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The Crisis of Trust in Leadership: Rebuilding in an Age of Scepticism

IBEM staged an excellent event at Wedlake Bell LLP‘s corporate offices in London on 12th June, 2025.

Trust is one of the most vital forms of capital a leader has today. Amid economic turbulence and global uncertainty, people are increasingly turning to their employers and business leaders as a source of truth, rather than their institutions and government officials.

Trust, which can be defined as a belief in the abilities, integrity, and character of another person, is often thought of as something that personal relationships are built on.

Edelman’s Trust Barometer is in its 25th year, where it continues to spotlight global attitudes towards trust. For 2025 it finds that, more than ever, there’s an absence of it. The key takeaway is that while the world’s trust levels are low in numbers, it’s trust in government is the lowest of the four categories investigated. In 2024 the UK ranked bottom in trust levels for government (39 per cent); despite rising to 43 per cent in 2025 and no longer the lowest-scoring, it remains in a distrust zone.

Trust has become an increasingly important dimension of leadership across business, government, and society. Shifts in public expectations, new technologies, and evolving institutional dynamics have challenged traditional models of leadership and trust-building.

This panel discussion examined current trust trends and explore emerging frameworks for leadership in a complex and rapidly evolving environment. The conversation will focus on how trust can be understood, assessed, and cultivated in ways that align with organisational strategy and societal expectations.

Participants engaged with different perspectives on the future of leadership and the mechanisms available for sustaining trust at scale.

Discussion Themes:
· Changing patterns of trust: emerging factors influencing public and stakeholder confidence
· Approaches to measuring and valuing trust within organisations
· The role of technology and artificial intelligence in shaping trust dynamics
· Strategies for restoring trust after reputational challenges

All images copyright of David Jensen Photography
– Gallery: https://gallery.davidjensen.co.uk/trustandleadershipinachangingworldeventatwedlakebellllp/

Featured Speakers:

Rory Copinger-Symes CBE
After 37+ years of service in the UK Royal Marines, including a final posting with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii (2016–2020), Rory retired as a Brigadier in 2021. Since then, he has built a diverse portfolio across business, consultancy, and leadership development.
The founder of Commando Spirit, a premium alcohol brand inspired by the values of courage and resilience. He serves as a Senior Adviser to Bondi Partners (Australia) and SecureCloud+ (UK), and as a Non-Executive Director at Halo International Group, supporting Defence, security, and government sectors with advanced capabilities. He also work with Quirk Solutions, helping boards and senior teams navigate complexity and lead with clarity. Rory remains committed to giving back, serving as a Trustee of the Royal Marines Charity and Chair of the Old Pangbournian Society.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-copinger-symes/

Geoff Hudson-Searle
Non-Executive Director, C-Suite Executive, Serial Business Advisor for Growth-Phase Tech Companies, and Best-Selling Author
With more than 30 years of experience in international business and management he is the author of seven books and lectures at business forums, conferences, and universities. He has been the focus of radio/podcasts and TV with London Live, Talk TV, TEDx and RT Europe’s business documentary across various thought leadership topics and print media with The Executive Magazine, Headspring/FT, Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, Raconteur, AMBA, BCS, EuropeanCEO, CEOToday across his authorisms and has been a regular lead judge at the UK’s business premier awards event, The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards which is the UK’s most prestigious awards programme celebrating the innovation, success, and resilience of British business.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffsearle/

Richard Moir

Richard has been a firm believer in the value of the Chamber movement and active participant in The London Chamber and several bi-lateral Chambers/associations for many years usually as Director, Board member and Founder.

For example, The Belgrade Wealth Forum was one of his initiatives and he has on going interests particularly concerning inward investment and related service providers. As a market access and international business development specialist, Richard has an eclectic skill set and up to date knowledge in order to facilitate business and is recognised as an empathetic multicultural facilitator with wide sectoral understanding.
As a self-employed ‘strategic advisor’ he is currently retained, and has been for several years, by a wide cross section of companies, Harod Global investigative solutions, WakeUp Capital, NTLTrust, AltiaIntel and Dominion of Canada Rifle Association.

Plus pro bono activities for The Entrepreneur Studio, London Board of Crime Stoppers and other mentoring activities for young people. By way of background: Richard was born in Bermuda. His family, originally from Scotland/Ireland, moved to The Bahamas in 1958. His nationality is British. He attended boarding School in Edinburgh Scotland from 8-17. Clifton Hall and Merchiston Castle. Subsequently: York University, Glendon College, Toronto Canada. BA Hons. London School of Economics. MSc.Economics. Also attended The Sorbonne and Institute of Political Studies, Paris. Trained in International Private Banking and portfolio management Geneva Switzerland. BearBull/CMF, Geneva, Paris, Nassau. Lloyd’s Bank, NatWest Monte Carlo, Monaco. Private Banking Management .JH Minet. Lloyd’s of London Insurance brokers. International market access specialist, Lloyd’s market Insurance exams. The Sovereign Group. International market access strategic advisor. Financial services. Harod Associates. Global investigative solutions. Integrity and due diligence investigations. Memberships and other associations: Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Caledonian Club, Worshipful Company of World Traders, Institute of Strategic Risk Management, All party Parliamentary Group for International trade and logistics.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-moir-a444667/

Kruthika A. Bala

Kruthika A. Bala brings over two decades of experience driving growth, innovation, and impact across the global energy ecosystem, including industrial, energy, climate and natural resources. Based in London, she is the Managing Director of Resources Now, where she leads advisory and consulting on a range of issues including nuclear technologies and supply chain, natural gas markets, responsible mineral supply chains, energy geopolitics, and the energy transition.

With previous leadership roles at J.S. Held, Eurasia Group and Frost & Sullivan, Kruthika has led strategic engagements with executive teams in navigating multifaceted geopolitical, market, and sustainability challenges.

Kruthika regularly contributes to the discourse on energy, climate and the evolving global resources landscape. In addition to her executive and advisory board roles, Kruthika serves as Vice Chair of the Women’s Energy Network Alliance and Head of Energy Transitions and Critical Minerals at Lean In Equity & Sustainability.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kruthikabala/

Mark Tasker – Moderator

Mark is a partner in the corporate practice of City law firm, Wedlake Bell. He has more than 30 years of experience of advising clients on corporate transactional work in a variety of sectors including manufacturing, technology, financial services and the impact economy.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marktasker1/

Itinerary
5.00pm: Registration
5.00-5.45pm: Welcome drinks
5.45-6.45pm: Thought leadership
6.45.-8.00pm: Drinks, and networking

Douglas Lines, attending the event, was quoted saying: Fostering the culture of #trust is very important in today’s corporate environment where the new normal, in most companies, are working from home or outside the organisation.

This emerging new normal demands trust among the workforce to ensure that projects are handled and completed on time with the highest expected quality of work. Designing and developing a trust culture should be the role and responsibility of corporate leadership. This is because trust will empower the workforce to do their best work and position them to adapt and embrace the dynamics of the ever-changing corporate ecosystem.

Military, commercial and academia minds showed executive prospective why businesses put an awful lot of effort into meeting the diverse needs of their stakeholders, customers, investors, employees, and society at large. But they’re not paying enough attention to one ingredient that’s crucial to productive relationships with those stakeholders: trust.

Getting back to business requires a balance of meeting various stakeholder expectations. Whether addressing consumers, employees, suppliers, or partners concerns, using a trust framework at the centre of recovery plans creates a foundation for prosperity beyond the crisis of the day.

As leaders look to in still and build trust with their stakeholder groups, they must consider the individual needs across of the four dimensions of trust: physical, emotional, financial and digital. Balancing stakeholder trust is one of the most important items on executive agendas today.

Trust is one of the most vital forms of capital a hashtag#leader has today. Amid economic turbulence and global uncertainty, people are increasingly turning to their employers and business leaders as a source of truth, rather than their institutions and Government officials. Trust, which can be defined as a belief in the abilities integrity, and character of another person, is often thought of as something that personal relationships are built on.

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” — Stephen Covey

Trust in Leadership – Event – London, June 2025
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The Impact of Values-Based Leadership on Organizational Culture and Employee Morale

A key component of authentic leadership is ‘trust’. To put your trust in someone or something is a belief that you will not be harmed or let down.

In human relationships this also encompasses a belief in the honesty, integrity and judgement of the person being trusted. Trust plays an important role in leadership because without it, there would be no followership.

Leadership plays a crucial role in shaping organizational culture and influencing employee morale. Leaders set the tone by modelling behaviours and articulating the organization’s core values.

Effective communication, accountability, and recognition also contribute to a positive culture and increased morale. Inspirational leaders who build trust, empower their teams, and resolve conflicts create a conducive work environment.

Employees make decisions every day about whether to contribute to others and their willingness to help is crucial to group and organizational effectiveness. But in a competitive, often zero-sum, world of work, generosity can be a dangerous path. How can leaders foster it without cutting into productivity, undermining fairness, and allowing employees to become doormats.

