Ep38: Aligning Personal Purpose and Business with Alex Holt
Do you ever wonder how to blend commercial success with authentic human connection at work—especially in today’s fast-evolving, tech-driven world? In this episode, we uncover the secrets to building a meaningful and commercially successful career with Alex Holt, Vice Chair and Global Strategy Leader for Comms, Media, and Technology at Accenture and author of Outpacer.
Helen Wada sits down with Alex to discuss why aligning your personal purpose with your organization and role is key to finding fulfillment—and high impact—at work. Alex shares his insights on bridging UK and US workplace cultures, the art of truly human-centered selling, and why awareness and accountability matter more than ever for growth and leadership. Plus, discover how to navigate risk, master client relationships, and thrive amidst the coming AI revolution.
Whether you’re a leader, an aspiring seller, or simply want to bring more humanity to your 9-to-5, this episode offers actionable strategies and thought-provoking questions to help you create an environment where you can do your best, most devoted work. Plug in for an energizing blend of commercial wisdom and human insight—you’ll leave thinking differently about purpose, sales, and workplace connection!
Topics Discussed:
Blending humanity into business
Aligning personal and organizational purpose
Building trust in sales relationships
Navigating workplace culture differences
Human skills in the AI era
Timestamps:
00:00 "Blending Commerce and Humanity"
05:42 Finding Fulfillment at Work
07:57 "Achieving Impact Through Self-Knowledge"
11:19 "Humanity Drives Sales Success"
15:38 Aligning Purpose with Client Needs
17:13 Building Trust Through Thoughtful Engagement
21:07 Honesty Builds Trust
25:00 "AI: The Next Big Innovation"
29:15 "Knowledge's Evolving Value and Application"
31:54 Authenticity in Job Interviews
34:51 "Environment and Devoted Talent"
37:38 Gut Instincts and Action
About Alex Holt
Alex is Vice Chair and Global Strategy Leader for Comms, Media and Technology at Accenture, a member of Accenture's Global Leadership Team, and serves on the Board of anti-poverty charity JobTrain. He recently had his first book "Outpacer" published globally by Penguin Random House, and was named one of the Top 25 Tech Consultants and Leaders for 2023.
A highly accomplished executive with over 20 years international experience, Alex joined Accenture in 2024, after spending 11 years as a Partner at KPMG where he previously served as Chief Operating Officer in the UK, Head of the UK Tech, Media & Telco Sector, before moving to Silicon Valley to run KPMG’s multi-billion dollar global TMT business with 26,000 KPMG professionals providing a full range of advisory, tax, and audit services. As well as leading the TMT sector globally, Alex was also the Global Lead Partner for Google.
Prior to KPMG Alex held executive positions in organizations across the technology, media and telecoms industries. Over a period of 15 years he led large teams covering Group Strategy, Investor Relations, Sales, Operations, and Product. Alex holds a Management degree from Leeds University. He is a Member of the Royal Television Society (RTS) and spent 2 years on the RTS Technology Committee.
Alex serves on the Board of the anti-poverty charity JobTrain. For 50 years JobTrain has transformed lives and communities in Silicon Valley. It helps the Valley’s most in need reclaim their lives from poverty and unemployment by preparing them for successful, sustainable careers in high-demand and emerging fields.
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Ep38: Aligning Personal Purpose and Business with Alex Holt
Helen Wada: [00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of Human
Wise. I'm absolutely delighted to have Alex
Holt here with me this afternoon,
or should I say this morning for you, Alex? It's
what, just after seven o'clock San Francisco time dialing in from the other side of the pond. So really delighted to have you here and starting your week with a smile and talking about all
things. Business selling and also
being human. So, welcome to the show.
Alex Holt 1: It's great to be here. Thanks for having me.
Helen Wada: That's right? not only are you the vice chair and global strategy leader for Comms,
media and Technology at Accenture and a member of the Accenture's Global Leadership Team. you serve on the board of an anti-poverty
charity called Job Train, And, also wrote your first book called Out Pacer
just a couple of years ago. I can see on the shelf behind you
there.
Alex Holt 1: Yes, find a place.
Helen Wada: Absolutely, and I'm gonna pick your brains on that a little
bit later, as I am 24,000 words in now to my book. [00:01:00] Those people that have regular
listeners, they'll be slowly hearing the word count up, but I've got a looming
deadline and.
