I believe that leadership is the most important differentiator between the success and failure of organizations. At the same time, the behavior of leaders has a huge, positive or negative, impact on their staff, the families of their staff, and on our (polarized) society as a whole.
To inspire you to become ‘the best leader you can be’, I started the ‘Leadership 2.0’ Podcast. In this Podcast I interview thought leaders and practitioners in this space.
You can watch the podcast on YouTube, and listen to this Podcast through a large number of providers, for instance on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Episode 33 – Matt Dixon – ‘The Activator Advantage’
‘Eating radishes’ – That is how, according to Matt Dixon, many ‘doer-sellers’ experience selling their services.
People do not become management consultants, executive coaches, accountants, lawyers, or engineers because they want to sell.
However, for those working in professional service firms or independently, selling is an integral part of their role. At the same time, professional sales processes are changing. More and more professional services are sourced through RFPs, and buying committees are replacing traditional client relationships.
Based on an extensive quantitative study of nearly three thousand partners across industries such as law, accounting, consulting, investment banking, executive search, and public relations, five distinct seller types within professional service industries were identified; however only one of them, the Activator, consistently drives growth.This means that doer-sellers need to change their approach to sales in order to stay relevant.
In the 33rd episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I interviewed Matt Dixon about ‘The Activator Advantage – What Today’s Rainmakers Do Differently.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 32 – Ty Wiggins – ‘Ensuring successful CEO transitions’
In the 32nd episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I interview Ty Wiggins about his book ‘The New CEO – Lessons from CEOs on How to Start Well and Perform Quickly (Minus the Common Mistakes)’. Ty Wiggins is the global lead of Russell Reynolds Associates’ CEO & Executive Transition Practice and advises leading companies on leadership transitions and executive onboarding to ensure more expedient paths to effectiveness. Topics we discussed included the motivation of people who want to become CEO, the differences between leading a large Business Unit and being the CEO, how to prepare for a CEO role, how to set an agenda, and how to select the top team.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 31 – Sander Tideman – ‘ESG: Farce or Force for Good?’
‘A big conversation with big questions’, that is how Sander Tideman characterized the conversation I had with him about ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Personally, I have always been quite cynical about ESG and CSR initiatives from Public Companies. They always struck me as ‘Do as I say, not what I do’. My favorite examples include a ‘Big Oil’ company preferring suppliers with a ‘green’ supply chain; a Financial Services companies directly contributing to the Euro crisis but giving their employees an afternoon off to paint schools in derelict areas ‘to give back to society’; companies that started ‘recalibrating’ their DEI efforts in the aftermath of the last presidential election in the US; and ESG leaders flying en masse to conferences in New York to discuss how make the world a more sustainable place. During our conversation, Sander Tideman and I discussed, amongst others, the question of what would happen if companies could not consider their environmental and societal impact as ‘for free’ anymore, ‘Greenwashing’ (Why should we take ESG and CSR seriously?), the (in) capacity of Public Companies to address ESG issues, the ease with which companies can transfer their costs and entrepreneurial risks to our society, and ‘Triple Value Leadership’.
Episode links: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Sander Tideman is the founder of Triple Value Leadership. A former international lawyer and finance executive, he is a specialist in leadership development and organizational transformation, motivated by building the capacity to address the unprecedented social and ecological challenges of this age. His book ‘Triple Value Leadership’ is published by Routledge.
Episode 30 – Rebecca Robins and Patrick Dunne – ‘Maximising the business opportunity of generational diversity’
‘We live in the most Generationally Diverse Demographic’ (Rebeca Robins). In this episode, I interview Rebeca Robins and Patrick Dunne about their book, ‘Five Generations at Work: How We Win Together, For Good’ (Wiley). They challenge the common view of generational differences as a problem, arguing instead that they are an opportunity for growth and competitive advantage. Topics we covered in our conversation include moving beyond generational stereotypes, leveraging differences, ageism and social dynamics, and learning and collaboration.
Rebecca Robins is a global advisor and expert in brands, leadership, and cultures of excellence, also advising on inter-generational collaboration in the five generational workplace. Her work spans leading brands and organisations across the world, including AstraZeneca, British Airways, Burberry, HUGO BOSS, LEGO, LVMH, Reuters, alongside universities, founder, and family businesses.
Patrick Dunne is an experienced Chair with extensive experience of working with boards in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. Currently Chair of board consultancy Boardelta and the charities the Royal Voluntary Service and ESSA (Education Sub-Saharan Africa). He gained this experience with Air Products and FTSE100 3i Group plc, where he was Communications Director, a member of its Operating Committee, and Chairman of its Operational Risk forum.
