Beyond the Black Stump

G'day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to episode 37 of Beyond the Black Stump.    Do you live to work, or do you work to live? My guess is that most fit into the later group. So altruistic ideas around awareness raising and learning good, but show me the money!   My guest today is well positioned to advise on the return on investment for our personal learning and development. She runs one of the better known recruitment firms in the BC/risk field and we discuss the skills and expertise that employers are looking for.    The company she founded, BC Management, also produces a number of industry research reports - including their long running survey of remuneration in the industry.    Stay with me as I explore what makes you employable for a senior role in the industry today, and how those in-demand skills might change into the future. Let's go Beyond the Black Stump with Cheyenne Marling.    Links referenced in this episode Cheyenne's LinkedIN profile BC Management Inc Complimentary reports  eNotifications page - don't miss new research World Economic forum Report - "The 10 skills you need to third win the Fourth Industrial Revolution". Black Stump LinkedIN Group   Are you in the job market, or thinking about making a move? What are your views on the skills demanded today and for the future?  I would love to read about your perspectives on the Black Stump LinkedIn group.    I am especially interested in exploring the ideas we discussed around greater focus on softer skills and how those are taught and developed.    When we think about how we invest in our own development, remember the golden rule. He who has the gold makes the rules.    We need to understand what employers want, today and into the future - rather than what the industry and practitioners might want that profile to look like.    Food for thought on your journey. Stay safe and I hope you will join me again next week.

G’day this is Ken Simpson and welcome to an overdue episode 36 of Beyond the Black Stump. Last week I was hit by the podcaster’s nightmare scenario - sore throat and coughing. Not a good sound, so I spared you the experience. But I still wanted to share my thoughts about BC Awareness week and how we go about trying to promote the discipline. My thanks to the small number of practitioners who reached out and wanted to share views on this year's events. So Business Continuity Awareness Week has come and gone for another year, and my Awareness Challenge for the month of May has ended. The past week has been one of those times when I wonder where the year has gone, June already! Links for this episode Old BCAW Blog Posts BCI Britghttalk Channel Martin Caddick post Two other really good PwC posts, Paul Robertson and James Crask Burke & Jones "Top Down" Webinar Lucey and Burton Exercise webinar Flashblog Dennis Goulet/BCMIX LinkedIn conversation David Discenza/David Lindstedt conversation BCI BCAW Feedback Survey In next weeks show we will explore some elements of the personal ROI for those who work in BC. Join me as I chat with Cheyenne Marling from recruitment and research firm BC Management about what she sees employers are looking for and how you can best get Return on Investment in your own learning and development. Until then, stay safe and aware on your journey.

G'day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to episode 35 of Beyond the Black Stump. Our May podcasts are all about awareness, not just making others aware of BC - but ensuring that we increase our awareness of other disciplines, the world around us - and how these things are changing. This week my guest is a young, female practitioner. While those two attributes alone make her rare in BC circles, she can also claim another rare attribute of being a second generation practitioner. Listen in and perhaps become more aware of the thinking and expectations of the new generation. You may become more aware of how we often patronise young practitioners, especially the female ones - and if you are subject to this sort of behaviour, there will be some awareness of strategies that you might like to consider. All of this from a New Zealand contributor to the "20 in their 20's" publication, so let's go Beyond the Black Stump with Sarah Kara. Links for this show 20 in their 20's Some commentary on that publication Black Stump LinkedIn Group Resilience Awareness Challenge FlashBlog index page Other BCAW events Hear more in last show with Andrew Scott ... I hope you found something to think about in Sarah's stories. To be sustainable, our future practices are going to have to be aligned to the needs and thinking of the emerging generations. This is a critical area where we need to raise the awareness of the industry. As always, would love to hear your thoughts - come over to Black Stump LinkedIn Group, link is is in the show notes, and share your views. I am sure you will be able to engage with Sarah there if you want to. If you are really keen to explore these gendered rand generational issues - then reach out and be a guest on the show. All are welcome, drop me a note and we can schedule something. Don't forget the Resilience Awareness Challenge, it's not too late to sign up and commit to learning about something new and different this month. Next week is BCAW, still not too late to sign up for the FlashBlog index page. Until next time, thanks for listening - and stay safe on your journey.

G'day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to episode 34 of Beyond the Black Stump. The podcast for the risk. Continuity and resilience communities. Links in this show BCI BCAW Page Participate in the Flashblog Webinar Guide Take up the Resilience Awareness Challenge I had every intention of recording live conversations at the Australasian BC Summit this week, but it wasn't to be. I actually had to miss the second day of the Conference due to client commitments. Despite only having one day at the conference I thought I got value from it. The great thing about value is that it has meaning only "in the eye of the beholder" so to speak. What value do you put on a new idea? Learning about something you did not know about. I think it is priceless, worth the effort of losing the income and the cost of travel.  For me that value came from Gareth Bone's session about Design Thinking. Listen out for more on that idea in a few weeks. I would love to hear about your thoughts on the value of a single new idea. What did you learn from the Australasian Summit last week, or at the last conference you attended? Post a comment in our LinkedIn community. Value is also a theme for this week's show. We are only a week away from the start of Business Continuity AWareness Week. This year BCAW starts on Monday 16 May and the theme is "return on investment" for BC. For many that will translate to the value delivered via BC rather than a true ROI assessment. What are you doing to promote awareness during BCAW? To get some ideas of what is being co-ordinated by the BCI I spoke to Andrew Scott, Senior Communications Manager at the BCI. Plenty of opportunity to learn something and raise awareness from the various event the BCI are co-ordinating.  What about your awareness? What are you doing to raise your own awareness of what other disciplines do and how they do it? Are you willing to take the Resilience Challenge, there is a link in the show notes, sign up and invest 10 minutes a day in raising your own awareness of how other disciplines contribute to raise the level of resilience. Until next week, stay safe (and inquisitive) on your journey.  

G’day this is Ken Simpson - and welcome to a new week, and a new month.   Kicking off the month with episode 33 of the show and a month of learning and awareness raising.   I am launching a month-long challenge to people today. You can get the details at blackstump.fm/challenge. Essentially the challenge is to commit to raise your awareness of another discipline, body of knowledge or a new skill. All you need is 10 minutes a day.   Check it out and see if you are up to the challenge!   There is a big opportunity for learning, and awareness raising, in Australia this week as the BCI Summit is on in Sydney. Back in January you heard about Glen Redstall’s 3 words to guide BC for 2016. Last week I caught up with Glen again to find out how the summit was looking.   FULL TRANSCRIPT   Links for this show Summit sponsor - RSA Summit sponsor - Dynamiq Summit Program #BCISummit2016 follow the conversations on Twitter   Too late to get into the conference this year - if you missed out make sure you register early for next year. There is a trade show as part of the Summit and Glen confirmed that that is open for visitors if you are in Sydney this week and want to check out the products on display.   I am speaking on the first day on the topic “Self-Leadership for Change”. If you are attending the Summit, put that session on your schedule.   Are you up to take the challenge? Awareness is not just about raising other people’s awareness of BC - it cuts both ways. If are coming to understand that we need to be open to other disciplines in order to build resilience - so here is your chance. Sign up for the Resilience Awareness and Learning challenge - blackstump.fm/challenge - or come look in the Black Stump LinkedIN community.   Later in the week you will hear from a range of people on the floor of the BCI Summit, and get a preview on BC Awareness Week with the BCI’s Andrew Scott.   Until then, stay safe on your journey.

