The Leader's Kitbag

This episode of the podcast has a different format than usual. It includes my reflections on 'going homeless' to raise money and awareness around homelessness whilst also bringing you some short soundbites from three different guests.

On 8th November, I sat on my local high street from 9 am until 5 pm, 'pretending' to be homeless as part one of my fundraising and awareness-raising efforts. Then, on

22nd November, I braved the 3 degree night-time temperatures and slept outside as part of an event organized by The CEO Sleepout. This episode includes some of my reflections and what I learned from these two humbling experiences. 

The episode also includes two brief interviews that I conducted with some leaders at the Sleepout event. On top of all that, it also incorporates some thoughts from Bianca Robinson, CEO of The CEO Sleepout, sharing her thoughts around what senior leaders can do to make a change within their businesses – and society – to tackle homelessness and poverty.

Links and Guests:

The CEO SleepOut: https://ceosleepoutuk.com 

The Full Bianca Robinson Podcast Interview: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/b037028a-7d38-4fcb-8495-b51cf116c358 

Richard Hillier – MD of Friend Works: https://www.friend-works.com 

Richard Brash – MD of Brash Solutions: https://brashsolutions.co.uk

Today we are joined by Ron Carucci, the co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations, leaders, and industries.  

Ron has a 30 year track record helping some of the world’s most influential executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization and leadership.  

From start-ups to Fortune 500s, turn-arounds to new markets and strategies, overhauling leadership and culture to re-designing for growth, he has worked in more than 25 countries across four continents.  

In addition to being a regular contributor to HBR and Forbes, and has been featured in Fortune, CEO Magazine, Business Insider, MSNBC, Inc, Business Week, and Smart Business. 

In this conversation we are talking about the research that sits behind his latest book, ‘To Be Honest: Lead with the Power of Truth, Justice and Purpose’. The book is a result of 15 years of research with more than 3200 interviews with leaders around the world.  

The book explains how four factors – Clear Identity, Accountability, Governance and Cross-Functional Relationships – affect honesty, justice and purpose within a company.  When these factors are absent or ineffective, the organizational conditions compel employees to choose dishonesty and self-interest. But when done well, the organization is 16 times more likely to have people tell the truth, behave fairly, and serve a greater good.

Before we get into the episode, let me share an offer with you. I’m giving away complimentary access to my online Weekly Planning Protocol course. In order to access the course, simply leave a review of the show on Apple Podcasts and share a screenshot on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn – tagging me in the post – and we’ll get your access details sent across to you.

And now, without any further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Ron Carucci.

Links Mentioned:

• ‘To Be Honest’ by Ron Carucci: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1398600660/ 
• ‘Crossing the Unknown Sea’ by David Whyte: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1573229148 
• Find out more about Ron’’s work: https://www.carolabecker.com 
• Find out more about Ben’s work: https://linktr.ee/BMLeadership

Ivory Mathews is the Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Housing and Cayce Housing, having dedicated more than 20 years of her professional career to the affordable housing industry.

Under Mathews’ leadership, Columbia Housing is putting residents first, rebuilding public trust, increasing organizational efficiency and creating a climate of transparency and accountability. Using these principles, Columbia Housing has launched an aggressive $500 million portfolio repositioning and redevelopment strategy with an unrelenting focus on the preservation and creation of quality affordable housing for the families they serve.

Ivory holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling & Psychology from Troy University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Newberry College, and several nationally recognized certifications in the affordable housing arena. She is also a Riley Institute Diversity Leadership Initiative Fellow and has recently been named Top 20 Dynamic CEOs for 2021 by The CEO Publication.

Early on in our conversation I stumbled upon the fact that Ivory is a former college athlete which led to a fascinating conversation about how this has shaped her as a leader.

We also got deep into the weeds of some of the implicit biases she has come up against in her career, and what we can all be doing as leaders to remove these for those that we lead.

Before we get to the conversation, I have an offer for you. I’m giving away free access to my Weekly Planning Protocol online course. In order to access it, simply leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts and send a screenshot of that review to [email protected]. We’ll then send you access details for the course.

And now, without any further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Ivory Matthews.

Links Mentioned:

‘The Color of Law’ ​​by Richard Rothstein: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1631492853 

Find out more about Ben’s work: https://linktr.ee/BMLeadership

John Childress is a pioneer in the field of leadership and corporate culture. 

After graduating from Harvard with a master’s degree, he co-founded the first management consulting firm focusing on helping senior leadership teams reshape culture for competitive advantage, which as President and CEO, he  grew it into an international company. 

One of his first culture change projects was at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant following the catastrophic accident in 1979. John worked with the management team to build a safety culture that produced records in safety and power production for the next 38 years.

John has written four business books that help senior leaders understand the importance of culture in business performance and the role of the leadership team in effective strategy execution. 

