Management Today's Leadership Lessons

Business continuity will always be one of the most fundamental concerns for any company, but putting systems and strategies in place to ensure that continuity can be a headache for business leaders.  In this special edition Management Today podcast, presented in partnership with fire and security company Chubb, we explore why security should be among the top priorities for organisations that...

On today’s episode, Éilis Cronin and Antonia Garrett Peel discuss the risks posed to businesses by deep fakes and whether your organisation needs a chief AI officer. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/need-chief-ai-officer/indepth/article/1877156 https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/when-call-boss-isnt-really-boss/leadership-lessons/article/1876697 Credits: Presenters: Antonia Garrett Peel and...

On today's episode I speak with Amy Edmonson, the brains behind the concept of psychological safety. We take a deep dive into the art of failure; how and why it happens, the different types of failure, her own experiences of failure, and why some failures are better than others and could be, in the right circumstances, transformative for your business. She says: “A successful failure is one that t...

On today’s episode, Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis Cronin discuss what the authors of one study have called the UK’s ‘overtime epidemic’, Samsung’s six-day working week, and why savouring expressions of gratitude can make you a better leader. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/productivity-employee-impacted-overtime-epidemic-says-report/indepth/article/1874538 https://www.managementtoday.co....

Research suggests that about 70% of us will end up feeling like a fraud at some point during our lives. In this week's episode, Sally Bibb, a partner at PA Consulting, gets under the skin of imposter syndrome, providing a practical framework for addressing feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy. She also discusses why saying what you're good at doesn't have to mean bragging, the reason we might be...

On the latest episode of Leadership Lessons, MT's editorial team discusses what we might be inadvertently communicating about ourselves online, the findings of new research into global hybrid working patterns, and an interview with Geoff McDonald in which the former global VP of HR at Unilever opens up about his experience with mental ill health. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/geoff-mcdo...

“Making those steps from one industry to another you get to experience the best of everything. You never become institutionalised or entrenched in one industry or culture. You take a little patchwork of experience with you wherever you go.” On this week's episode of Leadership Lessons, Jo Carman, director of Plusnet, discusses the lessons she learnt from her "squiggly" career, the major overhaul o...

On the latest episode of Leadership Lessons, Éilis Cronin and Management Today’s new editor, Claire Warren, discuss whether Unilever’s softening of its green policies mean it’s turning its back on ESG, should all talk of politics be banned from the workplace and if the government’s new visa requirements are a spanner in the works for recruitment. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/minimum-vi...

It is an indictment of the value organisations place on management, in Ann Francke’s view, that 82% of those promoted into these roles have had no proper training. This week on Leadership Lessons, the Chartered Management Institute's chief discusses why the prevalence of so-called 'accidental managers' is bad news for organisations, the economy and, of course, the individuals being managed. S...

On the latest episode of Leadership Lessons, Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis Cronin discuss how P&G fought off the start-up disruptors, the CEO who has been nicknamed leader of ‘Wokeminster’ City Council and what chief executives think of the new flexible working rules. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/ceos-new-flexible-working-bill/hybrid-working/article/1869418 https://www.managementtoday...

Every organisation is clogged with destructive friction – from convoluted meetings to antiquated technologies – that chips away at “our initiative, commitment and zest for work”.  That's the contention at the centre of a new book from Stanford professors Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao, which aims to teach people how to "live like a friction fixer". This week on Leadership Lessons, Sutton...

On today’s episode, we discuss why great creative ideas fail to get off the ground, whether it’s time for leaders to embrace the “life admin reality”, and revisit some outlandish CEO antics from the business annals. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/yes-staff-life-admin-work-heres-why-leaders-embrace-it/opinion/article/1867800 https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/when-ceos-lose-plot/leadership...

Cybercrime is not an issue that is likely to disappear any time soon. During the course of 2023, according to Statista, the number of cyber incidents reported by UK businesses rose by more than a third. In 2022, 28% of businesses said they identified one breach or attack in the previous 12 months, compared to 21%. Indeed, the UK is the economy most at risk of cyber attack, according to one recent...

