Chris Paton: Using military wargaming to improve your business

What can the man who helped orchestrate the withdrawal of troops
from Afghanistan teach you about improving your business? The
answer is quite a lot.


The guest on this episode is Chris Paton, who has had roles in
the French Ministry of Defence, UK Ministry of Defence, and the
Royal Marines before founding a consultancy that supports
businesses to become more effective and improve their culture and
performance.


Here's what we discussed:





Can you tell me a bit about your path to founding and now
working as the MD of Quirk Solutions? (00:53)

Is there a parallel between the types of people that go into
the army and then the types of people that go into business?
(04:09)

What are the characteristics of a great leader? (06:48)

How did you end up in the military and what was your
experience like? (09:59)

How can a business leader enable their team to work in an
effective way without micromanaging? (13:00)

You helped businesses adjust back to a post-pandemic world.
So many companies and organisations would talk about how this was
an opportunity to reset and reshape the way they operate for the
better – have you witnessed this? (17:00)

From your work, do you think there is a common mistake most
or many businesses make? (20:07)

Now businesses face a potential economic crisis and supply
chain crisis caused by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and
lockdowns in China. What advice would you give to a business on
how to navigate this? (28:46)

Do you think gaming is something that businesses should do
regardless of big 'norm-changing' events like the pandemic?
(36:09)

Answer the Internet: Am I a bad employee or I’m at the wrong
place? (41:19)

What makes a great business leader? (44:04)






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