How do you lead creative people in a high profile organisation like the BBC?
Tom Fussell is the CEO of BBC Studios, the BBC’s production and distribution business. Most recently, his team was responsible for the coverage of the King’s Coronation and the Queen’s Funeral. It doesn’t get much bigger or more under the spotlight than that.
In this episode, Tom discusses how he’s creating the conditions for people to feel empowered to do their best work, often in high pressure situations like these. He covers how he’s scaling the business whilst maintaining coherence, including how he makes partnerships work successfully. He reflects on his leadership approach, the tough calls he's made, and how he looks after himself.
“The standard is perfection, and that’s the only standard the world will accept.” - Tom Fussell
You'll hear about:
0:00 - Start
1:02 - What is Tom Fussell's leadership style?
3:51 - Positioning BBC Studios in the BBC
6:10 - Landing different deals as a CEO for the BBC
7:53 - How to lead creative people
10:19 - Maintaining coherence whilst scaling the BBC
13:34 - Making partnerships work
16:01 - How to evolve an inclusive and diverse culture
20:27 - Challenges of being CEO of BBC Studios
23:51 - The importance of giving people space
26:46 - How Tom keeps fresh as a leader
About Tom Fussell:
Tom Fussell is the CEO of BBC Studios, the BBC’s production and distribution business. He is on the BBC Executive Board, reporting into Director General, Tim Davie. Tom became CEO in October 2021 after holding the interim position for 13 months. Prior to this Tom was CFO at BBC Studios, starting the role in 2017, having held the same position at BBC Worldwide since May 2016.
He has previously held leadership roles in Shine, Harper Collins UK, Random House, and the BBC.
His resources:
• Profile: / thomasfussell
• BBC Studios: www.bbcstudios.com/
My resources:
Sign up to my Strategic Leader newsletter (bit.ly/36WRpri) for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:
Subscribe to my KZread channel (bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.
Take the Extraordinary Essentials test (bit.ly/3EhSKY5) to identify your strengths and development areas as a strategic leader:
For more details about me:
• Services (bit.ly/373jctk) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
• About me (bit.ly/3LFsfiO) - my background, experience and philosophy.
• Examples of my writing (bit.ly/3O7jkc7).
• Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (bit.ly/2Z2PexP).
• Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (bit.ly/36XavNI).