Today’s guest is one of the best communicating CEOs I’ve seen for some time. He’s accessible whilst clear about his boundaries, he lives his values, his pride for his county shines through, he recognises the role he plays as a champion and challenger for his sector. And he does it with a humility and good humour. I could have chatted to him all day.

In this episode, I’m delighted to talk with Nick Atkin, CEO of Yorkshire Housing. Nick is a disrupter in his industry and regularly cited as a top influencer for the housing sector.

We talk about:

• building culture, breaking down hierarchy

• what it's like working in the housing sector

• recruiting and testing for values

• what he looks for in his senior team

• building the right infrastructure to work in the best way

• how to get the best out of his team and treating people like adults

• communicating with colleagues and how it's changed since the pandemic

• working on quarterly achievable instead of annual targets and how he got the Board aligned with that approach

• the elements of a good Board

• why it's important to be visible online

• influencing and shaping policy

• developing your voice

• what inspires transformation

• advocating for people they support in areas outside of their control

• boundary-setting, managing expectations and being present

• advice for aspiring senior leaders

Resources and helpful links

• Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

• Connect with Nick on Twitter / X

• Yorkshire Housing website

• Yorkshire Housing YouTube