Let's talk Transformation : The business leaders podcast

“Digital is the context and then it is about ethics, capability, transformation and sustainability.” In this week’s episode of let’s talk Marco and I discuss how to create a digital and inclusive society in today’s complex world. The digitalisation of our world is a great opportunity to bring together design thinking, IT skills, technology, entrepreneurship and ethics, while asking: how can society benefit from developments in digital technology? How can companies effectively adapt to the digital society? We must teach integration, provide education and create solutions. Companies must create a culture that fosters ongoing learning, that builds and experiments with capabilities, that designs for true transformation and that invests in and implements creative solutions to avoid design knowledge waste.Listen to us exploring how to create a culture of experimentation & inclusion and scaling the leadership skills for life long learning across organisations. Spreading impact and scaling change sustainability is important to deliberately design for sustainable transformation whether this be in society or in organisations. We all need to be part of ‘team human’. Marco shares his thoughts, insights and wealth of experience from working with individuals, communities and organisations across the globe. The main insights you will get from this episode are : DSS hosts global goals jams in conjunction with the UN Development Programme to prevent design and process waste and work towards sustainable goals for the good of humanity - by incorporating collective intelligence, integrating technology, and pairing digital with planetary transformation, and design methodology with sustainable development The digitalisation of our world is a great opportunity to bring together design thinking, IT skills, technology, entrepreneurship and ethics, while asking: how can society benefit from developments in digital technology? How can companies effectively adapt to the digital society? We must teach integration, provide education and create solutionsHuman-centred design considers the digital context around humans; digital transformation affects everyone and buy-in is essential for its success – it is disruptive but positive lessons can be learned, e.g. how the ethics of technology can serve the digital talent gap and societal advancementWe must all learn to relearn, evolve and adapt as a truly global, inclusive and diverse society and tackle big issues like inequality, wellbeing and safety; as individual societies become more closed, migration decreases and there is less diffusion of both specialist knowledge and skills on the groundCompanies must create a culture that fosters ongoing learning, that builds and experiments with capabilities, that designs for true transformation and that invests in and implements creative solutions to avoid design knowledge wasteDesign thinking demystifies complex topics to produce tangible outcomes more quickly by interconnecting creative forces to focus on transforming the future as opposed to trying to change the past – embracing the risks of ‘what if?’ and daring to ‘think big’ The complexity of global challenges, such as migration and climate change, require multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural and multi-generational teams with a vision focused on the emotional human experience to transform global issues for the long termIt is vital to expand the learning community, retain talent, spread impact, scale change and authentically embrace diversity and inclusion; we are limited by what we think, how we act and what we do, but most particularly by how we interactSustainability requires a workforce with agency to make decisions, bringing with it representation and the essential feeling of belonging - connections and experiences matter more than tools; our overarching goal should be to create a safe and just space for humanity within planetary boundaries 

“ You need to put inclusion at the heart of your business strategy to drive business transformation” In this weeks episode of let’s talk Amina and I discuss the role of inclusion in today’s workplace. From an HR, business and leadership perspective, people must be at the heart of any organisation’s diversity and inclusion strategy in order to truly understand what an inclusive culture looks like. We discuss 2 questions : how to build inclusion into your systems, your business & your people strategy, and how to ‘operationalise’ and measure inclusion so that it can become part of the company’s DNA. Organisations should be striving to be people-centric and engender allyship, but what does this mean for executives, leaders and employees in terms of skills and behaviours and how they can contribute to deliberately designing their system for inclusion ?Amina shares her wealth of experience as a global Hr professional, as a leader and as an employee, and her learnings and recommendations from driving inclusion through HR and business operations.The main insights you’ll get from this episode are : leaders must be absolutely committed to developing a more inclusive workplace because it is not easy - they must ask themselves difficult questions and answer honestly; they must educate themselves, listen to their people, develop high levels of understanding and empathy and foster constantly evolving two-way communicationorganisations should strive to be people-centric and engender allyship: this is crucial to creating a sense of belonging and to understanding issues surrounding both exclusion and inclusion because nobody should feel excluded in the quest for inclusivityCOVID has highlighted inequalities, and also the need for human beings to belong, be heard and be listened to so that we understand everyone’s different situation and challenges: how can the organisation be made more equitable? what barriers must be removed? how can we maintain connections and effective communication?ambassador and changemaker networks that meet regularly with senior leadership are an example of how to provide transparency across the organisation and offer all employees the opportunity to get involved in shaping future policy and feeding back invaluable information to leadersdata segmentation, trends and points all provide tangible resources to act upon and measure inclusion and diversity, but empowering and engaging employees, asking for their input and ultimately understanding their position is the most important factor for success 

