Lancefield on the Line

Summary: Innovation is a topic that always comes up in my work with CEOs, senior executives and entrepreneurs. We focus on how to: create an innovation portfolio. balance different types of innovation. develop a more innovative culture. open up the organisation to external stimulus. But there are lots of myths and misunderstandings. Innovation "theatre" too. People talk a great game, but...

Summary : “Digital transformation” is a big buzzword in business. But digital initiatives alone are not enough to win in the marketplace -- companies need to reimagine the compelling value they will offer and how they will create it in a differentiating way. Two senior partners from Strategy&, former colleagues and friends, set out s even leadership imperatives for transforming companies in th...

Summary : The last few years will have forced or encouraged us to make changes in our lives. In a positive light, some people have spent better quality time with family and friends, enjoyed the company of their neighbours, exercised more regularly and taken up hobbies again. But when the pressure's on, and there's no systemic "shock" to deal with, it's natural that we slip...

Summary : Strategy is a mystery to many of us. It’s an over-used, misunderstood term in business. Put simply, a strategy is a plan to create value. Don’t start with profit though. That’s the result of strategy. Instead, use a "value stick" which provides a way of measuring the two fundamental forces that lead to value creation and increased financial success: (1) the customer's will...

Summary : Being a founder of a start-up takes courage, grit, entrepreneurial spirit. It takes a special kind of person. Somebody who is enormously self-driven, -determined and -motivated. But how far will these traits take you as you look to scale your business? And what will you need to start, stop and change in your leadership style? How will you work hard and smart to avoid burn out and mental...

Summary : How many of us set goals for ourselves? It might be in one of those dreadful HR processes at work. Or a memorable event during the year, like New Year or your birthday. We write them down, sometimes share them with family and friends, work at them. But how many of them help us really get somewhere? Too often we settle for the status quo, or baby steps. But what would it take to do someth...

Summary Many of us are impatient. We’re ambitious, keen to see the spoils of success, but also a little insecure, wondering if we’re going to make it or whether a friend or colleague will get there first. So we go all in, putting in the hours, risking overwork or burnout. Or we focus on what feels easy, guaranteed or glamorous in the moment.  At the same time we want to live healthier lives, more...

Summary: Women of color are one of the fastest-growing segments in the corporate workforce, yet often we are underrepresented—among the first, few, or only ones in a department or company. For too long, corporate structures, the social zeitgeist, and cultural conditioning have left them feeling exhausted and downtrodden, believing that in order to “fit in” and be successful, we must hide or change...

Summary : Organisations are crying out for more strategic leaders. These are the people who are brave enough to make a commitment to an extraordinary path, and skilful enough to make a multitude of choices to get there. They’re able to reframe complex problems as they shape brighter futures for those around them. In conversation they stretch and support, nourish and confront in equal measure. In t...

Making a career transition is hard at the best of times. And it’s likely that more of us will make them, either by our own making or by necessity as we live longer. It can be even harder when you’ve operated at an elite level. How do you take the best bits of your performance and use them in a new field? How do you reposition yourself, recreating your brand, and establish credibility in a new spac...

How do you master the process of changing as a professional and as a person? How do you understand where you are on the S-curve of learning? And when you do, what will you do next? Dig into exploring the possibilities in front of you, shift gear and career, or disrupt yourself once you’ve reached mastery? How to avoid the distractions that impede your progress, and focus your attention wisely? Whi...

Summary : Take a moment and ask yourself: what do you stand for, and how do you want to show up at work? These are the two critical questions to address when you think about your identity. And if you feel a sense of belonging, a concept far richer and deeper than just inclusion, you’re going to feel that you can express your identity fully and openly. Creating the conditions for this requires deep...

Summary : The world of business is packed full of terminology, jargon, buzzwords. I’ve probably used too much of it myself. But what do we mean by innovation, customer centricity, agility? Too often we’re not clear so we have parallel conversations, or simply people disengage leaving the important decisions to a clique or the dominant few.  My guest in this podcast, Prof. Costas Markides of the LB...

Being competent, solid, committed isn't enough in extraordinary times - of ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty. Impact players do far more than these typical contributors. They: 1.     Do the job that’s needed 2.     Step up, step back 3.     Finish stronger 4.     Ask and adjust 5.     Make work light They have a healthy disregard for rules, although are savvy enough on how to garner suppo...

Summary : Look around you in the worlds of business and politics. Think of leaders and organisations you admire. Or those that disappoint you. How honest are they in their intentions, and actions? How purposeful are they? In his book 'To Be Honest: Lead with the power of purpose, truth, and justice' Ron Carucci argues that these three elements are fundamental to an organisation's pe...

For too long, strategy has been conceived and designed behind closed doors, at the top table. For leaders to invite others to contribute is often seen as a sign of weakness, diminishing the leaders’ stature, authority, and control. However, the reality is that leaders often find it difficult to develop imaginative ideas on their own, shackled as they are by their conventional wisdom and groupthink...

Think of your favourite role model, superstar, elite professional. It may be somebody who’s won a Nobel Prize, won an Olympic gold, or flown to the moon. What can you, we, learn from them? Surely they’re out of league, in a different stratosphere, literally in some cases? Not so, we can actually learn a lot. They share similar mindsets and practices that helped get them there.  When you hear the f...

What do inspirational leaders do? How do they think? And how do they look after themselves? They certainly have to be able to learn, and reinvent themselves. Build trust with others. They have to see the bigger picture whilst mastering the fine detail of their business. They have to be clear on what they stand for, and and take care of themselves so that they can perform at their best at critical...

What does it take to promote yourself in the best possible way? And how do you do it in a non-obnoxious way? Work on your self-awareness - explore your values, preferences and motivations. Get some insightful feedback (not forgetting your peers) on how you show up and understand what's valued by people who matter. Develop your executive presence, and your voice on topics that matter. And supe...

In complex times we've come to expect the future to be predictable, as strange as that sounds. Seduced by an algorithm or the prediction of a confident economist we think less, become more anxious, and lose some of our creativity and imagination. We become passive and gullible, relying on simplifications or false determinism. My guest in this episode is Margaret Heffernan, six-time book autho...

Summary : If you’re an ambitious person, you’ll be working out what it takes to be exceptional at work (and everywhere). You’ll know that working super hard helps, but won’t be enough – and might eventually burn you out. Getting candid feedback on what you need to change is critical. It goes hand in hand with compassion, funnily enough.  You’ll want to strive for something far better than you have...

How do you make difficult decisions under pressure? How do you avoid being "triggered" by some bad behaviour, choice words or a surprising event? These are important questions for any executive, professional or entrepreneur, daily.  Managing your mind is critical. In practice, this means developing greater conscious of what you're thinking, what you're paying attention to, how...

We spend a lot of our professional days trying to sell ideas to colleagues or clients, don't we? We may not like the idea of selling but that's exactly what we're doing. It might for support for an initiative or investment in a project - from a Board, Exco, or external investor. We'd like to think that do it well - describing its features, explaining how it works and selling th...

What does it take for a leader to think strategically? You’d hope you didn’t need to ask this question as it should be a core capability. It’s often not as they focus on workplace culture or commercial tactics, both of which are important too. But it’s critical to a clear view as to where the organisation needs to move towards, whom it should serve and how, and how to win you. That way you can bui...

An inspirational leader often creates a leap forward in the positioning, performance and profile of the organisation. They’ve been bold enough to look at a situation with new lenses - customer, outsider, new employee. They look for stimulus in the margins, listening carefully to new voices and those who are at the margins. And then they have the courage to take the leap forward. That means letting...