CTTG is a strategy consultancy focused on supporting Boards, Directors and Governance Professionals through workshops and coaching as they develop change strategies and lead their implementation. I founded CTTG 25 years ago and work with a network of trusted colleagues to serve my clients from a wide range of sectors and geographies included multi-nationals, SMEs., start-ups and government bodies
Scroll down to read my insights, and find interviews, podcasts, articles, videos, testimonials, collaborations and links to external resources across the rest of the website.
Helleborus Orientalis – associated with serenity, peace and tranquillity
AI is omnipresent. A quick early morning check shows my inbox is full of AI articles, newsflashes and invitations to webinars. Driving to the gym, the business news explores International responses to Agentic AI. Waiting to be let in, I read that according to Stanford Professor Erik Brynjolfsson speaking at the World Economic Forum, ‘We are not investing enough in understanding the societal implications of AI.’
A welcome chance to dream and reflect as I swim 2K with ear plugs and goggles.
Back in the changing room, the heated conversation outside my cubicle is about AI challenges in two workplaces.
Back in the office, a few thoughts as we rapidly approach Spring:
Headlines say that AI has the potential to make time for humans to dream and create, using their inherent strengths while machines do what they are better at.
Our attitude to technology often depends on our digital maturity, age and ‘real’ experience. Where do you sit:
Early adopters are evangelists for AI potential. They are true innovators, enthusiastic advocates and impulsive experimenters.
Fast followers are keen to take calculated risks. They are horizon scanners, curious creators and hopeful travellers.
The crowd wait to see and will follow later. They are evidence seekers, reflective thinkers and will join in when shown concrete proof of value delivered.
Left behind, the sceptical, uninformed and unwilling to adopt will never venture down the path of AI willingly. The World is increasingly designed to neglect them.
Advisors say we need AI strategies to suit individuals and organisations. Most agree that we should research widely, try our chosen AI safely and review the return on our investment. This involves identifying something which will not significantly impact other activities or functions and is discrete with easy to manage boundaries. We then need to decide what ‘real’ value we expect AI to deliver, determine the support we need and set metrics to assess whether ‘real’ value has been realised. Now we are ready to try out our chosen AI, safely
My AI:Me hack
What habit do I want to develop, reinforce or break using AI?
What support do I need?
How/can I protect my own IP and brand?
What will I stop doing to make time and maintain this investment?
Reflecting on the last quarter, it was a delight to reconnect with colleagues and clients and hear about their activities, progress and insights. They have been thoughtful through the Autumn, watching global challenges and listening to diverse opinions. At a time when strident voices dictate ‘their’ certainty, it is prudent to avoid simplistic or universal solutions and collaborate to form a more holistic picture of the context in which we operate.
In 2006 we shared our thinking on Principled Leadership “A relationship based on recognising who you are and how you interact with your environment”. Co-authored and published with my wise colleague Dr Laurence Lyons, our thinking is based on four beliefs:
Effective leaders are inspirational
Leadership is a way of thinking
Everyone can be a leader
Leadership is based on reciprocity
During the Autumn, recognition and awards have been made to well deserving individuals who demonstrate leadership in action. Their track record shows them consistently and often quietly building the confidence and capability of those they lead. That pipeline of talent provides resilience to organisations in challenging times.
In the same quarter, two surveys have highlighted a Board issue which is frequently avoided. One of the greatest risks to any organisation is being led by the wrong people making the wrong decisions. It follows that having the right people around the boardroom table is critical.
As trading platforms and consultancies review best practice in board recruitment, development and succession planning and publish their findings, they are worth considering for your own portfolio:
PwC’s 2024 annual corporate directors survey ‘highlights a desire for change: 49% of directors want at least one peer replaced, and one-quarter now say multiple colleagues should be replaced, a record high.’
NASDAQ Governance Pulse 2024 highlighted board recruitment, development and succession planning. While they identified excellent practices at some organisations, there was continued evidence of blind process in others.
