The Bleeding Edge Podcast

In this episodewe are talking all things fashion Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Retail with Jacqui Gray. Jacqui has been developing sourcing capability for international retailers for the last 15 years and has managed a network of several hundred suppliers for Tesco Sourcing and Shop Direct and managed the delivery of several $ billion dollars of goods at cost and many more billions at retail. She currently runs a team on the ground in China and Bangladesh and has a strong sourcing network in India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Turkey and Bulgaria. What Jacqui does not know about clothing sourcing does not need to be known she has some impressive milestones in her career having built largest commercial sourcing hub within Tesco in Bangladesh and Pakistan as well having played a key role working with government, NGO’s Supplier Groups and Retailers to build a sustainable industry. Based out of Shanghai Jacqui shares her unique insight into the world of fashion. The manufacturing industry in fashion has been entirely shut down over the past months and workers are slowly starting to come back to factories.  As production gets underway Jacqui tells us about here experience of retail and consumers in China and what we can expect as European and US retailers start opening up.  There are some interesting observations from and industry insider and there is aa sneak peak of social distancing fashion just at the end! Contact Jacqui Gray here Subscribe to this podcast here

In this episode we speak to Dr. Steve Cayzer about Team Based Learning, a highlight effective framework for teaching large groups using peer based learning techniques.  Dr. Cayzer is  a senior lecturer at the University of Bath teaching students across a range of MSc programmes covering innovation, project management, product development and sustainability.  He is a board member of the Team Based Learning Collaborative and runs a community of practice in the University of Bath and beyond.  Dr. Cayzer has a PhD in computational neuroscience from Cambridge and a degree in physiology.  Team Based Learning (TBL) has been around since the late 1970's and a body of work has built up around the effective application in higher education.  Having experimented with TBL since 2017, Dr Cayzer has replicated some of the staggering results promised by this method in his own courses at Bath University.   This precise and prescriptive framework for learning and development is delivering on average of 20% higher test scores across the student body.  Not only are the individual performance scores better but teams are also able to solve complex problems that they would not be able to solve as individuals.  The process works as follows: In TBL activities, individual students are initially provided with lecture content and prescribed reading etc. This will cover the basic concepts and principles. A ‘flipped classroom’ method applies where the responsibility of initially learning  of the content is placed outside of the classroom and is the accountability of the student. After the content is consumed students are assessed on their individual mastery of the content via an assessment. Following the individual testing, students retake the exact same test (closed book) in their pre-assigned teams, and submit a single best answer for their team. This time, the team immediately finds out if their team consensus submission was correct or not. Following this session, the teams are given a practically oriented problem and apply the knowledge gained so far in order to answer questions related to the case. One of the advantages of TBL, for faculty, is that it is a well-defined, structured process that, if followed, will give good academic results and can serve to minimize the variability of the content expert.   Students have to follow the process and the team based activities means that many problems that individuals may have, are triaged by the group.  This means that clarification lectures that follow the group activities, can focus on the  2 or 3 key problems that are common across multiple teams on the course.    As a whole, the body of available evidence suggests that TBL is an effective method of instruction that results in improved learning outcomes for students.  Dr Cayzer is driving the expansion of the the method and working collaboratively with industry and other universities to build awareness, understanding and adoption.  It might be a silver bullet but it is not without its challenges. It takes dedication to convert course content and    Dr. Cayzer gives us an inspiring look at the bleeding edge of higher education and what impact if might have on development in the corporate world as well. Access TBLC resources here Connect with Steve on Linkedin here Get the TBL Book here Access Steve on the Research Portal here his website here Subscribe to this podcast here

In this episode we speak to Arn Terry about how to make a living off social media.  Arn is a career recruitment consultant for the IT Contract market.  When he found that his business disappeared overnight as a result of C-19 he put a plan in motion to build a sustainable income through social media.   After a few short weeks, Arn was pulling in $360 per day and he is well on his way to understanding how to leverage social media to create the lifestyle business he has been searching for.  He will forever be the 360 Dollar Man and he will show you how to replicate this small but sustainable success. He is not one to rest on his laurels as his mantra is "Can I" which stands for constant and never ending achievement.  Arn is just getting started and he is offering free calls to help people set-up their own social media funnels.  We cover the following in our discussion: Why you don’t need a website Where to get content How a blog can make you money How to set-up a youtube channel that can make you money How you can get paid from Amazon and Google using affiliate links and adsense This stuff is so easy he is even showing his kids how to do it and run it on autopilot.  In the future Arn will be pointing his new found skills to IT Contract Recruitment...so watch this space. Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest but not TikTok for now. Book your free 45 minute how to set-up a blog that you can monetize. Contact Arn on LinkedIn here Go to Arn's blog here Subscribe to this podcast here