You could use the analogy similar to a bank account, in my last book, “The Trust Paradigm”, I discuss the emotional bank account with the people in our lives.

The need to make constant deposits to enrich the relationship. If there are constant withdrawals from an account, we become bankrupt. An emotional bank account speaks of the trust that we have built in a relationship. The feeling of safety that we feel with another human.

Children feel safe with their parents because they know that come what may, they are there in their hour of need.

The deposits are in the form of courtesy, kindness, honesty and keeping your promise to another human being. If we are unreliable, disrespectful, ignoring or threatening to another person then these are withdrawals that eventually sour the relationship.

I was asked recently to read “Give and Take: A revolutionary approach to Success” by Adam Grant. It is an inspired read.

In his book, Adam Grant dives deep into the spectrum of altruistic to selfish personalities. Anyone, who reads the book, might be able to identify his or her own personal traits. It can differ in your personal and professional lives.

Moreover, as Adam Grant shows, you can apply the principles of giving and taking even in companies or communities. The book shows and encourages the benefits of giving instead of taking. Furthermore, it dives into the role of a giving personality and shows ways to avoid being exploited.

An interesting topic in leadership is how we establish and use dominance, we gain influence because others see us as strong, powerful and authoritative. When we earn prestige, we become influential because others respect and admire us.

‘Givers’ and ‘Takers’ behave differently in their interaction with others and how they stand to gain or lose out because of their innate personality. It came as no surprise that Grant was trying to advocate for people to be more ‘Takers’ than ‘Givers’, but he gives readers enough information on both sides for us to decide for ourselves the identity we want to take depending on the situation.

Very simply, ‘Takers’ are people who try to claim as much value from others as they can, while ‘Givers’ contribute value without fear of not getting their contribution reciprocated.

An interesting study at a Fortune 500 software company, a group of engineers worried that they had taken generosity too far. They had developed a norm of dropping everything to help their colleagues. The team was working on the code for a new laser printer, but frequent interruptions were delaying progress.

To avoid falling further behind schedule, a few of the engineers stopped giving. One said, “I am careful not to establish a reputation for being helpful, because people would come to me all the time.”
Another made a habit of snapping at colleagues who interrupted with requests. “You have to be rude,” he confessed, “or people will walk all over you.”

But most of the engineers knew that the success of the product depended on sharing expertise, and they ended up helping others during the day and working nights and weekends to finish their own tasks. This wasn’t a sustainable solution. Many sacrificed sleep and burned out, and the interruptions started spilling over into nights and weekends.

Leslie Perlow, a Harvard Business School professor, proposed a solution. The engineers could set aside windows during which they were not allowed to interrupt one another. After some trial and error, the team earmarked Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 AM until noon for quiet time, leaving the rest of the week for collaborative work, including helping one another solve problems.

Perlow found that the quiet time yielded above-average productivity for 65% of the engineers. Three months later the team launched the laser printer, right on schedule. It was only the second time in the history of the division that a product had launched without delays, and the vice president credited the quiet time as the reason.

Look at any group of people you would characterize as givers. You’ll find some who are reluctant to advocate for their own interests, some who are willing to drop everything to help anyone at any time, and some who are easily manipulated by empathy. But none of these behaviours is a necessary condition for generosity. To foster productive patterns of giving, leaders need to help employees understand these traps and provide strategies for avoiding them.

There are three payoffs associated with teaching employees about the power of agency, boundaries on availability, and perspective taking.

The first is saving your best employees those who exemplify collegial generosity from being taken advantage of and helping them to gain stature as successful givers instead.

The second is enabling employees who fear the risks of giving to contribute more to others and to the success of the enterprise.

The third is creating a culture of and reputation for generosity that attracts more givers to your organization and appeals less to takers.

Developing a refined view of generosity will help resolve a fundamental dilemma that ambitious professionals face today: Although giving behaviour is beneficial to organizations and ardently praised in the abstract by leaders, it often comes at the expense of those who engage in it.

Bill Gates was quoted by saying “There are two great forces of human nature: self-interest and caring for others.”

In many organizations, those forces come together with damaging effect. With thoughtful management, however, they can be yoked in such a way that caring for others becomes the best strategy for the most ambitious. Givers can become comfortable asking for favours as well as granting them.

Time can be spared for others’ projects but also protected for one’s own. Generosity can be guided in the direction of greatest impact. And organizations can gain ever-increasing benefits from the constant give-and-take.

I’ve studied and written quite a bit about core values as they relate to leadership effectiveness and the ability for an organization to build high-performance teams and drive the best possible business outcomes. I have explored the impact of core values on organizational development.

Behavioural norms and leadership competencies is the very foundation of how we emotionally connect to each other.

Most successful organizations that have heathy growth, sustainability and profitability, understand the importance of shared values and the connection to improved communication, building stronger relationships, and increased performance and results.

But without values-based leadership, there can be no real authenticity to the guiding principles an organization seeks to live and operate by.

Values-based leadership instils a common set of values in all employees, improving their cohesiveness and willingness to work together. Knowing that a leader or manager has similar beliefs often encourages employees to follow their instruction, increasing the chance of success with every goal.

This enhances engagement, performance, and even retention all which foster growth and profitability. Values-based leaders have specific traits and other qualities that make them the best at what they do.

Finally, a shared set of values in a team lends way to greater alignment. With the help of this alignment, employees and managers are free to communicate with each other, even on sensitive subjects.

Everyone is more open about their thoughts and opinions. It also improves communication with those outside the organisation by bridging the gap between company and client.

With stronger relationships people who have similar values to each other and to those of the organization will build stronger bonds, look out for each other, and engage in more meaningful interactions than those who renege.

Higher levels of performance generally derive from a high growth mindset, values-based leaders drive higher levels of performance by selecting and developing talent that connect with the purpose and mission of the organization.

A strong cultural environment, team members are willing to give more of their time, abilities and energy in achieving common goals. They put the team’s needs before their own.

Deval Patrick, Former United States Assistant Attorney General, once said:

“I very much believe in values-based leadership and that the values that I believe in and try to govern by are transcendent values.”

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Discover Your True Purpose in an Uncertain World

Co-authored by Geoff Hudson-Searle and Lisa Petrilli

“There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” – George Read

It is always a pleasure to join thoughts with my good friend Lisa Petrilli, combining her Fortune 500 experience with her profound ability to connect with divine guides, Lisa Petrilli guides extraordinary leaders to access their highest power and fulfill their truest callings.

This Valentine’s Day you will probably either send or receive a valentine from someone. More than a billion are expected to be given away in the United States alone. But just like many of our holidays, there’s a lot more behind it than just cards and gifts. There’s a true-life story. It’s a story that teaches us a lot about the true meaning of love, sacrifice, and commitment.

Interestingly, the London transport system, commonly renowned for ‘The Tube’ and ‘Mind the Gap’ reliably transports 1.34 billion people a year across its network and the busiest train station in London is Waterloo station which commutes 95.1 million passengers a year (research provided by transport for London http://tflgov.uk). The most common factor in any commuter’s possession is a mobile device, catching up of online dating, Facebook, LinkedIn, email or an embarrassing phone call for everyone to hear to the date, girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband about what is wrong with the relationship.

The facts, do we actually have time for our most precious relationships, do we give the time to build lasting, loving relationships around trust and values or do we constantly feel we can always do better with the latest API or technology app?

As children, we are taught that there will be one true love and that they’re going to solve all our problems and we’ll be happy forever, we are taught to wait for our perfect fit. But that’s not really how it works, is it?

Staggering advances in technology, communications and sciences across the world is one of the defining aspects of the last few decades. From social media websites to free video calling services from anywhere in the world just being a phone’s click away it would appear that the millennial generation has it all. But if we move past all the smartphones and gadgets and websites and take a hard look at the lives of Gen Y, we will notice that dating has become harder than ever.

Some people find it easy to fall in love, others not so much. We tend to fall in love with people who meet a certain criterion in our mind. This subconscious criterion is based on our past experiences, relationship with our parents or events that have happened in our lives. Based on each individual’s subconscious criterion, the reasons vary from person to person on why it’s so hard to fall in love.

When you think about it, despite feeling difficult, the problems people struggle with in dating sound pretty trivial.

For instance, we have been walking and talking our entire lives, yet walking up to an attractive person and opening our mouths to say “hi” can feel impossibly complex to us. People have been using a phone since they were children, yet given the agony some go through just to dial a person’s phone number, you would think they were being waterboarded. Most of us have kissed someone before and we have seen hundreds of movies and instances in real life of other people kissing, yet we still stare dreamily into the object of our affection’s eyes hour after hour, telling ourselves we can never find the “right moment” to do it.

