Talking Leaders

Delighted to share this classic phoenix-from-the-ashes story, created for the team at ApconiX as part of their tenth anniversary celebrations. Back in 2013, AstraZeneca announced it would close its research facility at Alderley Park in Cheshire, UK—a surprise, if not a shock, to many. Suddenly, staff were faced with an unexpected career-defining decision: relocate to Cambridge, or walk away and pu...

In this inter-season special Paul interviews Professor Ruth Roberts, Dr Park Ellingson, Dr Kim Rockley and Michael Sebastian about their involvement in the Tubular Cells project. Where did the idea originate, how was it developed and realised, and what does the final piece sound like? Special thanks to ApconiX for allowing us to share this episode, and to Jodrell Bank, University of Manchester UK...

As an inter-season special, we are delighted to be able to share an example of work completed for a client. Tubular Cells is a piece of music inspired and driven by the electrical output from cultured brain cells. It's also the outcome of a collaboration between a group of scientists who came together to see if they could make an abstract idea a reality for no other reason than to see if they coul...

Lessons from radio documentary Katharina Smets is a sound artist and researcher who draws upon documentary material to create audio stories for live performance, radio and podcasts. She is an expert in how the three elements of interviewer/producer, interviewees/subjects and audience interact to create an audio experience. In conversation, Katherina and Paul take a deep dive into the mechanics wit...

Time to up your GAME with audio! Will Coley is a producer of narrative journalism stories for a radio and a communication problem solver. In episode 5 of this season, Will talks with Paul about using impactful audio to shift the narrative and deliver solutions. The key is to be strategic and clear on your GAME: Goal, Audience, Message, Engagement / Evaluation. -------------------------------- Link...

In the latest episode of the Talking Leaders season of podcasts on why podcasting is perfect for leaders Cyrus Hoseyni of Janessen Pharmaceuticals shares his experience of being part of a team producing a program of podcasts for pharmaceutical industry statisticians. He talks with Paul Gisby about what the process was like for him, how his company has used the podcasts and how his own communicatio...

Debbie West of Audere Communications joins us for episode three of the Talking Leaders season looking at why podcasting is perfect for leaders. An old friend of the show, Debbie is a highly experienced and talented podcaster. In conversation with Paul, she shares her insights into how to get the best out of using audio as part of an overall communication strategy. Links: 9/12 from Dan Taberski:  ...

For episode two in the season, Paul spoke with JP Gooderham, Founder and CEO of Storyboard. Storyboard is an unashamedly audio first platform, providing organisations with a suite of services that allow them to produce, share and extract maximum value from internal podcasts privately and securely. With over 5,000 organisations using the platform and tens of thousands of listeners benefitting from...

In the first episode of the 2023 season of podcasts from Talking Leaders, Paul Gisby speaks with Colin Gray of The Podcast Host. A former University Lecturer, Colin became fascinated by the potential of podcasting. After teaching on the topic for several years, he decided to leave academia and set up The Podcast Host, a business dedicated to helping would-be podcasters with everything from an impr...

For the season finale of the Talking Leaders series on Psychological Safety @Work, we were delighted to get some time with renowned “guru” of the subject Tom Geraghty. In conversation with Paul Gisby, Tom talks about the seven most common myths he comes across and why they need busting. You contact Tom by email – tom@tomgeraghty.co.uk For more information go to https://psychsafety.co.uk/about/ Lin...

Recalling his time working in Sweden Paul Gisby had the recollection that Swedes did seem to place greater emphasis on the importance of the psychological safety of the work environment, even if the term itself was not used. In the latest episode of the Talking Leaders season of podcasts on Psychological Safety @Work, Paul interviews a Swedish former colleague Maja Marklund to ask, is his recollec...

In the latest episode of the season on Psychological Safety @Work Paul talks with leadership and interpersonal communication experts Katie McCleary and Jennifer Edwards about their book Bridge the Gap. As Katie and Jennifer put it “Let’s just say it flat out: you work with people that you struggle to understand, like, or respect. You also work with people who struggle to understand, like, or respe...

