Let's talk Transformation : The business leaders podcast

"We are already living in the century of the brain" : What is the future of humanity and how do we learn in an increasingly digital world ? How do AI and neuroscience compliment each other ? Alexia and I have a conversation around bringing technology and neuro-cognition together : demystifying AI, neuroscience and what it brings to the learning landscape. AI is changing our world; the technological and neuro-revolution is transforming how we live and work, and our relationships with others. AI also plays a decisive role in the competitiveness of companies of all sizes and is revolutionising many sectors (e.g. marketing, CX, etc). All businesses are impacted, and companies must accept these new tools both to optimise tasks previously performed by humans and to constantly navigate change in an emerging environment. Alexia shares insights and experience from her research and work with companies both big and small. The main insights you will get from this episode are : Creating value through technology means bridging the gap between human value and technological value and promoting diversity in technology. Data and technology are ever more present and connect us in ways we never thought possible.Neuroscience brings AI and human intelligence together. AI dates back to 1956 when scientists dreamt of recreating human cognitive functions in machines and unravelling the mysteries of intelligence (the Latin ‘intelligere’ means ‘the ability to make connections’).Machine learning is based on statistical AI and data. Traditional programming uses computer data and is always accurate. ML on the other hand is not always accurate: it uses statistical information to create links, ‘learn’ and then make predictions (modelling).  Narrow AI currently only covers simple, repetitive, specialised tasks. In some cases, AI outperforms humans, but machines cannot generalise and cannot yet go from narrow AI to general AI. We are learning more about neuro-cognition: AI learns quickly, and so must we. Deep learning has led to major advances: artificial neural networks make simple calculations, with each layer deepening the level of understanding. This process is bio-inspired, analysing large amounts of data using computer science, mathematics and AI to gain a better understanding of how the human brain works. How is AI regulated from an ethical point of view? Will there be universal rules for AI? Do we need new legislation? It is difficult to define an international ethical framework because different factors mean different results in different countries. The ethics question has long been debated but we can start with robotics (cf. Asimov’s laws): those developing the systems must seek to answer questions during the design phase (ethics by design).  What is the future of humanity? Will AI destroy the human race? What changes are expected? We are already living in the century of the brain, which has given rise to many ‘neuro-disciplines’ such as neuro-education, neuro-economics, neuro-law.AI is changing our world; the technological and neuro-revolution is transforming how we live and work, and our relationships with others; it is also multidisciplinary, i.e. human, cultural and societal. AI is at the heart of other sciences, with a theoretical basis in statistics and mathematics but in combination with the human science of biology. It plays a decisive role in the competitiveness of companies of all sizes and is revolutionising many sectors (e.g. marketing, CX, etc). All businesses are impacted, and companies must accept these new tools both to optimize tasks previously performed by humans and to constantly navigate change in an emerging environment.We must all understand the important concepts of AI: what it is, what machines can do, what the AI use cases are, what its impact will be on business, processes and us. We must educate ourselves, not be afraid and be open-minded to the amazing possibilities of AI. 