I was recently having some very deep conversations with friends around life, the subject matter was ‘Do we live a life of One, Whole and in Truth?’. The general consensus of this conversation was that ‘life’ is incredibly complex, there are lots of things going on in our environments and in our lives and at all times, and in order to hold onto our experience, we need to make meaning out of it.

There is only one person to research depth on the subject and I found a quote from the great Albert Einstein that states:

“A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few people nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation, and a foundation for inner security.”

Like everything in life, it is entirely possible to be happy with just one person for your whole life, my belief is that this is based on two factors.

1. How much your motivations and purpose is for that person?
2. Is it a union of one, whole and are you being truthful to that person and yourself?

As humans, we are conscious of our own sensations, thoughts and feelings. We each have the sense of being a self-contained individual. What makes each of us unique? Our name? Our genes? Our environment? Or the person we have become as we inwardly determine every moment of our lives?

All people, whatever their race, education and background are united because there is an infinite creative force for all that is humane in the world. This is the underlying divinity of love which integrates together all who receive this inspiration.

Do we live in truth?

We live in a post-truth world. The problem is in the technological world of information and importantly the way we humans communicate via online and collaboration tools and apps, do we communicate the truth?

It takes courage to be the person you really are. There really is no magic pill or solution to make this happen, especially in a world that constantly sends you messages about who you should be. All of this talk takes you away from being true to yourself. It leads you to live the life you think others want you to have.

This way of living takes you away from authenticity and truth. You ignore your desires and retort to what’s not even a best second on what you truly want to do or the person you really want to be.

Thinking you can fulfill your obligations first, then pursue your dreams, is an illusion. It may seem to be the best option sometimes, but this way of viewing the world diminishes your value and power over the long run.

A scary source of factual information now reveals one in seven adults in a long-term relationship, is with someone who isn’t the love of their life:
• 73% ‘make do’ with partner – as ‘true love’ slipped through fingers
• A quarter of adults have been in love with two people at the same time
• 17% have met love of life since getting together with long-term partner
• Men are more loyal to partners
• 60% believe it takes 10 weeks to know if someone is right for them

Today I have the distinct pleasure of introducing a fellow senior executive and good friend – she is the world’s foremost authority on achieving Divine Mastery™, guiding visionary aspirants to reveal their soul’s blueprint for unprecedented success and deep fulfillment.

As a former Fortune 500 executive who led a $750 million business unit, Lisa uniquely bridges intellectual fortitude and spiritual wisdom, offering a revolutionary approach to manifesting conscious purpose.

She empowers high-achieving individuals to align their life’s work with their soul’s highest purpose, harmonizing ancient spiritual practices with cutting-edge acumen and redefining wisdom, power, and authority on a global scale.

Over to you, Lisa.

Thank you Geoff!

Beyond Success: The Hidden Blueprint for Extraordinary Leadership Impact

There’s a profound shift happening in the world of business leadership. While traditional success metrics remain important, a new understanding is emerging about what creates truly extraordinary impact. As someone who has navigated both Fortune 500 leadership and deep transformational work, I’ve observed a fascinating pattern: the most impactful leaders aren’t just professionally accomplished – they’ve mastered something far more powerful.

The Two Distinct Paths of Power

In my work with high-achieving executives and entrepreneurs, I’ve identified two distinct paths that leaders can take:

The Traditional Path:
– Driven by external metrics
– Focused on control and force
– Powered by willpower and determination
– Measured by tangible achievements
– Guided by strategic planning

The Path of Divine Mastery™:
– Guided by inner wisdom
– Focused on flow and influence
– Powered by aligned purpose
– Measured by meaningful impact
– Guided by intuitive intelligence

Most successful leaders excel at the traditional path. They’ve mastered the skills of strategic thinking, operational excellence, and performance optimization. Yet many find themselves asking: “Is this all there is?”

The Blueprint for Extraordinary Impact

What I’ve discovered is that every leader has a unique blueprint for their highest impact. This blueprint contains the coding for:

1. Your Natural Power Source
– How you most effectively influence others
– Where your natural authority comes from
– What energizes rather than depletes you

2. Your Impact Zone
– Where your contributions create the most value
– How you naturally inspire others
– Where your actions can make a global impression

3. Your Growth Edge
– Where your greatest personal growth will come from
– How you can make the greatest difference as a leader

4. What’s currently limiting your impact
– Where to look for hidden constraints
– How timing will play a role

5. Your Transformation Zone
– Where transformation will yield the greatest results
– How it will express for the deepest impact

Signs You May Be Ready for the Path of Divine Mastery

You might be ready for this deeper work if:
– Traditional success is beginning to feel hollow
– You sense you are meant for something more
– You want your success to create a legacy
– You’re seeking profound fulfillment and meaning in your life

The Business Case for Divine Mastery™

This is about significantly higher levels of achievement and deep personal fulfillment. Think of it as the Holy Grail for business. Leaders who access their full blueprint consistently report:
– More innovative solutions to complex problems
– Stronger team engagement and retention
– Better decision-making outcomes
– More sustainable business results
– Greater personal resilience

The path to extraordinary impact isn’t about abandoning what’s worked before – it’s about integrating a new level of mastery. It’s about accessing parts of yourself that have always been there but perhaps haven’t been fully recognized or utilized in your leadership.

The Call to Divine Mastery™ in Leadership

As the business world becomes increasingly complex, accessing your full leadership blueprint will be your advantage. You will have the codes to:
– Navigate uncertainty with both wisdom and strategy
– Create cultures of both performance and purpose
– Drive results through inspiration rather than pressure
– Build organizations that are both profitable and meaningful

If this resonates, you are ready.

I work with select visionary leaders who are called to extraordinary impact. To learn more about pursuing Divine Mastery™ and how it can transform your leadership, visit www.LisaPetrilli.com, where you will have special access to my Masterclass, “Divine Power Unleashed: The Hidden Blueprint of Those Caled to Extraordinary Impact.” Wishing you all the best of success in 2025!

Finally, having understanding and interests, we can join together in a common purpose. This idea is similar to the way different components of the human body fit together to form a whole healthy body. Each part depends on the others as long as they are not diseased, for the whole to function properly.

The million-dollar question is do we want to be One, Whole and live in Truth……

A great quote by Menachem Begin:

“Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth.”

Lisa Petrilli is the world’s foremost authority on achieving Divine Mastery™, guiding visionary aspirants to reveal their soul’s blueprint for unprecedented success and deep fulfillment. As a Fortune 500 executive who led a $750 million business unit, Lisa uniquely bridges intellectual fortitude and spiritual wisdom, offering a revolutionary
approach to manifesting conscious purpose.

Renowned for her groundbreaking Divine Mastery™ process, Lisa empowers high achieving individuals to align their life’s work with their soul’s highest purpose. Her proprietary methodology, harmonizing ancient spiritual practices with cutting-edge acumen, is poised to redefine wisdom, power, and authority on a global scale.

A sought-after speaker and advisor, Lisa has shared her insights at a United Nations environmental conference, the Naval Academy, and with many universities and professional organizations. Her upcoming book, “The Divine Feminine Mastery for Businesswomen” is poised to redefine the landscape of spiritual business literature.
Lisa’s journey from corporate powerhouse to spiritual trailblazer uniquely positions her to guide today’s leaders through the complexities of modern life and career, while accessing profound spiritual truths. Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisapetrilli/
https://lisapetrilli.com/

Geoff Hudson-Searle is a senior independent digital non-executive director across regulation, technology, and internet security, C-Suite executive on private and listed companies, and serial business advisor for growth-phase tech companies.
With more than 30 years of experience in international business and management he is the author of seven books: Freedom After the Sharks; Meaningful Conversations; Journeys to Success: Volume 9, GOD in Business, Purposeful Discussions, The Trust Paradigm and Scars to Stars Volume 3 and lectures at business forums, conferences, and universities. He has been the focus of radio/podcasts and TV with London Live, Talk TV, TEDx and RT Europe’s business documentary across various thought leadership topics and print media with The Executive Magazine, Headspring/FT, Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, Raconteur, AMBA, BCS, EuropeanCEO, CEOToday across his authorisms.
A member and fellow of the Institute of Directors, associate of The Business Institute of Management, a cofounder and board member of the Neustar International Security Council (NISC) and a distinguished member of the Advisory Council for The Global Cyber Academy. He holds a master’s degree in business administration. Having worked for corporate companies Citibank N.A, MICE Group Plc, Enigma Design, MMT Inc, Kaspersky Laboratory, Bartercard Plc, and RG Group around the world, Geoff has vast international experience working with SME and multinational international clients. International clients with which Geoff has worked include the British Government, HP, Compaq, BT, Powergen, Intel, ARM, Wartsila Group, Atari, Barclays Bank, Societe Generale, Western Union, Chase and Volvo.
Geoff has worked in a broad range of industries including software, technology and banking which has given him a range of different experiences and perspectives of what can work, the importance of good people, process and how these can be applied and amplified to deliver results in different scenarios and paradigms. Geoff is known for bringing in a fresh viewpoint and sometimes challenging the status-quo with a strategic approach delivering successful change management programmes and launching companies and products internationally that deliver results. Geoff’s areas of expertise lie in brand strategy, business communications, business integration, business development and improvement, capital raise activities, pre-IPO planning, capital raise transactions, M&A with full P&L responsibility, which ideally equips him to strengthen global companies, develop SME and international business, and marketing strategies.
The Trust Paradigm
At Amazon on all formats including Audible: buy now
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/geoffsearle

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Why we need boldness, courageous leadership and leaders with a vision, going beyond managing complexity to driving true transformation

Co-authored by Geoff Hudson-Searle, and Senior Board member professional Kruthika Anastasia Bala.

