Category: Leadership

By Cheryl L. Mason, J.D.

What do you do when you walk into an organization as the new leader and the organization is struggling with trust and morale issues from both employees and customers, recruitment and retention challenges, and reduced productivity?

That was what faced me as the new chief executive of my organization.

My solution was different than many leaders and considered risky and ill-advised by all but a few.

I focused on encouraging and supporting the employees of the organization – as people. This meant getting to know something about them – their jobs, their concerns, and their lives as people beyond work. The employees’ trust had been broken many times over.

How does a leader build trust and create credibility? To do this, I called on my experiences as an employee, I remembered all too well the feeling I had as employee – like I didn’t matter, I was just a cog in the wheel.

I knew that my words and actions had to match, but even more than that – my intentions had to match too.

I began to walk around the offices and schedule open office time – in person and virtually. I listened and learned. I fielded concerns, new ideas, and general complaints. Now, before you say that is not the job of the chief executive, pause a moment and consider the following.

Where does the responsibility for the entire organization reside? According to a sign on the desk of President Harry S. Truman, “the buck stops here.” So, while CEOs might delegate the gathering of the issues to others, I believe that the responsibility for addressing them sits with the CEO. If you as the CEO do not know what these issues are, how can you fix them?

Employees who do not believe the CEO cares about their problems will not raise them, instead, they fester and grow. In fact, when employees believe they do not matter at work shows in their output. The magnitude of a leader’s impact often extends far beyond what you may comprehend, often affect people’s lives beyond work. Recent studies from Deloitte, StudyFinds, and The Workforce Institute among many others, indicate that a person’s boss or job often negatively impacts their mental and physical health.

I knew that treating employees as people and valuing them also impacts the entire in the organization from hiring to operations to results.

As a new CEO, I needed to hear what the problems and concerns of the employees were, and I wanted to learn more about the employees who worked for me.

I discovered that the employees needed technological tools to help with their work, but more importantly, they needed and wanted a leader who believed in and championed them. They found this in me.

As a legal organization, there was a long-held belief that lawyers were always the answer. If there was a logistics issue, put a lawyer on it. Technology needs, sure, detail one of the lawyers. Public relations, sure a lawyer can handle that! Although the organization had a team of lawyers detailed to all these operational areas which pulled them off the primary work, the issues continued to grow. Lawyers are trained to research and advise, implementing usually requires subject matter experts. I found we had few of those.

As luck would have it, we did have a subject matter technology expert who was also a lawyer! He suggested some technological enhancements that improved workflow for his colleagues and increased output. He also was instrumental in advising me on hiring the right subject matter experts to further develop our technological innovations.

This led to more suggestions and solution-based ideas from the employees, some of which I implemented and gave the employees the credit. I fought for an increase in the budget to bring in more technology and hire additional people who could provide the support and assistance the employees and the organization needed.

I also championed and acknowledged them by thanking and rewarding them for their hard work and celebrating milestones for them and the organization.

What happened? I did not crash and burn – as some expected or wanted.
This ill-advised leadership approach – relating to and engaging with employees as people – succeeded.

Interestingly, results were where we saw the first success, increasing outcomes by 50 percent in year one of my leadership. Retention, morale, and recruitment followed in quick succession, supported by data and surveys. New technological tools combined with increased morale and retention led to results never thought possible – a 100 percent increase which held steady during my entire leadership tenure even during a pandemic.

The reputation of the organization increased as employees recruited new employees. Customers and stakeholders were pleased.

Other organizations began to ask how this happened, what was the secret?
The secret ingredient is caring for, relating to, and investing in your most valuable resource – your employees. By dedicating time and effort to fostering authentic connections with your employees, you nurture and strengthen your most valuable assets AND demonstrate genuine respect and concern for those important to them. All of these people matter.

Here are my take aways:

1. Show your employees that you care for them as people by putting them first – in every aspect of your organization – technology, processes, and communications.
2. Listen! Be seen and make yourself available to your employees and talk about life outside work – this was extremely important during the pandemic.
3. Invest your time in and on your most valuable resource – the people of your workforce – from office hours to walkabouts & publicly acknowledge the work and ideas of the employees.