Alex Holt 1: You're being transparent with your audience on your progress.
Helen Wada: I am. Absolutely.
So yeah, lot, lots to do, but welcome, welcome to the show, Alex.
It's really great to have you here. One, when I talk about human
margin and I think about being commercial, being
human at work you know, our
past crossed many moons
ago now at KPMG in the UK before you moved up the whole family And went over to the west coast.
But you know, you were one of those leaders that I worked with that really.
Demonstrated both
that commercial focus but also the human spirit. And so it's with that really in the background
that I really wanted to get you on the, show and hear more about who you are. Who is Alex? Tell us a little bit more about
who Alex is.
Alex Holt 1: Well, hello.
It's one of those great questions and you, to your point about bringing kind of that human side to you within the organization and your life. You know, I think when you start to talk about who you are, we've kind of come a very long [00:02:00] distance from maybe when I first started working and even when we were like 10 years ago when we were working together, you know, people were definitely more reluctant to talk about what they did outside of work.
Everything in the office was what descrip, you know, sort of defined who you were and what you did. And I think now we have an opportunity to be much more open and shared passions and things that we have. Outside of the work environment and often bringing those into that work environment, telling them, sharing them gain opportunity to you know, share the things that you're most passionate about.
Helen Wada: Yeah. And you're right, I think it has changed and even over the last 10 years, I mean, you and I have
been both, been working a lot longer than that.
But the dial has
shifted. You know, we had Covid that we
sort of start to see more of who people are. You know, we talked at the beginning of the show.
I can see what's on your bookshelf. There's not a lot behind me, but it brings a sense of humanity
into the workplace. But equally, we are in a
workplace. We do need to focus
on what business is all about And so
[00:03:00] how is it that we get to blend this piece of, yes, we need to
recognize who people are.
You've just described about being human
at work, you know, but what does being human at work really mean in the commercial context
for you
Alex?
Alex Holt 1: Hello. I think it has always been this way. I think it's just more acceptable to talk about it,
and I think what it is, it's a harmony. it's a harmony in purpose. It's bringing that
harmony And purpose to life. What's your personal purpose? What's
the purpose of your job as in your specific role?
And what's the purpose of the organization
you're working in? And if you can bring those
three things together, then you get the magic. I think it's always been
that way. Just perhaps people were less,
you know, maybe comfortable sharing more as their
personal purpose. And I think. That, You know, personal motivators, you know, you know this, you're a coach, you know
that they range so broadly.
And some people have
been, you know, maybe not comfortable revealing it and whether it was covid or whether it's just the
way things are [00:04:00] moving and changing I think I. It is all about bringing those three things together and where you have an alignment of those
purposes, then you get the opportunity to bring your very best talent into the environment you are in, whatever that might be.
And then you want to go for it. And it's when
you're kind of happy, you're lined up from firing and all cylinders, you know, that's when great things happen for you around your team and in the organization and for the organization stakeholders that you are serving.
Helen Wada: Yeah. And I think you're right. I think, you know, there's a lot around it. The purpose piece. For me, sometimes purpose can be too big. It can be too big a statement for some people, because I get what you're saying. Right. You know, I get what you're saying, that when those stars align, actually it's awesome.
Because you are heading in the same direction as the organization that's aligned to your purpose. It's aligned to what your team wants to do. And actually everybody feels it humming, but there's a lot of people that I work with and you know, I unpick purpose in a lot more [00:05:00] detail because sometimes that's not always the case.
That doesn't mean that you can't have a fulfilling job or you can't succeed at work. It's just you need to identify what elements of purpose you have. And where fits, you know, I talk about different levels of purpose. You know, your holistic purpose, what's important to you in the wider world, and then there's the, your job focus and your purpose for that.
'cause actually, for a lot of people, it's so that I can live the life I want to live, that I can bring up the family in a place that I want to be and enjoy what I do while I'm there and add value. Um, and then you go down to sort of task and bold focus. It's like, well, what's my purpose today?
Alex Holt 1: Is MI when in any, no matter who it is, when that's
missing, you
get unhappiness and low
productivity. And,
you know, I think it's. It is so important
that when you are in a
situation where you know, you [00:06:00] are you, maybe you're not
firing on all cylinder is to stand
back and say, well, is this
the role?
