Let's talk Transformation : The business leaders podcast

"One of the top four drivers of happiness at work is the freedom to take opportunities .. happiness is what your heart needs, engagement is what your brain needs "A fun conversation with Matt about what happiness actually is, what it means for employee engagement and how we can intentionally leverage our own sense of happiness. Emotions are generally not spoken about in the workplace but wearing social masks and inhibiting emotions prevents flow and thus performance, and we sophisticatedly disguise/block our emotions using an emotional deflector field.How can business leaders use data/data science to shift organisational culture? How can technology enable a more human centred approach in organisations ?  The Happiness Index platform looks at the entire EX and allows the company to listen to the employees; it provides an unfiltered view for larger companies to visualise culture and interrogate data.What could this insight leverage for both employees, leaders and businesses if it was intentionally followed and used for understanding the flow of motivation, performance and well being? Matt shares his experience, stories and research from working with over a 100 countries and thousands of leaders across the globe. The main insights you will get from this episode are : -       Happiness consists of joy (fluctuating feeling) and eudaimonia (underlying feeling of how happy you are, spirit) and unlocks the freedom to be human and take opportunities, which is one of the top four drivers for happiness at work.-       Data backs up the neuroscience of happiness: happiness is what the heart needs and engagement is what the brain needs – when employee engagement and happiness are aligned, they achieve the right balance, e.g. happy at home/in life = happy at work.-       The analogy of a car is useful to illustrate the difference between engagement and happiness: engagement is the sat nav (direction, clarity, purpose of journey), and happiness depends on who is in the car with you (relationships).-       There are cultural differences in terms of the happiness index data, e.g. engagement is more westernised, whereas happiness is more global – a human emotion we all experience – and there are different interpretations of it and comfort levels in terms of talking about it.-       In both Canada and the US, the first driver of employee engagement is positive relationships, but the second driver differs: in the US it is clarity (engagement metric), and in Canada it is feelings of acknowledgement.-       In the US, a business case is required to discuss the happiness index, but this is not the case in Denmark, where there is a concept known as arbejdsglæde meaning ‘work happiness’ - in some cultures, the scientific question of ’what makes you happy?’ is perceived as too personal and a reluctance to have conversations can be a huge barrier.  -       There are three sources of happiness: flow, meanings and pleasure, all preceded by emotions, e.g. the difference between feeling anger and lashing out - we cannot ignore the emotion and positive relationships require sharing both positive and negative emotions.-       Emotions are generally not spoken about in the workplace but wearing social masks and inhibiting emotions prevents flow and thus performance - we sophisticatedly disguise/block our emotions using an emotional deflector field.-       Purpose and psychological safety feature in the top eight drivers of happiness but number one is positive relationships – this is more difficult remotely, but not impossible - after all, where there’s a will there’s a way, and companies must adapt, unlearn and be creative.-       Companies should have a test-and-learn culture, experiment with a variety of ‘ingredients’ and assemble them to produce the right dish for bespoke tastes; CEOs must have a vision for the dish - how it will look, taste and be experienced – and care about it.-       Most leaders were successful pre-pandemic and have their own bias when it comes to thinking about the future of work, but their personal data is outdated and they must step back, ask the right questions and let things emerge in hybrid environments.-       How can business leaders use data/data science to shift organisational culture? The HI platform looks at the entire EX and allows the company to listen to the employees; it provides an unfiltered view for larger companies to visualise culture and interrogate data.-       ‘Thriving’ often means competitive in reality – when engagement is high and happiness is low there is competitiveness; when happiness is high and engagement is low there is a lack of focus, so both are needed for a thriving environment.-       Brands need to be transparent about their culture and tech platforms provide objective data to drive culture change; companies cannot afford to miss out on employees who might leave and do their own thing instead of bringing innovation in house.-       Retaining happy/engaged staff affects the bottom line, reduces recruitment costs and lowers attrition rates - asking ‘what makes us happy?’ is an important question that can be used as a basis for planning a business.