In UK, Autumn brings a new academic year for schools, colleges and universities. Transitions for many children and young people arriving in new places, meeting new people and navigating new situations. Not to forget their parents and families adjusting to new routines.
Autumn also brings party conference season for politicians, providing a feast for the media and a search for policy aspirations among the rhetoric.
Autumn is a time for businesses to take stock, often at strategy events. For industry sectors, this is the season for conferences and awards ceremonies. Opportunities to gather with colleagues and connections.
And for many individuals, this is a time to plan renewal and transitions. An effective starting point can be reaching out to your network and making time for conversations; re-connecting with those you have lost touch with; identifying communities you would like to participate in.
In a busy, noisy World it is easy to neglect the human interactions that enable us to be the best we can. From planned and ad hoc chats come insights and opportunities that may be missed by a sole traveller.
Autumn is almost here. The combine has been busy into the small hours. The crop has been gathered in and the field is being prepared for the next sewing. So while watching the Olympics and checking the harvest of medals for countries, sports and individuals, a few insights resonate. They can be applied to business and life in general:
We live in a busy and highly competitive World. The pressure to perform in fifth or sixth gear ALL THE TIME seems to be universal. Sometimes driven by self and at other times by the perception that others expect us to demonstrate our capability.
But full on all the time isn’t real or achievable. Continuous top gear burns out people and machines.
We need to maintain and sustain our motors so that when we need to perform in top gear, we are in the best possible condition. This is true for people and machines. The solution may involve developing new strengths or releasing potential.
In a spectacular race against stiff competition, Noah Lyles won a gold medal and became the fastest man on Earth in the men’s 100 meter final on Sunday. Apparently he has been working on raising then calming his level of adrenalin before entering the blocks.
Swedish Pole Vaulter -Armand (Mondo) Duplantis provided a masterclass in the Olympic slogan ‘faster, higher, stronger’ with his higher and higher vaults, powered by an inner confidence and calm. The new World Record is 6.25 meters.
Keely Hodgkinson also demonstrated that same inner confidence and calm as she secured the Women’s 800 meter Gold medal .The third GB athlete to do so, 60 years after Ann Packer and 20 years after Dame Kelly Holmes.
Quiet moments of calm and reflection recharge our batteries and allow us space and time to be and to think before we focus on our performance and our prize.
Many alternative therapies designed to create healthy bodies and minds are based on a foundation of ‘rest before exertion.’ Each therapy has advocates. Some have a recognised body of research evidence.
Building a schedule which recognises which gear you expect to be in, creates realistic diaries. If you can link your gear requirements to your body clock, greater success can be achieved.
Surrounding yourself with the right support network clearly helps you find the right gear. As medalist after medalist thank their coaching team, family and wider supporters, their gratitude is engaging.
In the Velodrome, we watched the cohesive GB women’s cycling sprint team win Gold. Their story highlighted that each team member bought specific strengths and knew the strengths of their colleagues. They trusted each other. And before getting on the track, they spent time in the ‘quiet’ zone.
A last compelling message from Olympics 2024:
It’s not about producing a perfect performance. It’s about how quickly you recover from your mistakes.
So learning to anticipate and change gears smoothly is a strength to develop.
The prevailing condition for many leaders is fatigue, overload and energy loss. Individuals are required to be resilient and persist against all odds.
Articles proliferate with advice on prioritising rest and ‘playtime’. There are no universal solutions. We each bring unique strengths and perceptions to the situations we face, so a personalised approach to finding our tonic(s) is essential.
For the musically inclined, Tonic is the first note of a scale and is most important because it serves as the focus for melody and harmony.
So what is the first note of your sound track? What signal does it send? What lifts your spirits and makes your feet dance?
In my search for music to feed my spirits I look for artists and gigs in smaller venues. Over the last few months, serendipity has led to the happy discovery of talented performers from around the World. Recent advice has come from many sources including the curious taxi driver taking us to a recent gig and sharing the long and impressive list of musicians he has seen this year.
