This is the podcast version of the programme with some extra material in it that we didn't have room for in the radio broadcast.

I hope you enjoy it.

Hello, welcome. It's been interesting this week watching as a new prime minister and team of ministers settle into their jobs running the country, a completely

new start, total change of national leadership. They're not quite starting from scratch or staring

at a blank sheet of paper because, well, they do have promises and commitments that have already been

made. But to use a different metaphor, there is a sense of a new broom sweeping across government.

And you know what? It made us think about the management challenge of being a new broom, of taking over, starting a new role,

taking the reins to use a third metaphor, maybe changing the direction of an organisation.

In some ways, the first days are, of course, the most fun because you can't be criticised yet.

But these are also perilous moments because you can make early mistakes that cause trouble down the line.

So I am joined by three leaders from business and charity to share their experiences of coming in as a fresh start.

Now, first, Alan French, CEO of Thomas Cook.

Now, Alan, you're going to have to explain what Thomas Cook is now because many will remember

that it collapsed and it is not the same organisation.

What are you in charge of?

The old company had planes, it had shops, and we have neither planes nor shops.

So we're an electronic distribution for other people's planes and other people's hotels.

But our job is to bring them together into a package holiday which we then support with customer service, we distribute

entirely electronically, and we make sure that we do that under the legal framework, which

is the European Travel Directive, which essentially means if anything goes wrong, we'll sort

it out. And if you can't go on holiday for whatever reason, we'll then refund you or we'll

send you somewhere else.

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