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As you will see, the interviews speak for themselves, and we have simply set out three topics from each interview that we found particularly thought provoking.
I have had the pleasure of conducting all but one of the interviews and it has been a stimulating assignment.
There are some strong common themes, some of which you would expect but are worth mentioning none-the-less.
Process, People & Passion.
There was also a shared view on the most important ingredients for successful execution, best summarised as process, people and passion.
I would add another that came through strongly but rarely mentioned explicitly – leadership.
If the first striking thing about the interviews was commonality on what is important, then the second was divergence on how to manage and improve execution. And I for one am delighted because it makes for much more interesting reading.
What explains the differences? Firstly a healthy disregard for the views of consultants. Secondly, the history and context of the company. Thirdly, different personalities and leadership philosophies. Fourthly, simply the way the discussion went.
As you can see below, I have attempted to encapsulate the underlying theme that ran through each of the different approaches in a single headline, which probably doesn’t do them justice, but may help the learning.
Thank you to the four chief executives who took part: Mel Ewell, Amey; Keith Clarke, W S Atkins; Justin Atkinson, Keller; Chris Hyman, Serco.
You will note on the back page a bonus interview with Ian Bull, CEO of BT Enterprises, on new ventures. Not part of this assignment but still an interesting read.
Chris Molloy is a Partner at Credo.
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