December 15, 2014 by alt_admin

Leadership Tips from Maggie Timoney, CEO, Heineken Ireland.

8 powerful leadership tips from Maggie Timoney, CEO, Heineken Ireland.

Maggie spoke at the MII conference recently. She was not only a great presenter, but above all, an authentic presenter. Here were some of her top tips for leaders and aspiring leaders:

Know who your “first team” is.

Think about the level up and the level across and operate effectively at this level. The tendency sometimes is to focus on the team that are reporting into you only. You need to have a broader business perspective-not just your functional area perspective.

Be yourself

As Oscar Wilde said “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken”. Show up and be you. Work your best at being you-that’s where home is!

Be vulnerable

It’s ok to show you’re vulnerable from time to time. You shouldn’t have to have the answer for everything. And it makes you human, which people like and respect.

Be a voice at the management team table for the business.

Be someone who can understand the business and operate across the business. Don’t just be a voice for your function, blind to others.

Ambiguity and adaptability

Yes, use data and facts. We’ve never have so much access to both. However, have a tolerance for ambiguity and use your gut. You sometimes need to trust your gut to operate in a rapidly changing environment…and just let go. In a similar vein, flexibility and adaptability are also critical… and are only going to become even more important in the future.

Learning agility key

To succeed, you must be open to learning and to learn faster. Ask what have I learnt today and what can I do to improve tomorrow?

Build high performing teams

Look at your team and see who is best placed to do what. It’s difficult to ask one person to do it all. Understand their skills and get them to use their skills in a complementary fashion. And don’t allow your star to fade because of low performers.