The World Class Leaders Show: The CEO leadership podcast for leaders who solve big problems and build better futures.

091: A CEO’s Guide to Leading Successful Change Initiatives with Donald B. Hawthorne

In a world where the pace of change is only accelerating, the ability to drive effective change is becoming even more important. Yet, some 70% of change initiatives historically fail. Many books and articles offer theories about how to lead change. But what is missing is practical wisdom that is accessible to executive teams. In this conversation, Donald B. Hawthorne – a 6-time former CEO – talks about the specific methods he has used over the years to drive change. Donald B. Hawthorne is a GTM Specialist with over 40 years of experience in companies including start-ups as an executive consultant. KEY TAKEAWAYS Sometimes having an external person come into a business to drive change can mean it’s easier to be swift with change and implement it effectively.  The missing link often found in leadership, is the requirement for intellectual honesty within teams as well as external clients, it’s important to bring any issues and changes out into the open. If management isn’t open and honest with employees about what is happening within an organization the employees will become more and more skeptical. Ask your team, what’s working, what isn’t working, and if you were in charge tomorrow what would you do differently? This makes them feel safe to speak up and start to collaborate with leaders and managers. Toxic individuals can cause a hostile work environment but generally can do well personally within the business. Honesty and intellectuality allow leaders to flush out the toxic people and highlight the workers they want within your company.  Talk to your customers, and ask them the right questions to find out how your product does and doesn’t work for them. Your future leaders will self-identify themselves as they will step up to get involved in change-making, additional responsibilities, and raising issues, all you need to do is create an open environment that fosters autonomy and honesty. Silos and the lack of sharing information are one of the biggest issues companies face, it’s better in Don’s opinion to face and deal with disruption by allowing consistent open discussions and autonomy to change things than to remain in a culture that doesn’t collaborate fully. Board meetings can be likened to a performance, often the core issues that impact the business every day are overlooked. The biggest thing Don has learned as a leader is that good people want to make a difference every day and management teams don’t ask enough, are we clearing the pathway so that they can? BEST BITS “Employees know more within an organization and a business than many executives care to remember” “what’s working, what isn’t working, and if you were in charge tomorrow what would you do differently?” “Transparency is the key to drive performance” “We’re going to measure performance on the real issues”  “It allowed me as a CEO to be really well informed on the edges, it allowed me to ask questions and pick up on nuances” “People don’t talk as honestly when a VP is around” “It’s a dynamic world, you have to be willing to accept the fact that you’re dealing with uncertainty”  “Good people want to make a difference every day and management teams don’t ask enough, are we clearing the pathway so they can?” VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episodes and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE GUEST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldbhawthorne/ Don has over 40 years of industry experience in large companies, startups, high-growth organizations, and turnarounds. He has worked in or with 49 companies as either an operating executive or consultant, with most being funded by private equity, venture capital or angel investors. Since 1989, Don has held 11 C-suite positions (CEO-6, COO-2, CFO-3), was partner in growth equity fund, and served as advisor/coach to CEOs, Boards of Directors, and investors at both public and privately held companies.  He has served on five Boards of Directors and has either led or been an active participant in every Board meeting since 1985 at the 11 companies where he held an executive position. Don has raised more than $310 million of debt and equity monies in public (IPOs, secondaries, PIPES) and private markets, closed 10 business development deals, and been involved in five M&A transactions. He is currently a go-to-market (GTM) strategy consultant who helps companies uncover GTM blind spots and then develop robust GTM solutions that enable them to persuade investors, corporate partners, and customers that they should care enough to invest in/partner with/acquire their company or buy their offerings. Don earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of  Business. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

090: Are There Psychopaths in Your Business?

Is it correct to assume that a large proportion of corporate leaders are psychopaths? It’s something many of us have heard anecdotally and in this episode, Andrea explores the most recent research that suggests that yes, many CEOs do indeed have a large proportion of psychopathic traits compared to the general population. Andrea talks through further research he has found on the topic, the wider impact of these behaviours on the workplace, and what you can do to recognise and manage them. KEY TAKEAWAYS Varying research believes that around 12-20% of CEOs around the world could be psychopaths. People may not recognise psychopathic traits in a corporate setting but if it is pointed out that traits such as creating conflict, discouraging others and creating hostile work environments you can believe that there may be many more corporate psychopaths in the world. Many leaders show specific behaviours that are considered psychopathic traits but these traits can also be highly effective in business and commonly accepted or missed. Once you can recognise these traits, you need to be wary of them and be aware of the distinction between unhealthy behaviours and ones that have a deeper and more serious impact on individuals and businesses. BEST BITS “12% of senior leaders display, at some level, a range of psychopathic traits” “If you are not yourself in a leadership position, the only thing you can do is be more mindful about how people behave and be clear if you want to work with people with these behaviours” “There is a distinction between a normal behaviour, from behaviours that are acutally driven by something more, something that has a deeper impact on people and also on business and performance’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

