Leadership 2.0

Are you working ‘in’ or ‘on’ the firm? This is just one of the many provocative and thought stimulating questions Steve Mostyn asks in his book 'Why Great Leaders Ask Great Questions'.  For a long time we looked for leader to get answers. According to Steve this is because we confuse authority with leadership. True leadership in business is grounded in knowing ourselves and building a re...

We all have behavioral preferences.  Some of us get energy from being part of a group, others from quiet reflection on their own. When it comes to how we gather data in decision-making processes, some people prefer looking at the facts presented by the current situation, while others rely more on the future possibilities the current situation offers.  The way we make decisions is also different. T...

Only a decade ago, executive coaching was associated with either very senior business leaders coached by well-known authors and thought leaders, or with leaders who were struggling in their roles and were given a coach as a last resort. Today, executive coaching has become mainstream — and it has changed significantly.  First, despite the name, it is no longer the prerogative of C-level executives...

In corporate life, we accept that 40% of newly appointed executives fail - we simply accept it as an unavoidable risk. The financial and professional implications of failed transitions however, are significant for both the individual and the organization.  For the individual, it means their livelihood is threatened and their professional reputation is damaged.  For organizations, failed transition...

Unfortunately, nowadays one look at a television news bulletin or a glance at a newspaper cover is enough to see the dark side of leadership. However, many people do not need to switch on the TV or read the paper to witness this; instead, they experience the dark side of leadership every day within their own organizations. They happen to work for "Psychopath Lights"—or, as Manfred Kets d...

'Lost in Business Transformation' Despite the fact that there is a solid body of knowledge about the topic of change management for several decades already, McKinsey's infamous notion that '70% of all change management efforts fail' is still seen as adequately representing the current situation. Rupert Brown is an experienced chief people officer and change management spec...

'Adult Innovation' Many individuals and organizations wrestle with the question of how they can become more innovative, ... and Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg has the answers! Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg is the author of What’s Your Problem? (Harvard Business Press, 2020), a book on how to solve the right problems. He is also the co-author (with Paddy Miller) of Innovation as Usual, a Harvard B...

'Eating radishes' That is how, according to Matt Dixon, many 'doer-sellers' experience selling their services. People do not become management consultants, executive coaches, accountants, lawyers, or engineers to sell. However, for those working in professional service firms or independently, selling is an integral part of their role. At the same time, professional sales proces...

Why do people want to become CEO in the first place?" That was one of the first questions I posed to Ty Wiggins during our interview for the Leadership 2.0 Podcast.  After all, the statistics are sobering: The turnover of CEOs is at an all-time high: from 9.2 years in 2018 to 7.6 years in 2022 50% of all CEOs reported feelings of loneliness The average workweek of CEOs is more than 60 hours[^...

I have always been quite cynical about ESG and CSR initiatives from companies. They always struck me as 'Do as I say, not what I do'. My favorite examples include a 'Big Oil' company preferring suppliers with a 'green' supply chain, a Financial Services companies directly contributing to the Euro crisis but giving their employees an afternoon off to paint schools in d...

'We live in the most Generationally Diverse Demographic' (Rebecca Robins). Unfortunately, generational differences are often seen as a source of problems - sometimes misunderstood, and exaggerated by social media.. However, what would happen if we saw Generational Differences as Opportunities instead of Issues? This is precisely the topic of the book 'Five Generations at Work: How W...

In many organizations Learning & Development (L&D) is seen as a 'Nice to Have'. Unfortunately, this is often reflected their (bland) L&D offerings, which, more often than not, are generic and fail to address the strategic issues organizations need to address However, what would happen if organizations truly would treat Learning & Development as a strategic instrument? In...

Many people in the workplace wrestle with combining their ethical and spiritual convictions on the one hand, and what they feel is required of them to progress their careers or simply to stay in their roles. For people who experience this tension and want to address it, 'Heroic Leadership - Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World' by Chris Lowney. ' will be...

Most of us are acutely aware of the gap between how our organizations aspire to operate and the everyday reality of working within them. In 'Badly Behaved People', executive coach Zena Everett describes many highly recognizable real-world cases illustrating how this discrepancy can manifest itself—and how it can be addressed. What I especially like about this book is how Zena Everett mak...

Even though, for years, we have had a vast array of change management theories and methodologies at our disposal (Kotter, Lewin, Kubler-Ross, Bridges, ADKAR, etc.), it still proves to be very hard for us as leaders and consultants to implement real, sustainable change (transformation). Most change projects fail (70% according to McKinsey), or end with a superficial victory declaration, after which...

Most organizations use complex tools and processes, and are often supported by external consultants to analyze and (re) shape their culture. When I heard Manuela Staub on a seminar describing the pragmatic, inclusive, and effective way the leadership team at Zurich Airport approached their culture change program (in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic!), I immediately knew I wanted to interview her...

In this episode I interview Deborah Perry Piscione about her latest book: ‘Employment Is Dead: How Disruptive Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Way We Work’, which she wrote together with Josh Drean.  The central theme of this book is that traditional employment models are becoming outdated due to the evolving needs and expectations of the modern workforce, facilitated by disruptive technologie...

Ralph Schonenbach is a serial entrepreneur with over two decades of global experience, as well as an author. His work centers around developing and nurturing relationships. In this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast we talk about his latest start-up, Meerkat.ai, as well as about his book 'Relationships matter'. In this conversation, we touch on the following topics: Why relationships...

The image of the banking industry has been severely tarnished by the financial crisis (2007-2008), which led to increasing regulatory and compliance demands. At the same time, the industry is experiencing emerging competition from FinTechs, evolving business models, and disruptive technologies. In light of these challenges, I recently spoke with Ralph Hamers, to explore his views on what effective...

‘We want to help candidates to move from jobs they like, to jobs they love’ - Victor Akwunwa. The commoditization of human capital in recruitment processes leads to unsatisfactory outcomes for the companies and the candidates concerned. For companies, recruitment has become a volume game where KPI’s have replaced quality. For candidates because the unique value they can bring to organizations is n...

There are some companies I deeply admire, and On, the Swiss sports and apparel brand is definitely one of them! Not only do they make amazing products and have an extremely powerful brand, they also have a unique company culture. For this reason, I was thrilled to sit down with Alessandra del Pino, Head of Engagement & Talent Growth at On, to discuss the company culture of On, or, as Alessandr...

‘Everyone who wins nowadays is challenging the Shareholder Value Maximization doctrine’ This is just one of the powerful and thought-provoking statements Professor Michael Pirson (Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business) made when I interviewed him about 'Humanistic Management'. In the last decades, the shortcomings of the neo-liberal economic order in our society have become cle...

'A transformational read that every leader of today needs'. These were the words Head Judge, Jacq Burns used when she announced that 'Leader As Healer', written by Nicholas Janni was selected as the overall winner for the 2023 Business Book Awards. The book argues that, given the current challenges our society faces, we need a new leadership model. Our current leadership model...

Twenty years ago, in 2004, Shell was hit by the reserves scandal. In the midst of this crisis, the board asked Jeroen van der Veer to become CEO and navigate the company out of this crisis. Recently Jeroen wrote a book titled 'Van A naar B - Lessen in leiderschap' ('From A to B - Lessons in Leadership'), in which he reflects on these, and other experiences during his long caree...

With the publication of his bestseller 'HR Champions' in 1997, Dave Ulrich signaled the potential for HR functions to develop themselves from administrative functions into mission-critical ones for the business (my words—not Dave's!).  Dave Ulrich is the Rensis Likert Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a partner at the RBL Group, a consulting firm f...