At Work with The Ready

If you’re like us, you’ve binged all of Netflix’s docuseries about Formula 1 racing. And if you’re like Ready member Jurriaan Kamer, you’re not only steeped in the popular sport, but also often thinking about its overlap with self-management and org design. Turns out that when you peer under Formula 1’s hood, you find provocative organizational lessons about requiring room for reflection, distributing authority, clarifying purpose, innovating alongside intense regulation, and accelerating change at lightning-speed. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Jurriaan about why modern businesses can use Formula 1 as a blueprint for efficiency and inventiveness and how he translated the sport’s organizational insights in his own business fable, "Formula X: How to Reach Extreme Acceleration in Your Organization."If you want to learn more about Jurriaan's work his book, check him out here: https://www.jurriaankamer.com/An F1 car in 2000: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_F1-2000An F1 car in 2021: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_SF21Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

The conversation dives into the complexities of accountability in self-managing environments. The hosts tackle time management struggles and the need for mental breaks amidst hectic schedules. They discuss decentralized collaboration, balancing personal ambitions with collective goals. Insights on evolving business dynamics draw parallels to a band’s journey, emphasizing the need for mastery and innovation. The importance of source energy in creativity and leadership is explored, alongside a 'do less but achieve more' philosophy that champions authenticity and focused contributions.

Journalist Sarah Jaffe discusses the myth of finding fulfillment in work, challenging societal pressures to derive happiness solely from jobs. The conversation explores the historical evolution of work expectations, the impact of the pandemic on work narratives, and the importance of systemic change over individual fulfillment.

Think you’ve been working from home during the pandemic? Writers Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel have news for you: You haven’t. Rather, you’ve been sending more Slacks and going to more meetings in order to beat back stress and white-knuckle your way through this mess before we get back to the way things were... right?Legit flexible work requires intentionality, mindfulness, nuance—a.k.a. real structural and emotional labor. Instead, we’ve ported bad behaviors and cultural residue from the cubicle to the couch, thus delaying the arrival of a truly adaptive work-from-home future. But it's not all bad news.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk with Anne and Charlie about their new book, Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home, which reveals the rot inside our old systems and points out new strategies for transforming not only where we work, but also how we work.Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

Believe it or not, a new year is just five days away. As we approach 2022, we’re taking a minute to reflect on all we experienced, experimented with, and noticed in 2021. And guess what? We learned some stuff!We learned that getting folks into their zones of genius can help an organization scale with abundance and ease; that (spoiler alert) it takes heaps of time and patience to become truly great at something new; that embracing contrarianism is paramount when you’re disrupting unbelievably borked systems; that boredom can be beneficial; and that we’re living in a time of incredible variance—and unbelievable opportunity. So…what will we learn next year? We can’t wait to find out.In the last episode of Brave New Work from 2021, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans reflect on the last year as they prepare for what lies ahead.Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

Don’t be alarmed by the title of Ginny Hogan’s book: Toxic Femininity in the Workplace is the comedian and writer’s satirical collection of whip-smart pieces poking fun at the flavors of male bravado and egotism that show up in the office. (A pitch-perfect example from the book: “Appropriate Thank-Yous for the Man Who Generously Informed You That You Need to Negotiate Your Salary.“) If you’ve ever had a run-in (or several dozen) with the bro-y energy that tends to dominate and shape the average workplace, then you’ve probably also wondered how we can abolish that culture altogether. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk to Ginny about how her former jobs in tech and data science surprisingly launched her comedy career, why sexism can be so present in start-ups, and how we forge ahead with a more inclusive, less toxic work culture.Learn more about Ginny here: https://www.ginnyhogancomedy.com/Get in touch with Ginny here: https://twitter.com/ginnyhogan_Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

Maybe you’re already deep into crypto, NFTs (or non-fungible tokens), and DAOs (or decentralized autonomous organizations). And maybe you only know what web3 is because your cousin can’t stop talking about it. Whichever end of the spectrum you fall on, there’s much more for all of us to learn about this novel digital landscape being built before our eyes. But here’s something we do know: web3 and DAOs represent a new frontier in democratizing our digital spaces and giving people true ownership over the content they make—and that has radical implications for the future of work. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk to Chase Chapman, a DAO contributor and host of the “On the Other Side” podcast, about this exciting new territory’s building blocks; what DAOs actually are and how they function; and why all of this stuff meaningfully intersects with self-management and systems design.Learn more about Chase and her work here: https://twitter.com/chaserchapman & https://www.othersidepod.xyz/Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

Matthew Barzun, Author and former U.S. ambassador, discusses his new book and the concept of shifting from pyramid thinking to a constellation mindset. They explore the symbolism of pyramids and constellations, challenge the idea of hierarchy in leadership, and emphasize the importance of meeting structures and needs. The conversation concludes with a discussion on power and freedom in organizations and where to find more information about the guest's work.

Wait, haven’t we already covered retreats? Yes. But if the first one explored key dos and don’ts, this one imagines the retreat as a blank sheet of paper and invites you to ask: With unlimited options, what would you do? How would you take an off-site from good to great to transcendent? What’s the space where strategy meets luxury and how can you plan a rewarding experience that includes real work? Well, we’ve got a few ideas. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans dig into the logistical, emotional, and design considerations that went into our most recent retreat to help us overhaul old habits; provoke bigger questions and bigger bets; and use fun as a guide. And regardless of organizational size or budget, you can create that time and space, too.Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.comLooking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com

Cass Sunstein, a Harvard Law professor and behavioral science expert, dives into the concept of 'sludge'—the unnecessary barriers that disrupt our access to services. He reveals how bureaucratic red tape complicates even simple tasks, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups. Through personal stories, he discusses the impact of these obstacles and advocates for simplifying systems to enhance efficiency. Sunstein emphasizes that reducing sludge can lead to better decision-making and increased well-being, urging a collective push for change in organizational practices.