Overwhelmed by the need to rethink your organisational models , service models and capabilities in your organisation.. ? Struggling to keep up with the speed of change in the constantly emerging market environment ? Simone and I discuss the rapid shift to more platform based models and the interconnected thinking that goes with this shift. Designing new platforms, open business models and transitioning to interconnected thinking is vital for both businesses and society and brings with it a new and challenging landscape shaped by different ecosystems that are unpredictable and uncertain.This puts new demands on organisations, and we explore how this thinking can translate for leaders in the C suite, for middle management and for the employee experience more holistically. The shift from institution based governance to network based governance is also key to our discussion, and what it means for organisational design and culture going forward. Simone shares his models, research, and insights on this fast moving topic from working with corporates, start ups and institutions across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Designing new platforms, open business models and transitioning to interconnected, i.e. boundaryless, thinking is vital for both businesses and society and brings with it a new and challenging landscape shaped by different ecosystems that are unpredictable and uncertain.-       This scenario places three essential demands on organisations:1.    To build literacy and capacity; understand a new language, network effects and the market; enable interactions; understand how the Internet and technology have changed the rules of the game2.    To see an organisation as a system of elements; understand the different ecosystems and how they are facilitated; examine the question of shared technology versus proprietary hardware; look at performance critically and develop a portfolio perspective3.    To have ‘skin in the game’: do away with bureaucracy and hierarchy and replace them with small units supported internally by platforms; offer employees incentives to become more entrepreneurial; diversify and move away from silos-       Tools and models for envisaging organisational evolution in three areas where change is required: technological innovation, ecological innovation and the culture of fear.1.    Macro changes in terms of new technology, such as AI and 5G, to enable new departments, new solutions, low-cost options, predictive services; and to empower users2.    Ecological changes, such as those embedded in the biosphere, new regulations and their impact on policies (e.g. zero carbon, circular economies), supply chains and business models (as we have seen with COVID)3.    Changing the culture of fear at geopolitical level; shifting from traditional governance to consensus, localism and regionalisation (e.g. vast differences between China, India, Russia, Brazil, US, Europe, etc.)-       An adequate response to these changes requires different organisational models - regenerative ones that move away from the ‘steady state’, shift power, enable local autonomy and focus on the importance of context.-       A digital market is well represented by ‘Cicero’s triangle’ of longtails (smaller players who can win big and fragment the fast-moving market for ‘big’ players); aggregators (such as Über, Airbnb, Amazon, etc., who allow the market to grow via third-party relationships); infrastructure (modular enablers, scale-dependent)-       Leaders in large organisations must embrace cultural transformation, make the case for their existence, take responsibility for designing change/the system, relinquish control and look at re-embedding in context and communities [‘brands must solve’]-       We must rethink our entire society, e.g. transport, food and energy supply and consumption, sustainability, accountability for wider issues, increase cooperation between organisations and citizen-led groups.-       The future is between ‘no more’ and ‘not yet’ – we must create something different for and in this emergent space, embrace the nexus, accept radical change, be positive players and cease to defend the ‘no more’.-       We must reframe our relationships and relationship systems, face uncertainty head-on systemically and take positive steps to shift from, for example, profits to resilience, growth to sustainability, transactions to emotions.-       We must understand the new rules and engage in new conversations; question technology and assumptions; understand data; favour human development over machine development; experiment; play with ownership and autonomy; and distribute responsibility.

"We’re at a point where we have to ‘multi-solve' & understand the challenge from all possible perspectives"A rich and insightful discussion about the need to rebuild our systems differently using more regenerative models. We discuss how to actually make this a reality in society and organisations today. How can we use different lenses to understand the interconnectedness of the different layers of the ecosystem, and create leaders and an environment that is deliberately developmental ? Building capacity to thrive both at an individual and collective level is key and we dig deeper into how to consciously build emotional and business capacity to navigate uncertainty and the stories we tell ourselves to make meaning of the way forward whether as an individual leader or as a collective community. Graham shares his insights, research and experience in this field from working with corporations, start ups and institutions across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : From a global perspective, we must rebuild to prevent further catastrophic consequences of our actions (e.g. humanitarian and environmental). There are two main elements of building: creating a fundamentally different system, rather than finetuning an existing one; and rebuilding: using the existing valuable elements we have to recreate rather than start from scratch.This difficult process is full of both complementarities and polarities, e.g. disagreement does not equal false and the opposite of truth