Donna Easton is a Joyologist. What's a Joyologist I hear you shout? It's somebody who is obsessed with the things that make us feel happy and the things we can do to help ourselves to feel more joy in life. In a world of constant change and chaos we could all do with a little more fun and joy in life, so enjoy this episode.
Donna outlines the importance of each of us building a baseline in happiness not based on toxic positivity but by creating enough joy in our day to day activities in order to mitigate the challenges and tough times when they inevitably come.
Donna has not always been the happiest person in the room. Childhood trauma, rejection within the performing arts, alopecia and other life challenges all pushed Donna into making the decision to dedicate her time and effort to identify what humans can do to create more joy and happiness in a crazy world.

All of us have to deal with the inner critic and Donna has called hers 'Crow.'
'Crow' is always reminding Donna that good things should not happen to her and that she is not worthy or competent enough to deal with life's opportunities. Thankfully, Donna has learned how to address what 'Crow' says and still be able to push through and not feel paralysed by the negative thinking. Our inner voice is actually just trying to keep us safe.

Donna has created 6 steps of the ELATED System. Everything starts with the practice of Gratitude followed by Energy (how we are showing up for ourself and others) Laughter (find your Wally brian), Access the Creative (connect your body & mind), Try new things, Exist in the Now (with a sense of wonderment) and Do You (in a way that is beautiful and kick arse).
Happier people are 17% more productive, but you know that don't you!!!

www.mylifeshines.com

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Sane Ngidi is a young female black leader in Africa working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This is an episode of two halves, the first focuses on some of the learning Sane has gained in her early corporate life and the second is a story of vulnerability, self reflection and resilience.
Sane started corporate life as an industrial psychologist with her initial roles in Durban until she moved to Johannesburg.
Sane is thankful for the strong role model of her mother when growing up and being told that you can always pave the way for others and lift those around you.
During Sane's Phd she carried out research into perceptions of black African leaders in financial services. A common theme was of leaders not feeling ready or worthy of the role. However they also reported the power of male ally ship which helped them through their careers.
Sane describes Africa as a place that lacks diversity but craves diversity in the workplace. Organisations are trying to ensure that they 'see' everyone as they build diversity of thought in their leadership teams. The Employment Equity Act is also a powerful guide for African businesses for the quotas they must fulfil.
When Sane initially moved to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2021, life changed. In December 2021 Sane's father died suddenly and unexpectedly. She later discovered he knew he was dying but didn't share the news with his family. Whilst still grieving, in February 2022 Sane's aunt fell ill and died, followed in April 2022 her uncle was tragically stabbed and died. Sane realised that the cumulative impact of these losses meant she was not coping and she openly asked for help. She was not able to be her best self and she took a break from work for about 6 weeks. Then in September 2022, Sane's mother passed away. Of all the deaths, her mother's was emotionally peaceful due to a long illness. 2022 fundamentally changed Sane's view of mental health. She told this story in 2023 at the 'Ignite' staff event so people could understand her personal story. She was overwhelmed by the care, love and compassion from others and for their understanding that is OK not to be OK at times in our life. Trauma, grief and mental health can't be seen and Sane realised the need to speak up and be vulnerable in order to get the help she needed.


Big thank you to Mark Watt, Partner at Heidrick & Struggles for being my super connector for great guests especially in Africa.

