The Notebook: Andy Coulson on Succession, female leaders and Monday madness
After five days of ‘spoiler alert’ dodging, I settled down to watch the finale of Succession this weekend. Having caught the odd review headline, I was poised for something special. And yet … why did I find the ending just a bit disappointing?
The answer, of course, is simple: It Should Have Been Shiv. Tom’s coronation was probably more poetic and maybe even more dramatic. But for Waystar Royco and its new owners GoJo he was absolutely the wrong choice.
Consistently throughout the show it was Shiv who proved herself best able to navigate a crisis. To think differently and clearly. And more importantly, who demonstrated that critical CEO quality … grit.
Pregnant, grieving and in the midst of a messy separation, Shiv was the only cast member who was always able to push aside the emotions and act strategically. That is until the scriptwriters decided to take a u-turn towards Tom. A character who, until that point, had shown himself to be middle management material at best.
And therein lies a lesson for corporate Britain as it continues to underperform in recognising the strength of female leadership. If it is grit that matters most – that ability to cut through the clutter and manage the tough stuff – then leadership equality must come faster. That 90 percent of CEOs of Britain’s largest public companies are men is, in the considered words of Logan Roy: “A f****** disgrace.”
Just keep going
Baroness Martha Lane Fox, for me, provides the ultimate case study that exposes the characterisation of grit as a mostly male quality, as well wide of the mark. One of the first guests to join me on my podcast Crisis What Crisis, Martha told the story of her rise to success with Lastminute.com against a backdrop of misogyny, of being ignored in investor meetings and the focus of some pretty sexist media coverage when the business hit a low.
But it was her story of recovery, following the 2004 car accident that almost claimed her life, that showed Martha to be the Goddess of Grit.
She told me: “I do think that’s one of the things about crisis, to just keep going. You may not know what that one step in front of the next step – which for me was quite literal – will be but … just keep going.”
I was lucky enough to see Martha speak at a London conference just a few weeks ago. Knowing that just getting onto a stage is an all-consuming exercise in pain control for her, she delivered yet another brilliant, funny and inspiring performance to a roomful of HR execs. The best possible recruitment advert for the power of female leadership.
Empathy and steel required at the CBI
In my view it’s not just because of the particularly unsavoury nature of the allegations engulfing the CBI that the organisation has turned to the impressively calm Rain Newton-Smith in its moment of existential crisis. She’s been called in to take on this particular reputational rescue mission because she has the rare combination of empathy and steel that’ll be essential to save the 60-year-old institution from the mess her (male) predecessors created. All power to her elbow as she tries to pull the CBI back from the brink.
Pebble-load of grit
This theme will continue on the pod. Watch out for our next episode with broadcaster Aasmah Mir, who now co-hosts The Times Breakfast Show. A woman who after emerging from a childhood of racism and other traumas, suddenly found herself as a single mum with a new job that required a 3am alarm call. Anyone wanting to learn more about the power of female grit should read her brilliant new book A Pebble In The Throat.
Monday madness
And finally … a piece of Monday advice from Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove. I talked to Michael last week about all things crisis and he had this gem to offer: “The first thing is, if you’re going to make a big announcement you shouldn’t do it on a Monday .. you need to have that full working-day immediately beforehand to rehearse, to make sure that you’ve got everything absolutely right. Coming out of the weekend straight into the Monday – tiny thing, big risk.”
Andy Coulson is the former Downing Street Communications Director, Founder of strategic advisory firm www.coulsonpartners.com and host of the www.crisiswhatcrisis.com podcast.