Whatever your views of the conflicts the West engages in, there are some powerful leadership lessons at the operating level worthy of exploration.
The 3-minute read summarises the philosophy and practice of the US Navy SEALs as described by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin their book “Extreme Ownership”. It is a very similar approach to that of UK Special Forces, and indeed the wider Armed Services.
Our aim in this blog is to offer some short take-aways for business leaders. This is surface-skimming stuff, and offered simply as a reflective entry point. Which of these are you struck by? What will you most deeply think about, experiment with, and maybe adopt?
We also want to offer the opportunity to workshop this framework in the Pentland Hills on Thursday 17th August. Information and booking for this Fresh Air Business Walk is at the end of this blog.
So, here are the 3 themes and 12 elements of “Extreme Ownership”.
1. BEING
1.1 OWN IT. Self-aware, relationally effective leaders actively influence everybody and everything that impacts their world. They take an enterprise-wide view and engage broadly with energy. They create the conditions for success.
1.2 WALK THE TALK. Effective leaders understand that what they tolerate sets expectations and tone.
1.3 BELIEVE. To convince and inspire, leaders truly believe in what they do, and take time to engage and explain. They know that a buyable “why” is vital!
1.4 PARK YOUR EGO. Mission and team have primacy over self. Listen and reflect, and lead with humility.
2. DOING
2.1 NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS THAT ENABLE. Think “enterprise” not just immediate team or silo. Develop relationships. Listen and understand. Focus on collective possibilities. Identify common purpose.
2.2 ENCOURAGE SIMPLICTY AND CLARITY. Help people understand and believe. This will help achieve desired outcome when you’re not there and “Plan A” has gone out the window.
2.3 REFLECT, PRIORITISE, EXECUTE, REPEAT. Take a deep breath, look around, identify the single highest priority. The main effort. Create a simple plan, execute robustly, and remain situationally aware. Repeat. Build agility from contingency plans, rehearsals, and core competencies.
2.4 DECENTRALISE. Higher intention, outcomes, and constraints are communicated and understood. Delegations & trust help teams navigate complexity. Leaders are mindful of how and where they play.
3. SUSTAINING
3.1 PLAN, TEST, REFINE, REPEAT. Are task and desired outcomes clear and aligned with strategic purpose? Do delegations and egos enable contribution of valuable ideas at all levels? Are back-briefs, stress-tests, and rehearsals programmed?
3.2 LEAD UPWARDS. Are the skills, trust, and respect present to enable challenge and support upwards? Are people encouraged to “own it” at all levels? (See 1.1 above).
3.3 BE DECISIVE AMIDST UNCERTAINTY. Create decision-action cycles that are faster than the opposition to regain the initiative; and which adjust as situations evolve and new information becomes available.
3.4 JUDGING BALANCE. Know when to lead, when to follow; fit for sprints as well as endurance; calm but not emotionless; courageous but not foolhardy; attentive to details but not obsessed; humble but not passive; etc…
WHAT NOW?
If you have found this stimulating, we would love to help you explore the framework more deeply.
One such opportunity is the Fresh Air Business Walk we will be leading in the Pentland Hills on Thursday 17th August. Full information and booking is on Eventbrite here.
We can also offer masterclasses, programmes, and coaching in the workplace.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Dave Stewart
Manging Director
The Fresh Air Learning Company
Email: dave@freshairlearning.com
Tel: 0800 052 7900
The Fresh Air Learning Company is on a mission to breathe fresh air into the effectiveness and resilience of boards, senior teams and leaders.
Why? We know how shifts in self-awareness, trust, collective thinking, courageous conversations, and powerful storytelling can lift an organisation. Been there. Done it. And now helping others dodge the risks and leap ahead of avoidable underperformance.
How? Bespoke experiences, journeys and programmes. Outdoors. Indoors. The right place for the client. Powerful. Unforgettable.
Due to three year funding of up to £200,000 from Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is able to expand its grant-giving programme and have launched a new Scottish Community Development Grant that enables historic building regeneration projects in communities across Scotland.
Eligible applicants could receive up to £50,000 for regeneration projects in their community, bringing benefits to local areas through the reuse of historic buildings. Approved projects will have the potential to make a significant positive social impact, offer long-term sustainable uses for historic buildings, and will be clearly and strongly community led.
