Posts by Marcus de Courtenay

Levers of Influence

“Leadership is influence.” – John C. Maxwell What Influences You? As Dan Pink reminds us, 40% of a leader’s job today is influencing. Given that in contemporary complex, interconnected organisations, we can’t get anything done by ourselves, one could argue...

Responsibility, Accountability and Leadership

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill  There’s no doubt that greatness and responsibility are inextricably interlinked. But responsibility is often connected with another concept. Business thinkers can use the words ‘responsibility’ and ‘accountability’ almost interchangeably. Either that...

Leaning In: The Difference between Being Accountable and Taking Accountability

Organisations run on accountability. As a consequence, few things preoccupy leaders more than ensuring that their teams take responsibility for their actions, decisions, and performance for the benefit of the whole. However, what it means to “be accountable” and “take...

Learning and Development in Industry 5.0

Do you feel like the world of work is changing? Well, it may help to know you’re not the only one!  Sociologists and economists try to group periods of human history according to the way in which economic activity (or...

Tension at the Top: Status and Leadership 

If there’s one thing that often derails a successful leadership career, it’s the siren call of status. At a certain level of career advancement, people stop being motivated as much by money. Regardless of the salary they reach though, they...

Co-Leadership: The Power of Plurality 

For a long time, leadership has been dominated by the myth of the lone leader. You know the type – that lofty figure standing at the top of the corporate hierarchy. Gazing wisely down on the organisation, power amassed in...