First core theme from my podcast series
“Leading Professionals”

Interaction of reason and emotion.

Your most important leadership decisions and actions need to accommodate both reason and emotion, your own and that of your colleagues.

In times of uncertainty, use your professional analytical skills to turn troubling unknowables into containable risk.

In Episode 1, "Leading in uncertain times: How to respond to geopolitical change and AI disruption," I talk to Fabien Curto Millet, Chief Economist of Google. He explains how he combines his analytical rigour with a Zen-like acceptance of change.

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When taking difficult decisions, work out the right solution rationally and then step back to get a sense of whether the solution “feels” right.

Episode 3 is about "Electing leaders: How to choose your leaders and how to get elected". I talk to Michael Ensser, Executive Chair of Egon Zehnder, about deciding when the time is right to take on a major leadership role.

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When dealing with seemingly irrational opposition from a colleague, remember their irrationality is completely rational to them.

In Episode 6, I talk to Dame Emily Lawson, former COO of NHS England and Head of Number Ten 10 Downing Street's Delivery Unit. The theme is "Leading complex change: Breaking through practical barriers and political resistance". How do you understand what your difficult colleague is optimising for and identify the optimisation function that will satisfy you both.

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