Leading Through Uncertainty

Tim Kay is Lead for KPMG’s Tech and media practice in the Midlands (UK). Tim was tasked with exploring how KPMG could work more closely with tech startups in London several years ago and he shares some of the challenges that large organisations face in working with fast-paced entrepreneurial businesses.

He’s honest about how uncomfortable it is when we don’t have all the answers and he openly admits the mistakes he made and how in hindsight he could have done things differently. I know he denies it but I think Tim’s a bit of a maverick. See what you think.

Gareth Parry is the CEO of Remploy, the UK’s leading disability specialist. Gareth talks about the benefits of inclusive workplaces, both physically and mentally and openly shares his personal experience of depression. His depression didn’t stop him becoming a CEO and he’s an inspiration to all of us that we can develop business and careers that are life-enhancing for individuals, businesses and communities, regardless of the circumstances.

Neil Henderson the CEO of Safeline, a charity that provides both support for sexual abuse victims as well as education to prevent it. Formerly on the board at Royal Mail, Neil talks candidly about the challenges of communicating change and taking responsibility to ensure everyone is aligned. Neil argues that running a charity is much like running a commercial organisation - you need to focus on key strategic imperatives, the numbers need to stack up and it’s all about the people. He makes it sound so easy. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

While some people thrive on uncertainty, for others it can lead to stress and overwhelm. Everyone’s limit is different based on how comfortable they are operating out of the comfort zone. It is also dependent on the volume of workload in any given moment.

We have a psychological need for safety and uncertainty threatens that. Consideration must be given to what is a reasonable and acceptable amount of pressure and this will vary on an individual basis. If we continue to demand more than people are able to deliver on a long-term basis, the rise in overwhelm, stress and burnout will continue its upward trend. 

Jane Austin is the Head of HR for Wave, a start-up business in the utility industry. Jane has experienced huge uncertainty in the last 18 months as the business has undergone massive change. She shares her passion for engaging people emotionally, the importance of communication and how to do it when you legally can’t!

I was inspired by Jane’s ability to balance her enthusiasm for change with the understanding she has for the fact that change can be excruciating for others. She continually seeks ways to engage people, recognising that emotions need to be included as part of the process. Jane explains some key HR policy decisions she has made that would normally be considered unaffordable for a start-up. She explains the importance of being both strategic and operational in business and HR and why she believes investment in people policies is an ethical and moral obligation, as well as making good business sense.

©2018 Jude Jennison. All Rights Reserved.

Paul is the former CEO of Birmingham international airport and is now a Non-executive director of five different organisations.

Paul has such a breadth and depth of business knowledge, not just limited to the aviation industry. We covered so many topics from running an airport to Brexit and democracy, novel-writing, risk management, business growth, the importance of having a professional team in place who are skilled in what they are doing and having a “childlike acquisition of knowledge”. Paul believes that “Managing uncertainty has got to be the number one thing for business managers today.” He thrives on uncertainty and is such a great advocate of developing the skills to lead through it.

In this podcast, Jude talks about the importance of emotions in business. She explores why we suppress them and how we can start to use them more skillfully as a source of information.

We are emotional and intellectual beings. We have the capacity to both think and feel, and we are at our most effective when we bridge the gap between the two. Most people have developed the muscle of one over the other, yet truly effective decisions integrate both critical thinking and emotional feelings.

Martin Yardley is the Deputy Chief Executive of Coventry City Council and is Head of Place which covers anything from bins and potholes to strategic regeneration of the city. In the 9 years Martin has been in post, Coventry has seen massive change and business growth, and is unrecognisable from the concrete jungle that it once was. It may be down to him but he makes it clear that it’s a team effort.

©2018 Jude Jennison. All Rights Reserved.

Paul Faulkner is the CEO of Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. As the UK’s second city, the Birmingham Chamber covers a huge area with 10 sub-divisions. With major business growth and the recently announced Commonwealth games coming to Birmingham in 2022, there is certainly a lot of change and uncertainty in the region. Paul seems to navigate it with apparent ease and talks about the resilience of his team in doing so too. 

©2018 Jude Jennison. All Rights Reserved.

Sue Grindrod is the CEO of Albert Dock in Liverpool. Sue is an advocate of being kind to yourself in the context of being realistic about what you can achieve. I think that’s laudable in a world of fast-paced change. It’s so easy to put ourselves under inordinate pressure.

She talks a lot about balance – the balance between being a CEO and having a home life and interests outside of work, the paradox of being expected to have all the answers whilst working collaboratively and including people in the decision making, and the dichotomy of being strategic and also paying attention to the detail that is needed.

©2018 Jude Jennison. All Rights Reserved.