The Challenge Culture

Challenge is essential for survival and sustained success in today's volatile world. We live in an era when successful organisations can fail in a flash. But they can cope with change and thrive by creating a culture that supports positive pushback: questioning everything without disrespecting anyone. Nigel Travis has forty years of experience as a leader in large and successful organizations, as well as those facing existential crisis - such as Blockbuster as it dawdled in the face of the Netflix challenge. In his ten years as CEO and Chairman of Dunkin' Brands, Travis fine-tuned his ideas about the challenge culture and perfected the practices required to build it. He argues that the best way for organisations to succeed in today's environment is to embrace challenge and encourage pushback, rather than reject them. Everyone - from the newest recruit to the senior leader - must be given the freedom to speak up and question the status quo, must learn how talk in a civil way about difficult issues, and should be encouraged to debate strategies and tactics - although always in the spirit of shared purpose. How else will new ideas emerge? How else can organisations steadily improve? Through colourful story-telling, with many examples from his own experiences - including his leadership in turning around the fear-ridden culture of Leyton Orient Football Club -Travis shows how to establish a culture that embraces challenge, achieves exceptional results, and ensures a prosperous future.