“The scale and extent of the culture shift for HR will depend on the appetite for change of the organisation.”In this episode of let's talk John and I discuss how the pandemic has unlocked corporate thinking to think about different ways of working, networking and communication. We also look at the importance of balance in the different elements and what technology and human collaboration brings to the mix. The changing trends and expectations of the workplace from candidates and employees as we transition into newer, more hybrid workplace and operating models is a key driver of change and an organisation’s HR function must reflect the values and purpose of the organisation and act accordingly with a talent plan based on collaboration rather than competition. We finish by discussing what the ‘future normal’ will bring in terms of more inclusive ways of working and people centred HR moving forward. John shares his thoughts, insights and wealth of experience on HR transformation and the changing role of HR in today's post pandemic environment. The main insights you will get from this episode are : in terms of leadership, the changing role of HR and the employee experience, ideally the lessons learned and positive changes resulting from COVID will be sustained and built uponthe 'new normal' is actually 'abnormal', in that it prevents human interaction, but there will definitely be a 'future normal', which is all about evolution and striking a better balanceHR as a function must reflect the values and purpose of the organisation, both inwardly and outwardly, and seek to provide a fit-for-purpose talent plan that puts the employee experience at its heartan organisation's ethos will be evident in how it treats its employees who now have a more powerful voice thanks to social media; such 'activism' will mean that leaders must listen and respond quickly to retain talentrigid HR function and reward systems are outdated; the focus should shift to different models such as gain sharing, where everyone feels valued for the contribution they makegood leaders should foster collaboration rather than competition amongst their workforce, strive for diverse thinking and unlock talent by removing internal barriers and unnecessary processes post-COVID hybrid models of flexible working that offer a healthier balance will require the investment of time, money and effort, but will ultimately benefit the greater good -demonstrating inclusivity and an atmosphere of trust and safety for employees pays dividends in having a sound people strategy that underpins the company's businessit is vital to understand (new) technologies and garner them to provide more added value across the board - when leaders make changes they have impact, and it is in their power to shift company culture and demonstrate authenticity in all that they do 

"values-led project management is the way to solve complex problems" In this episode of let's talk David and I delve into his wealth of experience in dealing with uncertainty in times of crisis and look at the learnings that we can use for both leadership, and managing the current pandemic. We discuss building resilience, using cultural understanding as a lever for change and how we react to familiar structures and cultural codes in times of crisis. We look at the need for a more collective approach to changing for the better; focusing on values such as altruism, happiness, justice, empathy, compassion and honesty - qualities that authentic leaders embrace to 'tell it like it is' and make positive changes on the ground. As with any sustainable change initiative, starting small and amplifying throughout your given environment to create impact is the way forward. David shares his wealth of experience and insight from working with countries, organisations and communities both big and small from across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : thinking differently and building resilience, both physically and mentally, requires a common framework and shared values; particularly in times of crisis and when facing difficult, complex problems, values-led project management is crucialit is likewise essential to understand other cultures and ask the question 'how' (e.g. how to bring about change?) rather than 'why' (e.g. why is it this way?)power is generally entrenched in systems that resist change and 'the new'; a shift in power dynamics or a change of role can trigger a wide-reaching toxic reaction digital / the Internet are tools for transferring ideas, communicating and mobilising people at grass roots level, empowering people to express themselves and have their voices heard - changing the structure means embracing both the formal and informal channels of communication and drilling down into how something workstimes of crisis undermine structures and tend to both expose and exacerbate their faults; capitalising on these opportunities for change should ideally influence policy to bring about improvements for the greater goodthere must be a more collective approach to changing for the better; focusing on values such as altruism, happiness, justice, empathy, compassion and honesty - qualities that good leaders embrace to 'tell it like it is' and make positive changes on the groundstarting small, doing things differently, listening to individual stories, caring for others and the planet, and amplifying change outward through personal interaction is where it all begins 

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.. and methodologies for lunch.. “In this episode of let’s talk Peter and I discuss Agile philosophy and leading Agile ecosystems. We discuss how organisations embrace the concept of being and doing Agile to create high performance culture and to move from a culture of fear to a culture of courage. We delve into Peter’s framework and his 5 drivers of Agile, and discuss how to leverage leadership and culture to lay the foundations for systemic change. Leaders need to create the conditions for humility, where they can take their masks off, and take the first step. One is never ready, there is always something to improve, but how can we help our respective businesses explicitly design for a more Agile organisation driven by purpose and values.Peter shares his wealth of experience, research and insight from working with organisations big and small across the globe. The main insights you will get from this episode are :agile as a philosophy embodies both a concept of being and doing and a particular culture; it is the outcome of a constantly evolving (western) society in which both individual and collective values and purposes changefrom an organisational perspective, it is based on methodologies and structural elements that encourage a flat hierarchy and a leadership that must constantly reinvent itself to keep pace with and adapt effectively to rapid changeagile has 5 drivers: a higher purpose that is value-driven and shapes the organisation; systemic organisation comprising a network of teams and joined-up thinking; humble leadership that serves and empowers others; the aforementioned structures and methodologies; the human factor to encourage engagement and fulfilmentfor many organisations it will never feel like the right time to shift to agile - often due subconsciously to fear or complacency - but there is always room for improvement; the key is to prepare well and start small it is revelatory to uncover 'blindspots' both within organisations but also individuals - self-awareness is essential, as is a focus on forming interpersonal relationships based on shared valuesdesigning for agile is possible to a certain extent and involves addressing the company culture, talking about any undercurrents that may be 'rocking the boat', and undertaking deep organisational work to ascertain where human systems can be brought to bear for the greater good or overarching visionchange is messy, takes time and must begin at the level of the individual in a bottom-up approach, but aspiring to be agile brings with it a more informal style that develops organically, as well as shared power and control - taking inspiration from others can be transformational

