"More than 95% of the strategies that comes across my desk are highly dependent on cross functional work. The ability to execute cross functional things will be a question of competitive advantage"

Johan and I delve into the world of strategy and execution and how to obtain aligned results. How do we ensure alignement when executing strategy in the digital business landscape ? What effect is AI having on these strategies and operations ?

We discuss the need for simplified methodologies inspired by Agile practices and the fact that despite technological advancements, current strategic processes remain manual, necessitating better use of data, A/B testing, and AI for automated reporting and enhanced strategy execution. Executing strategy effectively is about refocusing on what matters – strategy must be simplified for busy managers to aid implementation, given that the CEO/strategic process is far less digitised than other parts of organisations.

Digital tools enable frequent monitoring and adjustments, moving away from infrequent reviews, while transparency in communication aids progress tracking and alignment. Storytelling is crucial for connecting strategy formation with execution during digital transformation and successful execution requires stepping out of the overwhelm, narrowing initiatives and effective resource allocation.

‘Future’ trends in strategy execution are happening now thanks to AI. We discuss how AI helps leaders focus on strategic activities, identify key initiatives and analyse unstructured data. AI also offers help for reactive leaders by providing meta data to suggest activities and support priorities and by creating space for senior leaders to make quality decisions, keep across operations and empower their teams.

We explore the critical role of proactive leadership in connecting operational practices with strategic discussions. By translating concepts like digitalisation and sustainability into actionable projects, organisations can achieve clarity and accountability in their initiatives. Think about how your organisation is adapting to these challenges and where the pitfalls are for you.

The main insights you'll get from this episode :

- Executing strategy effectively is about refocusing on what matters – strategy must be simplified for busy managers to aid implementation, given that the CEO/strategic process is far less digitised than other parts of organisations.

- Moving from strategy to execution requires a good methodology and the model is shifting due to behavioural responses and the inability of the C-suite to give strategy meaning and make it actionable.

- The fast-moving external environment requires agility, but agile has become too binary for the complexity of the topic, which involves two major phases: strategy formation and strategy execution.

- Strategy formation tends to be overambitious, and management consider engagement with strategy execution too low, but from an external point of view, it starts at the top with a failure to prioritise and take a cross-functional view.

- A good strategy formation process is both top-down and bottom-up – good ideas combined with management responsibility – but digital acceleration can be a distraction and dilute strategy.

- The real value of digitalisation is the ability to aggregate deviations to a higher level where they can be resolved quickly and enable faster follow-up – simply ‘beautifying’ the process does not help.

- AI offers help for reactive leaders by providing meta data to suggest activities and support priorities and by creating space for senior leaders to make quality decisions, keep across...

“Empathy flows both ways and it’s not just the leader’s job or the organization’s job to show empathy.”

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, one quality stands out as both a humane virtue and a strategic advantage: empathy. Maria and I delve into the dilemmas surrounding empathy and empathy in leadership, which are powerful tools for fostering engagement, innovation, and customer loyalty while simultaneously boosting retention and revenue.

We discuss the multifaceted nature of empathy by distinguishing between cognitive empathy—understanding another’s thoughts—and emotional empathy—connecting with their feelings. We also discuss common misconceptions about empathy, which can lead to burnout and ineffective leadership. We go back to the necessity for human connection to create meaningful relationships and workplaces. Empathy is about connection - understanding other people’s thinking better can result in compromise and fruitful discussions – and can leverage healthy challenge. both these things are necessary for innovation, productivity and ultimately competitive advantage.

Both employees and leaders share the responsibility of navigating workplace challenges with empathy, especially in hybrid settings. Personal agency, self-awareness, and decisiveness are vital, and as automation increases, the relationship between empathy and AI becomes more pertinent. Leaders must continue to develop human skills like emotional intelligence to remain relevant.

Maria shares her insights, models and experience of leading with heart and head—because empathy isn’t just about understanding; it’s about building a brighter, more connected future !

The main insights you'll get from this episode are :

- What is empathy? At work, an accessible definition is the ability to see, understand, and, where appropriate, feel another person’s perspective and use that information to act with compassion.

- Compassion is empathy in action: it is not always necessary to feel, we can use cognitive empathy to imagine what others are feeling. This can then lead to emotional empathy, i.e. experiencing an increased heart rate when feeling someone else’ anger.

