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Hamish Thomson - Why it’s not always right to be right: Plus other hard won leadership lessons

Hamish Thomson - Why it’s not always right to be right: Plus other hard won leadership lessons

FromInside Influence


Hamish Thomson - Why it’s not always right to be right: Plus other hard won leadership lessons

FromInside Influence

ratings:
Length:
67 minutes
Released:
Apr 20, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

One of the great things about the world of founders and entrepreneurs – and for anyone in that arena you’ll know there are many not so great things – is that you get to choose your landscape. No one is going to walk into your office at 2pm on a rainy Tuesday afternoon - and announce that you now work somewhere else, possibly in a different country, leading a whole new team, with a whole new batch of KPI’s, stakeholders and challenges.Such is the world of the organisational leader. The corporate leader who, entrepreneurial and innovative as he or she may be – still needs to exist within a legacy and structure that is largely out of their hands.Now don’t get me wrong - that journey also comes with definite advantages – mentors, resources, consistency, a carefully refined playbook – but as we all know, the bigger the ship, the more entrenched the culture and the more stakeholders – the harder it can be to turn around.Honestly, I’ve never really spent much time on the art of corporate leadership within this podcast – I’ve always owned and run my own businesses so it’s not a world I’m deeply familiar with – plus I’ve tended to believe we can learn more about influence on the fringes - than the centre of business as usual.But oh how wrong it seems I have been. Flashback to a few months ago, when a publisher colleague of mine handed me a new book about to hit the shelves called: ‘Why it’s not always right to be right: And other hard won leadership lessons’.Written by Hamish Thomson, it’s a book that beautifully documents the learnings, stories and strategies he learnt during a 30-year journey from (his own words) a fresh-faced account executive in the London advertising scene – to the Regional President and Global Brand head for Mars - one of the most iconic and recognised brands on the planet.In this conversation we dive hard into:The namesake of the book – why as a leader it’s not always right to be right. And what metric successful leaders focus on instead.Using the 30% rule to light a fire under any team or target  – anyone that’s looking to get serious traction will want to take some notes here.Time on the ball – why those leaders that truly become iconic are those that learn how to stop translating pressure into stress.The concept of drains and radiators – and how one conversation in a stairwell can pivot an entire organisation.And finally – my personal favorite, so much so that it’s now written on a post-it note on my desk. I’m looking at it right now. How to stop confusing motion with impact.Probably the piece I have been thinking most about since we recorded this interview, is the part around limiting beliefs. Or upper limit thinking.You’ll hear Hamish talk a lot about the courage it takes to not only talk about the elephants in the room with his teams – those limiting beliefs about why this will never work, what’s been tried before and how the resources will never stretch that far.But actually taking it one step further – by placing those beliefs on the table, documenting them, questioning them and agreeing to release them as a team.Whether you’re a solo start up, an experienced leader or the CEO of a multinational enterprise – that’s a powerful (and visible) commitment to removing whatever blocks stand between where you are - and what’s possible.On that note, sit back, drive on, stride out and I’ll leave you with the insights of a veteran of leadership – Hamish Thomson. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Released:
Apr 20, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Having launched the careers of some of the worlds most respected thought leaders, Julie Masters delves into the minds of some of the brightest and most influential players in their space. From CEO’s to FBI hostage negotiators, Julie explores what it takes to build trust and authority in your space, so that you can effectively lead a conversation, an industry or a global movement. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.