Andrea interviews former CEO Linsley Ruth on what it takes to lead a major corporation. They dive into the secrets behind Ruth's success in turning around the RS Group electronics company. Ruth shares the one key cultural shift that catalysed growth and performance. He explains why putting employees first ultimately serves customers best. Ruth also gets real about the personal toll of leadership.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Get out from behind your desk early on. Go meet frontline staff and ask for unfiltered perspectives on the business to inform your strategy.
• Culture change must come from within, not top-down mandates. Help people see the why before dictating the what. Buy-in beats forced compliance.
• Your staff are your top stakeholders. Tend to their wellbeing and engagement first so they can deliver for customers.
• Loneliness comes with the CEO job. Have an executive coach you trust as a sounding board for advice and accountability.
• Take smart risks when complexity abounds. Stay open to opportunities along with self-awareness to thrive.
• Reflect regularly by journaling pivotal leadership lessons. Review for continuous improvement.

BEST MOMENTS

"You can take every data point you want. You give me an hour with the customer and I'll know more than you."

"People have to want to do it and be convinced on what needs to be done, not told what needs to be done."

"The higher you go within a company, the lonelier the job becomes...have a coach to help with performance and balance."

"Worry about what you think, worry about what you're going to do and staying true to your words."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Lindsley Ruth

CEO & Board Member, Global Business Transformation

Award-winning CEO and highly qualified industrial distribution executive Lindsley Ruth was most recently CEO of RS Group plc (formerly Electrocomponents plc), a global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and suppliers, where he was responsible for improving the financial performance of the Group and instilling a renewed focus on putting the customer and supplier back at the heart of the business. He led the turnaround of the underperforming business and, working with the broader team, created a strong vision and purpose for the company leading the company from the FTSE250 to the FTSE100 in six years.   Lindsley increased sales by more than 300%, profit by more than 500% and increased the share price by more than 6X.

ABOUT THE HOST

My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.