15 Jan 2019. Tonight marked the end of the beginning of the UK’s Brexit adventure. Five doors now stand between us and our future. Only one will open at 11pm GMT on the 29th March. Which door will it be? More importantly, what will it mean for your customers, your business and your people? No [...]
4 Jan 2019. After reflecting upon all of the fascinating conversations and interactions I have been fortunate enough to experience during speeches, workshops, mentoring and consulting engagements during 2018, I would like to share a few insights with you to round the year off … 1. If you can’t change the people, you need to change [...]
29 Oct 2018. I gave a particular energising keynote to a remarkable group of senior FS professionals at the FS Forum’s European Executive Summit at St Paul de Vence near Nice a couple of weeks ago. (The ‘Leading Change’ keynote went down a storm I must admit – reviews here.) It was a brilliant event and [...]
11 Oct 2018. 88% of change initiatives and business strategies fail to deliver what they set out to achieve. A similar proportion of mergers and acquisitions suffer the same fate. How can you ensure that your next change or strategy is the one in eight that succeeds? Change is inevitable. Unfortunately, successful change isn’t. And the [...]
July 9, 2018. Our departure from the European Union needs to be done on the basis of facts, rather than the dangerous untruths that we have been peddled for the last two years, argues Campbell Macpherson, CEO of Change & Strategy International and author of the 2018 Business Book of the Year, ‘The Change Catalyst’. [...]
21 June 2018. “Our biggest barrier to change is our success,” declared a senior executive during one of my ‘Leading Change’ workshops. Successful organisations automatically erect formidable barriers to change – with very few exceptions. When you are the market leader; when revenues are growing year on year; when shareholders are ecstatic and when your [...]
London 4 May 2018. Speech at the SII West Round Table. The Landmark Hotel. By Campbell Macpherson. CEO, Change & Strategy International Ltd Download the PDF of the full speech here. Good morning. It is a privilege to be here. What I am going to talk to you about this morning is my view on [...]
23 April 2018. I have just returned from a fabulous few weeks in Australia and would like to share some observations with you – as there are some great lessons for CEOs and Boards of every nation, namely: The law of unintended consequences The dangers of short-termism Don’t forget to innovate Put the needs of [...]
On Friday 16th March, The Change Catalyst was awarded 'The Business Book of the Year' at the Business Book Awards gala in London. It also won the 'Leading the Team' category. In announcing the overall winner of the evening, Alison Jones, Head Judge, commented: "The Change Catalyst is a book that frankly absolutely anyone in [...]
Why are Facebook and Starbucks becoming ‘Responsible Capitalists’? Because it is good for business. This is a summary of a 5000-word essay “Responsible Capitalism: Why change is necessary and what we can do about it.” Download the full essay here. Capitalism is at a cross-roads. If we don’t change the way we operate, we may [...]
One of the most insightful papers on the power of employee engagement was published back in 2004 by the Corporate Leadership Council, part of the Corporate Executive Board (www.cebglobal.com). They called it ‘Driving Performance and Retention through Employee Engagement’. It was the result of a global study of the engagement level of 50,000 employees [...]
It is impossible to transform an organisation without a culture that is ready for change. To thrive in today’s fast-changing world, leaders need to be able to take their organisations in new directions swiftly and decisively - as a reaction to new entrants, changing market conditions, disruptive technologies or new opportunities. To do this, their [...]
Change may indeed be inevitable, but change that is brought about without a comprehensive understanding of the implications is rarely a recipe for success. 4 July 2017. The UK electorate spoke last month for the third consecutive year and we now have a parliament that truly reflects the disparate nature of the national mood. This [...]
As published in the IOD's Director magazine - June 2017 Edition. The vast majority of change initiatives fail, as do a similar proportion of strategies, mergers and acquisitions suffer the same fate. How can you ensure that your next change initiative is the one in eight that succeeds? Strategic change expert Campbell Macpherson shares some [...]
Sixty-three million Americans cast the loudest of protest votes last November. They voted for change, any change and to put "only America first". They voted to bring jobs back to the US; for tough negotiations with trading partners; for greater protectionism; for an expanded military; for a tough anti-abortion stance and a greater emphasis on [...]
“Corporate cultures won’t change in financial services unless CEOs and Boards are forced to do it” says Campbell Macpherson. [NB: This article was published in Money Marketing on 7 March 2014. It remains just as valid three years on.] Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Chief Executive Martin Wheatley’s speech at the gloriously-named Worshipful Company of [...]
16 November 2016. That it is OK to lie? That it is OK to hate? That discrimination is OK if there is enough of you doing it? That if you have money and status, it is OK to intimidate people? That rational discourse and intelligent argument will get you nowhere? That scientific fact [...]
London June 28, 2016. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today declared that London will be separating from the nation previously known as the United Kingdom. “The only way to take back control of London will be to leave the UK.” “With 60% of Londoners voting to remain in the EU, I have been [...]
Reflecting on the many dozens of Leadership teams that he has worked with over the years, Campbell assesses just what makes a great leadership team… One of my favourite clients recently launched a new division, forming a new Executive Team in the process. Knowing how important this new leadership team would be to the success [...]