"Good CEOs gain alignment on what success will look like, how it will feel and when it will be delivered."
John Harte leads a global team at Integrity Governance that is focused on making boards more effective. A boardroom expert working with multinationals, SMEs, trade associations and not-for-profits, he provides practical, impartial advice to directors, business owners, executives and CEOs, to help improve board performance.
John and his team have advised the boards of organizations in the UK and around the world since he founded Integrity Governance over 16 years ago. He has 30 years of experience at director level in the corporate world, having worked at blue-chip businesses including: Mars, Schroders, and Goldman Sachs.
John is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors (IoD) (UK); a Member of the Confederation of Business (UK), and the Chartered institute of Public Relations (CIPR) (UK); a Member of the Chairman’s Network; a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Directors (where he facilitates training); a Board Leadership Fellow at the National Association of Corporate Directors (US); and Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) (UK).
He is an in-demand speaker and thought leader on board effectiveness, practical governance and business disruption.
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Table of Contents
Let’s start with a brief introduction first. Introduce yourself to our readers.
John Harte: I lead the team at Integrity Governance – a business that is focused on making boards more effective.
For over 17 years I’ve provided practical, impartial advice to directors, business owners, executives and CEOs, at multinationals, SMEs, trade associations and not-for-profits around the world, to help improve board performance.
I’ve worked at director level in the corporate world for over 30 years at blue chip businesses including: Mars, Schroders and Goldman Sachs. This has given me a wealth of experience on the challenges those on boards face, and how to solve them.
Our audience is interested to know about how you got started in the first place. Did you always want to become a CEO or was it something you were led to? Our readers would love to know your story!
John Harte: From the age of four I wanted to be a veterinary surgeon. After studying veterinary medicine in Ireland and doing post graduate studies in the US, I started working as a vet in London and was bored out of my brain. I applied for a job and much to my own surprise eight weeks later commenced employment at Pedigree Petfoods, now Mars Petcare. I worked my way up and was given responsibility for some of their speciality businesses. Mars Petcare is now the world’s largest employer of vets!
After some director level roles at different organizations I had exposure to the way that boards work and the ambition to become a CEO. I was fortunate enough to start my CEO journey in a business that looked after the financial needs of the most underprivileged in our society. When you deal with land or money you see the very best and the very worst of humanity, but it showed the difference that effective governance can make to peoples’ lives.
Then, after finding myself constantly in demand to deal with a range of governance issues, I established Integrity Governance. It has continued to grow, based primarily on referral.
“Selfmade” is a myth. We all received help, no doubt you love to show appreciation to those who supported you when the going got tough, who has been your most important professional inspiration?
John Harte: I have been fortunate to have some great mentors and supporters who pushed me to be the leader I could be, had been on similar journeys and had the generosity to invest their time, energy and wisdom in me.
I have been a Kolbe™ accredited consultant for many years and we use the Kolbe™ strengths finder to bring a powerful perspective to our work with leaders. Kathy Kolbe is an inspiration in her pragmatism and emotional intelligence. She taught me that if you can make your mission pay your mortgage you are going to be energised by your work, and it won’t feel like work. It has worked for me!
How did your journey lead you to become a CEO? What difficulties did you face along the way and what did you learn from them?
John Harte: I experienced and witnessed the way that leaders of an organisation can uniquely impact the performance, culture and achievement of the organisations purpose and as my career progressed I really wanted to be responsible but also to have the opportunity to make that level of difference, hence the desire and my ambition to be a CEO and run a business.
The difficulties that I faced were to move from my scientific area of expertise to a broader understanding of the breadth and complexity of business- I was lucky enough to work in a range of roles and divisions within Mars which gave me great experience. I was trained as a scientist so one of the challenges that I needed to learn was that that while logical arguments may be compelling, politics and influence within organisations were more powerful and impactful. I needed to understand how people and organisations work and the ways to gain support and influence to gain alignment.
Tell us about your company. What does your business do and what are your responsibilities as a CEO?
John Harte: Founded over 17 years ago, Integrity Governance is committed to making boards more effective.
Integrity Governance, with the support of a highly experienced global team, provides governance advice to corporate directors, CEOs, chairs, company secretaries and business owners. We focus on practicality and enabling our clients and their governance to add value. We also make sure they move beyond compliance and focus on effectiveness and performance, so they are fit for the future.
Integrity Governance supports boards to improve their decision making, with a full range of evaluation, review, strategic planning, training, company secretarial, succession planning and conflict resolution services.
What does CEO stand for? Beyond the dictionary definition, how would you define it?
John Harte: Chief Executive officer means that you are the person running the business. I have heard people define the role as chief for engagement, energising, entertainment, etc. For me it’s the need to care, deal with expectations and ensure operations run as they should. It’s a challenge, but fun to run a global business across multiple time zones and cultures. I have also learned to expect the unexpected.
When you first became a CEO, how was it different from what you expected? What surprised you?
