Leadership Unlocked

Leadership success is shaped by what you leave behind for others, not about you as an individual. For Henley alumna Nomsa Chabeli, Group CEO at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the role of stewardship is key, passing success from one leader to the next by building trust, resilience and endurance in an organisation.

“I carry institutional responsibility on behalf of others. And it's something that I found at the SABC, that being a public institution, it really sits at the intersection of society, of democracy, of culture.”

In the final episode of the second series of our Leadership Unlocked podcast, Nomsa speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about the experiences that shaped her leadership journey, her drive to create lasting impact, and navigating tensions in leading a commercially-funded public organisation.

Nomsa talks about her role in ensuring representation and diversity in the workplace and that it has to be deliberate, intentional and inclusive. She also speaks candidly about the importance of having institutional courage when making decisions versus the impact of getting it wrong.

“Sometimes you might be more worried about the noise outside and start not making the right decisions because you wonder what people are going to say … That's something that I've really had to navigate.”

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How can you create impact even if you can’t influence things directly? For Simon Koerner, Global Lead of Organisational Effectiveness at DSV, understanding the relationship between indirect influence and outcome is a key part of being impactful and scaling success across continents, locations and teams.

“It's all about the way you define yourself and define your influence circle. What am I able to influence? What am I not able to influence?”

In episode 12 of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Simon speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about the complexities of scaling impact from a country to a global level, ‘topic’ versus ‘people’ leadership, and the importance of dealing with discomfort the higher you climb up the career ladder.

Simon talks about the role that his LinkedIn following has played in shaping conversations and building capacity inside the organisation. He also shares the importance of being honest with yourself and changing behaviours if things aren’t working anymore.

“You can be the best expert that you want to be with the highest skill set, but if you're not able to adapt to different situations, to different people, to how you communicate, to how you influence, then it's difficult.”

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Remaining curious and making constant adjustments is a core leadership skill at every level. But for Kim Sides, Executive Director, UK & Ireland at Royal BAM Group, senior leaders also need to embrace discomfort.

“I've actively avoided what feels comfortable. Because if you're too comfortable, you're not learning. But if you're really uncomfortable, you're probably in the wrong spot and not making the contribution you meant to.”

In episode 11 of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Kim speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about balancing gut feel with data insights and making decisions based on limited information. She also discusses the importance of compromise and not shutting down options until you have to.

In a male dominated industry, Kim talks candidly about organisational systems and environments being paramount for inclusion and asks why we cannot have pregnant women on a construction site. She also admits to needing to adapt her naturally direct and challenging New South Wales style when working with colleagues in different regions, and is a firm believer that understanding your audience is the key to success.

“We sometimes think we're communicating to a whole lot of people the same information, but everybody's in a different state, in a different context. How you address those nuances of everybody's different journey, capability and interest level is something I challenge myself on every day.”

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Work-life balance is something everyone strives for. But it’s not a phrase everyone believes is right. For alumnus Darren Henley, CEO of Arts Council England, we shouldn’t need the phrase, as work should be a meaningful and joyful part of life.

“There's an onus on leaders to create an organisational environment where everybody who comes to work can feel that they're adding something of value, there's a sense of purpose and a sense of achievement.”

In episode 10 of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Darren speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about the impact of happiness on teams and communities and the importance of being present at work to feel fulfilled.

Darren talks about the challenges of balancing innovation in the arts with finite resources, about serving people to provide enjoyment and ensuring creative arts can thrive, and his role in breaking down barriers in the arts so that all talent has equal access to opportunities.

An advocate for self-reflection and positive psychology, Darren is a firm believer in the role of senior leaders in making good things happen and that happiness is underrated.

“I think that idea of all of us leading happier and better lives is a really important one. I work in a job where I get to invest taxpayers' money, National Lottery players' money, and I believe it enables people to live happier and better lives.”

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Starting a business two weeks before the COVID pandemic hit was not the ideal set-up for success. That’s the position that Henley alumnus Leo Harrison, Founder and CEO of talent strategy specialist, Chapter 2, found himself in six years ago.

“Chapter 2 was founded two weeks before COVID came into our worlds. Did I see it coming? No. Was I naive? Maybe … I thought everything was going to be amazing and literally overnight every new business appointment got cancelled and for six months I was getting told ‘no’ every single day.”

In episode 9 of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Leo speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about the move from being a ‘number two guy’ to starting his own business, building resilience, and the importance of positive paranoia in helping to prioritise what really matters.

