Image: Connor McKenna/Jane Henderson/SiliconRepublic.com
As we reach the halfway point of series 1 of The Leaders’ Room podcast, host Ann O’Dea rounds up some of the key leadership advice we’ve heard so far.
Every fortnight on The Leaders’ Room podcast, which is created in partnership with IDA Ireland, host Ann O’Dea gets up close and personal with studio guests, the Irish-based leaders of some of the world’s leading technology, health-tech, finance and engineering companies with operations in Ireland, and gets their insights on the nature of good leadership, as well as their take on the trends that are shaping their sectors.
In this bonus episode, Ann has put together a recap of some key leadership insights gathered from interviewees during the series so far.
Jane Dawson-Howe, Slalom
In the first episode of the season, we sat down with Jane Dawson-Howe, the country manager of Slalom, and we spoke about how much this past couple of years have affected businesses. And there were three key leadership points that we took away from the chat with Jane:
- It’s hard to beat organisational clarity when it comes to leading a team.
- Empathy is only growing in importance when it comes to good leadership.
- Good leadership is a journey, with challenges and successes along the way.
Ray McGann, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Our next conversation was with Ray McGann, the managing director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Ray spoke a lot about the changing landscape of artificial intelligence, and took the time to explain his approach to leadership, which includes keeping in mind the following:
- A large part of how we learn to lead is watching other leaders – good and bad.
- Leadership often means a healthy respect for the value and the sustainability of our products and services.
Sean Wall, BD
On to episode three, and our chat with Sean Wall, senior R&D director and site lead at BD. This was a great conversation about the medical technology sector and the innovation going on, and Sean had some superb insights on good leadership:
- Leaders must realise the potential of AI, but a considered approach is vital in sectors such as medtech where compliance and regulation are central.
- A big part of recruiting talent is creating a company that people want to work in.
- There is incredible value in creating an inclusive and diverse culture within your company.
Katia Karpova, Fiserv
Finally, our most recent conversation, in episode four, was with Katia Karpova. Katia is the head of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region at Fiserv. She shared her perspective on what’s shaping fintech today, especially in the digital payments sector. Katia’s lessons on leadership included:
- Leaders have much to learn from their own tech-savvy customers.
- And finally, an important point that often gets forgotten when it comes to judging other leaders – it takes courage to be a leader, and they are often simply the most fearless person in the room.
These are just a snapshot of lessons learnt from the first half of series 1 of The Leaders’ Room – of course, there are many more.
We have four more great episodes on the way, starting with country general manager of IBM Deborah Threadgold later this week. So, we hope you’ll tune in and enjoy the conversations with these exceptional leaders as much as we do.
Check out The Leaders’ Room podcast for in-depth insights from some of Ireland’s top leaders. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
