This week on the Evolving Leader podcast, Jean Gomes talks to Monika Bielskyte. Monika previously appeared on the podcast back in season 3, episode 10 and we invited her back to get a picture beyond the news feed about Ukraine. In this very special episode, Monika provides a visceral picture of what’s currently happening to the country and its people and why.   0.00 Introduction1.25 What are your connections to Ukraine?11.12 What are we (in the West) missing regarding the situation in Ukraine?23.43 What’s the shared hope held by many of the generation who have never grown up under an authoritarian regime? 34.08 What’s your take on President Zelenskiy and his leadership?  Social:Instagram           @evolvingleaderLinkedIn             The Evolving Leader PodcastTwitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

This week on the Evolving Leader podcast, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender are joined by Professor Marcus du Sautoy. Marcus is Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, Fellow of New College, Oxford, author of multiple popular science and mathematics books and he is a regular contributor on television, radio and to both The Times and The Guardian. He is also passionate about public engagement on topics that include creativity and artificial intelligence.    0.00 Introduction2.23 Where does your love of mathematics originate?6.11 What is mathematics really about for you?8.35 Can you explain what zeta functions are, and why symmetry and the function of groups is important to learn more about.12.24 What did you draw from the moment that DeepMind’s AlphaGo beat Lee Sedol?16.12 What are your thoughts around the possibility that AI can be creative, so taking us down a path where consciousness may not be the thing that actually happens, but we might actually get something totally new that doesn’t exist in our minds or reckoning at the moment? 18.35 How do we prevent ourselves from having something that we don’t understand governing our lives? 20.44 In your book ‘What We Cannot Know’, you explored if there are questions that we may never have the answer to, and therefore our living with the unknown. Could you elaborate on that idea for us?  25.52 You’ve written about the conflict between physics and mathematics, and also your idea that mathematics exists outside of humans so it’s not a human construction and would exist without us. Could you elaborate on those two points?33.13 Tell us about your latest book ‘Thinking Better’ where you search for short cuts, not just in mathematics but also other fields.36.14 A lot of people think of maths as being hard. However, you can use maths, the concepts and frameworks without being an expert mathematician. Can you bring that to life for us?43.09 Tell us about the work you’ve been doing to bring Douglas Hofstadter’s life story to the Barbican in London. 48.28 You’ve said that we can’t fully know something when we’re stuck in a system whether consciously or unconsciously. What is the leadership lesson or opportunity that we can take from that?53.06 When was the last time you had a real ‘aha’ moment, and what’s the biggest challenge that you are working on at the moment? Social: Instagram           @evolvingleader LinkedIn             The Evolving Leader Podcast Twitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

Kicking off season 4 of the Evolving Leader podcast is a discussion that co-hosts Scott Allender and Jean Gomes had with BCG Henderson Institute chairman and author Martin Reeves. The Henderson Institute is BCG’s think tank dedicated to exploring and developing new insights from business, technology, economics and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas.Sit back and listen as Martin unpacks how imagination works and how organisations can keep it alive and harness it in a systematic way.‘The Imagination Machine – How to Spark New Ideas and Create Your Company’s Future’ (Jack Fuller and Martin Reeves, 2021, Harvard Business Review Press)Please complete the Evolving Leader listener survey. Thank you.0.00 Introduction2.22 Can we start with your background, and what inspired you to write ‘The Imagination Machine’4.01 Why do you think there appears to be an absence of imagination in so many large organisations? 5.55 It’s easy to think about imagination as being solely a psychological process, but your research has revealed something else. What have you found and what does it mean in terms of how that notion should be challenged?8.23 Can we delve into some of the neuroscience and research that you have uncovered that underpins your thinking.15.50  Are organisations set up (almost) as surprise mitigation machines, so repressing new mindsets that would potentially unlock new business models?17.55 Can you outline the six step process that you describe in your book around harnessing and scaling imagination and creativity in a systemised way?24.41 How can we get better at this? What could a listener do in their organisation to adopt some of these strategies? 30.43 You talk about play as being de-risked accelerated learning. Talk to us about the importance of play and where you are seeing it being adopted.37.27 You have mentioned that crisis can be an inflection point for reimagination. What have you observed during the pandemic?42.34 Is there a link between capacity for imagination and sense making?45.56 What role will/does technology play in organisations that are reimagining themselves? 52.11 What should leaders be prioritising? What are the specific things that they should be doing more of that they’re not to imbue their organisations with a greater sense of imagination at both a cultural and capability level? Social: Instagram           @evolvingleader LinkedIn             The Evolving Leader Podcast Twitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