It is always a pleasure to join thoughts with my good friend Kruthika Anastasia Bala. I have always said the biggest issues in the world today is Leadership without Purpose, Trust, and Community – which has an obvious correlation to Societal and its Impact to the World.

“Dedicated, and aware of themselves and their contexts, bold leaders act out of integrity as opposed to conformity. This accompanies a values-based vision that inspires others to excel.” – Geoff Hudson-Searle

“Fortune favours the bold” is a common translation of an old Latin proverb – a proverb that could also be seen as an apt sentiment for anyone envisioning solutions to significant problems or the biggest opportunities. Generally speaking, boldness is a concept virtually everyone is familiar with.

Boldness is a concept virtually everyone is familiar with. But how many of us have the capacity to be bold in these troubling times? This extended period of disruption has been a challenge for many businesses, causing trials and tribulations still not yet fully overcome.

Amid ongoing volatility and uncertainty, businesses are faced with more insecurity, more global unrest, geopolitical risk, and more technology and data concerns than ever before. In turn, this places extra pressure on business leaders to act faster, more decisively and with more purpose; essentially, a call to arms for leadership to be bold.

But how should we define bold leadership? A standard dictionary defines the adjective ‘bold’ as:
(i) not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff;
(ii) necessitating courage and daring; and (iii) beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action.

Other definitions characterise bold leadership as the art of motivating others to act toward a common goal.

Naturally, of course, different leadership styles achieve this through different behaviours, and bold leaders are no exception.

Bold leadership should not be mistaken with the controlling command style of leadership, it is not ‘my way or the highway’. It is the idea of togetherness, even when we do not 100 percent agree but do share our purpose, vision and sense of humanity.

If we are going to lead in such a bold way, we need to understand the importance of self-development and learning.

Only by deepening the relationship with self can we create bold connections with others and lead courageously.

In recent years, there has been a call for leaders to be less demanding and more empathetic toward individual employees. The idea is that employees want and need leaders who listen, who are compassionate, who put people first, and inspire and motivate their direct reports.

The world of business today is extremely competitive, and to stand out from the crowd, leaders need to have the courage to be bold. Boldness in leadership is about taking risks, making tough decisions and charting new courses for the company. It’s about being fearless in the face of uncertainty and being willing to trust your instincts.

The other point I wish to raise is the importance of resiliency, like trust, resiliency is in great demand at the individual, team, manager, executive, and organizational levels. It is the ability to bounce back from any setback or contingency encountered. Resiliency is a skill that can be learned, and the more one exercises their resiliency fibres, the more adaptable a person or entity becomes in a world brimming with opportunity, yet subject to grave risk.

Eric Greitens, a former Navy Seal and Naval Officer once said about resilience:
“We all have battles to fight. And it’s often in those battles that we are most alive: it’s on the frontlines of our lives that we earn wisdom, create joy, forge friendships, discover happiness, find love, and do purposeful work.”

That ability to inspire resilience through words is becoming a lost art. Theodore Roosevelt talked about individuals being able to “dare mighty things” in pursuit of “glorious triumphs”, and stated it’s not the critic who counts, it is the person “in the arena” who is to be admired, even if they fail in their pursuit. It only takes one dynamic leader with the right vision and words to inspire a generation to overcome setbacks.

We also need to recognize that trust is personal, In the words of British writer George Eliot, “Those who trust us, educate us.” Truly building trust with our stakeholders understanding their concerns and their priorities involves a willingness to listen, learn, and hear. Building trust requires business leaders to make conscious daily choices, and especially to act on those choices.

And it needs to be mutual. When leaders trust their stakeholders, they enter an exchange that engenders opportunity: Leaders can prove their trustworthiness, and stakeholders in return can empower their strategic choices and innovations. In essence, mutual trust creates a followership that allows organizations to break new ground, traverse the seismic changes taking place, and emerge thriving on the other side of crisis.

Leadership trust creates the stable foundation for employees and their organizations to flex, adapt, and thrive in times of continuous change.

The behaviours that build trust are the very behaviours that manage change. Trust building helps teams’ step into ambiguity, stay committed to managing the unknown with confidence, and embrace change as an opportunity to learn, grow, and do great work together.
• Trust is an essential part of a functioning society.
• Public trust has eroded dramatically in the last two decades.
• Leaders can take steps to build trust and improve performance within their organizations.

Trust is an essential component of a free, democratic society. Faith in the process of laws and elections leads to a decrease in violence, an increase in social programs, and a willingness to sacrifice temporary individual interests in favour of collective societal interests. Political trust is especially important in times of crisis when citizens need reliable guidance from political leadership. For example, in the event of an epidemic, which always carries risk and uncertainty, it is essential that citizens trust the advice of public health officials to protect themselves and their communities.

Unfortunately, political trust has declined dramatically in the last few decades.

There has also been a decrease in trust in employer leadership, with workers decreasingly confident in employers’ leadership abilities, and willingness to deal fairly and honestly with them.

This is a problem because trust is associated with better performance. People perform at their peak when they can trust their coworkers to do their part, and they believe in management’s plan, and they think management has at least some interest in their well-being. Trust in the organization encourages workers to invest their best efforts rather than just getting by and follow guidance from leadership even when they may not see an immediate benefit.

Rebuilding trust is a long-term project that will require a massive collective effort, and long-term policy success. In the meantime, there are some steps that leaders can take to build trust locally in their own organizations.

A shared understanding and language to talk about the specific behaviours that affect trust can result in more productive conversations about team performance. Those conversations can even create stronger bonds between leaders and employees.

But leadership trust isn’t a one-off initiative. It requires continued effort from all team members. And it takes leaders who are willing to show integrity, change behaviour, and take on the hard work of collaborating across boundaries and dealing with differences.

Today I have the distinct pleasure of introducing a fellow senior Board member and good friend – she is a speaker at international forums and government, trusted and respected globally.

Over to you Kruthika!

Thank you, Geoff.

“GRIT and Leadership”

I would like to start the discussion today by saying that the world is no longer in need of leaders who simply manage the chaos. It needs leaders who can transform that chaos into progress.

Grit matters because transformation is messy, trust is fragile, and purpose without action is meaningless.

Leaders who embody grit are not defined by their position but by their impact. They have the strength to lead when it’s hard, the courage to act when it’s risky, and the persistence to see it through when others quit.

In a dynamic business environment, leadership today is not about maintaining the status quo, it is about transformation. The brisk pace of change in industries, driven by technology, shifting consumer expectations, and global challenges, demands leaders who can do more than manage complexity.

It demands leaders with GRIT – Growth Mindset, Resilience, Integrity and Tenacity.

Growth Mindset and Purpose: Adaptation in a Dynamic Landscape

A clear, compelling purpose unites teams, sharpens decision-making, and provides direction during uncertainty. For leaders, purpose drives action, especially in challenging times.

However, purpose alone is insufficient as progress is rarely linear, and setbacks are inevitable.

Leaders with grit see challenges as opportunities to adapt and grow. A growth mindset turns obstacles into stepping stones, driving improvement. Achieving a sustainable future requires persistence, flexibility, and resilience in the face of adversity.

Purpose drives growth. Mindset fuels perseverance.

Leaders prioritise long-term sustainability over short-term setbacks. Setbacks become part of the journey, not a reason to abandon the mission. By staying focused, they inspire teams to adapt and remain engaged even when progress slows. Purpose and grit form the foundation of transformative leadership.

Yet, a growth mindset alone cannot address the urgent challenges of 2025.

Leaders must balance long-term sustainability with immediate, critical issues. Supply chain disruptions, energy price volatility, and political uncertainty around climate policies demand swift action, not just visionary thinking.

In 2025, effective leadership means tackling short-term crises while staying focused on long-term goals. It’s about navigating the present while strategically shaping the future.

Resilience: Navigating Heightened Uncertainty

Change is rarely smooth, and transformation often comes with unexpected challenges.

Market disruptions, regulatory shifts, or internal resistance can quickly derail even the most carefully planned strategies. This is where resilience becomes essential for leaders navigating turbulent times.

