Leighton's high-powered chums talk On Leadership

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 29 Nov 2008, 10:08

http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/channe ... eadership/

Messrs Rose, Gooding, Lane Fox, Arora, Crozier and Rebuck all chipped in to Allan Leighton's latest do...

On Thursday night Allan Leighton launched the latest leg of his bid to raise £1m for Breast Cancer Care. The chairman of Royal Mail (and others) got out his little black book and invited some of his most senuior business chums to come along to dinner and talk about leadership, in front of a 300-strong audience. Sir Stuart Rose and Val Gooding were the two main attractions, and to make up for a no-show from the ailing Jacqueline Gold, Leighton persuaded CEO chums Adam Crozier and Gail Rebuck, plus entrepreneurs Surinder Arora and Martha Lane Fox to chip in their tuppenceworth from the audience (at rather short notice, by the sounds of it)

However the night began with journalistic royalty in the form of the BBC’s Robert Peston, who told us that he first started to get worried about the economy when a top banker failed to give a convincing definition of the complex CFOs, CDSs and other TLAs that were printing money for his traders. ‘Now people want their £4trn back, which puts a bit of a dampener on things,’ said Peston. ‘The world is going to look a very different place [in a few years] – not necessarily worse, but very different.’

After dinner Leighton was joined on stage by Rose, Gooding and celebrity compere Jon Snow, who presided over a discussion of leadership in times of adversity. And although all three have cut their teeth running huge companies, Leighton insisted that the advice was just as relevant for small firms. ‘Running a small business is exactly the same as running a big business – in fact in some ways it’s harder.’

Leighton’s number one role was ‘hire a great CEO’ (a nice ego-boost for his Royal Mail chief exec Adam Crozier, who was sitting on his table) and then leave them to run the business (‘He does all the good bits and I take all the credit’). He also talked about how to get the best out of your staff. ‘If people feel respected, if they feel like they’re doing an important job, and if you keep their job as simple as possible, they’ll blossom.'

Rose argued that people really want strong leadership in difficult times – and insisted that he was much happier with M&S’s market position now than when he took over, despite its recent woes. ‘Strong businesses will get through this, weak businesses will go bust,’ he said. Speaking of which, there was lots of discussion about the fate of Woolies: ‘An example of a business that hasn’t moved with the times’ suggested Rose. Gooding also spoke about the resilience of the health sector, while Arora and the (Goethe-quoting) Lane Fox spoke engagingly about keeping the entrepreneurial flame burning.

We even enjoyed an unscheduled contribution from a ‘tired and emotional’ young lady, who decided to stage a slightly unorthodox stage invasion. Eventually the ever-gallant Leighton offered her a seat – wonder if she’ll make the panel for his next event?

To get involved or contribute to Allan Leighton’s £1m fundraising campaign, go to http://www.onleadership.co.uk or http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 29 Nov 2008, 10:09

He also talked about how to get the best out of your staff. ‘If people feel respected, if they feel like they’re doing an important job, and if you keep their job as simple as possible, they’ll blossom.'

Comments

norbert · Post by **norbert** » 29 Nov 2008, 13:29

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:
He also talked about how to get the best out of your staff. ‘If people feel respected, if they feel like they’re doing an important job, and if you keep their job as simple as possible, they’ll blossom.'
Comments

must have been very entertaining - some good comedians on there , some post modern "ironic" ones - split my sides laughing about hiring the best CEO

axeman · Post by **axeman** » 29 Nov 2008, 16:59

Just shows what a tw*t he is every time i listen to his sarcastic drivel it makes me

Post by **trythat** » 29 Nov 2008, 17:11

axeman wrote:Just shows what a tw*t he is every time i listen to his sarcastic drivel it makes me

Too true!

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 29 Nov 2008, 20:08

"If they feel like they're are doing an important job" I have news for you leighton WE ARE don't do us down with your bizbollock's and heavy petting of adam :cfo !. If you want my advice take the lead on a short plank off the QM2 in the middle of the carribbean sea with adam behind you and swim with the big fish!. :lfo :lfo :lfo :lfo :lfo

bandit650 · Post by **bandit650** » 30 Nov 2008, 07:24

Without us the staff of Royal Mail Leighton and Crowsfoot would not be enjoying the huge amounts of money they have taken under false pretence of wages for job well done as for talking about having respect for people we know as staff that is a load of twaddle you only have to look at any of the management that is employed around you and i am not talking floor bods to know what his policy is on respect, lack of it comes from the top down.This was just about saying how important am i, ego boosting,putting himself out there in the lime light.people like Leighton need to feel wanted, important they really dont give a tiddly wink about joe public or who is employed on companies. Leighton will go of to some other place to destroy what is possibly a viable company and push his ideas on that and when he's broken that he will move onto something else.

