The Human Risk Podcast

What’s the difference between a leader that communicates well and one that doesn’t?We’ve all seen examples of leaders who are terrible at communicating — whether it’s politicians that can’t find the right words or those nightmare bosses who fail to read the room. If you’ve watched any of the recent clips on social media of insensitive bosses communicating really badly, then this episode is your antidote.My guest is Jenny-Joy Kreindl. She’s the managing partner of Talent & Leadership Solutions, a boutique consultancy based in Switzerland. Jenny specialises in human-centric communication, and she is interested in the psychology of choice and how language can influence decision-making. In a previous life, she's had a broad career, initially training as an actress and finally working at UBS — where I met her — managing a sales team. She's also a qualified coach.In our discussion, we explore the importance of effective communication strategies in leadership and sales tactics. Jenny shares practical examples of how we can all — whether we're in leadership positions or not — improve our communication skills.We also explore the impact of government communication during the COVID pandemic and how it affected public opinion and behavior. Jenny also shares her personal experiences and observations, including her experience of using train and plane travel as an opportunity to connect with senior executives.For more on Talent & Leadership Solutions - https://www.talentandleadership.com/For more on Jenny - https://www.talentandleadership.com/about/For more on the Make It Click model - https://www.make-it-click.com/model/You can hear Jenny’s colleague Sigfried Höhnle talking about positive leadership on the show here: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/dr-sigi-hoenle-on-positive-leadership/For more on my book ‘Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance’ visit: https://www.human-risk.com/humanizing-rules-book

What do we mean when we say that someone is being unreasonable? On the face of it, the person we're describing has either broken a rule or a social norm. But what are we basing that on?My guest Dr Kirsty Sedgman is a Doctor of Audiences at the University of Bristol. That means she researches how audiences — for example, in the theatre — behave and respond to the performance they're watching.Her work investigates how people find value in cultural participation. How do they experience and respond to the things they see? How are these pleasures and disappointments made meaningful in their lives? And what can all this tell us about the role of the arts in society and the relationship between cultural institutions, power, identity, and place?More recently, she's turned that same lens onto other situations — for example, being on public transport, at work or in a cafe - to explore what being reasonable or unreasonable means.Through her research, Kirsty has discovered that the idea of being reasonable is deeply embedded in our moral and legal judgment system and can often be subjective and influenced by personal biases. From theatre etiquette to crossing the road, there are rules in place for our safety and social norms. These can be useful, but they can also have the potential to marginalize and exclude certain groups of people.As Kristy explains, what is reasonable or unreasonable, is actually a matter of perception. That's relevant to how we all behave, how we judge the behaviour of others and is highly relevant for those of us responsible for influencing human behaviour.The story about the performance of the Bodyguard that was disrupted by members of the audience that I refer to is explained here: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/astonishing-moment-audience-member-screams-26658204You can find out more about Kirsty on her website: https://kirstysedgman.com/Her academic profile: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Kirsty-Sedgman-35581165-6a8e-4715-9e89-05670807d2e0/For details of her book 'Being Unreasonable':https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571366835-on-being-unreasonable/You can find her on social media:Twitter - https://twitter.com/KirstySedgmanLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstysedgman/For more details on my new book 'Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance' visit https://www.human-risk.com/humanizing-rules-book