G'day this is Ken Simpson, and welcome to Episode 32 of Beyond the Black Stump.   Another month has come and gone, the last Friday of the month so we celebrate it as a Book Club episode. But a book club with a difference, in that our author today has published a number of articles and blog posts - and is seeking to write a book. So we are just getting in early. After all the intent of book club is to encourage reading.   And on that note before we get into today’s conversation I just want to remind you that there is a full transcript of the interview available on the shows web site -http://Blackstump.FM The link is active in the show notes on your podcast player.   The reason I made a point of reminding you about that at the top of the show is that there are some patchy parts of the audio today, and you might need to refer to the transcript to better understand the meaning.   My guest today brings learning and experience form the military into the corporate world of BC and resilience. Of particular interest to me is his focus on resilience as a cultural outcome. Our industry has been plagued with ex-military folks promoting their versions of command and control models for many years - but here are some different perspectives. Perspectives that are derived form research, as well as experience - and more importantly perspectives that are alive and shifting as the world moves.   Ideas and practices that adapt - might be a good way to describe preparations for improving resilience. So join me as I discuss these ideas with Aaron Gracey.   Links for this show Aaron's LinkedIn profile Black Swans Vs Organisational Resilience  LinkedIn index page to all Aaron's posts Squared Apples on Twitter BCI World 2014 Presentation ResOrgs Torrens Institute Coutu "How Resilience works" HBR Starfish and the Spider   Thanks for staying with us, and I hope the audio (and the accents) were not too hard to follow. If there is anything here that you want to explore further, why not come over to the Black Stump LinkedIn community and join the discussion. I am sure we can get Aaron to engage in conversation with you. You can also go comment on any of his articles liked in the Show Notes.   Join me next week as I preview the Australasian BC Summit and give you a challenge to complete during the month.

G'day this is Ken Simpson and thanks for tuning into episode 31 of Beyond the Black Stump.    This week we are going to hear about the experience of a practitioner who has gone exploring beyond the black stump of legacy BC practice.    Wider horizons provide different perspectives and resilience takes on different dimensions when you immerse yourself in another contributing discipline. This is the continuing journey from BC Newcomer of the Year, to his “difficult second album”.   Lets catch up with Luke Bird.     Thanks to Luke for being open and sharing his experiences of life beyond BC. Sometimes we really don’t see the practices and the discipline clearly until we get outside and look back in.   Do you have an observation, comment or reaction to what we talked about today? You are welcome to discuss these or any of the issues raised in the show at the LinkedIN community. Here’s a radical idea, instead of the social media communities, why not go to a local forum or chapter meeting and discuss these issues with other practitioners in the flesh!   You may also find it informative to simply have these conversations with other people in your own organisation. Start by opening a dialog between BC and InfoSec - cyber threat is all the rage, it is an overdue connection.   Join me next week for book club with Aaron Gracey.   Until then, I hope your journey takes you to new and fascinating ideas. Stay safe.

G’day this is Ken Simpson and welcome to Episode 30 of Beyond the Black Stump. Over recent weeks I have been talking to a range of people about the need to build capability – not just produce documents. Even if those documents have “plan” in the title. To be totally accurate, I have been having those conversations for the past 20 years, it has just been a feature of the podcasts for the past few weeks. To some extent the current theme started with Rina Bhakta in Episode 25, then the first part of “Fit for Purpose” in #26, a significant feature of the thinking of Andy Osborne in show 27 and also with Karen Stephens in episodes 28 & especially episode 29. This show is the second part of the “Fit for Purpose” story. There has been a clear message from the various people I have spoken with on this subject over the years – capability comes from practice and rehearsal, not documents and procedures. Karen summed it up really well in the last show “firemen don't learn how to put out a fire by reading a plan.” In part 1 of Fit for Purpose I drew on my experience as an elite basketball coach to make the same point. We had to build the skills of the individual players, they had to refine those skills in individual practice, then we had to learn on the practice court how to perform as a team. No different to the situation with BC, Crisis and Emergency teams in your organisation. At the end of that show I talked about the role of BC Manager, before we worry about anybody else, perhaps we need to consider if the way we approach our practice is “fit for purpose”. Here is a recap; The idea of coaching often reflects the position the BC practitioner finds themselves in. They don't generally have command and control authority over those who will need to execute plans. Coaches in professional sport often find themselves paid much less than their star players, and they also need to learn to manage the super-star egos. In that context they learn to mound a team by collaboration and influence, rather than using the techniques of command and compliance. Do you think acting like a coach might be better received by the senior players (aka your Executives)? Could a change in the way you perceive your role lead to better engagement going forward? Links for this show "Fewer Bosses. More Coaches. Please." Paul Gonzales Getting their attention. Ken Simpson, Continuity Magazine The Innovators Dilemma, Clayton Christensen Stamford Prison Experiment Embedding culture into BCM, Ken Simpson CEO perspectives on organisational resilience [DOC ... - TISN If you are motivated to discuss or comment on any of the issues in this show, come over the Black Stump group on LinkedIn. Would love to hear from you. Until next time, stay safe on your journey.

G’day, this is Ken Simpson and we are back with a mid-week episode - the 29th Beyond the Black Stump Podcast.   This show is the final part of my chat with Karen Stephens from the Kestrel Group in New Zealand. I have known and worked with Karen for 17 years, we have delivered a number of engagements together -and at one point in her career she was also my client!   Here is a link to part 1 in case you missed it. Lets pick up the conversation talking about capability - what it is, and example of how Karen has delivered it - and how it helps engage Executives.   ..   Thanks for listening across these two shows with Karen. As always if you found the show useful, please feel free to tell your friends and colleagues about it. Send them to http://Blackstump.fm to listen. If you have 5 minutes free to leave a comment or rating on iTunes that would also be much appreciated.   Join me again in a few days time for the second part of the Fit for Purpose story - where we wrap up some of this discussion around capability - and explore how some of our capabilities actually become disabilities in a response/recovery situation.   Until then, stay safe on your journey.

G’day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to episode 28 of Beyond the Black Stump.   As it turns out this is really the introduction to episode 28 and episode 29 of the show. After I recorded this interview I decided it needed to be split into two shows.   You see this is an interview with somebody I have known and worked with for about 17 years, so it was both a little odd at first, but we ended up chatting for over an hour!   My guess today will probably not be widely known outside her current adopted country of New Zealand. So while she might fall into the “new voices” category for a global audience, she has 20+ years of practice behind her.   We are going to explore her background in Business Continuity, Crisis Management and Emergency Management. She has worked extensively in the financial services sector, been a BC/CM consultant/manager for a "Big 4” firm, worked in Emergency Management for local government and consulted to a range of private sector, local government and national government entities.   She is currently a Director with New Zealand-based Kestrel Group. So join me as we discuss Emergency Management in Middle Earth and how we may at times embed vulnerability in the culture, issues you can find beyond the Black Stump to with Karen Stephens.   ...   I think that is a good spot to break the conversation. But don’t worry, you don’t have to wait a week to hear the rest of the conversation. There will be a special episode of the show released mid-week.   In the interim, take a few minutes to reflect on what we have been talking about. Are you embedding vulnerability into the culture of your organisation? We mean well, but if we don’t actually understand how culture works - or in fact, how being resilient actually works - then we might inadvertently be creating vulnerability.   You might also take a moment to think about your use of “assumptions” in writing plans. Unless a proposed response/recovery solution is approved at the highest levels and fully funded - then it is a dream, make believe. Not a solution.   Telling people they have implemented a response/recovery plan based on fiction - thats vulnerability, not capability.   Join me of the next part of this chat, where we talk about Capability, and what that leads to resilience and executive engagement. Karen will talk us through a specific client case-study of how they approached making that client capable.   Until then, as always a comment or rating on iTunes would be appreciated, and stay safe on your journey.  

