Insights
Perspectives on Leadership & Transformation
Longer-form thinking on how organisations are actually built, and how coaching works when the person across the table has carried the same accountability. More perspectives are added as they're written.
Leadership Philosophy
How Great Organisations Are Built
John Nolan · 3 min read
Great organisations are built by great people. But people alone are not enough. The best leaders perform when the organisation gives them clarity, authority, information, accountability and a culture that supports high standards.
My approach is built around a small number of principles:
“Develop leaders rather than creating dependence on the CEO.”
- Get the strategy clear.
- Put the right people in the critical roles.
- Create explicit accountability and decision rights.
- Build management information that tells the truth.
- Use governance to improve decisions, not to slow the business down.
- Remove organisational complexity wherever possible.
- Use technology to redesign work, not simply automate poor processes.
- Develop leaders rather than creating dependence on the CEO.
- Measure performance consistently and act on what the numbers are saying.
- Keep strategy connected to execution and shareholder value.
The best leaders perform when the organisation gives them clarity, authority, information, accountability and a culture that supports high standards.
Coaching Philosophy
Coach, Mentor, Advisor, Challenger
John Nolan · 4 min read
My coaching model is deliberately different from pure coaching. Senior executives often need more than questions, they may need challenge, pattern recognition, mentoring, commercial perspective and direct advice. My approach moves between four modes depending on the situation:
Coach
Helping the executive reach their own insight.
Mentor
Sharing lessons from comparable leadership situations.
Advisor
Giving a clear view on strategy, organisation, governance or commercial decisions.
Challenger
Confronting blind spots, weak assumptions or avoidance.
“Someone who understands the reality of carrying accountability, rather than a coach who has only observed leadership from outside.”
↑ Back to: How Great Organisations Are BuiltSenior executives often need more than questions.
This is particularly relevant to CEOs and business owners who want someone who understands the reality of carrying accountability, rather than a coach who has only observed leadership from outside.
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