VOICES: PAUL DONOVAN
VOICES: PAUL DONOVAN
I learned that you can't just focus on the balance sheet. You need people to be aligned and feel they're part of the journey.
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Through this, employee satisfaction rose from the 30th percentile to the 95th. This directly contributed to a 50% increase in EBITDA and a successful sale at a 70% increase in equity value. His approach at Odeon was rooted in listening, transparency, and empowering his team, which fostered a sense of ownership and pride. This shift transformed the company into a vibrant and thriving organization.
FROM "ME" TO "WE": The Legacy of Purpose-Driven Leadership
Paul Donovan
MOBILIZING TEAMS THROUGH A CLEAR VISION Paul’s advice for motivating a team behind a shared vision and collective purpose includes:
Purpose-driven leadership transforms organizations by prioritizing people, culture, and shared success over numbers. Paul Donovan shares insights from his career.
3 LISTEN AND BE TRANSPARENT Listen more! Understanding the concerns and being transparent about decisions—even the tough ones—is invaluable. By openly communicating and spending time explaining the "why" behind changes, you can ensure that teams are not just executing tasks but emotionally invested in the outcomes. 4 BUILD PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY Creating a psychologically safe environment is critical to enabling people to do their best work. A leadership style that prioritizes listening over directing, understanding what matters to employees, and fostering an atmosphere where people feel safe to speak up and take risks. motivations of team members, as well as
1 CREATE A
SHARED PURPOSE Align a team around a clear, inspiring vision. At Odeon, the vision was about creating "Inspiring entertainment experiences employee a reason to feel proud of their contribution. 2 EMPOWER THROUGH TRUST Empower employees to make decisions. Whether it is allowing frontline for every guest." This simple, yet powerful mission gave every staff to make customer- related decisions, as at Odeon, or giving union leaders the autonomy to validate business plans as at Eircom, trust is fundamental to unlocking employee potential.
Venture Philanthropist
Paul is a businessman, investor and philanthropist. Over the past three decades he has held senior executive roles at Arqiva, Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group, Eir, Vodafone Group, Cable and Wireless, and Apple. He is currently Chair of Kensa Group and NED at Nordic Aviation Capital and Arqiva. Paul was a founder of social impact accelerator Our Common Good and is the Founder funder of the Centre for Social Justice Foundation and patron of the Artis Foundation.
T hroughout his career, Paul Donovan has experienced first-hand the importance of being a leader that is not singularly focused on achieving results but one who values shared success, collaboration, and purpose-driven leadership. His journey offers insights into how effective leaders evolve, not only in their capabilities, but also in their approach to inspiring and connecting with their teams. An evolution shaped by pivotal moments, tough feedback, and a deep understanding of what really makes a team thrive. BEYOND THE PURSUIT OF RESULTS Paul began his career with multinational giants like Mars, Coca-Cola, Apple, and Vodafone, climbing the ranks with a greater emphasis on performance. "I was primarily focused on metrics and personal success, but it often meant I overlooked the importance of team dynamics," Paul admits. As a turnaround specialist for private equity, he realized sustainable success required more than hitting numbers—it needed engaged, motivated employees. "I learned that you can't just focus on the balance sheet. You need people to be aligned and feel they're part of the journey," Paul recalls.
Following some tough 360-degree feedback which revealed his self-centered leadership style, Paul reflects, "The feedback was tough to hear, but it made me realize I needed to change." He worked with a coach to develop a more inclusive approach, shifting from a "me" to a "we" mentality. Today, Paul emphasizes psychological safety, empowerment, and creating workplaces where every voice is valued. Taking over a struggling Odeon UCI Cinemas in 2014, Paul needed to turn the company around and prepare it for sale within three years. The previous leadership had focused primarily on cost-cutting, but Paul knew this approach was limited. "Cost-cutting can only take you so far. I wanted to create an environment where people were excited to come to work," Paul says. ENHANCING EQUITY VALUE: FROM COST- CUTTING TO CULTURE TRANSFORMATION Instead, he focused on culture, employee satisfaction, and customer experience—leading to sustainable growth and a company people wanted to work for. Paul introduced new talent and elevated existing employees who had a deep understanding of the company. "We needed fresh perspectives, but also the institutional knowledge that was already there."
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40 Brandpie CEO Report 2024 A pivotal moment for purpose
Brandpie CEO Report 2024 A pivotal moment for purpose 41
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