Truth, Lies and Work

Creative, innovative, high-performing teams with positive well-being that are engaged and committed to your business - every leader's dream, right?How to engage and motivate teams can seem complicated, but research shows us there is one factor more important than any other: Psychological Safety.Join us as we explore how to build teams that contribute positively to your workplace culture and performance, every day, with our guest expert Stephan Wiedner.Stephan is CEO of Zarango.com and Noomii.com, which are consultancy firms that train and coach business people on how to create and sustain a high-performance work environment through psychological safety. With a vision to help build a world in which everyone has the courage to speak up and be heard, Stephan explains how employee voice is the driving force of competitive advantage and sustainable success.Links: You can find Stephan on LinkedIn and Twitter Claim Your Free Psychological Safety Assessment at zarango.com Hear more from Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson including her book The Fearless Organization, TedX Talk and latest academic research Learn more about Google’s Project Aristotle For bonus content, full interviews and sneak peeks of future episodes, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube

Let's just get this out of the way - although our last 3 episodes have been about Elon Musk and Twitter, we're not singling him out!However, at the time of release, he is arguably the most famous leader in the world, so any psychological lessons on behaviour and personality are easily demonstrated by using him as an example.In this jam-packed episode, we are joined by expert guest Sandy McKenzie.Sandy is the managing partner of Amrop UK, an Executive Search & Human Capital Advisory firm, and he also is a fully qualified practitioner for Hogan Development Surveys, which measure the behaviours and personalities of leaders.Links You can find Sandy on the Amrop website or on LinkedIn. The Hogan Development Survey for Elon is here

In the previous episode, we left things on a bit of a bombshell - the Global Head of Wellness at Twitter was unsure if Twitter would survive!Following Elon's acquisition of Twitter on the 27th of October 2022, he promptly fired almost 50% of the staff. However, it's how he did it that has angered people.In this episode, we continue our conversations with our experts and look more into the impact of these layoffs. We get the expert opinion on how the brand and PR were handled from Stephen Waddington, a PR guru, the visiting professor of PR for Newcastle University and a former head of CIPR. We get the Twitter inside story from Dr Candice Schaefer, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Mental Health and Wellness Strategist, and until earlier this year the Global Head of Employee Wellness at Twitter. We learn best the practice for managing crisis from Arun Krishnakumar, Graduate of the University of Oxford & London School of Economics, and author of 'Restaup: A Founders Guide to Crisis Navigation'. Leanne tells her story of how she was made redundant and outlines some great ways to deal with it. Let's get stuck in!Links:You can find Steven Waddington on Twitter, on LinkedIn or subscribe to his newsletter here.You can follow Dr Candice Schaefer on Twitter or LinkedIn.You can see Arun Krishnakumar's articles on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter. His book is available on Amazon here.

Well... it's been quite the month for the tech industry.Following Elon's acquisition of Twitter on the 27th of October 2022, he promptly fired almost 50% of the staff. However, it's how he did it that has angered people.In this episode we have exclusive interviews with 3 industry insiders: We get the expert opinion on how the brand and PR were handled from Stephen Waddington, a PR guru, the visiting professor of PR for Newcastle University and a former head of CIPR. We get the Twitter inside story from Dr Candice Schaefer, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Mental Health and Wellness Strategist, and until earlier this year the Global Head of Employee Wellness at Twitter. We learn best the practice for managing crisis from Arun Krishnakumar, Graduate of the University of Oxford & London School of Economics, and author of 'Restaup: A Founders Guide to Crisis Navigation'. Let's get stuck in!UPDATE: Part 2 out now!Links:You can find Steven Waddington on Twitter, on LinkedIn or subscribe to his newsletter here.You can follow Dr Candice Schaefer on Twitter or LinkedIn.You can see Arun Krishnakumar's articles on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter. His book is available on Amazon here.

