Being Human

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week I speak with human potential coach and technology leader Reiner Kraft, Phd. While working as the director of engineering at Yahoo, he started to notice a decrease in his performance, and early signs of burnout, ultimately culminating in getting hospitalised for an anxiety episode. He realised he needed to change. So began a journey of mindfulness and meditation.  Reiner is a prolific innovator with 120 patents to his name. He is now employing these talents in his data-driven & scientific approach to mindful leadership and stress resilience.  We talk: Measuring the empty mind The first steps to mindfulness Improving IQ Debugging reactive patterns Applying the 10X approach Links: The Mindful Leader

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week I speak with serial founding entrepreneur, start-up investor and democracy reformer Hermann Arnold. In 2001, Hermann decided to ‘build a company to fix the traditional way of working’, developing HR software and naming the company Umantis. He chose to run that company on a democratic basis, having the staff vote for major direction decisions, striking a balance between two worlds: hierarchy and agility. We talk: Mining the corporate shadow  Removing internal middlemen Electing leaders Letting anyone make any decision A Henry Ford of self-management? Links: Umantis 42hacks - Hermann's climate change hacking project

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week I speak with blogger and former Head of Technology at The Guardian Nik Silver. Nik has spent his career navigating the boundary between Tech teams and The Business. He shares his wisdom on how we can bridge the gap and his approach to leading interventions where communication has broken down. We talk: Start with a problem statement Listening with Clean Language The power of verbatim quotes Connecting coders to users Will AI replace programmers?   Enjoy! Links: Nik's Blog

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week I swing way out with teacher and healer Paul Fletcher. According to Paul, all challenges in life are due to negative information energy and matter that gets stored in your vibrational field (soul), while all success is due to a positive build-up. The secret everyone is looking for is to understand where and how the harmful accumulation occurs and how to remove it and maximize the positive.  We talk: Tao forgiveness practices Acknowledging the soul Soul Marketing The 21-day gratitude practice Distinguishing heart and soul   Links: Paul's Website

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   I've got a great one for you this week. I speak with Doug Kirkpatrick, organizational change consultant, TEDx speaker, executive coach, and author. Doug began his career in the manufacturing sector, ultimately becoming one of the founding employees of The Morning Star Company, a world leader in the food industry that has become famous for its entirely self-managing workforce - that's right, a major blue-collar operation with no formal bosses. He now shares his extraordinary experience at Morning Star with other businesses around the world. We talk: The two principles underpinning self-management How to get started in any organisation How self-management turbocharges innovation 'Adulting' company culture Self-management as leadership training Links: Doug's Website Beyond Empowerment - The Book

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I speak with Arnaud Collery, a former stand-up comedian, a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and a coach in tech, entertainment and personal growth After 20 years of globe-trotting, he has settled in France, where he leads a personal growth platform called Humanava that teaches human skills through masterclasses.  Arnaud is a raging dynamo in all things related to human thriving.  We talk: Starting out as Chief Happiness Officer The power of storytelling Three ingredients for happiness: gratitude, purpose and transparency Using comedy to address l'éléphant dans la chambre 'Otanda': keeping the fires of passion burning  Links: Arnaud's Website Humanava

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I speak with Yuri van Geest, co-author of the book Exponential Organizations. Yuri is a master in helping companies scale and has worked closely with Ray Kurzweil's Singularity University. Until just a few years ago, he was delivering up to three hundred keynotes a year, but he was experiencing burnout. A moment of self-reflection made him re-evaluate his life. This new perspective led him to take a 300km walk in India, meditating five times daily and to spend five days in a one-square-metre spot without food or water.    With a profound shift in consciousness from these experiences, he has changed his life and career. Yuri is now re-embracing his creativity with a monthly DJ slot and is committed to causing a change in consciousness across the world. We talk: Building exponential organisations  'Immanence walks' for kids Confronting your shadow Connecting to nature Applying Nature's principles to everything Links: Exponential Organizations - The Book Yuri's LinkedIn Page  

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I speak with Patricia Pulliam Phillips and Jack J. Phillips, authors of the book Show the Value of What You Do. Jack’s journey started in Learning and Development at Lockheed Martin when he had to justify why the company should continue investing in free college tuition for new recruits. He won his case and so started a lifelong passion for helping others prove the value of their projects, however intangible the benefits might appear at first glance. We talk: How negative ROI can be a good thing The power of the ROI pilot The ROI of chaplaincy Using ROI to develop data-led decision making Using Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to drive ROI Links: Show the Value of What You Do - The Book The ROI Institute

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I speak with Alexander Kjerulf, author of the book Happy Hour is 9 to 5: How to Love Your Job, Love Your Life and Kick Butt at Work. Alexander gives detailed, practical advice on building the skills and energy to become happier and more successful at work and on learning how to deal with everything from nightmare bosses, bullies, miserable co-workers, long-running conflicts, stifling bureaucracy and management who refuse to see anything beyond the bottom line. We talk: How quitting is for winners Financial freedom Why not to ask: 'what would make you happy?' Happiness = relationships and results Happiness is about them Links: Happy Hour is 9 to 5 - The Book Alexander's Website

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/   This week, I speak with Justine Clement, breath coach, founder of multiple companies and a formerly self-confessed ‘on-the-go’ CEO. For many years, she was CEO of an experiential travel company, and no words of warning from others about the importance of slowing down could stop her. She only started to listen after a series of injuries forced her to stop. Her slow recovery invited her to start learning how to ‘be’ rather than ‘do’ … and she found some powerful lessons in those enforced moments of stillness.  We talk: Conscious Connected Breath Yin versus yang breathwork Forest Bathing (no bath required) Inhaling the phytoncides Going phone free Links: Wonderbreath Forest Bathing Made In Britain Selsey Sea Bathing Society