Let's talk Transformation...

"when you have this amount of change, we're calling it the fog of change.”" Are you struggling to create lasting growth? In today's interconnected world, the value creation process is no longer confined to individual departments or silos. The unit of value has become smaller, often residing within teams or even individuals. This shift requires a holistic, end-to-end view of the entire value chain.Tom and I explore how to create growth that truly matters. We explore the myths that leaders need to unlearn, particularly the idea that they can accurately plan for the future. The current environment is characterized by unprecedented change, making it nearly impossible to predict what will happen next. The old methods of strategic planning are now limited. The real challenge is to find ways to see through the change fog, constantly learning and adjusting. Discover how to build a legacy through value creation for people, organizations, and society.

"My quest always has been how to make peace more profitable than war… I think it's going to be my life legacy..."Imagine a world where creating peace is more profitable than engaging in conflict. A world of 'tech for good' , where technology bridges divides, fosters collaboration, and drives equitable solutions. This vision isn't just a dream; it's the driving force behind innovators like Yip, a leader in promoting peace, purpose, and equitable collaboration within the AI and Web3 spaces.A brilliant conversation full of purpose, curiosity, hope and opportunities. We explore the concept of making peace more profitable than war, the importance of democratizing access to skills and capital, and the vision behind yip's platform, Jedi, in fostering collaboration across emerging technologies. Remaining present and fully conscious of our actions and impact is key to this process. What if we could understand and implement regenerative economic and societal models that prioritize long-term impact and equity over short-term gains, particularly democratising access for all to more regenerative funding models. We discuss the idea and importance of technical and "human" readiness, to equip and educate people in this common challenge. Yip is running her first Zebracorn reatreat in June, to start bringing together these systems and minds. Link to find out more : https://www.systain3r.com/Yip shares her story, insight and dreams of the world she is consciously and collectively crafting to bridge the gap between digital and human for the common good. The man insights you'll get from this episode are : - Bridging gaps through a collective approach to complex problems at societal level. Inspired by Muhammed Yunus' efforts for (financial) inclusion for unbanked people, overcoming the limitations of capitalism with thoughtfulness.- Also inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh's promotion of compassion in communication and shaping corporate culture by bringing mindfulness to tech companies; a mindset of peace feeding into capitalism and technology to engage with them.- Constantly reinventing/rethinking and democratising access can change conversations in systems and communities; the vision for the J3d.AL platform is to make peace more profitable than war.- As an advisory platform, it invites people to become a Jedi or find their inner Jedi, sharpening their intuition and standing up for their values. It helps governments identify collaboration opportunities with each other and the private sector.- As a (market) intelligence platform, it helps identify opportunities for collaboration in emerging fields of technology not yet mature enough for the mainstream media, e.g. quantum computing, cybersecurity, space technology.- The philosophy behind it is to generate a body of knowledge and translate it on a semantic basis from one concept to another, facilitating mutual understanding to break down silos for collaboration to accelerate innovation.- J3d.AI has three areas of operations – technology, health and sustainability. Conferences and workshops teach the skills of foresight, wisdom, compassion, and understanding technology and regenerative systems thinking.- A ‘zebracorn' marries a zebra (a company that is both black and white, i.e. both profitable and works to improve society) with a unicorn (a billion-dollar market valuation company characterised by VC funding and exponential growth).- Zebracorns are totally doable in an age of tech and globalisation as tech brings down costs and its wise use can enable business; they remain open-minded about...

The greatest gift you can give your organization is that you show up with your own cup full, so you don't need anything from anyonePallavi and I delve into the world of self leadership and empowering yourself for joy, fulfilment and better results. Leadership essentially comes from the inner experience not the outer experience. incredible insights on self-leadership ; defining it as having inner clarity, knowing what truly matters to you, and intentionally guiding yourself without needing this external validation. Think about it: How often do we look outside ourselves for answers when we already have the tools within? One shocking stat that really hit home: only 13% of CEOs believe they have the leadership potential available to grow their business today. This highlights the urgent need for leaders to connect with themselves and do the inner work. The next generation requires the skill of self-mastery in a tech-driven world where AI will do the – non-human – rest.We walk through Pallavi's ATM framework: Arrive in the present moment, Take responsibility, and Make a conscious choice. This is the basis for framing the journey for leaders to break old patterns and create new neural networks, leading to real empowerment and joy.If you were to ask yourself how much of your leadership potential is available today for reinventing and innovating on the status quo what would your answer be ? Taking stock of reality, anticipating change and equipping ourselves to lead through the transition curves is key in todays complex environment. The main insights you will get from this episode are : - Leadership is an inside job but in the modern ‘hustle culture', we look for success to give us inner joy and fulfilment; yet all the answers are within us – if we can connect to our purpose and master ourselves.- The journey of self-mastery, self-transformation and self-leadership requires a framework to transfer what we learn into daily practice to build stronger connections with others and have real tools for change that work.- It begins with an ability to have inner clarity about who we are and what is important to us and why; and then the conviction to guide ourselves from within without the need for external factors.- Helping leaders to be intentional about leading with empathy and clarity is based on a strong foundation of inner science and an understanding of who they are, as well as the need to take care of ourselves first to be able to better serve others.- Empowered leaders do not blame others or the system but take responsibility for crafting their own life first in order to be better leaders. The ATM framework for personal growth gives three steps to unlock true potential:· Arrive in the present moment· Take responsibility and know what truly matters to you· Make a conscious choice- They can be applied consistently in our everyday lives and also to any challenging or conflict situation because they help break the automatic response that is programmed in our body and mind.- Small actions that create new neural networks lead to increased confidence and empowerment to choose and do what we really want; stressed teams need clear, calm, joyful leaders who understand this.- Our attention faces multiple distractions, and we need an adaptive culture to avoid overwhelm and creating more stress for ourselves, i.e. by revolutionising workplace wellness and making work more joyful and...

"The secret to great EQ is to follow the platinum rule, not the golden rule."A fun conversation with Faris about leadership, life and sustainable impact. What is the magic formula to success and does it look the same for everyone ? Whilst EQ may be where all attention lies, FQ can be just as important and impactful. To achieve success, balance a strong strategy (IQ) with emotional intelligence (EQ) for team buy-in, and focused prioritization (FQ) to avoid spreading resources too thin.To be successful, it's critical to have a balance of three components: a great strategy (IQ), emotional intelligence to bring others along (EQ), and focus through prioritization (FQ). Many companies only have one or two of these in harmony. A good strategy involves having a well-thought-out plan. Emotional intelligence is needed to excite others about the idea. Focus is about prioritizing and removing barriers to success.We also look at what AI brings to this formula - it is most helpful in IQ by coming up with hundreds of ideas; for FQ it can help categorise competing priorities; it is less helpful in EQ as empathetic communication and human connection are still key to creating meaningful relationships, and ideas still have to be sold to other human beings.Listen as Faris sparkles his gold dust into our ears and eyes from working with leaders and organisations around the globe on this formula for success. The main insights you'll get from this epsiode are : - Experience of teaching children around the world helps in a business context to solve problems through people – it brings emotional intelligence to decision-making, which in turn makes delivering a strategy more likely.- Shiageto means to sharpen a tool but is applied to human beings in this context: we can always be sharper, and the same techniques can be used as to teach, such as making things entertaining, simple, etc.- Three components are required for success: a) IQ, a great idea/strategy/plan, b) EQ, to take everyone with you on the journey, and c) FQ, to focus, prioritise and remove anticipated barriers; of these, FQ is often the missing piece.- Deployment as a consultant is often more for EQ than FQ, but the three are interlinked. Cultural differences across the IQ/EQ/FQ formula sit within EQ and questions must be asked to understand/overcome them.- Teaching IQ across the globe requires adapting delivery of the content to take account of culture by using different tools and approaches – time must be invested in meeting every individual at multinational board meetings, for instance, in order to create a more level playing field.- Small businesses looking to have more impact must define what this means for them. Consider maximum impact by asking, for example: What is a 15% better idea? What would my nemesis do? How will I measure it? What are my assumptions?- Advice that is applicable to all organisations is to team up and get to know each other by creating random meet-ups, lunch/job swaps – this opens up conversations and increases success by creating connections.- The effect of (gen)AI on the formula: it is most helpful in IQ by coming up with hundreds of ideas; for FQ it can help categorise competing priorities; it is less helpful in EQ as ideas still have to be sold to other human beings.- The disadvantage is the weakening of the EQ muscle, e.g. young people are often reticent to speak on the phone - asynchronous is easy but synchronous requires real EQ; having both difficult and casual conversations is good for collaboration, but a tool (AI) is just

"In Digital transformation the disconnect that exists across teams, frameworks and deliverables is always very clear."Michael and I discuss this trio and what it means for successful transformation. Digital transformation initiatives often suffer from disconnects across teams, frameworks, and deliverables, and many organisations face complexities arising from disparate people, technologies, and data that have evolved without a unified plan. This confusion inhibits effective collaboration and knowledge sharing among teams, with employees often lacking a comprehensive understanding of the broader organisational landscape.We discuss Michael's Process Inventory Framework which ensures that even seemingly non-core processes are accounted for, as they can significantly impact how the organisation operates. By building a complete inventory of processes and validating it across all levels of the organisation, businesses can create a common language and understanding that promotes alignment and drives effective transformation. We discuss measuring the success of digital transformation initiatives as well as managing data driven decision making and the need for accountability & empowerment. Digital transformation is not just about tech, it is about value and creating value differently. The integration of AI will bring with it other opportunities to integrate processes and data and to create value differently also.Michael shares his insights and experience from creating and implementing his framework and from working with leaders across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Most organisations have a clear disconnect across teams, frameworks and deliverables and the same patterns: complexity, evolving situations, unforeseen/unplanned outcomes, and a high degree of confusion.- Teams working in silos have little understanding of what other teams do, inhibiting collaboration and knowledge – there is no unifying thread, which is essential for successful transformation.- The book focuses on this unifying thread by seeking to establish what the business does and codify it (at both strategic and detail level) in one framework for common understanding and vertical/horizontal alignment purposes.- The process inventory framework covers every single core and non-core process, starting at the top and working down through the organisational hierarchy to the process level (also increasingly with the help of AI to integrate operational data).- Employees formally attest to the inventory, working upwards from the bottom of the hierarchy, to create an accurate basis and semantic structure for planning transformations and driving programmes.- The requisite clarity comes from an exhaustive list of processes, followed by a digital initiative – transformation entails profound change and digital integrates new technologies to fuel efficiency.- A clear roadmap with an environment analysis (external – trade, economic, competition; and internal – strengths and weaknesses) optimises the change budget and permits precision to flow down through the rest of the programme.- Data-driven ways of working come with enormous volumes of data and the challenge of data lineage with a lack of traceability and documentation - data must always be in a proper business context.- Operational leaders can use data analytics to empower people and create workflows, cascading goals down to individual processes from the overriding strategic imperative and providing clear accountability.- Operational...

"Great leadership is about extracting the potential from others"A brilliant dive into playfuness and leadership and how they can together help us to grow scalable and impactful businesses. Tracy and I have fun exploring how leaders can unlock untapped potential within themselves and their teams. A general lack of understanding of the impact leadership has influences performance - multipliers in the ecosystem and (accidental) diminishers in the ‘egosystem', with huge blind spots. After all, leadership is about leading yourself first.Discovering the power of playfulness, self-awareness, and challenging limiting beliefs to drive growth can create a multiplier effect in leadership. Tracy and I go through actionable insights for founders and leaders seeking to transform their approach and scale their businesses effectively.Tracy shares her experience, insights and stories from working with founders and leaders across the world. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - After successfully scaling an international business – involving enormous highs and lows and major challenges – the realisation that insufficient attention had been paid to the people was a pivotal moment.- Subsequent ‘treasure hunt' in the world of coaching was based on asking: what helps people move to the next level and unlock latent potential? Settled on the field of leadership after reading about Liz Wiseman's multipliers and diminishers.- General lack of understanding of the impact leadership has - multipliers in the ecosystem and (accidental) diminishers in the ‘egosystem', with huge blind spots. After all, leadership is about leading yourself first. - Leadership of self is crucial, and at different levels, e.g. self-awareness of what we do and think. Like a tree: the trunk is the strategy and actions; the invisible roots are the mindset and thinking, giving rise to the concept you hold of yourself (that influences your actions).- The multiplier mindset is about extracting, expanding and leaning into possibility. Tracy has distilled six indicators of success:· deep-rooted clarity· conviction as the rocket fuel for challenges· commitment to deepen resourcefulness· trust as the invisible ingredient for belonging, productivity and momentum· courage to look inwards· playfulness (intense curiosity, radical open-mindedness, proactive experimentation) to dissolve fear and amplify the multiplier mindset.- While developing the leadership scorecard, it was vital to intuitively include playfulness and get others to lean into it; to foster courage to overcome negative stories and a fear of failure; to look for alignment with vision and values (i.e. authenticity).- The scorecard process is a continuum as opposed to a journey and the model works at different levels, starting with looking in the leadership mirror and understanding the feedback, also from others.- Leaders must take ownership of the type of leader they want to be (as opposed to the vision) and also seek to bring out the best in others, often by staying quiet, asking questions and listening to the answers.- Effective leaders give people space to reveal their (hidden) treasures and create psychological safety to permit playfulness. The ‘zone of genius' is not static

"All meaningful connection starts in the same way, with a meaningful conversation" Andrew and I delve into the world of purposeful, open conversation and the transformative role it can have in the way we communicate.We delve into his early experience volunteering with young people with disabilities, which led him to establish Dreams for Kids in 2009, enriching lives through sports. This journey, coupled with personal challenges like social anxiety and racial discrimination, fuelled his growth and adoption of Gestalt communication principles focusing on presence and authenticity.We explore the current global epidemic of loneliness and how to embrace social anxiety successfully for connection and more meaningful communication. Creating value based communities and building genuine connection through self reflection, intentionality and coming from a place of curiosity is key to enabling this transformation.Understanding these concepts can help us unlock purpose and counter bias and ingrained stereotypes. We focus on Andrew's initiative to redefine masculinity - modern masculinity - and create a more balanced, open dialogue on emotions and the necessity for purpose and deeper work to create conditions where people can thrive. Constructive communication must detail agreements and define how they are practiced within an organisation.Andrew generously shares his experience and methodologies to foster deeper connections through meaningful conversations and reflection. By utilising resources for relational leadership and community-building activities, we can build intimacy and genuine connections within our teams, communities and families.The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Human communication, connection and purpose are everything: purpose is a commitment to the service of something greater than the self (as distinct from a calling, which is a unique lived experience used to serve the greater good).- Based on the gestalt communication three pillars of awareness (authenticity, curiosity and presence), we must listen to our emotions and feelings - we can only expect other people to be themselves if we are ourselves.- Healing = feeling, not suppressing our ‘broken' or ‘incorrect' parts and hiding them from others; being objective about authenticity means we can be ourselves wherever we are and whoever we are with.- Social anxiety is a healthy response to life - anxiety often remains, but our response to it can change. We don't control our first thought, but we do control our second.- IICAN five-part framework for mastering (social) anxiety in high-pressure environments with a practical system to engineer a constructive response and social flow (flow state with people):· Intentionality (intentional, conscious response to how do I want to be, what do I want to achieve)· Introspection (quality of conversation determined more by context than content, consciously welcome our emotions, cognitive emotive loop)· Curiosity (hyperawareness of self-consciousness giving way to being conscious about others, what do I want to know in the world)· Authenticity (earn trust by telling the truth, objectivity with positive intent)· Now (constructive existence in the present moment, understanding, listening)- Flow triggers require equal levels of skill and difficulty, full presence, and intrinsic motivation as opposed to external factors outside our...

