Leadership in Chaos
70 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago -Concise lessons in leadership in a world of chaos. Hosted by Ian McClean, leadership expert and founder of Flow Group and GreenLine Conversations.
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Episodes
EP 63: Resist Temptation – Minimise Distraction
April 18, 2023 09:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MB“The most scarce resource in the world today is attention” – Yuval Noah Harari The only 2 industries that refer to customers as “users” are Big Tech and drug cartels. We live in an increasingly technology-fuelled Garden of Eden – an attention economy where the most sophisticated dark forces are constantly, covertly intent at work to distract you. If time is your most precious asset as a leader, then saving and spending it wisely becomes paramount. Your old biological defences are har...
Ep 62: "The Art of Leadership"
February 28, 2023 10:00 - 13 minutes - 9.08 MB“Imagination is more important than Knowledge – Albert Einstein” What has Art got to do with Leadership? Throughout nearly 30 years of working with leaders and leadership, the very best leaders I’ve encountered all have had one thing in common irrespective of geography or industry: the sensibility of an artist. This was reinforced to me recently when attending a screening of a documentary produced by Maria Doyle Kennedy about the life and work of Irish artist Patrick Scott. After all, le...
From the Archives: EP 29: Deepening Connections in Chaos
February 14, 2023 12:00 - 8 minutes - 6.02 MBWhilst not obligatory that you “love” your people at work - in the amorous sense! - people at least need to know you, as the leader, have got their best interests at heart. On this Valentine’s Day, it is worth remembering that your connection to those that matter makes an enormous contribution to your leadership impact and results. Here’s one of my favourite episodes “From the Archive”: A timely reminder of why and how to … In this episode I explain: What Star Wars has to do with buildi...
EP 60: Leadership Manifesto - 25 Principles for Leading in Chaos
January 19, 2023 13:00 - 14 minutes - 9.83 MBI started the Flow(group) business exactly 25 years ago this month - in January 1998. I can’t brag, because Google started up the same month. For context, it was the year Apple unveiled the iMac; the Bill Clinton/ Monica Lewinsky scandal; the FDA approved the Viagra pill (not related); and the NI Good Friday Agreement (definitely not related). During the time, in addition to the quotidian demands for change, our clients and our business has had to navigate 3 major Global Econom...
EP 59 : Leadership in Lay-offs - Twitter Vs Stripe
November 10, 2022 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MB“It’s only when the tide goes out you see who’s been swimming in the nude” – Warren Buffett As a leader the decision to let people go is never easy, but sometimes necessary. Nonetheless, it is often in these Moments that Matter where leaders show what stuff they are really made of. The current high-profile Tech lay-offs provide a unique test for leaders in a sector that has enjoyed rock-star growth throughout the last 2 decades. Twitter and Stripe announced their news at almost exactly t...
EP 58 leadershipinchaos.gov.uk - “How Liz Truss authored her own downfall”
October 25, 2022 08:00 - 14 minutes - 10 MB“Useless. Shambles. Incompetent. CHAOS” These were the dominant words of a GB News Peoples’ Poll Wordcloud last week as the Tory party unravelled amidst a sequence of bizarre and barely credible events. But what role did Leadership have to play in the absurdist drama and what was it Liz Truss did or didn’t do to contribute to her own ultimate downfall? This episode unpicks the very clear failures of the leader and the obvious cause-and-effect lessons in the whole sorry piece. Insights in...
EP 57: Leadership Manifesto: Principle #18 - Keep Your Focus - Avoid Procrastination
August 09, 2022 08:00 - 11 minutes - 7.81 MBTo be human is to procrastinate. The Greeks even had a special word for it – akrasia – such was its acknowledgement. However, it’s not a great device for leadership effectiveness when keeping focus is critical. The tendency towards Procrastination, and it’s full-sister Distraction, is becoming increasingly a topic of conversation with leaders (I’m engaged with), together with media and public discourse. Why does it happen? Why is it increasingly emerging now? And what can we do to combat its...
EP 56: Leadership Manifesto: Principle #19 - Stay Golden - Look after #1
June 01, 2022 12:00 - 12 minutes - 8.68 MBNormal service is resumed as I return to the Manifesto and explore how to preserve and protect the biggest asset any team has – you as the leader. Often ignoring their own needs and deprived in the service of others, the book title “Leaders Eat Last” promotes the idea of servant leadership (which I applaud by the way) ….however….Leaders Gotta Eat! How does a leader effectively balance doing the best for their people and their enterprise without doing the worst for themselves? Feast yourself!...