Sandyman · Post by **Sandyman** » 30 Nov 2008, 23:54

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:
He also talked about how to get the best out of your staff. ‘If people feel respected, if they feel like they’re doing an important job, and if you keep their job as simple as possible, they’ll blossom.'
Comments

The Royal Mail business he is Chairman of doesn't practice what he preaches. He probably knows this and cares not a jot. Therefore he speaks utter bullshit :lfo

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 30 Nov 2008, 23:59

Sandyman wrote:
TrueBlueTerrier wrote:
He also talked about how to get the best out of your staff. ‘If people feel respected, if they feel like they’re doing an important job, and if you keep their job as simple as possible, they’ll blossom.'
Comments
The Royal Mail business he is Chairman of doesn't practice what he preaches. He probably knows this and cares not a jot. Therefore he speaks utter bullshit :lfo

Maybe we could all Ask_Allan

andy2007 · Post by **andy2007** » 01 Dec 2008, 09:53

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:We even enjoyed an unscheduled contribution from a ‘tired and emotional’ young lady, who decided to stage a slightly unorthodox stage invasion. Eventually the ever-gallant Leighton offered her a seat – wonder if she’ll make the panel for his next event?

Am I the only one who noticed this paragraph?

It's nice to know that they found it so entertaining. And that they could so easily ignore her!

She wouldn't have "invaded" the stage, unless she had something important to say. Yet she is described as "tired and emotional", and they totally ignored what she said!

What do you reckon the odds are, that she was trying to point out how out of touch they are with people like us. And how greedy and condescending they are?

They said that the ever gallant Leighton offered her a seat!?!?!? Gallant?!?!? Leighton!?!?!? What Planet is this Reporter from!?!?!? Because it certainly isn't the same one I inhabit!!!!!

norbert · Post by **norbert** » 01 Dec 2008, 10:50

andy2007 wrote:
TrueBlueTerrier wrote:We even enjoyed an unscheduled contribution from a ‘tired and emotional’ young lady, who decided to stage a slightly unorthodox stage invasion. Eventually the ever-gallant Leighton offered her a seat – wonder if she’ll make the panel for his next event?
Am I the only one who noticed this paragraph?

It's nice to know that they found it so entertaining. And that they could so easily ignore her! She wouldn't have "invaded" the stage, unless she had something important to say. Yet she is described as "tired and emotional", and they totally ignored what she said!

What do you reckon the odds are, that she was trying to point out how out of touch they are with people like us. And how greedy and condescending they are?

They said that the ever gallant Leighton offered her a seat!?!?!? Gallant?!?!? Leighton!?!?!? What Planet is this Reporter from!?!?!? Because it certainly isn't the same one I inhabit!!!!!

let's just say Leighton is well connected and it would be more than the reporter's job's worth to write anything uncomplimentary - hence the brown nose stuff - Crozier does get some stick off rival papers because of the time he learnt his " lesson in humility "

when he should have got the sack for fiddling sales figures at the Daily Torygraph - now why does that sound familiar ?

It's all propaganda and tittle tattle about celebs - I remember hearing Andy Hamilton being interviewed on the radio about the 90's satire series " Drop the Dead Donkey ' about the fictional " Globelink News " - that was a dig at a few people like Sir Michael Grade & Maxwell / Murdoch - he said he couldn't co-write that series now again as the news is now is even more dumbed down than on that skit .

For that reason - I read Private Eye - however you get a very cynical and jaundiced view of things ! - in the Major Government 90's - there was a few people who would have loved to have bankrupted the Guardian & Private Eye in court - people like James Goldsmith , the Hamiltons etc - now it's aggressive corporate people like Tescos -if you go down that road - you head towards Fascism or something very right wing at least .

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 01 Dec 2008, 13:49

I like private eye - its jokes are sometimes very subtle and its very well written.

However, I can stand the guy that runs it whenever he appears on TV he reminds me of the FlowerPot Men especially when he laughs.