“Academics and experience should go hand in hand for better experience : when you can feel, you can bring that feeling for that customer, and empathise much better.”A fun conversation with Vaishali as we explore the intersection of technology and human experience through a customer experience and collective intelligence lens. We discuss how to create meaningful customer experiences, by integrating emotions into CX using design thinking, and other tools to help forge deeper connections with customers. We explore the necessity to design tailored customer experiences through introspection, curiosity and empathy, and the importance of having diverse personas and perspectives to build relevant and inclusive experiences to adapt to the relevant business needs and goals. The foundations of self awareness and the power of visualisation are key to cultivating adaptability which is essential, and focuses primarily on understanding internal systems to manage external factors and experiences effectively.The value of collective intelligence and emotional connections in enhancing customer and employee experiences is a main pillar of our discussion. How can we intentionally create forums for support, care and learning to navigate & visualise challenges together, maintain neutrality, share perspectives and manage self-criticism for effective design & communication. Engaging with professional networks provides encouragement and reinforces growth & transformation in CX processes, methods and resultsVaishali shares her insights from her book CX5, her journey and her experience as she highlights the significance of emotions in customer experience desig and the importance of authenticity and empathy in understanding customer emotions.The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Career began at a startup early in life, with the opportunity to embrace chaos, build resilience and learn everything - subsequently combining academic study with hands-on experience resulted in excellent life/leadership skills. Found customer engagement attractive and after working on UX projects during COVID, moved into CX.- It is important to integrate emotions into CX and the world of technology and be authentic – if you can feel what the customer feels, this facilitates empathy and thus more alignment with the ever-evolving experience (of design).- It is good to mirror your design in the way you help clients as CX practitioners rarely have the opportunity to see the design first-hand in practice and the emotional validation is not face-to-face.- To intentionally design DX, EX, CX, etc. requires tweaking the frameworks to suit both the people, the project and the business goals. The starting point is to sit with yourself, think it through and create/embody the persona(s), followed by a research/discovery phase to be curious and ask the right questions.- The conscious inclusion required for CX means catering for all audiences by putting yourself in others' shoes, and 360-degree thinking starts with knowing yourself. Consider the aim of the project and create a hierarchy based on business objectives.- Set the right course by building a structure for your own thought processes so as to be able to design well; mix and match possibilities (for quick wins); be adaptable; and juggle the different yet equally weighted CX disciplines. - We must stay neutral in ourselves and for operationalisation - when constantly designing, the default thought process is to refer back to previous projects, but this limits capacity for creative thinking. A clean slate is required to be able to leave our comfort zone for

The easiest time to build your status is when you don't need anything from somebody..Are you ready to transform your career journey with science-based strategies? What if it wasn't about power but about status ? A fun & candid conversation with Alison about how as women we can move out of frustration and into personal agency and results in today's workplace. Navigating the complexities of the workplace can often feel like an intricate dance, especially for women striving to make their mark and navigating status and the use of status can be useful here. Alison & I discuss facing these challenges by understanding the dynamics of status, power, negotiation, and influence, and understanding what it means for us as individuals. We particularly explore the importance of status—rooted in both titles and personal qualities—for success and well-being, as well as fostering genuine networking and the concept of “assertive warmth” to gain respect through a blend of care and competence - being a likeable badass ! But how ? Authenticity and strategy can coexist harmoniously : Imagine having a playbook that teaches you how to be both kind and assertive right from the beginning of your career - without compromising who you are, what you think or your intrinsic value base. Likeable Badass is full of actionable strategies for building and communicating your authentic self more strategically and more effectively. These strategies work across different contexts and scenarios and give you the flexibility to adapt to every situation - you may find you are already doing some of them without realising ! Alison shares her stories, research and insights into how to intentionally craft being assertive and likeable and how to recognise your contributions without waiting for formal acknowledgment. I loved this book, an absolute must read for all women leaders !The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Applying the science of human beings to work applications within the framework of organisational psychology and behaviour, in particular to help women, given that the workplace for women is not the same as it is for men.- Success depends on influencing people and fundamental to this is the importance of status, a label that affects everyone but without us necessarily understanding what it is and knowing how to manage it strategically.- Status is the respect and regard others have for you and can derive from many channels other than category, title, position or power - we must understand the science of respect and then act with authentic intention.- Status is a non-negotiable basic human need as life is better when you feel respected; status decisions are not random and we must convince others that we are caring and capable and demonstrate this with authenticity. - Assertive warmth is crucial: Are you good at what you do? Organised? In control of your environment? Confident? But are you also other-oriented and warm? Both are needed to convince people and earn respect, and women often feel that they can't be both.- Dual promotion is about celebrating your successes while shining a light on others at the same time – the concept of ‘other promoters' is backed up by science and is particularly relevant for women in terms of caring and connecting.- Science gives us a label for what women are already doing and provides women with a space to dial it up and help others; one effective way is via fractal mentoring, involving a diverse group of different mentors.- Women...

"More than 95% of the strategies that comes across my desk are highly dependent on cross functional work. The ability to execute cross functional things will be a question of competitive advantage"Johan and I delve into the world of strategy and execution and how to obtain aligned results. How do we ensure alignement when executing strategy in the digital business landscape ? What effect is AI having on these strategies and operations ? We discuss the need for simplified methodologies inspired by Agile practices and the fact that despite technological advancements, current strategic processes remain manual, necessitating better use of data, A/B testing, and AI for automated reporting and enhanced strategy execution. Executing strategy effectively is about refocusing on what matters – strategy must be simplified for busy managers to aid implementation, given that the CEO/strategic process is far less digitised than other parts of organisations.Digital tools enable frequent monitoring and adjustments, moving away from infrequent reviews, while transparency in communication aids progress tracking and alignment. Storytelling is crucial for connecting strategy formation with execution during digital transformation and successful execution requires stepping out of the overwhelm, narrowing initiatives and effective resource allocation. ‘Future' trends in strategy execution are happening now thanks to AI. We discuss how AI helps leaders focus on strategic activities, identify key initiatives and analyse unstructured data. AI also offers help for reactive leaders by providing meta data to suggest activities and support priorities and by creating space for senior leaders to make quality decisions, keep across operations and empower their teams.We explore the critical role of proactive leadership in connecting operational practices with strategic discussions. By translating concepts like digitalisation and sustainability into actionable projects, organisations can achieve clarity and accountability in their initiatives. Think about how your organisation is adapting to these challenges and where the pitfalls are for you. The main insights you'll get from this episode : - Executing strategy effectively is about refocusing on what matters – strategy must be simplified for busy managers to aid implementation, given that the CEO/strategic process is far less digitised than other parts of organisations.- Moving from strategy to execution requires a good methodology and the model is shifting due to behavioural responses and the inability of the C-suite to give strategy meaning and make it actionable.- The fast-moving external environment requires agility, but agile has become too binary for the complexity of the topic, which involves two major phases: strategy formation and strategy execution.- Strategy formation tends to be overambitious, and management consider engagement with strategy execution too low, but from an external point of view, it starts at the top with a failure to prioritise and take a cross-functional view.- A good strategy formation process is both top-down and bottom-up – good ideas combined with management responsibility – but digital acceleration can be a distraction and dilute strategy.- The real value of digitalisation is the ability to aggregate deviations to a higher level where they can be resolved quickly and enable faster follow-up – simply ‘beautifying' the process does not help.- AI offers help for reactive leaders by providing meta data to suggest activities and support priorities and by creating space for senior leaders to make quality decisions, keep across...

“Empathy flows both ways and it's not just the leader's job or the organization's job to show empathy.”In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, one quality stands out as both a humane virtue and a strategic advantage: empathy. Maria and I delve into the dilemmas surrounding empathy and empathy in leadership, which are powerful tools for fostering engagement, innovation, and customer loyalty while simultaneously boosting retention and revenue.We discuss the multifaceted nature of empathy by distinguishing between cognitive empathy—understanding another's thoughts—and emotional empathy—connecting with their feelings. We also discuss common misconceptions about empathy, which can lead to burnout and ineffective leadership. We go back to the necessity for human connection to create meaningful relationships and workplaces. Empathy is about connection - understanding other people's thinking better can result in compromise and fruitful discussions – and can leverage healthy challenge. both these things are necessary for innovation, productivity and ultimately competitive advantage. Both employees and leaders share the responsibility of navigating workplace challenges with empathy, especially in hybrid settings. Personal agency, self-awareness, and decisiveness are vital, and as automation increases, the relationship between empathy and AI becomes more pertinent. Leaders must continue to develop human skills like emotional intelligence to remain relevant. Maria shares her insights, models and experience of leading with heart and head—because empathy isn't just about understanding; it's about building a brighter, more connected future !The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - What is empathy? At work, an accessible definition is the ability to see, understand, and, where appropriate, feel another person's perspective and use that information to act with compassion.- Compassion is empathy in action: it is not always necessary to feel, we can use cognitive empathy to imagine what others are feeling. This can then lead to emotional empathy, i.e. experiencing an increased heart rate when feeling someone else' anger.- Empathy at work should be seen as a means to gather information – to understand the context and move forward with the right step, e.g. making an informed decision by listening.- The common misconceptions for leaders are that ‘doing empathy wrong' means that it goes astray and there are no benefits – it is not about being nice or caving in to unreasonable demands but about balancing decision-making and supporting other people.- Empathy is about connection not conversion - understanding other people's thinking better can result in compromise and fruitful discussions – and can leverage healthy challenge.- There are five pillars of effective and empathetic leadership: self-awareness, self-care, clarity, decisiveness, and joy. Leaders must recognise their blind spots, emotional triggers and patterns and understand the difference between self-care and self-maintenance to resource themselves and react well.- Empathy centres on balance, but the work/life balance is a myth – it is more of a work/life integration, constantly adjusting on different levels: ‘either or' leadership in terms of efficiency vs. empathy is also a myth as it is not a binary phenomenon.- Clarity paves the way to empathy in that leaving a team in limbo, unsure what they are doing and where they are going, is unempathetic; things must be clearly defined; candour must be kind; and feedback constructive.- Covid proved...

"You must really develop the muscle for resilience because you will need it"Resilience is a key leadership ingredient in today's complex world, whether you are inside or outside an organisation, however, for women in the business world it is even more important. Kelley and I explore invaluable insights into navigating these 2 paths of intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship, especially for senior female leaders in tech. Entrepreneurship requires resilience, resourcefulness, effective problem-solving, and a strong sense of self-belief. Women often face additional challenges, yet they can draw strength from perseverance and intentionally building and nourishing their support systems. Kelley's successful acquisition by ServiceNow exemplifies how AI skills can benefit companies globally, and we discussed the need to passionately advocate for women supporting one another, and helping other women rise daily. AI's potential to enhance diversity and inclusion by focusing on skills rather than backgrounds is a crucial takeaway. Organisations must adapt to recognise diverse capabilities for equitable advancement. Generative AI offers a promising future by enhancing human creativity and potential, urging us to align with core values for impactful change.Kelley shares her own insights and learnings, and her vision for a future where women in tech are empowered, and innovation knows no bounds! The main insights you'll get form this episode are : - Intrapreneurship is about developing and innovating from the inside - the pros are having an immediate lab, a captive customer, funding and resources, and speed of trust. The cons are having less time (due to the day job), encountering resistance to internal change, and only having the existing resources.- The cons of entrepreneurship are that it is scary, lonely and offers no safety (net) or support. It requires key skills from both personal and professional life, i.e. resilience; resourcefulness; vision; aggression; creative problem-solving; humility; an ability to listen, influence, and persuade; charisma; be an inspiration for customers, investors and employees; be well networked.- Overcoming multiple rejections and setbacks requires a strong belief in yourself and the project/purpose. Senior female leaders and tech founders do not generally receive validation or recognition from others so must be self-driven.- A female leader needs a personal ‘board of directors', i.e. a group of people they trust, can be vulnerable with, and who can offer skills and advice. Women must help each other in the corporate environment through mentoring and opening doors (build networks by maintaining relationships, having a genuine interest in people, investing the requisite time and effort).- Women are socialised to find the win-win via empathy, sensitivity, and incorporating others' needs – they sell a solution rather than a product, often addressing major problems in society, e.g. medical, social, or economic issues, motivated by the meaningful impact.- A frustration with the lack of software to solve HR problems was the reason for building a solution to transform the workforce using AI to make the invisible visible by removing bias and focusing solely on skills. This connects leaders with underrepresented categories and also fosters diversity and inclusion.- Transcending bias creates a more level playing field and counters systemic bias. Organisations must change rapidly but people have hidden skills and are boxed in by their roles. Generative AI is a gamechanger in that it can unleash human potential and creativity.- AI has gone...

"The vision is creating a world where great experiences and safety work together"Peter and I discuss the possibilities of creating a different, smoother approach that seamlessly integrates AI solutions without compromising the convenience and comfort of the user. The exponential speed of tech is disruptive, so a people-first approach is essential to provide a tech solution that does not cause any unnatural change to behaviour or the way we live and does not interrupt the flow of the day. We explore a more focused market approach, where solutions are tailored to meet the specific demands of users, especially in a post-COVID world where hybrid work models are becoming the norm, and hitting the crucial balance of enhancing security measures without sacrificing user convenience. We need to challenge outdated protocols in schools and airports by advocating for a seamless, human-centric approach.Our conversation also highlights the importance of aligning marketing strategies with customer expectations and adapting training materials to meet generational shifts. By putting the customer first, especially during economic downturns, companies can successfully navigate challenges and emerge stronger. Companies must also be willing to disrupt themselves so as not to be out-innovated by others who build loyalty along the way - different generations have different requirements, habits and expectations.Peter generously shares his insights from leading high growth technology businesses and digital transformation initiatives, particularly into how AI is not just modernizing security but transforming it into an experience that aligns with the expectations of today's world. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Physical security technology lags behind other technologies; Xtract One as a leading AI-powered tech company is bringing the physical into the digital to create a transparent, frictionless, non-invasive experience.- The exponential speed of tech is disruptive, so a people-first approach is essential to provide a tech solution that does not cause any unnatural change to behaviour or the way we live and does not interrupt the flow of the day.- Technology such as airport security has failed to catch up due to its long sales cycle (in addition to factors of governance and bureaucracy). It must be familiar but make life easier and invisible but make the system more efficient.- It is imperative to talk to customers about their needs and priorities, and to fit the solution to the business, i.e. the idea must reflect the reality by finding the problem first and working backwards.- Complex security situations (e.g. multiple sites) must adopt a digital solution as the start of the digital transformation journey with a mindset of continuous use of tech to continuously innovate the guest experience in order to stay ahead.- The approach must be customer-first over invention-first: hyperfocus (with the potential to pivot afterwards) and leveraging data (also internally) to improve the experience and open the door to infinite scalability.- The future of the guest experience is a safe environment - large venues obtain vast amounts of data and must use it to give the guest a better experience by reducing the negative experience and rewarding ‘good' guests.- Xtract One's platform makes it safer and easier to navigate the end-to-end guest journey by innovating with integrity: this means being transparent with customers and explaining in detail what products/solutions don't do.- The physical security industry...

