Making TIME for Strategy with Richard Medcalf

This week on the Evolving Leader podcast, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender talk to Richard Medcalf. Richard is the founder and CEO of Xquadrant, a consultancy that he set up in 2017 with a mission to help top leaders reinvent their success formula and multiply the impact that they have on their purpose, people and their profit. Richard also runs Rivendell, an international peer community of entrepreneurs and CEOs. His book ‘Making TIME for Strategy’ was published in November 2022.

BONUS RESOURCES

0.00 Introduction

4.27 Can you start by telling us how you’ve come to be who you are?

6.42 Who is your book aimed at and what is the problem you’re solving for?

8.40 In your book you talk about how you see rising demand, constant overload and seemingly no hope except possibly more of the same. Can you give us a sense of what you are seeing in this regard and how have those demands have changed over recent years?

12.20 You talk about the power of strategic time as being the number one predictor of success as a leader, but the reality of immediate demands means that for many leaders this is out of their grasp. How do can they rethink this?

16.38 Could you walk us through your solutions and specifically the TIME acronym that you use and how that works?

21.28 In your experience working with leaders, how challenging is it for them to be honest about the time wasters vs the things that really add value? 

23.26 So, the tactical move doesn’t operate in isolation for the leader. Does it solve the problem or do they need to be thinking wider than this?

25.23 Can you give us an example of a particularly challenging type of conversation that leaders need to have that they may be avoiding or finding difficult to have?

28.08 From your perspective what are the specific mindset blocks that are of particular importance when making this work?

32.50 When you talk to leaders about having to shift their mindset, the block is often a feeling of helplessness or powerlessness. How do you help people cope with what’s going on inside them to deal with that shift in their thinking?

34.58 Turning to the final part of the acronym, what’s the environmental challenge? 

36.20 You point out that incremental progress is no way to beat infinity. Can you talk about the bold moves necessary to make real impact?

43.03 We’ve been talking about this from an individual perspective, but how does a team facing these challenges incorporate these?  

47.20 Richard, I want you to inspire us. What can I do when I get some time to myself to start my journey along some of these ideas, and I’d like us to think about someone at the start of their career as well as the more mature leaders?

The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 4:27 Can you start by telling us how you’ve come to be who you are?
• 6:42 Who is your book aimed at and what is the problem you’re solving for?
• 8:40 In your book you talk about how you see rising demand, constant overload and seemingly no hope except possibly more of the same. Can you give us a sense of what you are seeing in this regard and how have those demands have changed over recent years?
• 12:20 You talk about the power of strategic time as being the number one predictor of success as a leader, but the reality of immediate demands means that for many leaders this is out of their grasp. How do can they rethink this?
• 16:38 Could you walk us through your solutions and specifically the TIME acronym that you use and how that works?
• 21:28 In your experience working with leaders, how challenging is it for them to be honest about the time wasters vs the things that really add value?
• 23:26 So, the tactical move doesn’t operate in isolation for the leader. Does it solve the problem or do they need to be thinking wider than this?
• 25:23 Can you give us an example of a particularly challenging type of conversation that leaders need to have that they may be avoiding or finding difficult to have?
• 28:08 From your perspective what are the specific mindset blocks that are of particular importance when making this work?
• 32:50 When you talk to leaders about having to shift their mindset, the block is often a feeling of helplessness or powerlessness. How do you help people cope with what’s going on inside them to deal with that shift in their thinking?
• 34:58 Turning to the final part of the acronym, what’s the environmental challenge?
• 36:20 You point out that incremental progress is no way to beat infinity. Can you talk about the bold moves necessary to make real impact?
• 43:03 We’ve been talking about this from an individual perspective, but how does a team facing these challenges incorporate these?
• 47:20 Richard, I want you to inspire us. What can I do when I get some time to myself to start my journey along some of these ideas, and I’d like us to think about someone at the start of their career as well as the more mature leaders?