Mat Silver is the head of the Shaftesbury High School, Director of MBA for the National College of Education.  He is working towards his PHD in Positive Psychology. Mat talks to us about his latest pater 4D - Leadership in education and coming up with a new model for students, teachers and parents.   We are living in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world, with the globalisation of the planet rapidly accelerated with the ever-evolving technology. With artificial intelligence already starting to eat into society, the economy, this situation can be used as a wakeup call for our education system and its necessity to catch up/keep pace with evolution and to take a planetary perspective. It can be argued that we cannot just prepare for the next wave of the same wicked problem, but also to understand and then prioritise addressing the swells beneath the surface impact we can tangibly see. If we do not, society and the planet will quickly eradicate the progress that has been made by humankind. It is a necessity for our leaders in education to understand themselves, their connection with others and the actions that come as a result. Without those in positions of power being able to understand the need to develop in a broader capacity, change to a linear system that our young people access will be limited. Research from the DfE shows that 35% secondary heads are no longer in post after 5 years (Foster, 2018). In primary schools, 19 per cent of head teachers new to the post in 2013 left their roles within three years. Sustainable change in education requires consistent guidance, requiring sustainable leadership (Hill, Mellon, Laker, Goddard, 2016). Considering the ever-shortening time periods with which remain for us to act, another cycle of immature citizens and leaders will leave us on track to destruction. We require an integral stance and complex solutions. Despite the turmoil caused by this pandemic, we are being provided with a once in a generation opportunity to review our curriculum, pedagogy and the place of technology in educational provision. A moment in the history of education. We must re-examine what no longer works for us, what is beneficial to maintain, and what areas can be developed to make an equitable and sustainable future. This means understanding systemic thinking, but to do this, it requires mastery of one’s self if we are to better integrate with others and address wicked problems as a collective. It is only through a mature global collective of educational leaders that we have the expertise and energy to shift our patterns in humankind’s behaviours and responses. We cannot freeze, fight or take flight in a crisis. We must remain creative and solve these problems collectively during the school time that we have access to our young people. We have a key opportunity to build societies capacity to remain collaborative, despite differences, towards a shared purpose and an apolitical framework of leadership. But this requires individuals developed enough to manage and lead change. In this need for educational leaders to be responsive at this critical point of change, I propose in this paper is the 4-D model of leadership developed by Watkins (2014) from Wilber’s (2001) ‘all quadrants all levels’ (AQAL) model. It provides a framework that looks to map any field of research on it and how the individuals in it function. This removes disqualifying the rights of one approach due to loyalty to another. This allows leadership and learning’s expertise to become integrated. To enable this, the principle is that we no longer focus purely on the ‘It’ and ‘Its’ of education; such as the academic outcomes. Instead we look at rounded framework of human development, that gives equal weight to the development of the individual, the ‘I’ and their ability to connect with others, the ‘We’. Contact Mat here Subscribe here

Lorna Corbyn has been helping retailers improve their merchandising and and supply chain operations since the late 90's (as she reminds us).  We talk about the potential of autonomous  supply chains, AI and the new cool that is Analytics and Data Science and how these new tools are changing the way we approach buying, merchandising and supply planning. Connectivity is key and we talk about the new models for collaboration and just how far we can with black box AI, how to achieve agility and maintain adaptability.  Lorna thinks we are at key moment in the evolution of retail. While adaptability is key we try to imagine what the future might look like while reminiscing about a time when it was all about stores and you would not even think of keeping stock in the warehouse.  The model has flipped today and we reflect on how retail is migrating towards shared selling platforms, show-rooming and keeping your stock in the warehouse so that you can maintain your adaptability to get the product to where the customer is. This was a big episode and we kept recording even after I signed off so carry on listening for some bonus material. Contact Lorna through LinkedIn here Subscribe to the podcast here

In this Episode we speak to Stuart Hazel, co-founder and Chief People Officer at the Food Supply Network, a marketplace that streamlines communication and trade between all Manufacturers, Distributors and Buyers.  This innovative platform provides restaurants, hotels and retailers the opportunity to join a marketplace where producers of food and beverage goods make their product available to movers and buyers on one feature rich platform. Brand owners list their products and distributors making it easy for buyers to identify the products they are looking for and the manufacturers/distributor combinations that can deliver to the buyers location. Brand promotions and loyalty programs are available from the manufacture to the buyer regardless of the distributor that is is used. The features include a user friendly ordering system with live pricing and stock availability that allows buyers to order from all their suppliers in multiple sectors with a single login. Can this multi-sided platform change the way that FMCG companies interact with their distributors and buyer.  Find on this Episode of the Bleeding Edge Podcast. Contact Stuart on LinkedIn here The Food Supply Network website here

