Let's talk Transformation : The business leaders podcast

What is the place of resilience in leadership and how can we stop overplaying our strengths for more sustainable growth ? In this episode of Let's talk, Deepa and I discuss how to 'rethink leadership'. Growing leadership in a sustainable way that allows you to have both success and well-being, has never been more topical. The current pandemic has given leaders the time to go inside and tap into bigger questions they have, and their larger vision & purpose. We discuss rethinking the paradigms of leadership, and understanding how to shift the paradigm around who you are as a leader as well as understanding your drivers, to find the balance between your strengths and the limits of those strengths, as well as the duality of 'thrive versus strive'.Deepa shares her wealth of experience and insights from her work with organisations big and small, as well as her methodology on sustainable leadership and personal transformation.The main insights from this episode :Understanding people and change is about understanding the human brain, facing challenges and being open to personal growth and developmentEveryone has potential but we must be prepared to reach deep within ourselves to unlock it and accept an alternative version of ourselves To achieve lasting change, leaders must defy the conventional (corporate) definition and perception of talent - people are more than data, expertise and solutionsHigh-achievers must strike a balance between ambition and reflection; COVID has brought more time for the latter as life has been forced to 'slow down'This duality of 'thrive versus strive' broadly reflects the difference between Eastern and Western philosophies; getting off the hamster wheel requires courage to overcome the fear of asking for helpTransforming leadership means engendering co-responsibility, taking time to enjoy stillness and increase one's awareness - epiphanies often come out of the blue!  The value of giving and receiving requires putting the ego to one side and tapping into our intuition: is the way I function sustainable? and, arguably most importantly, can I enjoy life?

“How can mindsets play a role in the way we advance sustainability ? How do we become more diverse ? “In this episode of let’s talk, Nicole and I discuss these pivotal questions. COVID has highlighted the success of female leadership and this should be fostered to encourage positive change for both the planet and humanity. We discuss the power of connections and the need for different models, as well as the importance of collectively developing the necessary skills for women to be 'at the top table' and have a positive impact on policy- and decision-making in the future.Nicole shares her story, research and experience from institutions and networks across the globe. The main insights you will get from this episode :Women Leaders for Planetary Health (WLPH) seeks to bring the innate and unique skills of women to bear on major problems facing our planetglobally connecting policy-makers and researchers for the good of public health and sustainability on a multi-cultural and multi-institutional basis - embodying the power of community and personal relationshipsCOVID has highlighted the success of female leadership and this should be fostered to encourage positive change for both the planet and humanity, capitalising on it currently being high on the public's agenda to take care of each other as well as the planet (BLM, climate change, womens' rights); this should be engendered from an early age through formal teaching on e.g. biodiversity, ecology, etc.the skills of negotiating, sharing knowledge, garnering results and applying them collectively are vital in the struggle for women to be 'at the top table' and have a positive impact on policy- and decision-makinga collective and collaborative approach is essential, as is the diversity of participants and their attendant experience, knowledge and cultural backgroundWLPH has UN backing and offers mentoring for young professional women, attracting female mentors from all over the world willing to share their expertise and create change agents, thereby growing a powerful and highly respected networkthe 'global self' movement is conceived to inspire and bring about positive change in health and sustainability across the world and tackle root and branch reform of women's place in the world to empower them for the greater goodharnessing technology to have a wide reach and offer a platform for connection, which is particularly pertinent in times when travel is not possible, e.g. during a global pandemic

In this episode of let's talk, Robert and I discuss design sprinting, how design sprints can be used to establish human connection, and the overriding aim to create impact and engage people around a particular topic on a global scale . We also discuss how this is changing to adapt to the virtual space and explore the different skills sets necessary to facilitate this process, to allow creativity and bring people together to collaborate more effectively. Robert shares his insights on design sprinting and his experience from carrying out design sprints virtually and otherwise in organisations big and small. The main insights you will get from this episode :design sprints (DS) are all about bringing people together, and the COVID-expedited shift to virtual working functions well here given that the overriding aim is to create impact and engage people on a global scalevirtual design sprints showcase both people and their skills and strive for cross-collaboration and innovation, focusing on skills and learning, and thereby engendering camaraderie and respect amongst the participantsthe GVDS event-based programme uses both online and asynchronous offline work and can adapt very easily to changing circumstances, offering the right solution for the right people, at the right timethe DS process is based on a structured template that has matured and grown organically over time to provide what people need: overwhelmingly the human connection - it is all about creating relationships and making people feel comfortable, both with each other, in the virtual space and with the tools they are usingDS rely on a good facilitator, maybe also a co-facilitator with a complementary skillset, to make the best use of the online resources and to encourage people to experiment with, improve on and integrate the components of the process that work for them