" 2020 has been challenging, but also a real opportunity for leaders to look inside and ask themselves some bigger questions.. "In this episode of Let's talk, Debs and I discuss leading fearlessly and how transformative it can be. We discuss showing up authentically, and what that means in terms of the "negotiables" and "non-negotiables" for you and the organisation. We explore demystifying organisational culture and understanding how you manage your energy not only to enable and co-create smarter working environments, but also to manage the other extremes such as heavy governance and excessive collaboration that can drain such energy from the system. It is time to move the needle on existing leadership paradigms and for leaders to boldly move into their values, and start encouraging more courageous and curious thinking, and lead fearlessly towards a more inclusive, purposeful and collective environment. Debs shares her wealth of insight, experience, and thought leadership from working with organisations across the globe. The main insights you will get from this episode : not only leaders but individuals too must challenge the status quo to change organisational culture and move away from conditioned behaviour and fear-based thinkingwe must all be authentic, raw and real in our emotions and lived experiences: COVID has offered all of us the opportunity to ask questions and both look inside and reconnect with our true selveshumans are designed to work together but excessive collaboration and heavy governance are restrictive and organisations should aim to create a smarter working environmentchange requires commitment from all participants and a demonstrable ability to work 'in the moment', to constantly redefine boundaries and to manage and master their own energyfearless leadership needs tremendous resources and energy; COVID has stripped away resources and left us to look instead at what we can co-create ourselves by connecting with like-minded peopleinjecting humanity back into organisations begins with self-care - if individuals focus on respect, acceptance, non-judgement and kindness, the world of work would be a very different place there will always be difficulties to overcome; the trick is to approach them collectively and be curious and courageous enough to foster learning, awareness and bold experimentation

“I get out of bed in the morning because I have a commitment that is bigger than me.. “ In this episode of let’s talk Angela and I have a fun and insightful conversation about women in leadership and their role in leading transformation. The current pandemic has witnessed women leading transformation and systems, with a different and more effective leadership based on empathy and resilience. We need to actively build on this. We discuss the fact that all transformation starts with commitment, and how important your “why” is to what you do, and how you can use it to increase the power of the change you can enact in systems - both individual internal systems and external organisational systems . We also look at the effect of organisational culture and its unwritten codes on the way we lead, and finding our tribe to use different perspectives to push in the same direction and create things that are bigger than us. Angela shares her experience, insight and methodology on unlocking the potential of women in leadership and helping to create gender parity more sustainably in organisations. The main insights you will get from this episode are :encouraging women to be inspired, alive, trust themselves, take control, bring about change and speak out as half the population of the world to further the cause of equality togetherall transformation begins with commitment, in this case to gender parity, bringing out every woman's potential, encouraging women to use their voice for themselves and for others who need to hear itthe process of rising requires collaboration for the greater good, finding a tribe and challenging established systems and safety mechanisms by taking risks as opposed to 'playing safe'(not only female) leaders must be at cause, that is to say, they must take responsibility, take back control, embrace their power and purpose, create their own experience, change the future course this is not achieved alone, only together with others to learn from and exchange different opinions with in order to move forward, effect meaningful change and innovatetransformational leadership relies on making a contribution to a greater mission, on integrity and on a holistic approach to leaders as people who trust their nudges  

