Eileen:

Hello, and welcome to Soul of a Leader podcast, where we ignite soulful conversations with leaders. In today’s episode, Dr. Alicia and Dr. Eileen sit with Naomi Kent, North America President of In Touch Networks, to discuss leading with cultural impact.

 

Eileen:

Hello, and welcome to Soul of a Leader. Our guest is Naomi Kent, who is the President of North America of In Touch Networks. In Touch is a Deloitte Award-winning company, recognized as one of the fastest-growing technology businesses in Europe, but is now in the United States. They are experts in bringing elite professionals and employers to gather. They have revolutionized how companies hire board members and senior freelance professionals by eliminating recruitment costs from the process. We are here today and welcome Naomi. Welcome, Naomi to our show.

 

Naomi:

Thank you very much. Thank you for having me

 

Alicia:

Welcome, Naomi. It’s so exciting to have you on Soul of the Leader podcast. Did we leave anything out of that fabulous introduction?

 

Naomi:

I think you did a wonderful job of introducing me. Thank you. Yes. No, I’m half-American, half-British, so the business that I work for is headquartered in the UK, but has a subsidiary office here in Chicago. So I’ve been in the United States for many years, but I’m excited to be bridging the gap between the two countries, so it’s very exciting.

 

Alicia:

Yeah, I can hear that accent. I didn’t know. I said, “Okay. I think she’s overseas in London.” I can hear it.

 

Naomi:

I’ve been here for many years, yeah.

 

Alicia:

So I have a question for you. When you talk about your role or think about your role, what does servant leadership and authentic leadership look like for you?

 

Naomi:

Yeah, so I’m a big proponent of authentic leadership. One of the things that I find with teams, especially when you’re dealing with teams from different countries, which is what we have to do every day and what I’ve done in my career or my life, is that the authenticity of the leaders is what is really important.

 

Naomi:

That stands for, what your morals, and how you perform at work, how you show up, and the consistency that you bring every day. I’m very aware of the fact that I’m setting a standard, as a leader in business, and that, as a leader, you need to be fully aware of that, that eyes are on you, in terms of whether you’re being authentic all the time. So, no, I’m very supportive of that

 

Eileen:

As a global leader, living in the UK and the United States, how important is culture, as we are all in an environment now that is global, and leading with your best authentic self as it relates to culture?

 

Naomi:

I think it’s a challenge for anyone who is moving a business abroad. You have your local culture, and I think a lot of businesses make the mistake of wanting to move everything and replicate it 100% in another country. I mean, it’s just not about the culture. It’s about the products, the services you sell, the customer experience that you bring, and the levels of customer service that you need to have in certain countries.

 

Naomi:

I think that, as a business, you need to be mindful that you can bring over a certain amount of that culture, and experience, and, I guess, the reason why the business is successful, you can bring that over, but you have to be very quick to modify and make sure that it’s relevant to the local market.

 

Naomi:

So one of the things that we did, as we’ve set up the business in the United States and brought over a couple of individuals from the UK headquarters. They’re not the majority, it’s the majority local people, but we brought them over to bring over the culture and to essentially communicate that to the individuals that were there. But interestingly, we’ve created our own culture. We have different leadership. We have a different client base, perhaps, too, in certain instances, and even a different office environment. I mean, right now we’re all remote, but even our office environment before that was a little different from the one back home.

 

Naomi:

So what I really like to do is, I like to bring in what really works from the headquarters, and then modify it and make it relevant to the individuals who are there. This is not just me, every single person in the business is responsible for culture, and so it’s about who you bring on, and whether they fit into that mold, and whether they’re the right type of person. But, yes, it’s essential to have a little bit of the headquarters there, but obviously not make it the majority.

 

Alicia:

Yeah, and that’s a good process because you want it, it’s called blending it. You bring some good and you … with local, and you start blending it. But with that comes challenges, probably, and it could be good or bad challenges. How do you challenge others to be their best in the midst of trying to bridge different cultures, to then make your own culture locally? How do you challenge others in that type of process?

 

Naomi:

Yeah. I think with our particular business, a lot of it is about incentives, and, how do you incentivize your teams to perform in a certain way, or to perform in a certain direction that is beneficial to the business? So it’s really finding out what’s going to make that particular individual, sometimes it’s all down to the individual as well, what’s going to make them really incentivized to do what you want them to do?

 

Naomi:

So that’s a big piece, and I think that, again, it’s leading by example, and for all leaders out there that are doing it. I think we’re moving from British culture to American culture, and there are similarities, although a lot of differences, as we know. But there are also people who are taking businesses to countries where they don’t speak the language, they’re not familiar with the culture.

 

Naomi:

We watched movies when we were young, so we know a lot about American culture, just from growing up, but for a company that’s going to a country where you’re not familiar, there can be many, many challenges there. So, yeah, I think individuals have to be incentivized, and you need to understand the local culture in order to be able to do that.