Why might seeking to ban misinformation, be a bad idea? On this episode, I’m returning to a subject I’ve looked at before, with a guest I’ve spoken to before!She’s Professor Magda Osman — if you’ve not heard her previous experiences, there are links below to those and her bio – and, as ever, she’s got some fascinating insights. The topic is Misinformation.On the face of it, trying to ban mis- or disinformation seems like a good idea. If we know something is likely to mislead people then, we should surely look at restricting or banning it. That’s why most countries regulate advertising.But what if I told you that there might be a good reason not to ban it? That’s the (perhaps surprising) conclusion that Magda’s research has produced.So, in this episode, I’m delving back into the topic of misinformation and disinformation - what they are, how they're regulated, and how they impact society. And Magda helps me to think about whether labelling any dissenting information as misinformation and banning it from communication is the right approach.We explore the tenuous connection between beliefs and actions and how exposure to false news or misinformation does not necessarily lead to negative behaviour. Plus we discuss the challenges of determining what is true and what is not, particularly when it comes to scientific discoveries, and the consequences of intentional distortion of facts for profit.Finally, our conversation moves into an area I wasn’t expecting, but which is related and fascinating. Does adding more labels to food packaging help people make better choices and can it actually change consumer behaviour?If you’ve heard Magda before you’ll know that you’re in for a treat. If you haven’t, then remember to check out her previous appearances. BackgroundMagda is a Professor in Basic and Applied Decision-Making at the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge and the Visiting Professor of Policy Impact at Leeds Business School, part of the University of Leeds. You can read more about Magda and her work on her faculty page here: https://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/network/magda-osman/And on her personal website here: https://www.magdaosman.com/In her most recent appearance on the show, earlier this year, she talked about Compliance, Coercion & Competence. You can hear that episode here: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/professor-magda-osman-on-compliance-coercion-competence/Magda first appeared on the show in 2020 when she talked about behavioural interventions that had failed and what we can learn from them. You’ll find that here: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/dr-magda-osman-on-behavioural/Then in 2021, she returned to talk about Unconscious Bias. You’ll find that here: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/dr-magda-osman-on-unconscious/To hear the previous episode of the show on Misinformation, with another Cambridge Professor, Sander Van Der Linden: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/professor-sander-van-der-linden-on-misinformation/ Humanizing RulesTo learn more about my book ‘Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance’ visit: https://www.human-risk.com/humanizing-rules-book

In times of uncertainty and change, what do we need from leaders? On this episode, I'm sepaking to Dr Siegfried Hoenle, a leadership expert whose approach to leadership is relentlessly positive.Siegfried believes that leaders need to deliver their mission through three 'P's: passion, purpose and partnership.In our discussion. Siegfried emphasizes the need for leaders to genuinely embody the values of their organization and create a community where people want to belong and flourish. He's no fan of the "you're lucky to work here" philosophy that many employers adopt.Instead, he believes that if organisations want to attract the best talent that they need to offer compelling propositions. And that requires leaders that understand what their employees and prospective employees need and want. In the past, career progression was often looked at in the context of following rigid paths. Paths that, if we're honest, probably suited no one. But if we won't be able to have necessary skills to lead organisations in the 21st century and feel fulfilled, then we need to think a bit more fluidly. That's also really important if we want to develop more diverse and therefore effective workforces.To find out more about Siegfried and his work visit:https://www.talentandleadership.com/about/and you can read about his teachin work here:https://www.ie.edu/lifelong-learning/faculty/siegfried-hoenle/To learn more about my book ‘Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance’ visit: https://www.human-risk.com/humanizing-rules-bookFor other episodes of the show on Leadership-related themes:Professor Niels Van Quaquebeke on Behaviour & Leadership under COVID19:https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/professor-niels-van-quaquebeke-on/Wendy Lambourne on Legitimate Leadership:https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/wendy-lambourne-on-legitimate-leadership/Dr Carol Kauffman on Leadership Under Pressurehttps://www.humanriskpodcast.com/carol-kauffman-on-leadership-under-pressure/Dr Nick Chatrath on Leadership in the age of AIhttps://www.humanriskpodcast.com/nick-chatrath-on-ai-leadership/

What do Compliance, Coercion and Competence have to do with each other? They’re all subjects I talk about with my guest Professor Magda Osman who manages to weave all three topics together.Compliance is all about exploring the challenges of policymaking in the real world. It’s one thing looking at the theory of how things should be regulated and public policy should be designed, but another to look at the realities of putting it into practice. Coercion is looking at the topic of ‘free will’; do we have it, and if so, when? Would we know whether we’re exercising free will, or are we always subject to influence?Competence explores the idea from conventional wisdom that the more we practice something, the better we are at it. But as Magda explains, if we’re crap at something and keep practising being crap, we’re not necessarily going to develop competence. Repeatedly rehearsing badly doesn’t lead to objectively improved performance.Magda is a Professor in Basic and Applied Decision-Making at the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge and the Visiting Professor of Policy Impact at Leeds Business School, part of the University of Leeds.You can read more about Magda and her work on her faculty page here: https://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/network/magda-osman/And on her personal website here: https://www.magdaosman.com/She first appeared on the show in 2020 when she talked about behavioural interventions that had failed and what we can learn from them. You’ll find that here: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/dr-magda-osman-on-behavioural/Then in 2021, she returned to talk about Unconscious Bias. You’ll find that here: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/dr-magda-osman-on-unconscious/To learn more about my book ‘Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance’ visit: https://www.human-risk.com/humanizing-rules-book

