As our firm looks ahead to 2016, we are pleased and grateful to see that our published perspectives on leadership and articles from our magazineTHE FOCUS have been read, enjoyed and shared by our online readers like never before. Given the popularity of many of the pieces we shared in 2015, we decided to revisit the 10 that all of you found most compelling.
- “Everything falls into place once you have the right people on board.” An interview with Sonia Cheng, CEO Rosewood Hotel Group
When Sonia Cheng was appointed chief executive of Rosewood Hotel Group, she quickly emerged as one of the world’s leading figures in the hospitality industry. Talking to THE FOCUS, Cheng describes the group’s unique DNA, the changing nature of hospitality, and how she balances the heritage of a family-owned business with her own fresh approach. - “Every year we throw away the trophies and start all over again.” An interview with Jørgen Knudstorp, CEO The LEGO Group
The LEGO Group, the world’s most renowned toy company and arguably the world’s most famous brand, has been providing children with a source of fun and wonder for 83 years. Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO since 2004, talks with THE FOCUS about the family-owned business, the soul of the company and his own unique personal trajectory. - “It was a case of getting focused on what we could do, and then instilling a sense of pride.” An interview with Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo
In 2012, Marissa Mayer was appointed as Yahoo’s seventh CEO in just five years. Talking to THE FOCUS, the Yahoo CEO describes how she has set about renewing this giant of the hyper-connected world. - “As a leader, you’re there to create a safe space for other people’s talent.” World Cup-winning US Women’s National Soccer Team head coach, Jillian Ellis, and Mark Thompson, President and CEO of The New York Times Company, on leadership, teamwork, and resilience.
What does it take to lead a team to victory on a playing field that’s rarely level and where global developments are constantly shifting the goalposts? Jillian Ellis and Mark Thompson discuss the need to blend patience with impatience, the importance of self-belief, and the role of star players in their different arenas. - Harmonizing life’s domains – How trade-off thinking limits leaders’ potential by Stewart D. Friedman of the Wharton School of Business
By conducting “intelligent and inclusive experiments,” leaders at all levels learn how to replace work / life conflict with work / life harmony, and so infuse their work with strengths, assets, and energy from every part of their lives. - “Always be conscious that you are setting a tone and a value system.” – Strive Masiyiwa, philanthropist and founder of Econet
As a global business leader, philanthropist, anti-corruption activist, and mentor to thousands, Strive Masiyiwa is a vibrant example of someone who has little doubt about what motivates him, what he hopes to accomplish, and what sort of example he wants to set for others along the way. - Demystifying change – When developing leaders falter, probe for “hidden commitments” by Robert Kegan, Lisa Lahey, and Jens Riedel
The core of being an executive is making choices, yet senior leadership development often overlooks a vital dimension of how leaders actually make choices. A leader’s “hidden commitments” can create an “immunity to change” and drive behaviors that work against fulfilling the leader’s key development goals. - Never hide – A conversation with diversity thought leader Binna Kandola on identity
Identity could be the royal route to truly meaningful diversity – or a significant obstacle to making it work. For three decades, distinguished business psychologist Binna Kandola has been working on the issues of diversity and inclusion and the central role that identity plays in achieving them. - The Intersection of Brand and Culture by Rory Finlay and Dick Patton
Organizational culture is now a foundational tool in any chief marketer’s tool box. Culture can support a brand’s story; left unattended, culture can be a chief marketer’s worst nightmare. - The Slow One Loses This Race – A Hyper-Accelerated Pace of Change Comes to Global Healthcare by Al Prieto
Healthcare has been in a state of steady, sometimes grudging, transformation for years. What’s different today is the dramatically accelerated pace of change that has been brought on by a combination of regulatory pressures, high costs, consumer empowerment, and revolutionary technological and medical innovation.
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