Resilient leaders remain composed under pressure, viewing setbacks as opportunities to refine strategies and recalibrate goals. In the renewable energy sector, delays or funding challenges can push timelines back, but resilient leaders adapt and stay focused on long-term vision, understanding that obstacles are part of the process.

Resilience is contagious.

When leaders stay steady in adversity, they inspire their teams to do the same, creating a culture where challenges become opportunities for innovation and growth. Resilience isn’t just individual persistence; it’s about cultivating a resilient, forward-thinking team.

However, resilience alone may not be enough in 2025.

While it is important for dealing with immediate disruptions, the sector faces deeper, systemic challenges such as extreme weather, political instability, and market volatility. Leaders must go beyond “bouncing back” and adopt a proactive leadership approach. This means anticipating and mitigating risks before they escalate into crises.

Focusing too much on resilience risks ignoring the need for transformational leadership.

Resilience alone cannot dictate the pace or direction of change. Leaders must also engage proactively, driving change and collaboration to shape the future of the industry.

Integrity: Building Trust Amid Scrutiny

Transformation requires buy-in from teams, investors, and communities. That buy-in relies on trust and trust is earned through consistent action, transparency, and integrity. Leaders with grit prioritise these qualities, even when the stakes are high.

Trust is fundamental for driving change.

Leaders who value trust understand that meaningful transformation depends on the support of all stakeholders.

However, trust is not granted, it must be earned through transparent, principled actions. Even under pressure, leaders stay true to their values.

This is especially critical in industries under scrutiny, such as energy, mining, and technology. Stakeholders seek responsible leadership, not just results. When organisations face environmental or labour challenges, gritty leaders address issues openly, acknowledge setbacks, and foster collaboration for sustainable solutions. This transparency builds trust and engages stakeholders in the process.

Trust is not an outcome of success. It is a prerequisite.

By maintaining integrity under pressure, leaders build credibility and demonstrate commitment to doing what is right, even when difficult. This foundation ensures loyalty and support, helping organisations navigate turbulence and achieve sustainable progress. Trust, earned through integrity, is the foundation of transformative leadership.

However, integrity alone is not enough without structural accountability.

Leaders must institutionalise integrity through consistent, systemic action. In the energy sector, for example, declarations of sustainability often clash with practices like greenwashing and misaligned incentives. Leaders must embed integrity into business models and operations, ensuring that profits do not undermine environmental goals and that accountability systems are in place.

The challenge, therefore, is that integrity, while foundational, can become a buzzword unless it leads to measurable, enforceable commitments and clear accountability frameworks that align corporate action with global sustainability imperatives.

Tenacity: Driving Long-Term transformation

Transformative leadership in industries like energy and mining requires sustained effort. Change initiatives often take time to yield results. Whether introducing new technologies, navigating regulatory shifts, or adapting business models, long-term success is driven by tenacity, the persistence that keeps these efforts moving forward despite obstacles.

In the energy sector, transitioning to renewables presents significant challenges, including technological limitations, market uncertainties, and financial pressures. Tenacity is essential in overcoming these barriers. Leaders must stay committed to sustainability, continuously adapting their strategies to refine solutions and move past setbacks.

Similarly, in mining, pursuing sustainable practices requires overcoming environmental concerns and fluctuating market conditions. Success in this sector hinges on the ability to maintain a long-term focus while adjusting to changing circumstances.

Tenacity is not just about working harder but doing so with a clear purpose.

Leaders who demonstrate this persistence inspire their teams to stay committed, ensuring progress even when results are slow.

However, blind persistence can be counterproductive.

Particularly in industries shaped by market shifts, regulatory changes, and technological advancements. Leaders who are too rigid in their vision risk missing opportunities, especially as demand for sustainable solutions grows.

In 2025, tenacity must be paired with strategic flexibility. Leaders need the ability to adapt and pivot when circumstances change, or better alternatives arise. While tenacity is valuable, without flexibility, it can hinder progress and innovation in a rapidly changing world.

GRIT is not a vague notion of toughness.

It is a comprehensive, actionable framework for leadership. The challenges ahead are formidable, but not insurmountable. Leaders who combine grit with strategic foresight will not only navigate the turbulence but will lead the transformation.

This article is the expressed opinions and collaboration between two senior-level industry board professionals on their views and perceptions on the subject matter:

KRUTHIKA ANASTASIA BALA
Managing Director, Resources Now

Kruthika brings over twenty years of experience in growth and leadership across strategy, revenue, process and people with a particular focus on industrial, energy, natural resources and sustainability. She has led strategic initiatives in fast-paced, complex organisations with deep expertise in international consulting and advisory roles, she is a trusted advisor in solving complex business challenges. In addition to her advisory board roles, she also serves as the Head of Energy Transition and Critical Minerals for Lean in Equity & Sustainability and as

Vice-Chair of the Women’s Energy Network Alliance.
Contact details: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kruthikabala/

Geoff Hudson-Searle is a senior independent digital non-executive director across regulation, technology, and internet security, C-Suite executive on private and listed companies, and serial business advisor for growth-phase tech companies.
With more than 30 years of experience in international business and management he is the author of seven books: Freedom After the Sharks; Meaningful Conversations; Journeys to Success: Volume 9, GOD in Business, Purposeful Discussions, The Trust Paradigm and Scars to Stars Volume 3 and lectures at business forums, conferences, and universities. He has been the focus of radio/podcasts and TV with London Live, Talk TV, TEDx and RT Europe’s business documentary across various thought leadership topics and print media with The Executive Magazine, Headspring/FT, Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, Raconteur, AMBA, BCS, EuropeanCEO, CEOToday across his authorisms.
A member and fellow of the Institute of Directors, associate of The Business Institute of Management, a cofounder and board member of the Neustar International Security Council (NISC) and a distinguished member of the Advisory Council for The Global Cyber Academy. He holds a master’s degree in business administration. Having worked for corporate companies Citibank N.A, MICE Group Plc, Enigma Design, MMT Inc, Kaspersky Laboratory, Bartercard Plc, and RG Group around the world, Geoff has vast international experience working with SME and multinational international clients. International clients with which Geoff has worked include the British Government, HP, Compaq, BT, Powergen, Intel, ARM, Wartsila Group, Atari, Barclays Bank, Societe Generale, Western Union, Chase and Volvo.
Geoff has worked in a broad range of industries including software, technology and banking which has given him a range of different experiences and perspectives of what can work, the importance of good people, process and how these can be applied and amplified to deliver results in different scenarios and paradigms. Geoff is known for bringing in a fresh viewpoint and sometimes challenging the status-quo with a strategic approach delivering successful change management programmes and launching companies and products internationally that deliver results. Geoff’s areas of expertise lie in brand strategy, business communications, business integration, business development and improvement, capital raise activities, pre-IPO planning, capital raise transactions, M&A with full P&L responsibility, which ideally equips him to strengthen global companies, develop SME and international business, and marketing strategies.
The Trust Paradigm
At Amazon on all formats including Audible: buy now
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/geoffsearle

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The True magic of a Hot Air Balloon over Sri Lanka – and the value of an introspective mindset

I had the fortuitous opportunity to travel in a hot air balloon recently – the destination was Dambulla-Kandalama, Sri Lanka.

My excellent driver Shaminda drove me from Negombo to Dambulla, a very early start, but so worth the experience with Sri Lanka Balloon – https://www.srilankaballoon.com, truly magic in the air across the beautiful forestry and landscapes, a real adventure.

A hot air balloon gives us the time and space to see the world from a different perspective. You get a 360°-view whilst watching the sunrise – akin to standing on the peak of a mountain you took the time to climb up.

Experienced mountain climbers know one only gets breathtaking views at the summit.

Flying a hot Air Balloon in Dumbella

And did you know that hot air balloons were the first means for humans to fly?

We have Leonardo Da Vinci’s curiosity and ideas to thank for this. He was interested in how birds could fly for longer periods of time without constantly having to flap their wings, and started drawing gliders and the likes.

These were followed by complex calculations to understand the physics of flying. His sketches were used as an inspiration by the Montgolfier brothers for inventing the hot air balloon later on.

A balloon ride can be a great metaphor for life. There is so much we cannot control. We cannot control the direction of the wind and if we struggle against it, we will only waste our energy. When we allow ourselves to surrender to the wind we may notice the things around us in a different way. When we go up or down in the balloon our perspective will change.

The distance from which we look at something impacts our experience. When we are flying low to the ground, everything seems large and appears to be moving quickly. When you are flying high in the air, everything seems small and appears to be moving slowly. We can’t control which direction the wind blows us, but we can choose to rise above the struggles of the day to see them from a distance. When we create distance from our negative thoughts or feelings, they don’t seem so big; mountains become foothills, houses become toys, people become ants.

On our journey towards self-knowledge, our first impulse is often to turn inward, introspect and self-reflect. We give great weight to our introspections. Most of us are confident that our perceptions of ourselves are more accurate than others’ perceptions of them.

