In this special episode, we look back at some of the most human stories and the hardest truths from series one of This is Real Leadership.

From how you ask a co-founder to leave, to one reason Steve Jobs was so successful, we’ve been finding out what real leadership looks like today. And it’s all here – the wow-yeah and the heck-no.

Looking back across our previous seven episodes are two distinguished commentators. Sandra Sieber is Professor of Entrepreneurship at IESE Business School, one of the world’s best business schools. Sebastian Reiche is Professor of Managing People in Organisations at IESE Business School. IESE was ranked No.1 in the world for six years running by the Financial Times.

In this episode, Sandra and Sebastian discuss:

• How to fail right. (01:48)
• Is leadership as easy as pie? Or Pi? (05:25)
• How to tell better stories and build stronger business cultures (13:58)
• What really is real leadership today? (27:10)

Featuring quotes from:

Ibukun Awosika – Former Chair, First Bank of Nigeria. NED, Cadbury Plc. One of the original dragons on the African version of Dragon’s Den, author, fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and Aspen Global Leadership Network, and Forbes “Chairperson of the Year” award winner 2020.

Geoffrey Moore – Advisor to the leaders of established high-tech enterprises. Most recently: Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google. And the author of several best-selling and hugely influential business books. Most notably: Crossing The Chasm.

Elena Betés Novoa – Founder and CEO (2008-15) and Chair (2015-22), Rastreator. CEO, dide.org. Serial entrepreneur. Winner of the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge award in 2022. Forbes “Top 100 Most Creative”. 

JJ Van Oosten – A serial digital transformationist, JJ has lead five large, complex and successful digital and omnichannel transformations at Rewe Group, Tesco, Travis Perkins, LEGO and Kingfisher. 

Christina Janzer – Head of Research and Analytics, Slack. Armed with insights from Slack’s global knowledge worker research – a survey of 10,000 desk workers – Christina says she wants to make work a little better every day.

Arjen Schouten – Co-founder and Former COO cosmetics retailer Rituals, Arjen helped Rituals grow from zero to over 10,000 employees, 1000 stores and $1 billion in turnover.

Florian Weiss – Former CEO, Jameda, one of the largest providers of software for the healthcare industry.

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Mckinsey says 70% of digital transformations fail, most often due to resistance from employees. And only 16% of employees believe their company’s digital reforms are long-term sustainable. 

How do we do it better? How do we more quickly win people to our cause? And how do we create change that’s sustainable?

Well, if anyone should know… Jean-Jacques (JJ) Van Oosten has been called the alchemist. He describes himself as a serial digital transformationist. And he’s lead five large, complex and successful digital and omnichannel transformations at Rewe Group, Tesco, Travis Perkins, LEGO and Kingfisher. 

Professor Iñigo Gallo is Associate Professor of Marketing at IESE Business School, one of the world’s best business schools – ranked No.1 in the world for six years running by the Financial Times.

In this episode, Iñigo and JJ discuss:

• The communication skills you need to drive change (06:51)
• Common factors in all successful business transformations (04:06)
• Why do people resist change? (08:40)
• How can you help people resisting change? (13:40)

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For 70% of executives, the number one stress is how to raise productivity. Christina Janzer knows exactly what will work – and exactly what won’t (and it’s something we guarantee a whole lot of you are doing). 

Christina is Head of Research and Analytics for productivity platform Slack. Armed with insights from Slack’s global knowledge worker research – a survey of 10,000 desk workers – she says she wants to make work a little better every day.

Professor Marta Elvira is Professor of Strategic Management and Managing People in Organisations at IESE Business School, one of the world’s best business schools – ranked No.1 in the world for six years running by the Financial Times.

In this episode, Christina and Marta discuss:

• What metrics do you need to know to change now (04:30)
• How to build a culture of trust (05:30)
• How to break down siloes between departments and teams (21:59)
• How to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world (22:54)

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In 1890, Kate Sanborn described the entrepreneur’s journey as “1% inspiration, 99% perspiration”. Surely things are different today…

During this episode of the This is Real Leadership podcast series, Dr. Florian Weiss, CEO of Jameda (one of the largest software providers for healthcare) and Professor Sandra Sieber, Professor of Entrepreneurship at IESE Business School (one of the world’s best business schools) – ranked No.1 in the world for six years running by the Financial Times – discuss lessons learned in leadership.

