Mike Levy talks to David Taylor, author of 'The Naked Leader' and leadership visionary, about getting back to basics and fresh thinking on leadership. This article was previously published on LeadershipZone.
David Taylor is a leadership guru who hates the 'g' word. This isn’t just lack of hubris. Taylor eschews the notion of gurus and leadership seers. His is a very grounded approach: "I have the great fortune to work with thousands of people all over the world. All I have discovered is what works – and what always works." He is not at all complimentary about the mass of self-help management books on the market: "People have had it up to their ears with the rubbish they've been given in the last 20 years. All they want is clear simplicity about 'how to do things'". There is, he thinks, a huge opportunity out there for coaches and trainers in leadership.
This practical solidity comes from 25 years in 'real' business leadership experience. Once head of IT at Cornhill Insurance, his 'Road to Damascus' moment actually came at an inspirational talk given by Tony Robbins back in 1998. Robbins' classic 'yes you can' philosophy struck several harmonious chords with Taylor and he soon embarked on his first book, 'The Naked Leader', which was an overnight success and a subsequent bestseller. He was rocketed into the premier league of keynote speakers (from which he continues to make a healthy crust). Apart from his best-selling books (the latest of which is 'The Naked Coach'), Taylor is Honorary Professor of Leadership at Warwick University Business School, Business Ambassador for the Prince's Trust and coach/mentor/advisor to some of the world's bluest of blue chip companies (Tesco, BP, Procter & Gamble, Eon, Musanada (Abu Dhabi) and Coca-Cola to name a few). Add to this long list chairman and director of Woking Football Club ("It's my passion") and you can see that Taylor is a man of prodigious energy bubbling with ideas.
"Business delivery and customer benefit is the only game in town. Make sure every person in the organisation knows how they are contributing to a direct benefit to customers. Do this and you cannot go wrong"A product of the Internet age, Taylor's proud achievement is getting his Naked Leader Network off the ground and attracting over 80,000 member hits a day. Says Taylor, "The network is a virtual community that is attracting, connecting and uniting inspirational leaders throughout the world - those who really believe that the future has to be very different from the past." The function of the network is to connect influential leaders, to access the best leadership thinking from various sources, and to share and exchange information, answers and help. "Our central message is that it is your birthright to be the very best that you already are. No matter what your age, background, present position, fears and dreams, you have the right to live life to the full, to be fulfilled each and every day, and to help others do the same," says Taylor.
Taylor's inspirational message is now extending across the world. "We are helping a lot of organisations to get back to business. Many have lost touch with reasons why they started business in the first place. We are piloting this message across several companies in the Middle East; our pilot client in this respect is the government of Abu Dhabi," says Taylor.
What does he mean by 'getting back to business?' "It's about stopping organisations from just getting people to agree with the CEO's vision. We ask: why did people get excited to work for you in the first place? It is all about releasing the strengths of the people you already have without worrying too much about competencies ("perhaps the single most boring word in leadership" ) and expensive recruitment campaigns." Taylor’s recipe for getting back to business also includes collecting the minimum information you need to make a decision as quickly as possible. "With all the knowledge and data out there, many leaders have lost sight of simple 'how to' questions."
Does this back-to-basics navel gazing hold up in times of recession and crisis? Taylor believes there has rarely been a better time for some fresh thinking on leadership. "There are so many doom and gloom messages around. These just don't help people release their potential. During the good times, our message was seen as inspirational; in these bad times, many see it as the only way to get out of trouble." A company recently came to ask for help with its performance appraisal system that was getting into trouble. According to Taylor, he dipped into his vast resource of good practice and told them about an Australian company who had developed an excellent self-appraisal system that really works."
The ultimate question is, says Taylor, how does what you are doing help you deliver to your customers? "Business delivery and customer benefit is the only game in town. Make sure every person in the organisation knows how they are contributing to a direct benefit to customers. Do this and you cannot go wrong." But what about the bottom line? "I hear a lot of rubbish out there such as, 'business is all about making money'. No. Business is about delighting and satisfying the customer – do that and you will make money, end of story.
What message does Taylor have for coaches and trainers of leaders? "I say to all TrainingZone.co.uk members that there has never been a better time for you. People are screaming out for your help, your knowledge and guidance. The key is to give them practical solutions. Don't get hung up on labels such as training, mentoring, coaching – if someone asks 'what is the fastest way to build rapport with a member of my team?', give them choices and ideas for action, solutions rather than 'what do you think?'"
The current downturn, says Taylor, offers new opportunities for leadership coaches. "There is so much knowledge out there that people don't know what to do. The biggest gap in the market is for coaches who are bold enough to ask: 'do you have a problem? If so, I have some answers for you to try."
According to Taylor, people are getting tired of the softly softly approach. "There is so much rubbish out there about techniques: time lines, NLP – the technique does not matter a jot, what matters is the result. Don't position yourself as an NLP trainer or an expert in one area: position yourself in offering results. All I say is simple - but that is not the same as easy."
Join David Taylor's online community www.nakedleader.com
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Mike Levy is a freelance journalist, author, writing and presentations coach
www.writestart.co.uk
