True leaders tend to be successful at pretty much whatever’s given to them. (Philip Barnard)

In this edition of The Leadership Show, Simon Chadwick chats with four leaders who have spent the past five decades successfully building substantial entities. Folks such as Jay Wilson who built Roper Starch (sold to NOP World), Bill Pegram who co-founded and built Pegram Walters (sold to Synovate), Philip Barnard who built Research International from its founding days as a division of Unilever (sold to WPP), and Tim Bowles who built IRI Europe. This is one of the most fun podcasts to listen to thanks to Simon and his guests.

BTW, Simon wrote and presented an excellent paper at ESOMAR ‘07 for free download entitled “Leadership – The Men and Women Who Shape Our Industry”.

Listen to other podcasts in this series

 STARRING 

• Bill Pegram, Bill Pegram & Co, and gravitas
• Jay Wilson, Wilson Connexions and partner, Cambiar
• Philip Barnard, former chairman and CEO, Kantar Group
• Tim Bowles, former head, IRI Europe and former CEO, West Europe, Synovate
• Simon Chadwick, partner, Cambiar and gravitas (Host)

Timeline [35:12]
00:00 Intro.
02:08 Framework for good leadership (profit centres, giving responsibility to those who can handle it).
02:50 Encouraging entrepreneurialism (freedom to make mistakes, having a vision).
03:46 Are entrepreneurial leaders different/better than corporate leaders?
04:19 A creative excitement with the current generation of emerging agencies.
05:39 The 1970s and 1980s – the age of ‘gentleman amateurs’ (jewellery store anecdote).
07:45 Challenges in managing widespread change in the industry (change of ownership, bankruptcy).
10:00 Getting rid of ‘dead wood’.
11:34 Avoiding motivation systems that reward people equally (print department anecdote).
12:54 Being willing to challenge the conventional wisdom (pituitary glands of newts anecdote).
14:51 Filling leadership positions externally versus internally.
15:20 Thoughts on people who these leaders nurtured (Ed Keller, Nigel Spackman, Richard Silman, Michelle Norman, Barbara Martin, John Samuels).
17:36 The challenge of the american ‘can do’ attitude.
18:57 As a leader, ‘knowing what to do’ is not difficult if you listen carefully and can sell the message (IRI pricing anecdote).
20:39 Difficult moments (telephone company anecdote).
21:41 Deciding to start a company – Bill Pegram.
23:18 Resisting corporate creep (organisation chart anecdote).
23:59 Leadership heroes (Mark Abrams, Elmor Roper, Starch, Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman, Michael Vaughan, Richard Silman, Brian Goschalk, Dilbert, Philip Barnard, Doug Brown, Paddy Ashdown, Tony Blair, Eileen Cole, Stephen King, Jeremy Bullmore, Charles Darwin).
30:32 What the leaders are currently involved in (cottage building, archeology, snowshoeing).
33:17 Regrets.

Notable Mentions
Aegis.
AGB.
Alan Walters (Pegram Walters).
Art Nielsen.
Barbara Martin.
Birdsye.
Brian Goschalk (Ipsos).
Charles Darwin.
Dilbert.
Doug Brown (founder, AGB).
Ed Keller (Keller Fay Group).
Eileen Cole.
Elmo Burns Roper, Jr.
George Gallup.
Harry Truman.
INRA.
IRI.
Jack Welch.
Jeremy Bullmore (WPP).
John Betjeman.
John Samuels (ex. BMRB).
Mark Abrams.
Michelle Norman (CEO, Synovate UK).
Nigel Spackman (chairman, TNS UK).
Paddy Ashdown (former MP).
Pat Dowding (Pegram Walters).
Red Mottley.
Research Bureau.
Research International.
Richard Silman (CEO, Ipsos UK).
Ronald Reagan.
Roper Starch.
Simon Chadwick.
Stephen King (ex. WPP).
Synovate.
Tony Blair.
Trevor Richards.
Unilever.

Quotes
“I felt strongly that the key people in our company had to be entrepreneurial” (Jay Wilson).

“I think it’s as important to find the really high quality people you want in your business who don’t have leadership ambitions, and to nurture them…as it is to spot the leaders sometimes.” (Philip Barnard).

Thanks to freelance media and marketing journalist Jo Bowman for the use of her dulcet tones for the outro

Music 
Steffen Coonan and Theatrimus from the PMN

Series:Leadership