- John Ruskin, as quoted by Nick Williams in The Work We Were Born to Do.

From Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey, Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organisation, Harvard Business School Press, 2009

Here’s my list:

Lloyd Blankfein, CEO, Global

Edith Cooper, Global Head of  Human Capital Management

Richard Gnodde, co- CEO of Goldman Sachs’s European business

Michael Daffey, Global Head of Equities Sales and Securities Distribution in Europe

David Viniar, EVP and CFO, Global

Michael Sherwood, co-CEO of Goldman International

Yoel Zaoui, Head of European Investment Banking

Gordon Dyal, co-head of European M&A

Isabelle Ealet, Global Head of Commodities, London

Pablo Salame, Co-head of Sales and Trading, London

Edward Eisler, Global Head of Macro Trading, London

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

For me, Diamond has done a great job building Barclays’ investment banking franchise deliberately and strategically over many years.  He deserves the promotion.

There is work to do on the safety net for banks, so that it preserves the link between risk and reward, is robust for the financial system and remains fair to taxpayers.  But splitting up commercial and investment banking, and demonising investment bankers, are no help to anyone. Banking remains one of the few industries where the West retains genuine competitive leadership.  It should be encouraged within a sensible regulatory framework, not hobbled.   Bob Diamond could be a national asset for Britain, or he and Barclays could be shown the door.   We’ll see which course the UK chooses.

An FT report on Diamond’s appointment is here: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a7aae28e-ba0a-11df-8804-00144feabdc0.html

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

• Marcus Agius, Chairman
• John Varley, Chief Executive
• Bob Diamond, President of Barclays plc and CEO of Corporate Investment Banking and Wealth Management; CEO-designate
• Chris Lucas, Group Finance Director
• Tom Kalaris, Chief Executive of Barclays Wealth
• Robert LeBlanc, Chief Risk Officer
• Antony Jenkins, Head of Global Retail
• Jerry del Missier, co-Chief Executive of Corporate and Investment Banking
• Rich Ricci, co-Chief Executive of Corporate and Investment Banking
• Cathy Turner, Group HR Director

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

Mr. Green has been a voice for stronger ethics in banking, and has deep experience running a truly global firm, with a truly global client base.   He was CEO before he became Chairman of the the bank.

I would expect him to be a very responsible and constructive voice within government.   I wonder how his leaving will change the climate within HSBC.

The Guardian’s report on his appointment is here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/sep/07/stephen-green-named-trade-minister

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

As an experiment, I’m making a list of leaders who might be thought to shape the cultures of 20 leading City of London institutions, and thus as of the City as a whole.  Having the list gives a starting point for being more aware of the companies’ cultures, as reflected in their leaders’ public comments and actions.

What can we learn from in this way about cultures of leadership?

To get started, here’s a suggested list of leaders to follow for HSBC Holdings plc.

• Stephen Green, Group Chairman
• Michael Geoghegan, Group Chief Executive
• Douglas J Flint, Chief Financial Officer
• Sandy Flockhart, Chairman, Commercial Banking  and Chairman, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
• Stuart Gulliver, Chairman, Europe, Middle East and Global Businesses
• Ann Almeida, Group Head of Human Resources
• Brian Robertson, Group Chief Risk Officer
• Ken M Harvey, Chief Technology and Services Officer
• Paul Thurston, Chief Executive of HSBC Bank plc, responsible for HSBC’s consumer and commercial banking businesses in the UK and Chairman of the European Management Committee.

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

“It is clearly possible that commission comes up with a recommendation to break up the banks.  [That] has significant implications clearly for where we may choose to headquarter our institution.”

The FT reports that Barclays and Standard Chartered have sent similar messages.

On the theme of tracking the key leaders in the City’s major institutions, the FT identifies Mr. Gulliver as a preferred candidate to succeed Michael Geoghegan as HSBC’s CEO.  Clearly a man worth watching.