089: How Great Leaders Build Resilience with Sharesz T. Wilkinson

In this episode, Andrea is joined by CEO and founder of Resilient Power Sharesz T. Wilkinson. Sharesz is one of the top 50 global women to look out for in 2023 and is also the author of Success Mindsets, a book that focuses on how to harness your attitude, thought process and approach to find success in your life. Sharesz joins Andrea to talk about how to find and build resilience as a leader and the impact this can have on company culture and business success. KEY TAKEAWAYS Sharesz believes that it is up to us what we do with our 24 hours and if we focus and are open to always being uncomfortable enough to learn we can achieve anything. Most people do not get things handed to them, you have to look for and grab the opportunities you can yourself. If you can establish a common language within a team, and follow defined processes and systems this creates alignment and reduces conflict and friction. Self-regulation skills are about engineering an outcome that you want to achieve. It’s difficult to not engage your emotions when making decisions. If you can become self-aware you can then recognise your emotions and take steps to manage them. Once you know yourself and have self-awareness you can lead others more effectively A skilled communicator can master both deductive and inductive communication You must align your team behind the same purpose, to create engagement and ownership to all members. BEST BITS “Every year I told myself I want to learn something new, something unfamiliar” “I always looked forward and created the opportunities” “Leadership begins with self-leadership” “If you’re kind to yourself you can be kind to others” “You cannot control another person's actions, what you can do is control yourself” “Money is not sufficient as a motivator long-term” Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE GUEST Sharesz T. Wilkinson is the CEO & Founder of Resilient Power. To date, she has received 16 International Change Maker Awards & Nominations and is among the Top 50 Global Women to Look Out For in 2023.  A Forbes & Harvard Business Review Advisory Councils member, strategic advisor, and international executive communication expert, she is appointed as Senator for the USA in the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) and a member of the Global Woman Leader Committee. As International speaker, best-selling author and entrepreneur, she was published on Forbes, BBC, Thrive Global, Authority Magazine, HollywoodWeekly, ValiantCEO, Corporate Investment Times. Linktree/stwilkinson info@resilientpower.global ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

088: Three Uncomfortable Truths about being Successful in a new Leadership Role

What does it take to make an impact and be truly successful in a new leadership role? Join Andrea in this episode as he talks through the challenges of starting a new leadership role, what you can do to mitigate the setbacks and how to make the first steps to leaving a long-lasting great impression and imprint on those you lead by facing uncomfortable truths about yourself. KEY TAKEAWAYS Don’t underestimate other people’s expectations of you. Take action early on in a role, find the right balance between developing knowledge of the company and role and taking action. Effective leadership means having to be self-aware and recognise your own limitations. Seek feedback and be open to learning, adapting and changing. Be vulnerable from day 1 and be open with those you work with and receptive to criticism. Find the right boundaries between work and personal life, you have to learn to prioritise your own wellbeing and personal life whilst managing stakeholders but it’s crucial to put boundaries in place for long-term happiness and success. You don’t need to feel ready to make critical decisions and have all the answers, you simply need to feel ready with yourself, to be the person you want to be and make an impact. BEST BITS “It’s a balance between listening, understanding, learning and then taking action” “Having your leadership role brings pressure but also brings expectation” “You will face challenges and encounter situations where you will probably feel out of your depth” “Be extremely prepared to make an impact, to be the person that you want to be to make sure that you are ready for the challenge” VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

087: 5 Leadership Lessons from The Stoic Philosophers that will expand your perspective