- Empathy at work should be seen as a means to gather information – to understand the context and move forward with the right step, e.g. making an informed decision by listening.

- The common misconceptions for leaders are that ‘doing empathy wrong’ means that it goes astray and there are no benefits – it is not about being nice or caving in to unreasonable demands but about balancing decision-making and supporting other people.

- Empathy is about connection not conversion - understanding other people’s thinking better can result in compromise and fruitful discussions – and can leverage healthy challenge.

- There are five pillars of effective and empathetic leadership: self-awareness, self-care, clarity, decisiveness, and joy. Leaders must recognise their blind spots, emotional triggers and patterns and understand the difference between self-care and self-maintenance to resource themselves and react well.

- Empathy centres on balance, but the work/life balance is a myth – it is more of a work/life integration, constantly adjusting on different levels: ‘either or’ leadership in terms of efficiency vs. empathy is also a myth as it is not a binary phenomenon.

- Clarity paves the way to empathy in that leaving a team in limbo, unsure what they are doing and where they are going, is unempathetic; things must be clearly defined; candour must be kind; and feedback constructive.

- Covid proved...

"You must really develop the muscle for resilience because you will need it"

Resilience is a key leadership ingredient in today's complex world, whether you are inside or outside an organisation, however, for women in the business world it is even more important. Kelley and I explore invaluable insights into navigating these 2 paths of intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship, especially for senior female leaders in tech.

Entrepreneurship requires resilience, resourcefulness, effective problem-solving, and a strong sense of self-belief. Women often face additional challenges, yet they can draw strength from perseverance and intentionally building and nourishing their support systems.

Kelley’s successful acquisition by ServiceNow exemplifies how AI skills can benefit companies globally, and we discussed the need to passionately advocate for women supporting one another, and helping other women rise daily. AI’s potential to enhance diversity and inclusion by focusing on skills rather than backgrounds is a crucial takeaway. Organisations must adapt to recognise diverse capabilities for equitable advancement.

Generative AI offers a promising future by enhancing human creativity and potential, urging us to align with core values for impactful change.

Kelley shares her own insights and learnings, and her vision for a future where women in tech are empowered, and innovation knows no bounds!

The main insights you'll get from this episode are :

- Intrapreneurship is about developing and innovating from the inside - the pros are having an immediate lab, a captive customer, funding and resources, and speed of trust. The cons are having less time (due to the day job), encountering resistance to internal change, and only having the existing resources.

- The cons of entrepreneurship are that it is scary, lonely and offers no safety (net) or support. It requires key skills from both personal and professional life, i.e. resilience; resourcefulness; vision; aggression; creative problem-solving; humility; an ability to listen, influence, and persuade; charisma; be an inspiration for customers, investors and employees; be well networked.

- Overcoming multiple rejections and setbacks requires a strong belief in yourself and the project/purpose. Senior female leaders and tech founders do not generally receive validation or recognition from others so must be self-driven.

- A female leader needs a personal ‘board of directors’, i.e. a group of people they trust, can be vulnerable with, and who can offer skills and advice. Women must help each other in the corporate environment through mentoring and opening doors (build networks by maintaining relationships, having a genuine interest in people, investing the requisite time and effort).

- Women are socialised to find the win-win via empathy, sensitivity, and incorporating others’ needs – they sell a solution rather than a product, often addressing major problems in society, e.g. medical, social, or economic issues, motivated by the meaningful impact.

- A frustration with the lack of software to solve HR problems was the reason for building a solution to transform the workforce using AI to make the invisible visible by removing bias and focusing solely on skills. This connects leaders with underrepresented categories and also fosters diversity and inclusion.

- Transcending bias creates a more level playing field and counters systemic bias. Organisations must change rapidly but people have hidden skills and are boxed in by their roles. Generative AI is a gamechanger in that it can unleash human potential and creativity.

- AI has gone...

"The vision is creating a world where great experiences and safety work together"

Peter and I discuss the possibilities of creating a different, smoother approach that seamlessly integrates AI solutions without compromising the convenience and comfort of the user. The exponential speed of tech is disruptive, so a people-first approach is essential to provide a tech solution that does not cause any unnatural change to behaviour or the way we live and does not interrupt the flow of the day.

