OrgDev with Distinction

We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!What does leadership look like when it’s driven by purpose rather than control?In this episode of the OrgDev Podcast, we’re joined by Dr Louise Van Rhyn, social entrepreneur, leadership and organisation development practitioner, and founder of Symphonia. Louise shares powerful insights from more than four decades of practice working with leaders, organisations and large-scale social change initiatives across South Africa and beyond.We explore why certainty shuts down contribution, how unsolicited advice is often experienced as judgement, and what it really means to lead as a citizen rather than a parent or expert. Louise reflects on her work with Partners for Possibility, the role of listening in leadership, and why leadership development only works when it is connected to the wider organisational system.This conversation is a deep invitation to rethink leadership as creating the conditions for others to think, contribute and thrive rather than having the answers or exerting control.You’ll hear about – Leading with purpose, not authority – Why relationships shape thinking, action and results – Citizen leadership and shared responsibility – The hidden cost of certainty in leadership – Listening as a core leadership practice – Why leadership development is organisational developmentA thoughtful and challenging episode for leaders, OD practitioners, HR professionals and anyone interested in more human, effective ways of working togetherDr. Louise van Rhyn is a distinguished social entrepreneur and leadership development practitioner. She is the founder and CEO of Symphonia Leadership Development, a social enterprise dedicated to developing leadership capacity at scale. Dr. van Rhyn's work focuses on mobilizing active citizenship and addressing significant social issues through cross-sector collaboration and citizen leadership. Her innovative leadership development process, Partners for Possibility, has positively impacted over one million people and has been recognized with numerous awards for its innovation and impact. Dr. van Rhyn's commitment to creating flourishing and inclusive organizational communities is evident in her work with leaders across various sectors.Wish you had a handy recap of the episode? So did we. That’s why each week in our Next Step to Better newsletter, we’re sharing From Pod to Practice – a 2-page visual summary of each episode designed to help you take the learning from the podcast and into your work. You’ll get: ■ Key insights from the episode ■ A reflection prompt ■ A suggested action Sign up now to get From Pod to Practice delivered to your inbox each week: https://distinction.live/keep-in-touch/ About Us We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change. Find out more at www.distinction.live We'd love to connect with you on Linked In:linkedin.com/in/danibacon478https://www.linkedin.com/in/garinrouch

We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!Why Do Transformations and Change Fail - And What Can Leaders Do About It? Where do leaders go when the map runs out – when the terrain ahead is shifting faster than they can chart it? Today on the OrgDev Podcast, we’re stepping into the space where the known meets the unknown, and where transformation takes root. In this episode. we’ll hear how Gwen blends rigour and relationality, why she believes leadership must be both human-centred and AI-enabled, and what seeds she’s planting for the future of Organisation Development.Wish you had a handy recap of the episode? So did we. That’s why each week in our Next Step to Better newsletter, we’re sharing From Pod to Practice – a 2-page visual summary of each episode designed to help you take the learning from the podcast and into your work. You’ll get: ■ Key insights from the episode ■ A reflection prompt ■ A suggested action Sign up now to get From Pod to Practice delivered to your inbox each week: https://distinction.live/keep-in-touch/ About Us We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change. Find out more at www.distinction.live We'd love to connect with you on Linked In:linkedin.com/in/danibacon478https://www.linkedin.com/in/garinrouch

Giles Wright, a seasoned design leader with over 20 years of experience, shares his insights on applying design thinking to tackle complex workplace challenges. He emphasizes the importance of human-centered design, iterative processes, and engaging diverse stakeholders. Wright discusses practical tools like the Double Diamond method and the Five Whys, highlighting how low-cost prototypes can minimize risks for organizations. He also addresses the crucial role of ethnographic observation and the need for curiosity and collaboration in effective problem-solving.

