VC Alternatives Needed
It’s time for more alternatives to venture capital cash, argues the Omidyar Network’s Sarah Drinkwater — and for more startups focused on making positive contributions to the world.
Essential reading to keep you informed
Library
In the library you will find news, information and guides from Spectrum. Also our Board Chair Report, based on Spectrum’s research of the views and experiences of board chairs, investors and CEOs in fast growth, privately held businesses.
We have also included published information from other organisations which we found to be particularly interesting and relevant, and that we hope you enjoy reading.
To receive Quarterly Updates from Spectrum, please provide your details here:
Spectrum’s 2019 Highlights
We’ve come to the end of another busy year and wanted to share a selection of Spectrum’s 2019 highlights with you.
Are You Adapting Your Leadership Strategy as Your Startup Grows?
Pivoting from an initial product design or business model has become a given in the startup playbook. But even as startup leaders shift their businesses to meet a newly discovered need, they often fail to apply the same logic to themselves — and there they get into trouble. Startup leaders must be willing to pivot their leadership approach, or their board and investors will end up doing it for them.
How empathy became the new CEO status symbol
Coaching was once the purview of either the most powerful leaders or those in hot water. Now it’s a tool for all CEOs looking to better themselves.
The mindsets and practices of excellent CEOs
The CEO’s job is as difficult as it is important. It’s the most powerful and sought-after title in business, more exciting, rewarding, and influential than any other.
The value of dyslexia: Dyslexic strengths and the changing world of work
The world of work is changing. The often talked about ‘skills gap’ shows a need for creative, different thinkers to make sense of the rapid change and the disruption we’re facing in the world today. Dyslexic individuals have a range of natural strengths that make them ‘hard wired’ to step right in and fill this gap.
Talent Strategy, the Critical Success Factor for any Fast-Growth Technology Organisation
Spectrum Founder and Managing Partner, Daniel Osmer, recently took part in an interview with Andrea Petrone. Daniel was asked to provide his perspective about the main challenges for tech entrepreneurs, finding and hiring the best talent and how to develop their own leadership.
Women in the Workplace 2019
Five years in to McKinsey’s research, we’ve seen more women rise to the top levels of companies. Yet women continue to be underrepresented at every level.
Can a Board Member’s Job Be Automated?
It is only by achieving the optimal balance between humans and machines that Boards can navigate the future of work.
Spectrum Quarterly Update – Autumn 2019
Did you receive the Autumn edition of our Quarterly Update containing Spectrum’s latest news, views and current search mandates?
Cycling alongside a Tour de France legend during the 231-mile SSAFA charity bike ride
Daniel joined about 100 other cyclists on 5-7 September in Normandy, France to raise funds for SSAFA: a British charity which does great work providing support to its forces veterans – and their families – whenever and wherever they need it.
Lightening the Mental Load That Holds Women Back
If you ask working women with families why they step off the leadership track, it’s often not just because of what happens at the office. Rather, it’s because of the combined effect of their daytime…
Important clauses to know when negotiating sales contracts
As a startup, it’s hard to negotiate customer contracts because you’re not yet established or trusted in the marketplace, so customers are taking on the risk. Many founders therefore make the mistake of being overly…
Capital Efficiency: Do Larger Investments Make Better Businesses?
Ignition Financial’s Report looks at how an eventful first half of 2019 has seen some key events that could mark a turning point for the start-up/VC ecosystem as we know it.
Generalise, don’t specialise: why focusing too narrowly is bad for us
The 10,000-hour rule says intense, dedicated practice makes perfect – at that one thing. But what if breadth actually serves us better than depth? The challenge we all face is how to maintain the benefits…
Women to Watch 2019: spotlight on BAME board talent of the future
Fifty leading female professionals from Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are highlighted in the 2019 Women to Watch supplement, published annually by Cranfield University’s School of Management alongside the Female FTSE Board…
Succession Planning – When the Heir Apparent Is the Wrong Choice for CEO
Large companies devote plenty of attention and resources to succession planning, yet a PwC study finds that $112 billion in shareholder value is lost annually because companies pick the wrong people to lead them. The “obvious” choice…
Spectrum Quarterly Update – Summer 2019
Welcome to the Summer 2019 issue of the Spectrum Quarterly. Stay up-to-date with Spectrum’s latest case studies, events and news here: Quarterly Update. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive…
‘I did the right thing’: Richer Sounds boss has no regrets
“I’m doing the right thing because I sleep better at night,” says an exhausted-sounding Julian Richer, after a momentous week in which he won plaudits for handing control of his Richer Sounds business to staff.
For once though, the entrepreneur’s good deeds have cost him sleep. The 60-year-old has been up all night after being engulfed in a media storm after the Guardian revealed he had transferred 60% of his shares to a John Lewis-style trust.
Non-White Quotas in the Boardroom
Should the Government think about an ambitious plan to bring more BAME minorities, (BAME – Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic, used to refer to members of non-white communities in the UK) into Britain’s boardrooms?
The aim could be for one in five directors of FTSE 100 companies to be from a BAME background. Lord Davies’ review into women in the boardroom, which began in 2011 and has had some success in increasing the numbers of women in senior business roles.
But is this a good thing and do we need quotas?