EP 54: Leadership in the New World (Dis)Order - Part 2
May 05, 2022 12:00 - 15 minutes - 10.6 MBI am interrupting normal service for a newsflash! Such has been the demand recently out there for a succinct summary of what it means to be a leader now we are starting The Great Reset for society, work and life, that I have composed a triple-decker episode that roughly mirrors a keynote I’m delivering to address the question. Many of my previous themes are peppered throughout, along with a few new nuggets for the latest version of the New World (Dis)Order. Normal service – and a return...
EP 55: Leadership in the New World (Dis)Order - Part 3
May 05, 2022 12:00 - 11 minutes - 7.67 MBI am interrupting normal service for a newsflash! Such has been the demand recently out there for a succinct summary of what it means to be a leader now we are starting The Great Reset for society, work and life, that I have composed a triple-decker episode that roughly mirrors a keynote I’m delivering to address the question. Many of my previous themes are peppered throughout, along with a few new nuggets for the latest version of the New World (Dis)Order. Normal service – and a return...
EP 53: Leadership in the New World (Dis)Order - Part 1
May 05, 2022 12:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBI am interrupting normal service for a newsflash! Such has been the demand recently out there for a succinct summary of what it means to be a leader now we are starting The Great Reset for society, work and life, that I have composed a triple-decker episode that roughly mirrors a keynote I’m delivering to address the question. Many of my previous themes are peppered throughout, along with a few new nuggets for the latest version of the New World (Dis)Order. Normal service – and a return...
EP 52: Leadership Manifesto Principle #20 Zoom Out Often
March 31, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutes - 7.68 MBWe often do our best thinking when we are not thinking. From Archimedes to Newton, great breakthrough discovery examples “away from the job” are rife in science, technology and the arts. It appears that it is often through a break that we really break through Leadership is fundamentally about setting the right direction and making the right choices. Those choices, however, are only as good as the perspectives they are based on. In this episode, I explain how our “factory setting” as a spec...
EP 51: 2 year anniversary & 50 Episodes later….Reflections of an accidental podcaster.
March 15, 2022 11:00 - 5 minutes - 3.84 MB“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed. it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead It’s almost 2 years to the day since I began this podcast and 50 episodes later, I wanted to pause and momentarily to Zoom Out and reflect. It was Friday 13th (the clue was in the date?!) when I sat in the Cheltenham racecourse car park on a 1hr call with my international Flow partners from 4 continents sharing perspectives of what was un...
EP 50: Leadership Manifesto: Principle #21 - Choose Consciously and Wisely
March 03, 2022 13:00 - 10 minutes - 7.59 MB“In every situation there is a space between the situation and how you respond”. Viktor Frankl Think about this : The quality and situation of your life right now is the aggregate total of every decision you have ever made. Luck certainly plays a part - and there have been many “sliding doors” moments I’m sure, but ultimately, it is not what happened in those moments, but rather how you responded to what happened in those moments that made the difference. No leader sets out to be ...
EP 50: Leadership Manifesto: Principle #21 - Choose Consciously and Wisely
March 03, 2022 13:00 - 10 minutes - 7.59 MB“In every situation there is a space between the situation and how you respond”. Viktor Frankl Think about this : The quality and situation of your life right now is the aggregate total of every decision you have ever made. Luck certainly plays a part - and there have been many “sliding doors” moments I’m sure, but ultimately, it is not what happened in those moments, but rather how you responded to what happened in those moments that made the difference. No leader sets out to be ...
EP 49: Leadership Manifesto: Principle #22 - Happiness in 3 Parts
February 15, 2022 11:00 - 11 minutes - 8.19 MB“There is no way to Happiness. Happiness is the way.” Thich Nhat Hanh In response to the reaction from the “Leadership Manifesto – 22 Principles for ‘22” episode, I have been persuaded to build out the Manifesto into a season, with each episode delving into the principles one by one, and in greater detail. Starting with #22 we will work backwards principle-by-principle until we arrive an #1. That way, instead of just chapter headings with some brief elaboration, by the end of the season ...
EP 48: Leadership Manifesto: 22 Principles for Leading in Chaos in '22
January 13, 2022 15:00 - 12 minutes - 8.88 MBFrank Capra’s seasonal classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” turned 75 years last year and, like many, once again I watched the movie during the holiday period. This time around, however, coloured no doubt by our present environment, I saw something different. I saw it primarily as a treatise on the fragility and uncertainty of life. George Bailey has big dreams of adventure way beyond small-town Bedford Falls but his aspirations are thwarted at every turn and, just when he thought he had sca...
