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 leadership in the banking sector entails.

In our conversation, we touched on the following topics:

1 Why Ralph decided to join the banking industry
2 When and why did innovation become an important theme for him?
3 How 'traditional' banks should deal with Fintech companies
4 The culture change required in traditional banks
5 Addressing the image of the banking industry
6 The impact of technological developments on compliance costs
7 How to create successful top teams in the banking world
8 How to develop and foster a collective ethical mindset
9 Final thoughts

► About Ralph Hamers

Ralph Hamers advises both established and emerging players in the finance and digital industries. As former CEO of ING and UBS, he successfully led these global banks through significant transformations.

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‘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 not acknowledged in traditional recruitment processes.

I recently had a conversation with Victor Akwunwa, the Chief Sales Officer of Found, a Swiss start-up company that wants to disrupt this traditional approach. During our conversation, we discussed the following topics:

• What is  Found
• Why recruitment is ready for disruption
• The operating model of Found
• The Technology Found uses
• Identifying the culture of the client  
• The target markets of Found
• The long-term goals of Found
• The (dis)advantages of being a Swiss Based Start-Up 
• Giving up a blossoming corporate career to join a start-up

► About Found;

Found is a Swiss start-up that aims to change how hiring works.  In their own words:

‘The hiring process can be bleak. Job boards prioritise volume over accuracy, leading to talent being overlooked amid overwhelming numbers of applications. Meanwhile, traditional recruiters cling to outdated practices, relying on subjective judgment, and charging exorbitant fees. 
We believe it's time for change. We're dismantling outdated recruitment models using the power of data and technology. Our approach uses fast, data-driven AI matching and has employers pitch to talent, instead of talent having to apply.
The result? A revolution in recruitment with companies finding the perfect talent, and talent finding their perfect job.'
Website Found

► About Victor Akwunwa

Victor Akwunwa obtained a Master of Science Degree (with honors) at the Tilburg University in the Netherlands. In 2015  he joined the Adecco Group, a global staffing company, where he quickly rose through the ranks through a variety of sales, and other customer-facing roles. In 2023 he joined the start-up Found as Head of Sales, and subsequently was promoted to Chief Sales Officer (CSO).
LinkedIn Profile Victor Akwunwa

► Important keywords and concepts in this conversation:

Community-based hiring - Operating model - Driving value for talent - Matching accuracy - Talent  Talent Segments - Start-up - Swiss start-up -  Neuroscience - Overcommodization recruitment - Acceptance rate Neural networks - Building versus operating the machine - IFL -Culture Venture capital

► Blogposts  about Recruitment by Dirk Verburg:

⇨ The Corporate Recruitment process is ready for disruption
⇨ Corporate Recruiters should stop spraying & praying

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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 Alessandra describes it, their 'secret sauce'.

During our conversation, we covered the following topics:

• Alessandra's role at On
• The mission and values ('spirits') of On
• How the mission and values are kept alive
• How the impact of the mission and values is measured
• An example of a mission - value driven decision in On
• Embedding the culture - Recruitment
• Embedding the culture - Performance Management
• Embedding the culture - Talent Management
• The expectations of People Leaders in On

About On
 
‘On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Since its market launch in 2010, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel, and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor,
training, all-day activities and tennis. On is present in more than 60 countries globally and is believed to be one of the fastest-growing scaled athletic sports companies in the world’. The company employs more than 2.300 staff and generated net sales of CHF 1,792.1 in 2023 (source Annual report)

About Alessandra del Pino

Alessandra del Pino is Head of Engagement & Talent Growth at On. After studying Sociology in Venezuela, she started a journey in HR which would take her across the globe, working for completely different companies in different industries. Alessandra started her career in 2011 working for Groupon in Spain, before moving to Burger King. In 2015 she moved to Canada to for Restaurant Brands International, a company she also worked for both in Canada, as well as Switzerland. In 2019 she joined On, first as a Talent Business Partner, and later as Head of Engagement & Talent Growth.
Alessandra likes running (not surprising!), Spanish wines (same), good food, and traveling.

Important keywords and concepts in the conversation

Values as spirits - Spirit award - Rituals to express the company culture - Trust and Collaboration as key values - Wall-less office - No reception - Well being - Dealing with low performers - Team members instead of Staff or Employees

Any questions or comments? Press this link and send me a message!

‘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 clearer than ever (e.g. the credit crunch, climate change, and wars). An increasing number of people want to move away from a system that commoditizes human beings, and the natural environment in which they live. They seek, amongst others, dignity, a sense of purpose, and attention to well-being, instead of material prosperity only.

Humanistic Management is a relatively young academic movement that seeks to create a more balanced relationship between those things that can be exchanged on markets and those that are not but make life worthwhile.