John Harte: I was surprised how little I could really change and influence when I first became a CEO, particularly in an established business when fixed costs make up the majority of your budget. I had to break the nexus of “that’s what we did last year” and that was sometimes hard. The second big surprise was recognising the critical dynamic and relationship between the leader of the board, the chair, and the CEO as the leader of the business.
There are many schools of thought as to what a CEO’s core roles and responsibilities are. Based on your experience, what are the main things a CEO should focus on? Explain and please share examples or stories to illustrate your vision.
John Harte: I think CEOs should always be clear what success in their role is going to look like – from the perspectives of customers, the board, direct reports and stakeholders. Good CEOs gain alignment on what success will look like, how it will feel and when it will be delivered. They are agile, adaptable, but also tenacious in leading the organisation to deliver on their targets. Furthermore, they should have a good sense of what is coming around the corner and be willing to influence the size, shape and focus of the organisation to ensure that it is well placed to prosper through those changes.
Successful CEOs during COVID have been able to spot an opportunity in a crisis, execute and pivot the business to quickly embrace it and reap the rewards.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
John Harte: While I was CEO we had a software problem that impacted the pricing of our services, leading to some of our clients being undercharged. I took the view that this was our error and that our clients should not be penalised for the mistake of our software team. The decision was difficult because I needed the revenue to make my numbers, but in my gut I knew that the right thing to do was take it on the chin rather than erode trust with some of our clients and potentially cause some of them needless worry and anxiety.
My chair was supportive, but I had two directors who were grumpy that they would not see the dividend that they had already committed to spend. The positive impacts were that our clients were delighted, and we built trust, respect in our sector which led to referrals. The other positive impact is that I realised that as long as those two money driven directors were on the board, they would not value anything except money.
How would you define success? Does it mean generating a certain amount of wealth, gaining a certain level of popularity, or helping a certain number of people?
John Harte: I have been fortunate in my life and to me success is about building something that has a positive impact on the lives of staff, clients and the communities we serve. If we do that and continue to do it well then we will all do well. Sure, I’d love to have more money but as an outcome for great work with great clients and colleagues rather than as my driver. I have met so many successful people who had money as their God and they have often paid a very high price in happiness in their lives. I would rather not be like that. I love what I do, which is seeing the positive difference that we make to directors, boards and businesses, and showing how good governance delivers real benefits.
Some leadership skills are innate while others can be learned. What leadership skills do you possess innately and what skills have you cultivated over the years as a CEO?
John Harte: I think you should ask my team rather than me. They give me feedback and advice that keeps me grounded. I think my best leadership skill is that I am constantly learning and trying to grow as a better leader and CEO. I have learned that it’s better to keep your mouth shut and listen as I have gained critical insight from simply listening to our clients and colleagues.
I have also learned the skill of paraphrasing to build agreement and identify misalignment. The third thing that I have learned is to read the room, understand where the power lies and remember that boards and management teams are made up of human beings who have good days and fewer good days, but all need care, respect and psychological safety.
How did your role as a CEO help your business overcome challenges caused by the pandemic? Explain with practical examples.
John Harte: We have been running an international business across multiple time zones for over a decade, so we were already adept with virtual meetings prior to 2020. The understanding of the benefits, effectiveness and limitations of virtual was a competitive advantage that helped us in 2020. We used the first quarter of 2020 to get our cost base and cash flow prepared for a two-year crisis. While that seemed very pessimistic at the time it set us up well for the unfulfilled promises of 2021 and the uncertainty of 2022. We also launched a couple of new products to replace in-person work, which has been a bonus.
The biggest challenge we have had is the psychological welfare of our team. This is going beyond keeping our team motivated, but supporting them against a background of clients shifting assignments, government lockdowns, global uncertainty and travel bans. We all took the maximum vacation that we could at Christmas, and we sent all our team some very nice care packages to make their holidays more enjoyable.
Do you have any advice for aspiring CEOs and future leaders? What advice would you give a CEO that is just starting out on their journey?
John Harte: The world needs good leaders and people are increasingly looking for leadership from businesses and CEOs as other leaders underwhelm. Think of how you prepare yourself to be the best CEO that you can be, gain experience beyond your technical area of expertise and grow your knowledge in the complexities of running a business. Understand the business model and the financial drivers of your business.
For a new CEO think especially about your relationship with the chair of the board – it’s the most critical relationship in the governance system. Think also about your team and its strengths. They will ultimately enable or prevent you from reaching your goals as a CEO and they are your team from day one so you will need to ensure that they are assets not liabilities.
Thank you for sharing some of your knowledge with our readers! They would also like to know, what is one skill that you’ve always wanted to acquire but never really could?
John Harte: I have been lucky enough to learn a couple of languages but have always wanted to be fluent in Portuguese, Italian and Spanish. I have several colleagues fluent in six languages. I wish I could have their skills.
Before we finish things off, we have one final question for you. If you wrote a book about your life today, what would the title be?
John Harte: “Hello……I must be going……the life of a global CEO”
Mike Weiss, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank John Harte for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with John Harte or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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