is not necessarily false, but a different, equally valid, truth. Two fundamentally different concepts can co-exist in a relationship of tension, as is often the case in the  scientific world (such as the dynamic interplay between muscle and bones in legs to provide motion).Responding adequately to a changing situation requires a variety of responses and perspectives (cf. Elizabeth Sawin’s ‘multisolving’). We must see the interrelations between problems and between solutions. Opposites are not mutually exclusive, and a lot depends on the stories we tell ourselves, and how we view them. Systems are dynamic and balance is in a constant state of flux. ‘Multisolutions’ generally offer a far higher ROI.Different ecosystems – internal, interpersonal, organisational, company-level, local economic/social/environmental and global – all contain potential and we must understand all the different parts and how they interrelate. Uncomfortable truths and sensitivity to issues sometimes prevent us from recognising that we must accept and grow ‘the whole’, not diminish it by removing parts of it.We must harness – as opposed to manage - conflict and build the capacity to thrive, beginning with ourselves. Emotional capacity comes from our interpretation of the multiple stories available, leading to greater understanding. Rather than seeing problems that require solutions, why not see them as mysteries to explore and facts to discover.Organisations must choose a model that works for them - beware replication! There is strength in uniqueness. We must think more broadly to bring about change. We must see clearly what is hidden or assumed in order to shape possible and impossible actions in a safe, anti-fragile way.People are complex open systems too. Organisations must examine the interrelations between them and how they can have a knock-on effect. There must be a frame of reference for assessing what is good, bad, true or false, and comparison between data and the frame of reference when making a decision.Bringing the systemic binary approach and the human approach together is complex. For example, if the consumer is boss, this is not evident on an organisation’s orgchart and this particular stakeholder is ‘invisible’. Power is necessary - it ‘gets stuff done’ – but so too is hierarchy, but this must be functional, not ego-driven.The boundary between an organisation and the rest of world is semi-permeable (via consumers). Sometimes investors are the boss, not consumers and organisations are often ‘isolated’ from the bigger picture. We must build a regenerative economy, or at least a circular economy, that gives every capital its place in the whole.If we are miserable working for companies that we feel are harmful to the world at large, be it environmentally or ethically, for example, we can start ‘MacGyvering’: use what we have to hand to address the challenge we face? We mustn’t give up. We must develop our ‘inner psychopath’ and override our feelings to do what is best. What must ask ourselves what the good is that could come out of a bad thing?We must have hope and seek alternatives, also from others. Power and success come from engaging and reincorporating all stakeholders – if everyone is invested in the cause, the outcome will be more positive. Collective power = collective good in a culture of courage, but unfortunately all too often the culture is one of fear or ignorance.We must experiment and suggest things that work elsewhere and are currently worth trying. They may not necessarily be the best, but they are the best we are aware of. Delve deeper into specific concepts to redesign your organisation.Start-ups offer an opportunity to create a whole (new) life for yourself. Develop deliberately developmental practices, whether you are an intra- or entrepreneur.

“Speaking to others is always a privilege….” How to empower voices and communicate with clarity ? Your voice is unique and offers the best way of being yourself…In this episode Murielle and I discuss the importance of rhetoric and its place in leadership today. We discuss silence and the complex history between women and public speaking. The hybrid working environment means that clarity of communication is even more important for leaders, and for empowering both individual and collective voices. How can organisations and leaders work to create an environment where all voices can be heard and help to shorten the complex ‘say gap’ women encounter in organisations. Empowering voices is even more important in a world where we can collaborate virtually, and can sit behind a screen to do so if we prefer. Murielle shares her story, insights, experience and expertise on rhetoric and creating an inclusive academy where learning this skill is open to everyone to find their own excellence. The main insights from this episode are : Speaking to others is always a privilege, yet in France, training in the art of oratory has not traditionally featured highly. Now, however, it is a very important skill: oral examinations carry great weight, and the lack of focus on it is strangely paradoxical.Oratory is the ancient art of speaking well and dates back to ancient Greece and the birth of (direct) democracy, in which individuals had to present and defend themselves publicly. Careful observation of successful outcomes gave rise to practical tools for speaking more efficiently. The art itself and the human reaction to it have not changed, and we still use the 5 canons of rhetoric today - invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery.Each category needs to be mastered yet leaders tend to focus solely on delivery. Rhetoric shows the complexity and completeness of a skill that requires empathy, critical judgement, analysis, non-verbal and paraverbal skills.Clarity of communication is even more important in the hybrid environment. Many people never have a voice even if they have the skills to speak up. Everyone has the right to speak and be heard nowadays but not everyone has access to high-quality training.The Académie collaborates with different partners (e.g. charities, leaders, entrepreneurs, big companies) to give people a voice (e.g. women, deprived children, students, jobseekers) and aims to have social impact by bringing oratory to new territories.There is a complex history between women and public speaking. For 2000 years, speaking in public was about citizenship; women were denied this right and excluded from public life. Claire Mason’s ‘gender say gap’ addresses this issue of women still speaking less than men and being less confident in their ability to do so, in turn deepening the ‘confidence gap’.People must be informed about this history of silence – knowledge is power and can bring about change. But it is ingrained in national and international culture. Organisations are a male culture and leaders do not take on or are not aware of the complex ‘say gap’ problem. The issue needs flagging up at both individual and collective level. Too often when women speak up, they are not heard. Why is this? How do we hear what they say? Why do we hear differently what men and women say?Covid allowed the Toulouse-based Académie to broaden its reach on a national and international stage as it brought new and interesting changes that have led to faster development than anticipated, increasing the opportunities to create impact and empower voices through virtual working.Leaders wanting to empower people to speak up should start by listening - a prerequisite for talking to anyone. Asking a question and listening to the answer is a skill to be honed during a lifetime. Find your own excellence, amplify collective voices and seize opportunities to speak in public. The spoken word is a soft skill with wide appeal - your voice is truly unique and offers the best way of being yourself. 

 “Create the space where people can ask the question “what works for me, what works for us… “An insightful and rich discussion with Julie Hodges around managing and leading organisational change in the post pandemic context. We look at the different elements of change for individuals and teams, how HR must fully engage through out process and how to scale and build capabilities for sustainable, human centred change. How do organisations react to unprecedented, emergent, daunting and unplanned change in the form of Covid? What have we learnt, and what needs to happen to transition to a more inclusive and psychologically safe environment ? Change has continued apace but is now plateauing, providing breathing space for organisations to think about what comes next and how to define the model that’s right for them. Julie shares insights from her research, experience and interactions with leaders and organisations across the globe. The main insights you will get from this episode are : How do organisations react to unprecedented, emergent, daunting and unplanned change in the form of Covid? Change has continued apace but is now plateauing, providing breathing space for organisations to think about what comes next.People must engage with change to make it sustainable and successful; they must be included in decisions and in implementation – what have we learnt? what has worked and what has not? what ideas to people have? will lessons learned be taken on board?The individual aspect of change is very important, the different views, experiences of and responses to change, as well as the team perspective, which is often neglected. Resistance to change is natural when people lack information and/or agency, but this opposition provides an opportunity to listen to concerns and identify areas for improvement.Change heightens sensitivity among employees: is it fair? is it just? how is it dealt with? The process must give managers the space to actively listen, break down an organisation into a team of teams, build capacities and skills and overcome assumptions and reticence. Change is on top of the daily job and is becoming continuous. People need space within their jobs to address, plan and implement change and build capability and skills, both individually and collectively for the benefit of the organisation.Its ongoing nature makes change a funding/resources issue that also requires the ability to lead and manage it, i.e. looking at its impact on front line staff, giving them time to learn, reflect on this learning and build on their skills at a time of uncertainty and complexity.Organisations are struggling as the role of leaders is affected by employees now used to more autonomy working from home. How do we manage people remotely? How does this impact on change? Culture plays a role here with innovative cultures more open to change moving faster to embrace new technology and different ways of working. It is easier to start small and change elements of a culture, e.g. by communicating up and across the organisation, creating space for dialogue and supporting multiple simultaneous (smaller) changes in the form of simple operationalisation for tangible testing. ZOUD (zone of uncomfortable debate) model for complex, hard-to-resolve issues brings them out into the open in a structured way: review the situation, listen and ask open questions, understand what needs to happen, be objective. This requires authenticity, honesty, compassion and empathy over a transactional approach.‘Hilltops’ model facilitates understanding of what people see from their own hilltops, i.e. standpoints. Both models provide a framework for and distance from emotions to address uncomfortable issues. Democratising access to soft(er) skills across the organisation will help change habits and enable transformation.HR must fully engage throughout the organisational change process, and also with changes in the external environment; it must reorientate itself to be transformational rather than transactional, become more relevant, create value and be more stakeholder-focused, both internally and externally.HR must also shift from a personnel approach to a facilitative role, work horizontally across functions, be flexible and develop new capabilities, e.g. digital competence, diagnostics skills, systems thinking, creative agility, intelligent workforce management and data analytics to shape new strategies and solutions, and strike a balance between process and people.