“What is that they’re doing that is so different ? What can we learn from the unicorns ? “In this episode of let's talk, Elvin and I have a great conversation on implementing, driving and scaling innovation in organisations. We discuss the need for innovation to be integrated back into the overall business strategy, how to calibrate culture for outcomes, and the need for leaders to learn to let go of the status quo to allow organisations to build more capability and space for innovation and continuous change to thrive. Elvin shares his research, insight and experience from working with organisations of all types across the globe.The main insights you will get from this episode :innovation is the future and all organisations must think this way to succeed; leaders must choose to show a veritable commitment to it if they are to demonstrate good stewardship, and this involves asking questions and examining capabilitiesleaders must show the way by funding and rewarding innovation, offering a safe space for people to try out their ideas, whether they succeed or fail; after all, innovation is all about courage, embracing the unknown and looking to the futurehow to innovate is a difficult question to answer, but it starts with defining a strategy, then a process, then practical tools for implementation; it is ultimately a process of continuous changeStrategic drivers are at the heart of a framework for "turning on" innovation in an organisation'old school' approaches, all too common within big organisations, no longer cut it and the will must exist to change the organisation's outlook, starting at grass roots level with leaders encouraging and welcoming any and all good, albeit unusual, proposalsthe focus should be on creating innovators internally, and large companies could learn a lot from their born-digital counterparts, which thrive on exploring and thinking 'outside the box'the culture of an organisation is likewise critical to success; it must be anticipatory, adventurous, creative and supportive yet also realistic, which means holding fast to future innovation plans

"The digital age confronts us with one of the most important questions of all, which it seems after 200 000 years we ‘re still unprepared to tackle, and that is what does being human mean ?"In this episode of Let’s talk Samie and I discuss the growing and urgent need to bring more humanity to business. The onset of digital continues to underline the need for us to look at how we understand our collective role in humanity, and how we hold multiple perspectives to practice more conscious leadership and create an environment where humans can thrive. Samie generously shares his rich experience and insight from his work with businesses big and small from around the globe. . The main insights you will get from this episode :the key role of inclusion in building a healthy culture for people to thrive going forward. being conscious, or aware, and indeed present is vital for achieving powerful and authentic human connections and relationships, as well as for demonstrating empathy and conscious leadershiplasting change is difficult and gradual, and requires open and honest conversations, things that are easily forgotten in our fast-moving, constantly connected digital worldCOVID has affected the entire planet - what greater opportunity could there be to bring people together, create something good from something bad and make us all global citizens by thinking collectively, acting humanely and aligning our values to strive for a healthy culture and a better, more inclusive world for all?transformation first requires people to change, to be courageous and break away from the pack, and to take small steps in which others can follow; we would all do well, as leaders and individuals, to slow down and take time for reflection in order to bring about a positive 'cultural' and mindset shift and to make the best decisions we can

"Coaching is dead, long live coaching ! "In this week's episode of let's talk Fred and I discuss the changing practice of coaching and the way coaching is morphing at all levels of the organisation. We look at the move towards a more hybrid model, and from individual to systems coaching. We also discuss the changing philosophy of work and the different role of the mental and technical game for leaders in changing the business landscape to create a more innovative and agile working environment. Fred shares his rich experience, insights and research on the future role of coaching in organisations.The main insights you will get from this episode : the entire coaching industry is changing as a result of (digital) transformation across the board - it is now about platforms / IT and more "systems coaching"there is a need for more industry-specific coaching with 'insider business knowledge' as well as coaching skills to offer more insight and enable agile coaching and coaching for innovation in the business environmentthe use of platforms changes how we steer our investment and platform-based coaching programmes are becoming more and more prevalent. these platforms provide organisations (and HR functions) with valuable data to reveal hidden dynamics, provide learning records and offer a solid foundation for talent roadmaps, also offering an aspect of sustainability in a fast-moving worldthe emotional appeal and the “heart-set” is far more important than the cognitive appeal when coaching transformation. increased coaching conversations build a learning environment for all and offer leverage for ROInudge technology will undoubtedly feature in the future of coaching for the benefit of all, both collectively and individually.the ability to understand networks and how they shape, form and function in organisations is going to be key to competitive advantagebe the "challengers" not the consumers of coaching

