Cutting Through
Helping experts
engage ‘outsiders'
in complex ideas
Leading a major change effort while navigating almost polar opposite expectations of a board and the employees is no small task.
This week's Cutting Through guest Adam Bennett shares his experiences leading such a challenge as the first post-privatisation CEO of the NSW Land Registry Services.
Adam transformed a previously largely paper-based government department into a lean and modern digitised and customer-oriented team. We talked about how to
- Engage the team as the CEO on day 1 when about half of them had been picketing outside parliament against the organisation's privatisation
- Think about both the mindset and mechanics of the first 90 days and beyond
- Bring humility and honesty to appeal to the team's adulthood (or, in other words, how to simultaneously avoid sugar coating what's coming while not creating dissent).
I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation as Adam shared deep leadership and communication wisdom.
Timestamps
00:38 – Get to know Adam
06:18 – Engaging team as CEO on day 1
14:22 – Approaching the first 90 days as CEO
23:16 – Importance of both employee and customer satisfaction
32:36 – Handling the heat of tough discussions or unpopular decisions
36:40 – Maintaining a positive workplace environment amidst great change
47:26 – Adam’s final two tips: Mindset and Mechanics
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