Podcasts by Ciarán Fenton’s podcast

The impact of your formative years #MostMondays from 2022-04-27T11:21:10

The impact of your formative years #MostMondays

How to win at interview #MostMondays from 2022-04-26T13:25

How to win at interview #MostMondays

Your career is a unique business from 2022-04-20T12:41:43

#MostMondays: how to feel fulfilled at work most of the time whether you lead or follow

How to tell someone they must leave from 2022-04-19T10:08:04

How to tell someone they must leave #MostMondays - how to feel fulfilled at work most of the time whether you lead or follow

How to facilitate your own off-site from 2022-04-18T11:51:53

How to facilitate your own off-site #MostMondays - how to feel fulfilled at work most of the time, whether you lead or follow

#MostMondays - how to feel fulfilled at work most of the time, whether you lead or follow from 2022-04-18T11:51:53

How to facilitate your own off-site

7 statements a Chair is least likely to welcome in a board evaluation, but should… from 2020-11-02T14:46:12

Fantasy letter to a Chair from a board evaluator:

Dear Chair,

While I’m sure you will find a way of asserting in next year’s annual report, as you did last year, that your Board co...

Should board behaviour evaluations under FRC/QCA/Wates codes and principles be substantially oral, not written? from 2020-10-12T11:34:35

In an ideal world, boards should focus on fixing the matters arising from their board evaluations. They don’t because the purpose of board evaluations of many boards, despite pleas by regulators...

Lessons CEOs could learn from my mother, aged 90 today from 2020-09-22T13:04:06

My Mum is 90 today. She was born on 22nd September 1930. The Irish Times that day reported widespread gales, a tramcar accident in Dublin and the activities of a man called Hitler.

Mum wa...

“UK Plc” needs a facilitated virtual off-site, fast: my fantasy pitch from 2020-09-08T12:00:46

Imagine if the UK were a Plc and the Prime Minister its Group CEO then I would, this week, be pitching to him my facilitated virtual off-site program, which I piloted successfully during lockdow...

Back to work: how to lead scared, tired and remote teams by ditching human capital principles from 2020-08-31T09:21:19

Last week a client told me that people desperately need support returning to work.

They usually use the summer to refresh, she said, but were instead preparing kids for school/university ...

The pandemic: will it make you, break you or set you free? from 2020-08-21T10:11:51

How are things? Are you having a good pandemic, "actually"? Was lockdown "great, in a way"? Did you get in touch with your inner sourdough, learn your kids' names and zoom "back-to-back"?

John Hume: the ultimate "change manager" from 2020-08-10T07:49:09

The many tributes to John Hume's life in all media over the last week all confirm that he achieved what many CEOs talk about in terms of toe-curling tautology but rarely deliver: "transformation...

Why "COVID-19 CEOs” should act on Paul Gilbert’s blog of yesterday, today from 2020-07-20T07:56:03

Yesterday, Paul Gilbert, CEO LBCWisecounsel, UK’s doyen of commentary and advice to and on in-house lawyers wrote an important blog which, I suspect will have been read by many lawyers but not s...

What CEOs can learn from Sir Keir Starmer's first 100 days, and vice versa from 2020-07-13T11:04:29

Sir Keir Starmer recently completed his first hundred days as Leader of the Opposition in the UK's Parliament. Commentators have assessed these according to their political bias.

But none...

Learn from Lincoln in a crisis: don't send that email from 2020-07-08T08:16:30

During lockdown, I started reading - or more accurately listening on Scribd on my run - to David Herbert Donald's biography of Abraham Lincoln: Lincoln.

In Chapter 16, he describ...

CEOs: are you the biggest problem in managing this crisis? from 2020-06-29T08:06:13

"...I fear that the "emerging from the crisis" industry will result in leaders repeating the errors made during the 2008 Global Financial Crash after which they pathologised "their people" and i...

GCs: relaunch, don't cut, your law department cum-COVID-19 from 2020-06-22T10:31:32

Everyone is talking about post-COVID. This is wishful thinking. There will be no post-COVID. Ever. Vaccine or no vaccine. As one client put it: it will be forever "cum-COVID", not post. We will ...

