Description
Lawrie Philpott spent thirty years inside PwC before founding his own leadership consultancy, Philpott Black. In this episode we go through the actual jobs behind that CV: consulting assignments in Kuwait during Ramadan, Liberia, Nigeria, Kenya and Sudan, leading a flood control strategy for Bangkok, and a trip to the high Arctic that dropped to minus 76 with wind chill, all in the name of writing a better report.
We get into what actually separates someone who can do great work from someone who can also sell it, why "working in the organisation" and "working on the organisation" are two different jobs that most leadership teams only do one of, what a board is actually for versus what it's become, and the point at which a growing business genuinely needs one. Lawrie also gives his honest answer on the biggest bullshit in consulting: senior people showing up to win the pitch, then disappearing the moment the work starts.
If you're building a leadership team, thinking about your first board, or trying to work out why some client relationships last twenty five years and others don't, this one's for you.
Timestamps
00:00 Cold open
01:18 Introducing Lawrie Philpott
02:10 No career plan, and the four pillars: local government, Coopers & Lybrand, Philpott Black, podcasting
05:13 How one phone call led to Coopers & Lybrand
07:27 First posting: six months in Kuwait during Ramadan
08:36 Liberia, Nigeria, Kenya and the toughest job of all: Sudan
15:57 What actually makes someone entrepreneurial inside a big firm
17:12 The trick his mum taught him before big presentations
20:44 Becoming a partner: the internal test of "is he one of us"
21:41 Founding Philpott Black in 1996 with zero work on the books
24:12 What he actually looks for when hiring
25:37 The secret to twenty five year client relationships
28:36 Sales versus delivery, and "finders, minders, grinders and binders"
32:58 The biggest leadership mistake: working IN the organisation but never ON it
39:35 What most boards get wrong, and the case for a senior independent director
48:16 When a business actually needs a board
50:19 Mentors versus coaches, and "two ears, one mouth"
52:40 The Arctic Pilot Project: minus 76 in northern Canada
57:03 The biggest bullshit in consulting
*Who is Sabrina?*👋🏽 Hey! I’m Sabrina, a serial entrepreneur who can’t stand all the bullsh*t business advice and fakeness that’s found online in the world of entrepreneurship. I love having interesting conversations with ambitious entrepreneurs, so I’ve been doing this, recording them and sharing them with you 😊I want to show you all the TRUTH. What it’s really like running a business in different industries and the real stories behind the successes. Not just the glamourous parts of entrepreneurship. *Sabrina’s Socials*🌏 Podcast Website: https://n0bspodcasts.com🌏 Sabrina’s Website: https://sabrinachevannes.com🎙 Sabrina’s Solo Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3E9VGj26UgMS04rYwXrJ22?si=a04c40eef9444de1📺 Sabrina’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sabrinachevannes👩🏽💻 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sabrinachevannes📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/sabzyc🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/sabzyc⏰ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/sabrinachevannes*Guest Socials*🌏 Lawrie's website: www.philpottblack.com🎙 Lawrie's podcast: http://www.leadershiplistening.com/👩🏽💻 Lawrie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawriephilpott/📸 Lawrie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplistening/
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