Slides and presenter notes with links to source material from Learnfest 2015.

1. @brilliantnoise
brilliantnoise.com
Antony Mayfield
10th June 2015
Leadership
in the digital
age.
Learnfest 2015
Introduction
- We’re going to start very, very big and come back to the individual. To the leader. To all of you.
- I’m going to talk the leaders that we need for the digital age - and within that about three things:
- Digital as the context for all organisations and their leaders.
- What our response can be to the fast-changing, uncertain, VUCA context.
- What our leaders need to focus on to be the people we need them to be.

2. There’s no
such thing as a
digital leader.

3. Leaders in a
digital age.

4. Digital is the
context.
4
CONTEXT for all of this is DIGITAL.
- Technology is the driver. Human networks are the outcome.
- First, connecting to the amazing futurist fireworks of Mr Hammersley and the inspirational innovation of the Freeformers, I want to connect us to a story
about how amazing this NOW we live in is…
- I’m going to tell you about the SELF-OWNING CAR.

5. The Great
Moderation.
+ We come from a period McKinsey think tank calls “THE GREAT MODERATION”. You got big and you protected that. You extrapolated from previous
events.
+ You can read more about this idea in the book No Ordinary Disruption http://goo.gl/81CqBV

6. 6
The Great
Disruption.
+ THE GREAT DISRUPTION (McKinsey note urbanisation, globalisation and an ageing population as three other forces). See previous slide’s reference.
+ FROM: Era of Moderation. TO: The era of disruption.

7. You like this?
7
+ First, connecting to the amazing futurist fireworks of Mr Hammersley and the inspirational innovation of the Freeformers, I want to connect us to a story
about how amazing this NOW we live in is…

9. You’ll love this.
9
I’m going to tell you about the SELF-OWNING CAR.

10. I have no
owner.

11. Powered by
blockchain.
11
- If you are to look at one new thing coming away from here, I would recommend the Blockchain.
-Read the O’Reilly book Blockchain for more on this.
-http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blockchain-Blueprint-Economy-Melanie-Swan/dp/1491920491

12. 12
1.0 Currency
2.0 Contracts
3.0 Applications

13. 13
1.0 Currency
2.0 Contracts
3.0 Applications

14. 14
1.0 Currency
2.0 Contracts
3.0 Applications

15. I am for
social good.

16. Challenges for
leaders.
16
+ Individuals > collaboration
+ Uncertainty > Accepting, aware and agile
+ Complexity > Filter, prioritise and communicate
+ Pace of change > Agility
+ Automation > Augmentation to make the most of their and their people’s brain power
+ Exponential > Re-imagining everything
+ Volatility > Resilience
+ Inertia > Change with action
+ Disruption > re-invention

17. Exponential disruption.
Customers in charge.
VUCA.
Pace of change.
Inertia.
17

18. From To
http://leanstack.com/why-lean-canvas/
##What is the RESPONSE for all of this?
+ FROM: An optimisation focus. TO: Customer focus.
+ FROM: Defend. TO: Attack.
+ FROM: Incumbency. TO: Acting like a disruptor.
+ FROM: The spreadsheet was the most powerful tool for business planning.
+ TO: The lean canvas. Learn more about the lean canvas here - it’s a great tool for finding ways to turn ideas into products or programmes: http://
leanstack.com
+ cf. No Ordinary Disruption.
+ THE INDIVIDUAL WINS.
+ Mary Meeker - customer in charge.
+ McKinsey - find new ways to monetise customer surplus.

19. How can
leaders
respond?
19
+ We need to support ourselves and our leaders in this effort
+ Warren Bennis quote.
+ Barriers leaders face
+ Inertia
+ Recency bias
+ Anchoring
+ Silos

20. “It is the individual,
operating at the peak
of his or her powers,
who will revive our
organizations, by
reinventing both self
and them.”
Warren Bennis, Leadership studies pioneer and
professor at USC.
Quote from On Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis http://goo.gl/aeyctV

21. Agile(ish).
21
+ The agile-ish movement
+ Agile, Lean Start-Up, Holacracy, democratic workplaces - fascinating movement with a common theme:
+ Pushing decision-making out the edges.
+ Speed and responsiveness
+ Failure tolerant

22. Trends radar.
22
Trends radar
+ Plan with your colleagues.
+ Prioritise Act, Analyse, Aware.
+ Engage with the edges.