G'day this is Ken Simpson and welcome to episode 27 of Beyond the Black Stump. This episode is being released on a Thursday because of the Easter weekend. Ordinarily the show would have been on the last Friday of the month - so it must be time for Book Club. If you haven't caught up, Book Club is a monthly feature show we you are encouraged to read a book. My fear is we do not read enough, it this is an attempt to encourage wider reading. (And no, the latest article on Continuity Central, DRJ, Continuity Insights or Continuity magazine does not qualify as either a book, or reading widely). Normally for book club I would encourage you to pour a glass of wine and settle back to listen. For my guest today I would suggest he might prefer to be offered a "nice cup of tea" instead. Our author today has produced four books, which is a fairly major piece of work. In addition he has been an active blogger in the industry for many years - and he has a unique and entertaining style. With 20-odd years of experience in the BC and risk fields he is also very well qualified to write, advise and comment. He is currently runs his own consulting practice, Acumen, servicing an international client base. So join me as I chat about books, blogs, bit buckets and Barney with Andy Osborne. ... I hope you found that useful, building on a theme that has featured through recent shows around exercising and building capability. A little more on that issue next week too. All of Andy's books are available for online purchase and there are links in the show notes. Andy has generously offered all listeners a free copy of his eBook "Ski Boots and Celery", to secure your copy all you have to do is send him an email at aosborne@acumen-bcp.co.uk - dot try to write that down while driving, the link is in the show notes. Don't forget to tell him you were listening to the show. As always if you find the show valuable it would really be appreciated if you left a rating or comment on iTunes. You can also feel free to recommend all your friends and colleagues to subscribe and download the show. I hope you get the chance for a break over the Easter weekend, and don't forget to use that extra free time to read more. Until next week - stay safe on your journey.

G’day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to episode 26 of Beyond the Black Stump. The podcast that seeks to encourage leadership and learning in the risk and resilience disciplines. Another variation in show format today. No interview or guest, instead let’s talk about one of the core practices within the Business Continuity discipline, and how we could make that a core contributor to the wider concept of resilience. We touched on this in the last show with Rina also. This is a subject that I have written several papers and blog posts about so the show is also a bit of an experiment to use the audio format as an alternative to the written paper. The written versions are all linked in the show notes if you are motivated to read further. The practice I am talking about today is known by different names, and unfortunately they actually describe very different practices. Do you use these words interchangeably? Testing, Exercising, Rehearsing Perhaps you just lump all of these things under the compliance-oriented label of “verification”? Like a number of areas of our practice unless we are very clear about what we are doing – and more importantly, why we are doing it, we will continue to struggle with Executive relevance and the aspiration to one day be considered a profession. Links for today's show Research on CEO perspectives on resilience My articles on this subject BCAW Flashblog "Getting their attention" Continuity Magazine Subscribe to Book Club Newsletter for free whitepaper   As always I would appreciate a comment or rating on iTunes – and there is always the LinkedIn community if you want to engage. Finally, this show was derived in part from a paper I wrote in 2014 that was short-listed for BC Paper of the Year in 2015. If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of that paper, just click the link in the show notes and subscribe to the Black Stump Book Club mailing list. If you are already a subscriber, thank you, and the White Paper will already be in your email. Join me next week for our March Book Club episode with Andy Osborne. Andy is an easy guy to speak to and writes in a very entertaining style. He is also a great proponent of building capability rather than documenting plans, and has also been known to use a range of his sporting experience to highlight BC issues. Hopefully you will find it a good complement to the issues explored in today’s show. Until next week, stay safe on your journey.

G'day this is Ken Simpson, and welcome to episode 25 of the show. Back on this side of the microphone to mark the quarter century milestone - many thanks to James Stevenson for hosting the leap day show earlier this week. Today is a "rewind" type of episode. My guest is somebody I have interviewed in an earlier show. Since then she has changed jobs - new company, new industry sector. Listen as we explore a young practitioner expanding her responsibility as a team manager - and learning to adapt to different cultures. We also explore some different ideas - generational and gender expectations around the present and future of risk/BC practices. Let's find out if the Black Stump has moved for Rina Bhakta. ... Some interesting observations there from Rina - do you have a view on the generational and glass ceiling questions? If you want to discuss those or any other issues raised in this show, then come over to the Black Stump LinkedIn Community and share your views. Check out Rina's Blog and as always, if you find the show valuable I would really appreciate  review or comment on iTunes. Until next week, stay safe on your journey.

G’day, I am James Stevenson and this episode is being released on February 29th, 2016.It is a leap year and traditionally in a leap year the tables are turned – men run scared for the day as women get to pop the big question. In this unusual context Ken has agreed to take the hot seat and I will be asking him a few questions – but not THE question. We will learn about the man behind the Black Stump podcast, we will chat about his background, his thoughts on resilience, personal development and what he thinks is Beyond the Black Stump. In case you are wondering about me, I am James Stevenson. I have been working in risk, BC and insurance for about 20 years – working with a range of internationally known companies. I have recently taken over as Director (Risk Management) at Burberry. ... Links for this show Sadie Hawkins Day My Online platforms Blog "Contemplating ..." Resilience Ninja Newsletter Blanchard Books Self-Leadership and the One Minute Manager Blanchard catalog on Amazon 3 Pieces of Media Steve Jobs "Stanford Commencement Speech" Rosabeth Moss Kanter - Ted Talk "Leading Positive Change Serernity Prayer

G'day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to episode 23 of Beyond the Black Stump. It is the end of another month so this is a book club episode.   Pour yourself a glass of wine, as is the book club tradition. Perhaps if you are risk averse and driving while you listen, wait until you get home for the wine.   This month my featured book is “Disaster Heroes” - a collection of stories about ordinary people who have made an amazing impact in the aftermath of a disaster.   Sit back and listen to the inspiring stories of both  the book, and its author Suzanne Bernier.   ...   This book has more to offer the practitioner than just some inspiring stories. It is a practical example of some of the skills we need to be successful in the corporate world of the 21st Century.   I am talking about the skills of narrative and story telling. These are critical skills we need to sell our purpose and get buy-in to building resilience. This book provides a great role modelling of those skills - read and learn.   Even if you don’t value the skills of story telling, these stories are a great example that we can all learn from when we try to write case studies of things that occur in our own organisations - even if we just look at the style and structure of the stories. Remember Suzanne has a background in journalism as well as Emergency Management.   The link to the book is in the show notes, read it and think about how you can use a book like this to innovate your own practices.   While you are doing that, if you find this show useful I would really appreciate it if you visited iTunes and left a review or rating.   Thanks for listening, and take care on your journey. Keep an ear out for a special Sadie Hawkins Day episode of the show on Monday 29 Feb.

G'day this is Ken Simpson - and it is a great pleasure to finally welcome you to episode 22 of the show! Here are the key links for this show; World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2016 My blog posts on previous WEF Reports Blogs on Horizon Scanning WEF 2013 Report Whitehaven Coal - Hoax Media release War of the Worlds - Orson Welles 1938 radio production, full show BCI Horizon Scan DRII 2016 Predictions Resilience Ninja Newsletter - promoting Collaboration, Curation and Coaching BCI Position Statement on Organisational Resilience Continuity Central commentary on the statement   Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you started work on a plan or report, then something changed in the the environment - so you re scoped your work to include those new factors. That work takes a little longer to finish, and guess what - something else changes while you are completing the assignment! This episode started out on the editorial schedule as the January Book Club, with a slight difference. The focus was to be the World Economic Forum's 2016 Global Risks Report rather than a book. Tardiness in production meant that the BCI Horizon Scan report landed in my Inbox. Of course it would only be appropriate to include and contrast the two different perspectives. After all, where you perceive the horizon depends on where you sit. More delay and procrastination followed, then the DRII Future Vision program delivers their 2016 Threat Predictions paper - how can I resist recasting the show to be "The tale of Three Horizons". Before I know it, it is time for February Book Club, the schedule is compromised and a sense of pressure and stress grows. How many times do we see that happen with our risk registers and BC plans. We strive to have the complete (dare I suggest a perfect) plan or strategy and the result is we actually do not deliver anything in a timely manner. When we do that, we contribute to building vulnerability in our organisations, not resilience. There is a quote I use to illustrate the need for timely delivery in our business - it is from the Roman stoic philosopher Seneca "Whatever can happen at anytime, can happen today." Translated for today's risk and resilience challenge - deliver early and deliver often. The days of waiting to deliver the perfect document are gone, to contribute to resilience we need agile approaches and continuous delivery. So that's my attempt at drawing a practice example from my personal story of disruption and adversity. Not really up to Andy Osborne's standard yet I will admit. Let's get on with the real content of the show and take a look at the 3 reports and their different horizons. ...

