On today’s episode, we discuss why Blockbuster really failed (with the inside story from former CEO James Keyes), the importance of agility and the issues raised by extended gardening leave.

Links:

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/why-blockbuster-really-went-bankrupt-according-its-former-ceo/interviews/article/1863669

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/when-does-gardening-leave-cease-serve-its-purpose/opinion/article/1863252

Credits:

Presenters: Kate Magee, Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis Cronin

Producer: Til Owen

Artwork: David Robinson

#management #leadership #CEO #business

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s guest is Mark Dixon, the founder and CEO of IWG - formerly known as Regus - which is the largest flexible office network worldwide. 

Mark is a serial entrepreneur. He dropped out of school aged 16 to start his first business selling sandwiches from a butcher’s bike. Next came a hot dog venture, then a bakery which he sold aged 28 for £800,000. He then set up Regus, which he self-funded for the first 10 years, becoming a billionaire (in share value) aged 40, then losing it in the dotcom crash.

He now has regained his billionaire status and lives in Monaco. He has a “Saturday job” running the largest rosé wine producer in Provence but is still laser-focused on company detail. So much so, he still reads every customer complaint: “That’s how you understand how your business is really doing. You see faults in your setup that you can fix. It’s a good discipline.”

We cover a lot of ground in the interview. Dixon discusses his latest ambitious plans to create an “Uber for offices”, and how he is changing his business model to support this vision. He explains why the dizzying rise and fall of rival WeWork harmed his business because by creating “negativity” among investors. 

We also discuss why he is considering leaving the London Stock Exchange for a US listing. He says the “return to work” narrative is not real, why the best way for leaders to improve their staff’s productivity is to cut their commute and why he sees people’s homes as a competitor. 

He also discusses his key leadership advice, why he felt like a “total failure” after he read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk and why he’s most worried about unforced errors and the business not reaching its potential. 

Credits:

Presenter: Kate Magee

Producer: Til Owen

Artwork: David Robinson

#management #leadership

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, we discuss female representation on FTSE 350 boards, the real reasons employees keep quiet in meetings and some pearls of wisdom from Amex and IBM's respective UK leaders. Keep an ear out for a shameless plug of MT's latest series.

Links:

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/know-real-reasons-employees-keeping-schtum-meetings/indepth/article/1861869

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/ibm-uk-ceo-formulate-pit-crew/interviews/article/1862053

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/amex-uk-chief-stop-teams-getting-lost-swirl/interviews/article/1861942

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/female-representation-ftse-350-boards-all-time-high-says-latest-review/indepth/article/1863042

Credits:

Presenters: Kate Magee, Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis Cronin

Producer: Til Owen

Artwork: David Robinson

#management #leadership #CEO #business

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we meet Tricia Cusden, founder of Look Fabulous Forever.

Frustrated with the lack of conversation around good quality products available for mature skin, the now 75-year old launched cosmetics company Look Fabulous Forever in 2013, working alongside her two daughters Anna and Suzy.

She and Anna discuss the inspiration behind the company, navigating the world of e-commerce while also running a manufacturing business and the secrets to working harmoniously with her children.

She says: "I launched the company with no great targets in mind, but I wanted to see if I could do something with this money. It was much more interesting than shoving it in a pension and I wanted to get out there, meet new people and have a more interesting life."

Credits

Presenter: Éilis Cronin

Producer: Til Owen

Art direction: David Robinson

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, we discuss when it's acceptable for a CEO to have a side gig, why being bolder might help you to get a promotion, and whether it's up to senior staff to set an example when it comes to spending time in the office.

Also on the agenda: is the world ready for a DJing chief exec?

Links:

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/when-acceptable-ceo-side-gig/food-for-thought/article/1860531

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/want-promotion-just-ask-says-research/indepth/article/1856912

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/senior-staff-set-example-when-comes-office/hybrid-working/article/1861307

Credits:

Presenters: Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis Cronin

Producer: Til Owen

Artwork: David Robinson

#management #leadership #CEO #business

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Ajaz Ahmed, the CEO and co-founder of digital creative agency AKQA, argues that chaos and unpredictability are the enemies of a well-run company. He is convinced that “exceptional discipline and organisation” are the keys to high performance and it’s a trait he’s witnessed repeatedly among successful clients. 