Here is the FT story:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e0ba186-b6bd-11df-b3dd-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss&ftcamp=crm/email/201092/nbe/InTodaysFT/product

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

I’m betting that Korean, and Taiwanese, and Chinese firms will be giving Apple a run for their money faster than most people think. Apple’s 40% margins are just too juicy.

The price – not yet announced – will be one of the most interesting features of Samsung’s offering, from my standpoint.  I look for the Asian firms to make their offerings much cheaper than Apple’s.  The goal will be to put Apple back in the box of high-priced, low-market share offerings for the elite few.  Sort of like buying the Aston Martin or the Bentley of technology.   I’ll stay tuned.

Here’s Samsung’s teaser video on its product:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTOASwRl3bY

Here’s a report from the T3 gadget website:

http://www.t3.com/news/samsung-galaxy-tab-unveiled?=48611

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

Here’s a representative quotation:

“Doing the right thing doesn’t have to cost money. I think that was a mental constraint for me initially. I thought we weren’t going to be able to take on a lot because of cost. We found out what you need isn’t more money but a different kind of approach. When you have that mindset, it’s amazing the opportunities you find that you can implement that don’t cost. They are still the right thing to do, they make employees feel good, and they are self-reinforcing. And as you demonstrate victories in being able to implement actions, more and more opportunities come out of the woodwork. So don’t be afraid that doing things ethically will cost money. That’s just not the case.”

The interview is here: http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/31/cars-ford-motor-john-viera-leadership-ethisphere.html

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

The conversations I am working on start in London, arguably the world’s greatest financial centre.

The people who lead the great financial institutions will have the most to say about how leadership communities evolve.   Which ones will survive and prosper?   Which new ones will be created?  Which will fall behind and disappear?

To consider these leaders and their roles, what if we made a list of twenty highly influential firms, and looked at up to 10 London-focused leaders in each?  We would then have a list of up to 200 key leaders in the City.  It should then be possible to follow these people’s public activities and the messages they are sending to customers, employees, and suppliers.  In due course, I would love to have a direct dialogue with members of the group.

To start, here’s my evolving list of firms

1. AXA
2. Allianz
3. Aviva
4. Bank of America Merrill Lynch
5. Barclays
6. BlueCrest
7. Citigroup
8. Credit Suisse
9. Deutsche Bank
10. Goldman Sachs
11. GLG Partners
12. HSBC
13. JPMorgan
14. Legal & General
15. Lloyd’s TSB
16. Man Group
17. Morgan Stanley
18. Prudential
19. Royal Bank of Scotland
20. UBS

Comments and suggestions from readers are very welcome.

The (previous) list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

Here’s the WSJ article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704913704575453612099883050.html

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

Good marketing, good business, and a positive use of social networking, in my judgement.

A report on the programme from the Finextra online news service is here:

http://www.finextra.com/news/Fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=21730

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

I’m not sure free overdrafts for students was ever a great idea in the first place, but I give HSBC credit for being responsive to customers and alive to the messages of social media, at a time when it is minting money and its effective bailout by the world’s central banks is a vivid memory.

The BBC story is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6970570.stm

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

To be honest, I have picked up quite a few podcasts from iTunes, but none explicitly from iTunes U. I think I’ll have to check it out.

Despite their dominance is smartphones, MP3 players, music downloads, and pads, their besotted following among Mac users, and their 40% margins, it is somehow rather hard to hate these guys.

My daughter says I am obsessed with Apple.  Maybe she’s right.

Apple’s press release is at http://www.apple.com/uk/pr/library/2010/08/24itunes.html

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

The attached piece from GigaOm argues that Apple has been very good at the customer intimacy part of the triangle.  I agree.  Sometimes it’s hard to think of companies that are actually customer focused as well as being product focused.   I think Apple is both.  It genuinely connects to its target customer base: cool, forward-thinking, creative people who like to enjoy beautiful things and experiences in their lives.  It sells them quite different products (telephones, music, computers….), all connected by expressing an understanding of the customer’s aspirational way of life.    Virgin group comes to mind as another example of a company that does the same thing.

It doesn’t hurt that Apple has also been great at product leadership.   A combination hard to beat.

