CEO is a team game: why every voice matters

As many of you may know, before I turned to life in the business world, I was a badminton player.

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Badminton, on the face of things, is not a team sport. Unless a doubles match, it’s one player on one side of the net, facing one opponent on the other.

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But actually, to look at badminton as an individual sport isn’t right. What about the coaches, the physio, the supporters, family, the kit person? Badminton is a team game after all. You rely on everyone around you to make you as strong as you can possibly be, to give you advice, ideas, feedback, criticism, to prepare you physically and mentally, and to help you recover and improve for the next match.

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A few weeks ago, I was honoured to take up post as CEO of ISS – a company that I’ve been proud to call my professional home since 2008. I’m not afraid to say that the role is a little daunting! But I have 15 years’ experience in different roles across ISS to draw upon, as well my greatest asset; my team of 360,000 ISS placemakers.

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Like when I was a badminton player, I will continue to draw my strength from those around me.

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In this article, I’ll share how I intend to empower our Placemakers to shape the direction and contribute to the success of ISS under my leadership, starting with our Global Idea Incubator. Because every voice matters.

Fostering a workplace culture of confidence and creativity

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“Every employee matters and is deserving of respect.”

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This principle dates back over 120 years to when ISS was founded. But I firmly believe that it’s a principle that remains key to the future of the company as well.

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We want every single one of our 360,000 employees – our ‘placemakers’ – to feel safe, valued, and worthy of investment. If we can do that, we can make a meaningful contribution to their lives and foster a real sense of belonging in the process.

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Since the start of 2023, we’ve sought to ground this message in measurable improvements through the introduction of our new ISS Employee Value Proposition “A Place To Be You” and our cultural ambition of becoming the Company of Belonging.

We are guided by three overall commitments:

1.????? Increase the implementation of living wages across our industry

2.????? Education and training: giving 100,000+ placemakers or their family members a recognised qualification by end-2025 to enable genuine career and social progression

3.????? Recognition and respect – regardless of your background, job role, or any other factor

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Alongside material enhancements, we have also been focussing on fostering team psychological safety – or emotional safety as it is now becoming known - in the workplace.

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Social scientists now believe that psychological safety is a prerequisite for people to perform at their best in all aspects of their lives. Employees must feel able to express themselves openly, ask questions, admit failure, or challenge the status quo, without fear of recrimination.

As a CEO who is looking to create a company where every voice is heard, where every idea matters, it’s essential therefore that everyone feels safe at work, is able to be their true self, and is able to speak up.

Every idea matters

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ISS employs over 360,000 people.

That’s a lot of headspace, a huge range of skillsets, valuable neurodiversity, and extraordinary expertise.

We have staff members embedded within our customers’ businesses, people who have spent their entire careers at ISS, and others who bring essential experience from elsewhere – whether our competitors or other industries. We have people with different strengths, from different backgrounds, and with different outlooks. Leveraging their collective and individual knowledge offers huge potential for ISS.

And that brings me to our Global Idea Incubator.

Launched in August of this year, the Global Idea Incubator is a central part of ISS’ drive to become a leader in innovation and development. This “ideas exchange” leverages the practical knowledge, experience, skills, and creativity of our placemakers to create best practice products and services. Ideas – for example to address issues and inefficiencies across local and global tasks and processes - are submitted via a centralised digital portal, reviewed and, if practicable, scaled across regions and functions.

Years ago, Starbucks was looking for an easy, cost-efficient way to connect with its customers on a personal level. Who came up with the idea to write the customer’s name on their coffee cup? Not the CEO; it was a Starbucks barista in one of their cafés.

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Via the Global Idea Incubator, our placemakers have already proposed solutions that have been rolled out across customers, supply chains and product lifecycles. A constant feedback loop that benefits contributors and company. I for one cannot wait to see what emerges in the coming months and years.

Leading by listening

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I wasn’t born a badminton player. I had to work hard, be self-critical, and listen to the advice of those around me. Likewise, I wasn’t born a CEO either. But I hope that that same determination, reflection, and ability to admit that, if I don’t have the answers, someone else may, will stand me in good stead.

The Global Idea Incubator is just one of the ways in which I want ISS to demonstrate that every idea – and every employee - matters. Our placemakers, their experiences, and their expertise are our greatest, most valuable asset.

If, as a company, we are to stay ahead of the curve, to be a leader in innovation, and to continue to push boundaries, it will be a team – not an individual - effort.

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We have a lot to gain from each other.

#Leadership #Innovation #Inclusion #EmployeeEngagement #PeopleMakePlaces