As we close season 3 of the Evolving Leader podcast, it’s time to reflect on some of our highlights from the last 18 episodes. We continue to learn so much from our incredible guests who not only give us their valuable time, but are also so willing to share their expertise and current thinking which in turn helps us to develop our own thinking around what being an evolving leader really means. The Evolving Leader podcast will return in March with the start of season 4, but in the mean time sit back and listen as we talk to Rita Gunther McGrath, Kevin Kelly, Tim Lomas, Will Page, Todd Kashdan, Steve Ingham, Leanne Infante, Monika Bielskyte, Anil Seth, Rob Murray, Steve Killelea, Azeem Azhar and Annie Murphy Paul. 0.00     Introduction2.01     Rita Gunther McGrath5.03     Kevin Kelly 7.05     Tim Lomas9.49     Will Page14.16     Todd Kashdan17.46     Steve Ingham18.47     Leanne Infante21.43     Monika Bielskyte24.25     Anil Seth26.23     Rob Murray27.58     Steve Killelea29.24     Azeem Azhar32.57     Annie Murphy Paul Social: Instagram           @evolvingleader LinkedIn             The Evolving Leader Podcast Twitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

When you face a difficult situation, how often have you heard someone say, ‘just use your head’? This week on the Evolving Leader podcast, Jean and Scott talk to acclaimed science writer Annie Murphy Paul who turns that around and says that in fact we ‘think outside the brain’, suggesting that the people, things and space around us have a profound effect on how we think, feel and develop.  Published in 2021, her book ‘The Extended Mind, The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain’ has been awarded the New York Times Editors Choice and Washington Post Best Nonfiction Book of 2021. 0.00 Introduction2.26 Can we start with your background, and how you became interested in the biological and social sciences.4.46 Can we look at what the components are of the extended mind and could you give us some examples of the research that you have uncovered when talking to neuroscientists and psychologists that bring this to life.10.17 Can you tell us a little about how ‘the body knows before the mind’.13.35 What other thoughts and ideas could you share about how we could build greater awareness of our interoceptive processes?15.49  Could you talk to us about emotional reappraisal?19.30 What happens to our thinking when we are moving and what is the ideal amount of movement?24.02 How do gestures impact our thinking?27.14 Can we move to thinking about how extending the intelligence out of the mind to our surroundings29.47 What has been most surprising in all of this for you?  31.47 How has it changed you?33.36 Thinking about the challenges that are facing leaders, particularly around Covid and the decision to bring people back, when to work at home and when to work in a collaborative physical space. What are your insights there?35.50 What’s next for you?37.34 Is there anything else that you would leave us with today? Social:Instagram           @evolvingleaderLinkedIn             The Evolving Leader PodcastTwitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

In this episode of the Evolving Leader podcast, Jean and Scott talk to Gerard Puccio, author, creativity researcher, TEDx presenter and Chair and Professor at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, Buffalo State. Gerard helps individuals, teams, and organizations reach their greatest potential by tapping into and expanding their capacity to imagine new possibilities and to creatively address complex problems. He states that in a world defined by complexity and change, creative thinking has become the number one survival skill and on the back of that his mission is to help individuals, teams and organizations ignite and fully maximize their creative potential – not just to survive, but to thrive. 0.00 Introduction2.33 Please start by giving us a sense of your research into creativity and areas that currently most excite you5.18 In a much cited piece of research published by IBM as far back as 2010, creativity was selected as the most crucial factor for future success. In 2022, why are so many businesses still prioritising what they have now with a focus on ways to prevent risk and deviation?14.48 In an organisation where there are a lot of good ideas at the top, but they repeatedly fail to become commercial realities (in other words creativity breaks down), what needs be developed in the team so they are able to take the ideas through to becoming a reality. 18.45 Tell us a little about the FourSight tool26.29 Do you have a view on the best ideation techniques29.15 What have you learnt about yourself in terms of being in a social environment and generating ideas?34.38 How do you prevent yourself from falling in love with an idea and potentially stalling when in fact you should be detaching yourself from that originally idea allowing yourself to create more and more alternatives?38.49 Who is doing well in the creativity space?42.01 Do you share the view that there is a problem nurturing creativity in education? Social: Instagram           @evolvingleader LinkedIn             The Evolving Leader Podcast Twitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

This week on the Evolving Leader podcast, Jean and Scott talk to author, educator, and consultant Jeffrey Hull PhD. In addition to his writing and consultancy, Jeffrey is a clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School and an adjunct professor of leadership at New York University.Flex, The Art and Science of Leadership in a Changing World Social: Instagram           @evolvingleader LinkedIn             The Evolving Leader Podcast Twitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