"We can't have the benefits of a diverse & vibrant company without acknowledging when it gets hard...Everett and I delve into the leadership of global business and societal issues and the need to constantly navigate uncertainty, and solve complex problems creatively. This starts with leading from within first and foremost. How do we navigate when we don't know the answer ? How do we do 'sense making' in order to create the conditions for systems to thrive ? How do we create the system and emotional infrastructure to scale the new practices or products we want to adopt ? We often fail to solve complex problems because we have forgotten the human aspect...and not knowing what to say or do is an innately human reaction to uncertainty and it's sometimes hard.We need to master both interior and exterior practices to sustain and lead complex systems Everett shares his experience, personal stories and research from both building his own businesses and supporting businesses all over the globe to shift their mindset and move to their edge for more inclusive and sustainable businesses. The main insights you will get from this episode are : -       ‘Moving to the edge’ means navigating when not knowing the answer, an uncomfortable place to be but leaders should always do something, even if it’s saying ‘I don’t know’ - others are relieved to see leaders as human.-       ‘Declaring it center’ means understanding how to create a system to scale the new practice you want. Creating a transition giving rise to new skills and processes to prevent innovations dying on the vine due to a lack of infrastructure - we must create systems to scale, share and sustain them.-       Critical systems thinking is required for complex issues, but there is a difference between complex and complicated problems: complex problems involve unknown or unpredictable interactions; complicated problems involve well-known interactions.-       Interior and exterior practices are necessary to deal with complex problems: exterior practices involve different ways of dealing with problems, e.g. premortems; interior practices require internal alignment to apply frameworks correctly.-       We often fail to solve complex problems because we have forgotten the human aspect – we all have blind spots and the opinions of those closest to the problem must be factored into the decision-making process.-       When it comes to evolution in technology, we must take care not to code bias into AI and machines - with deep democracy, innovation is at the edges and those voices must be heard at meetings that are inclusive.-       There must be constant iteration to get better: as a pioneer of remote working, all-hands meetings at Truss are not in one room so it is important to have quick feedback loops - it is easy just not to get started, but the goal is to keep going.-       Originally from the agile world but applicable to many scenarios, regular retrospectives are a useful tool for learning - what went well? what didn’t go well? Both must be discussed in a blameless environment in order to learn.-       We should take a more systemic approach to problem-solving by starting with information gathering rather than an answer or a plan: optimization based on hypothesis enables rapid adaptation through curiosity and compassion instead of planning and linear thinking.-       Having experience of sport brings to leadership an understanding of losing, taking responsibility, having to carry on regardless, dealing with embarrassment/shame or a disappointed/demotivated teammate.-       Similarly, it is important to understand purpose – if we know why we are doing something, we won’t quit, we will relax and enjoy it, thereby improving our performance and resulting in success: the goal is to align with the purpose to produce results.-       Practicing at the edge and training hard to be able to make decisions at the edge means we can then move forward where others can’t by intentionally exercising the ‘edge’ muscle – we must transition from the mastery of craft to the mastery of self.-       Our imaginal selves pass through dark places along the way - it is easy to just keep going without rest, but recovery is essential to high performance. This can be a lonely place filled with existential questions, scary yet exciting.-       We must seek support for doubts and ask for help and guidance earlier and more often; we should all take a few minutes to ponder on something we don’t know the answer to and see what feelings come up.-       Being self-aware and taking a counterfactual approach – ‘trying on’ decisions as a powerful tool to learn from an imagined future and mitigate in the present in order to cultivate strong decision-making.