We’re all feeling the effects of the sharp increase in energy, mortgages, rents etc.And for leaders, the impact of the COLC will be as far-reaching as revenue performance, profitability, and employee well-being. This week, we’re going to chat specifically about how the COLC may impact remote or hybrid working – for better or for worse.Questions we answer:- What is the COLC?- What has the COLC got to do with WFH?- What does this mean for hybrid businesses- Why should business leaders care?- Tips and priorities for business leadersLinks mentioned in the showStep Change - https://www.stepchange.org/Provides the UK’s most comprehensive debt advice service. They help peoplewith debt problems take back control of their finances and their lives.Property Wealth - https://www.prosperitywealth.com/employee-benefits/Employee benefits advice and benchmarkingNational Debtline - https://nationaldebtline.org/Use the Cost of living hub to find out if you can pay less for your living costs and to learn about any extra help that might be available.Pirkx - https://www.pirkx.com/At Pirkx, we are all about making happier, healthier humans by providing affordable wellbeing benefits to everyone.

Today, we’re going to dive deep into the famous ‘condition’ and figure out the truth, and lies, behind an affliction that some research suggests affects up to 82% of the population.We answer the following: What is imposter syndrome? Why do psychologists call it something different? Is it all made up? What are the facts? Are there any upsides to imposter syndrome? What should leaders do if they experience imposter syndrome? What should leaders do if someone in their team experiences imposter syndrome? Links mentioned in the episode:Interesting reads: https://hbr.org/2022/10/4-ways-to-combat-imposter-syndrome-on-your-team https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2022/06/05/why-imposter-syndrome-isnt-all-that-bad/?sh=182b0c142fa8 https://hbr.org/2022/05/impostor-syndrome-has-its-advantages https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud List of thinking errors:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201501/10-thinking-errors-will-crush-your-mental-strengthSystematic Review in Fullhttps://www.mentalhealthjournal.org/articles/commentary-prevalence-predictors-and-treatment-of-imposter-syndrome-a-systematic-review.htmlDiversity & Inclusion Audits  The Real World Group Embracing Diversity Inventory (EDI) - https://realworld-group.com/embracing-diversity-and-inclusion/ https://www.diversematters.co.uk/our-services/diversity-and-inclusion-audit-consultancy

There seems to be a lot of talk recently about 'Quiet Quitting', so Business Psychologist Leanne Elliott dives into the subject, and answers the important questions: What is Quiet Quitting exactly? How do we know if it's happening in our organisation? How do we, as managers and leaders, tackle it? What do we need to do to prevent it in the future? Let's get stuck in. ---Want a chat with Leanne about how you can use psychometrics to run successful recruitment or development programmes? Email us: podcast@oblonghq.com.Want to check us out? Head on over to our website that talks all about building a great workplace culture.Got feedback, questions or future guest suggestions? Email us: podcast@oblonghq.com.

You've may have heard of a 'positive workplace culture', and if you read this article in the Harvard Business Review, then you might be under the impression that you need to transition to it immediately. However, Is it really attainable?In this episode, Business Psychologist (and lead consultant at Oblong), Leanne Elliott goes through the suggestions that the original authors make, and explains what's good advice, what's not and what is downright impractical.Let's dive in!---Want a chat with Leanne about how you can use psychometrics to run successful recruitment or development programmes? Email us: podcast@oblonghq.com.Want to check us out? Head on over to our website that talks all about building a great workplace culture.Got feedback, questions or future guest suggestions? Email us: podcast@oblonghq.com.

It's August, and that means sunny days and more opportunities for downtime.We give you our top 7 book recommendations for when you've got some spare time and want to learn how other organisations lead. So grab a beer, a glass of crisp, white wine or a cup of tea, and let's dive in!---Want a chat with Leanne about how you can use psychometrics to run successful recruitment or development programmes? Email us: podcast@oblonghq.com.Want to check us out? Head on over to our website that talks all about building a great workplace culture.Got feedback, questions or future guest suggestions? Email us: podcast@oblonghq.com.

Dive into the fascinating world of psychometric testing, particularly the controversial Myers-Briggs. Discover the difference between personality assessments and behavioral evaluations in enhancing workplace culture. Explore how dark traits can impact high-stakes professions and the ethical concerns surrounding these tests. Learn about the importance of clarity and validity in assessment choices, as well as the necessity for professional insight to improve recruitment strategies. Get ready to rethink the value of personality tests!