You don’t have to be a genius to be a leader of genius!
- Author: Kevin Gaskell
- Word Count: 448
Read the news article
I have been leading companies for 25 years, You don’t have to be a genius to be a leader of genius! – my earliest challenges were to rebuild a broken Porsche brand and then to inspire the team at BMW GB to achieve a 500% improvement in profit while transforming the service levels of an industry.
Since then, Kevin Gaskell has founded start-ups, driven turnarounds and built companies in numerous sectors. Our teams have won awards and been recognised as some of the best in the world. They have also created over GBP 3 billion in shareholder value.
Now that the immediate shock of the pandemic is receding, we need to lead our teams in a way which encourages agility and dynamic growth. My view is that people are incredible. Ordinary people, led well, can achieve extraordinary results. I believe that people can be inspired to stop chasing immediate rewards but rather think about building something that lasts, creating something of which they are proud. The principles and techniques of inspirational leadership are transferable. I help leaders and teams to deliver them:
1. High performance begins and ends with engagement. The leader’s role is to establish a clear vision of success. Everyone needs to understand what success will look like, what it will sound like and what it will feel like. What will it mean for the customer when we get there? Everyone in the team has a role to play so we give them the opportunity to get excited and engaged.
2. Challenges are opportunities for growth. Address the fear of change by discussing the new status we are striving for. Evaluate carefully the opportunities and the marketplace and deal only in facts. Get excited together by being enthusiastic about the freedom to make real and substantial change. Invite team members to move quickly.
3. Make it easy for the team to contribute. Build a clear, but simple, plan. Share it. Invite comments and ideas. Excite the high performers to become leaders at every level in the organisation. Be totally inclusive of talent and ideas – let people dream! Communicate the successes of individual’s ideas and improvements.
4. Praise first, challenge later. Provide regular feedback. Make heroes of the high performing teams by praising their approach to a challenge. A positive approach can be transferable to other areas. Leadership is about creating a positive culture and letting the team run. It is not the end of the world if it goes wrong.
5. Recognise that people are amazing. Leading teams to high performance is about creating the belief that ideas and challenge are progress. Set a positive example, be approachable, consistent, and make champions visible. Positive belief is an energy which transfers to others.
Further articles you may enjoy:
- (30)
Meet Bronwyn and Duncan Hesketh chat with Duane Rockwell about who Speakers Inc and WeSpeak Global are, the history, why they do what they do and more. Bronwyn Hesketh always said that she has THE coolest job on the planet. She gets to work with extraordinary human beings on a daily basis, connecting them with audiences […]
- January 2, 2023
- (17)
When the Show Doesn’t Go On: Hard Lessons From a Speaker No-Show If you’ve ever booked talent for a high-stakes event, you know the pressure: a packed ballroom, a waiting audience, and the expectation that everything will go perfectly. But what happens when your star speaker… just doesn’t show? We recently faced that nightmare with […]
- June 4, 2025
- (26)
Lewis Pugh — the UN Patron of the Oceans, a keynote speaker like no other. Known globally for his seemingly impossible swims in the world’s most extreme waters, Lewis doesn’t just make waves—he moves nations. What do you get when you combine elite athleticism, raw human determination, and an unshakeable mission to change the world? […]
- April 29, 2025
- (23)
A Generational Keynote Speaker helps today’s diverse workforce, the generational gap is one of the biggest challenges organizations face. From Baby Boomers to Gen Z, each generation brings a unique set of perspectives, work styles, and values. This diversity can be an incredible asset, but it also comes with communication hurdles, differing expectations, and sometimes […]
- November 6, 2024
- (73)
A common problem new pilots struggle with is avoiding a PIO or pilot-induced oscillation. So how do we Stop the Cycle as We’re all familiar with the concept of overcorrecting in a car. A deer runs out, you’re driving tired, you’re near the edge of the road, and you yank the wheel the other direction […]
- December 22, 2022
- (21)
Celebrate Customer Appreciation Month with Kerry Bodine — The Voice of Customer Experience April is Customer Appreciation Month, a perfect time to reflect on the relationships that truly drive your business forward — your customers. But appreciating customers goes beyond discounts or thank-you notes. It’s about crafting experiences that make them feel seen, heard, and […]
- April 17, 2025
- (17)
THE AI WORKFORCE REVOLUTION: THE AUGMENTED FUTURE The world of work is constantly evolving, and as technology advances at an unprecedented pace, it is becoming increasingly clear that the workforce of tomorrow will look vastly different from the one we know today. A new term has emerged in this brave new world— the augmented workforce. […]
- June 20, 2023
- (10)
The Mindset That Moves Mountains: 5 Speakers Who Turned Adversity into Power What if the next speaker you booked didn’t just deliver a keynote… …but ignited a fire inside every person in the room? ⚠️ These aren’t just speakers. They’re survivors, warriors, and visionaries who turned tragedy into triumph. They didn’t just “overcome adversity.” They […]
- April 16, 2025