"We have an almost unlimited capacity to deny data that doesn't fit with our own view. It is therefore important to master the constant paradox of facts and feelings. "Why do we so often fail to lead and sustain transformational change ? All transformation is change, but not all change is transformational. Ian and I discuss the power of us : 200 voices in under 200 pages - how does this contribute to getting the right recipe for sustainable and transformational change ? There is wisdom in the collective, which allows leaders to scale change together with others who share the same purpose and passion. There is no need to necessarily change everything, as some leaders try to do, but it is about anticipating where possible and building ‘as you go’. The secret sauce is simple in ingredients and complex to implement because it is about constantly navigating human and business polarities and complexity. This is the capacity of a system to shape its future and nudge both people and processes towards a more innovative and agile culture. Ian shares his experience, thoughts and research from the Consortium For Change on working with leaders and businesses across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Ingredients of the secret sauce:o  spirit of abundance: learn from and share with other people to create a wealth of information for the collective benefit with a huge spill over effect for leading transformational change – this is fundamental for success.o  from what to what: learn from life and experience (e.g. trauma, bereavement, life-changing events); it is the most important question to ask when driving large-scale change – what is the start and end point?o  the beauty of ‘and’: master paradoxes and reconcile polarities - facts and feelings, data and humans, speed and rhythm (of change), listen to what is and isn’t being said.-       There is wisdom in the collective, which allows leaders to scale change together with others who share the same purpose and passion. There is no need to necessarily change everything, as some leaders try to do, it is about anticipating where possible and building ‘as you go’.-       Leaders should demonstrate love and respect for those who influence and those who resist and not marginalise or ignore people. Covid shows that plans can be sent off course and we need the capacity to figure it out on the fly as part of managing uncertainty.-       The evolution of the workforce and the workplace sees future work as work without jobs - bite-sized, ‘nugget-ised’, not salaried, AI, robotics – and a smorgasbord for leaders to both select from and compile. Disruption brings new opportunities and up-/re-/new skilling should not have a negative connotation.-       Personal definition of transformational change is deriving a benefit from many different perspectives - completely rethinking the what, why, who, how, when and where. There should be a dramatic yet sustainable improvement in or the survival of something or something (at whatever level, i.e. personal, individual, company, societal).-       ‘Pizzanalogy’: a huge global industry from humble ancient beginnings with a multitude of shapes, sizes, toppings, crusts, cheeses, preparation styles, outlets, sauces - entails constant repositioning and reimagining to be relevant, despite being traditional. In a company setting, it prompts the question: what long-standing practices might be jeopardising the ability to see the need to rethink something? -       Do’s and don’ts for leaderso  don’t make people feel stupid or disloyal if they resist or ask questions; healthy scepticism is good.o  don’t ignore data that doesn’t reinforce views – start with the truth and reality.o  do address if it’s true that people hate change: they hate failure more so couch the context of change in ‘winning’ to persuade them of the value of change and help make it happen.o  do seek to navigate uncertainty and manage polarities.o  do understand the importance of surrounding yourself with other people that are closer to the problem or circumstance that calls for change – you can’t know everything all the time.

"..as with any technology, the question must always be: is the decision to be made good for humanity?"A fun conversation with @JeremyWilliams around the bridge between technology and human, as we explore the blockchain landscape. We journey through use cases and understanding of how blockchain will change business and the way humans do business in the future. The fact that blockchain is immutable brings with it in-built trust, accountability and a lever for more transparent governance and decision making. We explore the idea of blockchain as a lever for culture change, and the potential positive impact on human systems. Leaders must educate themselves, understand the basics of blockchain and look to leverage the technology in their organisation. How do companies, particularly hyper growth companies, decide what to focus on ?How can this technology help to create a more equitable and regenerative model for organisations and indeed society as a whole ? Jeremy shares his insights and experience from his own career and from supporting clients across the globe in bringing together blockchain technology and emotional intelligence. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Blockchain can disrupt the globalised world by decentralising governance and changing structures at both country and company level, moving into a world for the many governed by the many, not the few. -       Bitcoin (stemming from a white paper in 2008), a cryptocurrency, is the first successful use case of blockchain technology, which has 3 core elements: it is decentralised, transparent and immutable.-       There is no lack of trust as data and transaction records are permanent. Other blockchain use cases are for supply chain and financial purposes (e.g. to replace the SWIFT global banking system and send value across the world with no loss of currency). -       Blockchain furthermore offers security (hacks are only of centralised exchanges, not the blockchains themselves), advanced cryptography (allows the third party to be removed from a transaction), and accountability.-       Third parties such as banks must decide where they add value, given that users own the private keys to bitcoin wallets, and are now starting to offer storage for such private keys using advanced technology, thus pivoting their business model.-       For organisations, this private key technology means a private, efficient and secure blockchain to which users (stakeholders, suppliers, etc.) are invited, fostering trust in the ecosystem.-       Thus blockchain is a lever for culture change and has a positive impact on human systems as a relationship between the people and the technology - technology will be very different in years to come but not so people.-       Tech-savvy millennials are moving into positions of power, bringing with them a shift in mindset; some companies focus on emotional intelligence and human aspects, others – hypergrowth companies – on technology, and this is a difficult balance to strike.-       The complexity of systems is difficult to manage. For example, the metaverse – a great use case for blockchain technology - is yet to be defined but essentially merges the virtual gaming world with reality; we have ‘game-ified’ blockchain technology.-       Luxury brands are active in this space, creating virtual shops for their clients to experience personal shopping; training/onboarding in the metaverse too will be short, dynamic, engaging and interactive in the form of videos, microlearning, etc.-       NFTs (non-fungible tokens) will ‘token-ise’ training for the purposes of engagement and loyalty. This is world-changing technology, the next layer of the internet, and a company’s competitive advantage will be how they develop their talent.-       If we outsource mundane tasks to technology, we can invest time in human tasks, such as meeting people or designing products, add value and remain relevant. AI avatars of ourselves in sync with our real personality and skills will work in the metaverse and earn tokens for us to spend in the real world.-       In terms of super AI, the question must always be: is the decision to be made good for humanity? We must ensure that the technology benefits the users. It is very powerful technology but subject to politics, which will determine whether it succeeds or not.-       Leaders must educate themselves, understand the basics of blockchain and look to leverage the technology in their organisation; clients will ask about it and leaders must be able to engage. Sandbox learning for blockchain technology means starting with small changes and looking at the pros and cons of use cases in particular environments.