G'day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to Episode 21 of Beyond the Black Stump. The impact of my late start to the show in 2016 is that the January programs are a lot closer together than normal - hope you can keep up with all this listening!   Last week I shared some ideas about planning for 2016 and my 3 focus words. This week we have a practitioner sharing 3 words - but not just from a purely personal perspective. When I approach my gues today I explained the concept and asked him to come up with 3 words that he thought could be applicable across the discipline.   Our thought leader today is uniquely positioned to offer that advice. He is a practitioner and leads the BC and EM practice for a large government agency, and in that role he is a previous winner of the BCI regional Public Sector Manager of the Year. He also serves on the Board of the local BCI Chapter.   His third, and in my view most important, role that qualifies for this assignment - he Chairs the organising committee for the Australasian BC Summit so hopefully his 3 words will be informed by, and perhaps shape, the education offered at that event.   It will be interesting to hear how it unfolds. Especially as the theme chosen for the 2016 Summit "From practice to profession" was the inspiration for one of my own focus words for 2016.   Join me as we go Beyond the Black Stump with Glen Redstall.   ...   Thanks to Glen for taking the time not only to record the show, but also to think and reflect on those 3 words. Prior to this show my guests have only been asked to turn up and chat - Glen was the first who got a homework assignment to go with it!   What do you think about his 3 words? Inspire Challenge Review I only heard his choices for the first time when we recorded the show, I think they work - but jump on the LinkedIN group and share your thoughts. Are you inspired or challenged to come on the show and share your ideas and experience with the global community? If so let me know - email, Twitter, LinkedIN, even old school phone or mail if you prefer.   This show is being released on the last Friday of the month, normally reserved for Book Club, but never fear there will be a special "bonus" book club episode out shortly.   As always if you find the show useful it would be great if you could jump onto iTunes and provide a comment or rating on the show.   Until next time, stay safe on your journey.   Full transcript available at http://blackstump.fm/2016/01/bbs021-glen-redstall/  

G'day, this is Ken Simpson, and welcome back to Beyond the Black Stump for 2016. Despite January being almost over, I guess it is still appropriate to wish listeners a Happy New Year. This is Episode 20 of the show that I launched back in September last year. This episode was originally supposed to be published 2 weeks ago on the 8th of January - but I have been a little slow getting back into things this year. Traditionally many use this time of the year as a trigger to reflect on the last 12 months, and to plan for the year ahead. That's what this week and next weeks shows are about - ideas about how we view, plan and achieve our objectives. First, and most importantly, Thank you to all those who have listened to the show during 2015, and a special thank you to those who have offered feedback. You are the people who make it all worthwhile. Also thank you to those practitioners who took the time to talk to me and share their ideas and experience with the wider community. When I checked the stats on 21st January there have been 1,352 downloads of the show, and the randomness of what show is downloaded and when highlights the value of this on-demand content. It doesn't matter when I record or release the show, it is there when you want to listen. The most popular shows, or perhaps the most popular or best connected guests, have been Episode #9 with Jason Gotch (102 downloads), closely followed by Episode #5 with Rina Bhakta (101 downloads), then Episode #3 with Nat Forbes at 95 downloads. Even the least listened to show drew 40 downloads, which is still good to see. And of course that show, and all the others are still there for anybody to download and listen in the future. When I started my blog back in 2009, if I got any hits on a post it was special. Today I have over 300 posts on my blog, and if I get 40-100 hits on a post that is still pretty special. So thanks again for your support. It was also great to meet so many people in the real world this year. I was fortunate enough to get to three really good conferences and took those opportunities to discuss ideas face-to-face. In April I got to catch up with US colleagues at Continuity Insights Management Conference, which has been a great event both times I have attended. Then towards the end of the year I was able to get over to the BCI World Conference where I had the opportunity to present and discuss old and new ideas around the future of our practice. Great to see so many international people at that event - and a very much improved event over my previous visit.  In between there was the Australasian BC Summit - which frankly has grown into one of the best international events. Plenty of different and challenging ideas presented, and we can learn a little about what is being planned for the 2016 conference on the show next week with Glen Redstall. But enough reflection, let's start thinking about 2016 - and here is a challenge to you for your own development. Have you looked at your personal development plan for the year?  Have you planned to attend any conferences? More importantly, are you planning to attend any conferences or development opportunities outside the discipline? A narrow focus will ensure you build fragility and vulnerability - even if that narrow focus is on the discipline of Business Continuity. Resilience is a multi-disciplinary endeavour. Let's focus back on what we want to achieve in the next 12 months - we all get the same allocation of time, 525,600 minutes. In fact in 2016 you get a bonus 1,440 minutes as it is a Leap Year! What do you want to achieve with your allocation? Have you made a "resolution" to change or improve some aspect of your thinking or practice in 2016? Recently I read an article in the Washington Post reporting some research that about 45% of people have abandoned their "New Year Resolutions" by the end of January. I hope you are not one of them. I guess I was always fairly bad with those resolutions - vague and aspirational things like "I am going to get fit this year", or "I am going to lose weight". About 6 years ago I heard about an alternative method, which has worked for me and you may find the idea useful. It is a technique I picked up from a guy named Chris Brogan, and will I link to several posts where I have written about the idea in the Show Notes for those who want details. Instead of the traditional "resolutions" identify 3 words that you use to focus your efforts, thoughts and activities each day. The words are brief and can be read quickly. The value is in the meaning that you, and you alone, have assigned to those words. Let me use my own focus words for 2015 to illustrate the technique. Remember this is about the meaning that we assign to our focus words - the words do not have to have the same power for anybody else. For 2015 my three focus words were; 274 Time Value Ok, technically 274 is a number but this is how it works. It reminded me everyday (because it is at the top of my Daily Review checklist) that my first focus in 2015 was to create a significant body of work. I defined that to myself as 100,000 words, which breaks down to 274 words every day. At the time I was thinking mainly around traditional writing and publishing. But during the year I resolved to launch this show, it became my primary vehicle for delivering that significant body of work. The focus remained, the goals and activities needed to deliver changed. For those of you who are wondering - yes I hit well over that target over the year. If you want to delve into the meaning I attached to the other words, the blog post is linked in the Show Notes. For  2016 I have modified my focus and chosen 3 new words. Content Community Professionalisation As I said earlier, last year I started to move away from the written word (primarily my blog and the Resilience Ninja Newsletter) to an audio podcast as a primary platform. This year I want focus on a range of different forms of content, more Webinars, some online courses and perhaps some video podcasts. "Content" also works as a reminder to focus on the audience and what they might find useful.  David Linstedt who you met in Episodes 10 & 11 of the show has some good video podcasts you might want to check out. Link is in the show notes. And that is an example of my second focus. Community - is both the focus to build a community around the show, the newsletter and the ideas being discussed in the various content - plus a focus to promote the idea that no single person, profession, discipline or body of knowledge can build a resilient organisation on their own. No single discipline owns the concept. To borrow and adapt a slogan - It takes a village to build and maintain resilience. Encouraging thinking and removing the limitations we impose on our own ideas - the core objective of this show - is an essential enabler to breaking down the barriers and silos between the various disciplines that sit in the resilience field. This year that will mean talking with more practitioners from outside the legacy BC space, and sharing their ideas and thoughts around the concept of resilience and how to progress it. Perhaps we may even encourage a "community of practice" to grow around resilience. Finally, and this is probably going to be the controversial one, Professionalisation. I have never viewed BC as a profession, I still don't. But perhaps it is time to focus on what the professionalisation of BC would look like, or what changes might need to occur for that to happen. This last focus are is inspired by the theme of the BCI Australasian Summit – from practice to profession.  This focus word represent a research project for the year. I don’t know yet what the goals and steps along the way might look like yet. More about this focus area in future posts as the project unfolds. Next week on the show I will be talking to Glen Redstall about the 2016 Australasian Summit and he will be sharing 3 words that he thinks could be applicable across the discipline. What is your focus for 2016 and what will tools or techniques you use to guide your actions? If you have suggestions come and add them to the show page on the Black Stump LinkedIN group. Whatever you want to achieve here are two ideas that might help you. The first idea is best explained in the word of Ken Blanchard; “There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses - only results.” If really want to achieve change in 2016, you need to be committed to it, not just thinking it might be a good idea. You also need to ensure you can maintain your commitment to your commitment! It needs ongoing work and effort. If you need ideas to take things down a level and focus on specific goal setting and achievement than subscribe to the Resilience Ninja Newsletter, it is free, but the content is not available to non-subscribers. The second idea comes from Steve Jobs. It is about finding your own voice and your own ideas. It is hard to remain committed to an idea or practice you never really accepted or saw the value of. This quote is from Job's famous 2005 Commencement speech at Stanford University - and rather than me read it, here is the quote from Jobs himself - Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. The entire speech is worth listening to, and I have linked the YouTube video in there Show Notes. Finally, this month saw the passing of David Bowie. In 1973, as a 17 year, I lived and worked in London for 18 months which was an amazing contrast from life as a high school student in Melbourne. One of the vivid memories of that time was seeing colour TV of the first time, and Bowie in full Ziggy Stardust personae on "Top of the Pops". Bowie's career offers some worthwhile guidance for our efforts to build and maintain resilience - it requires constant review and re-invention to stay relevant. He didn't simply publish a single style or "body of knowledge" and think it would remain relevant forever - he constantly reviewed and changed his approach. Not surprising that this is perhaps my favourite Bowie track - until next week, take care on your journey. And these children that you spit on As they try to change their worlds Are immune to your consultations They're quite aware of what they're going through Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (Turn and face the strange) Ch-ch-changes Don't tell them to grow up and out of it Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (Turn and face the strange) Ch-ch-changes Where's your shame You've left us up to our necks in it Time may change me But you can't trace time