"Are we ready to drop our masks and share our deeper selves ? "Antoinette and I have a rich and fun conversation on Trust, a much used term that everyone has their own definition of. This is clearly not a 'technical' challenge and we explore how to understand the mechanics of trust, inter-dependance & inclusion in organisations. We discuss the skills necessary for a more compassionate and emotional leadership style, and the power of the present moment. How could this play out in the different HR systems and processes if we deliberately designed systems for trust ? Can we use this to unlock potential as we move into a more interconnected workplace where care and compassion trump competition and individual performance? Antoinette shares her research, experience and wealth of insights on this complex subject and shares her thoughts and insights on the place of trust in the digital workplace. The main insights you will get from this episode are : Trust is key to creating a better working environment but is not easy to define. It has three components: how you show up, how others believe you show up, and the space between the two (i.e. the quality of the relationship).To trust is to take a leap of faith, seen as ‘touch-feely’ in the business world, which is problematic in the workplace given that feelings are not spoken about. It is these human aspects, however, that will keep us relevant in an increasingly technological world.Trust means demonstrating vulnerability, integrity, compassion and the ability to ask for help and allow intimacy; we must understand compassion and what it means and understand that we are not independent but interdependent.A company’s success is not down to the CEO but to everyone who shared ideas and created synergy. Individual leaders can work on their own vulnerability but how can this be scaled up? How do we operationalise the subject of trust?Existing HR/leadership systems are essentially based on distrust (e.g. competition, individual performance evaluations). Evidence shows that it is not possible to measure individual knowledge in an environment and that evaluations contain more biases than truths.We must work on learning to understand team performance, which requires leadership, accountability and courageous conversations. All instruments and crutches should be stripped away to allow trust to form; leadership training should not be about tools.HR should see everyone as ‘human’ and a ‘talent’, not simply a resource. Inclusive talent management will help provide what might be needed in the future. Everyday microlearning is not always obvious but leaders must ask questions and use strength-based approaches.COVID has provided a reason to be more radical and make changes to garner competitive advantage and retain talent. This mandates a humanist approach that fosters inclusion and diversity as a means to change systems and mindsets.The post-pandemic landscape leaves an unknown (work)space to be defined but trust must be created. The hybrid work model will hopefully make presenteeism and ‘toxic bosses’ a thing of the past as people will leave an organisation they do not trust.We must discuss technology and how we use it to serve the human good; it should not exploit humans or extract their knowledge. We must compensate for the challenges it presents by overinvesting in trust.It also raises ethical questions and makes leaders’ jobs more difficult as machines are not always right. Smart machines and AI highlight our failings when it comes to understanding trust at even the most basic level, which could have dystopian consequences.We must ask the right questions, experiment, measure outcomes, and try to find the right technical adaptive solution that allows connection on a human level and encourages us to sit with and cultivate our feelings (= mindfulness and compassion).Leaders looking to understand the mechanics of trust must work on trustability and focus their organisations on learning and collaboration. We should all try to make society more caring and compassionate as differences and privileges will remain among us.We need contextual eco-leadership that brings about a shift from ego to eco (both across society and within organisations) and chooses vulnerability over bravado. The dire need for this is evident in the current trust crisis, which demonstrates high levels of distrust, particularly at CEO level.