"nobody can "demand respect", because respect has to be earned, but everyone can demand to be treated with dignity.. "Great conversation with Donna as we explore the concept of dignity and how to put it into words and actions. Donna underlines the power of giving a label to profoundly emotional human reactions that are impossible to articulate in difficult/conflict situations. Using the right language legitimises suffering, opens doors for understanding and starts discussions.Leaders must understand that Dignity is our highest common denominator. We need to acknowledge that we are worthy no matter what, and we that need the emotional infrastructure to ensure that we can survive negative experiences, atone for mistakes and recover from violation and violating others' dignity. Humanity/dignity is a level playing field yet sadly shame and fear form the basis of much organisational culture, and there is not necessarily a place for emotions, vulnerability or compassion. Here dignity skills are required for building a safe environment and leaders need to understand how this can help to create a more inclusive workplace, and create a whole new paradigm of empowerment. Donna shares her insights, research and experience from working with Dignity and the dignity model with leaders across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are :  This approach is applicable to and resonates in all arenas; dignity is the highest common denominator of humans, who all want to be treated as something of value - indeed, the ‘D’ in DE&I could just as well stand for dignity as we should all treat each other with dignity.Dignity, and the assaulting thereof, gives a label to profoundly emotional human reactions that are impossible to articulate in difficult/conflict situations - using the right language legitimises suffering, opens doors and starts discussions.Mandela consciousness – nobody can be stripped of their dignity, we are the guardians of our own dignity and it unifies us. The biggest dignity violators are those who have been violated the most.We must understand that we are worthy no matter what; we need the emotional infrastructure to ensure that we survive negative experiences, atone for mistakes and recover from violation and violating others.There is a fundamental difference between dignity and respect: we cannot ‘demand’ respect (it should be earned), but we can ‘demand’ to be treated as a human being (we can learn it).As dignity-conscious people, we require the 3 c’s: connection to our own dignity, connection to others’ dignity, connection to something greater than ourselves that gives life meaning.Leaders must frame these connections for employees for an organisation to have dignity too, but there is often a disconnect between these three connections in organisations - everyone should be able to connect regardless of their position in the organisation.There are ten elements of dignity: accepting identity, fairness, independence, recognition, acknowledgement, understanding, safety, accountability, inclusion, benefit of the doubt.-       80% of people said safety was the most violated element in the workplace – they don’t speak up when something bad happens, they ‘suck up’ dignity violations and can’t be their authentic selves.There are dignity skills required for a safe environment: being able to speak up and give / receive feedback skilfully – humans have a biological aversion to feedback and we must take the shame out of it by using disarming language and practicing delivery.We all have blind spots and feedback is a learning opportunity that should be seen as positive, not negative, to help leaders in a workplace move from self-reflection to self-correction.Humanity/dignity is a level playing field yet sadly shame and fear form the basis of much organisational culture – problems often stem from bad policy, therefore the executive leadership team must be on board for the dignity conversation.   Leadership starts on the inside to be able to help others – leaders must have the courage, strength and vulnerability to ask for and receive feedback to get to the truth.Dignity wounds are felt and experienced by the brain in the same way as physical injuries yet are often implicitly allowed – this is a very powerful message and a very persuasive argument.Both systemic and interpersonal acknowledgement is vital - organisations have an emotional infrastructure too and reconciliation requires the acknowledgement of suffering, even by a party other than the perpetrator; intervention can also help.The latest cutting-edge research is looking at how to (objectively) measure progress in and the presence of dignity in the workplace, as quantification of such metrics is still required.

