Ollie on Work

Today’s guest is Andrew, Associate Editor and Management Editor of the Financial Times. As well as writing the FT’s weekly column on management, Andrew is a previous winner of Business Commentator of the year and the Decade of Excellence award for sustained achievement in business and financial journalism. Most relevantly to you perhaps, he’s one of the writers I’ve referenced most in my weekly news digest in the Future Work/Life newsletter.We discussed hybrid work and the future of workplace culture, and as the role of managers changes, we explore what skills will be necessary for the future. We also dig into whether we should be aspiring for happiness in our work, and somehow I end up comparing one stage of the flow state cycle to the importance of resting meat—apologies to any vegetarians out there. Lastly, I pick Andrew’s brains about what makes a good business book.This is the final episode of this sixth series of the Future Work/Life podcast and what a great one it’s been. Thanks as ever for listening and a big thanks to Andrew for his time. I really enjoyed our chat and I’m sure you will too.I'll be back with Season 7 in April, so make sure you subscribe to receive all future episodes in your podcast player of choice.Thanks,OllieLINKS:Andrew's FT columnAndrew's TwitterFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Hung Lee. He’s the writer and curator of Recruiting Brainfood, a newsletter read by nearly 30,000 people interested in recruitment, talent, and HR, among other things. He also writes This Week In Recruitment and hosts a popular job board.Hung has worked in recruitment for over twenty years and knows the market inside out. As well as dedicating time to saving his readers time – by finding the most relevant and interesting news for them each week – he’s a great example of how when you love a subject and spend time really thinking about it, you can create huge value for people while having fun along the way.We talked about the future of offices, including whether businesses would ultimately all adopt some form of hybrid work or if there’s a possibility some will throw their hat in for fully office-based on remote future.We also discussed why flexibility is a critical requirement for most candidates in the market and the essential skills we should ensure we’re proficient in if we want to compete in the job market over the next five to ten years.Finally, we discuss the importance of becoming an expert in your niche and why successfully launching a digital content strategy for yourself, including growing a newsletter, you need to combine intrinsic motivation and passion with hard work and a thick skin.LINKS:Recruiting BrainfoodHung's LinkedInHung's TwitterFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like many others, I've been down the rabbit hole of crypto and web3 over the past year or two. I've met some fascinating people doing what I can only describe as some next level shit as they explore new ways of building communities, creating new business models and generally exploring what's possible with blockchain and tokenomics.Today, I'm speaking to Pedro Oliveira (CEO) and Filipe Macedo (CMO), co-founders of Talent Protocol. They're old friends who, after pursuing separate careers since they left university, have come together over the last couple of years to create a start-up whose vision is to enable high potential talent to create an on-chain resume, launch their own token, and start building the support network they need to succeed.We discuss what led the two of them to web3 and the genesis of the idea behind Talent Protocol, the role communities have played in supporting their careers, and why their vision is to create an interoperable and user-owned social network that values the quality of connections more than the number of followers. LINKS:Talent Protocol websiteFilipe's LinkedInPedro's LinkedInFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The theme of my new book, Work/Life Flywheel, which will be published in January 2023, is reimagining your career without fear. As well as the fantastic podcast interviews you've heard over the past few months, I've been deep into the research phase since the start of the year. I've spoken to all sorts of people from different industries and backgrounds. Everybody has a unique story to tell about the decisions they've made in their careers, and I've loved the process. In the book, I'll break down why building a Work/Life Flywheel is the most effective tool to set yourself up for sustainable success in the new world of work. It's on that latter point where we begin today's podcast, which is a bitesize conversation with Cleo Sham, Partner at Stride the UK-based early-stage venture capital firm. Before joining Stride in 2021, Cleo's illustrious career took her from McKinsey to Merrill Lynch before becoming General Manager of Uber in China. She scaled the business from 3000 to 4 million weekly trips and $700 million in revenue. She subsequently ran Uber's ridesharing business in EMEA before moving to Spotahome, a Series-B stage prop-tech marketplace. After two years there, she took