Thomas Knowles, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland said:
“The new Scottish Community Development Grant offers opportunities for communities to take the lead on restoring their historic buildings and find a sustainable reuse for them as a modern community-owned asset.
Projects supported by this new grant have the potential to make a really significant positive social impact, and we’re looking forward to hearing about successful applicants and seeing their projects take shape in the future.”
The Architectural Heritage Fund is a UK-wide registered charity that helps voluntary and community groups to repair and regenerate historic buildings.
David Hunter, an AHF Trustee for Scotland, said:
“We are looking for proposals that offer long-term sustainable uses for historic buildings and help build stronger and more cohesive communities. Delivering social enterprise, local business or community services from historic buildings can not only help unlock additional funding sources, but improve the sense of place and wellbeing for a local community.”
The first two grants under the new scheme, totalling £39,500, have just been awarded to Springburn Winter Gardens Trust, to help regenerate the historic glasshouses in North Glasgow, and to the Leith Theatre Trust to help bring the Leith Theatre back to life as a live performance venue in Edinburgh.
Jack Hunter, Chair of Leith Theatre Trust said:
“It is absolutely fantastic to be awarded this grant to further the work of Leith Theatre Trust. This will help give us the capacity to take the next steps in bringing the theatre back to life – bringing in a design team, helping to fundraise and making sure the local community have the opportunity to get the most out of this neglected public asset.”
Jamie Mallan, Chair of Springburn Winter Gardens Trust said:
“Early funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund enabled us to demonstrate the viability of restoring the Winter Gardens, which then helped us go on to win other financial support to make crucial repairs to prevent further deterioration of the building.
We’re delighted that this new grant offer will enable us to further develop our plans to restore the Winter Gardens. It will help us to deliver our vision of a restored and repurposed Winter Gardens as a community-owned site that delivers crucial services and meet the needs of the people of Springburn and north Glasgow.”
To find out more about the Scottish Community Development Grant and to see if your project might be eligible for our support, contact the AHF Support Officer for Scotland, Gordon Barr, on 0300 121 0341 or gordon.barr@ahfund.org.uk
More information can be found on the AHF website at www.ahfund.org.uk/grants
Food lovers in Edinburgh and the Lothians are being invited to put their taste buds to the ultimate test by trying out new food and drink products before they hit the supermarket shelves.
The Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh is looking for eager foodies to join its Food & Drink Consumer Tasting Panels during the year ahead.
The Centre works with a broad range of food and drink businesses to help them to develop new and innovative products, reformulate existing products and carry out consumer focus groups and taste panels.
Taste panel members get the unique opportunity to try out a range of new food and drink products for the first time, including meat, fish, confectionery, juices, dairy products, vegetables and desserts. Panel members may also be asked to sample existing food products already sold in supermarkets to gain important information about consumer preferences.
Taste panels usually last around 30 to 40 minutes and participants provide views on a number of food and drink products, including aroma, appearance, texture and flavour.
People taking part in the tasting panels are rewarded after each session attended with either a £10 Amazon or John Lewis voucher.
Phil Cook, Food Technologist at the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at QMU, said: “We’re keen to hear from anyone in Edinburgh and the Lothians who loves food a drink. Our Consumer Tasting Panels are a great way for people to help develop the latest food and drink products and assist food companies with their business development. Panelists are also pleased to receive a voucher for their participation.”
“QMU’s Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation is continuing to enhance Scotland’s position as a leader in food and drink innovation in Europe and supporting access to the global market for healthy and functional food.
“Through practical innovation support and creative business solutions, QMU is helping Scotland’s leading food and drink businesses with new and innovative product development and analysis; as well as the development of leading edge functional, health enhancing products and ingredients and formulation of existing products.”
For more information on the QMU Food & Drink Consumer Tasting Panel and to sign up, email: Consumerpanels@qmu.ac.uk
Cycling Scotland are welcoming applications to their Cycle Friendly Employer Development Fund 2017/18.
The fund is aimed at encouraging and supporting organisations and workplaces across Scotland to take a leading role in increasing the number of journeys by bike.
Employers can apply for up to £20,000 for capital projects which are focused on improving cycling facilities and physical infrastructure – such as cycle parking, signage, changing facilities. Match funding not a strict condition.
The fund is open to businesses and organisations who are working towards or are seeking to maintain the Cycle Friendly Employer Award. You can register for the award here and your local service centre will be in touch to arrange an assessment.
