The How of High Performance

Sally Henderson with James Williams on leading Coca Cola through the Olympics during a pandemic and the photo that changed how his team trusted him

James Williams spent 16 years at Coca Cola, the last ten leading their Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship from London to Rio to Tokyo. In this episode of The How of High Performance, he shares what happened when spectators were pulled just 11 days before the postponed Tokyo games and the photo he put in front of his team the next morning that said more than any strategy deck could. James talks about why he walked away from one of the most enviable roles in global marketing to come home and start again on his own terms, and the two things he learned across three very different cultures that he says every senior leader needs to get right. About the Show The How of High Performance is a podcast hosted by Sally Henderson, High Stakes Leadership Mentor, Author, TEDx and Keynote Speaker with 26 years of experience mentoring senior leaders. Why you lead gets all the attention, but it's HOW you lead that makes the real difference, especially when the stakes are high and the pressure is permanent. Every episode, Sally talks with a leader who has been tested in leadership and in life, with guests spanning C-suite business, Olympic sport, academia and the military, and asks them to share what they learned about their HOW under pressure. Please follow or subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps other senior leaders find the show. Sally's book The How of High Performance is available at amazon.co.uk and from all good bookshops. Visit sallyhenderson.co.uk or connect with Sally on LinkedIn.

Sally Henderson with Jon Dutton on what to do when the plan you've spent six years building collapses two months before delivery

Jon Dutton OBE has spent 30 years in senior leadership across sport, from the European Golf Tour at 22 to the Rugby League World Cup and CEO of British Cycling. Since this conversation was recorded he will be moving into the role of CEO at Team GB in July this year. In this episode of The HOW of High Performance, he shares what happened when key partners pulled out of a major global event just two months before it was due to go live, the board decision that followed, and why he offered his resignation that same evening. Jon talks about the three words that got him through the most pressurised day of his career, why he says he's at his best when he metaphorically gets punched in the face, and his one piece of advice that he wishes more leaders in boardrooms would remember. About the Show The How of High Performance is a podcast hosted by Sally Henderson, High Stakes Leadership Mentor, Author, TEDx and Keynote Speaker with 26 years of experience mentoring senior leaders. Why you lead gets all the attention, but it's HOW you lead that makes the real difference, especially when the stakes are high and the pressure is permanent. Every episode, Sally talks with a leader who has been tested in leadership and in life, with guests spanning C-suite business, Olympic sport, academia and the military, and asks them to share what they learned about their HOW under pressure. Please follow or subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps other senior leaders find the show. Sally's book The How of High Performance is available at amazon.co.uk and from all good bookshops. Visit sallyhenderson.co.uk or connect with Sally on LinkedIn.

Sally Henderson with Colin Burgess on what a military career and running operations at BAFTA taught him about training every day for the moment you hope never comes

Colin Burgess is Executive Director of Operations at BAFTA, but his career started at Sandhurst at 17, took him through infantry tours in Northern Ireland, helicopter flying in Central America, two years as equerry to the Queen Mother, and senior roles at Sky Studios before landing in the world of film and television. In this episode of The How of High Performance, he shares what happened when a soldier was bitten by a spider deep in the Belizean jungle and the numbness started spreading, and why the way he communicated in that moment changed how every person around him responded. Colin talks about security at the BAFTAs with A listers and royals in the room, being made redundant four times including once when he lost everything, and the difference between how civilian and military pilots are taught to deal with the worst case scenario — a distinction that has shaped every leadership decision he's made since. About the Show The How of High Performance is a podcast hosted by Sally Henderson, High Stakes Leadership Mentor, Author, TEDx and Keynote Speaker with 26 years of experience mentoring senior leaders. Why you lead gets all the attention, but it's HOW you lead that makes the real difference, especially when the stakes are high and the pressure is permanent. Every episode, Sally talks with a leader who has been tested in leadership and in life, with guests spanning C-suite business, Olympic sport, academia and the military, and asks them to share what they learned about their HOW under pressure. Please follow or subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps other senior leaders find the show. Sally's book The How of High Performance is available at amazon.co.uk and from all good bookshops. Visit sallyhenderson.co.uk or connect with Sally on LinkedIn.

Sally Henderson with Jackson Wray on captaining Saracens through the biggest scandal in English rugby and what he learned about leadership that you can't fake when it matters

Jackson Wray spent 20 years at Saracens, made 309 appearances and won five Premierships and three European Cups before retiring on his own terms with years still left on his contract. In this episode of The How of High Performance he talks about the morning his team were told they were being relegated, the away game two days later where none of it counted on the scoreboard but everything counted in how they showed up for each other, and why what he did as captain in that moment only worked because of the years of consistency that came before it. Jackson shares what he calls thunderbolts, the high stakes moments you can't prepare for, why shared understanding is the true leading indicator of a high performing team, and why his advice to senior leaders is rooted in something you have to practise every single day long before you need it. About the Show The How of High Performance is a podcast hosted by Sally Henderson, High Stakes Leadership Mentor, Author, TEDx and Keynote Speaker with 26 years of experience mentoring senior leaders. Why you lead gets all the attention, but it's HOW you lead that makes the real difference, especially when the stakes are high and the pressure is permanent. Every episode, Sally talks with a leader who has been tested in leadership and in life, with guests spanning C-suite business, Olympic sport, academia and the military, and asks them to share what they learned about their HOW under pressure. Please follow or subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps other senior leaders find the show. Sally's book The How of High Performance is available at amazon.co.uk and from all good bookshops. Visit sallyhenderson.co.uk or connect with Sally on LinkedIn.

Sally Henderson with Kerttu Inkeroinen on leaving Coca Cola for a startup with no marketing budget and what it taught her about leading when the certainty disappears

Kerttu Inkeroinen built her career at Kimberly Clark and Coca Cola before taking a salary cut to join a specialty coffee startup with no marketing budget, and is now CMO of Lucky Saint, a promotion that came since this episode was recorded. In this episode of The How of High Performance she talks about the morning COVID wiped out most of Union Coffee's revenue and how the leadership team she calls the three musketeers turned that into one of the most energising periods of her career. Kerttu shares why she believes the more senior you are the more stress you need to absorb rather than spread, why clarity matters more than certainty, and her one piece of advice comes from a question most people avoid asking themselves until it's too late. About the Show The How of High Performance is a podcast hosted by Sally Henderson, High Stakes Leadership Mentor, Author, TEDx and Keynote Speaker with 26 years of experience mentoring senior leaders. Why you lead gets all the attention, but it's HOW you lead that makes the real difference, especially when the stakes are high and the pressure is permanent. Every episode, Sally talks with a leader who has been tested in leadership and in life, with guests spanning C-suite business, Olympic sport, academia and the military, and asks them to share what they learned about their HOW under pressure. Please follow or subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts - it helps other senior leaders find the show. Sally's book The How of High Performance is available at amazon.co.uk and from all good bookshops. Visit sallyhenderson.co.uk or connect with Sally on LinkedIn.