"we always try to do everything, but we must let go, and look at how we occupy the present moment"Steve and I delve into his model of different depths of practice and the idea of unfoldment to learn to navigate complexity more effectively. Taking a more holistic and integrated ecology of coaching practice to open up channels of wisdom and looking at the different ways human beings have learnt to grow, individually and collectively. As we move into a more connected and digital world we see ourselves as humans in "technological terms", to be ‘upgraded’ or ‘fixed’ through self improvement. This however is often at the cost of our humanity. How can we shift from this to a different and more human centred paradigm. What if we didn't need to be 'fixed' but rather to 'let go' and let ourselves 'unfold' ?Improvement is often driven by assessment, evoking resistance and anxiety, and triggering emotions and defences as we are asked to fit in rather than belong; self-unfoldment helps us navigate complexity.Steve shares his experience, methodology and insights from working with clients and organisations across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : A holistic coaching method to face unprecedented challenges, particularly post-Covid – an integrated ecology of coaching practice, next-generation coaching, and a variety of methodologies and philosophies to make it more accessible.Powerful coaching is like a great work of art - it reveals the profound wonder of being human, very important in a digital world – the Aletheia method is based on unfoldment and a curiosity to learn more.Attunement - of which there are two types, technical and poetic - is the key to shifting between self-improvement and self-unfoldment. Self-improvement prevails in our global culture: we want to feel competent but often start from a feeling of deficiency. Self-unfoldment is based on the premise that nothing is missing, we just need to find it.The philosopher Martin Heidegger saw how the view of technology was overtaking the view of being human - we see ourselves as humans in technological terms, to be ‘upgraded’ or ‘fixed’, but at the cost of our humanity.He suggested attuning to the world more poetically: what do we feel, in our body, in our life? This allows deeper self-discovery but is a huge shift, particularly in organisations as everything is based on performance. Improvement is often driven by assessment, evoking resistance and anxiety, and triggering emotions and defences as we are asked to fit in rather than belong; self-unfoldment helps us navigate complexity.We all operate at different depths. If we can find a way of moving fluidly between different depths, we can change the conversation and see powerful results. There are four depths:1. Depth of parts: everything is seen as separate, outwardly and inwardly; a partial view. The Aletheia method is about parts work: make the parts feel seen and understood, loved and valued as they are. This naturally leads to the next level of ….2. Depth of process: experiencing the fluid flow of felt experience; a more embodied depth; feeling relatedness. Relational intelligence is necessary for high performing leaders to be present with people (a felt sense of what’s happening between people).3. Depth of presence: a sense of wholeness; I am equal to what is happening in life; I can meet this moment as it is; I can navigate through it; I have the human virtues required, e.g. love, perseverance, compassion, inner strength, humility, patience.4. Depth of non-duality: non-separation; a sense of shared humanity in a spiritually profound way; if we relax our defences, we land more in relationship with each other - we often live on the surface of life.How does depth change inclusion? Group unfoldment is intricately linked to group leadership – we must create the conditions to allow natural unfoldment. We don’t always need to go deep as the surface can provide helpful insights.The poetry of humanness in terms of D&I is understanding differences, prejudices, triggers, and powerful conversations to have impactful results. Inclusion is about where we are the same and where we are different, all based on compassion.Psychological safety is essential; it is too easy for people to feel misunderstood and not valued for who they are. This reflects the relationship most of us have with ourselves, always under pressure to be a better version of who we are.All parts have a positive intention: we must try and understand how we try to help, protect ourselves/the organisation but behaviour often doesn’t fulfil or even sabotages the intention- we must acknowledge the good intention.We try to do everything but must let go - micro-practices move the momentum in a different direction, away from overwhelm. We must look at how we occupy the present moment(s) throughout the day, to which we can always return.Things we seek, e.g. more fulfilling relationships, relaxation, are available to us right now if we can look to poetic attunement. We should aim for self-acceptance - ironically the most powerful way to transform ourselves – as a first step towards self-compassion.Find out more about Steve's work here : https://integralunfoldment.com/