Currently John is Chairman of PYXIS Culture Technologies, which has developed a visual ecosystem mapping software platform to help business leaders identify hidden risks inside the organization that impact cyber security, safety, conduct risk, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Alongside this, John is also developing a business and ecosystem approach to implementing the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In this episode we explore John’s definitions of three key words or business facets; leadership, strategy and culture. Then we dive into how these three concepts must be aligned to deliver the results… or not as the case may be.

Links Mentioned:

Pyxis Culture Technologies: https://www.pyxisculture.com  

Ben’s Website: www.ben-morton.com

Christiane Wuillamie is the co-founder of Pyxis Culture Technologies, a company that is quantifying the linkage between corporate culture, leadership and business results. Christiane started her technology career in 1980 after working for UNHCR, setting up a resettlement camp for Vietnamese refugees. She has done every job in IT from coding, to running a software house, to being CIO in Financial Services. 

Christiane established CWB Systems Services in 1994, a company that rescues failed IT projects in global banks and financial institutions. She credits the 7-year, 100% year-on-year growth and 40% profit margins to implementing a high-performance culture based on individual employee development plans, on-going feedback, and personal accountability. 

Christiane was awarded an OBE for her work with the UK Government to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). She is now the co-founder of PYXIS Culture Technologies, that is quantifying the linkage between corporate culture, leadership and business results, and helping senior leaders understand how culture impacts cyber security, safety, conduct risk, innovation and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance).

In this episode we talk about how Christiane has gone about building a learning culture within her businesses and some of the practicalities for operationalizing culture.

Links Mentioned:

Pyxis Culture Technologies: https://www.pyxisculture.com  

Ben’s Website: www.ben-morton.com

General David Petraeus is a Partner with the global investment firm KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, which he established in May 2013. He is also a member of the boards of directors of Optiv and FirstStream, a venture investor in more than 15 startups, and engaged in a variety of academic endeavors.  

Prior to joining KKR, General Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands, five of which were in combat, including command of the 101st Airborne Division during the fight to Baghdad and the first year in Iraq, command of the Multinational Security Transition Command in Iraq, command of coalition forces in Iraq during the Surge, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan.  

Following retirement from the military and after Senate confirmation by a vote of 94-0, he served as Director of the CIA during a period of significant achievements in the global war on terror, the establishment of important Agency digital initiatives, and significant investments in the Agency’s most important asset, its human capital.  

General Petraeus graduated with distinction from the U.S. Military Academy, and he is the only person in Army history to be the top graduate of both the demanding U.S. Army Ranger School and the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College. For his full bio, check them out on my website. 

This really is a remarkable episode and we’ve not had a guest on the show who has shouldered the same weight of leadership responsibility as General Petraeus – during our conversation I asked him directly how he remained resilient and managed this level of responsibility.

Amongst this we discussed strategy, leadership styles and how to get things done in complex, fast moving environments.

Links Mentioned:

‘Grant Takes Command’ by Bruce Catton: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316132403 

Find out more about Ben’s work: https://linktr.ee/BMLeadership

David Pollock is the Executive Chairman at Chess, a company he founded in 1993 that is named after his two eldest children — Charlie and Jessie.

Chess was #1 in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2018, and has been high up in the top 100 rankings for the last 12 years. David has also been awarded 'Best Leader' by The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2017 and 2018 and won the 'Innovation in Business' for his unique happiness training in 2016, along with many other national and regional awards.

Today, Chess employs over 300 people throughout the UK, serving over 27,000 business customers in the Information Communications Technology sector and has completed over 100 acquisitions.

I was fascinated by the level of focus that David has consistently Put upon the people, culture, and their wellbeing. And at the same time, how they expect incredibly high standards of performance from everyone in the organisation and hold people firmly accountable to them.

Outside of work, David is an active supporter of the Prince's Trust and has been Chairman of the Northwest Development Committee since 2010. He's a Vice President of East Cheshire Hospice and was a Trustee of Active Cheshire, a charity that encourages health and wellbeing from 2012 to 2017.

Before we get into the episode, let me talk to you about The CEO SleepOut which is a charity I’m proudly supporting right now. 

CEO Sleepout UK is a national movement and a registered charity that aims to unite business leaders – those with the influence and power to do things differently – behind a call to end homelessness. 

They hold CEO Sleepout events in cities across the UK, from Alnwick to Portsmouth, and everywhere in between, unlocking understanding, empathy and raising big money, the majority of which is ploughed back to charities working tirelessly on the front line of homelessness in each host city.

So far more than 3,800 executives have raised £2,900,000, providing over 100 charities with the funds to change countless lives.

