Magic Sponge
A collection of interviews with inspiring Business Leaders of the 2010s -- from their Tips and Techniques to their Magic and Baggage.
It's fair to say that we've had a pretty inauspicious start to the 2020s. Barely three months into the new decade, and every corner of the world is currently in lock-down because of Coronavirus.
So I want to offer you something that is not 'C-related', but C-suite related. Hopefully, wherever you are in the world, it will provide you with some food for thought, as you lead your teams through the uncertain times ahead.
Magic Sponge is a 'book' of interviews, conducted throughout the 2010s. It's a bit like an old Panini Sticker album. But, as the people who have compiled it are management consultants, we've assembled a squad of business leaders, rather than sports stars.
I'm not sure if anyone really grows up wanting to be a management consultant. But, if I am ever asked why I became one, it's quite clear: ‘For the variety and interest of work’. Not only do you get to do a huge variety of work as a consultant, but you meet a lot of interesting people along the way. And it is this fact that sowed the seed for a volume of interviews. Over the last decade, we have had access to some very interesting business leaders ... and we were keen to spread their words of wisdom.
Over the course of the next six weeks, we're going to publish one of the Magic Sponge interviews each day, via LinkedIn. The 'proper' book is currently at the printers. But, since so many people are working from home at the moment, we thought it would be the perfect time to publish the interviews.
When I say We ... I can't claim this book as all my own work. I've interviewed about half the people who feature; some of my wiser, more erudite colleagues have other contributed the rest. Our book is made up of a mixture of clients, friends and heroes, from around the world, over the last ten years; from the sun-drenched courtyards of Sydney office-blocks, to the marbled hallways of Manhattan skyscrapers. Our interviewees speak about their careers and offer some insights on what it takes to lead and to nurture successful organisations through times of change. Their words are probably never more helpful than now.
As you can imagine, not everyone we approached agreed to be involved -- and a phalanx of in-house PR people put up myriad obstacles to thwart us in our attempts to get anywhere near their people! Some of the leaders we approached seemed to live in fear of what their Non-Execs or major shareholders would think. Of course, we were never looking to trip anyone up. We were simply hoping to gain some of their insights, hear about their business remedies and catch glimpses of their wisdom. We are deeply indebted to those who did agree to be interviewed. We are delighted to have compiled a fabulous selection of some extraordinary leaders. And for those of you who read Magic Sponge, and think .... 'Why didn't they approach me?' .... fret not. Volume 2 is already in the making!
The design of the book is divided into four sections. These follow a broadly chronological order, but more to the point, reflect the underlying global economic and social context -- and the different stages of development for our firm, along the way. So we will be doing the same for this LinkedIn series too.
Before we dive in, a note on the title:
Magic Sponge – for those with an interest in amateur sport in the '70s and '80s the term ‘magic sponge’ needs no explanation. For those that don’t … a magic sponge is a sponge much like any other sponge, except when it is wielded by football or rugby physio running on to the pitch to attend to an injured player. When this happens, the sponge is transformed into a universal panacea so that it can heal anything from a bruised shin to a broken collar bone.
'Organisation Physio' is a concept we explored from the outset of Q5, the idea that organisational fitness was neither a natural state nor one easy to achieve. When we launched Q5, back in 2009, many businesses had already cut their workforce once, twice, even three times. In many cases they not only had trimmed the ‘fat’ but had cut deep into the muscle of the organisation. Many of our first projects were not only about cutting costs (the surgery), but also about making what was left fit for purpose (the physio). When we began interviewing some of our clients, ‘the magic sponge’ just seemed to fit.
Our first interview will appear on the Q5 LinkedIn page tomorrow. Of course, if you are interested in a physical copy of the book, you are able to pre-order a copy by sending an email to: [email protected]. Proceeds will go to our Charitable Foundation.
Finally, I include the Foreward for Magic Sponge below. It's been written by the incalculably brilliant Charles Gurassa, non exec director of many businesses. Roll on tomorrow!