EP 47: Chaos is the New Normal
December 17, 2021 13:00 - 10 minutes - 7.23 MBThe popularised phrase “New Normal” is at best lazy, and at worst destructively misleading for leadership in every dimension – language, expectation and mindset. Yet people continue to strive for and promote it. For 30 years, the most popular remark I’ve consistently heard from leaders going through change is “I can’t wait until this is over and we can return to normal”. Funny thing is, it never happened. Ever. What happens when leaders realise and accept the Chaos is constant – always was –...
EP 46: Lessons from COP26
November 24, 2021 13:00 - 14 minutes - 9.99 MBCOP26 represented the world’s greatest “strategy off-site” in Glasgow recently, featuring the not insignificant, high-stakes leadership quest of safe-guarding our planet. Whilst our own leadership challenges are, by definition, less lofty and smaller in scale, the same conundrums of clarity of vision & purpose; stakeholders buy-in; sustaining commitment and much more, still very much apply. In Episode 46 I explore the lessons and parallels we can extract from the 2 week summit and how they...
EP 45: Finding Flow in Chaos
November 03, 2021 13:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBLast month saw the passing of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of Flow – the seminal work that describes the human state of happiness, optimal experience and high performance. The book (and his research) has subsequently influenced everything from office design, to how to train soldiers, website and video game design amongst everything else. In this episode, I commemorate the author by synthesizing the essence of his work (in less than 15 minutes!) and describing how the Flow state is an abso...
EP 44: Do The Right Things
October 11, 2021 13:00 - 14 minutes - 9.81 MBAccording to Peter Drucker – if management is about doing things right, then leadership is doing the right things. I took a break from the Podcast for some Zooming Out time during summer but, since my return, have found it a very big challenge to return to the discipline of the broadcast because of competing pressures. This episode uses this most typical challenge to ask (and answer!) the question : “How do you get to do the things you need to do but just can’t find the time?” Insights i...
EP 43: Building Trust in Teams - Part 1
July 01, 2021 11:00 - 12 minutes - 9 MBIn this sub-set of the mini-season on Leading Teams in Chaos I focus on Trust. Isn’t it peculiar that whilst everyone agrees that Trust is a crucial ingredient to growing high performance in a team, I have never - in almost 30 years working with teams globally - been asked to host a conversation to discuss the topic specifically. In this episode I explore why this is. I also share a more workable definition of Trust and its component parts, that helps turn the abstract into something more ta...
EP 42: Leading Teams in Chaos - Part 4
June 10, 2021 12:00 - 12 minutes - 8.62 MBIn this fourth part of a mini-season on Leading Teams in Chaos I reflect on how nearly all leaders know what it’s like to be part of a highly effective team, but very few know how to build one. I also consolidate the 5 Agreements a team needs to make, and explore the 4 Commitment Cards to arrive at those agreements so that the team members feel committed, not just compliant. Insights include: How knowing effective teams is not the same as building one. Consolidating the 5 Agreements of...
EP 41: Leading Teams in Chaos - Part 3
May 12, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MBIn this third part of a mini-season on Leading Teams in Chaos as leaders look to Reset, Realign and Refocus their Teams, “Agreeing the How” concentrates on the importance of common understanding and commitment to How we best work together to get things done. Insights include: How Behaviour is the orphaned child of Effectiveness Why Task is consistently prioritised over Behaviour Why talking about Culture empties the room How to agree Ways of Working that gets commitment and lasts Supp...
EP 40: Leading Teams in Chaos - Part 2
April 15, 2021 13:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MBIn this second part of a mini-season on Leading Teams in Chaos as leaders look to Reset, Realign and Refocus their Teams, “Agreeing the Why” concentrates on the importance of connecting a team to its purpose, as a chief source of meaning and motivation. Insights include: Why Purpose and Mission gets a bad rap (and why it’s richly deserved). Why it’s so important to approach it right & the pay-off if you do. The relationship between the Why and discretionary effort. Why (most) leaders...
EP 39: Leading Teams in Chaos - Part 1
March 25, 2021 13:00 - 13 minutes - 9.51 MBIn this first part of a mini-season on Leading Teams in Chaos, Part 1 observes how the Covid story is writing itself, chapter by chapter, and how the latest chapter is giving grounds for optimism, as Leaders are gradually now looking to Reset, Realign and Refocus their Teams. This mini-season focuses on helping you with the how and why. Insights include: · The 5 Chapters of Covid (so far!) · The source formula for Leading Teams: E = Cl X Co · Establis...