a much-deserved sabbatical before jumping from operator to investor at Stride.We had a great conversation in which we talked about managing stress and burnout in start-ups, the most exciting themes she sees in workforce tech, transferrable skills for people pivoting careers, and the importance of creativity for founders and investors.LINKS:Cleo's LinkedIn profileStride VCFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s likely that if you listen to this show, you’re also a reader of business books. In which case, you’ll be very familiar with today’s guest. He is one of my favourite authors, and his books have probably influenced my work more than any others. I suspect many of you have experienced the same, so I’m absolutely delighted to bring you my conversation with Daniel H. Pink.Dan is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, published this month. His other bestsellers include When and A Whole New Mind, To Sell is Human, and Drive, which brought the ideas of intrinsic motivation within business and management to the masses. His books have won multiple awards, have been translated into 42 languages, and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Our chat was packed with insight, and like all the best podcasts I’ve hosted, I learned loads. We discussed why the philosophy of ‘no regrets’ neither reflects reality nor is desirable. As well as breaking down the main types of regret and how we respond to them, Dan explains how harnessing the lessons we learn from these experiences can serve us well in the future and why anticipating regret can be a useful mental model for decision making in the present.We explore why so many people look back on their careers and wish they’d be bolder, whether by going it alone, starting a business or speaking up more. Dan also shares why he became fascinated by the topic in the first place, including what he wished he’d known about maintaining connections with people earlier in his career.Finally, we cover some broader trends related to the future of work, including the pros and cons of remote and the office and whether our work/lives are destined to be defined by independence and autonomy.  LINKS:Dan's websiteThe Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward,Future Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you invite someone back on the show, they have to be legendary - Christopher Lochhead is just that. He’s a nine-time bestselling author, number one business podcaster, and the Godfather of Category Design. He’s also a thoroughly nice guy who’s been very supportive of this podcast, so I was delighted to chat to him again a couple of weeks ago about what he’s been working on and thinking about since we spoke on episode one in October 2020.Christopher explains why the most significant insight he’s had over the past 15 months is the existence of a new category of human – the native digital. We explore how they differ from native analogues and how their existence changes everything from work to take-away hot chocolate.We also discuss the curse of the hustle pornstar, the personal branding lie, and why ‘me disease’ has infected so many.Finally, we cover why work/life balance misunderstands the meaning work provides us and how identifying your niche is the secret to a successful career.Oh, and Christopher reveals what’s probably the most important question you can ask anyone in any situation.LINKS:Category Pirates newsletterFollow Your Different podcastLochhead on Marketing podcastChristopher’s websiteChristopher’s LinkedIn pageFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining me this week is Erica Young, Head of Community and Network at Anthemis Group, a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in companies that will help drive change in the financial system.Erica is a life-long student of networks and is also the founder of The Reliants Project, where she helps people and organisations understand how networks shape our wellbeing, relationships and community. She uses techniques developed in the fields of computer science, physics, and sociology to map existing people and organisation networks and generate insights. We had a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, covering the distinction between networks and communities, how our shift to virtual working has accelerated the development of online communities, and whether they augment or can replace traditional organisations.We also dug into the importance of cultivating your network, including why it's an advantage to 'compartmentalise' and nurture various types of relationship, from close to weak ties.Finally, we explore overcoming a fear of networking, how to approach network building when going it alone, and why technology is removing friction from the process.LINKS:Erica's newsletter, The Reliants ProjectErica's LinkedIn profileErica's article on mapping your communityFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Bruce Daisley. Bruce is the host of one of the UK’s most popular business podcasts, Eat Sleep Work Repeat, and until January 2020, was Vice President of Twitter, having previously run