Michael Pirson is an active member of this movement, and in this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I discuss with him

1️⃣  What Humanistic Management is
2️⃣ How Michael discovered Humanistic Management
3️⃣ What we as mankind can learn from the Covid 19 Pandemic
4️⃣ Measuring Wealth versus Wellbeing 
5️⃣ Will Shareholder Value (Economistic Management) not always prevail?
6️⃣ Is Humanistic Management 'industry agnostic'?
7️⃣  Resources on Humanistic Management
8️⃣  Final Thoughts

About Michael Pirson

Michael Pirson, Ph.D., is the chair of the Leading People and Organizations Area within the Gabelli School of Business. He is the James A. F. Stoner Endowed Chair in Global Sustainability and is a full professor with a focus on global sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Michael is a research associate at Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program (HFP). He co-founded the Humanistic Management Network and is founder and president of the International Humanistic Management Association. He is the editor in chief of the Humanistic Management Journal.

Additionally he is a full member of the Club of Rome, leads the Humanistic Management working group at the UNPRME, and advises a number of social enterprises. He has won numerous awards for his work including from the Academy of Management and the Association of Jesuit Universities.

Website

https://www.humanetwork.org/

Publications

https://www.fordham.edu/gabelli-school-of-business/faculty/full-time-faculty/michael-pirson/

Other resources

https://www.youtube.com/user/HumanisticManagementhttps://www.youtube.com/@UCLQhzwfw3QgAtLv_h5P9N3Q 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEGqEeiA5c0

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'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 is one where we see great leaders as warriors 'on the battlefield of relentless competition', who drive action, pursue instrumental goals (shareholder value), and maintain transactional relationships. Instead, Nicholas Janni pleads for leaders who are empathetic, intuitive, present, and skilled in mindfulness, deep listening, and who can inspire colleagues to engage and collaborate.

In this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I discuss with Nicholas

1️⃣ What does 'The Leader as Healer' mean?
2️⃣ What is the positive difference leaders as healers can make?
3️⃣ Why did 'The Leader as Healer' become business book of the year 2023?
4️⃣ Why our society and many organizations are 'broken'
5️⃣ Why leaders as healers occasionally need to use a scalpel
6️⃣ Why emotions are important and need to be taken seriously
7️⃣ How can leaders become healers?
8️⃣ Practical exercises for leaders
9️⃣ Final thoughts

About Nicholas Janni

Nicholas Janni has devoted his life to the study of human potential. Over the last 20 years he has gained an international reputation for his transformational coaching and leadership development seminars. He works with organisations, NGO’s and senior leaders worldwide and currently teaches at the IMD Business School in Switzerland and the University of Oxford Said Business School. He bridges the worlds of creative, personal, spiritual and professional development in a uniquely powerful, relevant and accessible way. 

IIn his first career he was a theatre director. He taught acting at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and directed his own theatre company. He has spent over 30 years researching the theory and the practice of ‘the zone’ of peak performance in art, life and work, and has studied and practiced multiple mind/body disciplines. He trained intensively for five years with Thomas Hubl, studying how to work with personal, intergenerational and collective trauma, and has led ongoing groups in the US, UK and Israel.

Matrix Development

In January 2023 he launched a new platform, and became co-founder and Programme Director of MATRIX DEVELOPMENT http://www.thematrixdevelopment.com

Website

https://www.nicholasjanni.com/

Book

https://www.nicholasjanni.com/book-leader-as-healer/

Any questions or comments? Press this link and send me a message!

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 career (which also included for instance being the chairman of the supervisory board of ING during the financial crisis).

In this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I discuss with Jeroen

1️⃣ How his leadership style evolved in the 40 + years of his career in Shell
2️⃣ Which authors in the area of management and leadership inspired him
3️⃣ Why the board asked him to become CEO to navigate Shell out of this crisis.
4️⃣ How he personally experienced his appointment
5️⃣ How he established his plan to move Shell out of this crisis
6️⃣ His top team in Shell during his five years as CEO
7️⃣ Decision he regrets
8️⃣ The three leadership lessons in his book 'From A to B - Lessons in Leadership'
9️⃣ The different world graduates face nowadays
🔟 Final thoughts

About Jeroen van der Veer

Jeroen studied mechanical engineering and economics. He worked for Shell from 1971 to 2009, the last 5 years as CEO. He also took on a number of supervisory board positions, e.g. in ING, Unilever, Boskalis, Equinor, Philips and the Dutch Central Bank. Other key and high-profile activities included Chairmanships for the World Economic Forum and Co-chair with Madeleine Albright for the new NATO Strategic Concept.