"There is no point in embracing agile unless you know what problem you’re trying to solve”We now live in a complex world and we’ve got to be able to operate in a different way to stay competitive, and every context is different but everyone is facing similar challenges. Natal and I delve into Agile HR and how it is evolving in the more hybrid workplace. Agility is inextricably linked to digital and transformation strategy and we need to modernise and enrich the employee experience, add value, demonstrate impact, and take a multiskilled approach to solving complex problems. Organisations need to unpick legacy (IT and human legacy) and build a more agile mindset and ways of working to be more constructively disruptive. Agile doesn’t need to be called “agile” but it does need to be anchored in understanding of the overall business purpose and create the environment and leadership for the system and the culture to adapt accordingly. Natal shares her insights and experience from working with businesses big and small across the globe on defining the best approach to stay competitive and constantly meet customer’s evolving needs. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Agile HR for the 21st century must ensure that a company is great place to work and enable business agility through people practices – understanding where business is at and dealing with complexity and constant change.-       Agility is inextricably linked to strategy in terms of transformation and digitisation and HR must lead by example – modernise and enrich the employee experience, add value, demonstrate impact, and take a multiskilled approach to solving complex problems.-       The Agile manifesto cites people before process – HR must follow best practice, transpose talent frameworks and understand the context: examples can be borrowed but each company must have its own system/approach that can adapt and evolve.-       Agile tools don’t work without an agile mindset/culture (cf. Simon Powers’ 3 beliefs: complexity, people, proactive) but this can be a chicken-or-egg scenario, e.g. if a company’s purpose requires agility with regard to reskilling the workforce or changing the supply chain.-       Everyone faces the same problems, such as disrupted markets and a drive towards business agility, but agility must be individualised: change management, project management and consulting (one size fits all, top-down) must be replaced by continuous evolution.-       Disruption is the reality, but measurement is still necessary although targets will change and may be wrong. Agile HR should use a tracking/understanding dashboard and data-driven decisions to see both the bigger picture and the crossover between HR and other functions.-       Job descriptions no longer define one particular skillset or role, and agile organisational design must bring people together in a multiskilled way to solve problems as they arise by scaling up and down within the network, understanding different capabilities and gaps.-       A T-shaped approach provides the general capability to navigate different business scenarios with specialisms where required; T-shaped teams can undertake multiple projects with a combined collection of specialised skills to provide more stability.-       Company-wide, there must be a good understanding of how to use skills, offer holistic career development and improve the employee experience. There should be no proprietary rights to team members; people should be helped to find their place in the new ecosystem.-       Recruitment should be based on both a T shape and what is good for the organisation as a whole, but not at the cost of belonging to a specific team served by its manager. Many scenarios require a collaborative team approach; the disconnects under the surface must be discussed and resolved with a strong vision.-       Post-pandemic, there are tensions between the hybrid approach favoured by workers and leaders wanting in-person working - this is the true future of work and agile working requires careful selection of tools, open communication, and trust from leaders.-       The digitisation of work is profound and we must adapt. It has empowered people to say what they feel about the system, which changes the identity of leaders, who are called upon to inspire in a complex environment; we must all hold ourselves to account and HR can ensure that the company purpose is intact and honoured.-       Not all hybrid models suit everyone, and companies must take an agile approach to developing their own model by engaging people in the solution. Agile is a disciplined way of working and the discipline of the agile cycle builds adaptability and drives purpose.-       Companies can’t afford to miss the market opportunity: values must be authentic, lived and linked to the purpose of the business, and strategy must reflect the purpose and link back to delivery – this holistic view is essential.  

