Experience, curiosity and a practical point of view.
I’m Dave D’Arcy, founder of Laughing Leadership. I’ve spent more than 35 years in customer operations, contact centres, outsourcing and technology. I’m still learning.
Have a conversation with Dave
I’ve worn a few different hats.
I’ve worked inside major organisations, alongside technology providers, with outsourcing businesses and directly with leadership teams trying to make sense of complex operations.
My career has included senior leadership roles with RingCentral and Vonage, alongside work with organisations including BT, Vodafone and Sky. I’ve led teams of more than 1,500 people and spent over 20 years making decisions at executive level.
The experience matters because I understand what comes after the presentation: the people, decisions and daily work needed to make a change succeed.
I’ve received industry recognition including CCWorld Best Director and UK Industry Champion. Awards are lovely. But I’m rather more interested in what happens on a Monday morning when the presentation is over and everyone has to make things work.
Why Laughing Leadership?
When I started thinking about the business, I wanted to explore something beyond the idea that happy employees make happy customers. What happens when people are genuinely engaged, invested in their work and trusted by leaders they trust in return?
A friend, Sean, pointed out that the name didn’t say what I actually did. When I asked him what that was, his answer was simple: “You make us laugh every day.”
That led to another question. If people feel valued, comfortable enough to challenge and able to be themselves, what is one of the signs that things are going well? People laugh.
A few jokes won’t fix a struggling business. But an environment in which people can contribute, question and enjoy their work is a serious foundation for better performance.
These days, I ask a lot of questions.
When someone says they need more people, I want to understand why. When they need new technology, I want to know what the existing technology isn’t doing. When a provider promises savings, I want to understand how.
Making things better.
Through Laughing Leadership, I work with businesses that need experience, independent thinking and practical support. Sometimes the starting point is a problem. Sometimes it is an opportunity. Often, it’s both.
Read some of my thinkingA problem to solve? An opportunity to explore?
You don’t need a formal brief.
Tell me what’s on your mind.