10QUESTIONS with Jason Kingston

Our 10QUESTIONS feature asks members of the Freshfield community ten questions about their working life. Featuring client partners, colleagues and FF friends, our guests share some personal stories, views and fresh words of wisdom.

Our latest guest is Jason Kingston, founder and director of Cube Thinking, a Lancashire-based consultancy service that helps corporate and non-profit organisations develop business growth strategies.

1. How do you like to start your working day?

Up early. Coffee and breakfast. Shower, then dress according to the day ahead before driving to clients or the office with a soundtrack of my soulful house playlist to get the energy levels high.

2. How has the pandemic changed your working life?

Not wearing suits anymore, thankfully. It has changed the mindset of many leaders.

We advanced decades during the pandemic with greatly increased open mindedness to business approaches, which as a business growth practice has been key to seeing phenomenal client growth.

As a result, we have been able to develop our client toolkit much more adventurously and equally draw on much more evolved resources than we could have imagined four years ago.

3. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

‘Integrity is what you do when no one is watching.’

4. Where and how do you come up with your best ideas?

Walking the dogs on the moors in the evening.  It is amazing how brain space really assists creativity, especially at sunset.

5. What does leadership mean to you?

Taking people on a journey to a clear destination, with a clear purpose.

Leaders need a toolkit and to understand the responsibility of what is required of them, in any situation. Leaders should eat last too, as Simon Sinek wisely pointed out!

6. Which current or historical business figure do you most admire and why?

Simon Dunmore of Defected.

He recently handed over the reign to Wez Saunders, following almost 25 years of phenomenal growth in a sector (music, events and merchandise) to become an incredibly strong global brand that continues to be driven by customer loyalty, quality products and services.

Simon Dunmore’s heritage in his sector and authenticity, matched with incredible business acumen and the building of super talented teams has always filled me with admiration since reading his music columns in the 80s and hearing him

7. What is your most trusted source of news?

The Economist. Every Saturday my postman delivers my weekly digest of balanced, well researched and well referenced business and global news. The digital channel gives me a real time picture.  No source is perfect, I know, but this is my go to.

8. What is your favourite brand and why?

Paul Smith. Consistent quality, attention to detail in design and manufacture with a quality instore and online customer experience alongside growing a global presence while still boutique.

9. What’s the most recent new skill you have learnt?

Square (or box) breathing. Personally. it has helped with focus and containing the impact of stressful situations.

10. We all use them… what management jargon phrase do you use the most?

‘We don’t know what we don’t know’. It states the obvious but an often overlooked fact that we do not know everything, as Rumsfeld highlighted, so be aware to constantly seek further knowledge.