Is this the
organization and not be afraid to make a change. And I think, you know, often you find situations where,
you know, it takes a coach or a friend or a family member to say, doesn't sound like you're very
happy at work. And people are like, oh no, I love my job. And it's like, do you though, 'cause like you don't really sound like
you do.
And I think equally the exact opposite is you know, kind of really interesting too. And,
you know. Again here, you know, if you wanna jump into it, like, this is really interesting. So I've
been out on the west coast in the us. for six and a half years now.
Alex Holt 1: So for anyone who doesn't know me, I've
spent most of my working life in London. And
people in the US and certainly where I've operated in the West
coast, in the US is not one big, you know, homogenous place. But certainly on the
west coast, people are much prouder to say they love
their job and they're really enjoying it. In the uk, you know, people will be sort of, you know, and again, I don't wanna speak
for the [00:07:00] whole country,
but,
you know, it maybe just in my experience, you kind of hear
that a little less.
Like people might be, you know, a little bit more
reluctant to say, oh, I actually love my job you know, I put in a full shift last week and, you know, I was working like long hours. It would be seen as a
kind of terrible thing. I don't
say long hours is a good thing. I'm just saying. There is a bit more
pride in enjoying your work and I think there's a sort of celebration of success
in the US and so in the West Coast it's very different around your professional life
than you find in, certainly in the UK and Europe. And that's not like casting a completely
broad brush, it's just different cultures. But I think if we're coming back to kind of.
You know, being human and getting the best
out of people. I do notice that
kind of difference in culture and
what that means in terms of impact in terms of the indi at the individual level, but also in the role and team and company level as well.
There's, there is a difference.
Helen Wada: And I think you I love the word that you used there
is [00:08:00] impact. I think one of the things, and this is in the areas that I coach when thinking about helping people
to support 'em through their careers to have a bigger impact. Whether that's to have an impact to grow their business through sales focus, whether it's to grow their teams from a leadership perspective, but having that impact.
Is a source of, you know, moving towards your own success and actually knowing who you are. Knowing yourself, which comes back to that knowing your purpose piece where you started, all contributes
to you feeling secure and of value
to those that you work with. That leads to that great impact. It's for me,
you know, I talk about the human framework in my
culture, you know, the H is very much how you show up. and before we even get into how do you build commercial relationships, how do you lead your teams authentically?
We spend a lot of [00:09:00] time on who you are, what's important to you, and why does that
matter?
Alex Holt 1: yeah. Totally.
Helen Wada: And that comes ultimately back to your
purpose statement that You said at the outset.
Alex Holt 1: Yeah.
Helen Wada: Yeah, no, it's I don't think people and you know, I reflect on the groups that I work
with. I think people don't spend enough time really thinking
about it. We all get into sort of a, I call it a
rat race, but you know, a hamster wheel where you are working and you are, you keep going and you keep going. And actually
things changed for us over years. I mean,
you know,
Alex Holt 1: think that's right
and you know, to your point, you know. Just because the job you started five years ago or 10 years ago was perfect for you at that point in your life. And the company had a certain set of objectives and goals and values and, you know, things do
change and you need
to be constantly evaluating That comes back to that kind of harmony point.
It's and change changes. Changes are constant. It's always gonna be happening. And you changing as an individual and what matters to you, that's okay too. And I think it's just [00:10:00] about, you know, being honest with yourself. I think it's about making sure you are aware, you have a personal responsibility to be aware of what drives you and what motivates you.
And it's okay for that to change and be different. And it doesn't need to
be the same as everyone else's. You know, but you gotta know it. You have a
responsibility to yourself to know what are your
motivators 'cause. that is what, in my experience, when you get, you know, really great situations is when you've
got that alignment.
Helen Wada: Yeah, and you know, you say another word that I kind of pick
up on there, but awareness and accountability.
Actually, the two things from that is, is,
actually awareness of who we are and recognizing. Where the skills are
that things that we enjoy doing, what
we are good at. You know, I
transitioned into thinking back when I was a consultant.
I was never in
sales. This is where our backgrounds differ. You did come from
a sales environment, so, in the telecoms industry before you moved into to professional [00:11:00] services. But I didn't, and ironically, actually, when I was with Arthur Anderson, when I started my career, I didn't wanna serve. I was a technical expert, right?
And I was like, and you know, you were, one of the people said, really? Sales? Sales is that,
you know? But actually I ended up in a sales role that I absolutely loved. I didn't.
