“True leaders inspire and help others”

Leadership, talent and culture are the three essential cornerstones of the business triangle, in addition to being the components that uphold successful organisations. So concludes David Roberts, a specialist in disruption, innovation and exponential leadership, who was attending the Galp Energisers Summit to share his experience

It could be said that David Roberts is a leader. Not due to the fact he recognises himself as such, but because his professional life shaped his character in this manner and paved the road he would follow. He began his career in the United States Air Force as a special anti-terrorism agent, an experience that would forever mark his view of what a successful leader is. Not due to the methodical and specific nature of the job, but due to the idea of serving and helping others. “True leaders inspire and help others,” he replies, without hesitation, when asked about the importance of leadership at organisations.

Invited by Galp to take part in this annual meeting, which was held recently in Lisbon, David Roberts talked to the roughly 1,000 employees from the company about the secret to continuous innovation, which ensures that corporate teams are always motivated, capable of taking risks without being afraid of making a mistake. “The secret lies in a triangle composed of three fundamental components: leadership, talent and culture”, he explains. It seems simple in theory, but the truth is that companies are not always capable of implementing these components in their system as a means of ensuring the business runs smoothly.

First of all, says the expert, organisations need to conduct an internal analysis to see if they have the right talent for the path they have chosen to follow. "And this can be done in two ways: by attracting the necessary talent or training the resources they already have”, emphasises David Roberts. The problem, he adds, "is that many companies do neither one nor the other." Another problem, he continues, is that in order to attract the best talent a company needs to offer a good benefit 'package' in which the salary is just a small part. "The company needs to appear attractive, with a good project, values and purpose".

The secret [to continuous innovation] lies in a triangle composed of three fundamental components: leadership, talent and culture

Another of the cornerstones of this business triangle is culture, which is fundamental in obtaining the best results. "Without this component, there is no point in having the best talent because we are not going to achieve our goals," says Roberts. That´s why we need to create an open and transparent culture that tolerates mistakes and failure. "Without this, there is no innovation and the company doesn´t develop", he warns. "Creating highly safe environments in which people can fail is the key to success", he reinforces. This will enable people to feel that they can take risks and "taking risks is the key to success".

Finally, David Roberts underlines the importance of leadership to complete this three-pronged approach. On the one hand, “good leaders create and attract good talent” and, on the other, “good leadership guarantees loyalty and motivation”, where good examples always come from above.

INNOVATION VERSUS DISRUPTION

More than just continuous innovation, the dynamics of the current world require organisations to focus on disruption as a means of evolving and guaranteeing a leading position in their markets. “In the 20th century, innovation was enough. In the 21st century, disruption is required in order to go a step further”, declares David Roberts defiantly. And he clarifies: “To innovate is to do existing things a little better, whereas disruption involves doing something completely new, discarding what used to be done”. There are countless examples of disruptive business, many of which are quite simple. This is the case of Tesla, which is forcing the automobile industry to reinvent itself, and Uber, with regard to mobility.

But how do we guarantee disruption? As far as David Roberts is concerned, the answer is simple and forces us to go back to the triangle of success. Here too, it is important to ensure that leadership is sufficiently clear and transparent to inspire and motivate talented professionals who are capable of taking risks in their ideas and projects based on a culture of excellence. “Exponential leaders don't try to change the world. They change themselves in order to inspire others”, he believes.

When addressing this equation, we mustn´t forget the importance of technology, which, although not the most important component, guarantees a large slice of a company´s success. “Technology and leadership only converge when we think about the future. Leaders look to the future and comprehend the future, inspiring people by showing them the way, while building the path that leads to the future", he stresses, adding that: “Technology is what helps us to understand what is going to happen in the future. Things change so quickly nowadays, so failure to understand the technology will lead us to believe the future is going to be the same as the past”.