G’day, welcome to episode 19 of Beyond the Black Stump - the final show for 2015. As it is the last show of the month, then it must be time for Book Club!   This month I am talking to Betty Kildow, Fellow of the BCI and Certified BC Professional with the DRII.   Betty is a good fit for our Book Club. Like me she agrees that we need to read more.   What do you think, do you make the time to read an improve your practice? Hopefully you will have some time free over the holidays - perhaps try to read one of the books Betty recommends later int he show.   Betty has written two book, which is pretty good for somebody who will only admit to 20 years of work in the field!   In keeping with the theme of the month, we are talking specifically about her book “A Supply Chain Management Guide to Business Continuity”.   In the spirit of book club, settle down with a glass of wine and enjoy a festive conversation with Betty.   ….   Thank you for listening, not just today, but over the last 4 months. As I said earlier this is the last episode for 2015. I hope you have a safe and relaxing holiday period.   We will be back in your podcast player in the New Year, with a show on the 8th of January talking about focus areas for 2016. Have you thought about what will guide and drive your efforts in the next 12 months?   Until then, take care on your journey. Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year.   Links in this show Betty's Book - "A Supply Chain Management Guide to Business Continuity, by Betty Kildow" Webinar - "Resiliency ... taking Business Continuity to the next level" Related article on Continuity Central - "Business continuity and resilience: a continuing conversation" Resilience Ninja Newsletter, talking about Stephen Covey's 7 Habits My paper on Supply Chain analysis of information systems. The Importance of the Cyber Supply Chain in Business Continuity

G’day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to Episode 18 of Beyond the Black Stump - the podcast for the risk and resilience community - that offers ideas on leading, learning and recognising the limitations we impose on our own thinking.   This is show continues the conversation around supply chain risk and resilience - and my recent supply chain disruption has resulted in a number of shows available for you t o binge listen over the holiday season.   My guest today was the person who inspired the idea about future practice having a supply chain. He has an unusual mix of academic and practical experience.   So join me on the long and winding road that takes us beyond the black stump, and to the door of Jan Husdal.   Links in this episode Jan's Blog - Husdal.com Does a blog have a supply chain? - inspiration for Supply Chain for Future practice Robustness, resilience, flexibility and agility Frank Furedi article - "Precautionary Culture and the Rise of Possibilistic Risk Assessment" Jan's review of Sheffi's "The Resilient Enterprise"

G’day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to episode 17 of the show - and we are into the 4th month!   Sad to report that the podcast has suffered from a supply chain disruption over recent weeks. This show is not a business, but it can be viewed as a product and it is exposed to supply and demand side supply chain risks - over recent weeks a number of supply side risks have been realised.   There are a lot of things that we can look at in supply chain terms, and supply chain is a major area of focus on the show this month. Later in the month I am speaking with Jan Husdal who has a massive body of work around supply chain risk and resilience on his blog. We will also get some different thinking and perspectives from Jan as he comes from he logistics rather than BC domain. We round out the month with book club featuring Betty Kildow’s “A Supply Chain Management Guide to BC”.   But back to the context of this show.   With Beyond the Black Stump I also originally promoted a sub-title - a podcast about learning, leadership and the limitations we impose on our own thinking! Thought leadership as a social activity, driven by conversations.   These conversation, the ideas and the thinking are a critical component of the supply chain of the future of the discipline and the future of practice. Without new ideas and the product we deliver will stagnate, and without critical thinking and continuous improvement we run the risk that demand for the product will dry up.   One critical input, and a source of ideas, is to read and to read a wider range of material. In November I encouraged people to read a book during the month, we had John Bircham talk bout his book. But unfortunately we don’t read enough. The show starts with a sound bite from Phil Wood, talking about the prevalence of sound bite thinking!   Links to the earlier shows these are extracted from Phil Wood David Lindstedt & Mark Armour David Porter Nat Forbes Luke Bird   Thinking outside the building (or the discipline in this case) What you will hear in this episode is people who are thinking “outside the discipline” - not just applying the legacy practices or frameworks of risk or BC.   We are part of the profession of management, just a subset of it. Do you talk about the Doctor Profession, or the Medical Profession? ...   I hope you have found some ideas to put into your planning pipeline for 2016 in this. Will you be planning to address the same old risks and threats next year?   Even if you approach your practice in a new way, if it still only addresses the same threats then the Leadership of your business may not notice.   Supply Chain risk and Cyber threat are not new threats - they are old threats that many in BC are just coming to appreciate.       Thank you for listening these past few months, I am looking forward to the show continuing and improving in 2016. I hope you find some ideas to drive your practice’s supply chain.   Coming up in the next show I will be talking about Supply Chain resilience with Ja Husdal. take a look at his blog www.husdal.com - it is a veritable treasure trove of literature reviews and thinking on the subject.   Until then, travel safely on your journey.

G'day this is Ken Simpson and welcome to Episode 16 of Beyond the Black Stump. And welcome to the first official Black Stump Book Club episode!   This month we are exploring "Addicted to Performance" by John Bircham and Heather Connoly. My guest to discuss the book is John Bircham.   John will be a familiar voice, and name, to those who regularly attend the World Conference on Disaster Management in Toronto. His sessions there are always presented to a full house. He will also be well known for his contributions to the development of resilience thinking in Australia and at home in New Zealand.   Grab yourself a drink and settle down as we explore "Addicted to Performance".   [spp-player]   Thanks for listening, let me know if the book club idea is helpful. Are you motivated to read John and Heather's book? Did you go and read Phil Wood's book last month?   If we want to grow the BC discipline into a wider field - such as resilience - then practitioners need to broaden their focus and their knowledge. Reading and critical debate are effective ways to achieve this.   If you want to discuss "Addicted to Performance" come and join the community on LinkedIn. That is also where you need to be to discuss the Resilience Health Check with Peter Brouggy.   As always a review or rating on iTunes would be much appreciated. Links in todays show John's Website AS4360 - the Australian Risk Management standard, the basis of ISO 31000. David Snowden - Cynefin Framework Full Transcript of show.  

