1. Make sure you have the right team
Mark Duckworth, CEO, Schroders Personal Wealth
One thing I would highlight is the speed by which a CEO has to get the right people in the right jobs. Do everything you can to get the best people because of the things that they will additionally bring to an organisation, on top of their role. Definitely get that done within three to six months.
That does not mean that we change all of the team at once — it’s about who would have the greatest impact given the task at hand and that will vary. Thinking that through like a jigsaw puzzle and the way you're going to put it together is fundamental. People tend to think it's all about the results. It's actually about the people that are going to get you the results.
2. Be ready to delegate and empower
Jonathan Cole, former CEO, Corio
I came from a single discipline, running a team of lawyers and commercial specialists, so that was the big transition for me. Coming from a single disciplinary background where you knew what everyone was doing, you knew how to do it, you probably knew it better than they did, is not the way you can run a full P&L business with loads of different disciplines and hundreds of people distributed all over the world. You must have a much more distributed mentality and be much more willing to give up control and awareness of what's going on. Until then, it was my attention to detail and ability to control that probably made me successful.
3. It’s all about the delivery
Francisco Lanzuela de Alvaro, CEO of Hugworld International Distribution
Innovations require more than just supportive words — they need the right resources too. There is a difference between supporting something and actually making it happen So as well as sufficient resources there needs to be a big focus on communication and implementation as well.
Don’t see the board as people who are there to score you out of 10 — see them as experienced colleagues whose collective knowledge you can tap into."
Alex Vaughan
CEO,
Costain
4. Purpose matters
Janet Taylor-Hall, CEO, Cognia
One thing I learned about myself is how important it was to me to be tapping into something meaningful. In founding a company, you are creating opportunities and employment, you're solving problems rather than just progressing the agenda of private equity investors or the partners of the firm. I personally found that really inspiring. Being a CEO can be one of the loneliest jobs in the world. But what sustains me is waking up in the morning feeling that I have something important to do.
5. Reset your relationship with the board
Alex Vaughan, CEO, Costain
One of my biggest learnings is I didn't use the board properly when I got the job. I thought I had to prove myself but what I should have done is spend more time being a bit more open with them about some of my thoughts, rather than going too fast. Although it’s natural to want to hit the ground running, it’s better to take time to bed into the role and really understand the business. Don’t see the board as people who are there to score you out of 10 — see them as experienced colleagues whose collective knowledge you can tap into.
6. Don’t forget the frontline
Aylin Somersan Coqui, CEO, Allianz Trade
It's so important to be on the ground. I don't just mean people meeting with the customers, I mean people who are doing their daily activities, what they do and how they feel, because when you are a CEO, you can become more and more detached from the reality of the organisation. Every single time I make customer calls, sit next to people, just shadow colleagues doing their job, I learn something. The more you're in touch with the frontline people, the more you really understand what's going on and this really helps me make decisions. And I ask my management team to do the same.
7. Work internationally if you can
Nick Harris, CEO, National Highways
I’ve worked in countries like Chile, The Philippines, The Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Jordan. I discovered that learning languages is more than just a communication methodology — it’s an insight to a culture. Working internationally also gave me a huge opportunity to experiment and try things, make mistakes and survive them. In my case, I got to learn all about setting up HR, finance and accounting — which I wouldn’t have done if I had stayed as an engineer in the UK.
8. Philosophy can help win hearts and minds
Magdalena Smith, CEO, Behaviour Lab
The more you're in touch with the frontline people, the more you really understand what's going on and this really helps me make decisions."
Aylin Somersan Coquin
CEO,
Allianz Trade
I have been surprised by how useful my philosophy degree has been. As we progressed, as we built tools and worked together to form all these common understandings, what was clear was the role of assumptions. You could sit in the same room and think that everyone is completely aligned with what has been said and what needs to be done, only to discover that is not the case. To not make these kinds of mistakes, it did go down to a level of philosophical thought, creating the logic in order to truly understand that what you really wanted to have done. It sounds surprising, and I never expected to go into that depth, but we live and learn.
9. Brace for the intensity
Alistair Elliott, former senior partner and chair of Knight Frank’s Group Executive Board
I went from looking after a business that had 1,000 to 1,200 people in the UK to a business that had 3,000 people in the UK, including the residential business, as well as several hundred offices around the world. The bit I underestimated was the intensity. Travel very often started on a Sunday and finished on a Saturday morning or absorbed the whole weekend because it was a long haul or multi country trip. And all the time you're away, despite the improving technology, issues would inevitably be gathering back at home which you can't really deal with in the way you would like until you return. Realising you couldn’t do it all was a crucial part of my learning.
10. Credibility is crucial
Pramukh Jeyathilak, CEO, TalentLign
I need credibility to have meaningful conversations. This is where I think all of my experiences from the past, the great organisations that I work with and worked for, have given me credibility. At the end of the day, outcomes and results matter. Not one of those companies were giving me a bonus for just managing a process. They were rewarding me, and I was growing an organisation, because I was delivering results — and that is what has made me credible.
11. Pick your battles
Charles Perry, co-founder and former managing director of Second Nature
I have typically really thrived and enjoyed working with and nurturing the people below me — I remember what it was like being one of them and I'm quite empathetic when it comes to the people that I'm working with. But as a leader you also have to pick your battles and really master the art of diplomacy, becoming wise to which battles are worth fighting and which aren't. And you just got to know when to do it and when it's worth doing it.
As a leader you have to pick your battles and really master the art of diplomacy, becoming wise to which battles are worth fighting and which aren't. And you just got to know when to do it and when it's worth doing it."
Charles Perry
Second Nature,
Co-founder and former managing director
12. Don’t flinch from a challenge
Adam Craker, CEO, iqbusiness
My nature is to run towards problems, not run away from them. There have been many situations where this approach that has really galvanised my team; when a situation erupts and before they can respond, they see me running towards it. If anything, I've been criticised sometimes for not thinking enough about the problem that I'm running towards.
13. To understand your team, you have to understand yourself
Chris Meyer, former CEO, Lesaka Technologies
To really understand people and teams and what drives them and how to motivate groups of people, you need to really understand yourself and your own drivers, strengths and weaknesses. I call them ‘superpowers’ — what it is that I can bring to a team, strengthen a team and so on.
14. Don’t micromanage
Graham Mason, former CEO of Eastspring Asset Management
I had some very good managers that I reported to during my career. I knew they believed in me, I knew that if I needed extra resources they would support me. While I was clear about the ground rules and delivery that they expected from me, they also gave me the freedom to get on with things. So I learned early on about the importance of giving team members the space to operate.
15. The power of patience
Dirk Ackerman, CEO, The IQ business group
Decision making happens at different speeds. You’ve got to be patient when you’re working with less experienced team members — it may take a little longer than you might originally expect.