Advanced Executive Leadership Jacqueline Conway

Imagine being a CEO or senior leader and having the opportunity to step out of the business for 4 months to travel and recuperate.

That's exactly what Matthieu Hue, CEO of EDF Renewables is currently doing. But just before he left, Matthieu took the time to sit down with me to talk to me for the latest edition of the podcast.

In it, Matthieu explains what it's been like creating an exceptional executive team that are up for the challenge of rapidly growing the business in a world that has finally realised that renewable energy is the way forward.

If you are in a high growth industry, this episode is not to be missed!

There's disruption and turbulence facing many companies and industries. But that disruption is probably most acute in the real estate sector. The dual challenge of the impact of online shopping on our high streets alongside what hybrid working means for office space in town and cities means that as an industry, it’s grappling with deep uncertainty.

So I’m thrilled to be able to welcome Mark Allan onto the podcast. Mark is the CEO of Landsec plc a FTSE 100 real estate business that’s getting ahead of the curve on the disruption.

Tune in to find out what it means for Mark and his Executive Team as they lead in an age of disruption.

There are two habits of mind that stops us from fully embracing the future and seeing what might be around the corner.

What are they? The Tyranny of Short-Termism and a Poverty of Imagination.

They prevent us in developing our anticipatory skills and engaging in strategic foresight.

Being Futures Fluent isn't just about being agile and responsive to a future that hasn't yet emerged. It's also about shaping that future - in whatever way we can - so we help to bring the world we want to see into being.

Perspective-taking breaks a golden rule: to treat others as we’d like to be treated and turns it on its head… to treat others as they’d like to be treated. I wonder the impact on leadership if we were to do this more?

The capacity to be able to take multiple perspectives is the very definition of adult development. This episode explores what it means to take multiple perspectives, and why it might be useful for executive leaders.

We've had quite the run on stories that relate to the ethics of leadership and the tone that leaders set.

Take Bernard Looney, who resigned as CEO of BP after failing to disclose to the Board the extent of his pervious relationships with colleagues.

Or the hedge fund owner, Crispin Odey, who is being investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority to determine if he is a ‘fit and proper person’ after allegations that he sexually assaulted a junior member of staff.

But it's not just these obvious and extreme breaches that we need to consider.

In today’s podcast, two Chief People Officers explain the importance of leaders setting the right tone.

Kate Bishop, the CPO of IFS says: “It’s the tone at the top that sets the tone around the entire organisation. It’s what makes people want to join and people want to stay”.