Episode links: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Episode 29 – Nick van Dam (NL) – ‘The Strategic Value of Learning & Development’
Many organizations mistakenly relegate Learning & Development (L&D) to a “nice-to-have” status. It’s seen as something every HR organization needs to have (if only for the optics), but often the prevailing attitude is that, while great L&D is a pleasant surprise, if it falls short, there’s no serious harm done to the organization.
This is often reflected in bland L&D offerings, which, more often than not, are so generic, that they fail to address the strategic issues organizations need to address
However, what would happen if organizations truly would treat Learning & Development as a strategic instrument?
In the 29th episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I interview Nick van Dam about ‘The Strategic Value of Learning & Development’. Nick van Dam is an internationally recognized thought leader, advisor, executive coach, researcher, facilitator, and best-selling (co-) author of more than 29 books on Leadership, Organizational Behavior, and Corporate Learning & Talent Management. Topics we discussed include the link between L&D and business strategy, the implications of Generational Differences for L&D, and how the role of L&D has changed over the years.
Episode links: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Episode 28 – Chris Lowney (USA) – ‘Heroic Leadership’
Many people in the workplace wrestle with combining their ethical and spiritual convictions on the one hand, with what they feel is required of them to progress their careers, or simply to stay in their roles, on the other. For people who want to address this tension, ‘Heroic Leadership – Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World’ by chris lowney will be a great read!
During our conversation, we discussed, amongst others, the following the 4 Key Values of the Jesuit Leadership culture: Self-Awareness, Ingenuity, Love & Heroism, ‘Greater Love than Fear’ as a Leadership Principle, The Concept of Indifference, Self-Compassion,and Serving a Higher Purpose in Competitive Work Environments.
Chris Lowney, is a one-time Jesuit seminarian, who currently chairs the board of CommonSpirit Health, America’s largest not-for-profit healthcare system with 140 hospitals and more than 150,000 employees. Previously, he served as a Managing Director of J.P. Morgan & Co. in Tokyo, Singapore, London and New York.
Episode Links YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
No time to watch or listen yet? Read a summary of the key points here.
Episode 27 – Zene Everett (UK) – ‘Coaching in the workplace’
Most of us are acutely aware of the gap between how organizations aspire to operate and the everyday reality of working within them. This discrepancy often has a negative impact on the motivation and well-being of employees, ranging from a decrease in employee engagement to mental health issues. In her book ‘B@dly Behaved Peop!e’, my fellow executive coach Zena Everett describes a number of real-world cases about how this discrepancy can manifest itself, and, perhaps more importantly, how we can address them. What I particularly like about this book is how Zena makes complex psychological concepts (for instance, Transactional Analysis) accessible without oversimplifying them and demonstrates how they can be applied in the workplace. In our conversation about her book, Zena and I discussed a number of specific situations that are mentioned in her book.
Zena Everett has a global leadership coaching and speaking practice. She has coached on the Executive MBA Programme at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and is a member of the Associate Faculty at Henley Business School.
Episode links: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Episode 26 – Daniël Wolfs (NL) – ‘The Change Philosopher’
For decades, we have had a vast array of change management theories and methodologies at our disposal (John Kotter, Kurt Lewin, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, William Bridges, ADKAR, and many others). The harsh reality, however, is that most change projects fail (the [in] famous 70% of McKinsey), or end with a superficial victory declaration, after which the organization often falls back to ‘the way we DID things here’.
‘Why is that?’ That very question drove Daniël Wolfs, experienced change consultant and co-founder of The Change Studio (Netherlands), to write his thought-provoking book ‘De Veranderfilosoof’ (The Change Philosopher), on how we can approach transformation in a deeper, more human, and more sustainable way.’ In this podcast episode, I discuss a number of different aspects from this book with him.
Daniël has spent his career helping leaders and organizations navigate complex transformations by making change tangible in the day-to-day, and by creating space for the kind of conversations that actually move people.
Episode links: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Episode 25 – Manuela Staub (CH) – ‘DIY Culture Change at Zurich Airport’
Even though, for years, we have had a vast array of change management theories and methodologies at our disposal (Kotter, Lewin, Kubler-Ross, Bridges, ADKAR, etc.), it still proves to be very hard for us as leaders and consultants to implement real, sustainable change (transformation). Most change projects fail (70% according to McKinsey), or end with a superficial victory declaration, after which the organization often falls back to ‘the way we DID things here’.