"Life doesn't get easier, you handle hard better"Alan & I delve into the world of self awareness and personal growth. It all began with a moment that could have been his last. After a life changing car accident, which propelled Alan into a journey of self-discovery and growth, Alan shares how his experience at Cognex highlighted the dual-edged sword of industrial automation: while it propels personal success, it also challenges job availability for other workers. We explore how this moral conflict fuelled his mission at Next Level University to empower individuals with free, open source personal development resources to allow people to take themselves to the next level of who they are.We discuss using learning sciences to alleviate ignorance-induced suffering, and the importance of awareness, commitment to growth, and the harmony of team dynamics. In a world that often celebrates overconfidence, alongside gathering knowledge must be humility and self-efficacy - leaders often have external self-efficacy but less internal self-efficacy. We must keep the balance between external achievements and internal fulfillment, encouraging ongoing effort and intentionality.Alan shares not only his personal journey, but also his insights and methods from working with people all over the globe, to help them transform into a fulfilled version of who they really are. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - The rise of industrial automation will take jobs from the growing population of less educated people; therefore, retooling is necessary and the NLU aims to empower people to create their own jobs.- It is free to attend and offers resources and opportunities for those willing to put the work in to grow themselves and their business, reach their potential and create a brighter future.- It is a big ambition with a mission statement, core values, metrics, subjects, and vehicles to achieve it, based on self-awareness being a necessity, not a luxury – if we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem.- The root cause of human suffering is ignorance and apathy, i.e. we don't know (enough) or don't care (enough); we must learn and find our purpose, caring deeply (enough) to fulfil our true potential.- Alongside gathering knowledge must be humility and self-efficacy - leaders often have external self-efficacy but less internal self-efficacy; after all, ‘life doesn't get easier, but you handle hard better'.- There is always a percent error (that requires underlying contingency plans) but being right increases with age – we are never fully right but we become more and more right, and more right than others.- The challenging duality of knowing more than others but less than there is to know requires vulnerability and radical humility – we must be able to hold two different ideas simultaneously, as decisions are not always binary.- A good modus operandi can be to reverse engineer problems, understanding the calculations that go into decision-making. Comparing self-driving cars with human beings, both need:· Accurate current location, i.e. self-awareness· Accurate destination location, i.e. a goal· Accurate...

"playfulness and adults is very under researched and under utilised in organisations to help people to thrive..."Elrika and I have a great conversation about the power of play and playfulness in creating workplaces where people and performance can thrive. Light-hearted practices enhance empathy and shared experiences, and despite challenges in remote work, maintaining playfulness is possible in virtual meetings. Playfulness is often undervalued in adult contexts, yet it's crucial for brain function, creativity, and performance. We explore the cultural sensitivities around play in the workplace as well as the neuroscientific processes as work. Technology and digital can also be used to leverage play in the workplace and leaders who dare to incorporate playfulness can create more collaborative, creative, and resilient workplaces, and enhance human connection.Techniques like Lego Serious Play are more than just child's play; they are strategic tools for inclusion, creativity and balance, even at the highest levels of management.Elrika shares her research, insights and experience from working with organisations and leaders around the globe on 'how to play' seriously and to enhance the bottom line business results. The main insights you'll get from this epsiode are : - Playfulness in adults is important for thriving although sadly scarce. Research into playfulness and its effect on the brain shows that play is rooted in our brain chemistry, so it is part of all of us but not nurtured in all of us.- An agile world requires us to consider the whole human and embrace our roots of being playful. One definition of play is the playful onion: play is on the outer layers we can see, playfulness is on the inner layers we can't see, and the playful centre is where we find compassion, warmth and imagination.- The LEGO Serious Play approach allows us to learn from each other's models and gives us time to reflect on the results, which enables introverts and extroverts to play along by creating a safe space and catering for all personality types – it is overarchingly collective but facilitates individual input.- It builds skills, increases challenge, enables flow and does not assume that leaders have the answers – rather that everyone has the answers. Neurologically, thinking and talking use only the frontal lobe of the brain.- The hand-brain connection relaxes people enough to listen and be creative and using more of the brain increases divergent thinking. LEGO stimulates multiple processes simultaneously, releasing serotonin (excitement about the process), dopamine (completing the task) and adrenaline (the urgency of the task).- In a safe environment, it is possible to build something and break it again, enabling us to fail together and building team cohesiveness. Playfulness in the workplace can also address stress and burnout challenges, providing a feeling of safety to experience emotions: ‘If I can laugh with you, I can cry with you'.- Playfulness creates safety, but safety is required to play – this reciprocity needs respect, clear boundaries, and space for exploration and engagement; it allows us to bring our personalities to work, and be less afraid of who we are, and of imposter syndrome.- When using play for leaders in organisations with a clear hierarchy, it is important to understand different levels of play and playfulness; sometimes apparently serious people are playful (NOT silly – this is a clear and significant difference).- The Proyer approach of OLIW – other-directed, light-hearted, intellectual, whimsical – is...

"Clear beats clever, yet we're still incentivising clever in organisations… “A brilliant conversation with Eric about creating the conditions for both performance and people to thrive. We delve into the different parts of this journey to build a culture that enables performance. The acronym LoL—listen, observe, learn— highlights the importance of engaging with employees and clients to understand their challenges beyond financial metrics. We also discuss the importance of personal interactions, that are vital for building trust, particularly in the digital age. A human-centric strategy and cultural resilience are crucial for navigating crises, and being intentional with our actions to build relationships, communicate effectively and take people with us on this journey is important to building a new way of thinking, acting and being. We all suffer from complexity bias, and the importance of clarity over complexity has never been more pressing, as we look to lead with empathy, streamline messages and enhance focus.Eric generously shares his stories, experience and operational tips from his career and from working with leaders across the five generations. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Starting from a fascination with leadership from an early age, through business school, and working for a company that enabled personal growth resulted in a message of impact to pass on in the form of a book.- Based on the notion that ‘simple' plans are not necessarily simplistic to implement, the book offers anecdotes and practical tips for hands-on operationalisation for leaders as the mechanic for the car, and whose people are the vehicle for the journey.- LOL – listen, observe and learn – as a foundation for strategy to obtain different opinions to give a new view of how best to act, thanks to a diversity of perspective - no one is ever smarter than the room even if they are the smartest person in the room.- Observing behaviours and action is the simplest definition of culture. Visiting with and talking to people builds trust – a roadmap is not a new idea, but without the human element it is just directions, and leadership must navigate both the path and the people.- The ‘velvet hammer' approach refers to the relationship between people and performance – leaders must truly listen, observe and learn, make people feel special, but also give them accountability, balancing head and heart.- Clear beats clever, despite this not being the paradigm in most organisations. Clarity can be achieved through simplicity to overcome complexity bias - complex does not mean better, and improvement does not mean adding to.- It is much better to master the basics than trying to be too clever; leaders are overwhelmed with information and excuses are introduced – far better is to avoid the noise and be a ‘distraction catcher'.- The abc of communication: know when to amplify a message, buffer it, and convey it. To embed this in a culture successfully and sustainably requires feedback, time management, the definition of priorities, and difficult conversations.- Cultural resilience is about equipping people to have conversations in the workplace and about having an intentional approach to everything e.g. stay interviews. It acts as a shock absorber when bad news strikes, by building a solution mindset.- A ‘check under the hood' process allows for the tangible measurement of culture by asking questions, obtaining data,

"we need to think of conversations as living systems...this mechanistic story is so all pervasive that we don't even recognise it... "A brilliant conversation with Michelle on creating sustainable conditions for people & living systems to thrive. Michelle offers a refreshing and transformative perspective of thrivability. This concept redefines how communities and businesses operate by viewing them as dynamic, interconnected living systems. We discuss moving beyond the mechanistic approaches and the leadership paradigms that support this, and us embracing a more holistic vision rooted in collaboration, diversity, and shared purpose.This of course asks for different leadership skills and the intention to create practice grounds where individuals and teams can hone these skills. We delve into the wealth of wisdom in indigenous cultures, and within our selves as we walk through the spiral of conversations as living systems. At each stage we can look at new habits, thinking and feeling. Never have organisations been more in need of cultivating and nourishing the human elements of systems and practition-ing sustainable change to a more inclusive and collaborative way of working. How can we all channel our personal agency to create cultures where we collaborate and care and not compete and compare ? How do we create regenerative and intentional practice to build Thrivability and competitive advantage ? A platform for world change.. Listen here to find out more as Michelle generously shares her research, experience and models form working with individuals and organisations all over the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Brand strategy, international marketing and organisational development are all characterised by a lack of relationships with customers, a lack of purpose, and a fiercely competitive internal culture.- Research into sustainability involved looking into the notion that everything operates as a machine, separate from each other and nature, and exploring biology to see if the facts of being alive apply to communities and organisations.- Went on to develop frameworks that have now been in use for over 25 years based on living systems, survival of the fittest, an adaptive capacity for change, a holistic view of systems, and the wisdom of natural living systems.- The four patterns of thrivability – diversity, nourishment, learning, emergence – have significance for us as individuals and collectively; organisations are seen as separate from us and static, but we must see everything as part of a living, dynamic world.- Thrivability is an informed intention and practice to enable life to thrive - living and participating enable the setting of an intention whilst being informed enables life to thrive, drawing on indigenous wisdom, intuition, poetry, spirituality, biology, etc.- Organisations as living systems must invite diversity in relationship and flow, enabling the emergence of a new whole beyond the level of the parts – this shared purpose then acts like a magnet to bring parts together.- Mechanical systems have no capacity for innovation, healing, regeneration, reaction to change, or spark of life - we are the gardeners who cultivate life, without necessarily knowing what we are growing.- Collective intelligence is about the integration of diverse parts, moving from ‘compete and compare' to ‘collaborate and compare', which is a profound and revolutionary shift in terms of social context.- The starting point is being aware of the wholeness of the present...

"The more cognitive diversity we have in the workplace, the better we will be as organisations if we can manage it effectively"Jodie and I discuss the shifts that need to happen to create safer and more inlcusive workplaces. Leaders play a pivotal role in nurturing a culture of empathy, understanding, and genuine care. Over and above all, leaders need to know their people and reflect on their behaviours and what they are enabling and hindering in the workplace. Understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by neurodivergent individuals in the workplace, as well as coming from a place of curiosity and care is necessary to cultivate environments where everyone feels safe and valued. Inclusivity isn't just a moral imperative—it's a catalyst for creativity, performance and innovation. When organisations embrace diverse ways of thinking, and interact with the reality of the 5 generations who work in there, they can unlock new levels of performance and problem-solving capabilities. It is important to clearly define cultural narratives and what behaviours are required, to own our mistakes and fix them to restore relationships, and to call out bad behaviour. If you are looking for simple and actionable things that you can do to encourage and create the conditions for a safer and more inclusive workplace, listen to this episode as Jodie generously shares her perspectives, stories and thoughts on this important topic.The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -A culture of safety and inclusion are essential for performance: from aneurodiversity perspective, improvements made for neurodivergent peoplebenefit everyone, e.g. clearer communication and more flexibility.- Diversity too improves organisational performance, but people are oftenoverwhelmed by the subject so that no real action is taken. Unfortunately,direction, guidance and outcomes tend to supersede interpersonalconnections.- Conscious conversations are required to delve into what people need, andthen resource the skills required to react and respond to needs: ‘fix, deliver,advise' should give way to space to listen, be heard and be comfortable withdiscomfort.- The post-covid backlash against the dialogue around mental health leaves usasking how we equip people to talk about it - this is based on empathy as wellas cultures of care, which mean different things to different people.- Leaders must know their people in order to support them and help themthrive; they must reflect, have an adaptable mindset for inclusivity and rolemodel a different approach, connecting with people 1:1 and building arelationship.- Team away days provide the opportunity to talk about something other thanwork, build trust on an individual level and thereby create more psychologicalsafety at a team level.- Flexible working (post-covid) reinforces the narrative that women can have/doit all – yet nothing can increase the amount of time available and only a strongsupport network can facilitate this.- The only option to flexible working is often not working at all, and people willseek out flexibility because getting the right balance at home has an impacton professional relationships too (ripple/cascade effect).- Five generations in the workplace now is very beneficial in terms of cognitivediversity, cross-mentoring, etc. - progress depends on a growth mindset and awillingness to see others' point of view.- Humble leaders with strong people skills who are up to date with the latestthinking, work on their own unconscious bias and build a strong foundation ofunderstanding the well-being of their people can be transformational.- Trying to get people to ‘fit in' is better replaced by a recruitment strategy thatis aligned around

"The path that leads to success is the path where you dare to take on those challenges and question yourself"A fabulous conversation with karl about crafting our own path in the age of technology. How can we use what technology brings to leaders as individuals and to the workplace ? Many of us fall into autopilot mode, driven by societal pressures, especially in large organizations, and we discuss work being defined by life experiences rather than the other way around. Amidst rapid AI advancements, human resistance to change is natural—our survival instincts kick in - but instead of merely managing technological changes, we should embrace them. There is a lack of AI expertise among many leaders and we need to help foster a culture of learning and risk-taking, moving away from traditional education to collaborative learning. This shift promotes inclusive conversations and empathy, crucial elements in a world increasingly influenced by AI. AI should enhance decision-making, not replace human judgment.Karl shares his stories, experience and insights from setting up his innovation factory and working with leaders and youth all across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Innovation requires an atypical mindset and not accepting the norm – there are always alternatives, which can be more challenging but also more rewarding; taking a ‘detour' prevents autopilot and keeps the brain active.- We have evolved over millennia to follow the norm in order to save energy, avoid risk and survive; it takes a long time to change mental models, particularly compared to the exponential speed of tech and, more recently, (generative) AI.- Boundaries and limitations have been removed to make way for AI, but this involves bypassing safety features. What does that mean for humans? We like to feel in control, although we don't always fully understand the technology.- There are inherent problems and risks, and the challenge of AI in business is how it will be managed from a legal standpoint; companies should try out new technology on mock data first, then use AI to make the solution more efficient.- We must let AI strategies emerge using synthetic data to then make decisions about which AI-enabled tools will be most beneficial - leaders often do not understand enough about AI and should work closely with those who do.- Leaders must be comfortable with not knowing and feel free to ask ‘stupid' questions on a development journey – the teacher/student approach doesn't work with AI as everyone must play around with it together to find answers.- The hierarchy of leadership will be partly managed by AI (algorithms), i.e. an AI decision support engine, that will redefine boundaries; AI will treat us as humans if we treat it as human.- The ‘innovation factory' initiative is about learning from other entrepreneurs and inventors, and pushing boundaries - cultures can prevent progress and all ideas should be welcome to ‘fail forward' and add knowledge.- Aimed mostly at universities, it goes from no idea, to defining, questioning and pressure-testing an idea in order to reshape and repurpose it, and to develop microproducts along the way (in contrast to an accelerator).- Today's regenerative approach can involve ‘AI for good', giving us options for us to then make the decisions, e.g. how can AI prevent war? We can instruct an AI solution to help us do good.- We still have agency over the technology but will be an AI-enabled society by

"AI job automation is gaining more and more ground, but emotional intelligence currently remains irreplaceable by AI."Vladimer and I discuss insights and strategy around digital transformation, marketing and the importance of personal brand in the digital age. The digital revolution has fundamentally altered how companies operate and engage with their audiences. and our discussion sheds light on the pivotal role of digital marketing and innovation in this transformation. With a strong emphasis on personal branding and direct consumer engagement, we discuss how the power has shifted from traditional media to individuals who master social media.We also dive deep into the importance of active learning, curiosity, and collaboration as well as analytical thinking. AI knowledge, leadership, resilience, and empathy are key factors that will drive success & keep us competitive in the digital age.As digital transformation continues to reshape the business landscape, Vladimer offers valuable advice for individuals and companies aiming to thrive. His emphasis on personal branding, consumer engagement, and adaptability provides a clear path to success in navigating the complexities of the digital world.The main insights you will get from this episode are : - International experience in the tech industry mentoring companies and entrepreneurs to help them remain relevant in the digital world - power has shifted dramatically with social media from big corporations to human beings.- Social media gives consumers a voice and a reaction for the first time in the history of marketing and communication and stops brands interrupting while open-minded entrepreneurs communicate openly with clients (e.g. Elon Musk).- Personal branding is everything in the streaming economy and is at the heart of competitive advantage - large organisations must rise to this challenge by becoming consumer-centric, not boardroom-centric.- In the new world order, David surpasses Goliath with speed, agility, lifelong learning, open-mindedness and open communication – the market decides what is good these days (cf. Spotify, Airbnb, etc. who solve consumers' problems).- Traditional, tried-and-tested (marketing) strategies no longer work; companies must build a great customer experience, reinvent themselves, be experimental/ inventive, think long-term and listen to their consumers (‘listening businesses').- Authenticity and openness are paramount, and content drives business. AI will lower operational costs and replace large chunks of the global workforce by 2030 - the only sustainable option in the digital age is to build a personal brand.- Personal brands are built through storytelling, gratitude, consistency, passion, openness, curiosity, communication and transparency – they must educate consumers, become the best publishers of information, and build not sell. - AI will generate followers/influencers and disrupt jobs – this requires organisations to undergo a huge mindset shift towards permanent reinvention and being proactive as opposed to reactive.- WEF skills for the future include self-efficacy, working with others, analytical thinking, creative thinking, leadership, social influence, resilience, flexibility, agility, empathy and active listening.- Great content can be created and then spread across different platforms to billions of social media users with very few resources and at no cost (iPhone, YouTube, etc.).- We can become unicorns through blogging and gaining...