Jeroen's boek 'Van A naar B': Lessen in Leiderschap

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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 focused on helping organizations and leaders deliver value. 

During our conversation, Dave and I discussed the following topics:

0️⃣1️⃣ Dave's drive to write 'Human Resource Champions'
0️⃣2️⃣ The consequences of the lack of self-confidence exhibited by many HR organizations 
0️⃣3️⃣ 'HR is not your friend'. Really?
0️⃣4️⃣ If the current data-centricity in HR functions does not lead to the detriment of intuition and human judgment
0️⃣5️⃣ What the HR agenda should look like in 2024
0️⃣6️⃣ Where the ultimate accountability and responsibility for staff in organizations rest

About Dave Ulrich

Dave Ulrich published over 200 articles and book chapters and over 30 books. He edited Human Resource Management1990-1999, served on editorial board of 4 other journals and on the Board of Directors for Herman Miller (16 years), has spoken to large audiences in 90 countries; performed workshops for over half of the Fortune 200; coached successful business leaders, and is a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academy of Human Resources.

He is known for continually learning, turning complex ideas into simple solutions, and creating real value to those he works with as he defines human capability as the next agenda for people and organization. He posts weekly and comments daily on LinkedIn.

Organization - With co-authors, he has influenced thinking about modern
organizations (Reinventing the Organization) by empirically showing how organization delivers 4 times business results over talent (Victory Through Organization), defined organizations as bundles of capabilities (Organization Capability) and worked to delineate capabilities of talent management (Why of Work; Talent Accelerator), culture change (GE Workout), learning (Learning Organization Capability), and collaboration (Boundaryless Organization).

Leadership - With colleagues, he has also articulated the basics of effective leadership (Leadership Code and Results Based Leadership), connected leadership with customers (Leadership Brand), shown how leadership delivers market value (Why the Bottom Line Isn’t), shapes investor expectations with an ability to measure leadership (Leadership
Capital Index), and synthesized ways to ensure that leadership aspirations turn into actions (Leadership Sustainability).

Human Resources - He and his colleagues have shaped the HR profession and he has been called the “father of modern HR” and “HR thought leader of the decade” by focusing on HR outcomes, governance, competencies, and practices (HR Champions; HR Value Added; HR Transformation; HR Competencies; HR Outside In). He spearheaded a “gift” book on the future of HR (The Rise of HR) distributed to over 1,500,000 HR professionals), in which 70 thought leaders freely shared their insights.

He posts articles (over 200) and newsletter on Linkedin weekly.

Resources

• RBL Group
• Weekly newsletter LinkedIn

Any questions or comments? Press this link and send me a message!

'I defy anybody to be energized by most appraisal systems I have seen in my career' - Sally Bibb

Most HR professionals and line managers (present company included!) are used to focusing on the 'development areas' of their staff. The idea is to take the areas of strength for granted and to actively work on their weaknesses to foster their professional development.

The question is, however, how effective this is, and which business opportunities we miss, by not building on the strengths of our staff.

During our conversation, Sally and I discussed the following topics:

0️⃣1️⃣ What Strength Management actually is
0️⃣2️⃣ How Sally became interested in the topic
0️⃣3️⃣ Is Strength Management incompatible with a Growth Mindset? 
0️⃣4️⃣ Why most HR professionals remain focused on Development Areas
0️⃣5️⃣ Implementing Strength Management in HR Processes
0️⃣6️⃣ How can appraisals be improved?
0️⃣7️⃣ Is strength management a generational phenomenon? 
0️⃣8️⃣ Will AI support Strength Management?
0️⃣9️⃣ Issues Sally is asked to address by her clients
1️⃣0️⃣ Final thoughts on strength management

Sally Bibb is a partner at PA Consulting, leader and author in the field of strengths-based approaches to people and organisations.

She started her career working for BT International and then moved into an international role at The Economist Group before founding the strengths consultancy Engaging Minds in 2012. In 2021, she joined PA Consulting as a partner to advance her vision of bringing strengths to many more employers worldwide.

In this role, she leads strengths-based organizational change work in Europe, the USA, and Asia, and has built a track record of achieving transformational results for a number of high-profile clients in both the private, as well as in the public sector.

Sally has an MSc in organizational change from the University of Surrey and has (co-)authored eight books. A full list can be found in the resource section!

She is a fellow of the RSA (Royal Society of Arts) and a member of the steering committee of The Daedalus Trust, a charity founded by Lord David Owen to promote research into hubris syndrome in business.