Driven by the ‘Why’ question, Daniël Wolfs, an experienced change management consultant and co-founder of a consultancy boutique in this area, set out to write a book ‘De Veranderfilosoof’ (‘The Change Philosopher’) to investigate this question.
In our conversation, we discussed the underlying reasons why change management projects so often fail, and why true transformations seem to be so hard realize.
Daniël has spent his career helping leaders and organizations navigate complex transformations—by making change tangible in the day-to-day, and by creating space for the kind of conversations that actually move people.
He is co-founder and co-owner of The Change Studio, where he works with clients and colleagues on modern approaches to organizational change and leadership. The guiding principles: Lead. Inspire. Create.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 24 – Deborah Perry Piscione (USA) – ‘Employment is Dead’
Earlier this week, one of the most important business books on the Future of Work was published by Harvard Business Review Press: ‘Employment Is Dead: How Disruptive Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Way We Work’ by Deborah Perry Piscione and Josh Drean. The central theme of this book is that traditional employment models are becoming outdated due to the evolving needs and expectations of the modern workforce, in combination with, and enabled by, disruptive technologies.
This will lead to the end of the traditional employment model, as well as the traditional form of companies, as we know them today.
As a serial entrepreneur, Deborah (co) founded five companies, including the Work3 Institute, an advisory firm that helps enterprises evolve into an AI, web3 + work3 future of business. Earlier books (co) authored by Deborah Perry Piscione are ‘Secrets of Silicon Valley: What Everyone Else Can Learn From the Innovation Capital of the World’, ‘The Risk Factor: Why Every Organization Needs Big Bets, Bold Characters, and the Occasional Spectacular Failure ‘, and ‘The People Equation: Why Innovation Is People, Not Products’. She also developed Improvisational Innovation™, a bottom-up methodology that engages all the talents of the entire organization, helps the organization shift to a growth mode, and addresses the question on how to identify, source, data-mine and execute upon new ideas from any employee.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 23 – Ralph Schonenbach (USA) – ‘Relationships Matter’
Ralph Schonenbach is a serial entrepreneur with over two decades of global experience, as well as an author. His work centers around developing and nurturing relationships. In this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast we talk about his latest start-up, Meerkat.ai, as well as about his book ‘Relationships Matter’, (Re) building Relationships when you need them, and ‘digital etiquette.’
Ralph Schonenbach started his career in Andersen Business Consulting, and moved on to Ernst & Young and later CGI. Subsequently, he co-founded the Trestle Group Consulting and Foundation. In 2016 he co-founded Envoy, in 2019 Aidentified, and in 2024 Meerkats.ai.
Ralph’s book: Relationships matter
Register here to participate in the Meerkat.ai pilot: pilot@trymeerkat.ai
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 22 – Ralph Hamers (CH) – ‘Leadership in the banking industry
The image of the banking industry has been severely tarnished by the financial crisis (2007-2008), which led to increasing regulatory and compliance demands. At the same time, the industry is experiencing emerging competition from FinTechs, evolving business models, and disruptive technologies. In light of these challenges, I recently spoke with Ralph Hamers, to explore his views on what effective leadership in the banking sector entails.
In our conversation, we touched on a number of topics, including: how traditional banks should deal with Fintech companies, the imago of the banking industry, the impact of technological developments on compliance costs, creating top teams and instilling a sense of ethics.
Ralph Hamers advises both established and emerging players in the finance and digital industries. As former CEO of ING and UBS, he successfully led these global banks through significant transformations.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 21 – Victor Akwunwa (NL) – ‘How FOUND is Disrupting Recruitment’
In many recruitment processes, human beings are reduced to commodities, and human dignity has become an afterthought.
More often than not, recruitment has become a volume-driven exercise, where metrics like ‘time to fill’ have replaced the craftsmanship essential for identifying the best candidate for the role. As a result, candidates often find these processes unsatisfactory, as their potential unique contributions and value to organizations are not adequately recognized.
FOUND, a Swiss-based start-up company, wants to disrupt this traditional approach to recruitment. I recently interviewed Victor Akwunwa, the Chief Sales Officer of this company. During our conversation, we discussed, amongst others, what ‘the Why’ of Found is, the operating model and underlying technology, the target markets and the implications of being a Swiss Based Start-Up.
Victor Akwunwa obtained a Master of Science Degree (with honors) at the Tilburg University in the Netherlands. In 2015 he joined the Adecco Group, a global staffing company, where he quickly rose through the ranks through a variety of sales, and other customer-facing roles. In 2023 he joined the start-up Found as Head of Sales and subsequently was promoted to Chief Sales Officer (CSO).