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Paul Russo is the CEO of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB). This episode was recorded in Nairobi on the site of KCB's Leadership Centre. KCB is part of the critical financial infrastructure for 33 million people. They are present in 7 East African countries running over 300 branch networks, over 4000 agency outlets with 12,000 staff and a strong legacy as KCB is over 120 years old.
Paul is a deeply committed CEO who believes passionately that 'people are everything' Paul is a also a very humble leader from humble beginnings which has crafted the human leader he has become. He is from a family of 6 siblings, his parents were nomads from the north and he was the only one to go to school due to the efforts of the Catholic Church and local community and the NGO Indigenous Information Network. Paul is incredibly grateful to the community who ensured he was able to get an education, he therefore uses his role as CEO to lift as many people as possible.
Paul has committed time to continually engage staff across the business as he understands that his leadership must be 'energy expensive.' As the CEO Paul understands that he must absorb the difficulties of the business in order to allow his people the space and time to create the value necessary for success. He is the role model to thousands inside the business and is well known across the country so his actions matter to millions.
The new purpose of KCB if 'For People, For Better' and Paul is committed this will be the North Star for the financial success that the bank must also attain and sustain.
People technology and partnerships are Paul's primary focus yet people remain the paramount consideration. Paul's background is human capital and he leverages that experience to focus and understand his own human centred leadership style.
Paul remembers his late parents and the resilience instilled in him as a child dealing with drought, bandits, disease and disadvantage. He leverages these experiences to harness his own ability to overcome challenge combined with his burning desire to never go back to his old way of life.
Paul is an outstanding example of a Human Centred Leader driving his business as a Force for Good. Paul explains he is paid to care and the results will come and he works tirelessly to provide all of his people the reason to believe.


Additional Heidrick & Struggles article with Paul Russo https://www.heidrick.com/en/insights/leadership-assessment/people-dont-just-matter-they-are-everything_an-interview-with-paul-russo-group-ceo-of-kcb-group

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Jane Van Zyl is the CEO of Working Families, a UK based charity focused on helping working parents and carers. Their mission is to remove the barriers that people with caring responsibilities face in the workplace. They do this in three ways, a free legal advice line to help people with their issues and concerns, working with employers to help create and sustain flexible working and thirdly by pushing for practical and positive change at a policy level.
Working Families has contributed to the Government's Flexible Working Task Force since 2018. As part of this close consultation and a recent private members bill, employees in 2024 will be able to request flexible working from day one of their employment and be able to make that request three times in one year whereby employers must respond to the request.
The ability of an employer to understand and consider flexible working is an attractive proposition for a modern, diverse and talented workforce.
What does flexibility actually mean? It's not a new concept. It refers to all of the ways you can work flexibly, such as term-time working, part time, hybrid, job share etc. The pandemic shone a light on people working from home for increased periods of time. Jane explains to me that working from home during the pandemic was desperately difficult for so many in shared, cramped and isolated accommodation. However the pandemic also allowed us to understand what roles could be delivered successfully form home or other virtual locations. Many countries experienced the rise of the digital nomad!
Working Families have also carried out in depth research which highlighted that lower income families were not able to access flexible working options that were available for different demographics of the workforce.
Jane outlines that the role of the office has changed forever. Why do we even need offices? Perhaps it is to enhance the ability for people to collaborate, educate and celebrate as opposed to endless meetings and zoom calls.
Jane explains that one of the primary keys to success for any organisation is the ability to truly understand the each job design and define the job description with clarity so that the flexible options can be identified early on for all parties with the intent to ensure that the role can ensure the role is 'human sized.'
Leaders must role model or in Jane's words 'real model' how their businesses can adapt and adopt more modern processes and practices to enhance flexible working.
Jane is passionate about her work as she shares a deeply personal story of how flexible working transformed her relationship with her father.
Working Families as an organisation that itself is now wholly remote and their work is helping families all across the country. This episode is a fascinating and essential insight for any leader of any sized business into the changing world of work.

You can access research and other important information by visiting www.workingfamilies.org.uk

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Rob Moore was riddled with debt before reinventing himself to become a multi millionaire property investor, world champion, author of 19 books including his latest, 'Money Matrix' and the host of Disruptors with over 1000 episodes serving over 3 million subscribers across platforms. This episode turns the tables on Rob from interviewer to interviewee as we peek behind the curtain of Rob Moore.

This is a deeply personal episode with Rob who has a very public face for millions as regards his mission and passion to create global impact and educate as many people as possible to manage and enhance their personal finances.

Rob shares his early memories of watching his father (his role model) deal with mental health issues and the impact it had on him to push himself through intense feelings of shame in order to strive and make personal changes in his life.