The closing date for applications is 5pm Friday the 30th of June 2017.
Download: Guidance Notes, Funding Process, Application Form and Terms and Conditions.
If you have any questions please email Cycling Scotland Development Officer, Caroline Hammond on carolinehammond@cycling.scot or call 0141 229 5470
An Edinburgh-based food company has its sights set on healthy growth after extending its research and development capability via a partnership with a Scottish university.
Gluten-free food specialist, Genius Foods, has entered into a partnership with the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at Queen Margaret University (QMU), where its team is now operating from a specialist new food science laboratory.
With a strong research background in supporting the development of Scotland’s food and drink businesses, Genius Foods identified QMU as the academic partner with the most suitable facilities for developing its own recipes and product range.
Food scientists at QMU have provided expert training to the Genius Foods team on ways to measure the texture, colour and flow properties of its products using specialist equipment.
Genius Foods will also have access to the Centre’s fully-equipped sensory suite facility, which allows experts to measure people’s perceptions of food and drink products’ attributes, including appearance, aroma, texture, flavour and after taste.
QMU’s team of food innovation experts regularly provide its clients with consumer focus groups, taste panels, nutritional analysis and shelf-life testing.
Dr Julien Lonchamp from QMU’s Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation, said: “We’re very pleased to be providing specialist research and development facilities and training for Genius Foods. The specific combination of sensory and analytical facilities that we offer at QMU was previously unavailable elsewhere in Scotland, so research work was often sent to England or Northern Ireland instead.
“Through practical innovation support and creative business solutions, QMU is continuing to help leading food and drink businesses, like Genius Foods, with new and innovative product development.”
Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, Founder of Genius, added: “The partnership with Queen Margaret University demonstrates our ongoing commitment to producing market-leading gluten free bakery products. While an element of our R&D will remain in-house, we are working in partnership with the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation, which will enable us to have an even deeper understanding of the behaviour of our core ingredients. We look forward to working with QMU to take our recipes and product range to the next level.”
The Scottish Centre for Food Development & Innovation is enhancing Scotland’s position as a leader in food and drink innovation in Europe and supporting access to the global market for healthy and functional food. Facilities include a dedicated chemistry laboratory and a technology room for industry to test new technology.
For more information about the Scottish Centre for Food Development & Innovation and how it can benefit your business, contact Miriam Smith, Business Development Manager at QMU on 0131 474 0000 or email MSmith3@qmu.ac.uk or visit
www.qmu.ac.uk/research_knowledge/scottish-centre-for-food-development-and-innovation.aspx
For more information on Genius Foods, visit www.geniusglutenfree.com
We are delighted to announce that the next Arts & Business Scotland Development Forum will take place at the National Galleries of Scotland on Thursday 1 June.
This event is also being promoted through our Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage programme, which through funding from HLF, has enabled Arts & Business Scotland, together with our heritage partner organisations, to encourage capacity building and skills development in fundraising across Scotland’s heritage as well the arts sector.
As the event is relevant to both the arts and heritage sectors, we are expecting a broad demand for tickets and therefore advise booking as early as you can to ensure that you have a place to attend.
The Topic in Focus is Capital Fundraising, which will provide a unique opportunity to hear from two speakers with considerable experience in this area. They will share their insight into and knowledge of the capital projects they have been instrumental in delivering.
Alan Horn, Director of Development at the Glasgow School of Art, will share his stories on leading on various capital projects. These include the award-winning and innovative £12.7m Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal, the successor Riverside Museum Appeal and the £32m Mackintosh Campus Appeal to reinstate the Mackintosh Building within the heart of a rejuvenated campus following the devastating fire in 2014.
Gill Poulter, Heritage Director at Dundee Heritage Trust, will share some key learning points and top tips from the significant capital fundraising achievements made by the Trust, to deliver the High Mill Project, Verdant Works.
We also pleased to announce that our sponsorship story will be on the ongoing developing partnership between National Galleries of Scotland and Aegon UK. From the initial sponsorship of the MC Escher exhibition matched by a New Arts Sponsorship Grant to most recent sponsorship of The Goldfinch (a flying visit from iconic painting).
This event is completely free to arts, heritage and business members of Arts & Business Scotland, as well as invited business guests. There is a small charge of £10 for non-members.
For full details of the event and booking please visit:
http://www.aandbscotland.org.uk/events/2017/06/01/development-forum-edinburgh/