Now more than ever, leaders have to be clear as to how their "best selves" can show up with all their stakeholders, and how they are ‘being’ as leaders. In this episode of let's talk Keith, Tessa and myself discuss the art of transformative facilitation and it’s place in today’s business world. We discuss the orthodoxies of facilitation, the role of dialogue in organisational culture and facilitating the shift from ‘doing leadership’ to ‘being’ a leader and facilitating this shift for sustainable transformation. Keith and Tessa share their methodology, insights and rich experience on this subject. Here are the main insights you’ll get from this episode : transformative learning is about making leaders into effective facilitators so that they can bring about courageous conversations and foster dialogueIn many cases facilitation gets in the way of learning happening as both facilitator and learner are unwilling to take the uncomfortable stepall must recognise their individual contexts and strengths, and feel able to express any thoughts they might have without judgementbusinesses can only be transformed if those leading it are similarly transformed by leaving behind bias and orthodox management 'structures'the process of learning is internal and very individual; all concerned must embrace each other's differences and personal potency to bring about convergenceThe shift from driving the organisation through a structured process into recognising when there’s a need to focus on the ‘being-ness’ of being a leader is keyOne of the key characteristics needed for facilitators today is courage - the courage to step inlearning goes way beyond business, it is about helping humanity by forming communities, sharing knowledge and demonstrating generosity of spirit

"Digitalisation of industries and the digital enhancement of products and services means that businesses need to engage in ecosystems much more than before to manage their digital transformation."In this episode of let's talk Roland and I delve into the world of building and maintaining business ecosystems in today’s world. We discuss the shift from individual to collective, the changes from 20th century linear management models to more interconnected and collaborative approaches as well as boundary management in complex environments. Roland shares his insights, research and wealth of experience on this topic. The main insights from this episode :the imperative to engage in ecosystems is something that has been driven through digitalisation.business and digital transformation for complex organisations requires leaders to create non-hierarchical business ecosystems and think collectively 'outside the box'this move from individual to collective requires systems thinking and an understanding of network dynamics both inside and outside the organisation (partnerships, business models..)digitisation and technology offer the necessary tools but leaders must be open to embracing informal power dynamics, such as those seen at play on social mediacollaboration and co-creation are key to forming clusters within an organisation or even an industry sector that interact to provide a network of joined-up thinkingleaders must look beyond their organisation to manage boundaries and ecosystems effectively and remain open-minded and flexible along the wayfailures often happen during scaling : overcome barriers within and beyond the organisation to develop a bespoke ecosystem based on vision, purpose and sustainability that will learn from mistakes(even moreso post-COVID) it invites curiosity and agility as well as digital maturity and the restructuring of somewhat outdated codified governance models

In this week's episode of let's talk Gillian and I discuss the role of a coaching culture in times of crisis. We explore what a coaching culture is, what it brings and how you can support your people and organisation in the transformation towards a more collaborative learning culture. Gillian shares her insights and wealth of experience from organisations big and small across the globe.The main insights you will get from this episode :an effective coaching culture requires managers to embrace the mindset of coaching their employees rather than just learning skills / assigning training / conducting performance reviewscoaching contracts must have both structure and methodology yet abide by ethics and allow scope for coaching to be adaptable to individual journeysfocus on bringing people together to have courageous conversations, facilitate grass-roots change and ensure continuous improvement across the boardcreate an empowering workplace, not a blame culture, to foster innovation and engagementCOVID offers opportunities for companies to boost their productivity and efficiency by embedding a coaching culture: managers truly supporting their teams and opening up dialogue to include personal issues such as mental health, thereby demonstrating their empathy and genuine interest in their peoplethere is no one-size-fits-all approach but accountability, creativity, practical coaching tools and reflective listening should be used to include everyone in the organisation 

Have you ever wondered what happens when you have real - time data at your fingertips and how it impacts decision making, organisational culture and governance  ? In this episode of let's talk Matt and I discuss data driven ways of working and driving data through organisational culture. Matt shares his insights and expertise on supporting leaders to become more data savvy and using data to drive performance and improvement.The main insights you will get from this episode are :data-driven decision-making within an organisation requires the right technology and timing as well as trust - management must demonstrate willingness in all these areas(digital) employees must be empowered to make decisions away from central management and be given full access to all available datatransparency around data is vital and requires more in-depth understanding of the perceived risks, benefits and governance (i.e. ownership) of data companies should share data as opposed to hoarding it if they wish to push ahead with digital transformationpost-COVID, companies should use data differently to adapt quickly to rapid change and generate momentum by actively engaging employees in the data conversation