“One of the greatest gifts we can give to another person is to listen, and not to respond, just to hear”Brid and I have an inspiring and rich conversation on mental health in the workplace. We discuss how this translates for individuals and for organisations: how can they stay connected on a human level, what reflexes and habits are being developed and how these conversations are being tackled by leaders. COVID brought this subject centre stage and forced us to look at our own responsibility in being well but also what culture is needed to sustain an open exchange in the workplace. Brid shares her wealth of experience and some tangible, simple techniques that we can use to develop our own reflexes and help the organisation develop a culture to normalise conversations around mental health and well being. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : We must build a culture of mental wellbeing and change the conversation in organisations to normalise discussion surrounding mental health by asking people what they need and offering help – even simple solutions such as stepping out of office for 10 minutes to regain perspective or slowing the pace down to allow people to just ‘be’. Wellbeing is about ‘being’ well, not ‘doing’ well but it is much easier to measure what we do than it is to measure how well we are. There should be a private and psychologically safe space in which to have conversations, display emotions and ask difficult questions. COVID brought the issue of ‘being well’ at work to the fore as a result of anxiety, fear, logistical problems, existential worries, stress, constant change and isolation. It has changed working models and working hours, which have become less rigid and more flexible due to complicated home lives, and this in turn has increased productivity overall. Staying well means staying connected (pre- and post-COVID). The current hybrid work model looks at how to avoid isolation, e.g. by rotating office time amongst all employees to have different people connecting on different days. The ‘new situation’ requires new ideas as well skills and techniques: we must learn, use and one these skills until they become second nature (like learning to drive) and part of our daily practice. Like our dental health, our mental health too requires a small amount of attention every day.The relentless working day calls for simple and effective techniques such as conscious breathing to calm the sympathetic nervous system, reduce the heart rate, relax muscles, etc. Other simple practices that can be helpful include mindfulness, talking therapies, speaking openly and honestly, expressing feelings and listening to understand not to respond. Practical advice includes taking exercise (to release endorphins), eating healthily, sleeping well, meditation (to rest the mind), offsetting stress with pleasure (finding small things that bring you joy every day), finding closeness (we are relational beings), achievement.We must develop our own individual reflexes; even in large organisations, everything is a choice and comes down to individual responsibility. How do we react to negative emotions at work? Managers can initiate and carefully frame a conversation with someone they might be concerned about to enable the person to feel safe enough to speak up and open up.

“We all need to manage our emotions and climb over the 2 biggest inhibitors of learning : ego and fear”A rich, fun and inspiring conversation with Ed where we discuss hyper-learning and how humans can stay relevant in today’s interconnected workplaces.  The digital age will not tolerate a lack of emotion, and as technology and AI will be ubiquitous, so the performance of humans (and their emotions) will be the differentiator. We must develop skills to add this value that technology cannot: thinking differently, creatively, imaginatively and critically, exploring, discovering and making moral judgements. Ed and I explore the need to replace the existing compare and compete with one of care & collaboration. All leaders need to have self-mastery of their inner peace to enable meaningful conversations and allow collective intelligence & flow to impact both the business and the people results. Ed shares his wealth of knowledge, experience, research and insights with us, particularly on hyper learning and how leaders all over the globe can master inner peace and collectively humanise the workplace. The main insights you'll get from this episode are: Hyper learning is about adapting to the speed of change with high-quality and consistent learning, unlearning and relearning. Technology is creating new knowledge increasingly quickly and humans must (try to!) keep up. It will change how we live and work and will require us to constantly update, presenting a major learning challenge.We must keep pace with digital change by embracing a new and different type of workplace to encourage learning by adding an emotional layer to organisational culture. We must develop skills to add the value that technology cannot: thinking differently, creatively, imaginatively and critically, exploring, discovering and making moral judgements.In the near future, our USP will be the ability to emotionally connect with other human beings and channel positive emotions to enable learning. Some jobs will remain human, such as those that involve problem-solving and hands-on dexterity, but automation will ultimately affect every profession.Leaders must believe and commit to cultural, behavioural and process change by giving a compelling answer to the question of ‘why?’