Rob understands that he has become a successful financial provider for his loved ones and his expanding team across fourteen businesses. With this responsibility comes an increased sense of accountability and personal purpose.

Rob and I candidly discuss a number of his proudest moments in life and also his thoughts on the difference between being liked and respected. Rob never refers to himself as a leader and this episode requires Rob to think about his own style of leadership across 14 businesses with an extreme focus on leading self, first and foremost which Rob explains is all about managing emotions with extreme self awareness. For Rob, leadership is about how many people you nurture and lift up not how many direct reports you may have.

Rob understands the difference between being liked and respected. He used to do all he could to be liked as it is much easier to be liked. To be respected requires a level of challenge with care. He now focuses on being respected based on the clear and non negotiable standards he holds for himself and those who are part of his businesses.

Rob's best advice for entrepreneurs in a world that is constantly changing features in his new book 'Money Matrix' where he outlines the 4 stages of wealth. Make it, Manage it, Multiply it and Maintain it. Start Ups need to 'start now and get perfect later.' More mature businesses need to rekindle their start up spirit and avoid slowness. If the pace of change external to your business is faster than the pace of change within your business, it's all over! Money loves speed and hates friction and therefore will inevitable become more digitised centrally which Rob explains carries certain dangers where we become the product and susceptible to unwanted levels of control.

Rob tells me that the biggest misconception about money is that money is not one of the biggest issues in our lives. This fuels Rob's passion to help educate as many people as possible to learn how to build and manage their wealth.
Always pay yourself first Rob explains, never spend more than you earn. He outlines a simple procedure where each of us must save a third, invest a third and spend a third.

As part of Rob's role as the host of Disruptors, he has interviewed numerous guests including the eclectic and controversial. Guests include the Tate Brothers, David Icke, Chris Eubank, Will.I.Am, Jordon Peterson, Dan Wootton, Grant Cardone, Katie Hopkins and many more. I ask him what he has learned from recently spending 7 hours interviewing the Tate brothers post their recent arrest. You may be surprised at this answer.

www.rob.team
Money Matrix is available from Amazon

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Dominic George is from California but is now based in New York City and has a passion for helping black men working in middle manager positions. This episode is all about how to leverage the Messy Middle.

George's passion for education and continuous learning was sparked by his 5th grade teacher and he learned the value of relying on other people when he was competing as a professional athlete in the swimming pool. Middle managers in George's view are the group who have a direct tie to the leaders who are creating company strategy, policy and vision and a direct tie to the individual contributors within an organisation.

The middle manager population can sometimes be missed due to their size and scale with competing interests and priorities. This can be the issue for many who decide to transition from a business as they get fed up of waiting for some form of focus and effort on their needs. The reality is that the messy middle is full of diverse thought and skills and is actually the dynamo of the business which can either drive and enable change or even block change.

One of the biggest challenges is communication or the lack of communication with the messy middle, partly associated with the different demographics that now exist within our organisations. George also tells me that new first line managers also make up the messy middle. They are full of enthusiasm and zest as they start to get traction in their careers and then suddenly they find themselves lost in the sheer size and inaction of the centre of the organisation and their momentum stalls.

Limiting beliefs also exist within the middle manager group, for example visionaries don't think they can have the impact they should have and as such some lose self confidence and even start to abdicate their personal power to the more senior levels.

George's top tips for any senior leader to get the most from the messy middle include:
1. Really see and connect with your people in this space to really understand the value, need, challenges and successes of this group.
2. Tailor professional development opportunities for this group, their sheer size and influence can drastically shift the momentum of an organisation.
3. Pull people forward. Senior leaders must create space and opportunity for the middle managers to step into new growth experiences.

