Navigate Uncertainty Based on Better Feedback Loops
In today’s business landscape, the era of command-and-control leadership has ended. Executive teams now operate in an environment demanding agility, transparency, and a profound connection to the workforce. Senior leaders provide the northstar for the organisation; however, effective guidance requires accurate, real-time intelligence. Often, the feedback loops from the wider organisation to the...
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 ....
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...
Unleashing Potential: Cultivating a Connected Leadership Team at Sika Vietnam
The journey towards sustainable, high-impact growth for any organisation is intrinsically linked to the strength and unity of its leadership. We at Hive17 were privileged to partner with the Sika Vietnam’s Management Team for an intensive two-day Leadership Development Workshop, a program designed to reinforce team cohesion and build future-proof leadership capabilities necessary for their...
The Unseen Cost of Cultural Drift: Why Strategic Alignment is Your Biggest Financial Driver
At Hive17, we understand that the senior leadership team is the architect and custodian of a thriving, people-centric workplace. While most executives intellectually grasp the power of corporate culture , the latest data reveals a stark and challenging reality: many organisations are leaving immense value - and crucial resilience - on the table by failing to align their culture with their...
Cultivating Collaboration: A Journey of Growth with EOA and VISEO
At Hive17, we believe in the transformative power of strong leadership and deeply connected teams. That's why we were thrilled to partner with VISEO Asia and E-Outsource Asia (EOA) on a series of workshops designed to nurture a collaborative culture and pave the way for ambitious market expansion. This initiative wasn't just about achieving business goals; it was about laying the foundation for...
Beyond Tasks & Targets: Cultivating People-First Cultures for Growth in Asia
In today's fast-paced corporate world, it's easy to get caught up in the relentless pursuit of tasks, targets, and processes. We often see leadership styles that prioritise output above all else, treating human interaction as merely transactional. At Hive17, we believe it's time to shift our perspective. Inspired by our experience and a number of books and articles, we advocate for a profound...
We need Quality Growth - Let's start with Frugality
As a change management professional, I have been more than necessary in projects that focus on cost cutting. And I have to say, these projects are mostly frustrating, destroying value, and won't contribute to the long-term success of any company. What is the alternative approach? Focus on maximising value creation with the assets we have ! Which helps organisations to focus back on quality growth.
![[Case Study] Turning Cost Savings into Climate Action: A Sustainability Success Story](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a5639e95f8f2c71916fa775/1786499903505-8I170DNI6IW56494IXBN/image-asset.png)
[Case Study] Turning Cost Savings into Climate Action: A Sustainability Success Story
Sustainability initiatives often face a hurdle: cost concerns. Many believe decarbonisation is simply too expensive. But what if we re-framed the conversation? This case study showcases how a seemingly daunting cost-cutting target became a springboard for a successful sustainability initiative. Here's how a headquarter's request for a 200 million US dollar savings in energy cost became a catalyst...
The Perils of ESG Reporting - Lessons Learnt from Operational Excellence
When we look back at 2023 it was the year of ESG Reporting. The great thing about it is that companies started to take the topic of sustainability seriously and allocated resources to do something about it. And for any sustainability journey, understanding the baseline is important. Though, as Robin Hicks recently pointed out, companies are confused with the selection of standards, information...
What attitude delivers lasting success? Win-win!
The end of the year is coming and I got asked, if you would give one piece of advise, what would it be? In my experience dealing with leaderships, one foundational attitude I discovered is Win-Win. In our work life we come across various situations: developing a product, negotiate with a client, hire an employee, resolve conflict, onboard a supplier, provide feedback, conduct meetings, and simply...
What do we need for the Sustainability Revolution? Our Communities
"Hope is not enough: turning vision into climate action!" This was one of the themes of the second Green Tech Festival held in Singapore. And for concrete and lasting action, I believe we need two essential ingredients: innovation & culture. This was a theme that weaved throughout the presentations and panels at the conference. One example that stood out for me was the Hot Heart - a project with...
The Future is Coming Closer - With Airships
One year ago, I shared an amazing book on my reading list about how we need to embrace and shape our future in light of Climate Change ( read here ) . One theme I picked up were airships. Flying around with jet engines (powered by fossil fuel or otherwise) might not be enough to clean our Earth's atmosphere. We might need to change away from them. And here we go - the exciting news this month was...
Key Words for Sustainability - Honesty, Frugality, Courage, Synergy
This week we had another great Sustainability event in Singapore - organised by Lufthansa Group. While the airline industry overall is struggling to curb carbon emissions, it is great to see that one important player is striving forward on their sustainability journey. Maybe the most prominent technology is AeroShark - a nature-inspired film that is reducing the friction and drag of a plane's...
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...
"If I had a Magic Wand, I Wish People would Value Our Planet"
This week the EuroCham has organised a great event about "How to Transform Manufacturing to Meet Net Zero?" with a very vivid and insightful panel. One highlight I want to share is the answer to the question: what would you wish if you had a magic wand? "If I had a magic wand, I would bring people back to value our planet! Create that feeling of appreciation for what we are receiving from Earth....
Leveraging Your Entire Workforce to Accelerate Your Sustainability Journey
In my role as co-chairs of the SwissCham Climate Tech subcommittee, I had the honour to host a CSO Roundtable. We brought together industry leaders in Singapore to share their experience about how we can accelerate our sustainability journeys based on mindset shifts and organisational structures. With a new format that brought the panel very close to a small audience, all people in the room...
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...
Boost Your Sustainability Journey - Grow Your Business with it
Sustainability is on everyone's agenda and there is a clear focus on ESG reporting, regulatory compliance and buying carbon credits to offset. These all consume resources, create a green premium and drive cost up. Sustainability journeys are a lot more than that! They open up new markets, they bring efficiency into your operations, they are driving productivity in your workforce. All it takes is...
Why are you afraid to share news that is not exciting? Honesty wins the hearts of the people
A long long time ago, I heard this term in the business world - "on a need to know basis". Yes, still today people think that is a sensible approach to working together and doing business. On my side, from the start of my career, I felt it was wrong. As a recipient of this statement you simply feel stupid and marginalised. In a way, a very disrespectful expression. In today's world, leaders are...