“You need to use the culture to change the culture…”In this week’s episode of let’s talk Raj and I explore the challenges of creating & leading adaptable and flexible organisations. We discuss the multi-faceted systems thinking approach as well as the more operational aspects and particularly the importance of knowing how to ‘unlearn’ and ‘relearn’, both as an individual and as an organisation. The need to frame these activities properly leads us to discuss different models, and Raj’s adaptive IT framework : looking at how strategy, organisation, culture, technology, and ways of working work intricately together across an organisation to create sustainable change.Raj shares his wealth of insight and experience from working with organisations big and small, as well as his thought leadership on this subject. The main insights you will get from this episode are :COVID has highlighted how 'digital transformation' is actually two separate strands: digital and transformation - both have been accelerated by the pandemic, which has caused us to rethink generally it is essential to ask the right questions, implement the right changes, provide the requisite tools for change and start first and foremost with the people and culture of an organisationdecision-makers must be given the technological capability to make quick decisions based on real-time data in a fast-moving world in order to pivot, react and adapt to rapid changetransformation projects must start small, and the principles and lessons learned from them shared and customised for maximum effect in different parts of the organisation and hence for the organisation as a wholepragmatic change concepts take time and evolve; 'unlearning' and 'relearning' is key to shifting the mindset given that there is no 'culture model' sitting alongside other standard business models  leaders must believe and invest in the concept, and accept the fluidity of work boundaries as they seek out potential amongst their staff and empower them to make decisions where they are best placed to do sothis in turn makes people feel valued, imparts a sense of belonging and underpins a collective purpose that could well be the most powerful change agent of all

The maturity of an organisation can never transcend the maturity and consciousness of its leaders.. In this episode of Let’s talk Otti and I have a great discussion about the “fifth revolution”. We discuss transforming leadership for the 21st century, ambidextrous organisations, and the ability of agile organisations to respond more effectively and more resiliently. Looking at the effects of this crisis, which has caused us all to pause and reflect on our definitions of success, we also discuss the notion of more human centric and purposeful organisations, where the need to develop moral agency to continually evaluate what we’re doing, who we are and what we want to be is key. Happiness goes way beyond the bottom line. Otti shares his wealth of insight, experience and thought leadership on these important subjects. The main insights you get from this episode :sustainable transformation requires continuous self-adaptation by an organisation, its leaders and its employees: this means embracing learning and focussing on a human-centred approach to change'ambidextrous' organisations must be able to improve whilst exploring new avenues, thereby fostering creativity and challenging the status quo (cf. deliberately developmental organisations, DDO)COVID has brought about both analysis of and modification to structures, but it has also drawn attention to the importance of resilience and purpose alongside the issue of digital accelerationdigital technology has brought increased flexibility yet also fatigue, blurred boundaries and communication difficulties, and a balance must be struck during this constantly evolving situationself-organised leadership must invest in the growth and wellbeing of its individuals to really build an agile community that both collaborates with and cares for all stakeholdersthe old adage of success being defined by ascending the linear career path must make way for transpersonal leadership that creates value and sets great store by moral agencyregenerative and interdependent models of leadership are mindful of core values and support co-elevation - attributes that will be essential in the 'next normal' (during and post-COVID)a 'humanocracy' would enable us to find kindness and compassion in the workplace, to change the culture and allow everyone to be and feel involved and valued, functioning as one for the benefit of allthe present and future call for emotional intelligence; we must reconsider who we are and what we do, reflect and grow and look after ourselves and each other - happiness goes beyond the bottom line

We are at a pivotal moment for understanding the value of data as well as the role of the Chief Data Officer in shifting organisational culture. This world is moving more and more quickly. In this week's episode of let's talk Peter and I discuss the evolution of data in today’s organisations’ and the move from data governance to data intelligence. The high profile of data has been further boosted by the current pandemic, and we discuss how organisations, their culture and their governance, are adapting to these rapid changes. We also dive deeper into the ever changing role of the Chief Data Officer and the most important skills they need to drive understanding & change sustainably through the organisation.. Peter shares his insights, research and wealth of experience on both the strategic and tactical perspectives of data driven organisations, and the future role of the Chief Data Officer in this transformation. The main insights you will get from this episode are :the prevalence of data nowadays means there is a need to share experiences of and offer assistance with all things data and its managementthe high profile of data has been 'boosted' further by COVID - as trusted evidence, it underpins important decision-making; data awareness overall is far greater than beforeGDPR plus the ubiquity of data-driven companies such Google, Amazon, Netflix has elevated the status of data, and, more specifically, sound data, everywhere, and nowhere moreso than within organisationsChief Data Officers (CDO) have a vital and pivotal role to play in both communicating with and educating the workforce to bring about a change of culture that embraces data and digital solutions - this role requires great resilience, coupled with the ability to think and act both tactically and strategically it is important to understand the difference between data and digital: sound and trusted data forms the basis for creating digital platforms for engagement, user experiences, etc. data risk and data governance are now recognised as crucial to successful digital transformations, which are often spearheaded by CDOs but require the financial backing, commitment and understanding of management as well as the full support of other colleaguesdata and data science are the building blocks of the future and, as such, are extremely powerful and sought-after, but must be carefully managed in order to be successfully leverageddata maturity assessments help companies understand where they are on their digital journey, where they are going, how they intend to get there and how they will keep up in such a fast-moving world