Here’s the piece by Matt Asay on GigaOm.

http://gigaom.com/2010/08/26/apple-doesnt-target-markets-it-targets-people/

Here’s the HBR article by Treacey and Wiersema:  Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines, Jan-Feb 1993)  Shows how old I am that I remember reading this in the original….

http://hbr.org/1993/03/customer-intimacy-and-other-value-disciplines/ar/1

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison wrote to the Times castigating the board for the worst leadership decision since Apple fired Steve Jobs.

What’s the truth?

I don’t know, but for H-P’s sake I hope they choose a CEO who can create a great corporate community, united around a strategic vision and a set of values that builds on real excellence and goes beyond squeezing short-term earnings out of its current franchise.

I’d also like to see more investigative reporting from the business press analyzing H-P’s current culture.  They have a great history, they”re certainly big (for now), and they’ve been profitable, but I can’t make a case strategically or culturally that they should remain an industry leader.

Joe Nocera’s NY Times column is here

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/14/business/14nocera.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=mark_v_hurd

Larry Ellison’s views are reported here

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Oracle-CEO-Ellison-HP-Board-Erred-in-Hurd-Case-632542/

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

Slater’s response: he got on the PA system, cursed out the passenger, then triggered the emerging slide at the back end of the plane, exited the aircraft and left the airport.   He was later arrested for reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.

It turns out that Slater had been a member of JetBlue’s in-flight values committee.

JetBlue was initially silent on the incident, but subsequenlty reaffirmed its commitment to customer safety and its faith in the loyalty and dedication of its cabin crews.

If I understand the facts correctly, the appropriate responses seem to me to be:

• Wilful violations of safety guidelines, in the face of remonstrances from crew, should not be tolerated.   JetBlue should consider banning the customer, publicizing the fact that they have done so and that they will do so again as a matter of policy.  The airline should also consider detaining passengers behaving in this way and charging them with the relevant federal rules violation.
• It cannot be acceptable for Slater to abandon his post.  Slater should face disciplinary consequences and the airline should apologize to the passengers and ground staff for the disruption and the possible safety risks posed by his unauthorized operation of the emergency exit.
• Slater’s act of frustation (as a member of the in-flight values committee!) should be tested as a signal to JetBlue that at least some of its staff are feeling alienated and resentful.  This incident could be a great chance to build a culture of solidarity and mutual support where employees know that they are united in commitment to superb customer service, and at the same time that the community will stand behind its members in the face of disresepct and abuse.

The New York Times report on the Slater incident is here:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/flight-attendant-activates-exit-chute-after-dispute-at-j-f-k-then-flees/?scp=1&sq=steve%20slater&st=cse

The list of Interesting Communities of Leadership is at

http://lovingwork.org/interesting-communities-of-leadership

Scott is scott@lovingwork.org and @scottdowns3 on Twitter.

According to an article in Fast Company, Microsoft’s top team received this kind of challenge from one of their own.  The article is an excerpt from a forthcoming book by Stan Slap called “Bury My Heart at Conference Room B.”   The date of the encounter is not given.

According to Slap’s account, Orlando Ayala, a Microsoft corporate vice president, chairman of emerging markets,  and chief adviser to their COO, challenged the top team, including Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, to bring the best of their personal values back to center stage in running the business.   Despite some initial resistance, the account suggests the team took up the challenge to raise the bar on their level of personal authenticity and integrity.

I don’t know first-hand how things are at Microsoft.  It’s my hypothesis, though, that leaders who are passionate and authentic about their values tend to create more value than those who aren’t. What does your experience say?

Here is the Stan Slap’s Fast Company article:

http://www.fastcompany.com/1677409/bury-my-heart-at-conference-room-b-microsoft

Here is Orlando Ayala’s corporate profile from microsoft.com

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/ayala/default.aspx

Each is trying to find a path to dominance in the next generations of technology, and neither is sure it ought to stay “married” to the other.

Here is the Economist piece:

http://economist.com/node/16693547