Whilst David´s background has a strong analytical base (a PhD in engineering), it´s clear that he´s energised by solving problems creatively and he has been willing to stretch himself throughout his career. David shared some learnings from running Lego´s in-house creative agency which he wants to keep in his new role at Brita; 1. be clear on what you want and then trust the creative process, 2. adapt your leadership style to give space for ideas to flow, versus trying to control everything. As the leader, it´s about asking the right questions. 3. encourage and respect diverse thinking. And his advice for anyone moving companies is to avoid making too many assumptions based on previous experience. Whilst its natural to seek to reapply what made you successful in the past, and to fit the new world into familiar frameworks, you should instead prioritise understanding and adapting to the new culture. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

When Judy entered the big corner office for the first time, “she felt like a 4 year old trying on her mum’s shoes”. But she is a fast learner who loves firefighting & high pressure situations. She was clear on the the culture she wanted to create, “how can it be better and what are we going to do to get there?” Initially it felt like a lonely battle but now it has been adopted by the organisation, it feels great. But the job is not always easy. Looking back at her ”sink” moments… it’s when she didn’t have enough in “the tank” to support the team or she was naïvely optimistic about what was involved in driving change through. And her reflections on what General management is about 2 years on… 1.The role is to facilitate everyone else to do a great job, it’s no longer about me. 2. Every day is an unknown, and some of them are a lot scarier than others. 3. The moments of greatest fear, are the times when you can make the most significant progress. UItimately, “so much of what I/we have achieved has simply been by being myself”. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

Matt’s sweet spot is taking companies from Series B to IPO, and it was with Olo that he hit the jackpot. He’s modest enough to recognise that “he served his time at the right time.” But this story of “overnight success” took 9 years, starting with joining Olo as employee #7. His story is all about people. 1.identifying the right ones, trusting his own judgement, and doing the proper due diligence. He never delegates a reference check. 2. How his selection criteria evolved over time. He no longer defers to industry experience or Ivy League educations but instead looks for bias for action and curiosity. 3. His contribution was knowing when to add structure and process, and when to let things run. Matt also takes about the magic of the partnership he had with the Olo’s founder Noah Glass, he didn’t need the title but he did need the freedom to make the call. And what next? Now he has the “external mark of success”… not a word about retirement. He is ready to go again and is as energised as ever.

John shares his career journey from a commercial operator to someone whose management mantra became “Deliver the present, create the future and create the right environment for your team to thrive”. His sink moment was an engagement survey in his second GM assignment, where he learnt of the gap between how he wanted to be perceived and how the organisation saw him. But he embraced that learning and has been building on it ever since. He sees the GM role as a combination of “getting the best OUT OF the organisation whilst getting the best FOR the organisation from the outside. And his advice for new GM’s, have the discussion up front with your boss on what success looks like, you might be surprised !

Matias views his career journey as a learning journey. And he is “all in”. His innate bias for action and ability to deliver whatever was required meant that sometimes “he was crossing rivers but burning bridges”. Now before moving to action, he pays equal measure to the “how” as to the “what”, and makes sure to “breathe in- breathe out” and do a mental map. He is willing to take risks and learn from the feedback. He believes that“ The best feedback is the one that hurts… because it helps you find your edge”. A recent example being his LinkedIn profile “Not a guru on anything… but honest, realiable and optimistic” which challenged some of the “title inflation” which occurs on the platform. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

A few highlights from our conversation which are relevant for any leader preparing to transition.1.Why you have to work harder to get to the unfiltered truth as you grow more senior in your career 2.When taking on a new role, her focus is on Earning trust, and you know if you have achieved it by the help you get in the public and private moments 3.She builds trust via vulnerability, by showing her human side even if some people think this can undermine your professional credibility. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share. If you haven´t yet subscribed, click on your favourite app.

When her move to Diageo GB was announced, LinkedIn nearly collapsed with the volume of congratulatory messages. So 6 months on, who better to talk to about leadership transitions and what can be done to support those going through them than Ednah. A few highlights from our conversation which are relevant for any leader preparing to transition. •For her the ideal transition plan needs to be personalised. It is up to the individual to “own” it, but support on “articulating the challenge ahead” has to come from their sponsors since the leaders often “don’t know what they don’t know” • She is conscious that she is a role model, which is daunting and energising at the same time • Her personal learnings are 1.to take time for reflection, 2. that we are more ready than we might think, and 3. that the more committed you are, the more you will get from the experience. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

