others to join in its creation. So just what is that artistic sensibility that separates the best from the rest? Insights include: -The fallacy of the equation: Good Leadership = Good Results -The best leaders are committed to creating a thing of Beauty -How the Physicist and the Artist are both opposites and the same -The root of authenticity and charisma -The 3 Primary Characteristics of Beauty – Radiance, Integrity, Consonance -Sage advice for appointing the next new leader (or anyone!) Related Episodes Episode 52 - Zoom Out Often Episode 45 – Finding Flow in Chaos Episode 43 – Building Trust in Teams Episode 40 – Leading Teams in Chaos – Part 2 Episode 34 – Finding Meaning in Chaos Episode 26 – The Leadership Contribution Support the show…

Whilst not obligatory that you “love” your people at work - in the amorous sense! - people at least need to know you, as the leader, have got their best interests at heart. On this Valentine’s Day, it is worth remembering that your connection to those that matter makes an enormous contribution to your leadership impact and results. Here’s one of my favourite episodes “From the Archive”: A timely reminder of why and how to … In this episode I explain: What Star Wars has to do with building connection How we often think we’re building connection when in fact we’re not How our Tacit Wisdom is stronger than our intellectual knowledge What to focus on to deepen connection …And ..our discomfort with silence Support the show…

I started the Flow(group) business exactly 25 years ago this month - in January 1998. I can’t brag, because Google started up the same month. For context, it was the year Apple unveiled the iMac ; the Bill Clinton / Monica Lewinsky scandal; the FDA approved the Viagra pill (not related); and the NI Good Friday Agreement (definitely not related). During the time, in addition to the quotidian demands for change, our clients and our business has had to navigate 3 major Global Economic disruptions – spaced roughly a decade apart (just to keep us on our toes!): -Dotcom Bubble Implosion (2000) -Global Financial Crash (2009-10) -Covid Pandemic (2020+) What’s made the quarter-century journey most worthwhile is the Learning about Leadership . It’s been like attending a real-time, experiential Leadership Academy every day for 25 years where the case studies are playing out in the raw, moment by moment. Witnessing the best and the worst of leadership has led to insights you couldn’t possibly find in any one book. The Manifesto is a consolidation - into 25 Principles - of the essence of How to Be as a leader in a world of unending Chaos. Related Episodes Episode 59 – Leadership in Lay-offs - Twitter Vs Stripe Episode 58 – Leadershipinchaos.gov.uk – How Liz Truss authored her own downfall Episode 26 – The Leadership Contribution Episode 5 – Clarity in Chaos Episode 3 – Communicating in Chaos Support the show…

“It’s only when the tide goes out you see who’s been swimming in the nude” – Warren Buffett As a leader the decision to let people go is never easy, but sometimes necessary. Nonetheless, it is often in these Moments that Matter where leaders show what stuff they are really made of. The current high-profile Tech lay-offs provide a unique test for leaders in a sector that has enjoyed rock-star growth throughout the last 2 decades. Twitter and Stripe announced their news at almost exactly the same time. The approach of the respective CEOs Elon Musk (Twitter) and Patrick Collison (Stripe) couldn’t have been more different. Collison’s handling of the announcement was honest, caring and instructive while Musk’s was terse, limp and impersonal. One’s leadership (and, by extension, brand) reputation has been elevated, while the other is in the gutter. Enjoy the contrast. Insights include: -The Leadership Contribution – the 2 things needed in a crisis? -How Musk got it so dreadfully wrong -The 7 things Stripe (Patrick Collison) did brilliantly by contrast -The impact on Leadership when you have no accountability -The 2 core leadership lessons you cannot fake Related Episodes Episode 58 – leadershipinchaos.gov.uk – How Liz Truss authored her own downfall Episode 27 – What the Trump legacy teaches us about Leadership Episode 26 – The Leadership Contribution Episode 5 – Clarity in Chaos Episode 3 – Communicating in Chaos Support the show…

“Useless. Shambles. Incompetent. CHAOS” These were the dominant words of a GB News Peoples’ Poll Wordcloud last week as the Tory party unravelled amidst a sequence of bizarre and barely credible events. But what role did Leadership have to play in the absurdist drama and what was it Liz Truss did or didn’t do to contribute to her own ultimate downfall? This episode unpicks the very clear failures of the leader and the obvious cause-and-effect lessons in the whole sorry piece. Insights include: “Juvenile delinquency breaks out when there is an absence of a responsible adult” The 3 Big Lessons of Leadership in the Liz Truss demise Ambiguity is #1 Enemy of Effectiveness Conviction itself isn’t enough – you need the people Self-Awareness trumps Self-Interest Sage advice for appointing the next new leader (or anyone!) Related Episodes Episode 39-42 – Leading Teams in Chaos Episode 43 – Building Trust in Teams Episode 33 – “Taking Back Control” in Chaos Episode 34 – Finding Meaning in Chaos Episode 26 – The Leadership Contribution Support the show…