. Digital transformation requires people transformation and leaders must role model new behaviours accordingly, such as mastery of self. To excel in the digital age means improving our ability to learn and collaborate. Teamwork is essential and a competitive workplace must become a trusting and caring workplace. The top strategic differentiator in the digital age will be the quality of conversations in the digital workplace to optimise the collective intelligence of the group. We are suboptimal learners and efficient thinkers who seek confirmation of what we believe. Instead, we should be open to the world, look for disconfirming information, defer judgement, ask questions, seek to understand each other and step away from our conscious minds to spark emergent thinking that can have transformative results. The move from ego to eco, from individual to collective is a lifelong learning journey. The notion of compare and compete must be replaced with one of collaboration, whereby we work towards an idea meritocracy that showcases human dignity and respect with no intentional harm or humiliation. Humanising the workplace involves collective flow and opens a gateway to the highest levels of creative and critical thinking. People must invest at an individual level: listen effectively, manage their emotions and remain openminded. Flow by definition is full immersion, and so collective flow is even more powerful. Scientific research on collective intelligence shows that the most effective collaborative teams are all-female, hopefully motivating men to change their behaviour. The digital age will not tolerate a lack of emotion, and as technology and AI will be ubiquitous, so the performance of humans (and their emotions) will be the differentiator.  COVID brought emotions into the workplace but this is sadly counteracted by ‘shecession’. So how can emotional literacy be maintained in the workplace? A diverse workforce and leadership and HR functions that deal proactively with human emotions will see the development of humans alongside that of the core business.There should be agreement on collective behaviour and treatment, metrics for behaviour, rigorous rules of engagement on behaviour, and a shift in mentality and culture. Female CEOs are predicted to dominate in future so humanising the workplace is essential for survival.A learning culture is based on humility, awareness, otherness, communication, and engagement with others – which all require psychological safety. Tangible results take time and the process is ongoing, but it benefits business and improves interpersonal relationships across the board.Leaders must consider expert predictions and ask themselves: what is my duty to this organisation? To the world? To society? To our customers? Am I creating the right story? Am I looking after the health of the business and our employees? In short: we must ‘be’ human, not ‘do’ human.

“Our thinking creates reality and the status quo continuously exerts a gravitational pull backwards”In this weeks episode of let's talk Mike and I discuss thinking differently and taking a more holistic approach to transformation. We discuss how thinking creates our reality and the importance of understanding our own mental models. Organisations must both 'learn' lessons from the pandemic and then 'unlearn' to take the opportunity to redefine leadership and culture. We must be prepared and be present: present to the organisational system, the human system and the market ecosystem to observe emerging trends and respond quickly to beat competitors. Listening to and empathising with the different pieces of your organisational and human system puzzle will empower people to think and work differently.Mike shares his wealth of experience and insight on this topic from working on breakthrough thinking with global leaders and organisations around the world.The main insights you will get from this episode are : A holistic approach to transformation requires breakthrough thinking to free the future from the shackles of the past. Thinking represents the human system within an organisation and getting into an organisation’s DNA helps to change the way people think by encouraging them to understand their mental models and think beyond them. The context is decisive, regardless of the brilliant systems and processes that may be in place. We must be able to see what is possible and nurture a human environment that allows us to create the next brilliant thing. Our thinking creates reality, and the status quo exerts a gravitational pull backwards.We must look to the future, not the past, and this is particularly relevant post-pandemic: what does the future look like and how will organisations navigate it? COVID required us to ‘enter’ each other’s homes and allowed us to laugh, show empathy, be more open and willing to show vulnerability.Organisations that are trying to be more innovative, to take risks, be agile, empowered, etc. must understand why they are doing it. We must reimagine work and leadership: ‘unboss’, so that everyone can understand their purpose (with the help of their leaders). The role of purpose is crucial, and the questions ‘why are we doing all this?’ and ‘what is it for?’ must be answered. This taps in to a rich vein given that the