What is circularity, and why does it matter? As we seek to manage the climate emergency, companies are being challenged to play their part in being more sustainable. Which is where the concept of circularity comes in. This is the idea, in the context of sustainability, that a product is created with its own end-of-life taken into account.In other words; businesses take responsibility, not just for producing an item, but for what happens after it reaches the end of its useful life. Whether that’s an item of clothing that is no longer wearable or a bottle that contained a drink that we’ve finished. In a circular economy, once the user is finished with the product, it goes back into the supply chain instead of to a landfill.My guest on this episode is Chris Houghton. Many years ago, Chris and I worked together in financial services regulation. While I moved into the field of human risk, he’s gone on to work for energy and consumer companies and is now an advocate for circularity, which forms the core of the business he runs.Chris is the CEO of Teemill; the world’s first open-source closed-loop apparel manufacturer. You can find out more about them by visiting their website: www.teemill.comFor more on Circularity see: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overviewIt’s a company that has shifted away from much of the conventional logic that is deployed by the majority of the apparel industry. Most obviously, the idea of producing clothes speculatively in the hope of selling them, rather than only producing them on demand, but also the idea of taking end-to-end responsibility for what happens to the clothes after the customer is no longer using them.To connect with Chris on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-houghton-a28a408/To pre-order my new book ‘Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance' visit https://www.human-risk.com/humanizing-rules-book

Leadership expert and coach Nick Chatrath explores the impact of AI on leadership and the need for new skills to motivate the workforce. They discuss data discrimination, active listening, collaboration with AI, and the journey of writing a book on leading in the age of AI.

What makes for a good customer experience? In two special episodes of the Human Risk podcast, I’m speaking to CX experts who provide fascinating insights into what drives how we feel about the times when companies deliver really good or really bad service On this episode which is the second of the two, I speak with Peter Ramsey. He’s the Founder of Built for Mars, a company that undertakes UX research. He has spent 1000s of hours researching what makes for good and bad customer experience and has some incredible insights to share.To find out more about Peter and his work, visit: https://builtformars.com/You can find him on social media:LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ramseypTwitter:https://twitter.com/PeteRamsey and https://twitter.com/BuiltforMarsTo buy my new book ‘Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance’ visit https://www.human-risk.com/humanizing-rules-book

John Sills, a partner at The Foundation, shares insights on good and bad customer experiences. He emphasizes the importance of prioritizing customer satisfaction and debunking myths. The discussion explores the significance of aligning products with customer behavior, building trust through transparent interactions, and adopting a human-centric approach to workplace behavior.

How can leaders make good decisions when under pressure? My guest is leadership coach Dr Carol Kauffman. She is on the faculty at Harvard, where she is the Founder of the Institute of Coaching and is the co-author of a new book called ‘Real-Time Leadership: How to Find Your Winning Moves When the Stakes are High’.With leaders increasingly having to take decisions quickly and under heavy scrutiny, getting things right is not always easy. On the face of it, leaders ought to be able to rely on experience or gut instinct to see them through. But as news headlines constantly remind us, people in leadership positions can and do get things badly wrong.In Real Time Leadership, Carol and her co-author David Noble introduce a framework called MOVE that can help leaders to make better decisions in challenging times. When the stakes are highest, how can leaders be at their best? How can they master the moment, generate options, and quickly evaluate them before acting? The MOVE framework allows leaders to formulate strategies for what they can do when making decisions under pressure so that when the time comes, they have a clear set of options.Even if you’re not in a leadership position, the MOVE framework and what Carol has to share is just as relevant to you. Because we’re all required to make decisions at difficult times, whether or not we hold a formal leadership position. Although the context might be different, the challenges are the same.For more on: Carol - https://carolkauffman.com/Carol on Twitter - https://twitter.com/CarolKauffman‘Real-Time Leadership: Find Your Winning Moves When the Stakes Are High’, the book Carol has co-authored with David Noble and the Real Time Leadership Institute- https://rtlinstitute.com/ My book Humanizing Rules; Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance is available for pre-order now: https://www.human-risk.com/humanizing-rules-book