In this episode we focus on some of the headline stories in Retail with Victoria Ward.  Victoria is a retail consultant and specialises in helping retailers transform their operating models with a focus on merchandising.  Victoria has been responsible for sales targets of 180m p/a and she knows the opportunities and pressures that retailers are facing right now. There are some exceptional retail stories right now. Primark recording 0 sales due to their pure play store format, down from 650m per month.  The business has furloughed 68 thousand staff and faces a changed retail environment when stores open.  Cath Kidston will not open it's 60 store again, instead focussing only online and on wholesale, others like BooHoo are booming.  Things are changing in Retail and Victoria sets out how she sees consumer behaviour changing in the face of C-19. Listen to this episode to find out what is going to happen to this seasons fashion, hear about the Spanish retailer that is re-inventing the department store experience during lockdown and more. Contact Victoria on LinkedIn here. Sign up to this Podcast Series here

Welcome to the Earth Day Special with Francesca Shirley.  Francesca joins us on the 50th celebration of Earth Day and talks to us about her latest solar project with Namene changing air quality for millions.  Eradicating kerosene lamps is her mission and the Namene light is the solution. On the show she makes a big commitment to scaling the number of led lamps that she wants to distribute and we set a target to get 1440 units sold  and donated from this episode.  Check the show notes for details. Francesca has a masters in  Optics and Photonics from Imperial College London and she is focussing her skills in plasmonic techniques to enhance scattering of light within thin-film GaAs solar cells.  This means she can maximise the performance of led lights and that is exactly what she is doing with Namene. She was awarded the title of Photovoltaic Specialist by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for the momentum that continues from her research and the journey is only just getting started with a goal of distributing a 100m units and move the dial on air quality for people in 3rd world countries relying on kerosene lamps to provide lighting. Francesca says.... At the Namene Solar Light Company, I am continuing my mission to help people harness the power of the Sun. We are working towards eradicating kerosene lamps with our multi-award winning SM100 Solar Light. Helping young people across the globe access the knowledge and solutions we all need to reverse the multiple crises we currently face through our new Schools Program: Solutions For Climate Revolution. Francesca on LinkedIn here Email: francesca.shirley@namenesolarlight.com Subscribe to the show here Earth day links here Links to support our 1440 pledge coming soon

We talk to Dr Alan Watkins about what happens next.  Alan is a polymath, top leadership development coach and author of 7  books including his latest one Change the workplace change the world...the HR (R)evolution.   The world is accelerating and getting more and more complex with cycles running faster and faster.  Everything that can happen is happening and COVID-19 has accelerated 10 years. Fear, regression, billigerence and aggression will be amplified.  Those that are in hiding will hunker down more.  Those people in change and transformation will use this as a catalyst and change more.  More chaos, more clarity.... the whole system has heated up. Alan thinks we are waking up to the possibility that there is a new normal but the jury is out as to whether it will stick. If we cannot sustain a new normal then it will regress.  Our government systems, economic system, healthcare are all passed their sell by date and there is a great need for change.  To achieve that we have to change how we approach human development (I, We & It).  Alan sets out the fine balance of what happens next and a framework to approach the opportunity of developing the "I" and then the "We" in order to drive better quality IT solutions. For business leaders Alan offers this.  The problem is 3 dimensional and the solution is 3 dimensional and it starts with developing you and then the quality of the human interactions in your team to get better quality solutions. The gold for me in this episode is that if we stop "doing change" and start "being change" then we start to focus on the "I" and the "We" concepts that truly deliver better thinking and therefor better "It" solutions that can solve the complex problems we face. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralanwatkins/ Sign-up for Alan's webinar series here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TTgIT4m0SR67KEVfKdj42A Sign up to more episodes of this podcast here.

Pieter is a serial sustainability warrior that always gets involved with game changing sustainability ventures. He talks to us about 2 sustainability ventures from Portugal…HullCare is an innovative hull wrap that does not kill marine life and lasts for more than 5 years, at least. ChaZeMo provides the most sophisticated and economically scalable electric vehicle charging solutions. Pieter wrote an article recently on the Trophospheric vertical column of nitrogen oxide that is not showing on the map anymore due to our confinement and resulting in almost 0 traffic. We talk about why this is the reason for us to imagine a new world with an economy built around a model of balancing ecology and economy. We discuss the virtues of a circular economy, the availability of sustainable energy, charging infrastructure for a network of electric transport, smart grids, and many things you never new about marine sustainability and what that has to do with a ships hull. There were many big ideas in this episode, but I thought this was gold: Using smart charging grids, using existing infrastructure and make vehicles and their owners an active part of the electric energy economy. Intelligent energy control systems are available now to install in office buildings, apartments and homes which offers a point to point solution for charging Contact Pieter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pieterijzerman/ Sign up to future podcasts here