"Everybody, essentially, deep down on a personal level, wants the same thing.”A brilliant and humbling conversation with John Marks where we delve into the power of social entrepreneurship as a transformative force that blends positive change with financial sustainability. We look at the 11 principles John has taken from his work in international conflict resolution and what it means to fully empower yourself and others and embrace adaptive leadership. We discuss the need to decrease the defensive, reactive tendencies we have, regulate our emotions, and add intentionality in order to be more effective adaptive leaders - eventually it must come naturally. We discuss various initiatives, such as improving U.S.-Iran relations through “wrestling diplomacy,” and reflect on John's own transition from opposition-focused activism to collaboration-centered leadership, promoting a “win-win” approach. It is important to be defined not by what you are against but what you are working for – this paradigm shift can be transformative for people as leaders and as individuals.We look at the challenges of collaborative problem-solving at different scales, the consistent principles of mediation, and the importance of active listening and mediation in leadership and other insights to improve business culture.John generously shares insights and stories from his wealth of knowledge and wisdom from working with international actors and conflicts across the globe. If you are passionate about creating positive change in the world but unsure how to balance your ideals with financial sustainability listen here to the rest of this episode which unpacks the rich insights from his transformative book, “From Vision to Action: Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship.”The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Vision is to create a more peaceful world and deal with conflict peacefully; applied visionaries use the ideas of mediation to resolve problems and set up processes to deal with problems.- Social entrepreneurship is a means to try and make the world a better place for someone with the skills to launch an initiative and make it happen, beyond themselves, without financial gain as the primary goal.- Having purpose can find resources for and with us, e.g. the SFCG mantra is to understand differences and act on commonalities, i.e. find ways for people to agree, starting with what is possible, and building trust during the process to resolve the conflict.- An inclusive approach is based on everyone essentially wanting the same thing and commonalities can be used to bring people together, e.g. sport – building teams, both sides being ready and willing.- Example of ‘wrestling diplomacy' [when the US wrestling team visited Iran] gained press coverage and provided leverage for further signalling at a political level – different motivations for different parties but all benefited.- It is important to be defined not by what you are against but what you are working for – this paradigm shift can be transformative for people as leaders and as individuals.- ‘Yesable propositions' offer win-wins that make you more attractive to others; it doesn't mean getting everything you want, rather the maximum you can get, and the same for the other...

"Its the story not the tech that is the bridge between whether an idea gets funded and gets to market ."A fun conversation with Susan about the power of stories for the human brain. We delve into the eclectic journey that she travelled to link storytelling and innovation. The human need for connection is ever present, particularly in a digitally connected world. Human connection is about having empathy and understanding others' situations – essential for innovation & effective collaboration, which requires behaviour change.The role of stories in creating followers and convincing people is as old as time, and people don't change much; the prophets moved the word around the world, making them the greatest viral marketers of all time. There is so much power in stories, especially the ones we tell ourselves, which are instrumental in helping or hindering both innovation and collaboration.. We discuss all this and lots more as Susan shares her insights, stories and experiences from working with people & leaders all around the globe . The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - The common trait for innovation is an insatiable curiosity – innovators are constantly asking questions, talking and telling stories with a desire to tell other people.- The human need for connection is about having empathy and understanding others' situations – essential for innovation, which requires behaviour change.- The advent of the Internet made it clear that the story was the bridge between new tech/ideas and how to get people to change their behaviour around interacting with the technologies.- A ‘tech translator' needs to use plain language to tell a relatable story that matters to the readers, and CIOs need to take the same approach; they must become storytellers themselves to get the funding/recognition they deserve.- The role of stories in creating followers and convincing people is as old as time, and people don't change much; the prophets moved the word around the world, making them the greatest viral marketers of all time.- How did they succeed in selling an idea that wasn't visible to our human minds, and persuading us to continue sharing their stories long after their death?1. They relied on a shared history and looked for common ground (orthodoxy vs. progressivism); evidenced by similar calendars/rituals across religions.2. Their basis was in core values; behaviour change requires new, worthwhile values to replace old ones that are no longer sufficient.3. Their message was memorable; an innovative message requires momentum for other people to adopt it - stories create both memory and momentum.4. They got other people to tell it; identify early adopters who will absorb the message and amplify it, pre-programming others to share it.5. The made good use of language; rallying cries ground people to the mission of change.- There will always be doubt, even among early adopters, and impactful communication varies among national cultures – we must be clear about the cultural values in the tribe we are currently in.- Empathy mapping...

"At the heart of it is finding and speaking with your own voice..."Nausheen shares her journey from corporate to public speaking coach, and highlights the interplay between confidence and fear, advocating for positive self-talk and learning from failure, illustrated by her personal story and experiences. Finding and speaking with your own true voice is very unusual - particularly in women – and many people are self-silencing or silenced by others. Helping them involves addressing mindset, message, and delivery (in that order).We delve into the importance of effective communication tools and different approaches, and the importance of finding one's voice, establishing a personal brand, active listening, overcoming self-doubt, and intentional message sharing to attract audiences and achieve success. It is never too early to start telling your story – being more public and vocal is a good way to build a business, build your confidence and attract people. Breaking away from the conventional path can be a transformative experience – not always easy, but it grants a great sense of autonomy by creating a new identity, building creative resilience and showing ourselves and others that reinvention is possible.Nausheen generously shares her stories, experience and insights from working with senior leaders across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - A varied career path and eclectic entrepreneurial adventure led to the realisation that anyone should be able to give their best performance in front of a camera; coaching executives is very fulfilling and aligns with her own passions.- Finding and speaking with your own true voice is very unusual - particularly in women – and many people are self-silencing or silenced by others. Helping them involves addressing mindset, message, and delivery (in that order).- It is possible to fake confidence but not advisable, as the performative aspect allows the projection of confidence without feeling it; in the absence of confidence, we must create a virtuous cycle by proving to ourselves we can do it.- This requires the right tools and debriefing after speaking commitments to learn lessons for the future and filter knowledge of the subject into understandable messages that will be remembered, not minimising good content with poor delivery.- The approach depends on the individual: introverts who are shy, hate the spotlight, and perform sub optimally require lots of mindset work; confident, ambitious people who develop very specific patterns of speaking and presenting and perform sub optimally require lots of work on message and delivery.- Fear and confidence can coexist, but fear must not get in the way of performance - we take action to overcome the fear: people feel scared, do the scary thing and this action creates the virtuous cycle to feed the next scary thing.- Confident people talk to themselves and impact their future action positively by taking accountability for doing well (sense of control); insecure people blame themselves and do not let wins positively affect their confidence (removes agency).- Scary things are the worthwhile things; we must reframe what fear brings in a creative way and do away with negative self-talk, recognising that failure is part of progress.- Building a practice to reframe failure means learning from experience and taking action to prevent failure, e.g. recognising red flags in behaviour and being a better listener to receive information with judgement.- It is never too early to start

"I really value peer learning, thats where it all happens.. that's how culture spreads in your organisation"A fun and insightful conversation with Michelle about the future of learning and the importance of creating impactful and interactive learning experiences. Lifelong learning is essential in today's complex world and we need to understand what this means for us as leaders, and how we can equip organisations to create a sustainable learning culture. We delve into the dynamic shift towards digital and social learning environments in the workplace, and what that means for the concept of power and for practitioning - for the way we think, act and interact on a daily basis. The challenge for leaders trying to pioneer a culture of learning is the ability to be vulnerable and demonstrate their own learning. Learning is currently not a KPI so is not ‘popular' as such - in fact, it is one of the first budgets to be cut when organisations need to tighten their belt, yet it is part of what will maintain competitive advantage.. We need to understand how to embrace the new learning paradigm, tools and approaches and how to create the conditions for a culture of learning to become the norm. Only then can we expect innovation, business results and well being to happen at scale.. Michelle generously shares her stories, experience and research from working with academics and leaders around the globe.The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - A strategic practitioner and leader who values peer learning and is satisfying demand for how to do learning differently and apply it practically.- Learning has evolved hugely, not least digitally thanks to Covid - digital learning has moved from e-learning to a much more interactive form to demonstrate that it works, and we can do things differently and better.- The communication tool of Zoom became a learning tool as it transcended geographical boundaries, and we all had to immerse ourselves in a new environment - Covid provided a skills uplift / new skillset. - Digital body language is important to read a room online - this is difficult for face-to-face practitioners, such as teachers, but has revolutionised coaching, for example.- Teachers need training (‘lift and shift', e.g. with generative AI) and the current exam system does not teach for future skills – the education system needs to look at the future of work.- There is resistance to genAI as people worry about their jobs but its accessibility can be amplified by digital - face-to-face plus closed captions, personalisation, additional support and linguistic tools all make learning more inclusive.- The challenge for leaders trying to pioneer a culture of learning is the ability to be vulnerable and demonstrate their own learning; learning is currently not a KPI so is not ‘popular'.- Reverse mentoring, whereby a less experienced person mentors a more experienced person in any given setting, is useful as a means to show vulnerability and demonstrate how productive it can be.- Openly talking about learning as a two-way process involving self-awareness and humility should be the norm, and everyone should have a learning KPI, e.g. 10% - this learning can also be from mistakes that are then spoken about.- Good leaders are humble, curious and require both people skills and technical skills – flatter structures promote not only technical brilliance, but also take into account the softer people skills.- Those on the...

" life is about taking risks, I don't think you get incredible rewards without incredible risks..... the best things in life are often risky"A brilliant conversation with Vera Quinn about how to successfully navigate business challenges and opportunities. Vera puts the focus on people and what we can learn from each other if we are open to embracing this. we live in a world where life and systems in general are set up to reward people who are ‘right' – a leader's goal should be to have smart people and give them a voice for the right answer to come through dialogue/brainstorming.We discuss the power of people in a digital world and how this can translate into business growth. We delve into valuing collaboration, diverse perspectives, learning from failures, risk management and understanding cultural differences as a way of finding strategies to manage the different pressures in the workplace. Vera also addresses managing CEO pressures, focusing on impactful work, self-improvement, and aligning actions with goals. We also explore true success through peace and contentment, the transformative impact of therapy, and the importance of taking action to overcome challenges and pursue personal growth and positive influence.If you've ever wondered how to navigate the complex landscape of business growth while staying true to your roots, listen to the full episode where Vers generously shares her experience, wisdom and inspiration.The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - People can be whatever, whoever and however they want, from both a potential and self-worth perspective - transient states do not define us.- Seeing life through an immigrant lens was very influential personally and professionally to strive for a better life; a formative experience in a sales job talking to people on the doorstep was an opportunity to learn about values.- Big moves and changes or once-in-a-lifetime experiences can be very rewarding but require risk and risk-taking is integral to entrepreneurship.- Life and systems in general are set up to reward people who are ‘right' – the goal of a leader should be to have smart people and give them a voice for the right answer to come through dialogue/brainstorming.- Leaders can reward speaking up, collaborating and pushing back to encourage risk-taking, and can role model the behaviour of only having the right answer 10% of the time (and reward the process instead).- Tolerating risk reframes failure, and failure is what happens when we give up: risk is a part of life and failure is a learning, with role models coming in all shapes and sizes – both younger and older.- Bias training looks at everyone's unique set of experiences and lens on the world: we need to stop and understand others' lenses and appreciate that different cultures are real by valuing feedback from other perspectives.- It will take time to have more women in leadership, but women must organise, support, teach, and advocate for each other – the system will not keep women out as 50% of talent is women and businesses need good talent.- Employers must understand why there are fewer women in the pipeline for digital and tech – how can we fix the process, make the roles attractive to women? Barriers take time to break down and there is residue bias in older generations.- The pressure of being a successful CEO is created by the stories we tell ourselves. A commitment to provide an opportunity for employees to create a better life for themselves means focusing on what is...

"Tough on results tender on people is really the ultimate yin yan of humble leadership"A great conversation with Urs as we delve into the realms of humble leadership and how we can consciously create this practice. We take a dive into the transformative potential of radical humility in leadership and how it can revolutionise the way you lead and connect with your team.Urs's experiences as a peace-keeper gave him a unique perspective on leadership, which he generously shares with us. In environments where lives are at stake, the ability to build trust and foster relationships is paramount. Effective leadership is not just about making decisions but about understanding and connecting with people on a deeper level. This requires a balance of humility and confidence—a delicate dance that can lead to remarkable outcomes as you master the process intentionally. As diverse teams become more frequent, understanding and bridging generational gaps can lead to a more harmonious and productive work environment. This also requires leaders to be humble, adaptable and open-minded, willing to learn from the unique perspectives each generation brings to the table.Urs shares his insights, stories and experience to date from all angles : his peace-keeping missions, his experience as an ultra athlete, as a father and from working with leaders all over the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - An important part of leading with radical humility is to ask bigger and more difficult questions and not judging when dealing with different value systems, for example.- Non-humble leaders need to be shown what teams can achieve by a humble leader in a top-down control culture looking down, controlling their own team and demonstrating their ability.- Leaders can be humble and confident, humble and decisive, or humble and ambitious; fundamental self-confidence is required to humbly invite feedback; and being ambitious is about asking hard questions.- Leaders should show vulnerability and role model humility: demonstrating appropriate vulnerability is one of the quickest ways to build trust as people admire perfection but can't relate to it.- Shifting from ‘then' leadership (top-down command control in the industrial age) to ‘now' leadership (with humility) by developing deep self-awareness; training the feedback muscle; and realising the value of focus and the importance of failing successfully.- The most important factor in teams are relationships, so treat others as you would like to be treated and lead like a compass – the true test of leadership is how things function in the absence of the leader.- Lead with a shared purpose and with full transparency – share your imperfections, your decision-making and your thought processes, engaging in the ‘thinking person's sport'.- Focus should be on organisational leadership as opposed to individual leadership excellence – create a fearless culture, take responsibility for how your team members interact, provide psychological safety, and be direct.- Leaders must ask for help and acknowledge and show gratitude for feedback: there is great value in learning together experientially – in different situations, teams have to rely on each other, regardless of rank.- The network age is the fog of war with generational and technological changes, and the ‘fog of work' presents us with a very complex environment: like the immune system, a team gets stronger when it is tested.- A multi-generational workforce...

"it is about enabling a bigger version of ourself...People are only in their head, not in their heart and solar plexus."Katja and I delve into the world of purpose, spirituality and business, looking at demystifying the subject and exploring how we can connect more effectively to our inner wisdom. We explore the concept of “universal intelligence” and the importance of personal beliefs, connecting with unseen energies, and uncovering internal strengths. Katya shares her journey from the corporate world to spiritual work, stressing the significance of challenging assumptions and being open-minded. In an age where the rush of everyday life often drowns out our inner voices, we discuss the positive impact of spirituality in corporate environments by fostering sensitivity, awareness, and intuition, while also encouraging individuals to explore their spiritual capacities and seek guidance for personal development. Letting go and letting things unfold creates a conducive environment, which is necessary both professionally and personally, but even the education system frames emotions and sensibilities as weaknesses.katja shares her personal story and insights from her journey from the corporate world to spiritual work, and how important it is in today's busy and interconnected world to really connect to something bigger than us. The main insights you will get from this episode are : - Spiritual is defined variously as believing in a greater power to connect to if we choose or believing in the existence of something beyond the physical and material world; it is not linked to religious or esoteric beliefs.- This ‘power' will not harm us, but help us by adding to our thoughts, emotions and sensitivity; helping us to develop our sixth sense; giving us access to the invisible; and teaching us as we become part of our ‘spirit team', which is not static, but changes over time.- It makes us aware of our unused capabilities and our own immense potential and enables us to exchange with our physical dimension (e.g. in the form of plants, animals) but also with another dimension, as it all revolves around energy, which is everywhere and can change everything.- The spiritual world depends on personal parameters but is commonly known as ‘God force', the ‘divine', or ‘universal intelligence/consciousness' - the key to accessing it to remain open, flexible and tolerant in the absence of scientific proof (today).- Connecting to something bigger is a hot topic at the moment in terms of having purpose – it keeps us humble and makes us realise that we don't know everything. We must listen to what is said/not said and tune into the different energies around us.- The corporate and spiritual worlds are compatible, e.g. in terms of leading with purpose, sensitivity and empathy, as healing and mediumship help us improve on all levels, understand ourselves better, and realise how big we are (many environments, e.g. corporate, make/keep us small).- Orientation and guidance are helpful in both private and professional lives, giving us increased sensitivity and awareness, raising our consciousness of our own value, helping us validate ourselves, granting us inner freedom and wellbeing to overcome challenges and leave our comfort zones.- Talking about spirituality openly brought more positive reactions than expected. The law of attraction means that people who want or need it will come, and a grounded vision of mediumship and healing helps blend the spiritual life with ‘normal' life.- Own experience of the spiritual world guided Katja to the truth,...

"Tech is no longer niche, but fundamental to life in Industry 4.0..."A great conversation with Anne-Marie Imafidon about the importance of women's involvement in technology as well as the importance of breaking stereotypes and having diverse voices around the table for inclusive product development. Tech is no longer niche, but fundamental to life in Industry 4.0 and it is dangerous to have a small number and limited range of people making tech decisions that are also social, moral, political and ethical decisions.Anne Marie and I discuss tech fluency, democratising tech access and how to foster these diverse voices, distributing power differently and understanding that technology allows us to have a multiplicity of experiences. Diverse voices lead to more inclusive product development, which is crucial for the success of any tech venture in today's world. A call to action for us all to get curious, get involved and take control. Through her multiple tech ventures, authorship of the insightful book “She's in Ctrl,” and tireless efforts in systemic change focusing on Science, tech, engineering, Arts and maths, we discuss how to make shaping a more inclusive future a reality from an individual, collective and societal perspective. Anne-Marie shares her thoughts, insights, stories, humour and incredible vision for recognising women's historical contributions and addressing male-dominated industry challenges whilst advocating for a lens of continuous learning amid the 4th industrial revolution to ensure more inclusive technology moving forward. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Passionate about future-looking tech ventures; breaking stereotypes around access to tech for women; engaging with tech and other people to improve society; and looking to effect systemic change.- We are making progress in terms of talking about women in tech but currently they are not high-profile and the ‘herstory' is hidden, which is both frustrating and perilous. - Tech is no longer niche, but fundamental to life in Industry 4.0 - it is dangerous to have a small number and limited range of people making tech decisions that are also social, moral, political and ethical decisions.- All decisions about tech carry risks, can be wrong or even harmful on both an individual and wider level; the biggest mitigation lever is to have as many different perspectives as possible.- If multiple elements are missing from the tech, it becomes harmful when deployed - we must see the value in everyone; overlooking huge tranches of society can have serious consequences.- We must value the impact of tech as opposed to simply its prowess, understand that it enables a multiplicity of experiences to be reflected and this is a serious responsibility; our default is to think that tech is neutral, but it isn't.- Divergent thinking is absent in our (convergent) education system and in organisations: no company is an island, e.g. what they do affects the supply chain, customers, and ultimately society at large.- The exponential speed of tech alongside the glacial speed of societal change means that technological advancement will create more problems than it solves.- Education must transform for learning to take precedence over knowledge – we need the right structures and support for teachers to stay in post and a culture of learning at all ages and not just in formal spaces.- The Institute for the Future of Work looks at upskilling, the new knowledge that is being created, and promoting wellbeing...

"Don't be fooled by shiny technology... have a look at your business pain points and what problems you need to solve first"Matt and I delve into the world of driving sustainable digital transformation with all its pitfalls and iterative loops. We unwrap the journey of digital transformation in organisations - which is inevitably fraught with challenges - from enacting organisational change to managing career risks and adapting to the rapid evolution of emerging technologies. Organisational stamina is however one of the biggest challenges we face - not giving up at the first success or failure, but organisations are like people – always looking for a quick fix.We delve into how taking a systems thinking lens can be transformative, especially coupled with the revolutionary potential of generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) in industries like construction, which have historically been skeptical of technological advancements due to past disappointments. Generative AI and LLMs, despite the challenges exemplified by Google's struggles with bias, are lauded for their capacity to revolutionise data management and processing. They promise a future where complex data is not just managed but harnessed to drive decisions, optimize processes, and ultimately, catalyze growth. - leaving time for the more complex human elements to be top of mind. For technology implementation to be successful, it must be rooted in continuous progress, systemic analysis, and the dismantling of operational silos through collaboration and empathy. Matt shares his insights from his career to date, and the model he developed of how to successfully implement digital transformation - work done right ! The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Work Done Right is a collection of lessons learned from various industries with common themes of how best to achieve or not to achieve digital transformation.- Society needs infrastructure but is not good at providing it on time and on budget; we must improve processes using technology to help project leaders get it right first time.- The Work Done Right methodology is about process, culture and systems thinking – we must view projects holistically as interconnected wholes rather than in silos.- Within the system, we must define the quality we want and the systems we need to achieve it but work quality requires a speak up culture, akin to speaking up about health and safety for the greater good.- Human error can cause problems but there are rarely systems in place for errors to happen, i.e. people do not speak up about quality/process failures - tech and engineering are very knowledgeable but fail to take account of human factors that are part of the processes/system.- Translatability of ways of working from one industry to another is very beneficial, e.g. energy companies approaching other industries that have a good track record for safety of operations in hazardous environments, e.g. aviation.- Systems engineering and systems thinking can be used to ‘engineer out' value risk. Any large organisation naturally builds up silos over time due to specialisation and bureaucracy but derisking is important as doing things differently entails risk.- There are competing elements of culture and technology at play in the explore-exploit scenario - change is often initiated for the sake of it without recognising the good reasons why systems are put in place.- ‘Splashy technology syndrome' describes situations in which people desire digital...

""Organisations that fail to hire for and develop positive character among their leaders are missing an opportunity.."A great conversation with Mary about the crucial relationship between character and leadership, and how it can enable transformation in organisations and organisational culture. We dive into the 11 dimensions of character with corresponding behaviours and look at the importance for leaders to balance extremes and manage polarities to promote inclusive and collaborative spaces. We discuss dismantling the assumption of static character and empowering leaders to embrace personal agency in their decision-making processes. Our conversation goes beyond the surface, tackling the subconscious influences on our behaviour, balancing polarities and looking at the various different levers for developing character, as well as challenging biases in different processes and systems. What is the impact of taking Character into account ? A significant shift in the environment within organisations, calling for a re-evaluation of leadership selection to be more character-centric.Mary shares her research and experience from running educational programmes with leaders all over the world on Character and its impact on leadership in today's workplace. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Character development can unleash excellence once unlocked, but linking the science of character to leadership is a relatively new concept. Leadership was on trial during the economic crisis in 2008 – the leadership failures that led to the global financial crisis were not a failure of competence but a failure of character.- What is character? Is it possible to develop character? There is no evidence that character is ingrained and cannot change, but it should not be confused with personality, which is semi-stable (e.g. introvert/extrovert).- Character is a set of specific behaviours that satisfy criteria, and each one of these behaviours can be developed as a habit. Most of us have underdeveloped character because we don't know of the possibility to develop it. - There are metrics, e.g. 11 dimensions of character with 62 associated behaviours, and Aristotle called character practical wisdom – the key facet is that any virtue operates as either an excess or a deficiency, e.g. a lot of courage requires a lot of temperance.- We need to understand that strengths operate in a dysfunctional way in the face of the virtue vs. vice polarity; operating with a deficiency must be recognised and excess must countered, e.g. tenacity/grit has to be offset to avoid negative outcomes.- The link between character and DE&I is that understanding character can create a more inclusive environment in which people can thrive. We judge ourselves on our intention and others on their behaviour, but character is about observable behaviour, and our intentions mask our lack of understanding of others' behaviours.- The culture of an organisation will reflect the character of the individuals in the organisation: intention and behaviours don't match up, which is borne out by research on self-awareness. Character supercharges the DE&I agenda and helps us get to our real natures. - We have personal agency over our character and must form the right habits to develop it. Character brings laser focus to core beliefs and scripts that we are unaware of and that are difficult to overcome, e.g. vulnerability, trust, worthiness.- There are various levers that create an intention...

"As we navigate the post-COVID landscape, the need for intentionally empathetic leadership has never been clearer.."Neal and I delve into the profound impact of empathy on cultivating thriving workplace cultures and how we can scale this skill, particularly at more senior levels of the organisation.Empathy is often referred to as a 'soft skill' but is actually one of the hardest to enact and is more than a soft skill—it's a strategic advantage. Executives and leaders who embrace empathetic practices are witnessing tangible benefits in business metrics, marketing, and branding. We discuss debunking common myths about leadership and collaboration in organisations and conclude that it's time to challenge the status quo and embrace the paradigm shift. Engaging in courageous conversations, addressing conflicts with sensitivity, and creating a shared vision through empathetic confrontation can be powerful and strategic tools for organisational transformation.Neal shares his experience, insights and research from his book 'the E suite' and from his operational daily life as CEO of Cybercore Technologies. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - The shift in work-life balance during Covid saw people and empathetic leadership come first as opposed to empathy being considered a soft skill and not representative of ‘strong' leadership.- Executive leaders must seek to apply empathy and openness by understanding context and emotional states and making decisions based on this – it is not about ‘niceness' and should be reframed as relationship building.- The concept of business(-focused) empathy is about understanding the people you work with and using it as a tool to help with decision-making, e.g. how to deal with a diseased tree branch that impacts the tree as a whole.- Strategically impactful decisions for a business involve the deliberate and intentional use of empathy as a leadership skill and lever - empathetic confrontation is linked to collective vision and organisational transformation.- The most impactful transformations come from a place of safety and understanding the context so that transformation is not combative but involves all parties to solve a common problem.- Create unity, not homogeneity by creating a level of trust - intense conversations in a trusted and safe environment can be very productive and senior leaders can create the conditions for empathetic discussion by saying transparently what is going on, inviting people to talk to them and creating psychological safety.- Empathy is not always the solution but personal agency can be leveraged using effective communication, for example, by meeting with people for a disclosed reason; not letting emotional states come into play; monitoring reactions; looking for underlying issues and finding constructive solutions.- Post-Covid, there is more openness to empathy generally but still many generational differences in terms of what makes a workplace successful, although it is clear that people-first policies affect the bottom line.- Talent managers have an opportunity to inform leaders of the impact of empathy using bare metrics (e.g. the cost of firing/hiring v. retraining) or demonstrating the proven ROI of empathy.- Leaders must hold themselves and others accountable and practice empathy until they are conversant in it – if they lend their voice to the conversation, people are more disposed to talking.- Transformation instigates fear, which thrives in quiet and...

"There can be kindness in telling the truth, and therefore providing a place from which to move forward.."A great conversation with Paru about being authentic, and defining our own meaning of success. Learning to trust one's intuition is a skill that many overlook, and we discuss the very essence of authentic leadership, the art of self reflection and how to empower others as you stand boldly in who you are. Paru shares the trials and triumphs of tuning into that inner voice. It's about looking back to move forward, reflecting on past experiences to navigate & create the future. This isn't just about what works in business—it's about what makes us human in our careers.Are you ready to lead with authenticity? Are you prepared to break the mould and champion honesty in your professional life? Paru generously shares her stories, her life experiences, her insights and her wisdom from working with C suite leaders across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Mission: seeing across multiple functions and profiles and speaking authentic truth in the corporate world - leaders must remain authentic and truth is important for stability.- There can be kindness in telling the truth, thereby providing a place from which to move forward; many of us have a tendency to bury our heads in the sand instead.- The ability to spot patterns and predict next moves led to an advisory role, offering help to avoid falling back into old patterns in order to overcome fear and learn how to manage hypervigilance.- (Self-)reflection helps to prevent repetition of mistakes and sharing vulnerabilities builds trust - in short, being authentic saves time!- Just as we must encourage introspection and think about who we are, the same also applies for clients - exercises can be for both professional and personal purposes, but the universal truth is that there are no shortcuts.- Putting in the work brings epiphanies and results, which we can use as a mirror to reflect back, embracing tough lessons to grow and learn.- Moving from hypervigilance to trusting (one's own) intuition is where genius happens; we must relinquish that which we hold on to and hold up the mirror to ourselves instead of other people.- Collating the data we derive from this will show us what happens when we follow our intuition and are ourselves – in the formula of ‘if you do x, I feel y, so I do z', we can make choices.- Legacy means the impact we have on the world by sharing personal lessons learned, learning to trust our judgement in others, and offering stories for people to take ingredients from to maybe apply to their own lives.- How do we know when we have reached 100% (of ourselves)? It is a gradual process, and each challenge helps us dig deeper and find that bit more – we can't really ever know if we are at 100%, as it is a constant journey.- It is helpful to be direct with others, to give instructions and information and be who we are - we cannot rely on others to do things for us and need our own backup plan.- We must find our authentic version of ourself by spending time alone, regularly checking in with who we are today; as we evolve, we are impacted by extraneous factors but once we find it, we must hang on to it!Find out more about Paru and her upcoming book here : https://www.paruradia.com/paru