G'day, this is Ken Simpson and thanks for tuning in to episode 15 of Beyond the Black Stump. Back in the studio this week, after last weeks flying visit to the UK for the BCI World Conference. This weeks show builds on one of the themes I spoke about at the conference. The idea of Praxis. Today we are going to hear about a classic case where academics and practitioners have worked together to combine their efforts and produce a tool for day-to-day use, that is informed and designed from sound theoretical roots, then verified and improved by a number of research studies. You will also her about one persons journey through the field of critical infrastructure protection and into the mainstream of thinking and practice around Organisational Resilience. There is also a special offer at the end of the show, so keep listening as we talk praxis, resilience and health checking - with Peter Brouggy. Links in today's show TISN - Trusted Information Sharing Network Australian Govt - Organisational Resilience Website The Health Check is part of this site Resilient Organisations. University of Canterbury, New Zealand Last week at the BCI Global Awards Peter was named as an Honorary Fellow of the BCI for his work in promoting and building resilience in Australia. Congratulations Peter! He has also agreed to be available on the Black Stump LinkedIN community for those who want to discuss the Health Check tool. If you have feedback or questions about how you might use this tool - jump into the discussion and engage Peter. But don't leave it too long, this offer is limited to the next couple of months. Perhaps you would like to explore the idea we discussed about the Health Check being means to promote the conversation around resilience - and that can be a way that you demonstrate and promote thought leadership on the subject. As always if you find this show helpful, a review or rating on iTunes would be appreciated. This week we are at #56 in Management and Marketing and it would be great to keep moving up the charts. Thanks for listening, and I hope you will join me next week for the Black Stump Book Club - talking about "Addicted to Performance" with John Bircham. Until then, take care on your journey.

G'day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to Episode 14 of Beyond the Black Stump. Coming to you almost live from the floor of the BCI World Conference and Exhibition in London. This is my second time at this event, the last time in 2013 was not great, but I am looking forward to a much improved experience this year.   The program looks great, and a new venue with everything under one roof sounds like an improvement. Only one way to find out ...  Featuring cameo appearances by; Me introducing the Future Practice stream Charley Newnham Gold or Dust is her blog The first few minutes of my Day in the Life session  Luke Bird Lukes's Beyond Black Stump episode Phil Wood Phil's epidose Melanie Irons LinkedIn profile Irons in the Fire - documentary of her Tasmania Bushfire role Deborah Higgins Deborah's episode Looking for some ideas about developing soft skills? Subscribe to a free resource - the Resilience Ninja Newsletter.   You can also work on those soft skills by reading more - join the Black Stump Book Club and get a free extract from Phil's book. This month the Book Club will feature an interview with John Bircham about his book "Addicted to Performance". Join me next week when we explore the Resilience HealthCheck tool with Peter Brouggy.

G'day and welcome to episode 13 - and the start of the third month of the show.Time to changes things up a little bit, especially this week and next. I also want to wish you all Happy Diwali! Diwali is an ancient Hindu festival, the biggest and brightest festival in India. It is also celebrated by Sikhs and Buddhists. Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance. It is a celebration of enlightenment. Enlightenment is a great theme for a lot of what we have been talking about here Beyond the Black Stump. Encouraging reasoning, progressive thinking and a reduction in dogma have been common themes with a number of the guests. From the outset I have tried to have this show offer a different perspective on the idea of Thought Leadership. The idea that thinking is a social process, that conversations are the real place in which thinking is developed. The hope is that people take and adapt ideas that have been formed in these conversations – and in that way the discipline continues to grow and evolve. Some of you will know that I often reference the work of Rosabeth Moss Kanter, primarily because she has produced some good work over her career but also to encourage risk and BC folks to read outside the discipline. If we want to become relevant to Executives we need to be able to speak their language – and reference the people they read. In a 2011 article, which I will reference in the show notes, Kanter talks about the power of convening – and in particular how Bill Clinton uses that power. She makes the point that anybody can convene – we can do it to start collaborating with other disciplines to build resilience, we can do it to network and learn. Here are Kanter’s three tips to make it effective; Think big – make the issues and the promise of action compelling. You want active engagement not passive compliance. Think beyond the usual suspects – need to cut across existing discipline and cultural silos. Go back and listen to the piece in last weeks show with Phil Wood about Groupthink in Communities of Practice. Get to action – this is where change happens. Next week I am heading to London for the BCI World Conference. There are some sessions I am keen to hear, but more importantly I am looking forward to meeting and discussing ideas with a range of people. If you are there let me know, I would love to hear what you are thinking and doing. I had a quick chat with Deborah Higgins from the BCI about the main things she is looking forward to next week – and the ideas she hopes to hear discussed. She is hoping to have conversations around Resilience, the future of practice – how things are going to change and adapt going forward. I might join in a few of those conversation myself. Have you heard that November is National Novel Writing Month? This is an annual event where people are encouraged to write a novel, from scratch, in a month. I will link the community site for this in case you are interested – it features tools to track your progress and get some peer support. The target is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. That is a pretty big ask, and I am not suggesting that we all need to go out and write a book this month.But there is something I think we can do – what is stopping you from reading a book this month? Anybody up for the challenge of READING 50,000 words this month? Come over to the Black Stump LinkedIN Group and state your intent – and you can keep us updated on your progress. We do not read enough in this discipline – and we certainly do not read enough beyond case studies and “how to” guides. Reading, and reading on a wide range of subjects is a great way to open our thinking.I have been influenced a lot by Robin Ryde’s book "Thought Leadership". In that book he tells a great story about limits on our thinking - using the analogy of raindrops running down a windscreen, how they seem to follow the track of the drop before. This is a quote from Ryde’s book "We have a limited range of thinking styles that we are pulled towards with almost gravitational force, and we find ourselves stuck in the channels of thinking already created, either by others in the course of conversation to though our own habits." One book you might want to read to expand your thinking options is "Addicted to Performance" by John Bircham and Heather Connolly. It is related to the BC and risk industry and it is based on a series of case studies so not too far removed from our staple fare. Addicted to Performance is also the Black Stump book of the month and will be featured in the Book Club episode of the show on November 27th. If you want to know more about that book, or you just want the free extract from Phil’s book we discussed last week, sign up for the Book Club mailing list. Next week the Black Stump podcast will come to you live from the floor of the BC World Conference and Expo in London – who knows the people who may feature or what they will be talking about. As I said at the top of the show, a little difference this week.Until then, remember that resilience is a journey. It starts with that first step.

G'day, this is Ken Simpson and you are listening to Episode 12 of the show.   An interesting conversation this week around reading, thinking and resilience. Stay tuned to the end of the show for a free give away and a new feature of the Black Stump podcast that is about to be launched.   This week I am chatting with a guy who came to this field after a career in the military and with a background in security management. He is ann educator and evangelist for resilience and thinking. No surprise then that he has written a book entitled "Resilient Thinking - Protecting Orgs in the 21st Century". He has established a well respected Masters program in Organisational Resilience, and is currently  Head of School Management and Professional Studies at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK.   Listen and learn from Phil Wood.   Links for this weeks show Phil Wood LinkedIN profile Bucks MSc in Org Resilience Phil's Webinar - "The Resilient Organisation - methodology and practice" Phil's book - "Resilient Thinking" Subscribe to the Book Club mailing list for the free extract     As I hinted during the chat with Phil, starting in November the last episode of the month will be the Black Stump Book Club. A time to focus on a single book or author, explore their thinking and talk about the book.   It will be a better experience if you have read the book ahead of time, and perhaps you might even have questions you would like to ask the author.   To mark the launch of Book Club, and to promote greater reading and reflection in the industry, Phil has made the extract of Chapter 6 of his book available to listeners. It is free when you subscribe to the Book Club newsletter. There is a link on the website, and in the show notes in your podcast app if you are listening on your phone or tablet.   I hope you find Phil’s reflective questions useful.   As always if you can add a review or rating on iTunes that is much appreciated. Until next week, remember that resilience is a journey not a destination.