In this discussion, Professor Chris Mowles, Director of the Doctor of Management program at the University of Hertfordshire, dives into the messy realities of leadership. He critiques the illusion of control that many leaders embrace and emphasizes the importance of embracing uncertainty. Mowles stresses that leadership should be viewed as a group improvisation, shaped by everyday interactions. He also discusses the impact of AI on workplace dynamics, advocating for its use as a tool, not a shortcut to learning. Key advice includes nurturing solidarity among practitioners.

We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!What does it take to deliver on an ambitious strategy – especially in a mission-driven organisation where the stakes are high and capacity is limited? How do you align people, processes, and systems to deliver on the organisation's ambitions? Our guest this week is the Maria Farres, Director of Organisational Development & Employee Experience at Cancer Research UK, where she leads work on org. development, leadership & talent, EDI, employee experience, and building change capability across the charity.Wish you had a handy recap of the episode? So did we. That’s why each week in our Next Step to Better newsletter, we’re sharing From Pod to Practice – a 2-page visual summary of each episode designed to help you take the learning from the podcast and into your work. You’ll get: ■ Key insights from the episode ■ A reflection prompt ■ A suggested action Sign up now to get From Pod to Practice delivered to your inbox each week: https://distinction.live/keep-in-touch/ About Us We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change. Find out more at www.distinction.live We'd love to connect with you on Linked In:linkedin.com/in/danibacon478https://www.linkedin.com/in/garinrouch

We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!What really derails a change project – the plan, or the relationships behind it?Our guest today, Sophy Pern, has spent her career helping leaders and teams untangle the relational dynamics that quietly shape whether strategy and change succeed or stall. An international consultant, facilitator and executive coach, she works with executive leaders on strategy engagement, organisation design, operating models, culture change and team development. Sophy is known for bringing depth, clarity and humanity to complex organisational challenges, and for building OD and Design capability in organisations and professional communities across Europe.Wish you had a handy recap of the episode? So did we. That’s why each week in our Next Step to Better newsletter, we’re sharing From Pod to Practice – a 2-page visual summary of each episode designed to help you take the learning from the podcast and into your work. You’ll get: ■ Key insights from the episode ■ A reflection prompt ■ A suggested action Sign up now to get From Pod to Practice delivered to your inbox each week: https://distinction.live/keep-in-touch/ About Us We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change. Find out more at www.distinction.live We'd love to connect with you on Linked In:linkedin.com/in/danibacon478https://www.linkedin.com/in/garinrouch

We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!How do you make sure your organisation’s design is truly fit for purpose – not just neat on paper, but aligned to the strategy your future depends on?And how do you work with senior leaders in a way that builds real trust – so you can understand how value is created in their world, and the tough trade-offs that come with redesigning it?Today we’re joined by Jaimini Lakhani – founder of Lumiere Consulting and a leading expert in organisation design and strategy. Jaimini has helped some of the world’s most recognisable organisations navigate complex moments of change, connecting strategy, structure and people in ways that deliver real impact.Wish you had a handy recap of the episode? So did we. That’s why each week in our Next Step to Better newsletter, we’re sharing From Pod to Practice – a 2-page visual summary of each episode designed to help you take the learning from the podcast and into your work. You’ll get: ■ Key insights from the episode ■ A reflection prompt ■ A suggested action Sign up now to get From Pod to Practice delivered to your inbox each week: https://distinction.live/keep-in-touch/ About Us We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change. Find out more at www.distinction.live We'd love to connect with you on Linked In:linkedin.com/in/danibacon478https://www.linkedin.com/in/garinrouch

