Management Today's Leadership Lessons

As waves of disruption reshape what the future of business is likely to look like, current and future leaders need to adapt their skills to embrace change. In this week's episode, three MT’s 35 Women Under 35 winners discuss how leaders can embrace change and grow their businesses.Credits:Presenter: Éilis CroninProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson

On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses what we can expect from the economy in the next few years and research from EY suggesting that CEO confidence in the global outlook is fuelling M&A activity.As political strategist James Carville famously drilled into Bill Clinton campaign staffers, “it’s the economy, stupid”. But after several years of successive disruptions, precisely which economic variables should we be watching most closely? Adam Gale enlisted the help of two economists – one micro and one macro – to answer this question. We take you through their analysis.Median pay for a FTSE 100 CEO reached £4.19m in 2023, according to the High Pay Centre – that’s 120 times that of the median full-time worker. At the same time, new research, which looked at workforce dynamics in a number of advanced capitalist economies, has identified a trend of “dramatically declining exposure of top earners to bottom earners”. The potential implications of this growing segregation are multifaceted – but universally bleak, as we discuss.Links:https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/economy-know-watching-briefs-significant-piece-legislation/indepth/article/1886971https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/research-ceo-confidence-drive-m-a-activity-despite-macroeconomic-uncertainties/indepth/article/1887287https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/research-top-earners-increasingly-isolated-bottom-pay-hierarchy/indepth/article/1886849Credits:Presenters: Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis CroninProducer: Til OwenArtwork: David Robinson

Dame Stephanie Shirley has a fascinating – and difficult – story to tell. Aged just five, she was one of nearly 10,000 children who were sent to England on board the Kindertransport to escape the dangers posed by Nazi Germany.It was a life defining moment that would equip Dame Stephanie with a resilience that would see her set up a successful software business, at a time when attitudes to women in the workplace were very different.Ultimately, that business made millionaires of more than 70 co-owners and has enabled Dame Stephanie to set up several charities and not-for-profits in the autism and IT spheres.She talks to Management Today about employee ownership, her tips for entrepreneurs and how to become an effective public speaker.Credits:Presenter: Claire WarrenProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson

All companies nowadays are digital companies, and therefore face an imperative to continually push technology-led transformation. In this week’s episode, BT Business’s CEO Bas Burger discusses how to navigate the digital landscape and identify the tools that will generate value for your business. Having landed his first CEO role at the age of 31, he also offers his advice for first-time leaders, including to surround yourself with people who are better than you at their particular job and always ask questions.Credits:Presenter: Antonia Garrett PeelProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson

On today’s episode, we discuss the impact of ‘gamification’ on the digital retail space, how to hit the right notes in your internal comms, and Deloitte’s advice for elevating technology conversations in the boardroom. Links:https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/shein-temu-tiktok-shop-chinese-e-commerce-platforms-existential-threat/indepth/article/1884882https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/great-transformation-chiefs-know-internal-comms/indepth/article/1883084https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/round-up-ai-quantum-readiness-value-boardroom-alliances/food-for-thought/article/1884746Credits:Presenters: Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis CroninProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson

Matt Wreford chose to leave a promising career rather than continue to keep quiet about his sexuality. At the time he was working in the financial services sector but was advised his promotion opportunities would be stymied if senior executives found out about his sexuality. That decision would shape his career – and his ability to provide a more welcoming environment for his LGBTQ+ colleagues. Now CEO of fintech platform Demica, Wreford remains passionately committed to championing current and upcoming LGBTQ+ leaders, and committed to educating organisations on how to build a culture which encourages them to aspire towards and develop into leadership roles.Wreford joined this week’s episode of the Management Today Leadership Lessons podcast to talk about the five key areas businesses need to focus on if they are to move the dial on inclusivity.Read more here: Credits:Presenter: Claire WarrenProducer: Til OwenArtwork: David Robinson

On today’s episode, we discuss Labour’s plans for ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, the scourge of cyber attacks and how businesses are faring post-pandemic.Links:https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/kings-speech-will-ethnicity-disability-pay-gap-reporting-move-dial-pay-equality/food-for-thought/article/1881442https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/cyber-threat-landscape-the-worst-past-five-years/indepth/article/1881987https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/round-up-smart-thinking-without-reading/food-for-thought/article/1882272Credits:Presenters: Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis CroninProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson

This week we meet Russ Lidstone, president of Inizio Engage XD. He believes businesses are made up of Red Meat and Red Roses players, both of whom needs specific support in order to excel in their roles. We discussed how leaders can identify which category their employees fall into and the best ways to support them through challenging times. He says, "There are times, of course, where there's no sugar coating anything. It's about being direct with people, but doing so in a way that demonstrates you're human."Credits:Presenter: Éilis CroninProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson