Leading with Agility

Workplace motivation is a constant challenge, and post pandemic the challenge is only increasing. With 3 in 5 18-34yr olds say they feel lonely often, what can organisations do to ensure this generation feel greater connection to their colleagues and their organisations?  So much to unpack and discuss as we explore the power of employee recognition programmes, how they work and what are the benefi...

As the UK Elections move closer, the two main parties are battling for votes. The Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Sunak have decided to hark back to yesteryear by announcing that a vote for them will mean the reintroduction of National Service. According to him, young people need to be ‘kept out of trouble’ as lots of parents are ‘worried about what their children get upto on the weekend...

As the UK heads to a Summer General Election on 4th July, and polls predicting a total wipeout for the current government we thought we'd explore what it means for leaders looking to quit. When does resigning make sense? What happens when when success isn’t possible.? Should you just  give up and move on, or should leaders persevere? So many questions to explore! And as always, if you've listened...

Why do humans seek out role models? What should a role model look like? And what happens when you become one without even realising it? We explore all these questions and more (yes that includes Trump), so download the episode to enjoy the full discussion. And as always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1]  Psychological definition of Vicarious Reinfo...

In the past two weeks, Co-op Live, a brand new entertainment venue in Manchester has had to publicly apologise after its grand opening got delayed repeatedly. While it's General Manager resigned after controversial comments were made about the UK entertainment industry. What are the lessons leaders can draw about how to plan successfully? What does strategic planning mean and can plans ever work w...

What happens when you make assumptions about what your employees are capable of? what impact does that have on their performance? We delve into two relatively unknown psychological principles that underly this assumptive approach. And if you're a leader, we'll be exploring what it means if you're in a line management role. As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resource...

As the news of Samsung's push a 6 day work week goes viral, we discuss what productivity really means. A relic of a bygone era or time for a reinterpretation as the world of work rapidly changes? But beyond this discussion, we explore the deeper causes behind execs and employees working ever longer hours. We uncover the phenomena of the insecure overachiever and its impact in the workplace. As alw...

We explore what self-management means, the various categories under it and whether or not its an achievable style of management that leaders can aim for. We compare some popular methods structures and frameworks that describe self-management practices and discuss how applicable they are in the modern workplace. As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we referen...

Diversity is more than just representation, many leaders are responsible for managing teams that bridge continents not just cultures.  This brings a range of considerations to the fore, what type of communication pattern works best? Should I be more directive, or less? How do I ensure my instructions are understood? Listen in as we do compare a range of approaches and share some of our own anecdot...

Continuing the conversation on diversity, this episode focuses on a very specific , yet troubling phenomena that affect women in c-suite positionsJoin us as we uncover the origins of the Glass Cliff, the research behind it and how a status quo bias might be what is underpinning to this day. Finally we look to the future and consider what actions leaders can take when hiring staff to reduce its eff...

This week, our team at Humble Associates received some awesome feedback commending our team's diversity. Not only ethnicity and gender, but of style and approach. It got us thinking more ...why is this so important to us? Join us as we delve into this topic with a focus on how vulnerability can be the key to unlock real diversity in your teams. As always, if you've listened to the episode, here ar...

How should leaders and organisations support Gen Z in the workplace? Why does it matter?  What are Gen Z looking for from leaders? We get our teeth into this hot topic and try to better understand what type of environment leaders need to create in order to better include Gen Z employees. We also explore what leaders Gen Z may become in the future and how it compliments Agile Leadership! As always,...

Post pandemic, organisations seem to be prevaricating over their remote work policies. From Disney to Nvidia many organisations are battling with a greater desire from employees for a remote work policy that works. In this episode we explore what the latest data can tell us about organisations who adopt flexible work policies. We discuss what it means for leaders and organisational cultures. Final...

This month marks the two year anniversary of the tragic kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer. Her death provoked an outcry into the state of UK policing with subsequent inquiries revealing that the Metropolitan Police is institutionally misogynistic and racist. As a result, polls show that trust in the Police has now hit all time lows; policing is in a state...

With the Boeing 737 MAX back in the headlines following yet more safety issues, we take a deep dive into what is going on both with the leadership but the wider culture at the troubled airline giant. Many analysts have already pointed to the 1997 merger as being a major factor in Boeing's current troubles, but we wanted to take a look at how true that is. What really happens when a company goes th...

The Body Shop, founded by Anita Roddick in 1976, grew from a single store in Brighton into a successful brand that became well-known on many of Britain's high streets. With the recent news that the store will be entering administration we wanted to reflect on Anita's inspiring leadership style that led to its success. We'll uncover what inspired Anita as a leader, the leadership behaviours she det...

With the recent news that both McDonalds and Starbucks are feeling the effects of worldwide boycotts , we discuss what organisations can do to avoid them and how Agile Leadership can navigate a different path through such turbulent times. With reputations at stake, leaders often have difficult choices to make. On the one hand stay silent and risk being considered complicit or speak up and antagoni...

Many of you will have heard the bombshell news this week that Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool FC has decided he will leave the club at the end of the season citing his mental health as being a critical factor. In this episode, we go a bit deeper into Klopp's leadership style, how it may have led to his decision but also the environment around him and the pressures of working in an elite sport c...

With President Biden going viral this week for his striking comments regarding airstrikes in Yemen, we ponder what it means for leaders who routinely make their decisions based on their ideologies or beliefs. What motivates them and what is the impact they create? How do they learn from their failures, and if they don't why? And with continuous improvement being a key tenet of Agile leadership, we...

Here in the UK many of you will now be aware of what some call the largest miscarriage of justice in British legal history,  the Post Office Scandal. Since the early 2000s Hundreds of postmasters and mistresses were wrongfully prosecuted for fraud and theft when in fact it was all due to a faulty IT system named Horizon.  Some have had their convictions overturned, but for many more the long road...

Has micromanagement really gone away? In this episode we discuss how subtler forms have become more common place and how complex work requires leaders to be far more attentive and supportive than ever before. Our journey starts with how and why micromanagement occurs, the impact it has on employees and importantly how a leader you can recognise their own patterns of behaviour.  Using a 10 year res...

In our very first episode, TK and Arif introduce the podcast and kick-off the discussion with a look at the state of leadership development. According to a recent report, less than a quarter of leaders surveyed felt the quality of leadership development wasn't of a high enough standard.  So what does this mean for the state of leadership development and what leaders need in an age of constant chan...