We explore a more focused market approach, where solutions are tailored to meet the specific demands of users, especially in a post-COVID world where hybrid work models are becoming the norm, and hitting the crucial balance of enhancing security measures without sacrificing user convenience. We need to challenge outdated protocols in schools and airports by advocating for a seamless, human-centric approach.

Our conversation also highlights the importance of aligning marketing strategies with customer expectations and adapting training materials to meet generational shifts. By putting the customer first, especially during economic downturns, companies can successfully navigate challenges and emerge stronger. Companies must also be willing to disrupt themselves so as not to be out-innovated by others who build loyalty along the way - different generations have different requirements, habits and expectations.

Peter generously shares his insights from leading high growth technology businesses and digital transformation initiatives, particularly into how AI is not just modernizing security but transforming it into an experience that aligns with the expectations of today’s world.

The main insights you'll get from this episode are :

- Physical security technology lags behind other technologies; Xtract One as a leading AI-powered tech company is bringing the physical into the digital to create a transparent, frictionless, non-invasive experience.

- The exponential speed of tech is disruptive, so a people-first approach is essential to provide a tech solution that does not cause any unnatural change to behaviour or the way we live and does not interrupt the flow of the day.

- Technology such as airport security has failed to catch up due to its long sales cycle (in addition to factors of governance and bureaucracy). It must be familiar but make life easier and invisible but make the system more efficient.

- It is imperative to talk to customers about their needs and priorities, and to fit the solution to the business, i.e. the idea must reflect the reality by finding the problem first and working backwards.

- Complex security situations (e.g. multiple sites) must adopt a digital solution as the start of the digital transformation journey with a mindset of continuous use of tech to continuously innovate the guest experience in order to stay ahead.

- The approach must be customer-first over invention-first: hyperfocus (with the potential to pivot afterwards) and leveraging data (also internally) to improve the experience and open the door to infinite scalability.

- The future of the guest experience is a safe environment - large venues obtain vast amounts of data and must use it to give the guest a better experience by reducing the negative experience and rewarding ‘good’ guests.

- Xtract One’s platform makes it safer and easier to navigate the end-to-end guest journey by innovating with integrity: this means being transparent with customers and explaining in detail what products/solutions don’t do.

- The physical security industry...

"Life doesn’t get easier, you handle hard better"

Alan & I delve into the world of self awareness and personal growth. It all began with a moment that could have been his last. After a life changing car accident, which propelled Alan into a journey of self-discovery and growth, Alan shares how his experience at Cognex highlighted the dual-edged sword of industrial automation: while it propels personal success, it also challenges job availability for other workers. We explore how this moral conflict fuelled his mission at Next Level University to empower individuals with free, open source personal development resources to allow people to take themselves to the next level of who they are.

We discuss using learning sciences to alleviate ignorance-induced suffering, and the importance of awareness, commitment to growth, and the harmony of team dynamics. In a world that often celebrates overconfidence, alongside gathering knowledge must be humility and self-efficacy - leaders often have external self-efficacy but less internal self-efficacy. We must keep the balance between external achievements and internal fulfillment, encouraging ongoing effort and intentionality.

Alan shares not only his personal journey, but also his insights and methods from working with people all over the globe, to help them transform into a fulfilled version of who they really are.

The main insights you'll get from this episode are :

- The rise of industrial automation will take jobs from the growing population of less educated people; therefore, retooling is necessary and the NLU aims to empower people to create their own jobs.

- It is free to attend and offers resources and opportunities for those willing to put the work in to grow themselves and their business, reach their potential and create a brighter future.

- It is a big ambition with a mission statement, core values, metrics, subjects, and vehicles to achieve it, based on self-awareness being a necessity, not a luxury – if we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem.

- The root cause of human suffering is ignorance and apathy, i.e. we don’t know (enough) or don’t care (enough); we must learn and find our purpose, caring deeply (enough) to fulfil our true potential.

- Alongside gathering knowledge must be humility and self-efficacy - leaders often have external self-efficacy but less internal self-efficacy; after all, ‘life doesn’t get easier, but you handle hard better’.