For the active, Tonics are ‘the activities which invigorate and sustain us.’
The current focus on health and well-being practices provides an extensive list of alternatives. Choosing wisely and developing sustainable habits takes effort.
For decades I have protected time for swimming. Involving very early starts, the habit provides both exercise and a precious opportunity to reflect. Colleagues and friends have chosen walking, cycling, yoga and running. On Sunday, London will celebrate the 2024 Marathon attracting entrants of all ages running for multiple causes. We will be there cheering their efforts. A tonic for all supporters and participants.
For the epicureans, ‘eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.’ is an appealing philosophy. Tonics are the ‘medicinal’ substances which lift our spirits. Tonics are restorative, reviving, stimulating or invigorating,
In these health conscious times, ginger shots and electrolyte tablets seem to be a popular alternative to cake and wine. Make wise choices seems to be good advice.
And for all of us as we seek tonics to provide harmony for our body, mind and spirit, what about:
The tonic of laughter?
Being part of a community?
The company of friends?
Stimulating and rewarding ‘work’?
As we spring into Spring, let’s all make time to find our own tonic(s).
While clearing winter flower beds and trying to identify bulbs, serendipity found me listening to a radio broadcast by the Astronomer Royal, Lord (Martin) Rees. He was discussing NASA’s mission to Mars and describing the robots sent to gather scientific data on the surface of the red planet. The first, sent in 2011 was named Curiosity. It moved across Gale crater and Mount Sharp slowly in one direction. A successor named Perseverance was sent in 2220 and was designed to move around objects.
Curiosity and Perseverance are two of the perennially cited strengths required for organisation and leadership success and certainly for gardeners.
Curiosity
Natural curiosity is the behaviour we admire in children and often blame external factors for limiting in ourselves. Perhaps we should ask ourselves if we are self- limiting our natural curiosity?
To develop an organisation’s curious mind takes effort and active leadership. Capturing the imagination and energy of all by role modelling curiosity in action, encouraging and enabling the behaviour in others. In organisations with high levels of trust, individuals may have greater confidence to explore and an inclination to share discoveries with colleagues.
Curiosity needs to be sustained in times of great uncertainty. Defined as ‘a strong desire to know or learn something’ the concept of curiosity is central to motivation. Strengths Profile assesses the extent to which you are ‘interested in everything, constantly seeking out new information and learning more.’
Perseverance
There are several aspects to perseverance. The current focus on individual and organisational resilience is just one. Resilience is the strength to take hardships and setbacks in your stride, recovering quickly from adversity. A second aspect is the strength to persist, to achieve success by keeping going when confronting difficulties. And finally, we see examples of individuals and organisations who use adversity to spur them on to greater efforts and achievements. They bounce back from setbacks.
Health check:
Where do you look for new ideas?
How do you reflect on and apply new thinking?
How do you acknowledge and share your discoveries?
What and who helps you to keep going when you face challenges?
How do you overcome setbacks?
How do you use setbacks to spur you on?
What can you do now to nurture the enablers of curiosity and perseverence?
What new habit would you like to develop?
And for the curious gardeners, I have persevered and finally found my garden planting plans. These tiny green shoots are snowdrops, transplanted last year to form new clumps.
After a busy month spent judging awards, in conversation with alternative thinkers and reviewing research from business analysts and academics, one key question emerges as preoccupying business leaders:
‘How do we think, decide and act in the long term interests of our organisation?’
Strategic thinking
Our attempts to imagine alternative futures require curiosity and creativity. We bring together a range of interested parties and share insights and dreams. When we encourage diversity of thinking, our biases and pre-conceptions are challenged. Shrewd boards ensure that they are composed of individuals who bring a range of perspectives to the exploration and discussion of strategy.
These ingredients appear simple but are complex to engineer. The currency and contribution of each thinker are critical. This raises complex questions about refreshing board membership and planning succession. Offboarding directors involves difficult but honest conversations in the interests of the organisation’s future. Onboarding directors is an art form, best tailored to the needs of each individual to ensure they can contribute as soon as they are ready.
