In this episode of Boardroom Insights, Alan O’Neill sits down with renowned leadership coach, speaker and author René Carayol MBE, a man who genuinely coaches CEOs and heads of state, not just talks about it.

René opens with a powerful personal story that leads to his central conviction: trust is now the biggest driver of business performance. From there, the conversation ranges across the boardroom and the world stage… from the Prime Minister of Jamaica to Volodymyr Zelensky, Alex Ferguson, elite boxers and frontline hotel doormen.

Key themes include:

• Why leadership today is about environment, not ego – creating a place where everyone feels wanted, not just needed.
• How we’ve moved from “the cleverest man in the room” to “collaboration is the new leadership.”
• Why leaders are not born or made – they’re found – and how to spot the “Sallys” in your organisation.
• The tension between management (hardware) and leadership (software) – and why the “software” now differentiates great leaders.
• Why vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, and how quickly owning mistakes builds trust.
• The impact of Covid, hybrid working, Gen Z and cultural differences across the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Much of what René shares connects strongly to Alan’s own work in The Leader’s Six Pack: How to Balance Grit and Grace… but in this episode, Alan mostly lets René run. It’s a masterclass in modern leadership, straight from the boardroom and the front line.