Alex Holt 1: Yeah, you did. I mean, Helen I, you know, I remember though, you know, when we first had those conversations about it you know, I think I probably had, you know, one of the, one of the small number of people that was involved in making that happen for you. And I think that I. It was blindingly obvious.
And you know what hopefully would be nice for you to hear, and the people that listen to you you know, each week when they tune in is it was the fact that you were so human that was gonna make you so successful as a salesperson. And, you know, that was in a, you know, in an
accounting industry right, where,
you know. You know, you're surrounded by people that perhaps didn't bring out all of their, and you know, and it was sort, whatever that was 10, was that [00:12:00] 10, 15 years ago?
I dunno. But,
you know, things were a little bit different there, but also, you know, perhaps talking about some drier stuff some of the time. But, you know, you brought out your kind of personal energy, I think, and authentic self into that environment.
I think it was. Blindingly obvious that as you went and approached clients, that they were gonna be excited to get an opportunity to engage with you. And I'm very pleased. It worked out so well for you and always was going to.
Helen Wada: Well, thank you for those kind words and and the vote of confidence then, because I wouldn't be here now, you know, without that. But I think in all seriousness, you know, there's a lot of listeners to these podcasts that are. Are fearful of sales. You know, it's something that doesn't, generally, you talk about cultural differences and I've had other guests from the other side of, you know, from the US as well on this and there is a slightly different culture and we talk about sales in the US than the MID and the uk, but there is [00:13:00] still this kind of fearfulness and the, yeah.
Last week the, one of the podcasts I had we talking about. People are, you know, salesmen still got that image of a salesman in their minds like 25, 30 plus years ago. But you've just said there, and you know, the skills that I had about being human and that's where I'm so passionate. 'cause when people said to me, well, why are you good at what you do?
I didn't really know why I was good at what I did. And it was only really when I unpicked it that I saw that the skills that I had as an executive coach. That getting close to people, the building, the trust, the building rapport, the getting under the skin of what's really important to them, focusing on them and not me.
Were so intertwined and really that's why I'm here. That's why human wise was born. But I'm interested with a, you know, you come at this from a sales background. What are the skills in that humanity that you see for all those [00:14:00] people that are fearful of sales to say, do you know what? I can do this. I
Alex Holt 1: Yeah. I mean, I mean, Helen, I think you touched upon many elements of it. I think it's around. It's the personal connection and I think it's about putting, if you're selling, then you've gotta put your client first. So I don't think there's ever been an organization that's succeeded by putting itself first.
And therefore, if you are the salesperson, you're representing that organization in demonstrating a customer first mentality. You are, you have to embody that in the way you approach the client. So, you know, I honestly, if I had a, if I had a dollar for every time I get to see. A bloody PowerPoint pack that starts with all about us.
And here's the, you know, I'm not talking about the company I currently work for, but in the history of all my life, every person starts with the, you know, let me tell you about how many people we've got am revenue we make, and how many customers and I, every time the team come to me and start with the that, I said, okay, we're not starting there.
I said, I want you to remember a time when you went to a party, someone walked up to you and started talking about themselves [00:15:00] nonstop for the first 10 minutes, and you wanted to continue talking to them. It never happens, right?
Just put yourself into a social environment and find and think about what would make it work and what it would make it work is someone coming and talking to you and asking a bit about you because people want to talk about themselves and they want to, you know, they want to share what's important to them.
You know, even in a social context. And so you know what it is about taking yourself out of that kind of rope. I've suddenly got a target and I've gotta walk through a door and convince this person to buy this thing. Before the meeting's over and it started late, I've already got 15 minutes and then it's just a total mess.
And I think when you come back and say what's most important to that person and not trying to rush it and really trying to understand, again, comes back to that purpose. Like what's the purpose of the person that you are engaging with? What's the purpose of the team they operate in, and what's the purpose and goals of the organization and your job as someone who's at the front end of.
The sales, the client engagement, whatever you [00:16:00] want to talk, whatever you wanna call it your job is to align your organization to them. That's your job. And if your organization isn't aligned to them you need to come back and say, we're not aligned. Do we wanna serve that person? Are we the best organization to do it?
Because if you are not aligned and your products and services aren't really the right thing for that customer. Even if he did sell it, that is not a match made in heaven that is not gonna go well. And again, professional services, you're looking to build long lasting trust. Trying to get a quick sale that is not gonna work over the medium term, let alone long term.