"Role modelling is the most powerful way to influence people and cultures ..."In today's rapidly changing business landscape, resilience has become a buzzword, but how do we move beyond buzzwords to action? Julian and I do a deep dive into the heart of organisational resilience, unpacking strategies that can help your teams to do more than just survive, we focus on building resilience through fostering well-being, growth, learning, and vulnerability. We discuss the transformative effect of creating a workplace where challenges are shared openly, and optimism is balanced with a healthy dose of realism.We also touch on the critical role vulnerability plays in team dynamics and how it ties back to character and attitude. We discuss the essence of authentic leadership and the importance of role modelling in catalysing and strengthening collective resilience. How can we create these conditions in a hybrid workplace ? How can we intentionally cultivate workplaces where people and teams can thrive ? Julian shares his research, experience, stories and insights from his ongoing work with leaders and teams.The main insights you'll get from this episode are : Thriving is the flipside of surviving – like a plant that thrives with the right food, soil, environment, water and sunlight, in an organisation this means people feel they can learn, grow, excel and make mistakes.It is an ambitious concept for organisations as constant high performance is unrealistic and can lead to a culture of toxic resilience, i.e. constant optimism, overachievement and ultimately burnout.The middle ground between thriving and surviving means being open about challenges; being real (with people); being optimistic, i.e. rooted in the now but with an eye on the future; and being realistic.Organisations should provide check-in times for teams and a comfortable environment in which to share – resilience must be operationalised and it can be developed and grown like a muscle (through discipline and practice).Given the diverse profiles in a team, it is important to scale the mindset and create collective resilience - having a mission lifts the team, gives energy from positive purpose, and offers a path forward with innovative solutions.There are processes to ‘reduce, regulate and repair': scenario planning, iceberg drills, collaboration, mitigation ideas, debriefing through difficulties and successes, reflecting on lessons learned.Clear roles and responsibilities are required for collective understanding, as are discipline (i.e. a commitment with structure yet flexibility), consistency and messaging – the processes must serve the people, not the other way round.Authentic leadership improves team resilience through self-awareness, balanced processing, internal moral perspective, and openness and transparency – very important for interaction.Psychological safety is paramount and the responsibility of the leader, with self-awareness the most significant of all as it has the biggest impact on creating a resilient team.Hope and optimism are very good things to have in organisational constructs – leaders with hope retain staff, raise profits and have thriving teams with optimistic intentions for the future of both the organisation and the people.Role modelling is the most powerful way to influence people and cultures in terms of bringing in pessimists as it offers inspiration but not toxic positivity and grounds people in reality.Leaders must create conditions for people to thrive in a hybrid environment through connection and communication, e.g. virtual townhall meetings, in-person get-togethers (with social elements, not always work-based), and open-door policies (also via Zoom).Find out more about Julian and his work here :

"we always understand anything new in terms of what we already know.." Dave and I discuss the art of possibility and how we can change our thoughts and perceptions to allow ourselves to enter the gateways of what's possible. Ever wondered why visualising things is so powerful ? Ever challenged your beliefs about whether you can draw or not ? We discuss all this and more as Dave leads us through his philosophy of art and how it can contribute to helping us navigate this complex world we live and work in. We delve into RFID codes, generative AI, and their potentially transformative effects on education and employment, as well as how we can step out of our patterns to think differently - to shake up our habitual routines, embrace change, and take proactive steps toward growth and innovation. After all, the jobs of tomorrow may not even exist today, so staying ahead means staying adaptable, open minded and curious. So whether you're a seasoned artist or someone who's never thought of picking up a pencil for fun, consider this your personal invitation to explore the visual language within you and step away from autopilot and connect to the present moment. Who knows? It might just change the way you see the world—and the way the world sees you ! Dave shares his insights, teachings, experience and visuals from writing and working with artists, leaders and organisations across the globe . The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Humans are mostly on autopilot, which serves us when things are going well, but distracts us from the present moment and possibilities can only be seen in the present moment.- Digital overloads and distracts us but ‘possibilitarians' are acutely tuned in to the present moment and the opportunities that might arise; we cannot know what will happen and it is our limiting beliefs that hold us back.- The School of the Possible is about a less structured approach, fostering and teaching creativity, i.e. imagining something and making it a reality. This cannot be taught in the conventional way in that there is no end goal per se, just a question and a direction.- Such a school of exploration engenders a community of people focused on what is possible in their worlds and supporting each other as entrepreneurs - an exciting, scary and uncomfortable reality that holds the promise of adventure and learning.- Organisations too must take risks to avoid becoming obsolete, as many people are now looking at alternatives to working in organisations - we must all find a way to make a living but nowadays we can create our own customers on our own terms.- An unusual approach to teaching creativity in the form of visual(isation) aspects, e.g. using game-storming, as a way to bring people together, help them align on a problem, and draw a complex issue to make it clearer.- This low-equipment approach is transformative, facilitating a real connection between body and mind – this allows a group to build something, change their interactions and actually see what is in other people's heads.- The resulting visible, shareable work results in innovation, makes abstract things more tangible and takes the information landscape from fuzzy to focused - images are a universal language and explore things for which there are no words (yet).- Drawing is a conversation between what's in your head and what's on the piece of paper so it can be surprising – as a process it is intuitive as opposed to cognitive as our brains are pattern-finding...

" we are still so afraid of speaking up and showing our emotions in the workplace... "Mollie and I discuss emotional inclusion, what it means and how it can help to humanise the workplace. How do we operationlise the 'doing' and bust the more traditional but very present leadership myths held in workplaces about vulnerability, emotions and 'strong leadership' ?We explore the lagging advancement in tackling emotional wellness at work and the negative impacts this can have. The urgency for organisations to sincerely incorporate emotional inclusion by offering mental health support and educational workshops has never been more present. At organisational level, leaders must be the voices of change to overcome the dichotomy of split selves, i.e. home self and work self, and lead authentic campaigns to demonstrate the benefits of a more inclusive ecosystem.Mollie stresses the importance of a comprehensive approach to organisational emotional well-being and the benefits of understanding employees' emotions as well as educating leaders and employees alike. How can senior leaders contribute to this role-modelling of countering existing leadership myths and bringing in new ways of thinking and talking about emotions at work? How can we move from reflection to action on this topic and ensure sustainable and welcome change in this area ? Mollie shares her research, experience and insights from working on Emotional inclusion and from working with leaders around the globe. The main insights you will get from this episode are : - Emotional intelligence is about knowing how to navigate our own and others' emotions, emotional inclusion is about providing a roadmap of how to put emotions/emotional intelligence into action (also at work).- Company DE&I platforms rarely speak about the inclusion that is closest to humanity, i.e. ourselves. Emotions have a bad reputation, despite giving us purpose, creativity, and a sense of belonging, and are the gateway to spearheading productivity as a whole.- There is still an intention/action gap around emotions: we wear masks and vulnerability is seen as a weakness – there is fear and stigma around speaking up given the risk of perceived unprofessionalism.- At organisational level, leaders must be the voices of change to overcome the dichotomy of split selves, i.e. home self and work self, and lead authentic campaigns to demonstrate the benefits of a more inclusive ecosystem.- HR must ensure that there are mental health policies in insurance schemes for employees, over and above basic medical care, as the wellbeing of employees directly affects a company's bottom line.- There is a big divide in leadership regarding mental health: leaders who talk about it but do little, and leaders who want to redefine what mental health within their organisation looks like and make changes, but it is still not enough.- Organisations need to create sustainable mental health pillars, but they are difficult to implement; corporate leadership vulnerability must role model behaviour for psychological safety, leading to increased receptiveness, empathy, openness, and authentic ‘team-ness'.- We must make inclusion systemic by educating around how inclusive and safe ecosystems boost productivity, and by truly acknowledging each other's humanness – there has been little progress in emotional wellness since the industrial revolution!- Covid was a game-changer in that people refuse to fit into an antiquated workplace model; employees want to see...

“ We need to be looking at how the risks are entangled - we can't think about any of them singly… “Asha and I discuss the current meta-crisis, and the great uncertainty this holds : How can we influence the complex world we live in? What can we see from where we are? What levers do we have for action ? Life is no longer stable, and organisations are still seeking to be ‘robust', i.e. stable in an unstable world, so different approaches are required to influence any of this - so what can we do ? We also unwrap complexity science, systems thinking and how complex adaptive systems (e.g. social groups, the stock market, generative AI) learn at the edge of chaos and discuss how we can have a stable economic system that can sustain, produce, and distribute what we need.Asha shares her thought leadership as well as her operational experience in what this means for organisations and leaders, from her work with leaders across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - How can we influence the complex world we live in? What can we see from where we are? The current meta-crisis involves two large, intertwined risks: exponential tech (AI, biotech) and our industrial economy and its impact on the biosphere (climate change).- Both are causing great uncertainty and mean that life is no longer stable, and organisations are seeking to be ‘robust', i.e. stable in an unstable world, a technocracy. Different approaches are required to influence any of this.- The (various models of) complexity give rise to systems thinking and complexity thinking:• Systems thinking looks for patterns and is non-linear - a system is made up of different components with a shared purpose whereby the collective effect is different from the individual effect.• Complexity thinking looks at the unexpected, unpredictable and random results (produced by complex systems), which are by definition emergent, not controllable and potentially undesirable.- Complexity science looks at how complex adaptive systems (e.g. social groups, the stock market, generative AI) learn at the edge of chaos and asks how we can have a stable economic system that can sustain, produce, and distribute what we need.- The concept of a regenerative economy is very interesting, but is it viable and suitable for complex adaptive systems? Our current system is enabling us to flourish at the edge of chaos.- We need to consider alternatives to globalisation and our current financial system - complexity economics offers answers (circular economy, an ‘adjacent possible', doughnut economics) but we are not ready to embrace them.- Geopolitical will is required for change; we are experimenting on a small scale (particularly post-pandemic) but it is still a new, fragmented field; regenerative economics must evolve to be accessible for ordinary people.- Everyone has personal agency and organisations have a role to play, but how do we navigate the landscape and put in place methods to do so? We must define the purpose and how to measure it, whereby quantifying it easier than qualifying it.- Value is always contextual and depends on what is needed. There must be the requisite meaning and culture within an organisation for it to make a contribution to something more regenerative. Covid made us do things we thought we wouldn't due to constraints, which can be likened to a river flowing faster when it's...

"Are we coming from deep curiosity... are we ready to challenge the norm and become a catalyst for change in our organisations?"Poornima and I had a rich and fun exchange on building powerful communities to create more inclusive environmentsIn a world that is increasingly diverse, the concepts of inclusion, powerful coalitions, and allyship are more relevant than ever before. Poormina isn't just advocating for these principles; she's calling for a revolution of active allyship. Given the move towards more networked and interconnected organisations - the need for communities of people collaborating for the greater good has never been more present. Poornima and I delve into the world of allyship through honest introspection and deep curiosity. We discuss the need to confront our biases and privileges - that often lurk unseen, and subtly undermine the very fabric of the systems we live and work in. Just like termites that silently damage a structure from within, these biases can erode the foundation of a healthy workplace. Dr. Luthra invites us to approach such discussions with curiosity rather than defensiveness. It's not about pointing fingers but about recognizing that we all have blind spots that require attention and that we have both personal and collective agency to create these conditions differently. Poornima shares her stories, research and insights from her work with leaders across the globe as we look more closely at how we can make inclusion a reality for organisations and communities alike. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Allyship is about taking personal action within communities and networks – a lifelong process of building supporting relationships with people from underrepresented groups and with different intersectional identities.- The opposite of active allyship is denial, e.g. the increasing proportion of people worldwide who are anti-inclusion; the majority of people are passive allies of DE&I, i.e. they believe in it but don't know what to say or do to further the cause.- The important shift is from passive to active; being a bystander is not an option given that there is much to address. Not speaking up is the same as doing nothing; choosing not to act makes us complicit in allowing discrimination to continue and we all have biases thanks to our brain!- Seven behaviours characterise an active ally:• deep curiosity (about our own intersectional identity)• honest introspection (taking a deep dive into our biases)• humble acknowledgement (understanding privilege and using it to lift others)• empathetic engagement (confronting “termite” biases and microaggressions and their profound negative impact)• authentic conversations (that are deeper, open and more nuanced – this requires psychological safety)• vulnerable interactions (storytelling, making a difference)• courageous responsibilities (accepting that we have to do more)- Gaslighting is very widespread and can be defined as behaviour over time that belittles, discounts and/or invalidates people's experiences. It is a strong term that requires careful use.- Micro-gaslighting can be a one-off but you feel it - an active ally will create a safe space to talk about such experiences.- The allyship comfort...

"Do we really have the right conversations in our teams ?"Tanvi and I delve into the different conversations that can enable and enhance a deeper, more effective collaboration at all levels of the organisation. We explore the concept of “Deep collaboration” within teams and organizations, revealing how understanding the roots of conflict can reshape the emotional landscape of the workplace. What does ‘being a team' really mean? What creates collaboration? What does collaboration really mean? It is a very specific concept, transcending who we are as individuals, but has been dumbed down and has become a buzz word. Collaborative burnout and overload are common in matrix structures with multiple stakeholders and realigned business models, as people struggle to collaborate without putting the work in on the courageous conversations and more human aspects to build the inter-relational piece. We must begin by acknowledging failings and accepting that collaboration is inherently tough. Accepting our hypotheses and experimenting to see what works and starting again by asking curious questions to go deeper. If you are committed to creating a thriving work environment, listen to discover more about embracing the intricacies of group dynamics and leveraging them for the success and health of your organization. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Collaboration is a major lever for navigating the transition from hierarchy to interdependence for leaders to create flow in both teams and organisational systems.- What does ‘being a team' really mean? What creates collaboration? What does collaboration really mean? It is a very specific concept, transcending who we are as individuals, but has been dumbed down.- The basic prerequisite is a collaboration infrastructure comprising tools, resources and talent, alongside meaning, contribution and community - there must be a balance between what are you giving and what are you getting - and conversations.- The link between courageous conversations and the level of collaboration can be fast tracked using CART – clarity, accountability, resources, and trust.- Divergent views of individuals within a company signals a lack of clarity; a blame culture signals a lack of accountability - flatter hierarchies require more clarity of accountability.- Collaborative burnout and overload are common in matrix structures with multiple stakeholders and realigned business models – this requires support and shifting the ‘CART'.- Five main conversations:· Deep inspiration - a mountain with peaks of inspiration; a purpose-based conversation involving a collection of small moments of purpose that serve the larger purpose, connecting company and team purpose to close the loop.· Deep learning - understanding each other's worlds across silos in this age of polymaths and renaissance individuals - AI can connect the dots across disciplines and people must do this too.· Deep friction - facing a waterfall and having the ability to quickly move in the right direction, navigating conflict in team.· Deep strategising - the quality of strategy conversations and how they are translated into practice.· Deep daring - looking at how we think about uncertainty, risk, resilience, failure, etc.· Bonus...

