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What actually makes a great CEO, and does it change when you go from leading 10,000 people to leading five? Jeannette Linfoot spent 25 years climbing from graduate trainee to CEO of Saga's travel division and Managing Director of Emerging Markets at TUI, before leaving the boardroom to found Brave Bold Brilliant and host the Rise Up Academy podcast. She breaks down the leadership lessons, hard calls and mindset shifts from both sides of the desk.

She explains:

- Why she spent years telling herself "I'm not entrepreneurial" - and why that inner voice was rubbish

- Why a leader needs to be like a helicopter: hovering above the business, knowing exactly when to land

- Why letting go of the tasks you hate is the easiest way to start delegating

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro

0:00:48 Who Is Jeannette Linfoot?

00:01:39 Growing Up In Manchester And Studying Economics

00:02:33 Graduating Into A Recession And Getting Rejected By Everyone

00:03:08 Landing A Graduate Role At Thomson Holidays

00:03:56 Becoming CEO Of Saga's Travel Division

00:05:03 Working Her Way Up To The Top

00:06:07 Why Travel Is A Brutally Low-Margin Industry

00:08:25 The Turning Point To Leave Corporate Life

00:10:28 Proving She Could Succeed Outside The Boardroom

00:11:11 What Makes A Great CEO

00:13:02 Leading From Having Started At The Bottom

00:14:04 "Mowing The Lawn": Making The Hard Cost-Cutting Calls

00:16:41 How Her Economics Degree Shaped Her Business Thinking

00:18:15 Why Business Is Personal

00:20:01 From Corporate Advisor To Accidental Entrepreneur

00:20:59 When Covid Wiped Out Her Income Overnight

00:22:05 How Brave Bold Brilliant Got Its Name

00:23:17 What Podcasting Has Done For Her Business

00:26:50 Jeannette's Leadership Philosophy

00:27:36 The Helicopter Theory Of Leadership

00:29:37 Leading 10,000 People vs Leading A Team Of Five

00:30:23 The Reality Of Losing The Corporate Brand Behind You

00:33:19 Silencing The "I'm Not Entrepreneurial" Inner Gremlin

00:33:57 Why Entrepreneurship Isn't For Everyone

00:37:27 How To Let Go And Start Delegating

00:39:20 The Hourly Rate Test For What You Should Stop Doing

00:40:02 Leading A Perfectionist Who Won't Let Go

00:42:16 Managing A High Performer With Toxic Habits

00:44:56 The Three Phases Of Business Growth

00:46:35 The Nine-Box Talent Matrix

00:47:55 Building A Succession Plan For Every Role

00:48:37 Three Pieces Of Advice For New Leaders

00:52:23 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Strategy

00:53:31 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Branding

00:54:14 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Marketing

00:54:35 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Sales

00:55:25 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Operations

00:56:30 Who She'd Choose To Run Brave Bold Brilliant

00:57:57 Where To Find Jeannette Linfoot

Jeannette Linfoot:

LinkedIn: Jeannette Linfoot

Brave Bold Brilliant: Brave Bold Brilliant

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