And KEEP DOING IT over and over again.

What I found is the people who work for you want to know that you, their leader, is a human being – a person. And they want to know that you care about them as another human being – not just a part of the organizational machine.

Nice guys always finish last. Not true, says Joanna Knight OBE, Group CEO of Moneypenny, the UK’s leading provider of outsourced communications, a company consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work.

This statement applies to business, love, life, sport, so many things. Just because it is a well-known saying; does it actually mean that it is true? For me, it isn’t, especially in the business world.

Some would say that as a leader, you can’t always be nice, sometimes you have tough decisions to make and sometimes you are not going to be liked. They don’t have to like you; they have to respect you. Rubbish. Nice leaders do exist. And nice leaders can finish first.

Sometimes you need to be the good guy and sometimes you need to be the bad guy. However, you can always lead with kindness. In a short-term, Wolf of Wall Street world those who are not concerned with anyone else will win. They will get there quicker through cheating, manipulation and using people because they won’t need them again. And, because people are generally nice themselves, they will probably get away with it. In the short-term.

In the long-term, however, you need reputation, relationships and trust. And if you want people to trust you, you need to treat them well. It’s not a short-term strategy but it is an extremely powerful one and it is a sustainable one.

Leadership takes on many forms and definitions but there is always room for the nice guy. It doesn’t mean that you are a pushover, and it is not a weakness. Here are some traits a kind leader express:

People-powered

Nice guys think about how their people want to work, what motivates them and what inspires them. They focus on who the individual is and how they can help them to become the best that they can be. They acknowledge that people have a life outside of the office, other responsibilities and embrace them as a whole. They create a safe environment for their people to excel. And when they see that you care for them, they will go the extra mile for you.

Happy people make the world go round. And in focusing on people, you are showing that you understand them, that you empathise with them and that you value them. Compassion is a key trait for any leader. Productivity will fluctuate and things will go wrong. (Sometimes the best lessons are learned from mistakes.) But instead of pointing the finger of blame, find out why and ask how you can help. It is about empowering your people and taking a step back, creating a sense of responsibility and trust. It is about looking after your people physically and mentally, making work a place people actually want to go.

Open and authentic

No one is perfect. Holding your hands up and owning a mistake is just as important as the communicating and congratulating your people for their successes. In doing so you are being authentic and open, you are demonstrating strength, courage, and respect.

Nice guys lead with openness and authenticity. They do not know everything. That is why they employ awesome people. They understand, listen, and hear. They praise a good job and give credit where credit is due. And in doing so they show that they value their people and give them more confidence and connection to the role that they own.

Being open and honest in any organisation is important.  As a leader you should be able to share how you are feeling and how things are going clearly and without fear. It is about being clear about what you know, what you are planning and what it means for people, in a way that your audience will understand.

Walk the talk

Do what you say you are going to do. Don’t say one thing and do another. Or have one rule for one and another one for everyone else. Nice guys lead with purpose, they live and breathe the talk and in doing so, their people respect them, and trust them more. There is always room to be kind. It does not have to replace anything in your leadership toolbox, simply add value to what you already have there.

Nice guys don’t finish last. By leading with kindness, they elevate their team, establishing a robust and sustainable business model ready to tackle the challenges of a constantly changing business environment.

Setting and managing expectations is crucial for organizational success. It is a primary responsibility of any leader. While we may excel in this aspect with our employees, Joanna Knight OBE, Group CEO of Moneypenny, the UK’s leading provider of outsourced communications, says sometimes we need a reminder to look introspectively.

Managing expectations is a life skill that extends beyond the business world. Evaluating your management techniques and striving to improve them can benefit both your business and personal life. With a new season upon us, one focused on growth and rebirth, it’s the perfect time to take a step back and consider how you can better manage expectations in all aspects of your life. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of managing expectations and provide tips for improving your management techniques.

Setting expectations is good for business.

Setting and managing clear expectations is a basic tenet to success. And there is that five letter word that makes all the difference: clear. Expectations are what you build guidelines and goals from, so that you can empower your people but also give them ownership. If they are not clear, how can they understand what is required of them to realize goals? If you have not set clear, realistic expectations, you are not setting them up for success.