pandemic has made us more humanistic – it is time for the corporate world to embrace people’s full selves.Organisations must learn lessons from the pandemic: how to anticipate the future and not simply revert to type, which would be a waste of a huge opportunity. They must be prepared and be present: observe emerging trends and respond quickly to beat competitors. Leaders need the ability to unlearn and escape the gravitational pull of success or past experience. Likewise, the ego must be quietened in order to both learn from others and learn how to fail fast. New leadership models comprise planners, visionaries, architects, coaches and catalysts and rely not only on a bold and non-restrictive vision, but also on a system that evolves, challenges preconceptions, unlocks people’s potential and catalyses change.Storytelling is helpful in describing the many different facets of an organisation, e.g. using animal analogies – a wise owl, a resilient elephant, a curious monkey, a fiercely loyal lion –most organisations are a mixture of all of these. Storytelling is contextual, non-threatening and relatable. People are empowered but organisations often take their power away – we must remind them of their power and create the conditions for them to unleash it quickly if organisations are to survive for the long term.‘Baggage’ can be an obstacle to progress and buzzwords are off-putting. We must make themes understandable and listen to all system voices, not just the loudest. We must break through cultural barriers and leaders must see the organisation as a reflection of themselves. Leaders must take full responsibility and create a real vision - have a crazy idea, ask hypothetical questions to challenge assumptions, take bold action, have future-conscious conversations and generate momentum for change. 

"Inclusive leadership is hard, and it's a journey..but one that is incredibly worthwhile"In this week's episode of let's talk Gianna and I have a fun and rich discussion on what inclusive leadership actually means, and how the pandemic has influenced this subject. We discuss how leaders can use inclusive leadership to create sustainable change and a more equitable and collaborative environment where all voices are heard. Such ‘deep democracy’ brings with it challenging growth and development work for leaders. We need to lean in to the discomfort, and forge ahead to achieve growth based on kindness and empathy for improved performance and well being. Gianna shares her wealth of experience and insight with us on the challenges and successes of translating inclusive leadership into an operational reality. The main insights you will get from this episode are : As the bridge between employees and employer, innovative HR leaders should foster collaboration and inclusion to create a more equitable workplace - inclusive leadership means leading everyone in the organisation, being aware of your own inclinations and biases and pursuing an active process of intentionally engaging people with different perspectives2020 was seismic in many regards (specifically in the US with racial injustices and political unrest) and these ‘multiple pandemics’ all served to accelerate inclusive leadership with consciousness, which can be a painful process The unfortunate ‘shecession’, whereby many women left the workforce, has made sustainable inclusion more important than ever; tangible initiatives in this regard include employee-led councils for diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging, and making an organisation accountable (through statistics and data on inclusion) An employee led council with regular meetings of employees from all across an organisation to discuss different topics to take stock of how the organisation is doing is key; they come up with suggestions, constantly revisit topics and have access to senior leadership to pitch their ideas Such ‘deep democracy’ brings with it challenging growth and development work for leaders; taking a stark look in the mirror can be both positive and negative but senior leaders must see where improvements are neededShortcomings can be tackled with actions and tangible results, such as internal and external workshops, creating a shared language and a safe space for unexpressed feelings, building the EQ muscle of the organisation HR’s role in this slow-paced, very intentional process is to help create an environment, an forum and a platform for dialogue and to champion continuous learning; employee-led models will vary but they must always begin by listening, identifying needs, empowering employees and acting on ideas and suggestionsHR must elevate the importance of inclusive leadership to increase the feeling of belonging in order for people to feel seen, heard and valued; it is important to give everyone the same foundation of education and understanding and to invest in people’s growth as humansThe biggest challenge is making the business case to senior leadership and creating engagement by providing KPIs to underpin D&I efforts; every organisation must define D&I for itself, lean in to the discomfort and forge ahead to achieve growth based on kindness and empathy Tools such as surveys, workgroups, etc. should be used to inform and be informed across the entire organisation: do not fear failure, be authentic and make ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I’m still learning’ part of everyone’s vocabulary