Being Human

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ In this episode, I explore 'The Heart of Agile' approach with Agile Manifesto co-author and methodology theorist Alistair Cockburn. We talk: - How methodologies are like tissues - The paradox of needing methods to both increase and reduce communication - Why collaboration is at the heart of the Agile approach - The three emerging modes of leadership in complex work - The story of creating the Agile Manifesto Enjoy! https://heartofagile.com/

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ This week on Being Human, I interview Sydney Finklestein, Professor of Leadership at Dartmouth College and author of the highly-acclaimed 'Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent'. We talk: - The three types of 'Superbosses' - How to know a ‘Glorious Bastard’ from a plain old bastard - Why great leaders build teams around talents not a template - How superbosses embrace transparency - Why passion is at the heart of being an extraordinary leader Links: The Sydcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sydcast/id1453232081?mt=2 Superbosses: http://tiny.cc/cpy34y

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ This week on Being Human, I interview Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon, Harvard academics and co-authors with Clayton Christensen of The Prosperity Paradox. We talk: - How some noodle entrepreneurs transformed the retail supply chain in Nigeria - The huge business opportunities represented by non-consumers - How providing cover just from a phone number made a British insurance entrepreneur a fortune while transforming lives in Africa - Why thinking about customers in terms of 'Jobs To Be Done' expands your thinking - Why corruption is a solution! Links: https://www.christenseninstitute.org/ https://www.amazon.com/Prosperity-Paradox-Innovation-Nations-Poverty/dp/0062851829

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ This week on Being Human, I take a deep dive into the cultural revolution led by Luke Kyte, Head of Operations at UK marketing firm Reddico. Luke is building a manager-less culture with stunning results. We talk: - Dramatically elevating Reddico's employee Net Promoter Score to a world-class 94 - Why you shouldn't make your best performers managers - How boss-free staff pick their own coach - Their evolving manifesto that drives their transformation - How to fire someone in a flat structure Enjoy! Links: https://reddico.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Reddico-Culture-Management-Manifesto-Part-2.pdf https://reddico.co.uk/category/culture/  

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ This week on Being Human I interview the extraordinary matriarch of our FirstHuman team, Phillida Fleming. Phillida coaches some of the most talented CEOs in the UK as well as providing counsel to a number of UK public figures. Around the fire of her cottage in the Isle of Wight, we explore: - Her definition of what it means to be a leader - Her seminal childhood encounter with her teacher Sister Mary Joseph - The importance of the foundational question "Am I being who I say I am?" - How the results we're producing show us who we are - How senior leaders underestimate how who they are being impacts their organisations Enjoy! Links: http://www.firsthuman.com/meet-the-team/#phillida-fleming

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ This week on Being Human, I interview the fantastic Mark Lines, co-creator of Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD). Using DAD helps companies to evolve the whole enterprise around agile software delivery. We talk: - The origins of DAD - How to avoid 'Method Prison' - Why there are no 'best practices' - Why joy is at the heart of the approach - The sham of many Agile certifications Links: http://www.disciplined-agile.com/

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ This week on Being Human, I interview Jamie Catto, a founding member UK electronica band Faithless. He left to form the double-Grammy nominated, music and film collective 1 Giant Leap. Alongside his artistic pursuits, Jamie now works as a creativity catalyst. We talk: - How we must reclaim the parts of us that we closed off as children - The importance of allowing ourselves to flush out our 'edgy feelings' - How trauma release work can be as beautiful as it is painful - The idea of a 'curriculum for the soul' that we all must work through - The importance of being embodied and noticing where we place our energy Links: https://www.jamiecatto.com/

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ In this episode of Being Human, I interview Glenda Eoyang, the co-founder of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute, an organisation dedicated to applying learnings from complexity science to human issues. We talk: - How she used her understanding of complexity to turn around her IT training business - The three simple questions to ask when addressing situations from a complexity viewpoint - Why the move to complexity thinking is a fundamental paradigm shift - The 'tension and release' metaphor for understanding complex systems - The positivist and constructivist perspectives on complexity This is an in-depth exploration and well worth the investment. Enjoy! Links: https://www.hsdinstitute.org/

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ This week on Being Human, I interview Professor Ruth Ann Atchley from the University of South Florida. Ruth Ann is the author of the much-cited paper "Creativity in the Wild": - the first scientific study to find a link between creativity and exposure to nature, - discovering a 50% increase in creative reasoning after four days of hiking and no tech. We also explore: - The importance of "softly fascinating" stimuli to replenish our attentional resources - The imperative to get away from the 'hijacking' effect of modern tech - Why it's not just about being in nature Enjoy! Links: Creativity in the Wild - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051474 Cowboys and Cawe Dwellers - https://www.amazon.com/Cowboys-Cave-Dwellers-Basketmaker-Archaeology/dp/0933452470 The Restorative Benefits of Nature - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0272494495900012 Directed Attention as a Common Resource for Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691609356784 The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19121124 Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494405801847  

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/ This week on Being Human, in an at times highly emotive interview, I sit down with Liz Keogh. The conversation has two major themes. First, we talk complexity and how Liz interprets and finds use for the Cynefin complexity framework, including: - How to understand Cyenfin to make better decisions around difficult problems - The difference between 'probes' and 'experiments' and why we should learn to let go of outcomes - Her simple method for gauging the level the complexity facing you In the second half, Liz courageously shares her experiences of sexual harassment and her take on the MeToo movement. I make my own confession of past poor behaviour and we discuss what we should all be doing to confront these issues. This has been my most exposing interview to date and I was seriously moved by the power of Liz's testimony. I hope you will get as much from this conversation as I did.