- There is always a percent error (that requires underlying contingency plans) but being right increases with age – we are never fully right but we become more and more right, and more right than others.

- The challenging duality of knowing more than others but less than there is to know requires vulnerability and radical humility – we must be able to hold two different ideas simultaneously, as decisions are not always binary.

- A good modus operandi can be to reverse engineer problems, understanding the calculations that go into decision-making. Comparing self-driving cars with human beings, both need:

· Accurate current location, i.e. self-awareness

· Accurate destination location, i.e. a goal

· Accurate...

"playfulness and adults is very under researched and under utilised in organisations to help people to thrive..."

Elrika and I have a great conversation about the power of play and playfulness in creating workplaces where people and performance can thrive. Light-hearted practices enhance empathy and shared experiences, and despite challenges in remote work, maintaining playfulness is possible in virtual meetings.

Playfulness is often undervalued in adult contexts, yet it’s crucial for brain function, creativity, and performance. We explore the cultural sensitivities around play in the workplace as well as the neuroscientific processes as work. Technology and digital can also be used to leverage play in the workplace and leaders who dare to incorporate playfulness can create more collaborative, creative, and resilient workplaces, and enhance human connection.

Techniques like Lego Serious Play are more than just child’s play; they are strategic tools for inclusion, creativity and balance, even at the highest levels of management.

Elrika shares her research, insights and experience from working with organisations and leaders around the globe on 'how to play' seriously and to enhance the bottom line business results.

The main insights you'll get from this episode are :

- Playfulness in adults is important for thriving although sadly scarce. Research into playfulness and its effect on the brain shows that play is rooted in our brain chemistry, so it is part of all of us but not nurtured in all of us.

- An agile world requires us to consider the whole human and embrace our roots of being playful. One definition of play is the playful onion: play is on the outer layers we can see, playfulness is on the inner layers we can’t see, and the playful centre is where we find compassion, warmth and imagination.

- The LEGO Serious Play approach allows us to learn from each other’s models and gives us time to reflect on the results, which enables introverts and extroverts to play along by creating a safe space and catering for all personality types – it is overarchingly collective but facilitates individual input.

- It builds skills, increases challenge, enables flow and does not assume that leaders have the answers – rather that everyone has the answers. Neurologically, thinking and talking use only the frontal lobe of the brain.

- The hand-brain connection relaxes people enough to listen and be creative and using more of the brain increases divergent thinking. LEGO stimulates multiple processes simultaneously, releasing serotonin (excitement about the process), dopamine (completing the task) and adrenaline (the urgency of the task).

- In a safe environment, it is possible to build something and break it again, enabling us to fail together and building team cohesiveness. Playfulness in the workplace can also address stress and burnout challenges, providing a feeling of safety to experience emotions: ‘If I can laugh with you, I can cry with you’.

- Playfulness creates safety, but safety is required to play – this reciprocity needs respect, clear boundaries, and space for exploration and engagement; it allows us to bring our personalities to work, and be less afraid of who we are, and of imposter syndrome.

- When using play for leaders in organisations with a clear hierarchy, it is important to understand different levels of play and playfulness; sometimes apparently serious people are playful (NOT silly – this is a clear and significant difference).

- The Proyer approach of OLIW – other-directed, light-hearted, intellectual, whimsical – is...

"Clear beats clever, yet we’re still incentivising clever in organisations… “

A brilliant conversation with Eric about creating the conditions for both performance and people to thrive. We delve into the different parts of this journey to build a culture that enables performance. The acronym LoL—listen, observe, learn— highlights the importance of engaging with employees and clients to understand their challenges beyond financial metrics.

We also discuss the importance of personal interactions, that are vital for building trust, particularly in the digital age. A human-centric strategy and cultural resilience are crucial for navigating crises, and being intentional with our actions to build relationships, communicate effectively and take people with us on this journey is important to building a new way of thinking, acting and being.

We all suffer from complexity bias, and the importance of clarity over complexity has never been more pressing, as we look to lead with empathy, streamline messages and enhance focus.

Eric generously shares his stories, experience and operational tips from his career and from working with leaders across the five generations.

The main insights you'll get from this episode are :

- Starting from a fascination with leadership from an early age, through business school, and working for a company that enabled personal growth resulted in a message of impact to pass on in the form of a book.