Clear expectations on the other hand, lead to happy people, improved performance, connection to purpose, and improved collaboration. If people understand what is expected of them and the purpose (how their contribution fits into the plan) then they have a stronger sense of connection and will put more effort into their tasks. If they are happy, they will approach their work with more confidence and satisfaction. If everyone in the business understands what is expected of them, then everyone is aligned and working towards the same thing.

Communication is crucial in setting and managing expectations.

Communication. Communication. Communication. That’s what it all comes down to. It is one of the building bricks of good leadership. Leaders need to be able to express ideas and share information with a whole host of audiences. Excellent communicators tend to be excellent leaders.

For some it will come naturally, others it requires work, either way it is something that every leader will need to reflect on throughout their career. The key is to develop your own self-awareness. Learn your strengths and weaknesses and analyze your decisions and emotions. Only when you are aware can you interact successfully and effectively with others.

Tips for setting and managing clear expectations.

Do not assume people know what is expected. This is where frustration on all parts lies and can be a key source of wasted energies. Say it clearly and reinforce it in words that your audience will understand. As individuals we are unique and that means that our perspective is unique, to lead and to collaborate we need to be able to express that in safety and in terms that are clear to everyone involved. It is about using a language that removes ambiguity, using short words to talk about tough topics and taking the time to ensure that expectations are understood. People should feel safe in their work environment to ask questions for clarity or to disagree (healthily!) with expectations of them. Expectations, like communication, are a two-way process.

Managing expectations of ourselves.

It is so often the case, that as leaders, we focus entirely on everyone else, setting them up to succeed. What we need to do is set aside time to apply the same principles to ourselves. We need to give our people all of the tools that we are able to so that they can make life work for them. And we need to do the same for ourselves. We need to look in the mirror. Not only will this help you, but it will help you to lead your people better too.

It is all very well aiming for the stars, being bold, trusting your gut (all topics that I have previously written about – links) but it also needs to be kept in check. Every day is not going to be your best day. You need to acquire the skills to ensure that you are self-aware enough to acknowledge this. Be clear on your leadership style, your strengths and weaknesses, and your purpose. Know who you are and what you stand for, then you can be authentic.

Set boundaries that not only help you define between realistic and unrealistic expectations, placed upon you or you place upon yourself, but also serve as a reminder that you need to recharge. Think about asking a peer to be a mentor, perhaps, or find your tribe with likeminded leaders who can provide moral and practical support. Everyone has a story to share of lessons learned and there is always something to be learned.

Never stop communicating and learning.

Setting and managing clear expectations is a two-way street. It is something that should be developed from the very beginning. Whether that beginning is your first day as CEO or a new hire’s first day, clear expectations need to be set and managed effectively. They also need to be reviewed so that they can evolve alongside the business.

In this two-way street, it is essential for leaders to take the lead. This involves looking at themselves first. It is important to realize the difference between what you want to do and what is possible, as well as what is realistic and what is unrealistic. Understanding these distinctions allows for personal growth, making you a better leader and manager. It enables you to navigate the ever-changing business landscape of the future and get things done effectively.

Research carried out by the CMI revealed that 82% of new managers in the UK are what they call “accidental managers” – meaning they have had no formal training in management or leadership.

In light of this, business coach Tim Brownson wanted to share his expert tips on how you can level up your leadership skills and be the best leader you can.

How to level up your leadership skills and be the best leader

Develop self-awareness

Make sure you understand your strengths, weaknesses, and leadership style. Reflect on feedback and experiences to continuously improve.

Communicate effectively

It’s key to be clear and transparent with your communication, so ensure you’re actively listening to your team and articulating your vision and expectations well.

Foster a positive culture

Create an environment where team members feel valued and motivated by recognising their achievements, encourage collaboration, and maintain a positive attitude.

Embrace continuous learning

Stay updated with industry trends, read leadership books, and seek out training opportunities. A great leader is always learning and evolving.

Build strong relationships

Cultivate trust and respect with your team. Engage with them genuinely, understand their needs and aspirations, and support their growth.

Delegate wisely

Trust your team with responsibilities, delegating not only empowers your team but also allows you to focus on strategic tasks.