On this week's episode, we discuss Admiral founder Henry Engelhardt’s crusade to create a world of better bosses, how AI can be used in the workplace to help human employees, and business’s plastic problem. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/management-hypocrisy-leadership-red-lines-insurance-tycoon-henry-engelhardt/interviews/article/1866388 https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/asana-ceo-ai-hu...

Do you want to create a successful team? Then you should start a workplace choir, share a spicy group meal before a difficult meeting and take up pickleball.  These are some of the tricks proposed by the guests on this episode of Management Today's Leadership Lessons.   Robin Dunbar, University of Oxford’s emeritus professor of evolutionary psychology, and the co-founders of leaders...

On today’s episode, we discuss why Blockbuster really failed (with the inside story from former CEO James Keyes), the importance of agility and the issues raised by extended gardening leave. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/why-blockbuster-really-went-bankrupt-according-its-former-ceo/interviews/article/1863669 https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/when-does-gardening-leave-cease-serve-its-pur...

This week’s guest is Mark Dixon, the founder and CEO of IWG - formerly known as Regus - which is the largest flexible office network worldwide.  Mark is a serial entrepreneur. He dropped out of school aged 16 to start his first business selling sandwiches from a butcher’s bike. Next came a hot dog venture, then a bakery which he sold aged 28 for £800,000. He then set up Regus, which he self-f...

On today’s episode, we discuss female representation on FTSE 350 boards, the real reasons employees keep quiet in meetings and some pearls of wisdom from Amex and IBM's respective UK leaders. Keep an ear out for a shameless plug of MT's latest series. Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/know-real-reasons-employees-keeping-schtum-meetings/indepth/article/1861869 https://www.managementtoday.co....

Today we meet Tricia Cusden, founder of Look Fabulous Forever. Frustrated with the lack of conversation around good quality products available for mature skin, the now 75-year old launched cosmetics company Look Fabulous Forever in 2013, working alongside her two daughters Anna and Suzy. She and Anna discuss the inspiration behind the company, navigating the world of e-commerce while also running...

On today’s episode, we discuss when it's acceptable for a CEO to have a side gig, why being bolder might help you to get a promotion, and whether it's up to senior staff to set an example when it comes to spending time in the office. Also on the agenda: is the world ready for a DJing chief exec? Links: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/when-acceptable-ceo-side-gig/food-for-thought/article/1860531...

In this episode, Ajaz Ahmed, the CEO and co-founder of digital creative agency AKQA, argues that chaos and unpredictability are the enemies of a well-run company. He is convinced that “exceptional discipline and organisation” are the keys to high performance and it’s a trait he’s witnessed repeatedly among successful clients.  Ahmed’s backstory is straight out of the Silicon Valley playbook....

On today’s episode, we discuss whether CEOs are paid enough, how to know when it’s time to leave a role, and the employment tribunal that could mark the death knell for remote working. Watch out for mentions of underwear-thieving gnomes.  Links https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/ceos-growth-opportunities-2024/down-to-business/article/1858451 https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/uk-smbs-identify-p...

Executive coach Dr Mandy Lehto offers effective advice for leaders who are feeling overwhelmed. One of her key lessons is that burnout is a symptom of something deeper, and you will feel better once you realise what is really driving you. She also says you should ask yourself three questions: Who am I? Can I slow down to speed up? Where do I come alive? Credits Presenter: Kate Magee Producer: Til...

What do CEOs think other leaders should prioritise in 2024? Why is Big Tech trying to scare us with existential threats? Which of the six post-pandemic workers are you? Management Today's editorial team discuss all these topics and more on this week's episode of Leadership Lessons. Links Appian CEO on AI players: "The last thing they want is having to care about other people's rights." https://www...

In this week's episode, we meet Nik Govier, founder of comms and business management consultancy Blurred. She walks us through the process of creating the company, including how having an affair on her business helped solidify her plans, navigating being a successful CEO with a neurodiverse family, and the reality of walking away from her very first entrepreneurial venture. Credits Presenters: Éil...