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 20 – Alessandra del Pino (CH) – ‘The corporate culture in On’
There are some companies I deeply admire, and On, the Swiss sports and apparel brand is definitely one of them! Not only do they make amazing products and have an extremely powerful brand, they also have a unique company culture. For this reason, I was thrilled to sit down with Alessandra Del Pino, Head of Engagement & Talent Growth at On, to discuss the company culture of On, or, as Alessandra describes it, their ‘secret sauce’.
Alessandra del Pino is Head of Engagement & Talent Growth at On. After studying Sociology in Venezuela, she started a journey in HR which would take her across the globe, working for completely different companies in different industries. Alessandra started her career in 2011 working for Groupon in Spain, before moving to Burger King. In 2015 she moved to Canada to for Restaurant Brands International, a company she also worked for both in Canada, as well as Switzerland. In 2019 she joined On, first as a Talent Business Partner, and later as Head of Engagement & Talent Growth.
Topics we discussed included the that ‘what’ of the culture at On, how the culture is embedded in the different HR processes of the company (Recruitment, Performance Management, and Talent Management), and what is expected from people leaders at On.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 19 – Prof. Michael Pirson (USA) – ‘Humanistic Management’
‘Everyone who wins nowadays is challenging the Shareholder Value Maximization doctrine’ This is just one of the powerful and thought-provoking statements Professor Michael Pirson (Fordham University – Gabelli School of Business) made when I interviewed him about ‘Humanistic Management’.
In the last decades, the shortcomings of the neo-liberal economic order in our society have become clearer than ever.
Humanistic Management is a relatively young academic movement that seeks to create a more balanced relationship between those things that can be exchanged on markets and those that are not but make life worthwhile.
Michael Pirson is an active member of this movement, and in this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I discuss with him a.o.
What Humanistic Management is, How we can (scientifically) measure Wealth versus Wellbeing, and if, in the end, Shareholder Value (Economistic Management) not always will not always prevail in our society.
Michael Pirson, Ph.D., is the chair of the Leading People and Organizations Area within the Gabelli School of Business. He is the James A. F. Stoner Endowed Chair in Global Sustainability and is a full professor with a focus on global sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Michael is a research associate at Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program (HFP). He co-founded the Humanistic Management Network and is founder and president of the International Humanistic Management Association. He is the editor in chief of the Humanistic Management Journal. Additionally he is a full member of the Club of Rome, leads the Humanistic Management working group at the UNPRME, and advises a number of social enterprises. He has won numerous awards for his work including from the Academy of Management and the Association of Jesuit Universities.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 18 – Nicholas Janni (UK/IT) – The Leader as Healer (Business Book of the year 2023)
‘A transformational read that every leader of today needs’ – These were the words Head Judge, Jacq Burns used when she announced that ‘Leader As Healer’, written by Nicholas Janni was selected as the overall winner for the 2023 Business Book Awards. In his book, Nicolas Janni argues that we need a new leadership model to address the challenges our society faces.
Our current leadership model is one where we see great leaders as warriors ‘on the battlefield of relentless competition’, who drive action, pursue instrumental (shareholder value related) goals, and maintain transactional relationships. Instead, Nicholas Janni pleads for leaders who are empathetic, intuitive, present, skilled in mindfulness and deep listening, and who can inspire colleagues to engage and collaborate.
In this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I discuss with Nicholas, amongst others, what the ‘The Leader as Healer’ means, the positive difference leaders as healers can make for their organizations, why our society and many organizations are ‘broken’ and why our emotions are important and need to be taken seriously
Nicholas Janni has devoted his life to the study of human potential. Over the last 20 years he has gained an international reputation for his transformational coaching and leadership development seminars. He works with organisations, NGO’s and senior leaders worldwide and currently teaches at the IMD Business School in Switzerland and the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. His work bridges the worlds of creative, personal, spiritual and professional development in a uniquely powerful, relevant and accessible way.
