What do Cadbury and Jaguar have in common?
For an old family friend of mine, quite a lot.
My ‘Uncle’ Geoff Williams spent his career as a mathematician specialising in logistics. In the 1960s and ’70s he worked at Cadbury under Sir Adrian Cadbury. In the 1980s he worked at Jaguar under Sir John Egan.
Of all the bosses he encountered, those two stood out. Very different leaders – but both deeply capable, both connected to their people and both conscious of the responsibility that comes with leading institutions rather than just companies.
Uncle Geoff was there on talent but humbly describes working for them as luck.
Luck because he experienced great leadership and stood inside those brands at a moment when they carried particular weight and meaning.
I also love that his career placed him inside two very different organisations that were part of the cultural furniture – applying quiet, behind-the-scenes logistical craft in service of something much bigger.
Careers are often valued by where they take us.
Sometimes the real privilege is simply where we’re allowed to stand for a while.
Andrew Greenhalgh 