23. 23
+ An example trends radar for financial services. Use this as a planning and discussion format to plot what new competitors, threat and opportunities
could affect your organisation.

24. Financial Services
Trends Report
2015
Plotting a trends radar
24
brilliantnoise.com/cxfinancial/
You can download a copy of the financial services trends radar here: brilliantnoise.com/cxfinancial/

25. Create fast
change.
25
+ Fast change, lasting impact.
+ Reinvention at a personal level and an organisational one.
+ Prototypes beat Powerpoint is one of our mantras.

26. Disaggregate
and cross-
train.
26
+ Break down siloes.
+ Mary Meeker has an interesting insight in her recent internet trends deck. Start-ups are developing around elements of enterprise that don’t work well.
Rather than grand plan IT roll-outs, we could see pockets of change that in turn inspire others. http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends
+ Check out these start-ups:
• Directly - phone support
• Zenefits - HR
• Gainsight - Churn CRM
• Intercom - Disconnected solution points
• Greenhouse - recruiting
• Checkr - background checks
• GuideSpark - Employee Knowledge / Training
Don’t need to change everything at once…

27. Collaboration.
27
+ Collaboration will be a feature of the best companies.
+ Leaders need to not only be collaborative, but create an environment in which collaboration can happen.
+ Autonomy
+Trust
+ Transparency

28. Bias for action.
28
If you could do just one thing to help your organisation become more agile - it would be creating a bias for action - rather than a bias for permission
(which creates bottlenecks and risk-averse buck passing).

29. U.I.H.D.
29
+ A simple step to help created a culture with a bias for action is to start using the phrase Unless I Hear Differently - UIHD for short.
+ It means people tell one another what they are going to do, but don’t seek permission or consensus.
+ We introduced this 18 months ago at Brilliant Noise and it has been really effective.
+ As a CEO, I love it. I don’t even need to spend time replying to emails I agree with, and it makes me think twice about sticking my oar in when people
should be encouraged to just get on with things.
+ Have a look at this website which has a video extolling the virtues of UIHD: http://unlessiheardifferently.com

30. Automation
vs.
augmentation.
30
+ Leaders need to think about how AI and automation can make their people work smarter and be more productive - not do away with them.
+ AP Automation
+ 20% of journalist time has been saved by automating and story output increased by a factor of ten https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/how-ap-
is-using-automation-to-increase-story-output-tenfold/s2/a565370/
+ Think of the jobs that “make you want to jab your eyes out with a stick” - and then automate them.

31. 31
This month’s HBR has some really useful articles on this whole area.
https://hbr.org/archive-toc/BR1506

32. So…
32
+ Our leaders must be…
+ Collaborative
+ Disruptor aware
+ Responsive
+ Bias for action
+ Open, connected and exploring
+ Re-inventors of themselves, their organisations.
+ Individuals in networks beat central organisations
+ Uncertainty > Accepting, aware and agile
+ Complexity > Filter, prioritise and communicate
+ Pace of change > Agility
+ Automation > Augmentation to make the most of their and their people’s brain power
+ Exponential > Re-imagining everything
+ Volatility > Resilience
+ Inertia > Change with action
+ Disruption > re-invention

33. Connect
Collaborate
Act
33
+ The End
+ We need to demand great things from our leaders. We need to demand great things from ourselves.
+ We need to re-invent our selves and the future.
+ CONNECTED. COLLABORATIVE. ACTION.
+ Turn your fear into excitement about the possibility and ACT.

34. 34
Read more about our work at http://brilliantnoise.com

35. Thank you.
@amayfield
35