Ahmed’s backstory is straight out of the Silicon Valley playbook. In 1994, aged 21, he dropped out of university to launch AKQA with friends, from his parents’ basement. As he told Campaign in 1999: 'There was a lot of talk about the information superhighway and we knew if we didn’t start then, we would have missed out forever."

The gamble paid off. His first client was Microsoft, he was a millionaire by 24 and in 2012, he sold a majority stake in his business to WPP, in a deal that valued AKQA at $540m (£348m at the time). He has since been awarded two honorary degrees. 

So it’s a good thing that he didn’t listen to his school careers advisor who told him to work in a factory like his father. 

On the podcast, he explains how his agency’s “operating system” provides clarity to employees, his one-minute MBA for CEOs and why good leadership is really about one thing: being a decent human being. 

Credits

Presenter: Kate Magee

Producer: Til Owen

Art direction: David Robinson

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, we discuss whether CEOs are paid enough, how to know when it’s time to leave a role, and the employment tribunal that could mark the death knell for remote working. Watch out for mentions of underwear-thieving gnomes. 

Links

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/ceos-growth-opportunities-2024/down-to-business/article/1858451

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/uk-smbs-identify-poor-management-top-internal-obstacle-growth/indepth/article/1858666

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/identifying-misnomers-technology-industry/food-for-thought/article/1857522

Credits:

Presenters: Kate Magee, Antonia Garrett-Peel, Éilis Cronin

Producer: Til Owen

Artwork: David Robinson

#management #leadership #CEO #business

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Executive coach Dr Mandy Lehto offers effective advice for leaders who are feeling overwhelmed. One of her key lessons is that burnout is a symptom of something deeper, and you will feel better once you realise what is really driving you. She also says you should ask yourself three questions: Who am I? Can I slow down to speed up? Where do I come alive?

Credits

Presenter: Kate Magee

Producer: Til Owen

Art editor: David Robinson

#management #leadership #burnout

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do CEOs think other leaders should prioritise in 2024? Why is Big Tech trying to scare us with existential threats? Which of the six post-pandemic workers are you?

Management Today's editorial team discuss all these topics and more on this week's episode of Leadership Lessons.

Links

Appian CEO on AI players: "The last thing they want is having to care about other people's rights."

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/appian-ceo-ai-players-the-last-thing-want-having-care-peoples-rights/interviews/article/1851850

How National Grid's boss Alice Delahunty is keeping the lights on:

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/national-grids-boss-alice-delahunty-keeping-lights/article/1851846

MT Asks: What leaders be doing less of in 2024:

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/mt-asks-leaders-will-doing-less-year/down-to-business/article/1851960

What CEOs think other leaders should prioritise in 2024 - in 24 words

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/ceos-think-leaders-prioritise-2024-24-words/leadership-lessons/article/1851509

The CEO who probably doesn't exist

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/ceo-probably-doesnt-exist/food-for-thought/article/1856500

Fears about innovation only helping 'the rich' are stoking polarisation, finds research

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/fears-innovation-helping-the-rich-stoking-polarisation-finds-research/indepth/article/1857504

Meet the six post-pandemic era workers

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/meet-six-post-pandemic-era-workers/indepth/article/1857768

Credits

Presenters: Kate Magee, Antonia Garrett-Peel, Éilis Cronin

Producers: Til Owen

Artwork: David Robinson

#management #leadership #business

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, we meet Nik Govier, founder of comms and business management consultancy Blurred. She walks us through the process of creating the company, including how having an affair on her business helped solidify her plans, navigating being a successful CEO with a neurodiverse family, and the reality of walking away from her very first entrepreneurial venture.

Credits

Presenters: Éilis Cronin

Producers: Nav Pal and Til Owen

Artwork: David Robinson

#management #leadership #business

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.