He started his career as a theatre director. He taught acting at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and directed his own theatre company. He has spent over 30 years researching the theory and the practice of ‘the zone’ of peak performance in art, life and work. He trained intensively for five years with Thomas Hübl, PhD, to work with personal, intergenerational and collective trauma
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 17 – Jeroen van der Veer (NL) – ‘From A to B – Leadership lessons from a CEO’
Twenty years ago, in 2004, Shell was hit by the reserves scandal. In the midst of this crisis, the board asked Jeroen van der Veer to become CEO and navigate the company out of this crisis. Recently Jeroen wrote a book titled ‘Van A naar B – Lessen in leiderschap’ (‘From A to B – Lessons in Leadership’), in which he reflects on these, and other pivotal experiences during his long career (which also included for instance being the chairman of the supervisory board of ING during the financial crisis!). In this episode of the Leadership2.0podcast, I discuss with Jeroen a.o. the following topics. How his leadership style evolved in the 40 + years of his career, authors in the area of management and leadership that inspired him, why the board asked him to become CEO to navigate Shell out of the reserves crisis, and how he personally experienced his appointment at that time, how he established his plan to move Shell out of this crisis, and decisions he regrets.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 16 – Prof. Dave Ulrich (USA) – ‘The evolving role of HR’
With the publication of his bestseller ‘HR Champions’ in 1997, Dave Ulrich signaled the potential for HR functions to develop themselves from ‘administrative support functions’ into strategic and mission-critical ones (my words—not Dave’s!).
The book served as a catalyst for a vast number of HR organizations to critically review their roles, activity portfolios and structures. As a result, many organizations defined HR strategies, and embarked on HR Transformation projects to realize these.
Dave Ulrich is the Rensis Likert Professor at the University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business and a partner at the The RBL Group, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations and leaders deliver value. Dave published over 200 articles and book chapters and over 30 books. He edited Human Resource Management 1990-1999, served on the editorial board of 4 other journals and on the Board of Directors for Herman Miller (16 years), has spoken to large audiences in 90 countries; performed workshops for over half of the Fortune 200; coached successful business leaders, and is a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academy of Human Resources.
Topics Dave and I discussed included the inferiority complex of many HR organizations, the role of HR in organizations, where the ultimate accountability and responsibility for staff in organizations rests, whether the current data-centricity in HR functions leads to the detriment of intuition and human judgment, and what the agenda for HR should look like in 2024
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 15 – Sally Bibb (UK) – ‘Focus on your strengths’
Most HR professionals and line managers tend to focus on their staff’s ‘development areas’. They take their areas of strength for granted and actively work on the weaknesses of their staff to foster their professional development.
However, the question is how effective this is and which business opportunities companies miss by not building on the strengths of their staff.
During our conversation, Sally and I discussed, among others, what Strength Management actually is, if Strength Management is compatible with the concept of a Growth Mindset, how Strength Management can be implemented in HR Processes, and the possible implications of AI on Strength Management.
Sally Bibb is a partner at PA Consulting, leader and author in the field of strengths-based approaches to people and organizations. She started her career working for BT International and then moved into an international role at The Economist Group before founding the strengths consultancy Engaging Minds in 2012.
In 2021, she joined PA Consulting as a partner to advance her vision of bringing strengths to many more employers worldwide. She is the (co-) author of eight books.
She has an MSc in organizational change from the University of Surrey, is a fellow of the RSA (Royal Society of Arts) and a member of the steering committee of The Daedalus Trust, a charity founded by Lord David Owen to promote research into hubris syndrome in business.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 14 – Prof. Michael Watkins (CH) – ‘How to ensure successful leadership transitions’
The statistics are sobering: not only do 49% of external executive hires end in failure within 18 months, but internal moves prove to be challenging as well. For instance, 40% of internal job moves involving high potentials also fail.
Besides the fact that these failures often have a traumatic impact on the individuals involved, the costs for the organizations are huge. Not only in terms of image and hiring costs but, more importantly, in terms of opportunity costs.
To find out why leadership transitions prove to be so hard, and what companies and individuals can do about it, I interviewed Michael Watkins for my Leadership 2.0 podcast. Topics we discussed included the ROI of accelerating leadership transitions, the reasons why many companies do not pay enough attention to leadership transitions, why internal moves often fail, and how leaders can best prepare themselves for internal and external transitions.
Michael D Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD. He is a globally recognized leadership transitions expert and author of several best-selling books, including ‘The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter’. Additionally, he is co-founder of Genesis Advisors, a company whose mission it is to accelerate leaders to reach their full potential, energise teams to achieve peak performance, and transform organizations to outperform the competition
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 13 – Prof. Henry Mintzberg (CAN) – ‘Understanding Organizations…Finally’
In this episode, Henry Mintzberg and I discuss Henry’s latest book ‘Understanding Organizations…Finally’. Topics we covered included how Henry’s thinking about organizations has evolved in the last 40 years, how to design and restructure organizations, the relationship between the structure and the culture of an organization, and the interest in structuring organizations in academia and business.
