If you were looking for a sector that had lots of examples of Human Risk, then you'd probably pick banking? And if you were trying to understand why some of the senior people within banking hadn't been prevented from taking bad decisions, you'd probably look at people who were specifically hired for that purpose; non-executives.That's what my guest this time, John Sutherland, explores in his new book Ensuring General Wisdom. John is a banking expert, who works as a Senior Adviser to one of the UK's Financial Services Regulators. While working for a UK Parliamentary Commission looking at the Banking Industry, John wondered whether what the role of the non-executives that Boards are required to have really is and whether it is reasonable for them to be expected to have an awareness of everything going on within the organisation.This led him to research the role of Non-Executives and Trustees and how best for people in those roles to fulfil their function. What emerges are some fascinating insights that are of relevance to those who are, or aspire to be Non-Executives and those with an interest in managing Human Risk at senior level within organisations. In our discussion, we explore how the book came about and John's thoughts on the banking industry and governance in general. For details on John's book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52558412-ensuring-general-wisdomYou can find John's lectures here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/jasvidcast-video-webcasts/id1513012881For more on the Banking Commission which prompted John's interest in the role of the non-executive: https://bit.ly/357WaxAFor more on the Three Lines of Defence model of Risk Management: https://bit.ly/2U3lmiu

What is ergodicity? If it's a new term to you, then listen to my guest Luca Dellanna explain why ergodic thinking is often at the heart of much of our flawed decision-making. This is Luca's second appearance on the show; in February he talked to me about COVID (https://www.spreaker.com/user/human-risk/luca-dellanna-podcast)His insights were so prescient that I wanted him back. And as he's about to publish a new book on Ergodicity, I thought I'd cover both topics. As ever with Luca, he offers phenomenal insights that make complex topics, easily comprehensible.For more on Luca visit his website: https://www.luca-dellanna.com/You can follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/DellAnnaLucaTo subscribe to Luca's highly recommended newsletter: https://www.luca-dellanna.com/newsletter/For his new book on Ergodicity: https://gumroad.com/l/ergodicityIn our conversation, we refer to Roam, the note-taking website: https://roamresearch.com/

We often think of our body and our mind as being somehow distinct, yet there is a strong linkage between mental health and physical wellbeing. That's what I explore with my guest Leanne Spencer on this episode. Leanne is the founder of Bodyshot Performance, a company that helps organisations to have happy, healthy & resilient teams and individuals with their own well being.On the episode, we explore the links between mental and physical health and look at some of the techniques we can all use to manage it. We also explore how technology can help support us in that quest.In our discussion, we refer to:Leanne's company Bodyshot Performance - https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/Her book Remove The Guesswork - https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/resource/remove-the-guesswork/Leanne's podcast - https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/Giulia Enders book Gut - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23013953-gutThe Oura Ring - https://ouraring.com/Lost Connections by Johann Hari - https://thelostconnections.com/

On this episode, I'm exploring an industry whose product we all sample daily, but probably don't fully understand: music. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, my guest, Dr Glenn Medeiros, was a global pop star with several hit records, including Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You. Perhaps surprisingly given that start, he's now the CEO and President of Saint Louis School in Honolulu, Hawaii.In our discussion, we explore his experiences in the music industry and the lessons he's learned from it. Rest assured there's plenty of Human Risk there! We also look at how Glenn transitioned from music to education and what he's learned along the way.This is a fascinating, frank exploration of what it is like to be propelled to global stardom and then building a second career. Glenn is also fabulous company and has some lovely anecdotes to share. Whether you remember him as an artist or have never heard of him before, what he has to say is highly insightful.For more on Saint Louis School, where Glenn is President visit https://saintlouishawaii.org/To watch Glenn's videos, including the iconic 'Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You" one or listen to his music, use the links below:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0bByarMN8ryEFQsRo6iCUN?si=8K584lWuSUueUVWMAigYEANothings Gonna Change My Love For You - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHUVtwUdHuEShe Ain't Worth It (duet with Bobby Brown) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-1vYnFHu2U

We all understand the idea of Confidence and that having it can help us succeed. Equally, not having it can also paralyse us into inaction. So what is the optimal level of confidence?That's what my guest on this episode, Professor Don Moore, is here to help me understand. He's a professor at the Berkeley Haas School of Business, formerly at Carnegie Mellon. Don is an expert in psychology with his main research focus on overconfidence. And he's recently written a book on the subject called Perfectly Confident. In our discussion, we explore what the optimal balance of confidence is and how you can find it.To find out more about Don and his book visit his website: https://perfectlyconfident.com/.

