The Value Creators Episode #24. Amanda Goodall on The Power Of Expert Leaders

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In our ongoing series investigating leadership in business – coming from the skeptical perspective of “Is there such a thing?” – we meet Amanda Goodall, a professor of leadership at Bayes Business School, City University of London, specializing in the influence of leaders and managers on performance, shares insights from her book “Credible: The Power of Expert Leaders.” 

She has a new perspective on business leadership. It’s not a general management function that can be taught in an MBA course. It can’t be learned from leadership courses. It can’t be implemented by management consulting firms. Leaders must first be experts in their field and the core business of the firm.

Amanda shares the importance of experts in providing a clearer sense of purpose and fostering a longer-term organizational perspective. The dialogue concludes with a call to establish expert-friendly environments, and emphasizes the removal of impediments to harness expertise for organizational success.

Resources:

https://amandagoodall.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63251919-credible

https://www.amazon.com.au/Credible-Expert-Leaders-Amanda-Goodall-ebook/dp/B0BS3FS9XH

Knowledge Capsule:

Evolution of Management:

  • Amanda discusses the historical transition from individuals working their way up through the industry to the influence of Taylorism in the 1940s.
  • Taylorism introduced a hierarchical structure, separating workers from managers, marking a significant change in organizational dynamics.

Role of Business Schools – making leadership generic and generalized:

  • Highlighting the initial existence of business schools that provided specialized education tailored to specific industries.
  • Business schools transitioned towards offering more general degrees, such as MBAs, contributing to a generic approach to leadership and management.

Management Consulting Firms – promoters of generic leadership:

  • Management consulting firms became promoters of generic leadership principles, differing from business schools.
  • The irony is that these firms, despite promoting generic leadership, are led by individuals who are internal experts, having worked their way up within the organization.

Metrics Obsession and Bureaucracy:

  • Amanda emphasizes that metrics and measurements control more and more aspects of the business. Where non-experts don’t understand the core business, they use metrics for assessing performance.
  • This results in a metric-obsessed and bureaucratic approach, impairing decision-making processes.

Importance of Expert Leadership:

  • Expert leadership contributes to a clearer sense of purpose within organizations.
  • Expert leaders win the respect of those they work with, precisely because of their expertise, and create a more collaborative and collegial workplace.
  • Expert leaders are more likely to invest in research and development, contributing to a longer-term organizational perspective.

Creating Expert-Friendly Organizations:

  • Amanda emphasizes that expert-friendly organizations recognize and cater to the needs of core workers, valuing their expertise.
  • Expert-friendly organizations can remove unnecessary barriers to expert direction, such as excessive rules and bureaucracy, to create an expert-friendly work environment.

The Value Creators Podcast Episode #23. Moshik Temkin on Leadership By Warriors, Rebels, and Saints – Leadership Wisdom from the Pages of History

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Moshik Temkin is a historian who offers an alternative perspective on leadership. He asks, do leaders make history or does history make leaders? Those two forces can’t be separated. While leaders contribute to shaping history, they are also molded by powerful historical forces. This nuanced perspective is evident in analyses of historical figures like FDR, Margaret Thatcher, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, emphasizing the role of circumstances in leadership’s response to complex historical challenges, ultimately leading to significant changes in their respective nations. The conversation explores moral leadership in the civil rights movement, comparing the approaches of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Despite their distinct styles, both leaders shared a commitment to collective progress and justice, challenging the prevailing emphasis on individual success. Temkin addresses the ethical dilemmas leaders encounter during crises, prompting reflection on the justifiability of extreme measures for the sake of victory.

How does this discussion contribute to the question of leadership in business? Leadership is subjective. We look to those who we feel can guide us, whether in politics or business. There are principles that cross both fields.

Resources: https://www.moshiktemkin.com/warriors-rebels-saints

https://www.moshiktemkin.com/

Knowledge Capsule:

Leadership Perspectives:

  • Moshik Temkin explores the complex relationship between leaders and historical context, emphasizing that leaders both make history and are influenced by historical forces.
  • Rejecting a simplistic view of leadership, Temkin suggests that circumstances and historical momentum often shape the significance of individual leaders.

Individual Leaders in Historical Events:

  • Examining historical figures like FDR, Margaret Thatcher, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, Temkin highlights how leaders interact with historical events and crises.
  • While acknowledging the impact of individuals, he emphasizes the role of historical circumstances in determining the success or failure of leadership.