Our ability to look ahead also requires us to understand our past. We therefore need to ensure that corporate memory informs our discussions but doesn’t prevent imaginative thinking beyond a simple extrapolation of our current approaches.
We are often reminded that listening to the business and its stakeholders is an essential part of any strategic thinking activity. When these conversations go beyond mechanistic process and take place in a culture of trust, they provide valuable intelligence.
Strategic decision making
Your governance framework identifies the roles and responsibilities for strategic decision making but ultimately the responsibility for the strategic direction of your organisation rests with the board. When your board is only used as a ratifier of strategy, valuable opportunities to contribute experience, challenge and stress test assumptions may be missed. A dialogue between horizon scanners and operational experts generally produces robust decisions.
Award winning organisations, projects and initiatives share a common factor in that they are able to clearly articulate ‘value delivered’ and ‘impact’ against defined criteria. Where decisions are made with no clear rationale or intention, tracking performance is problematic.
Among the decision criteria receiving significant attention are cultural fit and risk appetite. Strategic decisions which are aligned to the beliefs and values of your organisation are more likely to engage the support of those responsible for delivering them. Equally, those decisions which are perceived to be contrary to the shared understanding of ‘how we do things around here’ are likely to meet obstacles. Given that the Board are tasked with creating the tone in their organisation, the debate around whether a decision is ‘right for us’ is critical.
Having set the risk appetite of your organisation, the board can assess strategic decisions against clearly defined tolerances. The wise ensure that risk appetite is kept under regular review and does not constrain the selection of innovative options with the potential to deliver value.
Enabling living strategy
Strategy is merely window dressing if action is missing. Effective strategy formulation involves and engages those who are accountable for delivery. By the time the strategy is launched, a critical mass of enthusiasts can be ready to inspire and encourage their colleagues to deliver the required value and impact.
Effective monitoring involves tracking quantified performance metrics and listening to the real voices along your value chain. Together these practices create focus and sustain momentum. Importantly, they may provide early insight into strategy modifications required and, in some cases, obsolescent activities and initiatives which should be stopped. A continuous appraisal of resource deployment enables agile redeployment where appropriate.
It takes effort to provide opportunities for board members to be visible sponsors of strategy. ‘Walking the floor’ may result in valuable conversations when leaders encourage the transparent sharing of opinions and capture intelligence for discussed with their colleagues.
The potential for intrapreneurship is often neglected by organisations. If curious and creative individuals are not valued and nurtured, they go elsewhere taking their insights and dreams with them. There is merit in identifying individuals with the natural strengths to think strategically and generate innovative and creative ideas. By exposing them to board thinking, your organisation can increase the probability of retaining their talents.
A quick healthcheck
What contribution do you make to strategic thinking?
How do you enable other contributions?
Who encourages you to be imaginative?
What metrics do you use to evaluate different strategic options?
How do you stress test your strategic decisions before ratifying them?
Who ensures that strategic decisions, once taken, have collective board support?
How do you show support for those who are accountable for delivery?
What involvement do you have in tracking performance against strategic objectives?
When and how are strategic decisions reviewed and modified?
My picture shows the Kerry Peninsula in Western Ireland taken from the Dingle Peninsula. Do you focus on the surf hitting the shore along the impressive 5 km Inch Strand; the sparkling track of light across Dingle Bay; the mountains of the Ring of Kerry or the extraordinary variety of cloud formations. Do you anticipate the arrival of Storm Agnes moving across the Atlantic Ocean and due to hit Western Ireland a few hours after I captured this picture. For those of you who have joined me virtually, you will have seen my library of cloud formations used as backgrounds. My eyes are drawn to the far horizon and then move to the foreground before widening to encompass the whole picture.