- Based on the notion that ‘simple’ plans are not necessarily simplistic to implement, the book offers anecdotes and practical tips for hands-on operationalisation for leaders as the mechanic for the car, and whose people are the vehicle for the journey.

- LOL – listen, observe and learn – as a foundation for strategy to obtain different opinions to give a new view of how best to act, thanks to a diversity of perspective - no one is ever smarter than the room even if they are the smartest person in the room.

- Observing behaviours and action is the simplest definition of culture. Visiting with and talking to people builds trust – a roadmap is not a new idea, but without the human element it is just directions, and leadership must navigate both the path and the people.

- The ‘velvet hammer’ approach refers to the relationship between people and performance – leaders must truly listen, observe and learn, make people feel special, but also give them accountability, balancing head and heart.

- Clear beats clever, despite this not being the paradigm in most organisations. Clarity can be achieved through simplicity to overcome complexity bias - complex does not mean better, and improvement does not mean adding to.

- It is much better to master the basics than trying to be too clever; leaders are overwhelmed with information and excuses are introduced – far better is to avoid the noise and be a ‘distraction catcher’.

- The abc of communication: know when to amplify a message, buffer it, and convey it. To embed this in a culture successfully and sustainably requires feedback, time management, the definition of priorities, and difficult conversations.

- Cultural resilience is about equipping people to have conversations in the workplace and about having an intentional approach to everything e.g. stay interviews. It acts as a shock absorber when bad news strikes, by building a solution mindset.

- A ‘check under the hood’ process allows for the tangible measurement of culture by asking questions, obtaining data,

"we need to think of conversations as living systems...this mechanistic story is so all pervasive that we don't even recognise it... "

A brilliant conversation with Michelle on creating sustainable conditions for people & living systems to thrive. Michelle offers a refreshing and transformative perspective of thrivability. This concept redefines how communities and businesses operate by viewing them as dynamic, interconnected living systems. We discuss moving beyond the mechanistic approaches and the leadership paradigms that support this, and us embracing a more holistic vision rooted in collaboration, diversity, and shared purpose.

This of course asks for different leadership skills and the intention to create practice grounds where individuals and teams can hone these skills. We delve into the wealth of wisdom in indigenous cultures, and within our selves as we walk through the spiral of conversations as living systems. At each stage we can look at new habits, thinking and feeling. Never have organisations been more in need of cultivating and nourishing the human elements of systems and practition-ing sustainable change to a more inclusive and collaborative way of working.

How can we all channel our personal agency to create cultures where we collaborate and care and not compete and compare ?

How do we create regenerative and intentional practice to build Thrivability and competitive advantage ? A platform for world change..

Listen here to find out more as Michelle generously shares her research, experience and models form working with individuals and organisations all over the globe.

The main insights you'll get from this episode are :

- Brand strategy, international marketing and organisational development are all characterised by a lack of relationships with customers, a lack of purpose, and a fiercely competitive internal culture.

- Research into sustainability involved looking into the notion that everything operates as a machine, separate from each other and nature, and exploring biology to see if the facts of being alive apply to communities and organisations.

- Went on to develop frameworks that have now been in use for over 25 years based on living systems, survival of the fittest, an adaptive capacity for change, a holistic view of systems, and the wisdom of natural living systems.

- The four patterns of thrivability – diversity, nourishment, learning, emergence – have significance for us as individuals and collectively; organisations are seen as separate from us and static, but we must see everything as part of a living, dynamic world.

- Thrivability is an informed intention and practice to enable life to thrive - living and participating enable the setting of an intention whilst being informed enables life to thrive, drawing on indigenous wisdom, intuition, poetry, spirituality, biology, etc.

- Organisations as living systems must invite diversity in relationship and flow, enabling the emergence of a new whole beyond the level of the parts – this shared purpose then acts like a magnet to bring parts together.

- Mechanical systems have no capacity for innovation, healing, regeneration, reaction to change, or spark of life - we are the gardeners who cultivate life, without necessarily knowing what we are growing.

- Collective intelligence is about the integration of diverse parts, moving from ‘compete and compare’ to ‘collaborate and compare’, which is a profound and revolutionary shift in terms of social context.

- The starting point is being aware of the wholeness of the present...