In this episode of the Evolving Leader podcast, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender talk to entrepreneur, investor, and the creator of highly-regarded newsletter ‘Exponential View’ Azeem Azhar. Much of the world is witnessing radical societal change driven by exponential technologies that are transforming how we live and interact with one another and disrupting our economic and social norms in highly unpredictable ways. In his recent book ‘Exponential: How to Bridge the Gap Between Technology and Society’, Azeem Azhar describes the widening gap between technology and society and its ramifications.  Reading suggestion -'Exponential: How to Bridge the Gap Between Technology and Society’, (Random House, 2021) 0.00 Introduction2.30 Tell us about your journey and how that influenced your views regarding how new technologies are accelerating change and as a result creating an exponential gap between the impact they have on the world and the scope of our institutions and policies.11.33 What is the central message in your book from a leadership perspective? What could business leaders learn from the book?17.06 How do you start the conversation with a CEO who hasn’t started to consider the use of exponential technologies within their organisation?20.17 At a time when mankind’s biggest challenge is tackling climate change, can you share what you’re seeing in terms of the conflict of technology, political will and capability.  24,45 Another huge risk to our future is AI enhanced warfare where (for example) humans could be excluded from making decisions which could lead to catastrophic escalations. Could you give us your view on how this is developing?30.47 In your view, how is remote working transforming the world?37.57 If we pause to think about the future Metaverse (with Facebook having recently rebranded to Meta), how do we prevent it from deepening the problems with mental health and wellbeing that are dogging social media at the moment? 43.39 Thinking about some of the other major players in the techspace (including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft), what do you think their evolution is going to look like in the next ten years?46.57 As leaders, how are we going to manage the exponential gap?  53.52 What has excited you during the last 6-12 months? Social: Instagram           @evolvingleader LinkedIn             The Evolving Leader Podcast Twitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

In this episode of the Evolving Leader podcast, Jean and Scott talk to Anja Lovén. Anja founded the Danish ngo Land of Hope in 2012, and is a human rights activist dedicated to protecting and rescuing children in Nigeria accused of being witches. She gained media attention when in 2016 a photo from one of her rescue actions went viral and later that year was named as the world’s most inspiring person (ahead of out-going US president Barack Obama and the pope). Land of Hope 0.00 Introduction3.04 Tell us about your background prior to starting Land of Hope10.35 What did you experience when you went to Africa?22.03 You became widely known when in 2016 you were photographed rescuing a small boy who you subsequently named Hope. How is Hope doing today?27.44 Tell us a little about ‘witch children’34.20 What personal risks do you encounter in communities where you might find yourself confronting fear and sometimes corruption? 37.36 Is the ultimate goal with the education reunification?43.44 What’s next for you?50.06 How do you deal with the trauma associated with some of the situations you find yourself confronted by?55.29 How can our listeners get involved with your organisation? Social: Instagram           @evolvingleader LinkedIn             The Evolving Leader Podcast Twitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team

In this episode of the Evolving Leader podcast, co-hosts Jean Gomes and Scott Allender talk to Steve Killelea. Steve is the founder and executive chairman of the global think tank the Institute for Economics and Peace and Steve’s funding and thought leadership behind the Institute have seen him recognised as one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People on reducing the onset of armed violence.The Institute for Economics and PeacePeace in the Age of Chaos: The Best Solution for a Sustainable Future 0.00 Introduction2.57 Tell us your story. How did an IT entrepreneur find himself championing peace?4.57 Can you tell us about the paradigm shift that you are working to create.7.45 What are people’s biggest misconceptions about peace9.42 In your book you say that in the past peace may have been the domain of the altruistic, whereas now it’s everyone’s self-interest because peace is central to a safe and productive society. Can you tell us more about that? 10.47 In the book, you also say that most of our leaders are trapped in an early age, a kind of Darwinian race to complete, and that dominates how they think about international relationships. In our increasingly interconnected world, how should leaders be evolving?14.32 Tell us what your thinking is around the need for leaders to think at a systems level. 20.26 What would have to happen to for different organisations to integrate/un-silo?22.26 From a systems perspective, what was your analysis of the last five years, the increase in popularism, what happened at Capitol Hill etc? 27.23 When you look at the world through the index of the eight pillars of positive peace, which countries are most vulnerable to being destabilised at the moment?29.43 What are your thoughts or reactions to the formation of a world government?32.04 How has the US faired on the index over the last five years culminating in the attack on Capitol Hill?  35.22 How did your entrepreneurial background influence the way you conceptualised and manage the IEP and actually created the international peace index?39.11 Tell us a little bit about how you have developed yourself in relation to your own world view and the things that you do to sustain the level of energy that you must have to be driving all of this.49.09 How can our listeners get involved with the work that you’re doing?  Social: Instagram           @evolvingleader LinkedIn             The Evolving Leader Podcast Twitter               @Evolving_Leader The Evolving Leader is researched, written and presented by Jean Gomes and Scott Allender with production by Phil Kerby. It is an Outside production.Send a message to The Evolving Leader team