YouTube in the UK.Nowadays, he writes about workplace culture in his newsletter, Make Work Better, and is an author. His first book, The Joy of Work, was a bestseller when it was published in 2018, and he’s got another one on the way this year.I’ve wanted to get Bruce on the podcast since I first launched it, so I’m delighted that he joined me for a chat a few weeks ago. We discussed how businesses have responded to the shift to remote work, including why it’s here to stay. Bruce also explains why if we’re not careful, some of the things we’ll miss from human interaction, including laughter and a sense of relatedness, will negatively impact our work experience.We cover one of the most critical challenges affecting so many businesses – the role of the manager. Specifically, how we balance creating results and outcome-oriented approaches with the compassion and understanding needed to manage a remote workforce.Finally, we discuss the nature of our relationship with time and how that relates to productivity and flexible work.LINKS:Eat Sleep Work RepeatMake Work Better newsletterThe Joy of Work by Bruce DaisleyFuture Work/Life newsletterReinventing Meetings articleFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode, my guest is Nik Whitfield, Chairman and Chief Seer of Panaseer, the cyber security business he founded in 2014. Nik’s is a computer scientist and technology entrepreneur who is now a passionate advocate for wellbeing, exploring consciousness and learning new ways to help entrepreneurs and leaders to stay well.After reading about Panaseer’s work and coming across Nik’s LinkedIn profile, I contacted him to ask if he’d be up for an interview as part of the research for my book, Work/Life Flywheel, which will be published next January. I find our conversation so interesting that I had to bring him on to the podcast too.During the chat you’ll hear today, we discuss how, after years of severe, chronic back pain, Nik was told by a consultant that he was going to eventually lose the feeling in his hands and that the only solution was inserting a shunt – a metal tube to drain fluid from his brain and spine. Understandably, he didn’t fancy the sound of that, and with a willingness to try anything he could to avoid such an invasive procedure, he tested what in our highly medicalised society appeared a radical solution – mediation and journaling.Nik and I go on to discuss the new habits he incorporated into his daily life, the impact they had on his ability to lead his growing business, and how he lent on the support of his family and colleagues to ultimately live a pain-free life.As someone first diagnosed with degenerative discs when I was 15 and having suffered ongoing back pain throughout my adult life, I found Nik’s story inspiring. I’ve already implemented some of the tips he’s given me and am looking forward to exploring the benefits of the practices in my work and personal life.As well as discussing Nik’s dramatic recovery, he also shares insights on his approach to leadership, which, as you might expect, includes a focus on wellbeing for the whole business.I’ll be writing about these topics in the book, as well as the newsletter, over the coming weeks, so make sure you sign up for updates. You’ll find a link in the show notes, alongside Nik’s profile and some resources he’s shared with me.LINKS:Nik's LinkedIn profilePanaseer's websiteDr Sarno's websiteDr Joe Dispenza's Mind MoviesFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a short interlude over the Christmas holidays, we're back with a brand new series. Back, in fact, a little earlier than planned. Why? Partly because I've got some wonderful guests lined up to share their stories and insights with you over the next couple of months, but more specifically to today's episode because we start by talking about new year's resolutions and goal setting.My guest is Grace Lordan. She is an Associate Professor in Behavioural Science and Director of The Inclusion Initiative at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She's also the author of Thing Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want.We have a fascinating discussion in which we explore the role of talent, hard work and luck in shaping your career. Grace explains why our emotions matter when it comes to how we receive feedback and act upon it, and how to ensure we feel like we're constantly moving forward towards our goals. All of which requires resilience and a willingness not only to accept failure but to learn from it. Finally, we discuss what the future holds with a wide lens – how, for example, people may need to accept a 'low-stuff life' – and from a personal perspective, why we should embrace uncertainty and stop striving to be in control of everything you do.If you haven't already, please also subscribe to this podcast and join thousands of other people interested in reading my analysis and insights on the future of work by signing up to the Future Work/Life newsletter. LINKS:Think Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Future You WantGrace's LinkedIn profileFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.