" the best way to solving human problems at scale is to focus on what we CAN do, and make sure we are intentionally working to get there"Kate and I delve into the future world of tech, exploring trends and different technology and human enabled ways of meeting business objectives in today's world. When it comes to alignment, it is difficult to bring business, human and digital strands together, in particular in terms of big data and AI, and many organisations do not understand the strands well enough yet. We touch on responsible tech, bigger societal issues and the need to be clear and intentional about purpose and ethics in a world that is becoming more complex by the minute as technology connects us to everything in every way ! We must invest in building trust and repairing division, interacting with people in person, hearing and listening to others. Emerging tech brings with it enormous capacity and scale, but what do we want to scale? How do leaders and organisations answer this question with purpose and optimism, to bridge the digital/human gap intelligently ? Kate shares her research, insights and experience from her books and from working with leaders all over the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - We have an ancient fear of tech taking over our lives/humanity, but it is really a means to meet business objectives; business leaders must align their objectives with human objectives and outcomes and use the alignment to build tech around them.- When it comes to alignment, it is difficult to bring business, human and digital strands together, in particular in terms of big data and AI, and many organisations do not understand the strands well enough, e.g. C-suite human dynamics.- Many leaders do not know how to act appropriately in the face of AI – when any deployment could be out of date within months – but it is far less about tech and far more about aligning the organisation, which will outlast any tech deployment.- Transformation is not led by tech but by strategy based around alignment; it is about serving people well during transformation by having a strategy that begins with organisational purpose – this is a useful north star for organisations and ultimately a very human concept.- What we do in business is driven by what we want to accomplish and what matters; innovation is what is going to matter and shows us what we need to do to get to a future we want – experimenting with new tech is good, but it should not lead anything.- Tech for good and responsible tech are on the rise and have seen many different efforts, e.g. hackathons to create tools and systems to serve people, civic tech to help people; tech ethics looks at how businesses deploy tech in support of their products/services in a responsible way to avoid unintended consequences and harm to downstream communities.- It is vital not to abandon ethical concerns as AI is on the rise and to align business objectives with responsible action. The UN's sustainable development goals (SDG) can be used as a roadmap for a better, brighter future and to improve life for everyone on the planet.- Responsible tech needs to become as important as DE&I but it is currently often just a talking point rather than an action plan, but it is at least the start of discourse. It is a challenging time for making big decisions in a changing technology landscape and we must consider the future for bankable foresights.- Within organisations, there must be individual personal agency, speaking truth to

"There are two things that allow teams to be more resilient – clarity on goals and psychological safety"Marie-Hélène and I discuss the much debated topic of resilience in today's organisations, and what this means for how we lead - our teams, ourselves and our organisations. Resilience is something of a buzzword in today's hustle culture and context is key to understanding it. We discuss the existing binary definitions of 'rubber band' resilience, and how we can shift to a more creative, deliberate and developmental form of resilience. However, this doesn't come without discipline, forethought and strategic planning. Marie Hélène leads us through her experience and research to help us reframe the concept of resilience, moving away from thinking it's part of who we are. How can we develop this mental and emotional agility ? how can we prepare ourselves and other team leaders to shift their mindset from individual resilience to collective resilience and engage their teams to proactively prepare for adversity on the horizon ? Marie Hélène shares her research, mastery and experience from working with leaders around the globe to develop realistic, effective and strategic resilience plans. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Resilience is something of a buzzword in today's hustle culture and context is key to understanding it. A consistent definition of resilience is the ability to go through adversity, learn from it and come out even stronger.- It is not a personality trait and therefore we can influence and control it; if we do this, everything gets better – health, happiness, engagement, satisfaction, etc. – and it is an opportunity if presented to people in a way that makes sense.- The idea is to help us reframe the concept of resilience, moving away from thinking it's part of who we are; our inaction is often due to having to tick off a ‘checklist' - we all have to do different things at different times.- The quadrant of internal and external context (systems): in business, there is a lot of work on context and preparation (e.g. SWAT analysis) prior to a launch, and the same applies to building resilience – it begins the process of making changes, moving to acceptance to take advantage of where we have leverage and claiming personal agency to take action.- Supply and demand exercise for resilience involves making two lists - demands in life and sources of supply – to provide honest visibility on your situation: Is it aligned with your values? Does it indicate where change is possible/desirable? Does it reveal blind spots?- As we progress in our careers and lives, natural context becomes less supportive and eventually no amount of supply can match the level of demands – this is embodied by the glorification of hustle culture, to which teams also succumb.- There are two things that allow teams to be more resilient – clarity on goal and psychological safety. Our mindset must shift from individual resilience to collective resilience and team leaders must engage their teams to proactively prepare for adversity on the horizon.- Team resilience is only partially the responsibility of the team leader - we are all able to influence the team and therefore positively influence the resilience of the team to improve performance.- Team language is important too, though, to ask how we learn from (our response to) a mistake and how we grow from it. Small actions make a big difference and every little...

"When we avoid failure, we also avoid discovery, innovation and accomplishment..."Such a fitting thought for the rich & fun discussion Amy and I had on failing intelligently and learning to thrive. Humans aren't an exact science, and neither is failing - so how we can change the way we think, act and interact about failure - in organisations, in society and in our personal lives ? We are all fallible human beings, with assumptions biases and emotions, so how can we reframe our mental models to harness this?In the world of innovation, the spoken mantra is "Fail fast" (and all the variations on this theme) yet everything is geared towards not failing. Leaders still default to ‘failure is not an option' so then how can we normalise learning from failure ? What are the dangers of failing poorly, not speaking up and what implications will this have for organisations in a future where change is the only constant?We explore the different types of failure, how to be smarter in the way you fail, and the way you can set yourself and your organisation up to create a healthy culture of failure - essential in a fast moving world. Fearless organisations can learn from how systems fail and articulate this as a goal; using creative resilience, emotional regulation and choosing learning over knowing to strive for excellence and thrivingAmy generously shares her stories, research, insights and wisdom on this critical topic. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - The Right Kind of Wrong looks at learning from failure, essential in a fast-moving world. Most failures are not caused by mistakes, but by the undesired results of experiments in new territory – mistakes only occur when prior knowledge exists.- Failures are divided into three categories:· Intelligent failures of the kind scientists make as a result of thoughtful forays in pursuit of a goal· Basic failures with a single cause, usually a mistake· Complex failures, which are multicausal and due to multiple unfortunate factors (a single factor would have been fine)- Failures are stepping stones to success and present a greater opportunity, and it is this reframing, alongside context, that are key. The reframing aspect starts with us overcoming our own confirmation biases.- Context comprises different dimensions, such as the degree of uncertainty and the stakes. Under duress, individuals make mistakes, but teams rectify/compensate for mistakes and therefore perform well overall.- Do better teams make fewer mistakes? Data shows that better teams had higher error rates but were more open to reporting them as a result of a good interpersonal climate (= psychological safety).- It is possible to fail fast if the context is right – working fast to fail fast is cost-efficient and a fail fast mindset is good for reasonably low stakes and high uncertainty scenarios (e.g. entrepreneurs, inventors).- The senior level of organisations tends to be based around fear with no context-appropriate language - leaders still default to ‘failure is not an option' and ‘only perfection is welcome', which ensure the absence of a speak-up culture and do not foster good performance.- In turbulent times, innovation is more necessary than ever, and the messaging must therefore be about striving for excellence, being ambitious, and understanding chaos.- Excellence in an uncertain world...

"There is a part in every customer journey where people need to interact with a human being .. "Tom and I discuss the human guided digital Customer journey and how this is evolving as technology evolves. Customers have endless choices when it comes to digital CX today: chatbots, knowledge bases, data bases, google searches etc and as technology moves on so quickly, we are left with this ever growing challenge of constantly bridging Digital and Human in a hybrid world.What different milestones need to be put in place to bridge the gap between digital and human ? Where do organisations need to pivot and rethink the way they craft their customer journeys ? Both upskilling in terms of strategy as well as the operational implications of a digital CX depend on the business model and the existing customer journey – people must be engaged at the design level so as to intentionally drive a conversation and overcome the silo mentality.Tom shares his experience, vision and insights with us from working with business across the globe on their CX digital strategies. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Successful organisations must constantly integrate the physical and digital aspects of their business, e.g. by building instruments for customer journeys that were hitherto non-existent, such as combining a website with a physical store and expert guidance in human form.- The post-pandemic hybrid model comprises one team in two parts by bringing virtual and physical together - a digital CX must find ways to fill the gap left by digital, i.e. the human input. Leaders must realise that despite leaning into digital, people also want to speak to a human who can offer help/advice when it comes to decisions/complexities.- Frustration comes from not being able to speak to a human (in CX, for instance) and have in-the-moment human guidance; optimized workflows enable an initial digital footprint to be followed by human experts to improve conversion rates.- There are emotions attached to decisions, and human connection, even on video, deescalates a stressful process - technology can help us recognise points at which we should blend the channels.- The gap between digital and human is often filled with fear, and leaders should seek to focus on the human aspects for customer service roles, i.e. the ability to both deliver empathy and problem-solve - customers are taken down an efficient digital path that improves outcomes through human hand-holding.- There are three different approaches: DIY, do it for you, and do it with you - the latter bridges the gap, is scalable, improves loyalty/business and adds value; emerging technology will allow companies to dynamically create space for individualisation and personalisation.- Generative AI will be disruptive to jobs but help access lower-hanging fruit; it will bring the agent much further forward in the CX journey and facilitate a human-guided digital CX, ultimately enabling humans to do higher-value jobs.- The fear around AI comes from the perceived possibility of it running amok - it is vital therefore that it is kept in check and used only when and where appropriate in order to help shift between modalities and elevate the conversation.- Both upskilling in terms of strategy as well as the operational implications of a digital CX depend on the business model and the existing customer journey – people must be engaged at the design level so as to drive a conversation and overcome the silo...

"Humans should move from fear to curiosity about AI in a business setting and relinquish control in certain areas"A great conversation with Garik about AI strategy and what it means for businesses - how they can leverage AI for business outcomes and the value it can bring to people in the business. We delve into myths on what it can and cannot do, and how leaders can think about what AI means for them and their organisations. AI is based on explicit language to build up intelligence but is only as good as the data it is given; it acts like a type of mirror, giving impressions and reflections of the data fed into it. As with anything new, people fear the cutting edge but there will be lots of new opportunities and jobs in an AI world, and stepping over fear and doing it anyway is the path to creativity. Leaders should talk to people throughout the organisation to canvas opinion and start with ‘non-exotic' use of AI to simply improve the lives of employees. A culture of adoption for AI can be scaled by channelling or eliminating fear to enhance the human mind because we must be at our best/most creative to deal with AI technology.Garik shares his insights, thought leadership and experience on the subject of AI and the human dimension of technology. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - ‘Programming is teaching the dumbest thing in the world how to be smart' (Gabe Newell). AI is based on explicit language to build up intelligence but is only as good as the data it is given; it acts like a type of mirror, giving impressions and reflections of the data fed into it.- Data is the starting point, but AI strategies involve scientific, engineering, regulatory, and business breakthroughs / cycles - democratising intelligence offers massive opportunities for entrepreneurs to take advantage of technology.- Well-built systems with added AI will offer huge increases in productivity and there is a trend towards mass personalisation/customisation – lots of new tools are being rolled out with seismic effect.- At present, AI is like a newly qualified, well-educated, hard-working personal assistant; a brainstorming partner and creative asset that only works with very clear inputs and outputs and does not fare well with lack of context.- The better questions we ask, the better answers we will get, and great expertise is required to ask great questions – it is not about indiscriminate learning.- Humans should move from fear to curiosity about AI in a business setting and relinquish control in certain areas – this requires intention and discipline about what we input.- Open source is very cheap as a means to test the best output - there is an understandable fear of sharing information, but the open AI API does not use your data as training data; it does not record data and can be viewed more as an AI playground for personal use.- Practical AI is embedded in business by building a culture of adoption, generating excitement and creating a story – not to replace humans but to enhance them. Custom instructions and internal databases can be created to meet company-specific requirements – they can be tested first and then used without requiring human input.- Up-/side-skilling in terms of an adoption culture must be on a case-by-case basis – it is difficult to add AI to blue collar work (cf. Moravec's paradox). And reality is infinitely complex and therefore the human brain takes shortcuts - abstract thoughts only work in a vacuum, not in the real...

"the biggest challenge of all is the mindset shift...we need to be doing this 'with' people not 'for' people. "A fun conversation with Jim and David about how to create and lead healthy ecosystems .What does this mean ? How do you create a system where people and business can flourish ? How can we make sure that we retain our competitive advantage, or should it be collaborative advantage ? Healthy ecosystems must combine strategy and leadership in an emergent approach to prioritise and maximise resources in order to flourish – we can only solve critical issues in the world and make progress by collaborating. Is collaborative advantage a better lever for what keeps systems healthy and competitive in today's world and how do we navigate this landscape in terms of strategy and leadership ? We discuss how the measurement of value could be seen through a different lens and what it takes for companies to develop interdependent leadership to allow for a more fluid model of business operations and partner relationships where people and business can flourish.Jim and David generously share their insights, research and experience on this critical topic for businesses and leaders across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Healthy ecosystems must combine strategy and leadership in an ‘anti-business school approach' to prioritise and maximise resources in order to flourish – we can only solve critical issues in the world and make progress by collaborating.- To create and lead a strategy for sound ecosystems requires a mindset shift from competitive advantage to collaborative advantage – we must find the right partners who contribute in the right way so that we can create something sustainable together.- We must think more expansively - organisations must recognise that we are better off if we interact; we have to ask questions and talk to people if we are to be viable, resilient and sustainable.- Reimagining the entire value chain means asking: what does success look like for everybody? What does everyone contribute? How is it managed and led? Interdependence is major: not a hub-and-spoke model but concentric circles with a shift to interdependent leadership.- TVG (total value generated) asks who the key stakeholders are and how they define value, and measures experience and output objectively; it is about relationships and the value they generate; it identifies ecosystem partners and focuses on their health.- Research reveals three crucial factors for successful relationships: reciprocity (best interests at heart on both sides), trust (built slowly over time), and frequency (how often do we interact and is it often enough) - we must change the narrative to measure critical factors for the system as a whole.- Flourishing is about holistic human wellbeing (physical, mental, social, spiritual, etc.) and is influenced globally by organisational strategy and public health, which should consider all dimensions to create inclusive systems for healthy ecosystems.- Competitive advantage in a healthy ecosystem is measured by looking at every player in the value chain with a unique value proposition that is enhanced by the other players, e.g. sustainability, triple bottom line, both profitable and prosperous.- Continued viability: involves the competitive intensity of the local supply chain and the collaborative intensity of capacity; depends on healthy collaborators (in the supply chain); and builds a collaborative infrastructure that leads to...

