Strategy Hero

S3E9 - Kate Leto - Self-Awareness as Strategy: Leading with EQ

What if the real driver of strategy wasn't frameworks - but emotional intelligence?

In this episode, Kate Leto - product leader, coach, and author of Hiring Product Managers: Using Product EQ to Go Beyond Culture and Skills joins us. With over 20 years of experience at startups, scale-ups, and global brands like Yahoo and Moo.com, Kate has seen first-hand how strategy often fails not from lack of plans, but from a lack of people skills.

Together, Kate and Simon explore the human side of strategy - why self-awareness, empathy, and emotional intelligence are essential for leaders navigating ambiguity and conflict.

What You'll Learn

Product EQ in Practice: How emotional intelligence transforms hiring, team building, and leadership.

Values That Work: Why co-created values matter-and how to make them live in daily decisions.

Self-Awareness as a Meta-Skill: Why knowing yourself is the foundation for strategy, conflict management, and influence.

Kate's insights remind us that the strongest strategies aren't just built on processes-they're powered by people who understand themselves and each other.

S3E8 - Martin Reeves - Reimagining Strategy with Biology and Creativity

What if imagination was the ultimate competitive advantage in business?

In this episode of the Strategy Hero Podcast, Simon Crowther is joined by Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute and a biology-trained strategist with over 36 years at BCG. Martin draws from his background to frame companies as adaptive systems, discussing strategy evolution, the role of imagination, AI's impact on advantage, and blending analytical rigour with creativity for long-term survival.

What You’ll Learn

• Adaptive Strategies: Treat businesses like biological species to build resilience in dynamic environments.
• Imagination Boost: Harness creative sparks to innovate and differentiate beyond mere efficiency.
• AI Navigation: Use AI for productivity while focusing on unique human elements to sustain advantage.

We explore Martin's books, Your Strategy Needs a Strategy for contextual approaches and The Imagination Machine for cultivating corporate creativity, plus thought experiments on technology's limits. Practical tips include viewing strategy as an ongoing, imaginative process rather than static plans.

S3E7 - Rita McGrath - Innovation in a Shifting World

Ever wonder how to succeed in a world that’s always changing? Professor Rita McGrath from Columbia Business School is disrupting how many of us think about strategy. Rita shares why holding onto fixed plans or competitive edges doesn’t cut it anymore, with examples like Kodak’s missteps and how companies like Fujifilm stay agile by empowering small teams to innovate fast.

Rita offers her take on how AI is here to boost human creativity rather than replacing it. She also shares practical tips from her upcoming book on navigating the digital economy, urging leaders to spot shifts early and embrace uncertainty to stay ahead in a constantly evolving world.

S3E6 - Neil Jurd OBE - Leading Through Chaos and Change

What does it take to lead with clarity in chaos? Neil Jurd OBE, former British Army officer, Sandhurst instructor, and LeaderConnect founder, shares how he guides global organisations. Shaped by high-stakes military operations, Neil’s philosophy hinges on connection and clear direction.
 
In this episode, we unpack why leadership feels complex, how pausing sharpens decisions, and explore his five principles, including the OODA loop—a rapid decision-making tool. Through “behaviour labs,” Neil builds trust and purpose, empowering billion-pound firms.
 
Discover how Neil Jurd’s insights can transform your leadership, bringing calm and focus to even the most turbulent environments.

S3E5 - Ray Collis - Reframing Transformation with Super Projects

What drives a project to transform an organization? In this episode, Ray Collis, co-founder of Growth Pit Stop, shares his “super projects” formula—blending ambition, confidence, alignment, complexity, and collaboration. You’ll learn how successful leaders manage bold initiatives by embracing uncertainty and fostering seamless team alignment. Ray’s “pit stop” strategy—pausing to regroup and refocus—offers a practical way to navigate challenges and keep momentum.

From Big Pharma’s hidden innovators to boardroom successes, Ray’s insights reveal how to turn complexity into opportunity, celebrate small wins, and ask, “What does my team need to thrive?” empowering you to lead with clarity and unlock your team’s full potential.

Listeners can get an advance copy of Ray's book, Super Projects, by clicking this link.

S3E4 – Jim Longshore – Strategy Execution Isn’t About Firefighting

In this episode, Jim Longshore, Vice President at SBTI and author of The ABCs of Strategy Execution, shares insights from over 25 years of driving Lean Six Sigma deployments across manufacturing, healthcare, and insurance.

Jim reflects on his early career experiences at American Standard and Trane, where the integration of Lean and Six Sigma first clicked, and how understanding measurement systems and capability analyses transformed his approach to strategic problem-solving. He outlines the key components of a successful deployment, from having a single project hopper and champion, to building infrastructure that aligns improvement work directly to business strategy.

Drawing from real-world stories, like why recordable injury rates were misleading or how misjudged patient placement disrupted hospital staffing, Jim makes a compelling case for curiosity, clear metrics, and data-driven decision-making. He also weighs in on the future of Lean Six Sigma, the role of AI, and why leaders must resist rewarding heroics over consistency.

For anyone involved in operational excellence or strategy execution, Jim’s advice is simple but powerful: stop fighting fires, start preventing them.

Connect with Jim