That is a disaster. Don't do it. So you've really got put then first and what your role is to come back and say, Hey, if we made this tweak or we changed this. This is how we could best serve them. And you come back and make them feel like they have the attention of the organization. It's personalized for them.
It's aligned to what they're personally trying to achieve, their safety for them because. Buying stuff. If you've always worked in sales or you've always worked in professional services and [00:17:00] never been on the other side, I buying stuff's quite risky. You know, if you are in an organization, you choose to spend money on whatever it is, and no matter how much it is, you're still spending the company's money, it doesn't work and it's a waste of time.
That is terrible for that. So they are taking personal risk. And so when you walk through the door, you know, if all of you are thinking about is selling, all they're thinking is about, ooh, this could be risky. It's just never gonna happen. And so what you've really gotta do is stand back, get to that kind of, what are the really important pieces around this discussion?
Engagement. Why is this important to you? What do you need it to be? How does it need to look? How does it need to feel? All of the things that come with it. And then you kind of don't just jump over the desk and start pushing but you're asking more questions. And again, time and different things will be.
Different in different situations, but really what you wanna do is take that away and come back thoughtfully and show them that you've really listened. And at that point then you start to build trust. And again, [00:18:00] whilst we've got, you know, agen AI starting to really push around the world and lots of automations, you know, we're still in a situation where certainly.
Larger sales are done by people. You know, the, or the human in the loop is like critical to the overall piece. And therefore the ability of a person at the front end of the organization to really do that thinking, I think is super critical.
Helen Wada: And I think that it links back into my human framework. I'll say it again because. You is all about understanding others and as you just, you know, summarizing there what you said, it's about understanding what's important to them from a personal perspective. You know, where is their career going?
How is this project or the investment that they're making, going to help them from a personal perspective? Is that from a career move or is it something else, you know, as well as the professional? What's in it for the team? What's in it for the business?
Alex Holt 1: And you know I said it, but I'll repeat it because I think it's poorly understood [00:19:00] the risk. The buyer is taking is very poorly understood and in any other environment, if someone was facing risk, you as a human would approach them differently. But if you kind of go, come and give it the big one, and it's full on push at a moment when they're trying to evaluate risk, you're a total mismatch.
And you have a clash. And that's why meetings go south. We've all been in the ones that have gone like a car crash, right?
Helen Wada: Yeah.
Alex Holt 1: You never wanna repeat them again. But normally that's because one person doesn't listened to the other. And if your role is around bringing the organization to that climb, it's your job and your job alone to make sure that there isn't alignment.
That's your job. You can't walk outta me. Oh, they were really difficult. Well, maybe they were. That's their prerogative. They're
the client. You've gotta make sure you are aligned to them. And that is absolutely about understanding and certainly understanding the risk that they're taking and making sure you are approaching that.
And everybody's different in the way they evaluate risk. Our opportunity again, [00:20:00] comes back to what you, what we've talked about, kind of goals and purpose and what you're trying to achieve.
Helen Wada: And it is all wrapped in together. It's, it is how you have these conversations. It is taking these skills the questioning the listening. The probing. But also there's a point that, you know, in this big, complex, uncertain world that we live in, again, people that I work with commonly face is, you know, they're scared of not knowing, right?
So what I see a lot is what if I don't know the answer? What happens if I go into a conversation where I dunno answer? And that's more likely to happen than not in today's world. What are the strategies that you use? Because again, when you are on the front line you are talking across the breadth of business.
You know, we've all got heaps of experience, but we don't always know the answers. What are some of your strategies as you deal with those questions that might crop up,
Alex Holt 1: I'll glib, say chat, GBT kind of
re
Helen Wada: but you can't when you're
Alex Holt 1: Uh, [00:21:00] but,
in all joking aside, I think that it comes back to that honesty piece. If you try and sit in front of someone and they ask you a question, you don't really know the answer, and you try and pretend you do, you've lost credibility and you've eroded the trust.
Any trust that is there is gone. So ultimately, no matter whether it's a good or a bad thing you knowing or not knowing the answer to the question you gotta be honest. And that in itself is critical. And I think depending what environment you are in you know, I've always found. That in a situation where, I dunno the answer, it's not that the client necessarily needs me to know everything, but they do need to know that we as a team we as an organization can get them that answer in a very thoughtful and accurate way quickly.
