Simon Woodroffe created YO! Sushi and appeared as a Dragon on the first series of Dragons’ Den and will be educating delegates at TEN’s leadership cruise which is taking place between 25 and 28 May.
The TEN Leadership Cruise that will set off from Nice on 25 May sailing round the Italian Rivera and Tuscany Coast returning on 28 May. Guests on board the Sea Cloud II will be taking part in a leadership development programme designed for the higher echelons of FTSE 250 companies.
The event is the brainchild of William Montgomery, CEO of TEN and forms a key part his initiative with CEOs, board members and senior executives in large corporate companies all over the world to develop their skills in business leadership. Simon talked to TEN about his current business challenges. He says:
“I don’t speak much these days mostly because I have learnt the pleasure of not being a slave to my diary but I said yes to William when he asked me to speak and actually I said yes instinctively and immediately, I think because:
“His marketing emails (which they are) have so totally engaged me over the last few years that I was already a convert waiting to be called in.
“I love ships and this sailing ship is the best of it’s class in the world and the nearest to sailing a clipper that there is without climbing the mast.”
“I like to do workshop things that unfold over a few days and are not one night stands on the stage, I can get to know others and learn from them and hopefully share around some of what I have learnt, and right now I could do with a dose of this “
“I no longer run any business’s other than my own development of new ideas and licensing rights. To get to this my greatest challenge was finding out what I was good at and finding a way to stick to that. I know that what I love to do is to have ideas and see them realised and I love to communicate and enthuse others to do the same. I have done most things in time from legal and accounting functions to cad drawing and purchasing and I do believe that in the early days the more you know and can do yourself the better but I also know there are others better than I at most things and learning to compromise not ten but twenty thirty forty percent has loosed me to let go and let others. Find out what you love and are good at and spend 90% of your time on that and it stands to reason that you will get better results and be happier.”
Simon’s participation in the leadership cruise led on to the discussion about what makes a great leader. He says:
“I have met leaders who are creative and those dry and operational. Leaders who know their numbers well or like me can hardly read a balance sheet. I have met good, bad , loud and quiet leaders, those who work hard and annoyingly those who seem to swing through life hardly lifting a finger. I have however noticed that most leaders especially very successful ones don’t go around succeeding all day, they seem to have little shame in failing and can pick themselves up after a fall. For myself I left school at 16 with two O Levels and put success down to ignorance (of the perils ahead) and great enthusiasm.”
“I admire everyone with the courage to get up and do something regardless of whether they succeed or fail. I have been lucky enough to live through and been part of this entrepreneurial explosion of the last decade. Us Brits were always entrepreneurs from the naval exploration and trading of the 17th and 18th centuries to the British music and fashion invasion of America beginning in the 60s and today kids grow up in school wanting to be entrepreneurs as well as film or soccer stars.”
For more information visit askten.co.uk, email mail@askten.co.uk or call +44 333 666 1010. For an interview with William Montgomery please contact Melissa Neill at HYPR on +44 845 347 0027 or email her at melissa@hy-pr.co.uk.