We can learn so much from the past and the people that came before us and in this episode, Andrea focuses on the 5 lessons he has taken from Stoicism including the philosophies of Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus. Join Andrea as he shares the 5 leadership lessons he has discovered, to expand your perspective and inspire and engage as a leader. KEY TAKEAWAYS Focus on what you can control. It’s common to want to place blame onto people and things you have no control over, shift your mindset and focus your attention on what you can influence. Embrace adversity and learn from it. Challenges and obstacles should be seen as opportunities for growth and self-improvement Practice emotional intelligence. Learn to practice emotional control and rationality. Lead by example. Leading by example, with your actions, is more effective than just giving instructions. Maintain an attitude of gratitude. Appreciate the present moment and find contentment in what you already have. BEST BITS “I’m a big fan of reading from past experiences from past leaders, the deeper you go the more you discover” “Make the best use of what is in your power and take the rest as it happens” “What stands in the way becomes the way” “We [as a society] lost the importance of emotional intelligence” “By embodying the value and principles they advocate leaders can inspire and gain the trust of their team members” “Sometimes it’s good to go back to basics” VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

086: How Should CEOs Spend Their Time?

As a leader, are you spending enough time with your front-line teams and trying to understand what is and isn’t working in your business? In this episode, Andrea talks about how most CEOs spend their time and more importantly asks, how should they be spending it? Andrea also talks about research into the topic as well as real-life examples of what working with your front-line staff can do for your business, exhibited by companies such as Starbucks, Uber and Airbnb. KEY TAKEAWAYS 70% of CEO’s time is spent in meetings, 6% with front-line teams and just 3% with customers. Leadership teams won’t see much of customers but they need to make time to spend time with those who do so they have context and understand the customer. A CEO that spends more of their time on the front line will become in very high demand in the upcoming years. Both the CEO of Starbucks and the Airbnb CEO have proved that getting ‘their hands dirty’ so to speak and spending time on the front line allowed them to make impactful changes in their businesses for the better. Spending time on the front line isn’t just good for morale and the company culture but also about motivating teams, retaining good employees as well as being able to achieve incredible increases in company performance. As CEO you are the role model, if you spend time on the front line then so will your leadership team and beyond. BEST BITS “It’s more important to spend time with people at the front, people talking with the customers every single day, people who see what works and what doesn’t work every single day” “The future CEO is going in the front and really understands what is going on with the business and stops assuming” “It’s a unique opportunity to see the business with a different lens, so you can make it better” VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.    

085: Empowering People to Drive Change with Jason Tebb, CEO of On the Market plc

Jason Tebb is the CEO of On the Market plc, a property market portal. Jason has over two decades of extensive property and estate agent experience across digital and physical markets and joins Andrea to talk about his journey into property and what he has learnt along the way. Jason also shares his unique leadership style and what he has found effective in championing change in the organisation. KEY TAKEAWAYS Jason spent many of his years studying psychology, he loved studying and research but the practicality of doing roles to get where he wanted to be wasn’t right for him. After leaving psychology Jason did all manner of jobs from a burger van to cleaner and eventually got a job in an estate agency. Nothing Jason learnt in his previous roles and education was a waste, he learnt valuable skills he would then use in the future. Listening, innovating and delivering is On the Market’s Mission Statement which came directly from the people in their teams. Jason introduced town halls with customers so they could directly engage with the business. Focusing on your target market, rather than simply volume, is one of the success metrics On the Market is focusing on for their growth. People are traditionally resistant to change, no matter the business it’s always a challenge. The important thing to do is to bring people along the journey with you. Empowering people to make decisions and have autonomy is an essential part of engaging them with change in the business. You should be an eternal student, regardless of your position you should always be looking to learn and improve. On the Market operate a professionally informal culture, meaning they give the best service and interactions with customers and internally but resist being weighed down by the formality of corporate life. If you can’t measure something then you can’t manage it, it’s essential to engage and utilise metrics. Jason leads from the front and follows the mantra of ‘show them how to do it, tell them how to do it, check they’ve done it’ Jason knows what he is good at and also what he isn’t, he surrounds himself with people’s strengths that are different from his own to allow him to focus on what he is good at. BEST BITS “Our opportunity is to provide an incredibly cost-effective service, saving agents time and saving agents money” “I’d like to think that would be a by-product of the way we operate” “I do like to give our teams and particularly our managers autonomy to be able to act in the way that they think is right” “Listening is one of the major values of the firm” “We are a growing tech business so let's get the attitude and friendly sharing of ideas, let's create that” “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” “Show them how to do it, Tell them how to do it, check they’ve done it” VALUABLE RESOURCES Jason’s Book Recommendation: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