Moral Leadership and Collective Progress:

  • Delving into the civil rights movement, Temkin discusses the contrasting leadership styles of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
  • Both leaders, despite their differences, shared a commitment to collective progress and justice, emphasizing the importance of leaders focusing on the well-being of the entire community rather than individual success.

Transformative Leadership:

  • Temkin underscores the concept of “transformational leadership” by citing examples such as FDR and Margaret Thatcher, leaders who brought significant changes to their respective nations during critical periods.
  • These leaders exhibited the ability to transform existing structures and navigate through complex historical challenges.

Leadership and Decision-Making in Crises:

  • Temkin explores the difficult decisions leaders face in times of crisis, referencing instances like the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II.
  • The conversation touches on the ethical dilemmas leaders encounter, questioning the justifiability of extreme measures in the pursuit of victory in war.

Leadership’s Collective Impact:

  • Acknowledging that leaders play a role in shaping history, Temkin emphasizes the collective impact of historical forces and societal structures on the emergence and effectiveness of leadership.
  • The conversation prompts reflection on how understanding historical context is crucial for comprehending the complexities of leadership.

The Value Creators Podcast Episode #22 Cynthia Kay on Small Business, Big Success

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We live in a video age, which opens up a vast array of entrepreneurial pathways. Video is a field for open-ended free creative expression, as well as for tightly managed business tools built for ROI. It’s the ideal field for creative entrepreneurial small business innovators. Cynthia Kay of CK and CO is both a business founder and CEO of a video production business, and a consultant and advisor to small businesses. She shared some of her insights and a preview of her 2024 book Small Business Big Success. 

Resources: 

CK’s business resources site: https://cynthiakaybiz.com/

Books you can buy now: https://cynthiakaybiz.com/books/

Cynthia Kay’s upcoming 2024 Book – Small Business, Big Success:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0CFWFZQTS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1700618573&sr=8-3

Knowledge Capsule:

Value Proposition:

  • Like any other entrepreneurial business, a video production business needs a compelling value proposition.
  • A value proposition is always about meeting customer needs – what need are they filling by paying for video production?
  • No matter how creative, video production must offer a customer value that exceeds perceived costs. It must make customers feel proud and fulfilled, and give them a sense of standing out from the crowd.
  • This often includes educating them on how to use a supplier’s services, e.g. the many different benefits and values available from one video shoot.

Operational Excellence:

  • High creativity does not in any way reduce the need for a video production business – or any small businesses –  to prioritise operational excellence.
  • Customer expectations of excellence are high, no matter the size of the supplier they choose.
  • CK advocates the use of top notch systems, procedures, and automation to enhance overall efficiency. Build the back room to be as strong and dependable as possible. Every business can deploy the best systems.
  • Owners must be in the operational trenches.

Return on Investment (ROI) Challenges:

  • Calculating  ROI in creative fields is a challenge – but must be done as part of the customer value proposition.
  • There’s such a thing as subjective calculation – e.g. recognizing the role of anecdotal evidence in demonstrating the value of creative services.
  • Focus ROI on the things that matter for customers.

Being the Best in Business:

  • Whatever business you are in, set out to be the best.
  • Making – and living up to – such a claim can be based on multifaceted performance.
  • Consider factors such as understanding client needs, building strong relationships, and optimising the utilisation of budgetary resources.
  • One of CK’s propositions is to be the best at getting the most of a client’s budget, whatever size it is. That’s an excellent “best” claim.

Small Business Success Strategies:

  • Pick your customers carefully – pick those who will love you and those you can grow with.
  • Commit to building relationships over time.
  • Build great teams that are right for the client, and turn them loose.

Supporting Small Businesses:

  • Cynthia Kay not only runs a small business,she plays a big role in helping others and in supporting small businesses in general.
  • She’s actively involved in associations and support groups, and urges other small businesses to do the same.
  • She gives her time to the facilitation of roundtable discussions, and offering advice on common challenges faced by small businesses, including scaling and team development. These kinds of discussions can yield enormous value for participants just by sharing experiences.
  • It’s good for small businesses to support other small businesses and build the business backbone of the neighbourhood, the town, the city, the state and the nation.

The Value Creators Podcast Episode #21. Forging New Relationships Between Entrepreneurs and Capital with LaSean Smith

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LaSean Smith outlines a business investment partnership built on permanent capital, emphasizing long-term commitment and trust-building between an investor/source of capital and a business. The discussion covers disciplined methodologies, leadership transitions, and a unique compensation approach using Phantom Stock Shares. LaSean predicts a rise in smaller, values-based companies, and underscores the significance of audience and automation in acquiring and revitalizing brands. 