Welcome back to Beyond the Black Stump, the Podcast for the risk, resilience and BC community. G'day, this is Ken Simpson and thanks for tuning in to Episode 11 of the show. This week's show is the second part of my chat with David Lindstedt and Mark Armour about their Continuity 2.0 manifesto. If you have not listened to last weeks episode, just pause this one and go listen - it will make more sense that way. Go ahead, I will be here when you come back. Links for this show The Manifesto Manifesto Discussion Group Dreyfus Model of skill acquisition Nat Forbes show and links to his Persuade! course David Porter interview Gestalt Switch Mark's LinkedIN article My Survey - please help ... There you have it, two guys view of the future of Business Continuity. If you haven't actually read the manifesto, please go take a look before making up your mind. It doesn't matter if you agree with David and Mark, or if you vehemently disagree. Either way join the discussion. We are only going to grow towards the ideas we discuss and debate. I am facilitating  a full day session on the Future of our Practices at BCI World 2015 in London in a couple of weeks. I would welcome your view of the future - please take a few minutes to complete my survey. Contributions from BC practitioners and non-practitioners are welcome. A big thank you to those who added a review - this week we are sitting at #38 on the Management & Marketing Chart in iTunes. More review, ratings and downloads are appreciated. Join me next week when I talk rugby (and resilience) with Phil Woods. Until then, enjoy your journey.

G’day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome back to Beyond the Black Stump the podcast that aims to help you identify and eliminate the limitations we place on ourselves and our thinking. Where each week you have an opportunity to learn from everyday thought leaders - practitioners just like you.   This is a milestone for the show - Episode 10. This is also the show where I get to practice what I preach and move myself out of my comfort zone. For the first time I have two guests on the show - and that was a bit uncomfortable with both the technology and managing the three-way conversation.  Also it is the first time I went into a interview knowing it was going to be split into two episodes of the show.    You see, we don’t script these interviews. The guests get some generic questions that I might ask in their invitation - but other than that they do not know what I am actually going to ask. That gets doubly uncomfortable with two guests!   This week we are also talking about uncomfortable ideas - soft skills, thinking and intellectual critique. But overall it was a fun conversation, I hope you enjoy it too.   My guests are either a couple of revolutionaries, or perhaps simply mis-understood followers of Charles Darwin. In recent weeks they have launched something called the Continuity 2.0 Manifesto. If you haven’t read it, then you should.   Next week we will delve into the detail of their manifesto, but first lets try to understand what these guys are thinking and why. Come with me as we explore their journey to date, and the influences and ideas that have shaped the thinking of David Lindstedt and Mark Armour.   Hopefully it gives you a flavour of where David and Mark are coming from. This is not something they just dreamed up, it is derived from their hands-on experience doing this work - and reading and debating ideas.   Join me next week when we dive into the detail of their Continuity 2.0 Manifesto.   As always if you enjoy the show I would really appreciate it if you took the time to leave a rating and review on iTunes. This week the show is rated #72 in "New and Noteworthy”  in the Management and Marketing sub-category on iTunes. A review in iTunes and sharing the subscription details with your colleagues, even downloading the episodes you have not listened to yet, would go a long way to boosting the show up the charts.   Links referenced in this Episode Continuity 2.0 Web Site Continuity 2.0 LinkedIN Group BCP is broken article Rebuttal article on Continuity Central

G’day, this is Ken Simpson. Thank you for joining me for Episode 9, and another conversation in the “ how to” promote resilience series. A series of conversations with everyday practitioners, just like you and me, who are adapting their approaches to reflect more resilience thinking. Again at the end of today’s show I am going to try to “hack” what this guys is doing - try to distill what I saw as the 2-3 key tricks, shortcuts, skills or methods that seems to separate his approach from the rest. Stay tuned to the end and see if you agree with me. My guest this week may not even be well known in the Australian community. That is certainly not due to his networking efforts. Within the community he has created he is well known and highly regarded. Ultimately that is what today’s conversation is about - building and promoting a community of interest. He contributes regular posts on the lInkedIn Pulse platform, he has established the Organisational resilience Working Group and is also involved with the establishment of an Organisational Resilience Special Interest Group Get comfortable as this is a longer conversation than some, as we explore beyond the Black Stump with Jason Gotch.

G’day, this is Ken Simpson. Welcome to Episode 8, and the second month of the show. During October the focus of the shows will be on a few specific examples of what people are doing, how they are changing their approaches to reflect more resilience thinking. At the end of these shows I am going to try to “hack” what these folks are doing - try to distill what I saw as the 2-3 key tricks, shortcuts, skills or methods that seems to separate these practitioner from the rest. Stay tuned to the end and see if you agree with me! My guest this week will be well known to the Australian community, but probably little known internationally. He was awarded Public Sector Professional of the Year in 2015, and his team also won the Team of the Year Award in 2015. They also won the Team of the Year at the inaugural Australasian Award in 2013 - and again in 2014. He has recently had an article published in the Journal of Business Continuity and Emergency Planning entitled “How to build a successful business continuity team”. I think we are a good chance of learning something about building successful teams today. He is the Director of Business Continuity Management at the Australian Taxation Office - the equivalent to the Internal Revenue Service in the USA, or island Revenue in New Zealand and other countries. Sit up and pay attention as we explore beyond the Black Stump with David Porter. Did you agree with my hacks on David and the ATO team? What was your take? Come over to the Black Stump discussion group on LinkedIn and share your views with the rest of the audience. Who knows we may even find David Porter in the group and willing to answer those questions you wish I had asked him. If you want some additional material to help you on your journey, and to build some of the management and interpersonal skills - subscribe to the free Resilience Ninja Newsletter. You can find that at Resilience.Ninja or there is a subscription box on our Home page. As always if you would take a few minutes and leave a rating or review on iTunes that would be fantastic. Next week is another practitioner taking his own unique road to resilience.Until then, remember that resilience is a journey - not a destination. Safe travels. Links for this episode Journal of Business Continuity and Emergency Planning ITIL - Information Technology Infrastructure Library COBIT - Control Objectives for Information and related Technology David Porter on LinkedIn Black Stump discussion group Resilience Ninja Newsletter