084: Transparency to Drive High-Performance

Is there enough transparency in your organisation? In this episode Andrea approaches the topic of transparency, what it means, how you can drive it in your organisation and the potential success it can unlock in your business if you get it right. KEY TAKEAWAYS To drive transparency in an organisation, we as leaders have to be willing to have open conversations with our peers and superiors too. A transparent culture in a company drives openness, trust as well as creativity amongst employees. Transparency, or lack thereof, is often linked to the past, such as poor leadership. Lack of transparency essentially means people do not feel ‘safe’ at work. building transparency means building trust. If you want your team to be transparent it must start with you as a leader, by sharing things those around you and before you weren’t willing to. BEST BITS “Lack of transparency is really very much built into the past” “Transparency is not a default context” “Lack of transparency is primarily related to people not feeling safe at work” “You unlock incredible potential and you see different actions” VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.    

083 : How to Foster a Culture of Innovation with Zack Weisfeld, VP & GM of Intel Ignite

Zack is the vice president and general manager of Intel Ignite based in Israel. Zack has also been behind several successful start-ups and was previously the general manager for Microsoft. As well as being a serial entrepreneur, Zack prides himself on being a corporate entrepreneur, helping large corporate companies innovate and be disruptive as a start-up would, and driving culture change through working with leaders and stakeholders within the company. He joins Andrea to talk about his approach, the critical relationship between innovation and culture and his thoughts on what it takes to be an inspirational and effective leader. KEY TAKEAWAYS Zack attributes some of his success to being in the right place at the right time. He had the right skill set and attitude just as the internet was starting to take off, he even began one of the first digital agencies! Companies can have start-up style values, such as a growth mindset and being disruptive, but it can be difficult for some roles within a large company to exercise them, ignite helps with that. Large tech companies must engage with start-ups, if they do not then they will quickly become irrelevant.  Ignite is described by its clients as a cofounder as a service, they are often more intimate with the team than even their own investors. There are a lot of opportunities in tech in this changing world, but this also means that there are many companies and services that will become irrelevant.  Culture is ingrained into organisations and the relationship between culture and innovation is critical. One of the ways to tap into this and drive change is to take people and teams away from their daily environment and work alongside and with start-ups. 2023 is a difficult time for all companies which presents a unique challenge for leaders, to continue to motivate their teams and also incentivise them to stay within the organisation. Challenging times also present opportunities, those who see these and seek them out drive growth and entrepreneurship. Experience can mean that people act on old information and intuition, we have to challenge these ideas and mindsets so we can build and create a different culture with innovative solutions. As a new founder and a leader too, you have to learn to really listen and build those skills.  BEST BITS “I’ve been a serial entrepreneur, but I’ve also been a corporate entrepreneur” “We will not be able to compete without that change, that energy, sitting out there in the forefront with these disruptors” “There’s no option for these large tech companies not to co-operate with start-ups” “I believe we are going to see a lot of companies go away because what they do is not needed anymore” “The relationship between innovation and culture is so critical”  “You’re in this tough environment where you have to manage the tough realities and on the other hand be super optimistic”  “I’m an entrepreneur I love challenges, I think that challenging times are opportunities” “Because of that experience, we sometimes make wrong decisions based on intuition that’s not relevant” VALUABLE RESOURCES Zack’s Book Recommendation: Give and Take by Adam Grant Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.    

082: The Peril of Bilateral Conversations

What's your appetite for team meetings? It seems an obvious question but I have seen many Team Leaders favour bilateral conversations rather than dealing with challenging conversations with the team. In this episode, I discuss these situations in more details. KEY TAKEAWAYS Personality and attitude play a part in how leaders like to communicate with members of their team, introverts in particular may avoid conducting large team meetings and have a preference for bilateral conversations Some leaders may also avoid team meetings as they don’t want to have an open conversation with everyone in their team. There may be members they suspect will bring up topics they would rather avoid. There is no collaboration element in one-to-one conversation it can also lend itself to gossip which is bad for morale and a waste of energy. Whole team meetings prevent silos from being created and sustained. If you only have one-to-ones, it can be difficult to keep everyone on your team on the same page and working in the same direction. BEST BITS “Many Leaders still prefer having a lot of 121 conversations, very bilateral and very few team meetings” “It becomes to some extent, to become a silo conversation because there is no way to have a broader view about the situation” “It might lead to gossip, to gossip and hearsay” VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.