Work's Not Working... Let's Fix It!

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! , Siân Harrington sits down with Tom Kegode – former People & Places Culture Transformation Lead at Lloyds Banking Group – to challenge one of the most overused ideas in corporate life: transformation. Despite the slide decks, the roadmaps and the change programmes most organisations aren’t actually transforming. They’re stuck in cycles of e...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! , Siân Harrington sits down with Steven D’Souza – award-winning educator, executive coach and senior partner at Korn Ferry – to explore a question few leaders dare to ask: what if the problem isn’t our systems or strategies… but ourselves? Because as Steven explains, every leader carries a “shadow” – the unseen habits, fears and defences that qu...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! , Siân Harrington sits down with Michael Moran, founder of 10Eighty, career coach, former CEO and author of Going Portfolio , to explore why the ‘job for life’ is over and what comes next. Michael argues that clinging to one job as a source of security is no longer realistic and may even put us at risk. Instead, the future of work is portfolio:...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! , Siân Harrington sits down with Farley Thomas, former global MD at HSBC, CEO coach and co-founder of leadership edtech firm Manageable, to flip the script on leadership. What if the biggest lever for performance isn’t the CEO’s vision but the team manager’s next conversation? Farley argues that while organisations obsess over strategy, status a...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! , Siân Harrington sits down with Prithwiraj Choudhury, professor at the London School of Economics and bestselling author of The World is Your Office , to challenge our most stubborn assumption: that work must happen in the office. Raj has spent the past decade studying ‘work from anywhere”’ and the myths that stop companies from unlocking its f...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! Siân Harrington sits down with Harvard Business Review editor Kevin Evers, author of There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift , to explore what Taylor Swift can teach us about leadership, reinvention and making work actually work. At first glance it might seem unlikely but Kevin argues that Swift is one of the most strateg...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! Siân Harrington sits down with Lord Mark Price – former managing director of Waitrose, deputy chair of the John Lewis Partnership, and now author of Happy Economics   – to ask a surprisingly radical question: What if the biggest untapped performance lever in business... is happiness? In a world obsessed with efficiency, dashboards and productivi...

In this episode o f Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! Siân Harrington sits down with Josh Drean , workplace futurist and co-author of Employment is Dead , to explore why the traditional employment contract may soon be a relic of the past – and what’s rising to take its place. In a world shaped by AI, blockchain, Web3 and an emerging generation of workers questioning everything about how we work, J...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It! Siân Harrington sits down with Kate Waterfall Hill, executive coach, leadership expert and creator of Linda, the bad manager, to explore why leadership so often falls short in today’s workplace. With humour and insight Kate reveals why bad managers are everywhere, the hidden causes of their failings and how we can all do better. From the challen...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fit It! Siân Harrington dives into the complex and often paradoxical relationship between humans and artificial intelligence with Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, organisational psychologist and author of the provocative book I , Human . Together they unpack the ways AI is reshaping workplaces ­­– and our very minds – for better and worse. From the alarming eco...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working , Siân Harrington sits down with Steve Hearsum to debunk one of the most seductive myths in leadership and organisational change – the myth of the "silver bullet." From tales of vampires and werewolves to the Lone Ranger’s legendary single shot, Steve uses storytelling to explore why leaders are so often tempted by the idea that a single, magical sol...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working Siân Harrington speaks with AI and leadership expert David De Cremer about the challenges business leaders face when integrating AI into the workplace. They explore how the rush to adopt AI can often miss the mark by focusing too much on technological solutions and not enough on the human elements that make successful AI integration possible. David argues that...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working, Siân Harrington and inclusion expert Paul Anderson Walsh explore the challenges of managing five generations in the workplace and the need for adaptive leadership. They highlight the different expectations and perspectives of each generation, from Traditionalists to Gen Z, and the impact of these differences on work and leadership styles. The conversation tou...

In this episode of Work’s Not Working, Siân Harrington speaks with Blaire Palmer about the outdated Victorian beliefs and practices still influencing modern workplaces. Despite technological and societal advancements, many organizations remain entrenched in old paradigms, treating employees like second-rate machines. Blaire argues that these antiquated beliefs prevent true evolution in work practi...

In this episode Siân Harrington speaks to Sophie Williams about the  concept of the glass cliff, where women and marginalized groups are often hired in leadership roles when a business is already underperforming, setting them up for failure. It delves into the impact of the glass cliff on women in the workplace, the reasons behind it and the implications for organizations. The discussion also cove...

In this episode Siân Harrington speaks to Laura Ashley-Timms about the importance of asking good questions as a management superpower. Laura highlights the challenges faced by managers in today's complex and rapidly changing work environment and the need to reinvent the traditional command and control culture of management. She introduces the concept of the Frankenstein manager, who is made u...

In this episode, Siân Harrington speaks with Rob Briner about the challenges and benefits of adopting an evidence-based approach in HR. They discuss the focus on HR fads and the need to shift towards a more informed and effective HR practice. They explore the role of data and analytics in evidence-based HR and the mindset and skills required to implement this approach. They also highlight areas of...

In this episode, Siân Harrington speaks to innovation expert Cris Beswick about misconceptions about innovation and how the way we approach it today is not delivering the outcomes businesses want. Cris emphasises that innovation is not just about new products or technology. He defines innovation as the introduction of new or different solutions that solve genuine problems and add value.  He highli...

In this episode of Work's Not Working... Let's Fix It, Siân Harrington and acclaimed thinker Michael Jenkins, author of Expert Humans: Critical Leadership Skills for a Disrupted World , explore why a blend of altruism, empathy and compassion is key to transforming today's workplace into a thriving, humane environment where individuals and organizations can succeed together. Today&ap...

Sustainability has become a top agenda item for organizations globally. But many get stuck in a compliance rut, missing real opportunities for innovation and competitive edge. In this episode Dean Sanders tells Siân Harrington how leaders can move their organizations from box–ticking to transformational and profitable sustainability. As chief enterprise officer at ESG consultancy Anthesis Dean has...

In this episode of Work's Not Working... Let's Fix It, Siân Harrington chats to celebrated comedian and communications expert Neil Mullarkey about why we need to improve communication in the workplace and the potential of improvisation as a tool for doing so. Neil recounts his journey from teaming up with Mike Myers in the 1980s and co-founding the Comedy Store Players to exploring how i...

In this episode, Siân Harrington interviews Catherine Garrod, author of Conscious Inclusion: How to ‘do’ EDI one decision at time   who helped entertainment company Sky become the Most Inclusive Employer in the UK, about why, despite billions of dollars of investment, little progress has been made in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in organizations. We discuss the importance of i...

In this podcast, Siân Harrington interviews Daniel Strode about the connection between culture, innovation and a growth mindset, emphasising the importance of psychological safety in fostering a growth mindset within organisations.  Dan argues that culture is the primary factor driving innovation, regardless of business size or type. He highlights the rapid pace of technological advancements in th...

Productivity growth has slowed down in many economies since the global financial crisis of 2008. Despite advances in technology and investment in workforce training and development, productivity growth has remained low, puzzling economists and policymakers. Wages are stagnant or declining.  Traditionally technology has been the primary driver of productivity gain – and today technology is advancin...

Companies today are failing at a record pace. In 1958 the average age of a company on the S&P500 stock index was 61. Today it is 18. It is predicted that within the next five years three-quarters of S&P500 companies will have disappeared. Artificial intelligence and automation is everywhere. But, rather than automating us out of work, these technologies are taking the more repetitive bits...