Craig Branigan

4/20

Early in my career, I worked as an EA to Craig W. Branigan who was then Landor’s Chairman and CEO. I learnt by just being with Craig in meetings with our senior-most leaders from around the network, observing how he handled situations and people. I admired his cool demeanour despite high stress situations. Nothing seemed to rattle Craig! I learnt from him to always play to the strengths of your talented team members. True leaders focus on amplifying potential through a strengths-based approach to leadership. Craig exemplified this approach.

Over the years, Craig has been a great sounding board from time to time. He often reminds me of the critical importance of aligning talent: putting the right people in the right roles. Sounds deceptively simple - it’s easy to get wrong and I have made many mistakes! When you get it absolutely right, however, it can be a performance differentiator that truly transforms the business.

This lesson has been invaluable to me. When interviewing, I try to determine not only cultural fit but also a tight fit for the role. As a friend once told me, there is no such thing as a bad employee or a bad company, just a bad fit.

What are your views on this? Would love to hear your stories.

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