Henry Mintzberg is the Cleghorn professor of management studies at the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University in Montreal. He was visiting professor at INSEAD, Carnegie-Mellon University, and the London Business School. He has been engaged as a consultant to a number of organizations, and was president of the Strategic Management Society from 1988 to 1991.
He is the author of 21 books, including ‘The Nature of Managerial Work’, ‘Managers not MBAs’, ‘Simply Managing’, ‘Rebalancing Society, Managing the Myths of Health Care’, and ‘Understanding Organizations…Finally!’ (2023). He also wrote 184 articles, numerous commentaries and produced videos.
He publishes a regular TWOG (TWeet 2 blOG), on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Finally, Henry co-founded, and remains active, in the International Masters Program for Managers and the International Masters for Health Leadership, as well as the venture CoachingOurselves.com.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 12 – Prof. Dr. Eugene Sadler-Smith (UK) – ‘The advantages and limitations of intuition in decision-making’
More often than not our intuition is ‘right’ when it comes to making decisions. However, there are also situations when we should definitely not rely on it.
Our ability to understand when to listen to our intuition and when not, often means the difference between success and failure. In my second podcast episode with Eugene Sadler-Smith, we discuss the role of intuition in decision-making processes. In our conversation, we covered, among others, what intuition is and what it is not, the importance of adopting an ‘ambidextrous mindset’, Carl Jung and Intuition, and values and ethics in decision-making processes.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 11 – Jeremy Bentham (NL) – ‘Strategic Thinking and Leadership’
For decades, Shell’s scenarios have supported the decision-making of Shell leaders, academics, governments, and businesses.
Scenario thinking enables organizations to establish possible visions of the future in the form of scenarios. These scenarios enable decision-makers to think through the different ways in which the environment of their institutions could evolve in the future, based on different sets of assumptions.
One of the companies that is best known for its scenario-thinking activity is Shell.
Jeremy Bentham led this activity in Shell between 2006 and his retirement in 2022 as Shell Scenarios & Strategy Leader and VP Global Business Environment.
In this episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I am interviewing Jeremy Bentham about scenario thinking and leadership. In our conversation, we covered, amongst others, what scenario thinking is and what is it not, why organizations should invest in it, why Shell started sharing scenarios with external stakeholders, and the potential contribution of scenario thinking to address crises our society faces (e.g. the Ukraine and Gaza).
Currently, Jeremy is Co-Chair (scenarios) & Senior Advisor for the World Energy Council, as well as being involved in several other organizations in the climate and sustainable development space, including the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Illuminem, Pathfinder International, and the Mission Possible Partnership.
Additionally, he is a Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Recently, Jeremy started a regular newsletter and vehicle for discussion and community building called ‘the Dodo club. The purpose of this club is to help people and organizations make wiser decisions in the face of the radical uncertainties they are facing, including when grappling with issues of decarbonisation and energy transitions.
You can find this club, and sign up for the Newsletter at [https://thedodoclub.beehiiv.com/]
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 10 – Vlad Gheorghiu (CH) – ‘Mental Health in the Workplace’
McKinsey research showed that ‘60 % of employees have experienced at least one mental-health challenge at some point in their lives’. According to the same study ‘Failing to address the effects of mental health and well-being challenges is a missed opportunity for employers’. The same study finds that employees dealing with mental health issues are 4x more likely to say they intend to leave, 3x more likely to report low job satisfaction, 3x more likely to experience toxic workplace behavior, and 2x more likely to report low engagement. The World Health Organization estimates that 12 billion working days are lost every year due to depression and anxiety.
Vlad Gheorghiu experienced mental health issues firsthand whilst working as a management consultant for McKinsey.
This personal experience inspired him to design solutions to close the gap between the supply and demand for mental health solutions in the workplace. First for McKinsey, and later by co-finding a start-up.
In our conversation, we covered, amongst others, his personal experience with mental health issues, the gap in the workplace between the mental health support employees need and receive, the concept behind his start-up, and the do’s and don’ts of founding a start-up.
A graduate of the University of Lausanne (HEC 2011), with a Master’s degree in Finance and Economics (HEC Paris 2012) and an MBA (INSEAD 2017), Vlad began his career at consulting firm McKinsey & Company in 2012 where he led global programs for mental health and employee wellness. He co-founded Kyan Health in 2021, a digital health company that provides mental health and wellness services to European employers, with a mission to improve 1 million lives by 2027.