 

Eileen:

Naomi, how do you figure out what incentivizes an individual? When we coach people, we have a values deck, and we always try to figure out what their core values are. What is a process or a leadership style that you use to discover that?

 

Naomi:

Yeah, I think there are a few things that we do. We have a psychometric profile that we have on every single new employee, and it’s really to understand some of these things, which are, what’s important to you, what part of the business are you going to be the best in, and we try to bring those individuals and put them in the best place that we can possibly put them. So psychometric profiling is a great one, and I recommend all businesses do it. Actually, I think individuals enjoy it and like it, too, because it gives them a chance to read about themselves and understand where their focus is and what their strengths are.

 

Naomi:

But I think, ongoing, we have weekly meetings with our teams, one-on-ones with an individual in our teams, and during those sessions, there’s frequently, again, like your list of things that you have to ask. We certainly try to be more proactive in asking individuals, where do you want to go, what’s working for you? We also put out surveys for our employees, as well, where we ask them what’s working, what’s not working, what are the challenges that you’re facing?

 

Naomi:

So I think just keeping that open discussion, that open dialogue, and also, it’s about people being able to trust you. There are lots of situations where people don’t want to speak up, and they don’t want to say something because they feel like they might be … it might put them in a difficult situation. We try to break that down, and we try to help to make people feel more comfortable with doing that.

 

Naomi:

I think, also, it’s about bringing on the right team members, making sure you run that by individuals so that they … If it’s a small team, having them not interview them necessarily, but having them have maybe a conference call or something with them, so that they can get to know them. But making them feel like they’re part of the solution, and they’re part of changing the business or moving the business ahead.

 

Alicia:

So I have a question. One of the things as a leader, so much is on our plate, so what do you do as a leader when you have to get everyone to have faith in that shared vision? What process do you take? How much time do you really spend with yourself to understand that I’m going to have to do X, Y, and Z to get the team to have faith in this shared vision, for me to make this change or to grow the business? What process do you go through?

 

Naomi:

I’m a big supporter of having individuals in that team who are your champions if you like. So let them in on this strategy or this plan that you have before you tell the wider group, so that when you do end up telling the wider group, you already have your champions in there who have already got on board with it, and they’ve already signed off on your ideas, and to even, again, incentivize them to get behind that change.

 

Naomi:

Change has been happening a lot recently in our business. We digitalized everything. We went to using certain types of products very quickly. People were working from home. There was a large amount of change, and I was just really impressed with how the team really embraced it. Again, we sort of made it as if, “Hey, this is a luxury to work at home. Let’s all get together, and if we can make this work, this could be something further ahead. We could be more flexible.”

 

Naomi:

We weren’t that flexible before this happened, and the team stepped up, and everyone has been performing at a very high rate, if not higher than before. I feel like people are more awake, and now they’re getting more sleep, and just a little bit more comfortable where they are in their homes. So I feel like that’s a part of it.

 

Naomi:

So having individuals who are going to be behind you, and then also it’s about, some people don’t like change, and you have to know who those people are. We all work with some, and it’s really important to present the change to them, possibly even one-to-one, in a way that they can see how they will benefit. So no surprises for people like that. They don’t want to hear the surprise.

 

Naomi:

So really, it’s about looking at your team. You should know your team really well. You should know how they react to these types of things. And again, just cultural changes or … And cultural change has happened, right. We all started working from home, and we didn’t get that interaction. But we have, in my team in the USA, we have three calls a day, video calls. Everyone has to have their video on. So it’s a great way to, “Oh, we’re all here,” and you sort of feel more connected actually than we did before when we would just see each other and say hi in the morning and bye in the evening.

 

Naomi:

So I think we’ve all seen the benefits of it. The question is, is when it’s not a good … that people can’t see how this is going to benefit them. I think that’s where it breaks down

 

Eileen:

As a business leader during this time of high change across the globe, how do you feel, especially in your business, when you’re bringing in elite professionals and employers together, how do you feel the leadership or the strategy for your role in supporting other companies has changed during this time?

 

Naomi:

Yes. During the change that we’ve just experienced, I would say that, in some cases, we have improved the way we work with people. As you mentioned earlier, we were a membership network, there are about 40,000 members worldwide, and we have events that we put on. During those events, in the past you required people to travel, you required them to be in a certain location, and it just, it’s not possible for everybody to do that.

 

Naomi:

But now we can have all sorts of events online, where people from all over the world … We had a gender diversity panel for gender diversity on boards recently, and we had three women in the UK, one of them on the West Coast and one of them on the East Coast. So we were able to bring this team together that otherwise would have been impossible. So I feel like we’re bringing more valuable content to our members.

 

Naomi:

I think the one thing that’s still missing, that we are getting a lot of requests for, is more of that networking, more of that interaction. We’re hoping to bring a lot of that back in, and we’re starting to do smaller forum-type events, where you have maybe 10 or 12 people on a Zoom. It makes it a little easier for people to connect.