If you want to get involved there are a number of ways to do so:

• Listen to episode 55 where I speak with their CEO, Bianca Robinson.
• Visit their website via the link below.
• Sign up and join a sleepout via the same link.
• Sponsor my sleepout at Lords on 22 November for which I match funding every penny donated. See the link below.

…and now, without any further delay, please enjoy my incredible conversation with award-winning leader David Pollock.

Links Mentioned:

The CEO SleepOut: https://ceosleepoutuk.com 

Sponsor Ben’s SleepOut in London on 22 November: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BenMorton7 

Ben’s Website: www.ben-morton.com

Bianca Robinson is on a mission to inspire business leaders and the public to use their power and influence as a means to create a fairer and more equal society. She is driven by the urgent need for social justice change for a more equitable society, and being a great role model for her twin daughters.

Nothing has shocked Bianca more than seeing rough sleepers carving out an existence – on the Strand in London, Piccadilly in Manchester, Lothian Road in Edinburgh, Northumberland Street in Newcastle – and how we've allowed homelessness to be accepted and normalised in Britain.

It was this that lead her to become the CEO of CEO Sleepout, a UK charity that holds national events to raise money from those who have it: from business leaders, business owners, execs to movers and shakers in cities across the UK, and redistributes that money  to charities working on the frontline of homelessness, changing people's lives.

So far more than 3,800 executives have raised £2,900,000, providing over 100 charities with the funds to change countless lives.

If you want to get involved there are three ways to do so.

• Visit their website via the link in the show notes below.
• Sign up and join a sleepout via the same link.
• Sponsor my sleepout at Lords on 22 November for which I match funding every penny donated… Again, you can find the link in the show notes.

On behalf of Bianca and all of the UK's rough sleepers, let me say thanks in advance for your support with this. And now, without any further delay, please enjoy my incredible conversation with Bianca Robinson.

Links Mentioned:

The CEO SleepOut: https://ceosleepoutuk.com 

Sponsor Ben’s SleepOut in London on 22 November: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BenMorton7 

Ben’s Website: www.ben-morton.com

Eddie Rivers began his career in the US Army and graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1980 with a BSc General Engineering. He then went on to earn a Masters in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and a Masters of Jurisprudence Degree at IU in 2017. Despite this, he never shares his post nominals which is testament to his humility… and his desire to learn in order to better serve those he leads.

In this episode Eddie brings his experience from over 25 years of corporate leadership for billion-dollar revenue companies. As Co-Founder and President of Rivers Resources & Esource Resources, Eddie oversees all aspects of the company’s efforts to build a diverse business.

At the end of our conversation, I asked Eddie what he thinks are the three key traits for leaders in business today, and his answer (which I won’t spoil here!) seemed so aligned with everything he shared up to that point.

Before we get into the episode, let me talk to you about The CEO SleepOut which is a charity I’m proudly supporting right now. 

CEO Sleepout UK is a national movement and a registered charity that aims to unite business leaders – those with the influence and power to do things differently – behind a call to end homelessness. 

They hold CEO Sleepout events in cities across the UK, from Alnwick to Portsmouth, and everywhere in between, unlocking understanding, empathy and raising big money, the majority of which is ploughed back to charities working tirelessly on the front line of homelessness in each host city.

So far more than 3,800 executives have raised £2,900,000, providing over 100 charities with the funds to change countless lives.

If you want to get involved there are a number of ways to do so:

• Listen to episode 55 where I speak with their CEO, Bianca Robinson.
• Visit their website via the link below.
• Sign up and join a sleepout via the same link.
• Sponsor my sleepout at Lords on 22 November for which I’m match funding every penny donated. See the link below.

Thanks for your support with this, and now, without any further delay… please enjoy my conversation with Eddie Rivers.

Links Mentioned:

The CEO SleepOut: https://ceosleepoutuk.com  

Sponsor Ben’s SleepOut in London on 22 November: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BenMorton7  

Ben’s Website: www.ben-morton.com

Robert Mandell – more commonly known as Bobby – is a retired U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg under President Barack Obama and currently serves on the boards and executive committees of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and Human Rights First in New York City. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and Center for New American Security. 

Alongside this, Bobby is a partner in Velocitas venture, a medical device company, and ReactiveCore, a technology company. Bobby began his career as a lawyer before taking over the family business and serving as vice president, president chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Greater Construction Corporation from 1983 until 2005, building and selling over 13,000 homes in central Florida. Greater was sold in 2005 to Meritage Homes, Inc., the 6th largest homebuilder in America. 

Bobby really does have a huge depth and breadth of experience to share with us in this episode, and I was particularly interested to hear his thoughts around how he had to change and flex his leadership style whilst working for the US State Department.

Links Mentioned:

Subscribe to Ben’s two-weekly leadership tips email: https://mailchi.mp/ab0a5c279d78/bml 

Ben’s Website: www.ben-morton.com