News
Lesson's from the Speakers
Date Posted: 18 January 2017
Lessons from the Speakers
Over the last 12 months, the Club has welcomed a number of high profile speakers. From the armed forces, politics and the charitable sector to luxury goods, sport and retail, the list reads like a Who's Who of the most powerful and prominent figures of our time.
We have also been in the privileged position to interview a great many of them to find out more about their careers and some of the leadership challenges they have had to overcome en route to the top of their respective professions.
The following is a selection of some of the best management insights that we have been privy to over the last year. They provide a reminder that in an age of instant gratification and success-on-demand, true success takes sustained commitment to the beliefs and objectives that guide us.
Lynda Thomas, Chief Executive, Macmillan Cancer Support (Mar 2016)
On driving growth:
"I am not raising money to put into shareholder’s pockets; I am raising money to support people to pay for services that supports those who are actually living with cancer. This is what puts a fire in my belly."
On being competitive:
"We are constantly innovating and we have very good people who lead this…our focus needs to be on continuing to deliver the best possible services to people with cancer, which in turn means that people will want to support us."
On leadership:
"Leadership is all about being with people, walking the floor, getting ‘out there’ and truly believing in what our people are capable of more than anything else: A desk is a very dangerous place from which to view the world."
General Sir Nicholas Carter, Chief of the General Staff (Feb 2016)
On leadership:
“Reassure yourself that people may criticise you but at the end of the day victory has to be judged in the results, as Winston Churchill put it in 1897. So the important thing is to just put it behind you and march forwards – if you are going to do these sorts of jobs then you need to have a thick skin from time to time.”
On succession planning:
“It’s a super tanker and if I don’t make the call now to make sure that we’ve got the right talent in 10 years time, I shall have left my successor’s successor in a really bad place. That’s why it is really important to look over the horizon.”
On diversity:
“Unless the Army broadens its recruiting base, so that it draws from the whole of British society, then it’s not going to be able to deal with the sorts of challenges and perplexities that are going to come up in the future…. there needs to be an absolute understanding that the demography of our country has changed.”
Chris Good, UK & Ireland President, The Estée Lauder Companies (Nov 2016)
On driving growth:
"Sometimes it is about mindset and the way in which you tackle a market. It is tempting to think that because you are operating in a mature market then your growth horizon is rather limited. But that is not the case – we have learnt how to spot the opportunities in the market and go for them."
On being competitive:
"You need to continue innovating, to keep fresh and absolutely consumer obsessed. The consumer is changing dramatically...we ensure we stay close to the consumers [and] provide added value to their experience of engaging with us."
On leadership:
"The key to management is not necessarily to be liked by everyone in your team, but to be respected, to be decent, to be fair and to be transparent in all your communications."
John Timpson, Formerly Chief Executive, Timpsons (April 2016)
On talent management:
“Success is quite simply down to having great people. We have been consistent in picking people with ‘personality’ and giving them the freedom to ‘get on with it’. But we have also been good at buying poor performing businesses that we know what to do with.”
On being competitive:
“Many of our competitors failed to seize the opportunities presented by diversification…If you ever think that you will reach perfection and find your heaven on earth, forget it. Despite all my luck I still worry about next year, next week. But life is always about uncertainty – without it there would be no thrill in achievement.”
On leadership:
“Firstly, always make sure that you have the right people. Secondly, always check the cash. Don’t bother about profit, that doesn’t matter. What matters is watching the cash because cash is control. Third, always makes sure that if you have somebody who is no good, get rid of them.”
Ewan Venters, Chief Executive, Fortnum and Mason (Jan 2016)
On driving growth
“It’s quite simply a case of identifying how to get more profit revenue from other channels such as online, which can account for as much as a third of all our sales.”
On defining your USP:
“Who else can say they have a high-end, private label, food and luxury business? There are some wonderful stores that sell a range of incredible food products, but we have a tradition of re-evaluating who and what we are and making sure that our offer is current and reflective.”
On leadership:
“You can still achieve your goal [both as a business and leader] if you retain your focus on product quality and making sure that whatever you do is genuinely authentic - to be seen as a real expert - an expert curator in everything that we do.”
Aileen Richards, Non Executive Director, Welsh Rugby Union (Jan 2017)
On succession planning:
“Succession planning doesn’t happen overnight. It is all very well increasing female representation at Board level, but it needs to be done at executive level too. That is the pipeline – the feeder. By creating a pipeline of female talent business leaders you then have a pool of top executive female talent that they can delve into when the need arises.”
On diversity:
“Being the first woman on the Board is one thing, finding the second and then third one is the critical element we need to focus on. It isn’t until we have achieved this can we be considered truly diverse and representative.”
On leadership:
“First, choosing the right management team who you can trust to do the job you need doing. Second, surround yourself with a diverse team with complimentary skills to your own. Third, be clear on what your vision and strategy is and be relentless. Vision, strategy and talent – the why, what and who that all business leaders need to be mindful of.”