Adaptability

It’s important to be open to change and be flexible in your approach, adaptability helps in navigating challenges and leveraging new opportunities.

Lead by example

Demonstrate the behaviour and work ethic you expect from your team, if you lead by example it will build credibility and inspire your team to follow suit.

Set clear goals

Establish clear, achievable goals and provide the necessary resources and support to achieve them. Also, ensure that you regularly review and adjust these goals as needed.

Develop emotional intelligence

Enhance your emotional intelligence to manage your emotions and understand those of your team. This helps in handling conflicts, improving teamwork, and fostering a supportive work environment.

The business coach also shares his advice on the importance of being more assertive in your leadership role: 

“It’s important to know your strengths and weaknesses, which will allow you to lead with confidence and authenticity. It’s very important to be self-aware as a leader as this will enable you to communicate your vision clearly and stand firm in your decisions​.

The key is to be proactive rather than reactive. This involves setting clear goals, making decisive actions, and taking responsibility for outcomes, all of which help in establishing authority and trust within your team”

If there’s one word to describe the world of corporate leadership, it’s unpredictable. It can be argued that there is no greater influence on a company’s success than the CEO, the figurehead and biggest name to attribute towards the company’s overall direction and performance. As a CEO, they are often solely responsible for analysing every aspect within the business, from company culture and processes to strategic direction, markets, and investments.

Yet, in recent years, CEO turnover has been escalating at unprecedented rates, with 622 CEOs announcing during Q1 2024 that they would soon quit (a 50% increase compared to Q1 2023). According to recent data, less than 1 in 10 UK businesses have an adequate plan or process in place should their incumbent CEO be forced to resign from their post atop the company hierarchy. 

CEO succession planning is one of the most critical and yet most frequently overlooked aspects of the post. Establishing a succession plan doesn’t just steer the company towards its goals, but also ensures a smooth transition for the future once they step down. Given that recent reports also suggest low confidence in managers and bosses, making your mark as a CEO with dignity is a constant challenge. Leaving with your head held high, whatever the circumstances, will also be quite telling of how well you’ve done in the post.

This short guide will walk you through the crucial steps of succession planning as a CEO, covering various exit strategies and providing insights on how to make your eventual transition as straightforward, hassle-free, and seamless as possible.

The Importance of Succession Planning

Not only has there been a surge in CEO turnover, but according to the Financial Times, half of business owners have precisely no exit strategy. This trend underlines just how important having a robust succession plan in place is. 

Many organisations find themselves drastically unprepared when the time comes for a leadership change. As a CEO, your legacy isn’t just about your achievements and accomplishments during your tenure, but also about the state in which your company is left for your successor. 

A well-executed and properly planned succession strategy can maintain stakeholder confidence, preserve company culture and values, provide or maintain a competitive edge in talent retention and recruitment, and ensure business continuity.

Ultimately, CEOs – particularly those that have gone public – have a lot riding on their reputations with every key business decision closely inspected and scrutinised. It’s undeniably preferable for CEOs to bow out gracefully and with their reputations intact than to be forced to resign for underhanded, illegal or immoral activity. 

CEOs who purposefully evade tax obligations, are linked to criminal or suspicious activities, or otherwise jeopardise the safety and stability of their workforces (among other examples) will no doubt be viewed less favourably by the public. Sympathy and empathy will instead be higher for those CEOs who leave with decorum and respect and have led their companies by example, paving the way for their successors to continue the same trend.

Therefore, whatever the scenario that sees a CEO step down from their post, establishing a succession plan is a pivotal step that businesses can ill afford to overlook.

Key Steps in Succession Planning

1. Start the Process Early 

The most effective succession plans are proactive, with the process ideally beginning as soon as you step into the CEO role. A long-term strategy allows you to pinpoint and develop potential future candidates internally, thoroughly evaluate the company’s future needs based on its performance, and cultivate a supportive team and culture around the potential successor.

2. Align with Corporate Strategy 

Any succession plan should be closely tied to the company’s long-term vision and corporate strategy. Ask yourself:

• How might the company change in the next 3 to 5 years?
• What attributes and experience will be crucial for future leadership?
• What kind of person will be the best fit alongside the other executives?