George also focuses on helping black men within the middle of a business. He sees that they are under leveraged in most instances and are waiting for permission to step up or they lack the opportunity to show what they can do. George coaches black men to define those spaces for themselves and identify sponsors within a business to be ambassadors for the change needed. Thankfully George is seeing positive change within organisations.

www.linkedin.com/in/dominiccgeorge
dominic@visionleadershipforlife.com

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Alice Breeden is Regional Managing Partner CEO & Board practice for Heidrick & Struggles based in London. This episode is based on the recent research completed by Heidrick focused on CEO and Board confidence.
Alice highlights that there is so much happening in the world over shorter time periods that no leader has all the answers and every leader must be ever ready for the challenges.
CEO and Board positions are a world that only few will occupy. Those who do, will need to operate in an environment of constant change, pressure and expectation.
The Confidence research is being tracked quarterly by Heidrick throughout the year in order to help advise leaders and also stay up to date and relevant as possible.
The research findings represents data from almost 3,500 respondents from major organisations and key findings included low confidence in an organisations ability to reach their 2024 goals and low confidence in the longer term succession and leadership planning.
The low confidence around reaching goals was predicated on leaders dealing with themes beyond their control combined with strategy being difficult to execute without constant amendments, This compares with the fact that confidence is high in executive teams so organisations feel they have the right people but the landscape is problematic.
The role of the Board has also changed over time, they too have shifted in their capabilities coupled with a deep sense of curiosity to deal with complex topics such as AI, climate and sustainability to name just a few.
I also ask Alice about her thoughts on the role of Human Centred Leadership in CEO and Board roles . She explains that those in role understand success will be determined not just by their technical competence but very much by their ability to lead as a human with a deep sense of propose, curiosity, humility. constant learning, adaptability and agility.
The Top 4 concerns for CEO's according to the Heidrick research included
1. Economic uncertainty
2. Geopolitical volatility
3. Workforce attraction and retention and
4. Shifts in market dynamics.
We also talk about culture in this episode as 83% of the companies surveyed are actively working on their culture as it is a key differentiator in the quest for success.

To access the research: https://www.heidrick.com/en/insights/board-of-directors/ceo-and-board-confidence-monitor-a-worried-start-to-2024

www.heidrick.com/en/people/b/alice_breeden

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Adam Howe is a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles based in their New York office and specialises in helping organisations to proactively kill complexity and promote simplicity. This episode is essential for leaders of any sized business.
Adam realised during the delivery of large scale transformation programmes that people were overwhelmed and overloaded and that the idea of taking things away and subtracting tasks would improve productivity.
Complexity is a huge issue and has never been higher. Research has found that on average, large publicly traded companies waste 10.2% of their EBITDA and high tend to suffer from low employee engagement ad lack of innovation. The solution for many companies is rooted in good leadership and culture.
Heidrick & Struggles research has shown that companies who have high quality cultures drive 90% more revenue growth and 30% more profit growth over 5 years.
The vast majority of organisational complexity is actually self generated by peoples decisions and behaviours. Leaders must become complexity conscious and be able to distinguish between good ad bad complexity.
Good complexity is where the value of the complexity outweighs the cost and the inverse is true for bad complexity. As the context of an organisation changes, good complexity can become bad complexity so leaders must remain curious and vigilant.
The role of complexity being used to undermine is well known as Adam explains how the CIA taught its operatives to use complexity in the 1940;s in its fight against governments it was at war with.
Adam outlines the major root causes of complexity and the need for leaders to look holistically across the business. He also shares some examples of organisations who have benefited from killing complexity and promoting simplicity.
As humans we are wired to create complexity and we need to avoid 'zombie complexity' which Adam explains as complexity that is simplified but the root causes were never dealt with so the complexity comes back.
To sustainably drive simplicity within your business you must have a culture where everyone can call out complexity, they can speak up with our fear and know they will be listened to.
Adam's advice is for leaders to be bold, clear trusting, pragmatic and obsessed in becoming complexity conscious.
Check out the episode to hear about Home Depot, the Balance Bike and JEEP (Just Enough Essential Parts)
Adam's top tips for any leader are to do the following:
1. Write down on one page your top 3 priorities and your team are aligned on them
2. Empower your team and your teams teams to really identify where bad complexity is getting in the way. Thereby getting clear on your complexity shadow.
Start today by asking yourself and your teams, 'what have you said no to today?'

www.heidrick.com/en/people/h/adam_howe

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