So, you know, I'm not meant to be the personal, you know, gen AI tool that knows everything Well, no I'm absolutely real. And I think, you know, I think having. Comfort in not being [00:22:00] confident to not know the answer, but knowing that you have to be able to demonstrate how quickly you can get to that answer.
I is the way to go about it, you know, and you know, that doesn't take away from the fact that you still need to master your area. You're never gonna know everything. But I think if you are, again, depending what environment you are in you know, if you're selling a certain kind of hardware or product or it's professional services or whatever it might be you know, this doesn't say, oh, well don't worry about it.
You don't need to know stuff. You definitely do. but it doesn't mean you can know everything. And I think at the point at which you don't know, don't try and start pretending and talking around the subject. I've always been someone who has been very direct. Very honest. And if I dunno the answer to the question, I just say that I don't know, but you know, Helen is your guru.
I'll be, let me touch base with Herb, we'll be back in an hour Right. And I'll drop you a note on
Helen Wada: Yeah. And I think that you're right, and it's almost normalizing or [00:23:00] humanizing the fact that we are human, right? That's effectively what you've just talked described, you know, and it's the same with me. It's the same as, well, what if you don't know, you know, as a coach, my role is not there to know the answer.
And you know, this, you know, as a coach, my, my job is to unpick and hopefully elicit or. Create enough insight through the conversation for my clients to be generating those ideas and thinking for themselves, which actually you can do without having the technical ex expertise. And I would argue that in certain instances, you are better not having the technical expertise because you actually can focus on the questions and understanding things from a general business perspective.
And helping others to think these issues through some gentle probing, nudging, sharing of examples.
Alex Holt 1: Totally, but that comes back to that mastery of your area. Do you have the [00:24:00] parallels? Do you have the examples? Do you have the, oh, someone in similar position to you, thought about it like this. you know, you are adding value to them. So, you know, I think that's the piece around credibility.
And again, it comes back to trust and credibility is about. Having mastery of your topic in area. But it's also about being honest and open that, you know, nobody knows anything about everything.
Helen Wada: Yeah. And also creating the intimacy, which is where we started, you know, that the good old trust equation, but, you know, credibility, reliability, intimacy,
is that interest in you as a person?
Helen Wada: We talk about ai, we touched on that a little bit, you know, and you are, you know, right at the heart of technology out in Silicon Valley.
How do you see these relationships evolving with the use of ai? You know, we're sort of human race, we're here, but just interested in your perspective, what's coming down the line.
Alex Holt 1: Yeah, I mean, I think this is about, it's so exciting and I know there's a lot of fear around it, but I [00:25:00] think it's very exciting and I'll say that. You know, I think if we think about how digital has kind of exploded over the last 20, 25 years I think there have been three breakthrough technologies.
I think we had the internet, we've had mobile, and now we have ai. And there's a lot of stuff that's happened around all of that.
But those are the big three. And I think AI is real and I think, When we look at innovation cycles so say mobile was second. It took about 10 years for it to kind of become mature and adopted properly.
Innovation cycles are roughly haring. So I think we're in a situation where ai, gen, AI certainly I think is in a sort of perhaps five years to maturity, which means we're in kind of year three. Uh, so we're kind of a couple of years from being very real. I. That is an important statement in itself because thi this is something that's coming and it's a bit like a riptide, you know, if you try and swim against it, you're gonna drown.
And so you've gotta go with it. And I [00:26:00] encourage everybody from my own kids to the clients who I work with to, to my parents, anyone, just start using the tools.
Alex Holt 2: Is that we're in a, we're in a very kind of new kind of paradigm of how people use those tools. and it's very hard to recognize that we're in the fourth industrial revolution 'cause we're in it. And when you think about industrial revolutions of the past, there's always been a kind of resistance to it for many reasons, often fear, what's happened is change has been significant. And if you go back to just, you know, look at the industrial revolution, and most humans were in the field, right? It was, that was where most people, and that is not the case now. And yet all these jobs have sprung up that no one could possibly have imagined being a podcaster.
Right. Definitely wasn't, you know, something that anyone was thinking about, you know, all that, all those years ago. And so what I would say is that it's coming, it's here. These [00:27:00] are new digital tools that will make us more productive. New jobs will be created and many will go away. And again, you know, people say, oh, don't worry about it, everything's gonna be fine.