3. Develop a Talent Pipeline 

Leadership development is a function to develop and cultivate throughout your organisation, from the top down. This involves identifying high-quality employees at various levels, providing growth opportunities, offering mentorship and executive coaching programmes, and encouraging cross-departmental job rotations to broaden your team’s skill sets and experience. 

Challenging economic times have led to the quick removal of underperforming CEOs, with those lasting less than two years accounting for 15.1% of those leaving, which is a drastic increase from 9.6% of departures on average since 2019. Therefore, positioning key talent to step in at short notice is vital.

Establishing this will bring employees closer to the strategic direction of the company and position certain individuals for progressing into roles with greater responsibility.

4. Define Clear Criteria for Your Successor 

It’s crucial to work with your board and stakeholders to establish the right criteria for your ideal successor. This would include close assessments of leadership style, values, industry experience, technical abilities, innovation mindset, and track record. 

Mentoring and training internal talent is undoubtedly crucial, but so is benchmarking against external candidates. Internal candidates’ readiness and skills should always be closely assessed, but periodic reviews and headhunting of external talent will also be a valuable use of resources. Recent reports suggest that internal CEO hires are on the rise, with 2023 being a record year.

Exit Strategies and Scenarios

As you plan your succession, it’s important to remember that various exit scenarios could occur. This could be (but not limited to):

• Planned retirement
• Company mergers
• Acquisitions or buyouts
• Initial public offerings (IPO)
• Liquidation
• Unexpected departure

Certain exit scenarios will mandate varying levels of due diligence, leadership planning, and crisis communication strategies for stakeholders, staff, and partners. Interim leadership may be necessary before an eventual successor is identified as well.

Whatever the reason for your succession, be it genuine or a means of ‘saving face’, timing is everything. You, the board, and other leadership experts will need to consult on the most appropriate strategy to ensure that the company does not take a hit, be it on the stock market or in terms of customer or staff loyalty.

Making the CEO Transition Easier

Regardless of the exit scenario, there are several steps you can take to ensure a smoother transition:

• Ensure all financial records are up-to-date and easily accessible.
• Prepare detailed financial projections for the incoming leader and team.
• Develop a comprehensive communication plan for all stakeholders.
• Maintain transparency about the reasons for the transition and the next steps.
• Plan for extensive meetings with your successor to discuss processes, relationships, projects, goals and stakeholder expectations.
• Describe the company values, culture, and success to the new CEO.
• Keep the board actively involved throughout the succession process.
• Offer support to your successor but avoid micromanaging them.
• Be available for consultations but allow space for the new leadership team to implement their strategies.
• Work with the incoming CEO to develop a ‘first 100 days’ strategic plan.
• Schedule regular check-ins to address any questions or challenges.

Next Steps

Succession planning is an incredibly complex and crucial aspect of your role as a company CEO. It will likely take months to formulate and will likely require constant adjustments and amendments, depending on the eventual exit scenario you will face. However, as you embark on this journey, keep in mind that adaptability is key. Businesses and markets are constantly evolving, and your succession plan should align with your company’s circumstances and challenges most pertinent at the time that you depart.

This year is deemed to be a year of pivotal, landmark leadership changes. Your legacy as a CEO isn’t just about the successes and failures you had during your time leading the company; it’s also about how well you prepared it for continued success under new leadership.

By Amrit Sandhar, CEO/Founder, &Evolve

Whilst many businesses are still rebuilding after the pandemic, with some industries and sectors impacted more than others, there was one lesson every organisation took from this unimaginable situation: we weren’t prepared.

Organisations have been putting in place contingency plans or business continuity plans together for many years. Some might argue that organisations started to take this seriously during the turn of the millennium as we expected all digital equipment to shut down at midnight. After all the hype, the planning and preparation, midnight passed, and nothing happened. Instead of a sigh of relief, for many, it became the butt of jokes, or was seen as over-hyped fearmongering.