In the latest episode of our season on Psychological Safety @ Work, Paul takes to the streets to ask people about their experience of Psychological Safety. And he finds that while there are still plenty of problems there are encouraging reasons for optimism.  

Even though like many of us, Ann Cormack MBE only became aware of the term Psychological Safety in the latter stages of her distinguished career, it turns out that she has been a proponent of it from her first days as a leader. In this episode of our season on Psychological Safety @ Work, Ann shares her thoughts and advice on how to create conditions where motivation is high, and teams thrive. Lis...

Claire Hamlin and Sheila Fitzsimons are consultants with Q5, a consultancy that specialises in Organisational Health. Kicking off the season on psychological safety at work Claire and Sheila share their thoughts on what psychological safety is (and isn’t) and how leaders and individuals can go about improving it. Their optimistic stance is that it’s not that hard or costly to do, and that real cha...

Psychological Safety seems to be getting mentioned more than it ever did. But is the increased attention just a leadership fad, or is it finally being seen as not only a human right but as a significant feature of the highest performing teams? In this episode, I introduce a new season of podcasts, which explore how people are thinking and talking about psychological safety at work, as well as offe...

In the final episode of Conversations about Promotion we bring together the top tips from all eleven interviewees and what a rich resource it is. Packed with a wealth of proven and actionable tips drawn from over 300 years of collected experience, there is plenty for anyone targeting their next promotion. https://www.talkingleaders.com Contact us here: letstalk@talkingleaders.com  

In this episode Paul Gisby gives a summary of the excellent advice and wisdom passed on by the people interviewed for the season. Covering things like making yourself promotion ready, how to make a success of your promotion, key watchouts and the best piece of advice ever on the secret of successful promotion. https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Even though she left the British Army nearly 22 years ago, Lisa Smith is still a big fan of the way the army teaches and develop leadership. The skills that she first picked up at Sandhurst and then honed over her nine years as a serving officer have served her well since leaving. And one other thing that has stayed with her, is her belief that if you are going for a promotion do it because it wil...

Nowhere is promotion more delineated and integral to an organisation than in the armed forces, where the tradition and structures have deep routes. To get an insight into how promotion works in the military we spoke with former British Army officer Andy Stanley. Andy spent 21 years in the Education and Training Services branch, as it’s now called, of the British Army reaching the rank of major, be...

If Kirsten Campbell has learned anything in her career it’s not to limit your expectations of what you can achieve. In this episode Kirsten shares her experiences of promotion, from shoe shop assistant to noted leadership consultant and all without a degree. As a former manager said to her once “Don’t go through life waiting for permission.” https://www.talkingleaders.com  

David was born in Trinidad. He is an IT professional in the finance sector. Several years ago he moved to the UK to further his career. By a number of measures David has had a successful career. Feedback from all directions has always been strongly positive and he was well paid, both in terms of base pay and performance bonuses. However, over time it became clear that one aspect of career success...

THE KEYS TO PROMOTION – VISIBILITY AND GROWTH Gisele Tavares is clear if a new role is not going to be a stretch why take it? In this episode, Gisele explains that growth is something she has pursued throughout her career. Combined with building networks, not being afraid to ask for help and silencing the doubting voices in her head it’s an approach that has served her well, taking her all the way...

Even though the arrival of digital had a huge impact on journalism, as UK journalist Sirena Bergman explains, when it comes to building a career much remains the same. Sexism, racism and class privilege are still factors to contend with. Plus, as in many professions, journalists have the dilemma that in order to get recognition and achieve financial security they may need to take on roles that act...

Like his colleagues, noted environmentalist and co-founder of Sound Matters, Mike Edwards, started out wanting to climb the academic ladder. Then he went into the Australian bush. And there his perspective on life and what success meant to him changed. Mike explains how getting close to the more-than-human world, learning about the aboriginal ways of connecting with the land, and becoming an accom...