1. EachPod

"How" Matters as Much as "What" (ft. Andy Byford)

Author
Andy Byford, Chris Roebuck, Detroit Podcast Studios, Connor Trombley
Published
Mon 13 Dec 2021
Episode Link
https://perspectivesfromthetop.com/episodes/how-matters-as-much-as-what-ft-andy-byford-Jrb2ZsM2

"How" Matters as Much as "What" (ft. Andy Byford)

How one transportation leader makes people the key to punctual trains and better organizations

OPENING QUOTE:

“My view is you should stick to your principles. And it's certainly something I've always tried to do regardless of the prevailing narrative, political narrative. At the end of the day right is right and wrong is wrong. You've got to be flexible of course, in a senior leadership position. And you've got to understand politics and how to work with politicians, but equally, if something is blatantly immoral, illegal, or just wrong, you can't just ignore that.”

—Andy Byford

GUEST BIO:

Andy Byford is the Transport Commissioner of London, tasked with ensuring that everything from the underground and buses to riverboats and cycleways in one of the world’s busiest cities operates as they should. Across his career, he’s led the New South Wales state railways in Sydney, Australia, as well as mass transit for Toronto, Canada and then New York, his toughest challenge to date.  

Learn more about Andy Byford:

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS

[6:50] – Be a Leader in the Little Things

One hallmark of great leadership

Andy shares a story of one boss who insisted that all employees never cross a road when a red pedestrian light was showing. He believed in role modeling safety for employees and the public at large, even in the little things, and that inspired his employees when it came to the big things, too.

[17:44] – Finding a Footing in Troubled Organizations

The beginnings of cultural change

Andy Byford has made a name for himself in helping turn around troubled transportation organizations. One of the ways he does it? By honing in on the psychology of management, assessing how individuals are likely to react to certain changes and anticipating those reactions as best as possible. This proactive approach has been a major asset in all of Andy’s work worldwide

[27:30] – Radical Transparency

Sometimes confrontation is good (and necessary

As a manager or leader, the last thing you want is for your colleagues and employees to stay quiet about problems they perceive. Andy advocates for doing away with coded messages and faux politeness, insisting instead that every say what’s on their minds so that it can get out in the open and be addressed properly.

[32:03] – Bring Everyone Aboard the Train

Share your vision with your entire organization

In his work, Andy makes a point to make a video update every two weeks for the entire organization, including appreciation, motivation, and updates on current issues facing the railway. Is all of this information directly pertinent to every single employee of the organization? Not necessarily. But it helps everyone buy in and feel like they’re part of a united mission, and may just alter their behavior in small ways that add up to big transformational changes.

[37:55] – The Power of Asking

Showing empathy isn’t easy, but it can be simple

When leaders show they care about their people, those people will give as much as +25% more effort in their work, which adds up over an entire organization. But that empathy has to be genuine and known. Ask your people how they’re doing, and genuinely listen to the answers. Seek opportunities to communicate more than what you expect from them. You’ll be amazed by the transformations that occur

RESOURCES

FOLLOW:

We'd love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode. Feel free to DM Chris on social or shoot him an email at [email protected]

Check out more episodes and content on the Perspectives from the Top Website.

Learn more about Andy Byford:

Follow Chris Roebuck:

ABOUT PERSPECTIVES FROM THE TOP

Discover the secrets of success for you and your organization shared by the world’s leading thinkers, doers, and trailblazers. Join Chris Roebuck, Honorary Visiting Professor of transformational leadership, leader in military, business, and government, inspiring global keynote speaker, one of HR’s Most Influential Thinkers, bestselling author, and your host of Perspectives from the Top. The show reveals a treasure trove of insights from mega trends to practical strategies and actions to take your career up a gear. From government world shapers and business mold breakers to evidence driven academics and enthusiastic entrepreneurs, each episode shows you how you can immediately use these new ideas and actions to drive your success.

Learn more at: PerspectivesFromTheTop.com

ABOUT THE HOST

Chris has shown over 21,000 leaders in over 1500 organizations globally how they can discover their secrets of success in a way that meets and beats their organizations specific challenges.

Chris has done this across sector, culture, and geography - UBS, HSBC, KPMG & London Underground, legal firms to construction, tech and IT, to retail, facilities to scientific research, police to not for profit, pharmaceutical to SMEs. From the UK National Health Service of 1.4m staff and UK Government to the Red Cross in Myanmar, from Investment banks in London to Middle East Telecoms, from the Chinese Space Program leaders to HR Directors in India and global retail CEOs in Rome.

When he was the Global Head of Leadership at UBS, overseeing a staff of 70,000 across 100 countries, his team helped the bank transform organizational performance to increase profitability by 235%, market capitalization by 50% and win numerous awards. This is now a Harvard Case Study.

Chris has been quoted as a business leadership expert globally in the Harvard Business Review China, FT, Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, New York Times, Business Week, Time Magazine, Washington Post, Times of India, Straits & Gulf Times and many others. He judges business awards and has done over 350 TV interviews on leadership and business on BBC, Sky, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, CNBC & CNN. He’s also skied at 60mph by accident. 

ABOUT DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:

In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown’s processes to launch today’s most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. 

With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. 

Here’s to making (podcast) history together.

Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.com

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