Leo talks about learning to manage people the hard way, having to change his management style, and the vital role of connection in building engaged and successful teams, no matter what level you reach. He also speaks about the importance of trusted mentors along his career journey and how a chance encounter with entrepreneur Steven Bartlett brought not only business investment but invaluable inspiration.

“I wasn't looking for an investor when Steven approached me … but I knew what Steven would bring to the company … The value he's brought has been huge.”

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Not many senior executives can credit pearl diving and working on a superyacht as key stepping stones to leadership success. But for Henley alumna Melanie Christopher, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer at Capgemini, saying yes to adventure at the start of her career led to a series of developmental S curves which prepared her for senior leadership roles.

“There's nothing like doing a dangerous job like pearl diving to teach you the true meaning of teamwork.”

In the first episode of our second series of the Leadership Unlocked podcast, Melanie speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about the experiences that shaped her career and the importance of authenticity and trust in business success.

With a belief that women are over mentored and under sponsored, and that leadership doesn’t only take place at the top, the candid conversation delves into the importance of leaving the ladder behind for other to climb.

“I've made sure that in every single role I've been in, I leave the ladder behind. And if that ladder gets wobbly when people are walking up it, I'm first down the bottom holding it steady for others.” 

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Being vocal and building a network to create change in organisations is not easy. In fact being seen to influence is often considered a dirty word. But for Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer, the first Chief Information Officer at NATO, if done in the right way influencing, negotiating and aligning are fundamental to a senior leader’s value proposition. And where best to practice and learn this, if not in the unique and high-pressured environment of NATO.

“NATO is a consensus based organisation. If 31 say yes and one says no, it is a no. It means that you have to work at it and come up with the best possible compromise, the best possible solution.”

In the final part of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Manfred speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about, compromise, and multi-directional influencing. The need to give it all, yet emotionally and spiritually detaching at times, and also the reality that, unfortunately, both is required: working smart and hard.

From the importance of having (and following) a North Star and removing roadblocks, through to the role of mentors and role models on his leadership journey or using self-doubt as a motivator, Manfred shares his leadership insights and learnings from a cross-industry career.

“A healthy dose of self-doubt is sometimes quite valuable because it keeps you on your toes and it makes you question yourself.”

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Strong mentors at different stages of your senior leadership career can make the difference between getting ahead and getting left behind. That also means giving back and paying forward by obsessively assisting others, according to Helene Murphy, CHRO at Gridserve and former Chief People Officer with Unite Students and Formula E.

In the sixth part of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Helene speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about the power of mentoring and feedback, but also hard work and determination. She also discusses the importance of showing up, not just for yourself but your team, not outsourcing your career, and the value of young employees and leaders. Having left school at 16 and not following a degree pathway, Helene is ruthless about equity and inclusion in the workplace and supporting social mobility.

“I think some of the things that we read, the diversity fatigue that people talk about, I'm more motivated than ever because of what I see, and the piece about equity is something that has a real personal meaning.”

She is also a firm believer in being humble, saying when you don’t know, and not forgetting to check your ego once in a while.

“One of the best characteristics of good leadership is humility.” 

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Leadership Unlocked – ‘The temptation to talk not listen’

Leading your boss in business seems counterintuitive but is one of the most important skills for senior leaders to master, according to Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae, Chair at Finnair and a number of other high-profile Nordic businesses. Sana has been honoured as Finland's most influential woman in business for multiple years.

“This is a senior executive dilemma. We are always better holding our mouths open, than our ears open.”

In the fifth part of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Sanna speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about her mantra of saying yes to ‘fewer, bigger, better’ things and the importance of saying ‘no’.

Sanna’s candid views on leadership cover relentless measuring and improving, being boyfriend material - or not - as a leader, the temptation to talk instead of listen, scenario management, and how avoiding difficult discussions and glossing over dilemmas creates an unhealthy workplace culture. She is also not interested in her business legacy or one to waste a good crisis.

“There's always something on the energy of crisis that you can change.”

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Change in business is inevitable but do you, as a senior leader, always relish the idea of dealing with it? For self-confessed change champion, Paul Lindley, Entrepreneur, Founder of Ella’s Kitchen and Chancellor at the University of Reading, change is essential for success but it needs to be based on clarity of purpose. And systemic change needs to last longer than the person in the senior role.

“If we don't change, we stand still and if we stand still, we really move backwards.”

In the fourth part of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Paul speaks to Professor Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership, about his thoughts on leadership as a platform not a hierarchy, why feeling should come before figures, learning from failure, and how projects with meaningful purpose are core to his life and aspirations.

“The purpose of each of us is to leave the world in a better place than if we weren't here or before we were here.” 

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