Fireside Chat: Roderic Yapp

Roderic Yapp is the Director and Founder of Leadership Capital (formerly Leadership Forces).

A former Royal Marines Officer, Roderic now uses his experiences to coach executives, helping them execute their vision and move their organisations forward.

In 2015, Rod founded Leadership Capital (formerly Leadership Forces) with the aim of leveraging his experience in the military to develop people and change organisational culture. Read on below for Rod’s career journey and insight on building high-impact leadership teams.

"Not making a decision is a form of decision-making, you are choosing to burn time. People with military leadership experience understand this and are comfortable making decisions based on imperfect information."

M.INT –What does a 'positive working culture' look like in your organisation?

RY –I think the first ingredient is the most important and the one that everything else rests upon. Are people treated with respect? Do leaders treat their team members with respect? Do team members treat each other with respect? Do team members treat their leaders with respect?

I don't think that there are many things that leaders can demand from their people but I think they can demand that they respect one another. If people are not treated with respect, you cannot create an environment where people feel psychologically safe and are willing to take the inter-personal risks required to build trust. In these environments, the same mistakes keep happening because people in the organisation don't openly discuss them and learn from them. Performance is usually inconsistent because people don't work well together and are more interested in engaging in inter-personal/team conflict than delivering for the organisation.

I think you also have to think carefully about 'who you let in to the organisation'. In my experience, positive work cultures are filled with people who are positive, look for solutions where others just see problems, have high EQ and are self-motivated. Attitude trumps aptitude.

The last ingredient is great leadership. Do you have a critical mass of people who will put the needs of the organisation and their teams above the needs of themselves? Do they behave in a way that generates the best possible outcome for the stakeholders involved and the organisation over the long-term? If you do, you stand a great chance of building something very special.

M.INT –What advice would you give the next generation of ex-Service personnel seeking to make the transition from the military into the private sector?

RY –Be exceptional at your job. The best way to create opportunities for veterans that transition back to the civilian world is to be exceptional at what you do and add value to whatever organisation you join. The more you do, the easier it will be for others to follow your path.

Leaders create clarity so make sure people understand what they're being asked to do, hold yourself and others to account. Take the time to understand the organisation you've joined and the context of your role and then work to improve the status quo. Don't waste your second career by becoming complacent and drifting into mediocrity.

M.INT –What leadership skills have been most transferable from the military to the private sector?

RY –The belief that leadership is not about just telling people what to do. It is about balancing the needs of the performance of the team with the needs of individuals whilst creating a sense of team spirit. The best leaders understand the context that they face and choose to behave in a way that generates the best outcome for the organisation, the team and then themselves... usually in that order!

Civilian leaders will often delay making a decision looking for better data to help validate what they want to do. This slows the pace of execution. Not making a decision is a form of decision-making, you are choosing to burn time. People with military leadership experience understand this and are comfortable making decisions based on imperfect information.

M.INT –What are you currently reading or listening to?

RY –I usually listen or read with a purpose and this varies depending on what time of day it is. I am a morning person so in the morning I like to challenge myself by taking in fresh ideas or learning about new concepts. I have just finished reading "Building a Storybrand" by Donald Miller which I thought was excellent because it helped me to clarify my messaging on some rebranding work I have been doing. When I travel short distances or I can't work on my computer, I listen to podcasts. I like The Knowledge Project, Deep Questions with Cal Newport, The Tim Ferriss Podcast and the Rest is Politics series.

In the evenings or towards the end of the day, I read fiction as I find it helps me sleep by giving my mind a bit of a rest. I haven't read a lot of fiction but I am loving the Jack Reacher books. When I want to relax after a day of client-facing work, I will usually listen to Mind Pump, Flats and Shanks or the Joe Rogan podcast because I find them entertaining, and I don't have to think too hard about what they're saying!

M.INT –Are there any charities or causes that are particularly meaningful to you?

RY –I am an active mentor with Heropreneurs. They support veterans and the spouses of veterans in starting new businesses. I think that this is a brilliant charity because it generates a positive impact for the UK economy and helps veterans make best use of their skills once they've left the Service.

M.INT –What would you describe as the most rewarding aspect of your current role?

RY –My role is about helping people to execute, to move forward and achieve their goals. I think a good executive coach is motivated by helping other people achieve their goals. I think of it in the same way I think of servant leadership. As a Royal Marines Officer, it was my job to serve my Marines and help them to be successful. I still do the same thing but instead of Marines, I serve my clients.

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