A champion of optimizing human potential, he is a proponent of the power of the present moment. He is a regular meditator, an avid kite surfer and an enthusiastic world traveller.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 9 – Prof. Dr. Eugene Sadler-Smith (UK) – ‘Hubristic Leadership’
Almost all human-induced crises in the world, including wars, corporate scandals, and economic downturns, are caused by hubristic leaders: ‘Powerful and successful individuals who become excessively confident and ambitious in their strategic decision choices’ (Sadler Smith et al.).
Last week I interviewed Prof. Dr. Eugene Sadler-Smith, who has published extensively on this topic. During our conversation, we discussed, amongst others, the origins of hubris (nature and/or nurture?), if and how hubristic leaders are co-created by their followers, recognizing hubristic leaders by the language they use, how entire teams can become hubristic, and the question if hubris also has a bright side.
Eugene Sadler Smith is a Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the Surrey Business School.
He published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and his research has featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC Local Radio, Sky TV, The Insight Channel, The Times, The Guardian, and others. Eugene worked on research and executive education projects with, amongst others, Tesco, Mind Gym, ICSA, CIPD, Met Police, Surrey Police, Welsh Government, Forbes, Home Office and the Scottish Government. He has written several books: Learning and Development for Managers (Blackwell, 2006); Inside Intuition (Routledge, 2008); The Intuitive Mind (John Wiley and Sons, 2010, translated into Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian); Hubristic Leadership (with a Foreword by Lord David Owen, SAGE, 2018); Human Resource Development: From Theory into Practice (SAGE, 2022), and ‘Intuition in Business’ (Oxford University Press in 2023).
In the next coming months two new books by his hand will be published: ‘The Hubris Hazard, and how to avoid it’ (Routledge), and ‘Trust your gut: Go with your intuition and make better choices’ (Pearson Academic).
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 8 – Ayse Yemiscigil Ph.D. (USA) – ‘A Scientific Perspective on Leadership Development’
Everyone is an expert in leadership development, or at least has an opinion about it!
However, if that is the case, why do global organizations spend more than $60 billion every year on leadership development programs, but is it so hard to ensure the ROI of these programs?
To find the answer to this question, I had a conversation with Ayse Yemiscigil an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and a Research Affiliate with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University.
In February 2023, she, Dana Born, and Horace Ling, published an article for HBR.org of the Harvard Business Review titled: ‘What Makes Leadership Development Programs Succeed?‘, an article which immediately drew my attention.
Our conversation was centered around the question of why most investments in Leadership Development programs fail, as well as what the format, content, and approach of leadership development programs should look like. We also discussed the question if leadership development programs really have a long term impact, and how this impact can be measured.
Ayse brings a humanistic lens to leadership development and management. Using an interdisciplinary approach, she studies how leaders cultivate humanistic ideals such as flourishing and wellbeing, meaning, purpose, and authenticity in themselves, organizations, and the broader society. Her work has been published in leading academic journals, including Psychological Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Harvard Business Review, and featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal among other media outlets.
She teaches humanistic management and leadership development and has been recognized for distinguished teaching performance by the Harvard Division of Continuing Education. She is a research consultant to multiple organizations including the Core Leadership Institute and Heart Mind Design.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 7 – Ralph Piedmont Ph.D. (USA) – ’The Five-Factor Personality Model and the Numinous’
Current thinking in Psychology is that there are five dimensions we can use to describe the most important personality dimensions: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness (FFM – the five-factor model of personality).
Ralph Piedmont discovered the 6th factor: the Numinous. According to Ralph ‘the numinous deals with our ultimate existential engagements with life. The Numinous has three central concerns: issues about mortality; meaning in life, and personal worthiness.’
During our conversation, we discussed, amongst others, the origins of the Five-Factor personality model, how the concept of the big 5 relates to the notion of ‘adopting a growth mindset’ (incl. nature versus nurture!), what the luminous is, its relevance for agnostics and atheists, and the application of the numinous dimension in the world of leadership.
Ralph received his Ph.D. in Personality Psychology from Boston University, was a full professor in the Department of Pastoral Counseling at Loyola University Maryland, and is now the Managing Director of the Center for Professional Studies.
His current research interests focus on the measurement of Spiritual Transcendence, a construct that represents a broad, nondenominational, motivational measure of spirituality. He has demonstrated the predictive value of this construct in both normal and clinical contexts, using both American and cross-cultural samples.
Ralph is extensively published in the scientific literature, is on several editorial boards, and is the founding editor of the new APA journal, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 6 – Matt Nixon (UK) – ’Leadership and reputation management’
‘The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology’. With this quote from Edward O. Wilson, Matt Nixon answered my question if our requirements regarding leadership have changed in the last decades.