You know, that is definitely one way to look at it. But ultimately, many jobs that are around today won't exist in 10 years time in the way that they do today. So coming back to your question of where's it going and how is it gonna work? I think the answer is no one really knows. But what we'll all have is a set of digital tools available to us that allow us to be significantly more productive.
And the mundane stuff that no one really gets very excited about will be like, you click your fingers and it'll be done. You know, it'll be a very different environment. And so I think. The human piece though is absolutely critical, and it is the ability of humans to leverage those tools to bring out what is truly human in the, in what is being produced or the output or the, in the impact of what's [00:28:00] happening.
That has to have a human piece And. that will remain absolutely by
close, we move forward.
Helen Wada: I think you're right. I think it's fascinating and it's great to hear it from the eye of the storm somewhat, Alex, because obviously you know it a little bit closer. I mean, we feel it certainly over here in the uk, but for me it's, when we talk about being human, they, these skills that you and I are talking about, this ability to be curious, this ability to listen, the ability to connect the dots, whilst technology is going to take over a lot of the, kind of the mundane stuff, it does require us as human beings to be ever more active in connecting people together in a trusted way
Alex Holt 2: I think that's right, Heather. I think
Helen Wada: on.
Alex Holt 2: equally it's important to say, you know, what can I as a human, or we as humans do, that's unique. And that is gonna take some challenge because you're gonna find some capability in the [00:29:00] digital tools that are coming that is gonna blow your mind.
And you know, certainly things like knowledge, well knowledge
Helen Wada: give us an example. Tell me what's the value of knowledge?
Alex Holt 2: If I was. If I was running a large strategy team which I do, you know, at the end of the day, the way you approach your projects is often around the knowledge you have that a client needs and the value they place on it. You know, we're seeing a situation where that knowledge potentially becomes, the access to it becomes ubiquitous.
So it's not necessarily about the knowledge itself, but it's about what you do with it. And so. What I always say is, sort of circling back would be, you know, what humans do around creativity is one element. Just to give you an example, another one would be values. Now you can program bots down values and personality, and you'll see some of the, you know, sort of, interactions you can have with you know, any of the gen ai interfaces.
You know, they do, they are increasingly feeling quite human in the way that they work. [00:30:00] They had to be programmed. And the values that humans have is something that I don't think you can just digitize. And so that creativity the values piece I think those things become, you know, hugely important.
And you know how you then infuse those into your work environment with the tools you've got will be the thing that makes you different and differentiated. Otherwise, everything will just be kind of cut and paste into a
digital tool environment.
Helen Wada: Yeah. No I like that. I think it brings that, it's sort of the artistic, I was talking with a wonderful lady called Margaret Heman, who has written a book on around uncertainty, but actually stories drawing on creatives. And what they bring and how those skills are really useful now in the workplace, even more so than ever.
And I think you're absolutely right. It's less about what you
Alex Holt 2: Yeah, totally.
Helen Wada: but more about what you do with it. And ultimately the businesses that will succeed are the ones that are able to bring that commercial [00:31:00] focus with
commercial focus, with the technology, with the human capabilities.
Together
Alex Holt 2: Yeah.
Helen Wada: and it's about balancing those.
'cause for me, there's something around we have to be commercially focused. You know, whether it's a not-for-profit or whether it's a commercial organization, you money does make the world go round. But we need to balance that with who the people
are and what they can do in the world. So on that note, and as you think about, you know, your career history and how you've managed to balance that commercial focus with the people, what are the sort of top tips that you'd leave the listeners with in terms of how to balance the two and how to.
Alex Holt 2: I think you've gotta be authentic to yourself and find an environment that's gonna welcome the way you want to operate. And, you know, often, again, this coming sort of circling right back here. This is as [00:32:00] much about kind of recruitment and onboarding of talent as it is about anything else.
So if you go into an interview process and you are open and transparent and honest about what drives you, what motivates you, what the best environment looks like for you to operate in and you are given that role, that then allows you to, as long as the organization is then true to what it's described to you, you know, that is then where you get that kind of harmony.
I think if you kind of hide yourself through an interview process and then you say, oh, well this is really me and I wanna do these things, it's totally fine for the organization to go. That doesn't really work for us. So, you know, I think that at the, it cut circling right back, you've gotta understand that the organization you work in, the role that you've got.