We all instinctively know the impact negative reviews have on individuals and organizations; whether TripAdvisor ratings or publicly administered regulatory sanctions. It's not good. Yet there are many people and organisations thriving on precisely that. Sometimes, negative social evaluations, might actually not be a bad thing.My guest, Dr Thomas Roulet of Cambridge University, has just written a book called 'The Power of Being Divisive; Understanding Negative Social Evaluations'. In our discussion, we explore why divisive politicians can benefit from negative perceptions and why banks who are publicly admonished for bad behaviour, can actually make more money. It's fascinating, often counter-intuitive stuff. In a world where all of us can rate others and be rated ourselves, understanding how we perceive ratings, is highly valuable.For more on Thomas visit his website: https://www.thomasroulet.com/Thomas_Roulet.htmlYou'll also find him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thomrouletHis book The Power Of Being Divisive: https://bit.ly/34BEY1V

What is Human Risk? What does 'Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance' mean in practice? On this episode, I'm cross-casting an episode of the Ethical Experts podcast that explores Human Risk.The Ethics Experts (https://compliancepodcastnetwork.net/category/the-ethics-experts/) is hosted by Nick Gallo of Compliance Line (https://complianceline.com/).As I'm often asked about Human Risk and what I mean by "bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance", I thought I'd share this episode with my own listeners. Hopefully, it'll bring the genesis of the Human Risk concept to life & spark further conversations and ideas.

How can organizations ensure they are ethical? We all understand the principle, but what does it mean in practice? As Ethics becomes a more significant factor in how employees, customers and regulators view companies, there is an increasing need to have a program to manage it. On this episode, I'm joined by Rob Chesnut, the former Chief Ethics Officer for AirBnB. Rob has just written a book about his experiences at AirBnb and eBay among other companies. In our wide-ranging discussion, we explore why ethics is such a challenging topic and what organizations can do to respond to it. Not only does Rob have some great stories to share, but he's also got some innovative ideas about managing the challenge.For more on Rob and his book, Intentional Integrity visit his website: https://www.intentionalintegrity.com/

What, if anything, have we learned about human behaviour from COVID? That's what I'm exploring in this episode. Six months ago, my friend Mark Heywood invited me onto the first episode of Behind The Spine (BTS); a brand new podcast for writers that looks at genre & narrative. He wanted my thoughts about what impact COVID would have on human behaviour. You'll find that episode as a crosscast on this show. Recently, Mark kindly invited me back for a "six months later" review to see whether my predictions had turned out to be correct. Fortunately, I didn't do too badly. So on this cross-cast episode, join me as Mark's guest, to explore 6 months of COVID from a behavioural perspective.For more on Behind The Spine visit the podcast website: https://behindthespine.podbean.com/On the show, Mark & I refer to a number of UK TV series. If you're not familiar with them, they're all well worth checking out:Alan Partridge - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_PartridgeSpitting Image - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitting_ImageThe Thick Of It - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thick_of_ItThe Room Next Door - https://www.michaelspicer.co.uk/Dr Evil from Austin Powers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Evil

Why are there so many entirely preventable financial disasters? And why don't the people behind the companies that suffer them, prevent them from happening?That's what my guest Jérôme Tagger and I explore on this episode. He's the CEO of Preventable Surprises, a think-tank that seeks to prevent or at least mitigate corporate and market implosions. What he's dealing with is Human Risk on an epic scale.Jérôme is also the co-founder and co-host of Breaking The Fever, a podcast and speaker series I've featured on the podcast before. His co-founder and co-host Alison Taylor, has also been on the show before talking about Ethics.For more on:Preventable Surprises: https://preventablesurprises.com/Breaking The Fever: https://preventablesurprises.com/issues/covid-19-breaking-the-fever/The episode of this podcast featuring Alison Taylor: https://www.podpage.com/the-human-risk-podcast/alison-taylor-on-ethics/For more on Human Risk:Twitter account: https://twitter.com/humanriskblogNewsletter: https://human-risk.com/newsletter-archive/Video Channel: https://human-risk.com/videoblogs/