Her research and suggestions gave weight to my thoughts and concepts and was the catalyst for many inclusions in this book.
A huge thanks to graphic designer extraordinaire Jodie Brennan, who takes my scrappy drawings of models and designs them so they look cool and sleek.
The book was brought up a notch or three by Jo Stewart, who undertook the initial editing process. Her work has helped turn this book into something I am very proud of and I thank her for her tough love.
I would also like to thank Lucy Raymond from Wiley for her ongoing support for my writing and initial guidance when the book was still in its conceptual stage. Thanks also to Ingrid, Alice, Pete and the rest of the Wiley team who provided valuable insights throughout the process.
Thanks to Wiley's editor, Charlotte Duff. Charlotte enhanced the book even further and made the editing process a joy.
A very special thanks goes to Matt Church and Peter Cook of Thought Leaders Global. Both helped with the concept of the book and provided valuable input along the way. They continue to support, challenge and inspire me. They are legends and I am proud to be a Thought Leader Partner alongside them. Thanks for letting me play.
A massive thanks to Michelle Sales who encouraged me to go to Harvard with her for an Adaptive Leadership program. In the days following – between shopping trips and wines in New York – Michelle helped me make sense of many of the Harvard learnings and insights that we have since incorporated into our leadership program for senior women, called The Leadership Connection. This is a program we are both immensely proud to chair.
The book would not be the same if it were not for the people who allowed me to share their stories. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being part of this. I would also like to thank the many people that took the time to read the manuscript and provide testimonials.
I also thank the clients who continue to grow with me and support me. Particularly Cindy Batchelor, Natalie Mina, Fiona Robertson, Georgia Russell, Sonia Aplin, Mark LeBusque and Jac Phillips. I love working with you.
A special thanks to Elise Turner, who is firstly my friend and secondly my executive manager. Elise has undertaken, and will continue to undertake, a lot of the marketing and logistics for Ignite – and just makes my life easier and work a hell of a lot more fun. Thanks mate!
Finally, a very special thanks to my husband, Steve, and daughters, Alex and Jess. They continue to support and believe in me and always let me blog about them … granted, they don't normally find out until after it has been published. They allow me to live the dream and they make everything worthwhile. Love you.
And, of course, thank you for reading this book. I hope after reading Ignite you will join me in the challenge to get real. The people you lead crave it and deserve it.
INTRODUCTION
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
I entered the workforce in 1985, smack-bang in the middle of the eighties. The eighties were good times. They were fun times. For many reasons, but maybe especially because of the music. I mean, it's pretty hard not to enjoy yourself when your soundtrack includes ‘Walking on Sunshine’ and ‘We Built this City’.
Business was also a good place to be during the eighties because leaders were more real. Long lunches were the norm. Being in the office on Friday afternoon was for ‘try-hards’. Life was good. Then something happened in the late eighties … we had a recession. Demand for jobs far outweighed the supply. All of a sudden, the fun stopped. Everyone was so scared of losing their job they started to work harder and longer. They tried to blend in so they would not get noticed.
As leaders, we enrolled in MBAs, hoping this extra qualification would help us find our next job or secure our current job. In our MBAs, we were taught about SWOT analysis and TOWS analysis, balance sheets and Porter's Five Forces model. We were shown how to measure and capture data, and use data to make business decisions. And we came out the other end a little bit … well, quite frankly – a little bit boring and full of crap.
‘If you can't measure it, you can't manage it,’ became the mantra in businesses, and a strong focus on data, stats and analysis emerged. This reliance on data was not only how employees and managers alike were measured, but also how we were motivated. The common trajectory went something like this: ‘Here is the target, you can do it, this is how we are tracking, try harder, this is the result … oh, and you failed’.
All the data everyone was gathering, combined with the explosion of the internet and search engines such as Google, meant we had more information than we could ever possibly need or want.
At the same time, PowerPoint came along and with it the promise that how we presented would change forever – our presentations would now be interesting and engaging. We could choose how slides transitioned and which sound effects to use – and don't forget how exciting clipart was. With these tools, you could transform any presentation into a masterpiece. And PowerPoint did change the way we presented, but just not as we expected. What PowerPoint (or should I say the poor use of PowerPoint) accomplished was to condemn us to a sort of presentation hell of bullet-point infinity.
Then during 2007 and 2008, the global financial crisis (GFC) hit and job security again became an issue. Considered by some economists to be the worst depression since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the GFC meant we were all scared of what would happen. So we again bunkered down and didn't do too much to attract attention. We certainly didn't do anything to rock the boat – that would be too risky.
But in the business world today, something is happening that means that assumed safe place is actually a risky place to be.
We have a generation of employees who are expecting a lot more from the companies they work for and the leaders they follow. Within five years, generation Y (or the Millennials) will make up the vast majority of the workforce, and they will be the most educated generation in history. The focus of this generation's loyalties has changed, and the expectations they have of their employers and leaders are significantly higher. They want leaders who excite them and ignite them. They want leaders who are real.
The possibility of more money or a promotion does not motivate employees as it once did. This generation wants purpose in their job, and they expect it to be interesting and fun. These expectations are also rippling through the rest of the workforce.
Businesses today are struggling with how to manage this new generation and workforce. But the solutions are available. More than ever, we are looking for leaders who can engage, inspire and ignite this new wave of employees.
The growing expectations of employees are also combined with the exponential growth in technology, social media and access to information. This has resulted in further information overload, making it even harder to get cut-through with your messages.
Organisations invest vast amounts of time and resources into developing strategy and defining corporate culture and values, only to see these efforts fail due to leaders being unable to communicate values in a way that connects and engages with their employees – in a way that is real.
This book is about helping you find the real you. Knowing what you stand for, what you believe in and what you value will help you be your real self and the most authentic leader you can. It will help you to lead with courage and confidence.
Becoming real will not only ignite you but also ignite the people around you.
Read on if you believe in real leadership and real talk for
