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)Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and the Business Leader YouTube channel for more interviews with some of the world’s leading business figures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.