Is building an organization that fosters personal growth the most important aspect of entrepreneurial leadership, and how do optimists survive?

In this episode, Florian and Sandra discuss:

*  How to leave space for productive magic (13:33)

*  How to navigate paranoid optimism (06:22)

*  How to learn from failure (15:16)

*  Key leadership paradoxes (20:21)

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We all talk about bringing our whole selves to work and workplaces that allow you to be authentically you. But should you? Really? And do they? Really? 

Let’s ask a leader who could never be less than her whole self. And an expert on people management…

Ibukun Awosika is an entrepreneur, leader, speaker and challenger. Former chair of the First Bank of Nigeria. One of the original dragons on the African version of Dragon’s Den. Author of several books, including The Girl Entrepreneur. And Forbes Chairperson of the Year award winner in 2020. 

Professor Marta Elvira is Professor of Strategic Management and Managing People in Organisations at IESE Business School, one of the world’s best business schools – ranked No.1 in the world for six years running by the Financial Times.

In this episode, Ibukun and Marta discuss:

• Can we expect business to be better than society? (03:17)
• How to be more you (07:27)
• Authentic and aligned: when bringing your whole self to work really works (10:34)
• What is authentic leadership? (14:06)

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Leaders make difficult decisions – double-down or step back, invest or cut. But success is not only about the decision, it’s also about the process. So… How do you make tough calls a win-win?

In this episode of This is Real Leadership, co-founder and COO, Arjen Schouten (who helped Rituals, the home and body cosmetics retailer, grow from zero to over 10,000 employees and $1 billion in turnover) and Professor Sebastian Reiche, Professor of Managing People in Organizations at IESE Business School (one of the world’s best business schools) – ranked No.1 in the world for six years running by the Financial Times explore how to make tough decisions as a leader.

 Is letting people go the hardest thing to do in business? And is disagreement healthy?

In this episode, Arjen and Sebastian explore:

*  How to manage leadership clashes 03:54

*  What is the most demanding stage of business growth? 06:50

*  How to keep a start-up culture as the company grows 08:05

*  How to adapt to different cultures 12:25

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What are the most important skills for tomorrow’s leaders, that yesterday’s leaders don’t have?

Only big questions this episode because we have some serious intellectual muscle on the podcast…

Geoffrey Moore is an advisor to the leaders of start-up and established high-tech enterprises. Most recently: Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google. And the author of several best-selling and hugely influential business books. Most notably: Crossing the Chasm.

Professor Sandra Sieber is Professor of Entrepreneurship at IESE Business School, one of the world’s best business schools – ranked No.1 in the world for six years running by the Financial Times.

In this episode, Geoff and Sandra discuss:

• Why is narrative such a powerful leadership tool? (09:02)
• What is the problem with collaboration? (17:21)
• How do the leadership styles of Volodymyr Zelensky, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk compare? (10:34)
• How do companies get stuck? (14:34)

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Even high achieving, world-class business leaders don’t get it right every time. But they do learn from their mistakes. The question is, what exactly is that special something they take away?

In this instalment of the This is Real Leadership podcast series, Elena Betés (IESE MBA), founder, CEO and entrepreneur and Professor Iñigo Gallo, Associate Professor of Marketing at IESE Business School (one of the world’s best business schools) – ranked No.1 in the world for six years running by the Financial Times reveal the mistakes that made them better business leaders.

How does a whoops become a win? Elena Betés, who launched and sold the insurance comparison platform Rastreator, was named in Forbes Top 100 Most Creative list AND won the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge award says she is “a bit of a fighter”. Iñigo wants to know if this helps her bounce back, or gets her in trouble…

In this episode, Elena and Iñigo discuss:

*  How to be an outsider (and love it). (16:40)

*  How to use mistakes as motivation. (07:17)

*  Who gets the blame? (12:36)

*  How to define success on your terms. (11:19)

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