 

Naomi:

So we’ve been doing that, but there are some challenges, and I feel like, again, even our team, we’re going to actually meet up for a few drinks after work on a Friday in a couple of week’s time. Everybody’s really looking. Usually, we go out once every couple of weeks, but nobody seen each other for so long, and I think the, bringing us together is really, really important. So we’re definitely missing out on that, although it does also have its benefit. So I’d say that lack of interaction is definitely where, again, we’ve seen both a positive and a negative reaction.

 

Alicia:

One of my questions I like to ask leaders, how do you make a difference in other lives? Is there a charitable organization or there’s something that your organization is passionate about that you connect with? What is that thing that makes you help those others, making a difference in their lives?

 

Naomi:

Yeah. So I’ll talk about the business first of all, and then I’ll talk about what we do as a team. So our business, for every member that signs up, we donate $1 to our foundation, which works with … I mean, we do all sorts of projects. One of them, we built a, I think it was a school in South Africa. We’ve also done a lot of work in the UK, and we were also donating to some of the charities in Chicago. So as a group, we enjoy taking part in those types of events, and actually, some of our employees did attend those.

 

Naomi:

In terms of us on a smaller scale, I’m a big proponent of internships and bringing on the next generation of leaders, potentially, and giving them a chance at getting that type of experience. As a small company, you really do get to see a lot as an intern. You’re not just in a cube, in a corner of a big company, given one thing to do.

 

Naomi:

There’s a lot of variety. I usually work directly with them on projects, as well, so they get to sort of day in the life of how I work and what I do. So I feel like we’re also giving kids a chance to … then I say kids, I call them kids, but they’re probably not. They’re probably adults at that point. But they’re just about to complete their college degree, or they’re just out of high school and they’re looking for some experience before they do anything next. So I’ve been involved in a lot of training and guiding a lot of those kids in internships, as well.

 

Eileen:

I see that you are on a board, and it’s Topos Teas, is that it?

 

Naomi:

Yes. Yes.

 

Eileen:

Tell us a little bit about that, because I am the biggest tea drinker in the world.

 

Alicia:

Oh, wow. I love tea.

 

Naomi:

So let me tell you, I’ll tell you a bit about this company. So I met the two founders, just by chance, and we got on like … we just get along very, very well. We work well together. There’s a great trust. I mean, we’ve known each other now, what, three, four years or something. They’re these two young guys. One of them was just finishing college, one had just finished about a year before that, and one of them just started making this tea in his kitchen or whatever, and they loved it, and then they started bottling it, and they said, “We’re just going to go into this business and we want to do this business together.”

 

Naomi:

Then I came in and I said, “Why don’t we set up an advisory board, because you need it. You guys are very young and green, and we can help.” They’re in Pennsylvania. So they’re in Whole Foods in Pennsylvania now, and also some places around New York. At the moment they’re looking for investment, but it’s … They’re working so hard, though. These guys are really impressive. I just love working with them. We problem-solve and chat through possibilities of what types of investments might be there.

 

Naomi:

It’s really just, again, it’s this culture thing, right. It’s basically, I feel like there’s such a great connection between the three of us, and there’s another advisory board member actually, that we get along really well with. So it’s a pleasure to work with them. It’s a small equity share, so it’s not … we’re not going to be a millionaire any time soon, but I just really enjoy the advisory part of it and I enjoy hanging out.

 

Naomi:

So, yeah, it’s great. The guys are good. But the tea’s really good, so it’s not bitter, it’s got a slight honey taste to it. If I can get one, I’ll have one sent to you so you can try it. They’ve got prebiotic, I think it is, prebiotic, not probiotic, prebiotic version of it as well. So, yeah.

 

Alicia:

Wow.

 

Eileen:

Well, Naomi, this has been a wonderful conversation, and as we close every podcast, we usually ask our guests to leave us and our listeners with some words of wisdom. If you could do that, we’d be most grateful.

 

Naomi:

Absolutely, yeah. So we’ve talked a little bit about culture today and about being authentic, and I want to combine those two themes. The business that I’m in right now, and even a few of the businesses I’ve worked at before, I’ve really felt at home and comfortable with the corporate culture that exists and the other individuals that work there, I’ve felt like I could be myself.

 

Naomi:

I’m a big proponent of being in a business where you fit in with the culture and you feel like you’re part of the business, you don’t have to be someone else, you can be yourself. So I think just the authenticity of that and the culture, make sure that you really feel like you’re in the right spot. It can make it a very pleasant experience, too, right. You can really enjoy your job if the people around you feel like you’re almost part of a family, where you really feel like you’re part of the group.

 

Naomi:

So that would be my one recommendation, for everybody to really think about, are they in a business where they have that, they feel like they’re part of the group, and that’s an authentic experience.

 

Eileen:

Thank you for joining us on the Soul of a Leader podcast. We are igniting a new way of leading with your soul and interviewing ordinary people with extraordinary impact. Thank you for listening to the stories of our leaders who will help and guide you on your leadership journey. For more information on our podcast, please visit our website at www.soulofaleader.com. Thank you for listening.