EP 38: How Now From Here - Part 4
March 04, 2021 16:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBIt’s been a year like no other. To commemorate one year on from the first Covid case in Ireland and the first Leadership in Chaos podcast episode I have Zoomed Out to look back over the past year and look forward to answer the question “How Now From Here?” In 4 connected episodes/parts I summarise and highlight the best principles to help navigate our way forward from here. Insights include: Reviewing the context for Leadership The Neurology of Leadership in Chaos The 5 Cs of Being you...
EP 37: How Now From Here - Part 3
March 04, 2021 15:00 - 13 minutes - 9.5 MBIt’s been a year like no other. To commemorate one year on from the first Covid case in Ireland, and the first Leadership in Chaos podcast episode, I have Zoomed Out to look back over the past year and look forward to answer the question “How Now From Here?” In 4 connected episodes/parts I summarise and highlight the best principles to help navigate our way forward from here. Insights include: Reviewing the context for Leadership The Neurology of Leadership in Chaos The 5 Cs of Being y...
EP 36: How Now From Here - Part 2
March 04, 2021 14:00 - 7 minutes - 5.35 MBIt’s been a year like no other. To commemorate one year on from the first Covid case in Ireland, and the first Leadership in Chaos podcast episode, I have Zoomed Out to look back over the past year and look forward to answer the question “How Now From Here?” In 4 connected episodes/parts I summarise and highlight the best principles to help navigate our way forward from here. Insights include: Reviewing the context for Leadership The Neurology of Leadership in Chaos The 5 Cs of Being y...
EP 35: How Now From Here - Part 1
March 04, 2021 12:00 - 12 minutes - 8.39 MBIt’s been a year like no other. To commemorate one year on from the first Covid case in Ireland, and the first Leadership in Chaos podcast episode, I have Zoomed Out to look back over the past year and look forward to answer the question “How Now From Here?” In 4 connected episodes/parts I summarise and highlight the best principles to help navigate our way forward from here. Insights include: Reviewing the context for Leadership The Neurology of Leadership in Chaos The 5 Cs of Being yo...
EP 34: Finding Meaning in Chaos
February 18, 2021 13:00 - 11 minutes - 7.89 MBPeople out there are really struggling. And the Chaos has moved from external disruption (economy and autonomy) to internal questioning as we struggle for meaning. In this episode I focus on what this means for leaders and their role. Insights include: How the Leader today has now become the white-collar frontline worker The 3 Migrating Stages of people’s struggle during the pandemic Finding Meaning as a key to Resilience Why Finding Meaning is not a Quest Related Episodes: Episode ...
EP 33: "Taking Back Control" in Chaos
February 04, 2021 14:00 - 15 minutes - 11.1 MBIn this episode I focus on what the leader’s role is in restoring a sense of control to help with people’s struggle around morale, motivation, and mental health. Insights include: Insights from Flow CEO Forum on what keeps them awake at night Facebook CFO’s advice to graduating accountant for their future career The real answer to “Why people don’t do what they’re supposed to do” Motivation Psychology 101 – The 2 Simple Things you can do as a Leader that make the most difference Relat...
EP 32: Prioritising & Planning in Chaos
January 21, 2021 14:00 - 14 minutes - 10.4 MBIn this episode I focus on why, counter-intuitively, Prioritising & Planning become even more crucial in Chaos. Insights include: How Leadership is a delicate blend of feeling and action What is the leadership contribution Why Prioritise and Plan when there are no right answers The real reason Leaders resist setting direction 3 Cs – How to set a Direction that inspires Related Episodes: Episode 26: “The Leadership Contribution” Episodes 12 - 14: “Motivation in Chaos - 1, 2, 3” Epi...
EP 31: Your PPE for a Better 2021
January 13, 2021 14:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBIn this important Omnibus episode, the first of 2021, I share a simple but profound and effective way to prepare yourself for a better 2021 – in spite of the Chaos. The Leader's PPE stands for: P – Perspective (Scripting the right Story) P – Priorities (Choosing the right Action) E – Equilibrium (Maintaining Resilience) The method is both holistic and human, and can be applied by both leaders and non-leaders. So feel free to share with anyone struggling to get started in the Chaos o...