Many ‘experts’ have long advocated that we need to hold different horizons in mind at the same time, among them McKinsey 3 Horizons Model
What we naturally focus on is not automatically the same as colleagues. We each have a unique strengths profile which includes our propensity to focus on detail and our ability to see strategic horizons. What may seem obvious to one person may be obscure to another. Cognitive diversity is prized as contributing to better thinking and decision making. Creating an environment in which different perspectives are honestly shared is an essential foundation to effective governance by boards.
It takes effort to hold now, soon and the future in mind. When times are tough, the frequent response is to focus on survival now. The business challenges of the past five years have provided stories of organisations managing crises effectively but failing to think beyond the immediate situation.
We are also aware of imaginative businesses that made tough decisions about activities they needed to modify or stop and others they needed to invest in and launch. Courage, curiosity and creative thinking characterised the successful navigators. Importantly, the leaders in these businesses demonstrated an interest in and empathy with their internal and external stakeholders, engaging in continuous conversations and providing a strong sense of purpose and direction.
Wise boards are able to shift their focus according to priorities. Increasingly they consider immediate matters requiring their decision making and strategic issues for reflection and discussion at each board meeting. The practice of separating strategic thinking and planning to an annual or six-monthly event can prevent the entrepreneurial and opportunistic leadership required in volatile times.
Where trust exists between the board, the business and it’s stakeholders, it lays the foundation for empowered operators to make responsive decisions to adapt and meet the requirements of their markets. Tracking performance, recognising contributions and celebrating adaptability are important board activities, which create focus and sustain momentum in their businesses. They require the visible and inspirational involvement of directors with genuine curiosity and a desire to listen and learn.
Returning to the picture above, what did you see? The following situational questions provide food for thought about focus:
Now – presenting situation.
Q: What is the tide state and when will it turn?
Q: What time of day is it and where is the sun positioned?
Q: What is the air pressure and visibility level?
Soon – emerging themes.
Q: How soon will the light change – sunset time?
Q: What is the wind direction and speed?
Q: What weather fronts are expected, when and what severity?
Later- alternative developments.
Q: What are the levels of erosion impacting the coastline and how will global warming impact the communities living on the coast of Western Ireland?
Q: How will the local seafaring industries – fishing and tourist excursions – be impacted by changes to the sea and weather conditions?
Q: How can the community of Dingle Peninsula adapt to changes in their natural environment?
Expertise takes effort to achieve. It can carry recognition, qualifications and position. The danger is always to rest on our laurels.
Our expertise must be relevant and relevance is impacted by changes to the context in which our expertise will be applied.
Staying current takes continuous and consistent effort.
September seems to be the month when clients ask me this question. Perhaps a Summer break has provided time to reflect and individuals have returned with a renewed appetite for auditing their currency. Quarter four will certainly be a busy one for boards with increased regulatory and legislative requirements to fulfil and contemporary thinking to apply.
Three habits to develop and nurture:
Develop curiosity and healthy scepticism. Many thought leaders highlight the importance of investing time in reading and listening. In a busy world with continuously shifting priorities and deadlines, protecting this time requires our active commitment and regular practice. We also need to avoid living in an echo chamber where only inputs which support our world view manage to get through the natural filters we apply.
Recognise the changes which are material. Tools exist to enable us to focus on what is relevant for us now and for the future. These need to be imaginatively rather than mechanistically applied. When we set filters to help focus our efforts, it is important to recognise that they need monitoring. We also need to be realistic about our capacity to track changes and avoid noise. Our efforts are enhanced when we identify sources which provide aggregated and unbiased insights and learn to recognise patterns and interconnections.
Seek relationships which will constructively challenge our certainties. In order to connect with people and sources who don’t think like us, we need to be open minded and willing to adapt our thinking. This habit is less comfortable than a natural gravitation to familiar communities. The value of cognitive diversity on boards is well publicised. Encouraging a wide range of voices to inform our thinking and decision making has been a feature of high- performance boards and individual directors.
Benefits:
Continuous surprise. When we travel hopefully and take alternative paths to inform our thinking and decisions, we avoid boredom and dated or obsolete thinking.
