OM DENNE EPISODE
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What actually makes a great CEO, and does it change when you go from leading 10,000 people to leading five? Jeannette Linfoot spent 25 years climbing from graduate trainee to CEO of Saga's travel division and Managing Director of Emerging Markets at TUI, before leaving the boardroom to found Brave Bold Brilliant and host the Rise Up Academy podcast. She breaks down the leadership lessons, hard calls and mindset shifts from both sides of the desk.
She explains:
- Why she spent years telling herself "I'm not entrepreneurial" - and why that inner voice was rubbish
- Why a leader needs to be like a helicopter: hovering above the business, knowing exactly when to land
- Why letting go of the tasks you hate is the easiest way to start delegating
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
0:00:48 Who Is Jeannette Linfoot?
00:01:39 Growing Up In Manchester And Studying Economics
00:02:33 Graduating Into A Recession And Getting Rejected By Everyone
00:03:08 Landing A Graduate Role At Thomson Holidays
00:03:56 Becoming CEO Of Saga's Travel Division
00:05:03 Working Her Way Up To The Top
00:06:07 Why Travel Is A Brutally Low-Margin Industry
00:08:25 The Turning Point To Leave Corporate Life
00:10:28 Proving She Could Succeed Outside The Boardroom
00:11:11 What Makes A Great CEO
00:13:02 Leading From Having Started At The Bottom
00:14:04 "Mowing The Lawn": Making The Hard Cost-Cutting Calls
00:16:41 How Her Economics Degree Shaped Her Business Thinking
00:18:15 Why Business Is Personal
00:20:01 From Corporate Advisor To Accidental Entrepreneur
00:20:59 When Covid Wiped Out Her Income Overnight
00:22:05 How Brave Bold Brilliant Got Its Name
00:23:17 What Podcasting Has Done For Her Business
00:26:50 Jeannette's Leadership Philosophy
00:27:36 The Helicopter Theory Of Leadership
00:29:37 Leading 10,000 People vs Leading A Team Of Five
00:30:23 The Reality Of Losing The Corporate Brand Behind You
00:33:19 Silencing The "I'm Not Entrepreneurial" Inner Gremlin
00:33:57 Why Entrepreneurship Isn't For Everyone
00:37:27 How To Let Go And Start Delegating
00:39:20 The Hourly Rate Test For What You Should Stop Doing
00:40:02 Leading A Perfectionist Who Won't Let Go
00:42:16 Managing A High Performer With Toxic Habits
00:44:56 The Three Phases Of Business Growth
00:46:35 The Nine-Box Talent Matrix
00:47:55 Building A Succession Plan For Every Role
00:48:37 Three Pieces Of Advice For New Leaders
00:52:23 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Strategy
00:53:31 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Branding
00:54:14 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Marketing
00:54:35 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Sales
00:55:25 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Operations
00:56:30 Who She'd Choose To Run Brave Bold Brilliant
00:57:57 Where To Find Jeannette Linfoot
Jeannette Linfoot:
LinkedIn: Jeannette Linfoot
Brave Bold Brilliant: Brave Bold Brilliant
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