We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!What separates good OD practice from great OD practice – skill, strategy, or self-awareness?You can have the tools. The models. The frameworks. But what really shapes your impact as an OD practitioner?According to Dr Frances Baldwin, it’s not what you do – it’s who you are.Frances has been shaping the field of Organisation Development for more than five decades. Yet when you ask her what truly makes a difference in this work, she doesn’t start with methods or models.She talks about presence. About congruence. About the quality of the inner condition we bring to our practice.After fifty years of working across industries and continents, Frances is clear: it’s your presence, purpose and self-awareness that enable trust, unlock change and create real impact.In this episode, she brings depth, wisdom and a lifetime of embodied OD practice to the conversation – reminding us that development always begins with who we are.Wish you had a handy recap of the episode? So did we. That’s why each week in our Next Step to Better newsletter, we’re sharing From Pod to Practice – a 2-page visual summary of each episode designed to help you take the learning from the podcast and into your work. You’ll get: ■ Key insights from the episode ■ A reflection prompt ■ A suggested action Sign up now to get From Pod to Practice delivered to your inbox each week: https://distinction.live/keep-in-touch/ About Us We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change. Find out more at www.distinction.live We'd love to connect with you on Linked In:linkedin.com/in/danibacon478https://www.linkedin.com/in/garinrouch

We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!How to Solve Complex Business Problems? Organisations are not machines – and they certainly don’t run on machine logic. Solving the toughest business problems isn’t about pulling levers or rewriting process charts. It’s about people: how they work together, how they make sense of their world, and how they feel.But people don’t operate in neat, predictable ways. We delete, distort, and generalise the reality around us – which makes organisational life messy, complex, and often resistant to simple solutions.In this episode of the OrgDev Podcast, we’re joined by Phil Lewis, a consultant, strategist and thinker based in Scotland, who specialises in helping organisations tackle their most stubborn challenges.💼Phil LewisPhil's website to access his services and writing:philhq.com Join Phil's insightful Workforces newsletter: https://philhq.us17.list-manage.com/s...Wish you had a handy recap of the episode? So did we. That’s why each week in our Next Step to Better newsletter, we’re sharing From Pod to Practice – a 2-page visual summary of each episode designed to help you take the learning from the podcast and into your work. You’ll get: ■ Key insights from the episode ■ A reflection prompt ■ A suggested action Sign up now to get From Pod to Practice delivered to your inbox each week: https://distinction.live/keep-in-touch/ About Us We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change. Find out more at www.distinction.live We'd love to connect with you on Linked In:linkedin.com/in/danibacon478https://www.linkedin.com/in/garinrouch

We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!Have you ever worried you’ll be “found out” or dismissed your own successes as luck? You’re not alone. In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Kate Atkin, author of The Imposter Phenomenon: Why You Feel Like a Fraud and What to Do About It. Kate brings both personal experience and rigorous research to the conversation, busting myths (it’s phenomenon, not syndrome) and sharing practical strategies for navigating self-doubt. We explore how imposter feelings show up in organisations, why the right kind of feedback matters, and how psychological courage helps us update the story we tell ourselves.It’s an honest and hopeful conversation that we're pretty sure will resonate with many leaders and practitionersJoin Kate's Book Launch for free: There are three options, London on 3rd September, Cambridge on 28th October and online on 6th November. The details and booking are available through Eventbrite using this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/the-imp...  Please also feel free to share this with others if you wish.Buy Kate's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Imposter-Phe...Wish you had a handy recap of the episode? So did we. That’s why each week in our Next Step to Better newsletter, we’re sharing From Pod to Practice – a 2-page visual summary of each episode designed to help you take the learning from the podcast and into your work. You’ll get: ■ Key insights from the episode ■ A reflection prompt ■ A suggested action Sign up now to get From Pod to Practice delivered to your inbox each week: https://distinction.live/keep-in-touch/ About Us We’re Dani and Garin – Organisation Development (OD) practitioners who help leaders and people professionals tackle the messiness of organisational life. We focus on building leadership capability, strengthening team effectiveness, and designing practical, systemic development programmes that help you deliver on your team and organisational goals. We also offer coaching to support individual growth and change. Find out more at www.distinction.live We'd love to connect with you on Linked In:linkedin.com/in/danibacon478https://www.linkedin.com/in/garinrouch