Yet psychological research tells us that introspection is often a highly inaccurate source of self-knowledge. An over-reliance on introspection sometimes trips one up and potentially decreases one’s performance, reducing decision quality and even undermining self-insight.

This distance gives us a bigger picture and often we can see things we couldn’t see before. We might notice other details or possibilities.

What I’m describing is a process called cognitive defusion which is a component of acceptance and commitment therapy and has shown to have a huge benefit on mental health and wellness. The goal is not to escape or avoid those difficult thoughts or feelings, it’s just to see them from a different angle. To create some distance, so that we are looking at them rather than from them.

Many of us learn complex information and concepts best through the use of story and metaphor. Metaphors are especially useful when understanding concepts of cognitive defusion. Finding an exercise or metaphor that works for you can be a useful tool for the difficult moments.

The hot air balloon metaphor is one of many ways to practice this technique of defusion. Other common exercises include observing your thoughts as a train on a track, or leaves on a stream, or playing with the words themselves (de-literalizing language).

I watched the pilot going up into the air streams, picking a current of wind, letting the balloon wander and then guiding it towards the landing area. This made me think of the analogy with the life path and realise that there is no correct way to approach life! Each person controls their life until reaching a destination. No matter how difficult the path, it all ends the same! It works with the concept that the universe adjusts to accommodate your decisions.

Embracing life while overcoming hurdles is a continuous learning curve. As you move forward, an open mind and self-awareness will help you respond to what the world throws at you.

You might not have got the life you wanted, but surely you got the life you needed. A life that pushed you in a direction you wouldn’t have selected on your own. A life that taught you lessons you didn’t even realise you needed to learn.

You make so much effort to control every aspect of your life. You always think you know what is best, but when you are faced with the unexpected you are left feeling distressed.

What you should remember is that life knows what is best for you. Therefore, the best thing to do is to embrace it by surrendering and enjoying the ride.

Surrendering is not considered a weakness it requires strength in order to recognize the moment in front of you while surfing the current of life. Learn to trust the process. Learn to let go. Accept what life is presenting you in any given moment.

Perhaps, I could be wrong. It is conceivable that everyone on the earth plain has a meaningful life in their own way, we all make choices, we all have dreams, and we all possess the ability to see out our individual outcomes, our purpose and trusting that the choices we make drive learning, expansion and growth.

Every leader eventually faces difficult circumstances. In these situations, perseverance, determination and courage is a must if you are to be able to achieve your goals. Without these traits, the opportunity to succeed becomes less because you don’t have the ability to persist.

There are countless examples of courageous leaders. The one thing that each has in common is their determination to continue pushing forward, despite what others believe, or what current circumstances continue to throw up at them.

The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, believed courage to be the most important quality in a man. “Courage is the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible.” When we are courageous, we step outside our comfort zone of predictability and familiarity and are exposed to new ideas. We can take in new information and broaden our understanding of the world, an important tool in overcoming adversity.

Having courage enables us to stay our course when external circumstances threaten to challenge our well-being. It empowers us to confront problems head-on, even if having doubts, rather than risk experiencing fear, resignation and victimization.

Through courage, we are better able to control our destiny and honour who we are and in what we believe. We have a chance to avoid even greater problems that might have resulted had we not been courageous.

We develop a psychological muscle when we push through fear. This muscle helps us when we need the strength and resilience to overcome or avoid adversity. The more we exercise this muscle, the more our self-confidence and faith will grow. We will feel empowered to confront problems head-on and courageous in challenging times that fill us with pain and fear.

Life is meant to take challenges and overcome hurdles and obstacles instead of having reservations on challenges. Success lies in going beyond the boundaries and leaving no stone unturned for achieving your goals. One has to read between the lines that what success lies in because pain is the only thing that tells that a person is alive.

When you believe in your purpose you can work through obstacles, overcome disappointments and endure hardship.

Everyone has a story, despite difficulties in family life, professional setbacks and extraordinary events like COVID-19. The journey of life is the learning’s, we all possess the determination, passion, drive, creativity and skills to create a foundation.

Business professionals and individuals in the great challenges of today’s business world have renewed responsibility for what business does best: innovate, invest and grow.

We are all extraordinary people and have the ability to share and provide wealth creation and richness to our surroundings – the bigger question is how much do we want to change and to be extraordinary?

In the words of Leonardo DaVinci:

“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

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The Season of Christmas and New Year Message

In a year filled with global, geopolitical and financial challenges and dramatic changes for everyone, we share gratitude with all our trusted colleagues, family, friends, and network.

The year was marked by historic elections and global unrest. People in more than 70 countries representing almost 50 percent of the world’s population went to the polls in 2024.
Voters in Mexico and the United Kingdom picked new leaders, while a former U.S. president was elected to a second term in the White House. Military conflicts continued as the Russia-Ukraine War entered its third year and the fighting surrounding the Israel-Hamas War spread.

A number of natural disasters also made headlines, most notably Hurricane Helene and flooding in Spain. Prominent deaths in 2024 included Aleksey Navalny and Quincy Jones. In pop culture news, Taylor Swift wrapped up her record-setting world tour, while Oppenheimer was the big winner at the Oscars.

With a calendar that was full of important elections and various constellations of international actors from the G7 to the European Political Community and BRICS, 2024 already hinted at a tense contest between ideas. Democracy versus autocracy, the West-oriented international community’s waning economic and political influence challenged by the world’s fastest-growing economies. Meanwhile, war and climate change are putting pressure on international cooperation and solidarity. 2024, as it seems now, will present even bigger challenges to new European and US leadership when the year wraps up let’s hope they’re ready.

Christmas is an incredibly busy period; however, this should not stop neglecting the ones who are closest to you.

The festive season is a wonderful time of year, filled with love, excitement and Christmas cheer. But for many people, including older people, the season can be challenging, and leave them more susceptible to feelings of grief and depression.

Maintaining social connections is crucial for good mental health, especially for seniors, but the power of Christmas to bring people together can also accentuate someone’s sense of loss and loneliness. This time of year, can bring back vivid and often painful memories of past Christmases’ and lost loved ones. Older people living alone may also experience acute loneliness at this particularly social time of year.

With the festive season revolving around tradition and sparking memories, it can bring into sharp focus the changes that have occurred in someone’s life, health and capabilities. Whether it’s realising that you can no longer cook your signature Christmas dinner, or that you’ll have to skip the traditional Boxing Day family walk, this time of year can be overwhelming for older people, or those who have seen a swift decline in health.

I have always said we need to take care of our mental health with the same attention we take care of our physical health, building a culture of workplace health takes time and commitment, but it can be done, and it needs to be done.

Christmas is a special time of year, and for many of us, it’s a time to come together with loved ones and celebrate the season. Spending time with family at Christmas can be a wonderful opportunity to create traditions, build bonds, and make lasting memories.

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can be overwhelming, and it’s important to make time for meaningful connections and communication with your family. Plan dedicated time for family meals, conversations, and activities, and make sure to listen and engage with one another. This can help you strengthen your bonds and create a sense of togetherness.

This Christmas time is especially poignant, as we reconnect with our loved ones, families and friends internationally. We wish you a very happy, harmonious and safe holiday season and let us look forward to a positive new year in 2025.

May peace fill all the empty spaces around you, your family and your friends and your colleagues at this special time of year, and in you, may contentment answer all your wishes.

Raise a toast to yesterday’s achievements and tomorrow’s brighter future.

May comfort be yours, warm and soft like a sigh.

And may the coming year show you that every day is really a first day and a new year.

Let abundance be your constant companion so that you have much to share.

May mirth be near you always, like a lamp shining brightly on the many paths you travel.

Work with the best of your abilities in 2025 and show to the world your power to create wonderful and superior things.

New Year 2025 may turn out to be a year when you are put on the road to everlasting success, love and prosperity.

Be the change that you wish to see at your workplace and take initiatives to make things better.

Wish your tomorrow is more prosperous, happy and successful than yesterday and today.

Looking forward to another year with hunger and passion to exceed at work and you are sure to meet with success.

Let new beginnings signify a new chapter filled with pages of success and happiness, written by the ink of hard work and intelligence.

May the New Year bring us more wonderful opportunities for success.

HERE’S WISHING YOU THE GIFT OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY THROUGHOUT 2025

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Nov 2024 IBEM Executive Autumn Dinner

IBEM staged their Executive Autumn Dinner 2024 in London.

Our speakers discussed transformation and innovation that explored new horizons and potentially which disrupts business models, and whether this requires an entrepreneurial mindset.

Leaders need to harness the power of relationships, put people first, enabling them to take on and solve daunting challenges enabled by a mindset that turns problems into opportunities that creates economic and social benefit.

Passion for ownership and collaboration, thriving in uncertainty, relentless optimism about the future, deeply inquisitive, open to new experiences and unique skills of persuasion are powerful mindsets and beliefs demonstrated by entrepreneurial leaders. The best entrepreneurial leaders are good at experimenting, learning and iterating that unleashes an ability to unlearn and relearn at an increasingly faster rate.

A vision led values-based leader is one that has a very clear view on purpose, vision and mission of the organisation that aligns to a “True North” and importantly leads by example in building trust within and external to the organisation. Typically, these leaders have a very strong combination of EQ/DQ/IQ coupled with a strong sense of curiosity and desire to continuously learn.

A growth mindset starts with deeply appreciating the changing context of the internal and external operating environment that unlocks adjacent opportunities. Having a deep understanding of the business’s currents core assets and capabilities equally allow for the identification of new innovation opportunities.

Trust is one of the most vital forms of capital a leader has today. Amid economic turbulence and global uncertainty, people are increasingly turning to their employers and business leaders as a source of truth, rather than their institutions and government officials. Trust, which can be defined as a belief in the abilities, integrity, and character of another person, is often thought of as something that personal relationships are built on.

No heroic leader can resolve the complex challenges we face today. To address the important issues of our time we need a fundamental change of perspective. We need to start questioning many of our taken for granted assumptions about our business and social environment.

Our by invitee executive guests received the richness of the event conversations and presentations throughout the evening. We covered various topics including the complexities of the macro-economic environment, leadership skills and attributes relating to positivity, curiosity, resilience, building trust and sheer determination amongst many others that unlock sustainable long-term businesses.

Our guest speaker, Stefan Dieffenbacher, touched on some insightful views of looking at non-core, core and differentiating areas of a business model and how and where to play in these areas equally demonstrating why some initiatives fail and the pitfalls to avoid.

Philippa Dempster’s sharing of her personal journey within Freeths was equally amazing as it demonstrates how having a leadership culture that is vision led and values driven can unlock greatness beyond traditional business performance, positively impacting the lives of so many.

Finally, Geoff Hudson-Searle reiterated how we are very excited about our journey of Entrepreneurial Leadership, resilience goes beyond merely weathering storms – it’s about using adversity as fuel for growth.

In leadership, resilience empowers CEO’s to be bold, meet challenges head-on, keep a positive outlook, and motivate their teams to push through. Resilient leaders stay cool under pressure, think strategically, and find innovative solutions to tricky problems.

Yet, there are always lessons to be learned when you take the time to reflect. This can set you up to navigate the future. And in doing so, you need to look beyond the past and to the future for solutions, new ways of doing business and new mindsets. Enter the importance of resilient leadership.

Leaders need to create an environment of continual growth, learning and improvement. You cannot achieve this in a negative, a better way, is in an inspiring, empowering way. This all comes down to having a culture of trust.

To build this culture, allow your people to share ideas, thoughts, suggestions and insights. In other words, ensure they know you trust them to be bold. This can improve relationships, connections and a sense of appreciation. When you build on trust and make it one of your company’s core foundations, you are setting your organization up to succeed and stand the test of time.
We look forward to continuing to develop this approach to leadership working alongside the guests and others to co-create a better future for us all.

Event Host – Geoff Hudson-Searle
Speakers:
– Douglas Lines
– Stefan F. Dieffenbacher
– Philippa Dempster

DOWNLOADS:
– Stefan’s slides – PDF
– IBEM Autumn Dinner – PDF

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The Power of Storytelling

Telling stories is one of the most powerful means that leaders have to influence, teach, and inspire. What makes storytelling so effective for learning? For starters, storytelling forges connections among people, and between people and ideas. Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people. When it comes to our countries, our communities, and our families, we understand intuitively that the stories we hold in common are an important part of the ties that bind.

In every culture, in every corner of the world, storytelling has been an intrinsic part of human communication since the beginning of time. From ancient myths etched on cave walls to modern-day novels and podcasts, stories have served as the lifeblood of human connection, understanding and growth. Beyond mere entertainment, storytelling offers a myriad of benefits for both the teller and the listener, weaving a tapestry of shared experiences and profound insights.

This understanding also holds true in the business world, where an organization’s stories, and the stories its leaders tell, help solidify relationships in a way that factual statements encapsulated in bullet points or numbers don’t.

I have written on the subject of ‘Have we learned from the Tudors and Storytelling’, ‘Are good story tellers happier in life and business and ………’Continued’ and ‘Do fables really convey the power in storytelling and education?’

Stories have value. As an author, I have come to respect their evocative power, I share many stories and quotations daily. But even these stories are like fingers pointing to the moon. At best, they replace a deluded cultural narrative or a misleading tale with a tale of compassion. They touch us and lead us back to the mystery here and now.

Perhaps the most interesting intersection in the business world is between mindfulness and technology, as they appear to pull in opposite directions.

Stories do grab us. They take us in, transport us, and allow us to live vicariously and visually through another’s experience. As I’ve said often in my work around presence, shared stories accelerate interpersonal connection.

Learning to tell stories to capture, direct and sustain the attention of others is a key leadership skill. Storytelling also greatly helps anyone speaking or presenting in front of an audience.

As Steven Spielberg once said:
“The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie, not necessarily one of my movies, brings a whole set of unique experiences. Now, through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time.”

A Hopi American Indian proverb says: “Those who tell the stories rule the world.” Well, just maybe these words of wisdom are totally correct.

A feature interview with author Salman Rushdie. Literature plays an important role in providing insight into society.

It is true that in our information-saturated age, business leaders “will not be heard unless they’re telling stories,” says Nick Morgan, author of ‘Power Cues’ and president and founder of Public Words, a communications consulting firm.
“Facts and figures and all the rational things that we think are important in the business world actually do not stick in our minds at all,” he says. But stories create ‘sticky’ memories by attaching emotions to things that happen.

That means leaders who can create and share good stories have a powerful advantage over others. And fortunately, everyone has the ability to become a better storyteller. “We are programmed through our evolutionary biology to be both consumers and creators of story,” says Jonah Sachs, CEO of Free Range Studios and author of ‘Winning the Story Wars’. “It certainly can be taught and learned.”

Consumers want to know they can trust a brand before they buy from it. But establishing that trust is a complex, convoluted journey that takes time. The customer has to know they’re in safe hands – and that is getting harder for brands to manage.

The equation for trust was easier in pre-internet days. You would know the local shopkeeper or the brand in your town. You might have friends or family who worked there. And you almost certainly would read about them in the local paper from time to time. The community would tell stories about the brand – and that was enough.

The story that goes before a brand interaction influences how much trust people will give. While great digital experience has been hailed as the holy grail for modern companies, consumers quickly become fed up with brands that fail to cater for unusual or bad user experiences.

Typically, these are experiences that don’t fit the normal user journey, such as customer support, resolutions, payments or something else that is hard to scale.

For that reason, brands have realised that engagement is key to customers – not only the purchase and user experience as you’d expect – but also general behaviours and more recently, points of view on global affairs and news.

In times of growing uncertainty, trust is built further when you demonstrate an ability to address unanticipated situations effectively and demonstrate a steady commitment to address the needs of all stakeholders in the best way possible.

The best business leaders begin by framing trust in economic terms for their companies. When an organization has low trust, the economic consequences can be huge. Everything will take longer, and everything will cost more because the organization has to compensate for the lack of trust it commands.

These costs can be quantified and when they are, leaders suddenly recognize that low trust is not merely a social issue. It becomes an economic matter. The dividends of high trust can also be calculated, and this can help leaders make a compelling business case for trust.

The best leaders focus on making the creation of trust an explicit objective. Like any other goal, it must be measured and improved. It must be made clear to everyone that trust matters to management and leadership. The unambiguous message must be that this is the right thing to do and it is the right economic thing to do. One of the best ways to do this is to make an initial baseline measurement of organizational trust and then to track improvements over time.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a famous Buddist monk whose core message to the tech leaders was to use their global influence to focus on how they can contribute to making the world a better place, rather than on making as much money as possible. Fame and power and money cannot really bring true happiness compared to when you have a way of life that can take care of your body and your feelings.”

As Jon Kabat-Zinn sums this up quite well when he quotes: “Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation, and healing.”

Finally, a story expresses how and why life changes. It begins with a situation in which life is relatively in balance: You come to workday after day, week after week, and everything’s fine. You expect it will go on that way.

But then there’s an event—in screenwriting, we call it the “inciting incident” that throws life out of balance.

You get a new job, or the boss dies of a heart attack, or a big customer threatens to leave. The story goes on to describe how, in an effort to restore balance, the protagonist’s subjective expectations crash into an uncooperative objective reality.

A good storyteller describes what it’s like to deal with these opposing forces, calling on the protagonist to dig deeper, work with scarce resources, make difficult decisions, take action despite risks, and ultimately discover the truth.

All great storytellers since the dawn of time — from the ancient Greeks through Shakespeare and up to the present day — have dealt with this fundamental conflict between subjective expectation and cruel reality.

Self-knowledge is the root of all great storytelling. A storyteller creates all characters from the self by asking the question, “If I were this character in these circumstances, what would I do?”

The more you understand your own humanity, the more you can appreciate the humanity of others in all their good-versus-evil struggles.

I would argue that the great leaders Jim Collins describes are people with enormous self-knowledge. They have self-insight and self-respect balanced by skepticism.

Great storytellers — and, I suspect, great leaders — are skeptics who understand their own masks as well as the masks of life, and this understanding makes them humble. They see the humanity in others and deal with them in a compassionate yet realistic way.

In the words of J.K. Rowling:

“The stories we love best live in us forever.”

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The Business Awards 2024 – Skopje – Macedonia

The sun went down on a beautiful day in Skopje – Macedonia this week, the red carpet and torches were in place, the champagne was ready, and The Business Awards 2024 had commenced.

Skopje is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country’s political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. Skopje lies in the Skopje Basin. Scupi is attested for the first time in the second century AD as a city in Roman Dardania.

Hotel Alexander Palace was the centre of the domestic business world on Wednesday 17th October, for this spectacle of an event.

Biznis Lider had to be commended for the success of a spectacular event that brought the finalists of the top 100 companies together to celebrate its success.

The Top 500 companies were reviewed through a strict evaluation by revenue category in Macedonia, the companies have a total revenue of 21.2 billion euros.

The goal of the awards was to encourage the development and strengthening of a positive business climate through the promotion of high business practice of the largest and most profitable companies, as well as the largest employers.

My keynote focused on collaboration, and international growth, and coming together to celebrate ambition, sustainability, innovation, diversity and resilience. It’s important that we celebrate business success stories and the role that this talent and ambition is playing in driving the Macedonian economy. A copy of my slides for the event can be found below.

The business professionals and individuals dealing with the great challenges of today’s disruptive and disrupted business world now have renewed responsibility for what business does best: they must innovate, invest and grow their organizations.

The business awards were a critical mission to shape the Macedonia’s future together, while recognizing the accomplishments of key businesses seeking to improve new standards in the business community through a prestigious awards ceremony, this set a strong message to leadership in businesses, senior officials, ambassadors and representatives from the diplomatic corps in Macedonia.

The awards focused on the spotlight, the cameras were live and the audience of 400 people applauded extraordinary leaders from Macedonia. Inspiring as a beacon for leadership excellence, uniting visionaries who, through innovation and resilience, shaping a future defined by impactful contributions. And which illuminated the path for future leaders, fostering a community that champions innovation, impact, and a shared vision for a better economy.

The main focus was to recognize, inspire and connect business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and innovators who have contributed to the economic growth and development of Macedonia.

The goal of the awards was always is to encourage the development and strengthening of a positive business climate through the promotion of high business practice of the largest and most profitable companies, as well as the largest employers.

Leadership is about excellence, uniting visionaries who, through innovation and resilience, shape a future defined by impactful contributions.

The business professionals and individuals dealing with the great challenges of today’s disruptive and disrupted business world now have renewed responsibility for what business does best: they must innovate, invest and grow their organizations.

Change and transformation can be radical and painful, yet many wait until circumstances force their hand even when they know that change must, and should, come. Whether change has been forced upon you, or whether you are openly seeking and embracing transformation, this book will arm you with tips, advice and techniques to spark fresh thinking about the status quo and inspire the innovation your circumstances demand for the creation of a better business environment.

Trust is one of the most vital forms of capital a leader has today. Amid economic turbulence and global uncertainty, people are increasingly turning to their employers and business leaders as a source of truth, rather than their institutions and government officials. Trust, which can be defined as a belief in the abilities, integrity, and character of another person, is often thought of as something that personal relationships are built on.

At one level, we are facing unprecedented opportunities. An interconnected world with tremendous, possibly unlimited, potential. Our ability to communicate instantly through multiple mediums is phenomenal. Online educational capabilities can elevate entire nations.

At another level, we are facing unprecedented risk – a war with no end in sight, raging inflation, fractured supply chains leading to food insecurity, millions of migrating people seeking safety, opportunity, or both, and climate change resulting in stronger hurricanes.

The Business Awards celebrated with a star-studded and excellent cabaret.

B.J. Fogg says celebration can be as simple as looking in the mirror and claiming, “Victory.”

Celebration is an event, not a destination. It’s the little pause where we survey the road we’ve travelled and the mountain we’ve climbed. We can have a snack, with our colleagues or friends, rather than alone in our office. We rest, we catch our breath, we contemplate the next opportunity ahead, before descending to climb again. But the fact that the interval is brief doesn’t make it unimportant, or harmless if neglected. Celebrating achievements great and small is high octane fuel for further achievement. We don’t just celebrate the win; we celebrate to win.

The challenge for people and businesses today is how to navigate through these two views, both of which are very real. We clearly cannot predict the future.

Organisations can gain resiliency and trust through having sound leadership at all levels and strong cultures founded on purpose, responsibility, and accountability. Long-term agility and growth come from that.

If this is implemented in conjunction with clear, concise direction from top management, and in such a way that the middle and lower layers within the company are fully engaged, then the results can be meaningful. However, it is not a one-and-done endeavour.

Even after the company is fully aligned behind a compelling strategy, leaders must continue to reinforce resiliency and trust from the top.

After all, the goal is not to simply navigate today’s needed changes but also to create an organization poised for more change, and sometimes this requires reinvention to travel the terraine.

On Thursday 18th October Geoff was invited to the Slovakian National Day in Skopje – Macedonia.

A meeting with Madam President of Northern Macedonia-Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and the Slovakian Ambassador in Macedonia, H.E. Henrik Markus gathered with senior politicians and ambassadors from other countries.

The speeches called for the deeper continued economic collaboration.

The Importance of developing business links with companies support its economic potential by providing capital to enhance existing industries, boosting infrastructure and productivity and creating employment.

The choir performed the national Anthem of Slovakia and Macedonia to the audience.

Final thoughts, resilient leaders possess the ability to overcome obstacles and maintain focus on their objectives, regardless of the challenges they encounter. They exhibit a sense of determination and perseverance that inspires others to follow their lead.

Moreover, resilient leaders can effectively manage stress and maintain a positive mindset even in the face of adversity. They do not let setbacks derail them, but instead use setbacks as opportunities for growth and improvement.

Resilient leaders are not only successful in the short term, but also in the long term. This is because resilience enables leaders to adapt to and thrive in ever-changing business environments. They can anticipate and respond to market trends, navigate industry disruptions, and seize new opportunities.

Additionally, resilient leaders are effective in managing and developing talent within their organizations. They create an environment that encourages growth and innovation, attracting top talent and retaining them for the long term.

As the business landscape continues to evolve in Macedonia, the role of resilience in leadership will become even more critical. Resilient leaders will be at the forefront of navigating future challenges and guiding their organizations to success.

In a rapidly changing world, leaders will face increasingly complex challenges. Resilience will be essential in managing uncertainty, adapting to technological advancements, and leading diverse teams.

In summary, resilience is a critical trait for CEO’s to possess to effectively lead their organizations. By being resilient, CEO’s can navigate through ambiguity, manage diverse teams, and drive organizational growth. Resilience enables CEO’s to make sound decisions, address conflicts, and adapt to changing market conditions, ultimately ensuring the long-term success of the organization and the economy.

As Fredrick W. Smith – CEO of FEDEX once said:

“Leaders get out in front and stay there by raising the standards by which they judge themselves – and by which they are willing to be judged.”

DOWNLOADS (PDF):
– “BUSINESS LEADER” AWARDED THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MACEDONIAN COMPANIES FOR 2023 – Article
– Geoff Hudson-Searle – Slides From the Event

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Carleton University’s Ethics and Public Affairs

Geoff Hudson Searle – IBEM – Carleton University’s graduate Ethics and Public Affairs – Slides

Geoff Hudson-Searle was nominated as an international guest speaker to the students in Carleton University’s graduate Ethics and Public Affairs (EPAF) program,

The group combines ethical analysis with social science to gain a comprehensive understanding of the options for solving particular public issues.

Considering the loss of trust and confidence in the world today; government, business and in relationships generally. Indeed, trust makes the world go round and right now we’re experiencing a crisis of trust.

I will be presenting a comparative analysis of trust in the public sector/government vs trust in the private sector. And why are members of the public distrustful of government and business.

Prior to the launch of ‘The Trust Paradigm Book’, I gave an interview on London Live, these themes that were discussed, are core to the observations and decay of trust in societal today.

Trust is one of the most vital forms of capital a leader has today. Amid economic turbulence and global uncertainty, people are increasingly turning to their employers and business leaders as a source of truth, rather than their institutions and government officials. Trust, which can be defined as a belief in the abilities, integrity, and character of another person, is often thought of as something that personal relationships are built on.

Please find the slides below (PDF):

Geoff Hudson Searle – IBEM – Carleton University’s graduate Ethics and Public Affairs – Slides