Move over Leonard
Leadership insights in Hammersmith and a new role model
Burning down the house
+Reader warning : what follows contains a heavy handed use of puns+
I’ve found a new role model for being cool in old age. There’s been a vacancy ever since my beloved Leonard Cohen checked permanently into the Tower of Song.
Step forward David Byrne.
And you may ask yourself: well, how did I get here? From Kings Cross, I took the Piccadilly line to Hammersmith and, with five thousand other fans, watched him deliver a world class performance and one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. The concert blended the bangers I used to dance around my kitchen to in the eighties with some of his strongest recent work. Thank you Conor for the birthday treat. Heaven.
As I grandad-danced and tried not to spill my beer, I found myself thinking about what else besides the world-class artistry was happening on that stage.
The leadership quality on display was obvious and there might be a few lessons there for anyone trying to build and sustain a genuinely innovative, diverse venture. (I’m aware I may well be projecting here.)
Byrne built his reputation and some of his notoriety during the Talking Heads years and, by many accounts he was, shall we say, an intense collaborator. A visionary, yes. Also a bit of a control freak and sometimes a bit of a dick. (Absolutely nothing like me, of course).
The creative vision was unmistakably his but the price others paid for that brilliance was, according to several bandmates at the time, pretty high.
What I see now looks different. The control is still there for sure and this was an immaculately choreographed, disciplined, technically sophisticated show. But the ego that once crowded everything else out seems to have stepped back.
A lot of founders never manage that transition. They build something extraordinary through sheer force of will but then can’t understand why scaling culture is so hard, how their self delusions will trip them up or why their best people head for the exit. Looking hard at you James ‘Punk CEO’ Watt, the latest example of bullshit values snd behaviour hitting reality.
Same as it ever was is not a viable leadership strategy.
Every person on that stage was in constant motion. Not just playing instruments but dancing, weaving in and out of patterns, shifting roles, coming and going from the stage. Nobody was simply doing just one job.
Byrne looked visibly delighted to be part of the ensemble rather than towering over it. He’s built something so tight, so well-drilled, that his own performance was elevated by the collective. The show used stage tech to name-check each performer individually, their names appearing and moving with them as they crossed the stage.
In an era of founder worship and personal-brand wankery, that sort of generous, democratic spotlight-sharing feels refreshingly human and what the world - and business - needs a lot more of. Less psycho killer, more deft orchestrator of many talents.
The technology in the show was superb. Lighting and video transformed the stage again and again but never as spectacle for spectacle’s sake. It was always in service of the experience and the rhythm of the night.
A lot of companies get this the wrong way round. They bolt on technology as theatre. Dashboards. AI. Platforms. Transformation programmes. The tools become the point and the enshittification begins.
Byrne’s show was a reminder that technology works best when it amplifies the craft rather than competing with it. Otherwise you’re just building a very expensive road to nowhere. Don’t be like that.
Byrne is now in his seventies. The voice is still strong and the energy certainly hasn’t faded and the appetite for collaboration, for craft, for doing something that matters, might actually be stronger than when he was younger.
What’s changed is the ease. He seemed more comfortable with his talent now than when he was busy proving it.
The early years are about vision, drive, control, bending reality to make something new and viable. But if you’re lucky, and you keep learning, you eventually reach the stage where you don’t have to grip quite so tightly.
And then you may ask yourself: is this the best version of what I can do? Sometimes (once in a lifetime ? ) the answer might actually be ‘yes, it is’.
Do you look forward to your board meetings?
Some of the best and worst relationships I’ve had in business have been with the boards and chairs to whom I’ve been accountable. When it worked it made my life easier and my performance so much better. When it didn’t and board meetings became fraught, anxiety and inefficiency levels rose and, well, and there were times when my life was made hell.
In our fourth Walking Out Loud podcast conversation, Dave and I talk candidly about what makes these relationships work, what tends to break them, and why a well functioning board is often a decisive factor in whether an organisation achieves what it sets out to do.
You can find the episode wherever you get your podcasts. It’s bloody good.
Authenticity? Please, no.
Do you know what your ‘authentic self’ is and even if you could pin it down, why on earth would I want you to bring it to work?
Mine is a fairly chaotic mix of talent, self-delusion, insecurity, ambition, resentments, and limiting beliefs.
What I actually want is simpler: do what you’re paid to do and to the best of your abilities. Treat people with respect. Don’t take the piss. Don’t play games. And when it’s time to leave, do it with grace and maturity.
Which brings me to the rather marvellous Iqbal Wahab, the renowned London restaurateur and the man behind The Cinnamon Club and Roast at Borough Market. In a recent piece, he turns his deadly aim on the authenticity nonsense that plagues his industry.
Someone asked him: “Is your food authentic?”
His response: “Do you mean good? What does authenticity even mean — flies in your food? Cholera? Dysentery?”
I’ll have what he’s having.
For your attention …
One of the most enjoyable speaking gigs I did last year came from an invitation by those brilliant women Emma and Karen at Cook for Good. They asked me to spend time with the 2025 cohort taking part in the Cook For Change programme.
The course is designed to support grassroots social entrepreneurs who are building food related ventures and want to strengthen and sustain their effectiveness. It brings together people doing important work in communities around the country and gives confidence and connections to take their initiatives further.
They are running the programme again this year and applications are now open. You can find the full details here. If you know someone who should be part of it let them know and please do share it across your networks.
Stephen Lloyd Awards 2026
These awards were set up in memory of a great man, a mate of mine and also my brief who got me out of trouble on several occasions.
Stephen was an inspirational lawyer and innovator who dedicated his working life to advising charities and social enterprises and who pioneered significant developments in the sector. He died suddenly on 20th August 2014 while sailing in Newport Bay, a place that he loved dearly. I miss him still.
Applications are open for this year’s awards and the cash, mentoring and pro bono legal advice on offer have been invaluable to many social innovators over the last decade.
Peace, love and profit.
Liam x