The World Class Leaders Show

093: Why Culture Should Be at the Top of Any Leader’s Agenda with Michael Hansen, CEO of Hempel

“Leaders create leaders by passing on responsibility, creating ownership, accountability and trust” James Kerr - Legacy: What The All Blacks Can Teach Us about the Business of Life In this episode, Andrea is joined by Michael Hansen, the CEO of Hempel based in Denmark. Michael talks about the role of sustainability in the future success of companies, his approach to people and the human element in being a CEO and also about the unique challenges leaders face in the workplace today including retaining talent. Michael and Andrea also talk in-depth about how important culture is to a company and what you can do as a CEO to influence it. KEY TAKEAWAYS It usually takes around 6 months for a CEO to learn the basics about a new organization, up to this point they are mostly learning and not making any big rash decisions. Hempel wants to ensure they are a leading industry enterprise and having this goal acts as a ‘lighthouse’ in difficult and more challenging times. Sustainability and how companies can contribute to their industries and their clients will determine the future success of many companies. People, financial robustness, customer-perceived uniqueness and giving back to society are the 4 pillars Michael believes you need for a successful company. Michael is passionate about understanding the realities of colleagues across the world and the differences in leadership style and other attributes to unleash the power to generate the best results. Michael has actively engaged himself to find out why there are so many challenges for women in his organization and what he can do to directly influence this. Asking questions and speaking to people directly, allows a CEO to get a true insight into the company culture, struggles and more. Hempel gives back to society in various ways including via their solutions and products and also by giving and supporting schools and by protecting biodiversity too. Attracting and retaining the best people is one of today’s most difficult tasks. The talented colleagues of today are always looking for the best opportunities for them and they have more options than ever. You have to work on building an environment where they thrive or they will leave. One formula doesn’t work for all employees but if you can instill the right leadership culture and environment, you can help retain good talent. A CEO has a huge impact on a company culture and this can be both negative and positive. A CEO can engage with many more employees by creating the right culture for them than they can by trying to talk to and lead every single one individually. Stay curious, always be open to learning from others, regardless of who they are.9 BEST BITS “That was a deliberate choice in that we needed to continue to grow at an accelerated pace but in an intelligent way” “We want to make sure we are among the leading 5 companies, that guide some choices” “We should listen to our leaders, but we should also listen ourselves, closer to the frontline” “It’s a very mobile workforce we have today, it’s a very ambitious workforce” “Culture can drive performance, but it can also drive engagement in employees” VALUABLE RESOURCES Michael’s Book Recommendations: Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us about the Business of Life The Founder's Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth 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 Michael Hansen mihan@hempel.com linkedin.com/in/michaelhansen75 Michael Hansen joined Hempel in May 2017 as Chief Commercial Officer and has delivered remarkable results as a central driver of the global transformation in Hempel. Prior to taking on the role as Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Hempel A/S, Michael was part of the Executive Group Management as Executive Vice President, Energy & Infrastructure. Michael Hansen holds a degree from Copenhagen Business School, as well as an Executive MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. Prior to joining Hempel, Michael Hansen worked 19 years for Maersk, where he held the position, among others, of Vice President, Global Head of Sales & Marketing in Maersk Line. 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.      

092: 5 Steps to Shift Your Perception to Impact Performance

We are all driven by our perceptions but we aren’t always good at accepting how it impacts our performance. In this episode, Andrea gives 5 practical steps you can take to improve both your and the team's performance. Perception has an incredible impact on the actions that we make every day and if you really want to have the best performance in all areas of your life then you must start to recognize that this is in your control. KEY TAKEAWAYS Recognize your perception by understanding your values and beliefs about things that are around you Notice the relationship between your perception and how it shapes your actions Challenge your own perceptions, question your mind and beliefs, and seek other perspectives. Engage with others who have different viewpoints and experiences, become an observer. Be compassionate and open-minded to those around you Reframe, when you encounter difficult situations look for the positives, the opportunities and the lessons to be learned BEST BITS “Perception isn’t just a window to reality it redefines what reality really is to us” “Are there any negative or limiting perceptions that are holding you back?” “Is your current perception the only view about something or is there something else you don’t see that might be true?” “Be kind and patient to yourself during this process” 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 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.

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.