EP 30: Leadership Lessons in Chaos
December 16, 2020 14:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBIn the final Episode of 2020 I select the top 5 Leadership lessons we can extract from the most trying of years. Lessons include: Leadership is critical & not just necessary during Chaos Life is random, discriminating, and unfair: meet it where it is The “What’s Possible” mindset The Old World wasn’t perfect anyway People double down on their real self during Chaos Support the show
EP 29: Deepening Connections in Chaos
December 02, 2020 13:00 - 8 minutes - 6.04 MBAt a time when people are feeling increasing disconnection, this week I explore how to deepen connection. In this episode I explain: What Star Wars has to do with building connection How we often think we’re building connection when in fact we’re not How our Tacit Wisdom is stronger than our intellectual knowledge What to focus on to deepen connection …And ..our discomfort with silence Support the show
EP 28: We Need to Talk about Conversations
November 24, 2020 15:00 - 11 minutes - 7.81 MBThis week Ian discusses how to approach those Difficult Conversations. In this episode Ian explains: Why conversations are more difficult during a pandemic crisis How you need to get “Comfortable with Uncomfortable” How your Mindset influences the conversation outcome The opportunity in the Difficult …And how – approached correctly – there is often an even better way Support the show
EP 27: What the Trump legacy teaches us about Leadership
November 16, 2020 12:00 - 10 minutes - 7.45 MBIn this episode Ian explains how leadership impact is real, and really matters. Also: Leadership and the Law of Cause and Effect How the CEO is also the CCO (Chief Culture Officer) Leadership’s Great Underestimation The link between autocratic leadership and gun sales What 19th century detective novels have to do with Leadership Support the show
Ep 26: The Leadership Contribution
October 28, 2020 14:00 - 10 minutes - 7.59 MBIn this week's episode, Ian discusses a way of viewing leadership as a form of contribution, which differs from the conventional way of viewing leadership as somebody who is at the top of a hierarchy. So, what is the leadership contribution? Support the show (http://flowukandireland.com/)
EP 26: The Leadership Contribution
October 28, 2020 14:00 - 10 minutes - 7.59 MBIn this week's episode, Ian discusses a way of viewing leadership as a form of contribution, which differs from the conventional way of viewing leadership as somebody who is at the top of a hierarchy. So, what is the leadership contribution? Support the show
Ep 25: What is Leadership? (in Chaos)
October 20, 2020 14:00 - 10 minutes - 7.02 MBSo far, the Leadership in Chaos Podcast has mostly focused on dealing with the "chaos" in the title. This week, Ian discusses leadership itself. So here's the question. What is leadership? Support the show (http://flowukandireland.com/)
EP 25: What is Leadership? (in Chaos)
October 20, 2020 14:00 - 10 minutes - 7.02 MBSo far, the Leadership in Chaos Podcast has mostly focused on dealing with the "chaos" in the title. This week, Ian discusses leadership itself. So here's the question. What is leadership? Support the show
EP 24: Culture in Chaos
October 08, 2020 13:00 - 5 minutes - 3.75 MBIan reminisces on an old interview he did about how culture happens in organisations. Support the show
EP 23: Presidential Leadership in Chaos
October 01, 2020 14:00 - 8 minutes - 5.61 MBPresidential Leadership in Chaos: Ian reflects on the recent US presidential debate and what it means for leadership. Support the show
EP 22: Listening Beyond Bias
September 22, 2020 14:00 - 9 minutes - 6.5 MBListening Beyond Bias: Ian discusses how we need to learn to suspend our own biases if we are to really listen effectively and build trust. Support the show
EP 21: Bias in Chaos
September 10, 2020 13:00 - 8 minutes - 5.97 MBIan discusses the importance of identifying and addressing bias, especially during these times of heightened tension and ambiguity. Support the show
EP 20: Commitment in Chaos
August 20, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBIan discusses how building commitment is a key skill for successful leadership, especially during these times of increased uncertainty. Support the show
Episode 20: Commitment in Chaos
August 20, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBIan discusses how building commitment is a key skill for successful leadership, especially during these times of increased uncertainty. Support the show (http://flowukandireland.com/)
EP 19: Zooming Out in Chaos
August 12, 2020 13:00 - 10 minutes - 7.06 MBIan returns from a period of "Zooming Out" on family vacation to share some thoughts. Support the show
EP 18: Context in Chaos
July 23, 2020 17:00 - 12 minutes - 8.46 MBWe discuss the importance of listening for the other side of a conversation, argument or agreement. Context is king, Transcript: Episode18 Context in Chaos [00:00:00] When the COVID story is finally written, it's then, and only then that we'll understand whether we're currently at chapter two or chapter 10, or indeed how many chapters there out of this whole story? [00:00:13]The one thing I think most people will agree is that it feels like the end of the beginning, where we've emerge...