There can be a shift towards stable, smaller businesses connected to communities, challenging the trend of dominance by larger and larger corporations.


Resources:
CAGR Investments: https://cagr.com/

Knowledge Capsule:

Permanent Capital Strategy:

  • There’s an investment strategy and a business strategy based permanent capital. It’s not widely used but has broad potential. It emphasizes the importance of long-term commitment by both the investor and the business. Short-term operational demands are entirely left to the business CEO.
  • LaSean Smith explains the advantages of having an investment structure that accommodates a longed shared journey, building a high degree of trust and confidence.

Operational Approach:

  • LaSean highlights a disciplined methodology to tighten business processes and leverage content-based marketing to assist companies. 
  • Small and mid-sized businesses often miss the great efficiencies available by automating processes. And they waste resources on direct sales and inappropriate marketing tactics.

Leadership Transition:

  • Permanent capital is a long-term investment; it works when there is a corresponding long-term commitment of current operators.
  • Some CEOs may want to avoid continuing in the business, especially in cases where technical founders find themselves dealing with aspects like sales and marketing, which they may not enjoy. Relieving them of that burden may extend their tenure.

Phantom Stock Shares:

  • Permanent capital embraces a unique approach to leadership compensation using Phantom Stock Shares – aligning incentives by granting bonus or dividend shares that compound in value until the leader leaves the company. This helps in providing a simple ownership structure and shared incentives without diluting ownership equity for the investor.

Cash Flow and Value Creation:

  • The conversation delves into the concept of cash flow and value creation, discussing how businesses can fade over time if not innovating. Lasean emphasizes the importance of adding technology and content marketing layers to ensure longevity.

Audience and Automation:

  • The concept of audience and automation is highlighted as a critical factor in the success of businesses, especially those acquiring old brands. Engaging content marketing towards a target audience allows for driving brands through existing supply chains, reducing customer acquisition costs.

The Value Creators Podcast Episode #20. Julie Kantor and Felice Ekelman on How To Thrive With A Hybrid Workplace

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The nature of work has changed, so how we manage it must change, too.

As businesses barrel along into the fast-changing digital age, we find that the very nature of work has changed. The new name for the office or the factory is the hybrid workplace. Not only where we do work, but how we do work has changed, and how we synchronize work with each other has changed the most. For the firm, productivity is at risk. And all the standard approaches to business that we’ve been taught are outdated. Take management as an example. How do you manage a hybrid workplace and workforce. Our point of view at The Value Creators is that management is an old-fashioned concept we have to discard. We need something new. 

The Value Creators podcast hosted two of the best experts to address the challenges of the hybrid workplace, Julie Kantor and Felice Ekelman. They are co-authors of the book that will provide the background to our discussion today: Thrive With A Hybrid Workplace: Step-by-Step Guidance from the Experts.

Personal Websites:

Shownotes:

0:00 | Intro

03:06 | Old System VS New System: Work-life Balance & Remote Work During the Pandemic

09:55 | Hybrid Work and Leadership in a Post-Pandemic World

14:02 | Hybrid Model: Nine to Five Model is Gone

16:42 | Hybrid Workplace: Seven Seas Framework

22:53 | Hybrid Policy: How Are We Managing Change?

24:50 | Culture of change: Importance of Face-to-Face Connection

28:07 | Communication, Collaboration, and Leadership in a Hybrid Work Environment

34:46 | Coaching as a Fundamental Part of the Hybrid

37:27 | Smart Goals: Well-Being in the Workplace

38:48 | Productivity in the Hybrid Workspace

41:34 | Hybrid Workspace: Compliance Load

46:12| Wrap up: Where are we heading?


Knowledge Capsule:

We need to re-think the idea of productivity in the world of Hybrid Work:

  • Leaders are struggling to measure the productivity of knowledge workers in a hybrid setting, as traditional metrics like presence in the office are no longer applicable.
  • Early data emphasizes the risk of lost productivity – performance is lowered.
  • There’s a big need for leaders to clearly communicate what excellence in performance looks like in a hybrid work environment is emphasized.
  • But driving hybrid work performance faces compliance challenges:
    • In a hybrid workplace, compliance issues may arise, particularly if employees are working from different states. Local laws may apply, leading to complexities in compliance.
    • Issues related to measuring hours worked, especially for non-exempt employees, pose challenges in maintaining accurate time records.
    • Issues of perceived equity can easily arise.
  • Therefore clear expressions of intent are imperative:
    • The complexity of managing compliance and policies in a hybrid work environment requires intentionality and thought from employers.
    • Inconsistencies in enforcing hybrid work policies can lead to litigation and allegations of discrimination.
  • Hybrid work leads to a new Future of Work:
    • Not just the way we work will change, but there’ll be changes in business models, such as the Chinese business model, RenDenHeyi, which emphasizes decentralized value creation through relationships and connections more than reporting relationships and structure..
    • The integration of work, home, and personal life is expected to continue. Management must include a focus on mental health and well-being.
    • Technology will change the nature of the hybrid workplace even faster, with advancements like mirror boards for synchronous collaboration.
  • Employers should look at hybrid work as a great opportunity to create new value for employees:
    • The shift to a hybrid work model presents a significant opportunity for employers to differentiate themselves and demonstrate flexibility and trust to employees.
    • Employers who successfully navigate the challenges of hybrid work have the potential to be seen as best in class.
  • Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace:
    • The book, “Thrive with a Hybrid Workplace,” focuses on the concept of thriving in the context of a hybrid work environment.
    • The emphasis is on how employers can create a workplace where both employees and the business thrive.
  • Looking to the Future:
    • Predicting the exact future of work is challenging, but the integration of flexibility, trust, and well-being will continue evolving towards more employee value.
    • Employers have the opportunity to create a workplace that fosters trust, flexibility, and ultimately, thriving.

The Value Creators Podcast Episode #19. Trini Amador on The Theory of Talkability

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Trini Amador is the Value Creators’ go-to guru for all things marketing. He has a long career as CEO of a global branding consultancy, BHC Consulting, and he is also the founder and proprietor of Gracianna, an estate winery that has established a portfolio of greatly acclaimed, gold medal winning prestige wines from its home in the heart of Sonoma County wine country, on the banks of the Russian River.

Trini joined the Value Creators podcast to discuss his latest thinking distilled from his extensive brand-building experience: his theory of talkability.

Show Notes:

0:00 | Intro

03:17 | Understanding Talk Ability Theory: Basics, Floaters and Swimmers

07:20 | Three Areas of Talk Ability Theory

09:06 | Is Managing Expectations and Feelings a Brand’s Duty?

11:11 | How digital marketing is typically described and the Traditional Funnel Approach

16:45 | Modern Marketing Innovation: Returns Policies and Proactive Issue Resolution

20:54 | Roger Martin’s habit-driven brand strategy is outdated

22:39 | Concept Trini of Expectations

24:41 | Fundamental Elements of the Brand Blueprint and Speed Change

27:56 | Optimizing Social Media for Brand Talkability

28:50 | Heineken Double Zero Strategy

31:24 | Importance of Valuable Feedback in Business 

33:18 | Trini’s Business Insights and Lessons Learned 

38:46| Wrap up: Find Trini Amador and His Team at Gracianna.com

Knowledge capsule

  • Talkability is brand management for a new age:
    • Trini emphasizes that talkability is not a new concept but an essential aspect of branding today. Talkability centres on how customers perceive and discuss a brand, influenced by their expectations and experiences.
    • In brand marketing, two key drivers remain unchanged: relevance (Is this for me?) and differentiation (How is this different from what I know?). Talkability highlights the importance of differentiated experiences.
  • Consistent With The Brand Blueprint:
  • Factors for Managing Talkability:
    • There are three key factors for managing talkability: maintaining relevance and differentiation, gaining insights into customer needs, and managing brand consistency over time (“consistently managing consistency”)..
    • Stay close to customer behaviour and keep up with changing consumer needs.
  • Managing Anticipated Experiences:
    • The conversation delves into managing anticipated experiences. Trini explains that anticipation comes from both reviews and word-of-mouth referrals. 
    • Meeting or exceeding these expectations is an ongoing challenge for brands.
  • Changing the Talkability of a Product:
    • One case study mentioned in the podcast  is Heineken Double Zero, a non-alcoholic beer, packaged similarly to their regular beer. It’s an example of managing talkability: by wrapping a disruptive innovation in conventional packaging, the brand manages how users talk about it.
    • The beer’s packaging caters to the anticipated experience some customers expect, addressing their need to “fit in” with beer-drinking friends.
  • Practical Application in the Wine Industry:
    • Trini, who owns Graciana Wines, discusses the brand’s approach to talkability, emphasising the importance of feedback, reviews, sentiment scores, engagement, and referrals in tracking brand success.
    • Brands are in the experience business, emphasising the emotional and differentiated aspects of customer experiences.That’s what customers talk about.