In Ireland, Feargal needs no introduction. In August he led Tyrone to the All-Ireland football championship in his first year as coach, the first time in 14 years and for only the fourth time in history. For listeners outside Ireland, his story is equally remarkable and relevant. To put it in context, in sporting terms his achievement as manager is like winning the Champion’s League in soccer or the Superbowl in American Football. And it’s made all the sweeter by the fact that as player he lost in the final by the narrowest of margins. A few highlights from our conversation which are relevant for any leader. •There is never a perfect time, when the opportunity comes you have ‘to jump” •You need “to abandon the shelter of a #2 role when you take the #1 role” •In a knock-out format, “there is no tomorrow” so you have to achieve peak performance today •For inspiration, he doesn’t follow sports leadership gurus. He relies on his ability to read people gained from his daily work as a lawyer (Gaelic football is an amateur sport) where he sees people at their most vulnerable and challenged •Whilst reluctant to talk about his own unique contribution, for him the leader’s role is “to steer things at the critical moments” •Why it’s vital to maintain balance in what can be an all-consuming environment and how he stays grounded• And recognising that the joy of success lasts so much shorter than the pain of failure, he plans to enjoy it for as long as he can! Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

With companies reviewing their work policies, not just working from home but also international moves, it´s a good time to consider the merits of expat assignments. Who better to discuss this topic with than with Graham who is now in his 3rd role abroad? Graham is the Marketing and Innovation Director for East Africa Breweries, Diageo´s largest beer market. Points we covered •How emerging markets experience has helped him get comfortable with volatility •How a “sink” experience in Indonesia when he found himself unexpectedly in the “hot-seat” was great preparation for Covid•The importance of seeking external support in a crisis even if the natural reflex is “to circle the wagons”•Why clarifying the performance measure in a crisis helps focus the organisation.•Why he is not afraid to recruit people who over-shadow him •And the question you have all been asking… is a double-barrelled surname an advantage or disadvantage?Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

In a time where professionals change roles every 4 years on average and companies merge, get acquired and expand every day, there is a good chance you might become a boomerang employee. "Boomerang employee" refers to a person who is rehired by a former employer. Who better to discuss this topic with than an experienced general manager still in the critical first 90 days? Nick is the new Regional Director Health for UK&I at Reckitt. He started out selling Smarties with Nestle, a great first job, and he has worked in commercial and strategic roles with Reckitt, Vodafone, Coty and is now back at Reckitt. Points we covered •We started with the crux question – Why go back? – which in Nick´s case were about culture fit and chance to succeed •Formative “sink or swim” moments •Why General Management is the best job you can do, but that it can be a very uncomfortable “hot seat” when the macro environment is against you •How to mitigate the “grass is always greener” mindset by doing everything you can to understand the culture you are moving to •How he is approaching his transition/ onboarding/ “re-boarding” and the questions he finds useful in his 121 meetings to accelerate his learning. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

Who better to have on the podcast than an experienced general manager transitioning to a new bigger role? This episode is a must listen for all leaders in transition, be it as a first-timer or as a veteran. It also served to remind me why I do what I do at Swim not Sink… Originally from Belgium, Stéphane can now be considered a global citizen having worked across the world at Unilever, Danone, Reckitt and Sanofi. He has just been appointed as Region Head Latin America for Sanofi Healthcare, the only continent he hasn’t worked in yet. Stéphane likes challenges and fixing things & is full of energy, as no doubt you´ll pick up from our conversation. Points we covered •His guiding value of “transmission” and what motivates him to share his experiences for the benefit of others •A “warts and all” account of his “overhelm” in Czech as a first-time leader and what he learnt from that going forward. The importance of investing in relationships before you need them •The self-awareness gap he has seen in some new leaders and the importance of gauging your own fit for the particular role. •Why he considers coaching as an investment vs a cost because “even the good leaders need support when stepping up a level” •And now as a leader of leaders, how he is preparing for his own transition; being comfortable in his skin, not treating his career as “a race” and taking distance from the “day to day” by balancing that with 2 other dimensions, creating the right environment for his team and creating the future. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share. If you would like to test your own leadership readiness, complete the scorecard at https://leadershipreadinessscorecard.scoreapp.com

Erhard was one of the key figures in the Reckitt Benckiser success story leading a huge transformation over his 27 years there. At RB he was famous for his simple, direct management style and his question “What is the number (for the month)?” which kept everyone focused on the business. Since 2006 he has not rested on his laurels. Just to mention a few of his Board and investor roles; he was CEO & Chairman of Birdseye Iglo Ltd, Erhard has served on the Board of Directors of Coty since 2007, He is an Angel investor in e-commerce e.g. Lieferando, the leading e-commerce site Points we covered •His book project •His learnings from his extensive career as a “leader of leaders” •His trademark “directness” and why it was so successful •Why his favourite experience was his first General Manager role in Italy •His belief in the importance of the “general management” function and his tips for those taking on the role, #2 is totally different vs #1. •How he has found the move from “street fighter” who loves execution to the adviser role very challenging •His foundation, https://www.stiftung-fairchance.org/en teaching migrant children how to speak German & work with start-ups. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

James Ashton is a renowned journalist, author and podcaster who has just released his new book “The 9 types of leaders - How the leaders of tomorrow can learn from the leaders of today." He has had unrivalled access to the FTSE CEO´s and key personalities over the past 20 years. We discussed his insights from the perspective of those in the hot-seat for the first time, not yet global CEO roles, but with aspirations! Points we covered •A taster of the 9 types – which type are you? •Once you know your type, what to do with it? •Finding a good match between your type and your role. •Delivering the numbers gives you the right to “talk the other stuff”, exemplified by Paul Polman •And the importance of honing your communication skills, especially external communication, which becomes increasingly important as you move up. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