G’day, this is Ken Simpson, welcome to episode 7 of Beyond the Black Stump.   I hope you have found these first episodes interesting and informative. Today this an extra, shorter episode of the show.   Today, 30 September, is being promoted as International Podcast Day, so it only seems right to sneak in a special episode to celebrate.   A few months back I started listening to podcasts, just the odd one here and there. Before too long I was subscribed to a range of different shows and podcasts replaced music and the radio for my daily commute and while out walking.   Unfortunately when I went to look for shows that catered to the risk and resilience disciplines I didn’t find much. I would be happy for anybody to reach out and point me at shows I have missed.   Such a shame, as this is a great medium to help learning and development, it is on-demand - you listen when convenient to you - and we can all carry a vast amount of material around on our phones. The show is always there so you can go back and listen to episodes you missed, or those that have special issues you want to reflect on.   The BCI’s Education Month may be ending today, but the need for learning and improving ourselves goes on - it is a year round activity, a lifelong journey. I hope that Beyond the Black Stump can provide some opportunities to promote thinking and learning in this field each week of the year.   There are a range of other media formats, like "TED Talks" and a plethora of You Tube videos available. Deborah Higgins, the BCI's Head of Learning and Development , is a great example of a professional who is using a range of new media to keep herself up to date ...   It is not just me that that is looking at podcasts as the preferred new media format - in the first episode of the show Luke Bird shared how he uses podcasts, as a substitute for a book on his bedside table.   Listen to Rina Bhakta describe the Podcasts she likes to listen to ... and if you have listened to her interview it will be no surprise!   Podcasts are not just for the younger professionals, even seasoned vets like Lyndon Bird see a big future in podcasts ...     Perhaps the biggest endorsement of podcasts as a serious rival to mainstream media occurred on 22 June this year - a podcast that scored over 735,000 downloads in the first 24 hours and was nudging the million mark in 36-48 hours.   US President Barak Obama travelled to Mark Maron’s garage in California to be interviewed as guest on Mark’s WTF Podcast. He was there as part of an attempt to use new media to engage people in a new form of debate and to listen to ideas when presented in a different format ...     That is a good interview, and at Episode 613 Mark Maron is a seasoned interviewer - certainly worth a listen - as was the subsequent show where Mark and his producer talk about what it meant to have Obama on the show. But be warned that the show reverts to its “normal” colourful language when the President isn’t there!   Do you think we can learn something from what the White House communications people think is the way to engage people and present ideas differently? Promoting thinking and ideas is the primary objective of Beyond the Black Stump.   In the past month you have heard from a range of older and newer practitioners. Those shows were about hearing their story, told in their own voices, and to start to think about the different backgrounds and perspectives of the people in our discipline.   The have all offered some different perspectives, but we didn’t dive into many of those things very deeply.   Coming up in the next month you will hear more of a focus on examples of what people are actually doing in the field today. We will alleyways share their story and background - because putting their ideas into context is important to understanding their perspective.   The October shows will try to dive a little deeper into what these folks are doing, in particular we will be hearing from some practitioners who are going beyond legacy BC practice and describing what they are doing under the label of resilience - we will also hear from a couple of guys who eschew the resilience tag - but are certainly trying to shake up the BC space.   I hope you will join me and find the next month informative and educational - or at least it will give you cause to reflect on what was being discussed.   So, Happy Podcast Day to you all. It would be extra special if you left a podcast day review for my show on iTunes. The show is currently listed in "new and Noteworthy" on “page 6” of the Business category and near the top of page 4 for Management and Marketing.   With your help we can get it closer to appearing on page 1!   Thanks for listening, remember resilience is a journey and we will resume the journey on Friday for the next show.

G’day, this is Ken Simpson and welcome to Episode 6 of the show.   This is one of the earliest interviews I recorded for the show, it was recorded at the end of June, so please do not be surprised about the comment relating to multiple terrorist attacks during the week.   This week my guest is not just another old hand in the industry, but potentially one of the "originals". He was there at the "dawn of the discipline" as he calls it, for the early days in Survive! and at the birth of the Business Continuity Institute. He is BCI member number 8, a former Chairman and long-serving Technical Director of the BCI.   Currently he is an independent consultant and the Chair of the Disaster Recovery Institute International’s “Future Strategic Vision Committee”. And yes, I do ask him about his “atlantic crossing”.   Listen and explore the ongoing journey of Lyndon Bird.   Links for this episode Lyndon's view of BC in 2020 [spp-timestamp time="27:17"] Lyndon's new role with the DRII [spp-timestamp time="32:34"] Lyndon's LinkedIn profile Web site - Continuity Planning Associates Use either of these to make him an "offer he cannot refuse" "A new dawn or a step too far", Continuity Magazine, Jan/Feb 2010, p27 I hope you have enjoyed the first month of Beyond the Black Stump. I have some interesting guests lined up for the next few weeks - we will be talking about what they are actually doing today. Ideas and practices that will certainly go beyond some people’s comfort zones.   As always if you would take a few minutes and leave  a rating or review on iTunes that would be fantastic.   Next week there will be two episodes of the show for you, keep an ear open for us! Until then, remember that resilience is a journey - not a destination. Safe travels.

G’day, this is Ken Simpson and thank you for joining me in Episode 5 of the show.   This week I am chatting with another interesting new voice in the industry. This conversation was also another new challenge for me as, although I have read her blog posts, I have not had any direct communication with her ahead of recording this show. It is certainly a new and uncomfortable place for me!    My guest today was nominated for BC Newcomer of the Year in 2015, she comes to this discipline from a risk perspective and brings some useful insights drawn from an academic background in management and HR. She is the author of the BCI Working Paper “Business Continuity challenges within the non-profit sector” and exercises her thinking - and shares it on the Riskercize blog.   Come and listen as we explore Beyond the Black Stump with Rina Bhakta.    Links referenced in this weeks show Rina's LInkedIn Profile Her "Riskercize" Blog BC Challenges within the Public Sector, Rina's paper in the BCI Working Paper Series Robin Sharma's book - "The Leader Who Had No Title" You can find the full transcript at http://BlackStump.FM     Thank you again for listening, as always if you would take a few minutes and leave  a rating or review on iTunes that would be fantastic.     Join me next week when I speak with former BCI Technical Director Lyndon Bird.  

Thank you for joining me on Episode 4 of the show.   I first met my guest this week at the Continuity Insights Management Conference in April of this year. Unlike my last two guests I had not read a lot of her work prior to meeting, nor had we had the same extended email discussions.   In fact my primary intent ahead of meeting her was to give her a piece of my mind about the re-scheduling of the BCM World Conference after I had booked my flights and accommodation.   When we finally got to meet and talk it was very positive and we had some long and interesting conversations. At the time I wasn’t thinking of a podcast, but was trying to work out how we cold collaborate.    Come with me as we learn a little more about the background thinking of the Business Continuity Institute’s Head of Learning and Development, as we try to go Beyond the Black Stump with Deborah Higgins.     If you like the show please visit the subscription page on iTunes and leave  a rating, review or comment.  It will only take you a few minutes and it is really helpful in raising the profile of the show and allowing others to find it.   We also have a dedicated LinkedIN community, and I would love to have people join us there and open discussion. IN coming weeks I hope to have some live chat sessions in that community with guests from the show.       

Welcome to episode 3 of Beyond the Black Stump, my name is Ken Simpson. This episode is one I was looking forward to recording. I wanted to start with some fresh ideas and a relatively new voice, the focus should be the future and change after all.   But it was also important to me to balance that from the start with a different perspective. And my guest today will certainly challenge you to think about different perspectives.   He is one of the old hands in this industry, almost 20 years in practice. He came to the resilience professions with an considerable experience as a manager and entrepreneur. He is a passionate and fearless advocate and one of the most compelling speakers you will find on the international conference circuit.   So come along for the ride and be prepared to hear uncomfortable ideas, because Nathaniel Forbes is regularly thinking beyond the Black Stump. Important Links Nat's Persuade Course - Singapore, 2 November Register here for Nat's course If i was in Singapore at that time I would be attending this course, it is highly recommended by people I trust and respect.  

Welcome to episode 2 of the show. This episode is also my first 1:1 interview. When I developed the idea for this show I knew who I wanted to chat with in this first episode.   My guest today is one of the emerging young voices in the industry. He has built his own social media audience around his BC blog, LinkedIN group and Twitter - all focussed on Business Continuity. His articles have been published on Continuity Central, in the BCI’s 20 in their 20’s publication and he has compiled his own experiences and blog posts into an ebook available on Amazon.   He was also the BCI’s International  Newcomer of the Year for 2014. Join me as we go beyond the Black Stump with Luke Bird.   Key references from this episode Beyond the Black Stump LinkedIn Community Luke's BlueyedBC site BlueyedBC LinkedIN Group Rina Bhakta - Riskercize 20 in their 20's Teaching your parents (my review of the 20 in their 20's publication) If you enjoyed this episode and would like to encourage the show to continue please head over to iTunes and leave a rating, review or comment. I would really appreciate that and it will hopefully promote the show for other people in the industry to find and learn.   You are welcome to discuss and debate issues raised in the podcast at our LinkedIN community.

Links for this episode MyBlog Post from 2010 - Vale Edward Simpson Thought Leadership court case At Kleiner Perkins sexism trial, it's all about 'thought leadership' Thinking out loud