You have a responsibility to share with that employer how you wanna operate and what you want to do. And that kind of has to start on the first date, which is the first interview. You know, you've gotta kind of be open and honest about, because no one's looking for someone who doesn't fit [00:33:00] within their team or organization.
That's like a nightmare of, oh, I've recruit this person now that they're fit doesn't learn. I wanna do this and I want 'em to do that. You know, that is where then you end up in this sort of terrible cycle. So I think job number one is. A back to what we've said, you've gotta understand what drives and motivates you.
What's your personal purpose? How do you wanna operate? When are you at your best? And I think, you know, when I'm doing interview questions, one of the things, you know, I never try and trip anyone up. It's like given the example in the last year or two when you've done something, whatever the role might be.
That is you at your very best, and I would be talking as much about the environment as I'm about the specifics of the project. What was it around you that allowed you to be at your very best when you woke up in the morning? Even if it was really early, you absolutely nailed it and you knew you were going to, and I think what you've gotta do is make sure you've got that operating environment around your talent in order to thrive.
And so I think this is much about being honest and being okay with people saying, I don't [00:34:00] like that. I don't want that here. It's fine. Go somewhere else. Right? Go and find a different environment that will welcome you and come back to that change point. Be open to change and know that there is an environment that's gonna work really well for you And someone's gonna want you to operate the way you wanna
operate.
Helen Wada: Yeah. No, that's brilliant. And what about a question? So a good coach loves a good question, but I think questions do encourage people to reflect a little bit differently and it really sort of take ownership of what next. So what question for people that have just listened to this, would you get them to think about as they switch off
Alex Holt 2: Yeah,
Helen Wada: Go back to the
Alex Holt 2: I think that the question would be. It would come back to that kind of what does, what other sort of environmental, what's the context of the environment you're in? What are two or three things around you that make you want to put the foot to the floor and really push and bring out the [00:35:00] very best of your kind of capacity and energy and capability?
How do you, what environment? What do you need around you? Do you need a boss who's being very specific with you about what they want Task driven? Do you need complete? Can't blanche, you know, clean sheet of paper, blank sheet of paper and just go for it. You know, you've got full response ownership of this.
Just crack on and get it done. What is it that you need? Do you need a bit between the two? So, you know, do you know what that is? You know, one of the things Helen, I I talked about in, in, in my book was around devoted talent. And so there's a whole chapter on it and it's about. An observation of the biggest and best organizations in the world, the outpaces as I talked about.
What makes them tick and one of the key characteristics is that they have devoted talent. And what do I mean by that? I mean, when you talk about somebody who's an artist or they're religious or [00:36:00] it's a musician, and you said they were devoted like conjure up. The imagery that you'd have of yourself that's a devoted artist or devoted musician.
And let's say they spend seven days a week working on, say it's a musician on an album, like everyone would be like, that's Great.
So happy for them. It's just wonderful. They're devoted, they're enjoying it. But I honestly see that in the working environment on the West Coast, people are devoted to the mission of the organization and they've aligned that with what makes them feel fantastic as well.
So their purpose. So maybe the question to bring it. back is what creates that devotion to a role within you? And devotion is a different word from dedicated or committed, all that kind of corporate nonsense, right? Devotion's very different. And if you can find that environment where you are devoted to the mission of the organization, the mission of your team, and the mission that you have personally been given, and it's giving you that much kind of back, that's when you're gonna [00:37:00] get this kind of.
Awesome moment of just high energy, high impact, high output, And high satisfaction, and high purpose. And so, you know, maybe the question is, you know, what's the environment that would make you feel devoted to what you're doing?
Helen Wada: Love it. And you are right. It's a big word.
Alex Holt 2: It's not corporate,
Helen Wada: Devotion is a big word. It is
different. No,
Alex Holt 2: bit. It's a human
word.
Helen Wada: Yeah. Yeah. It comes back to what, what gets you in the gut like. What gets you in the gut and what are you doing about it? And if it's not getting you in the gut, then what can you do about it to move forward.
Alex, it's been a delight. How have we been talking for 40 minutes? I don't actually know, but lots of wonderful insights there from the west coast of the US and that's such an early morning for you on this Monday. But really lovely to see you again. Thank you for. Sharing your time with me and the listeners and look forward to seeing you
Alex Holt 2: Helen.
Helen Wada: on the other side of the pond soon.[00:38:00]
Alex Holt 2: You too.
Helen Wada: all right. Take care. Look after
yourself, Alex.