On top of the big day job, and being a working mum, Sara has her own Podcast… so lots to talk about. The turnaround at TBWA had 2 parts… 1) applying what she had learned from previous roles in high performance environments, (command & control style), 2) but then it was about putting on her own stamp (shift to more empowerment and leveraging the agency network). There was also a personal turn-around. Previously she had “self-excluded” from considering the top job. Her key insights 1.To be bolder “how can you be credible about being a CEO if you can´t be CEO of yourself?” and being clear in setting and sticking to her red lines 2. To find the culture that fits your preferred personal style. In her case, that was a network environment with a “host” rather than a “hero” culture. We also look at how coaching helped her and how she wished she´d had it earlier in her career. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

Conal talks about his adjustment to the CEO role after a stellar career at P&G, Asda and Ryanair. What is different about the CEO role and how it took him time to realise that. Whilst everyone gets the theory of leadership, its only when in situ that “you quickly realise whether you have what it takes.” His sink or swim moment was recognising that when working for a start-up vs a blue chip “you´ll get found out in the P&L.” The importance of developing self-awareness, on what motivates vs demotivates you… something that most formal education and training leaves you unprepared. And whilst reluctant to give advice… to recognise that your job security depends on your CV not your employer. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

I talk with Michael Watkins, author of the leadership classic The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up To Speed Faster and Smarter and co-founder of Genesis Advisers https://www.genesisadvisers.com who has dedicated his career to helping leaders get off to great starts. Points we covered •Why transition or on-boarding support is still not the norm despite it being a “no brainer” from a ROI standpoint (@2.25) •Why it can be hard to ask for support given “Darwinian Evolution” bias (@7.22), and the need to re-frame transition support as embodying huge acceleration benefits as opposed to compensating for weakness (@8.48) •Why he prefers to coach CEOs proactively versus reactively given “rescue missions” are fated by confirmation bias to rarely end well (@9.38). Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share. If you haven´t yet subscribed, pop over to https://www.swimnotsink.com/swim-not-sink-podcasts and click on your favourite app. Once subscribed you´ll get a new episode delivered straight to your podcast app

Pedro talks about what is required for “enterprise leadership”:  it`s about going beyond leading through others in a function, to bringing the silos together by acting like a business owner. He works with his leaders to ensure that they are operating on the right time horizon, and allocating their time appropriately between the immediate, mid and long-terms. He points to the need to move beyond the critical / analytical skills which are important early on in a career to develop a new set of skills - self-reflection, curiosity and compassion. Using the analogy of the snowball glass, he illustrates how these skills can enable you to see clearly through the complexity of the role. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share. If you haven´t yet subscribed, pop over to swimnotsink.com and click on your favourite app.  Once subscribed you´ll get a new episode delivered straight to your podcast app

Antje reflects on the first part of her career, where she followed the path mapped out, and was focused on progressing up the ladder occupied with the task at hand. But the turning point came when one boss challenged her and asked “Why are you not yourself?” Interestingly, it took her time to realise that there was merit in the question and to begin the self-reflection: to move from external validation to internal validation, and to realise that admitting vulnerability led to support from others and ultimately better solutions. In the cultures she worked in, she had to constantly prove herself throughout her career. Now, as a “leader of leaders” she takes a different approach and believes that “knowing that your boss is trusting you, enables you to do magic”. She is a huge believer in intuition and has grown to trust her own. Ultimately a nice legacy from her old boss. Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

Mattia is betting on diversity and digital to ensure that he is “disrupting, rather than being disrupted” as head of R&D for Laundry and Home Care. He is one of the lucky ones – his job is like a hobby to him and he is an insatiable learner. When he felt he had stopped learning, he knew it was time to change company. He is looking for people with an edge, who have done something extreme. He finds out what they love and aims to give them an outlet for that in their job. Then he uses a combination of psychometrics and personal judgement to mould them into his team. Diverse behaviours and attitudes are welcome. But from experience, he understands the importance of shared values. And for young leaders – his advice is to pace yourself. You should share your plans and ambitions to your team, and even your boss, in smaller doses so as not to overwhelm them Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share.

I talk with Vanessa about cultural intelligence (CQ), a key success factor for any leader working abroad. CQ adds the cultural layer to EQ. It starts with recognising that we have biased views of professionalism. We should all reflect on the question “Do we think that the last person we felt was unprofessional at work thought in return that we were highly professional?” We discuss the diversity trend and Vanessa points out that “diverse teams are tough teams” – only if managed well will you get the superior performance that is the target. To learn more about Vanessa´s work https://www.leadershipcq.com/ Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share. If you haven´t yet subscribed, pop over to https://www.swimnotsink.com/swim-not-sink-podcasts and click on your favourite app. Once subscribed you´ll get a new episode delivered straight to your podcast app.