Matt has more than 30 years of experience as a management consultant and HR executive, working with CEOs and senior leaders around the world. An Oxford classics graduate, he was a partner in Towers Perrin in Chicago and London, and subsequently held the positions of Global Head of Organization Effectiveness for Royal Dutch Shell, and Managing Director, Group Head of Talent for Barclays, before returning to the consulting industry.
Nowadays Matt works as a partner in a specialized consulting boutique where he coaches and advises CEOs and other senior leaders during career transitions and other periods of change and transition.
Matt has written and taught extensively on hubris in executives.
The topics we discussed included the changing expectations we have about leaders, the capabilities of executives vs. the required capabilities of board members, corporate scandals, as well as taking political positions as a company.
Episode links: Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 5 – Arend Ardon, Ph.D. (NL) -’ Change Management – Creating Deep & Sustainable Behavioral Change’
Arend Ardon (1967) is a management consultant and co-founder and co-owner of the Change Studio, a consultancy firm specializing in change management.
He is a leading thinker in this area and has published dozens of articles and books, many of which have become bestsellers.
In our conversation, we focused on the questions of why we as leaders, in the context of change, need to adopt a different paradigm than thinking in terms of initiating leaders on the one hand, and reactive and dependent employees on the other, why leaders and experts should reflect on their own role in change processes, and also on the question why and how leaders should release control if they want to make things happen.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 4 – Saskia Schepers (NL) – ’Unleash the power of neurodiversity in the workplace!’
Saskia Schepers studied organizational science and works as a creative brain, consultant, project manager, speaker, trainer, and coach.
She recently published a book on Neurodiversity in the workplace with the title ‘Als alle breinen werken – Waarom ruimte voor neurodiversiteit op het werk goed is voor iedereen’ (‘When all brains are switched on – Why space for neurodiversity in the workplace benefits everyone’).
Around 80% of mankind is neurotypical, and 20% is neurodivergent. We tend to ‘equip’ people in the latter category with labels like ADD, DHD, bipolar, autistic, etc.
In her book, Saskia Schepers describes what neurodiversity is, what the strong points of different types of neurodivergent people are, and how organizations can integrate neurodivergent people and capitalize on their strengths.
The book almost immediately reached the number 1 position in the Dutch bestseller list of management books, was quickly sold out, and is now in its third printed edition. An English translation is in the making and will be published in 2024.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Episode 3 – Prof. John Hollwitz, Ph.D. (USA) – ‘The Why and How of corporate ethics’
John Hollwitz is a University Professor of psychology and rhetoric at Fordham University. Before coming to Fordham, he was the A.F. Jacobson Professor of Communications at Creighton University and dean of arts and sciences at Loyola College in Maryland. He also has been the vice president of academic affairs at Fordham. Together with Murray Stein, he is the co-editor of one of my favorite books on Organizational Development: ‘The Psyche at work – Workplace Applications of Jungian Analytical Psychology.
His avocations include martial arts, especially classical Tai Chi sword; blues music; and jazz history, especially in the Columbus Circle area from 1920 through 1935.
Our conversation centered around the Why and How of corporate ethics, as well as the importance of having a purpose.
PS: John is currently writing a book about the blues and welcomes any stories from you about your ideas about, and experiences with, blues music!
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 2 – Sophia Town, Ph.D. (USA) – ‘Developing compassionate leaders in service of a flourishing world’
Sophia Town, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Gabelli School of Business of Fordham University.
Sophia leads Fordham’s Human Flourishing Project (FHFP), a mixed-methods, interdisciplinary research lab that explores behavioral, psychological, communicative, and spiritual development in business education. Related to this project, she serves as a Research Affiliate and Advisory Board Member for the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University.
Our conversation centered around the future of work, i.e. the changing expectations about work and leadership.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode 1 – Murray Stein, Ph.D. (CH) – ‘Jungian Analytical Psychology in the workplace’
Murray Stein is a founding member of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts.
He has been the president of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (2001-4), and President of The International School of Analytical Psychology (ISAP)in Zurich (2008-2012).
Murray published tens of books about Carl Jung and analytical psychology, including for instance ‘Jung’s Treatment of Christianity’ and ‘Jung’s Map of the Soul’.
The focus of our conversation was a book Murray edited with John Hollwitz called ‘The Psyche at work – Workplace Applications of Jungian Analytical Psychology’. Topics we discussed included the identity of organizations, individuation in the context of large organizations, corporate scandals, and the relevance of the MBTI instrument.
Episode links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Dirk Verburg 