"it's not just about presence, it's about culture and intentionally looking at the full spectrum of the employee journey "Sam and I delve into the world of dynamic work and the different strategies available to organisations to create an equitable, inclusive and adaptable work policy as we come out of the pandemic and into a different world of work. What models do we nee d? How do we cater for everyone ? Dynamic work strategies must be anchored in trust and used to further empower employees and leaders to make the best decisions and create new rituals for optimised performance. Listening to and acting upon employee feedback is key, as the workplace, organisational culture and digital technology evolve. Sam shares her thoughts and experience from pioneering this topic both in OKTA and across other global businesses. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Dynamic work is a broad remit seeking to maintain choice and flexibility for employees while maximising opportunities for engagement. Hybrid/remote working offers a big opportunity for companies to consider what goes into building a workforce.-       It encompasses the full spectrum of the employee lifecycle and journey and focuses also on community, equity, benefits, engagement, D&I, and belonging. The culture must foster a holistic environment where ‘place’ is purposeful and intentional in a post-pandemic world.-       Employees have reacted well thus far to the opportunity to better manage their work-life balance; the framework for this is anchored in trust – for employees to get work done and the company to provide extra support when necessary.-       Companies need to track premises utilisation and on-site presence: people may choose to come together in an office or meet locally where there is no office. This new ecosystem also brings a competitive advantage over companies who enforce on-site work.-       Adaptive culture is enabled by forward-leaning digital technology, e.g. an employee app to give cross-team visibility, a variety of zoom products, digital whiteboards, cloud-based on-demand printing, space sensors for (re)design purposes, virtual neighbourhoods, etc.-       Personal choice sees leaders offering transparency around their own decisions to go into the office or not; Okta have a new L&D unit to address leading differently for distributed teams looking at inclusion when working remotely, and new/more resources for managers.-       People are empowered by a dynamic work environment that still offers career development opportunities, and feel engaged and incentivised whether they are working remotely or on-site, for very different personal reasons.-       A belonging strategy is important with distributed teams and relies mostly on technical operations, such as home working/3rd party environment mirroring the office environment with the same equipment and amenities.-       Change management tools: individual meetings with executives and direct reports to discuss the tactics of dynamic work, discussions with HR, individual roadshows at business unit level, management being open to questions, a social intranet platform for dynamic work.-       To drive the philosophy and practices of dynamic working requires a targeted push-and-pull approach: employee engagement survey data reveals where the gaps are, and management must interact constantly with employees to obtain their feedback.-       Leaders must also constantly listen and pay attention to what is happening externally for employees and understand that new hires need/want different things and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.-       Companies are constantly changing their dynamic working environments due to push back from employees, so it is a moving baseline for many, but people-centric aspects will become more prevalent in functions/metrics/data.-       The future workplace will be based around experience and experience centres; melding internal teams with prospects and clients to achieve a strategic advantage; individual and different working styles will evolve as to how, where and when work gets done.-       Talent is tight, there is global economic pressure and evolving technology. The aim is to achieve what is best from a business perspective and attract and retain top talent by providing positive lifecycle and professional journeys within an organisation.-       Any hybrid model must match the company’s requirements based on employee feedback; culture and focus; maturity standpoint; client needs; streamlined technology stock; building the right services and programmes; a roadmap; and a high level of buy in.

"Building data driven industries is about transforming relationships : it's strategy in a digital world. "Digital transformation is a buzzword but is taken for granted, and therefore it can mean everything, or nothing. Marc and I have a great discussion about the art of turning traditional companies into data driven companies .. particularly focusing on unlocking the potential of data, and driving digital at scale. What are the challenges, opportunities and things to look out for when taking organisations on this journey ? How do we prepare for scale at the same time as we go from idea to Proof of concept ? Digital transformation is about technology, business outcomes, market experience and change management - a tapestry of unknown and known quantities that needs to be unpicked to be put back together differently. Marc shares his wealth of experience and insights on what digital can enable in organisations and how people & their organisations can leverage this. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : Digital transformation turns traditional companies into data-driven companies and, beyond that, creates data-driven industries – ‘transformation in a digital world’. Data is truly fundamental but there is room for improvement:  1.    Access the data that is available in a company: if only the company knew what the company knows - people underestimate the potential on their doorstep. 2.    Data follows processes across silos: process mining tools follow the data flow/end-to-end chain - data is a true indicator of business performance.Data is a powerful lever for change; being able to use data to track and explain soft actions (diversity, loyalty, empowerment) – the softer the problem, the more important the data. It is also relevant at individual operator level, not just at systemic level, as informed people require less intervention.All companies face the same challenges: being data-driven requires, courage, effort, risks, and far-reaching change, which can result in new business/business models. Digital transformation is the responsibility of the collective executive committee, not just the CIO; companies must increase their spending to kickstart a digital programme but there are no real incentives to do so – it requires governance. It is difficult to transform and perform at the same time, but the executive level can manage these two agendas by having one team to optimise performance and another team to build something new.It is very complex to innovate at the core and traditional companies see innovation as an outpost/satellite: a team that is freed from the constraints of the mother ship yet is working for the benefit of it. The foundations for scaling up must be laid before or at least alongside MVP/PoC - this requires modern, agile, iterative IT that is compatible with old systems, and the choice of tools is important to ensure technical solutions that permit scaling. Digital transformation is about technology, business outcomes and change management: the difficulty with ramping up change management is the human element, training, etc. HR and the digital team cannot do it alone - there are digital entrepreneurs within companies. Leaders must demonstrate awareness, take it seriously, recognise the gaps, offer support, get involved, be trained (by their teams), role model interest and lead as a supporter - data is about customers, products, employees and performance, not only systems and piping. There must be incentives to upskill and operationalise in the digital world: often the project is not clearly defined and the conditions for success not in place - there is more maturity around the subject, and good tools, but it is still not adopted to the appropriate degree. Leveraging data represents a competitive advantage and a virtuous circle: data makes companies more adaptive and resilient. Data will always be useful at some point, but we don’t necessarily know when and what for exactly (cf. Covid).Digital transformation is a buzzword but is taken for granted; it requires 25% of executive committee time. Data too will become a compliance issue - nobody is liable for data yet (as they are for cybersecurity) – and having data-driven value will help unlock the potential of data and drive digital at scale.

