Are you Choosing between ‘Kind' and 'Right'? The Strategic Advantage of People-First Leadership
Let’s be honest, in the C-suite, there’s a persistent, whispered question: Does truly effective leadership force a choice between ‘being kind’ and ‘doing the right thing’? For too long, the default answer has been a resigned nod towards the latter, accepting that success requires a certain ‘hardness’. At Hive17, we think that choosing between ‘kind’ and ‘right’ is asking the wrong question ....
The New Leadership Focus: Mastering Strategy Execution
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? That moment when the latest deck lands from HQ, thick with glossy slides detailing the new Global Strategy. It's bold, it's ambitious, and it’s meant to be the Northstar for the next three years. As a Regional Managing Director, you pore over it, nod along to the high-level vision, but then the familiar anxiety creeps in. The strategy feels... half-baked. It...
Time to Let Go: Six Leadership Truths for the Modern CEO
Remember that moment when you first stepped into a top leadership role? Perhaps as a General Manager (GM) or a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Suddenly, the job wasn't about being the smartest person in the room or the best functional expert anymore. It felt like a fundamental shift, didn’t it? In a recent post, I explored this very evolution: the transition from 'functional expert' to the...
From Curiosity to Self-Praise: The Strategy for Ownership and Growth
Today's senior leaders face a critical business challenge: a global workforce drowning in anxiety. Economic instability, the 'always-on' nature of hybrid work, and the unsettling rise of AI and automation have created an epidemic of burnout and job insecurity. This is not just a mental health crisis; it's a productivity risk, an innovation killer, and a primary driver of high turnover, especially...
People-First Work Cultures: The New Blueprint for Success
In today’s complex, fast-moving global economy, the traditional 'command-and-control' leadership model is showing its age. As organisations navigate continuous transformation, a new blueprint is emerging - one centred on human potential, connection, and purpose: the People-First Work Culture. This isn't just a feel-good philosophy; this is of strategic importance. Research consistently shows that...
From Functional Expert to Cross-Functional Glue: A General Management Mindset Shift
Climbing the corporate ladder to become a General Manager (GM) is a significant undertaking. After years spent excelling in one or two functional areas, the new GM is suddenly expected to grasp the complexities of the entire business. The pressure to make well-informed decisions across diverse departments can feel overwhelming. However, a consistent pattern emerges among successful leaders who...
The Thriving Leadership Team: Navigating Uncertainty with a Strong Sense of Belonging
In today's unpredictable business landscape, traditional leadership models are falling short. What we need is a leadership team that embraces uncertainty and thrives on it. It's not about having all the answers; it's about cultivating a mindset and characteristics that turn ambiguity into opportunities . Imagine your leadership team as a force that thrives in uncertainty. It's built on a...
How does Great Leadership Feels Like? Let's Imagine This
What are the key topics for High Performance Leadership? This week I was attending a masterclass organised by IMD presenting their signature program: High Performance Leadership. And you will be surprised what their key topics are... Collaboration, relationships, emotions, purpose, self-discovery, psychological safety, etc. At Hive17, we believe that transformational business success is based on...
Self-Managed Organisations - The Results are In
This is not the first time, I share about self-managed organisations ( check here ) and I admit, the concept is fascinating. It is fully aligned with successful leadership principles like shared goals, transparency, autonomy, etc. Hey wait - this is not a concept! Self-managed organisations have been implemented in the real world and the results are in! 50% revenue increase; doubling of profit....
Frustrated that people don't follow your lead? Find out where your leadership style is fragile
Recently, a good number of people share with me that they are frustrated that people at work are not greeting each other, that they only focus on the minimum, are not sharing their opinion, and are simply waiting for the next instructions. Did we hire the wrong people? Or rather, do our leadership styles have blindspots that indirectly encourage such behaviour? I definitely think, your leadership...
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[Case Study] - How to build a strong culture foundation when scaling up fast
There are mentorship programs and mentorship programs... Sometimes you walk into the client's office and you feel a different culture - a strong, positive dedication to deliver great results. How can you maintain and improve this culture while scaling up fast ? VISEO - the Positive Digital Makers - launched a mentorship program exactly with this in mind: selecting and enabling a group of...
How to make target setting impactful?
“Only 41% of CEOs believe employees’ behaviours are mostly aligned with company’s values and direction.” This statement from PwC's annual CEO survey means that about 60% of the employees are not fully aligning their productivity with the company's priorities . As a result, efforts are wasted in the wrong direction. Further, according to Hive17's surveys, about a third of the managers...
Corporate Democracy? Innovation plus People plus Results!
Most companies are stuck in their corporate patterns: large overhead costs and bureaucratic burdens; a focus on short-term results; an inert workforce following a handful of leaders; exposure to bias and unfairness. We sort of know it is wrong, but we don't have the means to change to the better. Except for one company! Very few people heard of the company Gore (mainly famous for its Gore-Tex...
How Fragile are Your Leadership Skills?
What are the two most important and sought after leadership skills in Asia ? Based on the research of GloCoach, they identified the two following skills: Team Leadership - how are you enabling your teams to give their best Communicate with credibility - how are you building trust and win-win within your ecosystem From our practice at Hive17 we can only underline the value of these two leadership...
Aiming for Sustainability is not Good Enough - We Need Courage
When talking about sustainability, there are a few important terms that come to my mind: honesty, courage, frugality , etc. Today, I want to talk about courage. The former Unilever CEO Paul Polman shared a number of insights in this interview and I want to highlight two quotes which are well linked together: "How can a company profit from solving the world’s problems, not from creating them?" “If...
How do You Enable the Translation from Vision to Action?
Our current times are full of change and a solid strategy is necessary to give the organisation direction and alignment to create lasting success. Furthermore, a meaningful and clear vision is driving motivation and is a strong ingredient for making decisions. Yet, many companies struggle to bring their vision to the ground. Employees are saturated with changing strategies and often don't see how...
Your Sustainability Journey has Started - Are You Also Creating Impact?
Yes, in the last months we have achieved a lot. The majority of companies have defined sustainability targets and they are concerned about creating their ESG report. Though, we also need to be honest with ourselves: this is only talk and we need action - a lot of action - to reach global success in turning around climate change! “57% of CEOs identify unclear ROI and economic benefits as a leading...
How are you developing the people around you?
How am I becoming a better leader? This is a question that I encounter a lot during my engagements. And the question is not: what is good leadership? Most people know. The question is, how am I practising good leadership on a daily basis? This is so hard! One of the key focuses as a good leader is developing your people; creating a learning organisation. In whatever we do, we want to learn. We...
How do I become a successful leader? Knowledge or Practise?
As a change management practitioner, I believe a core to success are the leadership qualities of people - the people side of doing business. When talking about these leadership qualities, I often experience that the leaders know the concepts and tools to become a great leader. Though, they often admit that they are not able to apply these on a consistent, daily basis. Why is this an issue?...
2022 - What a Year!
The end of the year is a time for reflection and in many ways, 2022 was an extraordinary year. In the first quarter we started to see in Singapore and in many other regions a rapid easing of pandemic restrictions and a new dynamic accelerated across many elements of life. In the summer period, travel has resumed for almost everyone. Then, in the second half of the year the business activities...