What should COVID-19 CEOs do about The Mayson Report Section 12.4, if anything? from 2020-06-15T10:33:10

On the morning of June 11th. 2020 The Centre for Ethics and Law, University College London, published a report written by Professor Stephen Mayson with the title: "REFORMING LEGAL SERVICES - REG...

COVID-19 CEOs: Is your use of your "Leave Meeting" button causing "ZOOM cruelty" and damaging your business? from 2020-06-08T08:56:03

Feelings of shame, hurt & anger, to name just three, were merely business as usual ("BAU") at and after pre-COVID meetings at which people were physically present...

CEOs: a 7-step COVID-19 business re-launch plan from 2020-06-01T15:00:40

Last week I worked with a CEO who leads a rapid growth multi-site retail business trying to figure out how to "re-launch" after his employees come back "from furlough". If you are in a similar s...

COVID-19 CEOs: stay alert for aggression, active and passive; be kind to self/others from 2020-05-29T07:52:38

You are the CEO because you are demanding on yourself and others. When the going gets tough, the tough become bloody unreasonable. Don't.

The novelty of lockdown has long worn off. It's n...

Three lessons COVID-19 CEOs can learn from Mr Johnson's and Mr Cumming's CEO/COO relationship from 2020-05-28T10:18:12

Let’s say, for the sake of argument and I know there are some flaws in the analogy, that Mr Johnson is the equivalent of a COVID CEO and Mr Cummings the equivalent of a COVID COO in business. Listen

CEOs: 7 reasons why the FRC Code is your unlikely roadmap out of COVID-19, even for SMEs from 2020-05-27T08:41:11

Simon Sinek is unlikely to shout out "Start with the FRC Code".

You won't find a Ted Talk titled "FRC - The Cool Code out of COVID City.

Nor will #CorpGov be trending any time soon...

Why CEOs should reset their relationship with their lawyers during COVID-19 from 2020-05-26T07:47:59

There is anecdotal evidence that some early stage and rapid growth organisations have decided they "no longer need a General Counsel" relying instead on more junior and potentially more biddable...

CEOs: how to have a proper bloody row during COVID-19 from 2020-05-20T10:22:24

I’m noticing an increase in boardroom tension since lockdown. Boardrooms are always full of human drama but, based on calls I ‘m receiving, and what I hear on the Zoomvine, COVID-19 is bringing ...

CEOs: forget recovery. Instead: reframe, reset, relaunch from 2020-05-19T09:25:21

Everyone is talking about the 'new normal" meaning that "things" will never be the same again and we'll have to bally well get used to it.

Yet the same commentators talk of recovery and r...

COVID-19 CEOs: "resilience" isn't code for "suck it up" from 2020-05-18T10:33:44

Here we go again – another crisis another “in-word”.

After a previous crisis the word ” engagement” which, by the way, was code for you engaging with us, not the other w...

Why COVID19CEOs should remember Chilcot's criticism of "sofa style" decision-making from 2020-05-15T08:39:57

Andrew Hill at the time of the report observed in the Financial Times:

“…What does this report tell us? The same old corporate and political story of how an excess of certitude a...

Listen

COVID-19 crisis: should you oust your narcissistic CEO now? from 2020-05-14T08:24:59

Nick Cohen’s piece three years ago in The Observer (Jan 5, 2017) was mainly about Mr Trump but, to my mind, it was also one of the best general essays on leadership I have read and remains highl...

Your future: will you be "the CEO" three years from now? from 2020-05-13T08:39:43

So, if you are “the CEO”:

• are you likely to be “the CEO” in three years time?
• if yes, why, and how will you have changed, if at all?
• if not, will you have jump...
  Listen

"Least likely to say" is a great board game, especially on ZOOM from 2020-05-12T08:33:35

“Least likely to say”  is a great board game, it’s easy to play and, although I facilitate these, you don’t need a facilitator.

You can play this at home, as it were, in your own boa...

CEOs with low EQ struggle in a crisis from 2020-05-11T09:21:20

SMALL CHANGE

by Ciarán Fenton

How small changes in behaviour have a big impact on how you work, lead or follow

Th...