I'm doing something slightly nerve-racking...

Today, I’m launching a podcast. It’s called Beyond the Ceiling, and the first episode is live.

For about 20 years I’ve worked with founders, CEOs and their leadership teams. The conversations that stay with me usually aren’t about strategy... they’re about what happens as the business grows. What the founder had to let go of. What got harder. The things that didn’t go to plan.

Those conversations mostly happen behind closed doors, and for a while now I’ve wanted to bring some of them into the open.

So that’s the show: honest conversations with senior leader about the challenge of building a culture of shared leadership, so the business can grow beyond any one person. Messy bits included.

It’s for anyone whose business is starting to ask more of them than it used to. That means founders and CEOs, and the people working closely alongside them.

In future episodes, I'll be talking with business owners who have built and sold their business, senior executives who have worked alongside founders to help them build the right leadership team, advisers who guide them on the journey - and those who are in the middle of it all right now. 

"And now to my first guest..."

I was really excited that Chris Crook agreed to be my first guest. Chris is the founder of strategic insights and research firm, Nature, which he started from his spare bedroom in 2006. Over 20 years, the business has grown to around 80 people, is a certified a B Corp and has multiple industry awards to its name.

I've had the good fortune to work with Chris and his team for more than a decade, so it felt right to start with him. We talked about building an owner’s mindset across the team, making quality something everyone owns, and holding things together as the business got bigger.

A confession

I’ll be honest... I feel pretty nervous launching something like this. I love a good conversation, but when guests agree to give over their time, and the record button is flashing, I feel a strange pressure to ask the 'right' questions - and to make sure the conversation is one you'll enjoy listening to.  

We're at the beginning, and I have lots to learn, but if you do have a listen (please do!), I’d love to know what you think. Heck, it would be awesome if you could leave a review. 

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Until next time,
Simon