"Sustainable inclusion is not successful overnight and requires patience and intentional development of the right conditions in the workplace"Lamé and I explore how to leverage inclusion to create sustainable transformation in the way organisations approach the topic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Developing women and pioneering D&I along the entire industry value chain requires inclusive environments and unconscious bias training that goes as far as conscious inclusion, i.e. taking action in how we address the lack of inclusion in organisations. The traditional bottom line of shareholders’ value has now been joined by an organisation’s attitude towards people and community and creating more inclusive working environments is key to future growth and sustainable transformation of workplaces, organisational culture and of ways of working. Lamé shares her experience, thoughts and recommendations from working on this topic with businesses and communities across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : ·      To develop women and pioneer D&I along the entire industry value chain requires inclusive environments and unconscious bias training that goes as far as conscious inclusion, i.e. taking action in how we address the lack of inclusion in organisations.·      Organisations must fundamentally change their approach; it may be uncomfortable and painful, but the decision must come from the top to inspire a new culture – the environment will cleanse itself as those who don’t like it will leave.·      They must move from reflection/intention to action, police the system for inherent bias and introduce equitable performance management - leadership with kindness and empathy creates an inclusive workforce by walking in peoples’ shoes: ‘if you build it, they will come.’·      There is a link between gender parity and sustainability: females represent 50% of the population and the right people must have input into decisions for the future otherwise we are only solving half the problem for half the population.·      Recruitment must be mindful and intentional with transparent opportunities for all, and leaders must influence their spaces by giving everyone a voice, inviting people into the conversation and role modelling a new way of working.·      The traditional bottom line of shareholders’ value has now been joined by an organisation’s attitude towards people and community – the S in ESG (environmental, social and governance) is becoming more amplified to take account of geopolitical challenges.·      UN sustainable development goal #8 calls on societies and economies to create programmes to provide access rather than hiring for qualification: we must open the door wider to give access to more people and signpost opportunities.·      Non-profit organisations rely on partnership and collaboration to unlock access to a wider pool of people, empower women, support leaders to lead women, create inclusive teams and amplify the messaging of not leaving women behind; we must create a network effect and leverage that to accelerate the pace of change.·      Once we have created democratised access, how do we measure inclusion and inclusive growth? In terms of a happier workforce, lower staff attrition, better customer service and ultimately more business; positive feedback is good for branding and brings about transformation.·      Leaders must design the culture of the future, be credible and build trust. We must all seek to call out bad behaviour but we need psychological safety to do so; we must nip things in the bud to prevent a toxic work environment.·      The Gemba walk involves hearing and listening to people, creating diversity of thought and being aware of cultural differences; this should be at business unit level rather than corporate level because of localised differences: think global and act local.·      Organisations must have the correct and clear intention for every person, from top to bottom, to create a conducive environment for all – this allows everyone to connect to the company purpose and, despite different individual agendas, all are aligned.·      Sustainable inclusion is not successful overnight and requires patience: organisations must recognise that they could get it wrong and make mistakes, but failure is not a bad thing and failing fast is a building block for growth. They should choose one change and implement it consistently. Once it becomes a habit, they should then choose another.·      We must support each other and share as we learn along the way, look out for development opportunities and create value for empowerment.