Strategies are consistently reviewed, refined, and adjusted so organisations can maximise opportunities and minimise threats or challenges, but contingency plans are rarely reviewed in the same way. The pandemic changed everything – it made us realise how unprepared we were for such an extreme situation. No one had ever considered that we wouldn’t be able to work for extended periods of time, return back to our workplaces, or work without having any contact with each other. It was only then that we realised how unprepared we were, and whilst the legacy of the pandemic has left organisations feeling more uncertain about the future, what have organisations done since then to improve their resilience?

Many workplaces are now asking employees to come back to work, reducing hybrid and remote working. As we become re-indoctrinated in the old ways of working again, we need to consider how we keep our organisations prepared for the next unimaginable situation to challenge us. If organisations were to identify and have ‘real world’ contingency plans for situations, this would help with decision making, and help provide a solution during an emergency, when the uncertainty and stress of an extreme situation can make trying to think about the best solution, challenging.  Part of resilience is forward planning these extreme scenarios, something we never did to the levels required before the pandemic. It may be useful to consider how your organisation would function in those scenarios identified, from the perspective of three critical areas: the People, the Place of Work, and the Product.

The People

One way of improving resilience is to consider how the scenarios highlighted, no matter how farfetched they may seem, could impact on your employees. Take for example, an extreme cyber-attack. How would this impact on your employees? How would they access their emails and respond to customers? How would they carry out basic tasks, or access cloud services? How would you keep them updated and informed? Some people can get very frustrated with their I.T. equipment even when it is working, so during extreme situations, providing support and advice may be critical to them. Should your employees not be able to work, are there temporary contract workers that you could call in at the last minute? Which company would you contact? Where would you find their details when in the middle of a stressful situation? How up to date are the contact details of your employees? When was the last time these details were updated? How easy would it be to set up a ‘What’s App’ group that kicks in, should the worst happen?

The Place of Work

Consider if the workplace network shuts down, or there is a power cut, how could your employees access the plans to know what to do, when everything is stored in the cloud? An emergency text messaging service to all employees should a disaster occur, could be one way of communicating to everyone. What would you do if you no longer had access to your office/ workplace (temporarily or permanently)? Could you operate from a nearby site and how easy would it be to access this? Is there a temporary office space which employees could go and work at – how would they pay for this and how would you monitor this? Working from home during the pandemic gave us insights of what we might need, should this happen.

If you manufacture goods, and your factory is no longer able to operate, is there a secondary supplier/ manufacturer who could ensure your production continues, albeit at temporarily higher additional costs?

The Product

Many products offered by organisations rely on cloud services. Whilst contingency planning is primarily focused on supporting our own organisations, should the worst happen, it is also worth considering scenarios that may impact on suppliers. For example, if Amazon cloud services suddenly suffered a cyber-attack, it could have a devastating impact on your ability to offer your service. Who could you switch to, and how easy would that be? What would you do if your supplier suffered a catastrophic event? Who could you approach to ensure your organisation continues to produce its product? Consider your stockholding and how much back-up supplies you would need, to deal with an extreme event?

Developing Resilience

In the three areas described, we have provided more questions than any answers. This is because part of contingency planning is to think about your organisation, how it operates and the areas which are of greatest importance or concern, to deal with extreme situations. Developing resilience isn’t solely achieved from experiencing extreme events and working through them. Mentally working through how your organisation would deal with different extreme situations, what’s in place to help, and what else you would need, helps develop resilience. Thinking these situations through, allows the development of action plans to ensure any gaps are filled. But, thinking alone cannot be enough, we need to ensure the organisations we work for are ready.

Part of developing our resilience must include developing a more agile mindset. Exposing the organisation to regular ‘drills’, or evoking change on a regular basis, may help. In one media organisation, the CEO insisted the whole organisation moved desks every 6 months, as he wanted them to be change ready. Whilst there were complaints, there was no doubt about the way this was developing greater resilience for change. Consider what you could implement across your organisation to get your employees change ready.

If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s that we will not get time to plan and prepare during an extreme event and therefore thinking ahead is more important than ever. In the current uncertain economic and political landscape, many organisations are going to face challenging situations in the immediate future, and contingency planning, combined with implementing strategies to develop a more agile mindset across your organisation, will be key. Business contingency plans should be scrutinised regularly in the same way we review strategies, so we never forget what we or others have learnt from what we hope will be a once-in-a-lifetime event.