Resources:

- Website Sally Bibb: https://sallybibb.com/
- Books by Sally Bibb: 

The Right Thing: An Everyday Guide to Ethics in Business

Generation Y for Rookies

A Question of Trust: The Crucial Nature of Trust in Business, Work & Life – and How to Build It (with Jeremy Kourdi)

The Stone Age Company: Why Companies Fail 

Management f-Laws: How Organization really work (with Russell Ackoff and Herbert Addison)

Strengths-Based Recruitment and Development: A Practical Guide to Transforming Talent Management Strategy for Business Results

The Strengths Book: Discover How to Be Fulfilled in Your Work and in Life 

The Strengths Workbook: An Eight-Week Programme to Discover Your Strengths and What Makes You Thrive

(https://sallybibb.com/my-books/)

Any questions or comments? Press this link and send me a message!

The statistics are sobering, not only do 49% of external executive hires end in failure within 18 months, but internal moves prove to be challenging as well. For instance, 40% of internal job moves involving high potentials also end in failure. Besides the fact that these failures often have a traumatic impact for the individuals involved, the costs for the organizations are huge. Not only in terms of imago and hiring costs but, more importantly, in terms of opportunity costs.

To find out why leadership transitions prove to be so hard, and what companies and individuals can do about it, I interviewed Michael Watkins for my Leadership 2.0 podcast.

Michael D Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change. He is a globally recognized leadership transitions expert and author of several best-selling books, including ‘The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter’. Additionally, he is co-founder of Genesis Advisors, a company whose mission it is to accelerate leaders to to reach their full potential, energise teams to achieve peak performance, and transform organizations to outperform the competition

During our conversation, Michael and I discussed the following topics:

0️⃣1️⃣ Where Michael’s interest in (leadership) transitions stems from
0️⃣2️⃣ The importance of accelerating leadership transitions (ROI)
0️⃣3️⃣ Why many companies do not pay enough attention to leadership transitions 
0️⃣4️⃣ Why do internal moves so often fail
0️⃣5️⃣ Homework for leaders who are about to make an internal move
0️⃣6️⃣ Why companies (too) often hire external talent
0️⃣7️⃣ Homework for leaders contemplating to make an external move
0️⃣8️⃣ External hires asked to drive change - but not to upset the system
0️⃣9️⃣ How can companies protect their investments in leadership transitions?
1️⃣0️⃣ Why did Michael founded Genesis Advisers and what does it do?

Resources:

• Books by Michael Watkins: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-Watkins/author/B001JS6RV8?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
• Michael Watkins - IMD: https://www.imd.org/faculty/professors/michael-watkins/
• Genesis Advisors: https://www.genesisadvisers.com/

Any questions or comments? Press this link and send me a message!

‘We live in a world of organizations - and we do not understand them’

This is one of the statements Henry Mintzberg, one of the leading thinkers in the field of Management, made when I interviewed him for my Leadership 2.0 Podcast about his latest book ‘Understanding Organizations…Finally'.

During our conversation, we discussed the following topics:

1. The importance for organizations to get their structure ‘right’
2. How Henry’s thinking about organizations has evolved in the last 40 years, and what some of the changes and updates he made in this book as a result
3. Henry’s statement that ‘Every (organization) form contains the seeds of its own destruction.’ 
4. ‘Emergent structures’ as an alternative to large scale organization restructuring initiatives
5. The fit between the personality of a leader and the structure of the organization
6. The link between the structures of Apple and Tesla, and the personalities of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. What, if anything, could ‘established’ organizations learn from this?
7. The complimentary role of conflict and culture in organizations
8. The relationship between structure and culture in organizations
9. Where the gap between the formulators and implementers of corporate strategies stems from, and how this can be closed
10. The interest in structuring organizations in the academic and the business world

About Henry Mintzberg

Henry Mintzberg is the Cleghorn professor of management studies at the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University in Montreal. He was visiting professor at INSEAD, Carnegie-Mellon University, and the London Business School. He has been engaged as a consultant to a number of organizations, and was president of the Strategic Management Society from 1988 to 1991.

He is the author of 21 books, including ‘The Nature of Managerial Work’, ‘Managers not MBAs’, ‘Simply Managing’, ‘Rebalancing Society, Managing the Myths of Health Care’, and ‘Understanding Organizations...Finally!’ (2023). He also wrote 184 articles, numerous commentaries and produced videos.

He publishes a regular TWOG (TWeet 2 blOG), on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Finally Henry co-founded, and remains active, in the International Masters Program for Managers and the International Masters for Health Leadership, as well as the venture CoachingOurselves.com.

Resources

Website Henry Mintzberg: https://mintzberg.org/
Twitter Account Henry Mintzberg: @mintzberg141
International Masters Program for Managers: impm.org
International Masters for Health Leadership: mcgill.ca/imhl

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