"you always have choice - choose to be an agent of change in your life, to build your own castle, to devise your own methods, and to think intentionally about your legacy..."Rick and I have a fun conversation that takes us through English castles, into manufacturing and lean methodologies and circling back through our inner game as leaders in a Business as UnUsual world. What do we need to navigate this complex world and motivate our people ? What tools and approaches work for you as a leader ? how do you ensure that you remain an agent of change in creating your future ? Rick shares his insight and experience as well as the main concepts in his new book on leadership, culture and business in the post COVID world. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - UnUsual is to be understood as the ‘new normal' post-pandemic and stems from the author's belief that everyone has the potential to be an architect of change, a catalyst in an ever-changing world.- Eclectic leadership blends various theories, styles and approaches with multiple perspectives from different industries; eclectic leaders are not bound by one model and can adapt to different strategies, demonstrate flexibility, and leverage the strengths of different types of leadership by choosing the most effective tool from a large toolbox.- The book uses a castle as a metaphor as it is a structure that everyone can imagine, but differently. The British take of ‘an Englishman's home is his castle' stands for home, safety, refuge, strong foundations, nobility, worthiness, honour, respect, legacy, community and impact.- The book talks about 8 structures within the castle: the stronghold/inner keep, which has 4 towers that support each other: the tower of purpose (values, legacy, life goals, north star); the tower of life force (how you manage your HERBS – health, energy, rest, balance and stress); the tower of mind (how you show up, habits, behaviours, kaizen); and the tower of self (self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-worth, self-motivation).- The dungeon of the castle represents coaching, which often inflicts pain to bring about growth and is about stretching and going beyond our comfort zone, being on the rack – and this requires trust.- The bailey is expandable and consists of 3 buildings: the great hall (community, culture, leadership); the stables (looking forward, searching for satisfaction, transforming); and the treasury (finances, income, net worth).- The inner keep formula is ‘the know and the go'. The know relates to self-confidence (knowing and trusting in yourself), self-efficacy (believing in your own ability to succeed) and self-worth (believing you are worthy of success and bring value to the world). The go relates to self-motivation, as motivation is the reason humans do things.- Kaizen in the tower of the mind is about lifelong learning and a growth mindset. Nothing is perfect so we must embrace never-ending improvement of ourselves and all we do - be curious, ask why and reflect to reconsider, thereby embracing an infinite mindset.- Life is about thinking well, feeling well and doing well. Life force is not in endless supply, and it requires a holistic approach to keep the different elements in balance to prevent stress. A good place to start is with tower of life force to find habits to strengthen and improve it.- The notion of pivoting in uncertain times requires ‘alternative' VUCA leadership: overcoming...

" bringing new digital tech in that genuinely solves a real problem people have is often the easiest part of the change management in digital transformation "Fun conversation with Adam exploring the challenges and opportunities of scaling digital and scaling transformation in different industries. We delve into the legacy systems, the people legacy systems and the power of creating the model that works for you. How can we anticipate corporate antibodies to innovation and change ? How can we use the disruptive people already in the organisation with a huge appetite for change and a thorough understanding of the existing system ? What levers do we have and how can we use what digital enables more intentionally ? Innovation can bring people together and overcome fierce tribal rivalries in silos, and digital technology can provide powerful solutions to real problems and minimise disruption through its creative use.Adam shares his insights and experience from working in technology and transformation in organisations of different sizes across Europe and the US. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - AI scale-up to transform the rail industry using next-generation digital technologies to retrofit the rail ecosystem and solve difficult technical and change management problems (e.g. maintenance, operation, dealing with failure).- As a global necessity, the legacy rail network system and legacy people systems must be reinvented by getting close to the people on the ground (e.g. the engineer responsible for track maintenance) in order to get close to the transformational opportunities.- Innovation can bring people together and overcome fierce tribal rivalries in silos - digital technology can provide powerful solutions to real problems and minimise disruption through its creative use.- There is often excitement around creative spaces as they are free of accountability and allow free thinking – good solutions create a good culture, but different organisations need different approaches.- Transformation requires a team effort in which structures are less rigid, the right mentality is cultivated, and small matters are overcome (e.g. rivalries) in the face of the bigger picture through optimism, accountability and team building.- It is important to attract and retain talent and the personal agency and accountability of a small company offers a different working environment as a mission-driven, transformational organisation – personal joy and fulfilment sustains people.- KONUS labs are a disruptive, innovation structure that ‘positively contaminate' but need to be integrated in the company; however rejoining the ‘mother ship' is often messy and involves the antibodies of two different cultures.- Experiments alienate the larger organisation and the innovation team cannot scale the impact of what they do – ‘valley of death' problem, leading to hostility to the work; transformation and performance must be simultaneous.- Digital upskilling for hard skills means learning from the best in order to have an impact on the world and building to scale from the outset - upskilling means fusing different ways of working.- Soft skills require more upskilling in the digital era given that the way we work is so different and demands collaboration, agility, learning, unlearning and relearning together with an understanding of the business and the processes (ultimately bringing about culture...

"Crisis can be the catalyst but not the reason for sustained change ... "Tim and I explore the nature of change, the link with innovation and the effect of COVID on the workplace. We particularly explore the people side of change and delve into what happens when we look at the re-humanisation of the workplace. What skills are needed ? What place will technology have ? and how will we constantly adjust to continuous change. Ai brings its own disruption to change management and the speed of change, at 3 different levels of disruption: to jobs, organisations, and industry.Change success is accessible with and through people, and the future of change management will see more emphasis on the human side of change (most important asset) and intentionally integrating change management and an understanding of the human dimension of change into the strategy and culture of an organisation.Tim shares his research, insights and experience from working with change and innovation for several decades. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - The post-COVID era is about the people side of change, with an infusion of humanity into organisations and a re-recognition of the value of each person: the human side is the biggest identified gap between successful and unsuccessful change projects.- The aftermath of COVID is impacting organisations, where change is happening, bringing new capabilities, new expectations and new skillsets, which have to be incorporated.- According to statistician George E P Box, ‘all models are wrong, but some are useful' - change management models are continually evolving based on research and there must be curiosity about what moving parts fit together.- Leadership is about creating the conditions for change to succeed on both the release level and the initiative level: ADKAR describes the technical side and change management looks at the people side in the pursuit of sustainable change.- The future of change management will see more emphasis on the human side of change (most important asset) and integrating change management into the strategy and culture of an organisation.- Prosci's ‘we over me' is a mindset shift and impact value to manage the human reaction to change - learning is change and change is learning, an extension of the growth mindset, creating learning paths and orientating towards skills/capabilities beyond job descriptions. - Crisis can be the catalyst but not the reason for sustained change - regression occurs as a natural human tendency and there must be true intention to keep innovations in place.- Intentionality is required from the top otherwise implementation becomes problematic in practice as sponsors are going through change themselves; a symbiotic relationship is required: SponsorHave : Influence, authority, resources, long-term viewDon't have : Time, pulse of people (operational eyes and ears), expertise re human systemsCatalystHave : Focus on people, expertise and experience in human systems, tools/methodologies for peopleDon't have : Resources, authority, organisational influence- Business as usual and innovation are two (operating) systems involving the same individuals helping an organisation be what they want to be; they should be in alignment with each other to converge with a shared (future)...

"Fear : False Evidence Appearing Real... "How does this dictate the way we talk to ourselves ? What else determines how we show up ? How can we regain confidence in who we are and who we were meant to be ? Clarissa walks us through her regime for self esteem and how we can manage our habits and mental models to transform the way we feel about ourselves. Is what we think real ? How do we step away from our thoughts and reframe them differently ? Self-esteem doesn't discriminate; it is everything you are, everything you think and every relationship you have (including with yourself) and must be worked on continuously. Clarissa's book offers an action plan and tells stories to encourage readers to look in the mirror for a life-changing experience and be their own best advocate.How can we build a model of sustainable change ? How can we use the 4 pillars of self esteem to constantly re-iterate on what we have learnt ? How can we set ourselves up for success in the future ? Clarissa shares her stories, insights and approach for building a 'self esteem' muscle for our own good and for the greater good. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Self-esteem doesn't discriminate; it is everything you are, everything you think and every relationship you have (including with yourself) and must be worked on continuously.- Personal development is about having the tools in the shed to use when you need them – when the storm strikes, it does not uproot your tree even though you may lose a branch.- Self-help (not shelf-help!) is big business because there is a huge need (to feel seen, heard, valued and worthy).- The regime is one for action: to get on right path for your life and be the best version of yourself, maybe by taking the HIGH (honesty, integrity, gratitude and honour) road.- The book offers an action plan and tells stories to encourage readers to look in the mirror for a life-changing experience and be their own best advocate.- It espouses the power of affirmations: being responsible for creating our own purpose, vision mission and goals; for presenting well; for showing up; for acknowledging and improving our imperfections; for working to overcome our fears.- Helping people move from ‘encowerment' to empowerment, to move on, face everything and rise – having a regime keeps you moving forward.- 4 pillars of self-esteem: look good (outside), feel good (inside – diet exercise, nutrition), be good (relationships, leadership, finances), greater good (volunteering, community).- Need 5 new gratitude items every day to drive motivation and inspiration.- Recommended actions:· catch the negative self-talk· drive out the daily demons· support and reparent yourself· go through the pain- You are lucky to be you so love yourself!Find out more about Clarissa and her work here : https://www.clarissaburt.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/clarissaburt/

" people are people : they make mistakes, they're social animals - why and when do they cooperate, what do they think is fair and unfair... ? Frederic and I delve into the world of organisational design and behavioural economics, looking at what type of structures and relationships we need to build more agile, more interconnected and more effective organisations. Organisational fairness requires voice and choice and we look at how this human need for fairness plays out in more fluid organisational structures. How can we use behavioural economics to help organisations become flatter in structure and understand why & when people cooperate; how they react to fairness & unfairness ? How leaders build trust and how they can incentivise their people in a different structure ? We also explore the different leadership skills in conjunction with inter-relational fairness and the dynamics of hierarchy: ‘hierarchy-less' does not exist, but it is more about decision-making structures, procedures, incentives and mindset.Frederic shares his experience, research, insights and his upcoming programme for executives on building more agile, flexible and interconnected organisations. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Using behavioural economics to help organisations become flatter and understand why/when people cooperate; how they react to fairness/unfairness; how they can build trust/trustworthiness; and how they can incentivise their people.- The human dimension of digital transformation is not an exact science but feeds into the need for connection - executive education must be about navigating this complex landscape.- Executives need to know how to avoid biases and fallacies; understand team dynamics and unfair treatment in the workplace; be aware of quiet quitting and how to create more purpose, trust and the right culture.- Flat, Fluid and Flexible looks at inter-relational fairness and the dynamics of hierarchy: ‘hierarchy-less' does not exist, but it is more about decision-making structures, procedures, incentives and mindset.- Dominant hierarchy (boss/subordinates with varying degrees of coercion) is out of place nowadays (e.g. in family life and politics) – we now want participation and democracy; flatness is about non-domination and rendering organisations leaderful not leaderless.- Leaders are roles, not people, that are sometimes needed and sometimes not - a mutual, voluntary and temporary authority, giving rise to shared and emergent leadership.- Holacracy requires buying into the system of rules wholesale, which in turn requires structure in the system - leaders must understand this structure.- Nature offers many examples of how structures adapt to evolve – organisations must dispel the myth that hierarchy is needed for progress and the management of complex procedures.- In nature, evolution is leaderless and a collective endeavour; removing a rigid dominance hierarchy permits variation and consent of the masses, which in turn gives rise to the spirit of emergent leadership (e.g. the queen bee in a colony).- A good example is the Pando clonal (i.e. self-similar) tree colony – the largest living organism on Earth – which shares roots and is polycentric in structure: highly durable, scalable, cooperative, adaptable and evolutionarily successful.- Trust plays a major role in the power dynamics of a flat hierarchy: game theory and the...

"we are very very small but we are profoundly capable of very big things..."Chris and I delve into the power of purpose and being part of something bigger than us, starting with Stephen Hawkins quote that figures on the Very Big Things website. We discuss what drives motivation and the secret sauce to successful innovation and scaling operations in today's competitive digital environment. We look at how can we find and retain talent in such competitive markets, how can we create a team that works and how we can successfully scale both operations and impact. How can we make sure that people don't lose sight of their north star and that we are positively impacting society ? Chris shares his stories, insights and experience of founding and scaling Very Big Things and working with diverse leaders around the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - Technical innovation and excellence company whose name serves as both inspiration and motivation (from Stephen Hawkins: “We are very very small, but we are profoundly capable of very big things”).- There is no limit to growing despite being small and it is a choice to have a profound impact or not, regardless of the size of the company; they have lofty ambitions to be the best at what they do.- A VC background elucidates that execution strategies are often the roadblock as building good teams that work well together takes too long (from an investment viewpoint) - Very Big Things provides the tech and fills a gap in the agency market.- The aim is to help people bring their vision to life quickly, collaboratively and integratively; the company communicates its purpose to prospective clients/hires to show that product-led transformation and growth is tangible.- When scaling, it is important to maintain both a consistent cycle of checking in (re. direction and realignment/recentring), as well as a balance between focus on the mission and the need for profitability.- The human experience is very important when building and elevating digital brands; clients are drawn organically to Very Big Things because they want to be special and stand out – the retention of people and clients ultimately saves money and builds deeper relationships.- Social impact is important: quality work leads to positive word of mouth and a narrow focus leads to a happy team, happy clients and exceptional work - the route to success must provide value and connect with the human being, offering direct short-term impact as well as large-term gain.- The impact of generative AI on the tech world lies in the true power of APIs, beyond chat prompts, whereby internal tech systems talk with the AI instead of employees - having a custom system boosts efficiency drastically.- Challenges associated with AI: teams must know how AI will affect them and what the company strategy is so as to remove (largely unfounded) panic. AI is good for inspiration but less good for branding so should be used selectively for certain functions only (e.g. HR).- Impact of AI on the talent market: companies will be able to do more with their existing team (by removing the tasks no one wants to do) rather than having to hire new people - a 20% efficiency gain means 20% less cost for clients.- Burnout can be due not to work, but to a lack of control and a lack of focus [Chris recommends focussing on no more than 3 big things at once] - if people see impact, they are...

"Be yourself, everyone else is already taken" A great discussion with Hortense, summed up in this quote from Oscar Wilde. Hortense walks us through the journey of alignment and what connecting with your true self can bring to your leadership. Who are you as a leader ? Are you aligned ? How do you manage failure ? We discuss not only the gifts of alignment, such as failure and intuition, but also the typical symptoms of misalignment and how to navigate this complex inner journey. The power of alignment in our individual selves and the power of collective alignment must be nurtured to navigate uncertainty, with leadership coming from the inside out - this ‘alignment of alignments' then cascades down to show direction and give clear messages.Hortense shares her insight, personal stories, experience and thought leadership on connecting with our true selves and the power of alignment for leadership from working with leaders all over the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : - A good analogy for the feeling of alignment comes from show jumping – the feeling just before the jump, free to fly, not asking questions, having certainty in the moment; the opposite is misalignment - overreacting, blaming others and being aggressive.- We tend to ‘normalise' negative feelings rather than understand the symptoms of misalignment – we must be aware and careful of how we feel, and ultimately be the same person wherever we are and whatever we do.- Wearing different hats at different times only ever represents part of our person, which is not authentic to ourselves or others; we likewise cannot separate ourselves from what happens to us and we should not have to hide from anything.- Alignment is a process: the gift of failure provides an opportunity to learn from taking risks to adapt and innovate, and to evolve without being afraid – a good showjumper suffers 100 falls first and it is the same for leadership.- We must reframe things positively: our brains are wired to see negativity, but we need positive energy to refuel and focus on what we can change, saving our energy for impactful actions to realign with positivity.- Self-limiting beliefs must likewise be reframed: mind traps are a mental obstacle between you and who you want to be. Are you the main protagonist of your movie? Is it your voice? We must give ourselves permission to face the truth, change our mindset and listen to our intuition.- ‘The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant' (Einstein) -education nowadays is disproportionately about rationality but we need both: we must stop and free/empty our minds from other noise/voices, be present and feel emotions. - Communication through stories and metaphors taps into the unconscious mind, helps us find answers and understand a picture, invites interest and is a light-hearted and amusing escape from the rational mind.- David Hawkins' Power vs. Force ranks emotions based on the impact they have on our life – power does not need force: one has heart and one doesn't, which produces different results. This can also be applied to trust and communication in leadership (forcing something makes it happen but without harmony).- Both the power of alignment in our individual selves and the power of collective alignment must be nurtured to navigate uncertainty, with leadership coming from the inside out - this ‘alignment of alignments' then cascades down to show