Ability to contribute valuable insights. With currency comes amplification of our voice and invitations to share insights with others.
Network of sources and relationships. Collaborating and working in partnership to scan an increasingly complex world, builds trust and a wider understanding of our context. From tracking what has and is happening, our focus can change to discussing how change may develop in the future.
Where to start:
It is often said that making a habit takes 21 days while ensuring it is embedded takes 90 days. Choosing to develop the three habits mentioned above will also involve deciding what we are going to stop doing. A conversation with our coach, mentor or sounding board is a useful first step.
In these challenging times, choosing to lead an organisation requires Situational Intelligence – knowing yourself well and understanding the context in which you operate. The following thoughts and questions are based on our Situational Intelligence methodology, co-created with Dr Laurence Lyons. They are informed by applying that thinking when coaching in the c suite and facilitating board development.
A director’s perspective
Sitting on a board is a responsibility and a privilege. People expect much of the individuals who lead organisations whether in the public, private or third sector. Scrutiny is continuous. Personal reputations are precious. They take time to build and can easily be lost.
The roles of directors and trustees should not to be undertaken lightly. It is wise to carefully pick the boards you join and ensure that you are properly supported in order to effectively fulfil your duties and obligations.
Whether you are a director of a large, listed entity in a regulated sector, a trustee of a charity, a director of a hospital or the founder of a small business, you are responsible and your liability can be unlimited. Look down the road and you will see more regulation and legislation coming.
There are no universal solutions, so understanding your context matters and informs the strategic choices you make. It is also important to recognise that as a member of a board, your beliefs, decisions and behaviour have a significant impact on the value you contribute to the organisations you lead.
Dr Laurence Lyons and I started working together in the early 1990s at the launch of The Henley Future Work Forum. We combined our experience of supporting boards and directors to highlight a different way of thinking, more relevant for the complex and changing business environments in which we operate. The result is our Situational Intelligence methodology, a pragmatic approach to making sense of our complex and volatile world.
Situational Intelligence is based on understanding the strategic context in which you operate, what your organisation is here to do, what it believes is good and right, what it wants to achieve and what priorities it has set. Defining your situation – your objectives and the people you need to engage with. Understanding what motivates each individual in that specific situation. Recognising your own strengths, potential and reputation. Once you have developed those insights, you are in a position to choose the approach which will create a motivated community of people prepared to enable you to achieve your objectives.
Responding to the headhunter – due diligence questions
Q1 Exactly what role is being offered?
Will the position provide me with the power to influence/decide/act?
What responsibilities and accountabilities are involved?
Therefore, what is the level of risk/liability and how does that fit with my own risk appetite?
What am I expected to give and what return will I get? What are the costs and benefits in tangible and intangible terms.
What value could I bring? Why me?
Q2Would the right people be there with me?
Does everyone know what we are here to do – the purpose?
Does everyone know what board capability we need to deliver that purpose?
What value does each individual contribute?
Where are the board capability gaps? How could I fill them?
What is the boardroom culture – collaborative:challenging?
Q3 Are we clear about the way we will operate?
What governance framework would enable me to provide the expected value?
Where is the focus of the board’s attention – strategic:operational?
How diverse are the voices and insights offered and heard in the boardroom?
What opportunity exists to empower others to lead?
Stepping forward takes courage. Awareness of your own strengths, style and reputation/ brand can increase your confidence. Your success is often based on your ability to contribute and orchestrate the contributions of others.
Curiosity helps you create and recognise opportunities, particularly those that are counter-intuitive. Preparing for those opportunities involves reflecting on the past, learning in the present and positioning yourself for the future.
The importance of developing a support network cannot be overstated. Ensuring you have a sounding board will enable you to engage in safe but challenging conversations. Expectations can be high that you will always have the answer. Your network is powerful when it included diversity of thinking and exposes you to a wide range of ideas.
It is always flattering to be approached but choosing wisely is essential for success.
Cutting Through the Grey 