PodCast

This episode features Lily Kozlowsky, Pramod Prasanth, Fiona Revell, Nadia Stoykov, Armin Scharlach and Bill Young. The session explored how decisions can actually form in organizations, using the “hive mind” instead of formal processes. Discussion opened by questioning whether human organizations can truly mirror bee colonies, given people’s needs for recognition and status. One view held that ex...

This episode features, in order of speaking, Doug Else-Jack, Fiona Revell, Mariann Sahni, Cameron Smith, Pramod Prasanth, Corrado Mazzoni and Marc Rajal. SWISSUES participants choose what aspects of the topic they want to address and this episode cover the following. Credentials are not experience Credentials and experience are routinely conflated, but they’re not the same thing — and the gap matt...

Authority’s foundations. Authority is socially necessary but must be legitimate, accountable, and limited — without all three, it risks sliding into tyranny. Checks and balances are important. Transparency and term limits are essential because “power corrupts.” Authority vs. leadership. A key distinction emerged between positional authority (given by a role or title) and personal authority (earned...

The Motion: This House believes that European companies should be free from US tech. Suzanna Irving and Guido Greber spoke for the motion. Mike Rogers and Denis Bednyagin spoke against This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com

Episode 21 of the SWISSUES podcast features Amy Jones who (naively) asks Bill Young about podcasting. Let's see how that went... Subscribe to SWISSUES.com to keep up to date on latest podcasts and events This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com

Howard Price and Lily Kozlowska join Bill Young to discuss critical thinking. Any SWISSUES subscriber is welcome to join our podcast panel and to suggest topics for discussion. You may have noticed that we are neither celebrities nor experts - we do this to get better at thinking and communicating ‘on our feet’, and we don’t expect a massive audience. Thank you for your indulgence. SWISSUES subscr...

Episode Overview In this episode, we explore how social media exploits our most primitive neurological functions. From the "race to the bottom" of the brainstem to the erosion of personal agency, we discuss how digital platforms fuel tribalism and how we can reclaim our cognitive sovereignty. Key Takeaways The Brainstem Trap: Modern tech has evolved from lowering economic standards to lowering neu...

In this episode, Sigrid Brendel, Mike Fenn, Ciaran Crossin and Armin Scharlach join me, Bill Young, to select words as contenders to be the Zeitgeist of 2025. Regular listeners will not be surprised that each word lures us into deeper discussions. If you would like to join our podcast panels in 2026, contact me at bill.young@forvm.ch This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...

How can hierarchic corporations avoid killing creativity and initiative? Featuring Daniela Dollinger, Martin Eisenhut, Chris Holmes and Bill Young, this episode is about new forms of organization; how they encourage ideas, motivate staff and build self-reliance. Listen and all will be revealed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonu...

Ciaran Crossan, Richard Norcross and Bill Young venture into Personality Typing (aka Psychometric Testing). What is your ‘Colour’? Which Star Wars character are you? If you are unamiliar with these questions, then we apologise if this episode could be a little puzzling. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swi...

In this episode, Bob Dignen and Bill Young try to get their heads around Systems Thinking and to understand why it has had practically no influence on business management. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com

In this episode, Ciaran Crossan, Nadia Stoykov, Armin Scharlach and Bill Young do something different from the usual. We each choose an item of news that has intrigued, amused or infuriated us, and discuss it with the panel. We apologise for some audio problems in the recording of this episode This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

When Nadia Stoykov, Thierry Fausten and Armin Scharlach joined me, Bill Young, to talk about Risk, the discussion did not go as expected. If you are hoping for best practice on probability, resilience and whatever, then - sorry! Instead, we found ourselves agreeing how poor the understanding of risk is. Risk-avoidance has a new meaning; avoiding serious discussion of it! One of my take-aways was t...

Armin Scharlach, Michelle Wang, Chris Holmes and Nadia Stoykov join me, Bill Young, to share ideas about a company’s life-cycle, what it means to those who work in it, and why it’s important to know where you are in it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com

This episode examines the role of the Non-Executive Director (NED). What do they do; why are they needed; and could you do it? In this episode, Thierry Fausten and Bill Young are joined by David Jones. Instead of our usual loose discussion, we invited David to give us a broad overview of the whole field of non-executive directorship, which he does brilliantly. You’ll learn what the role involves i...

Ciaran Crossin, Charles H Green*, Armin Scharlach and Peter Walmsley join Bill Young to consider Trust. What is it, what contributes to it, and why is trust in a person so different from Trust in a company if such a thing should even exist? * Charles is the founder of Trusted Advisor Associates and co-author of ‘The Trusted Advisor’, its follow-up ‘The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook’; and author of Tru...

It’s inauguration day in the USA. Does this event mark a change in the world order? And how should those engaged in the everyday world of business and trade respond? In this special episode of the SWISSUES PodCast, Armin Scharlach, Bob Dognen, Thierry Fausten and Bill Young consider its significance. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access t...

Thierry Fausten, Armin Scharlach, Bob Dignen and Bill Young consider Followership and ask why it gets such a bad press. Could it have something to do with the word? And have we underrated its importance? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com

Ciaran Crossin, Michelle Wang, Armin Scharlach and Bill Young discuss the relevance of lifelong-learning; and how continuous personal and professional development influence career decisions and trajectory. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com

Armin Scharlach, Ciaran Crossin, Thierry Fausten and Bill Young have different opinions on whether innovation is compatible with efficiency and compliance. As ever in SWISSUES, there is no best practice and no conclusion. So why would you listen? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com

Armin Scharlach, Ciaran Crossin, Rajat Mitra and Bill Young are prompted by the proposed creation of a Department Of Government Efficiency in the USA, to share their experiences of cost cutting initiatives and how they turn out. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com

Michelle Wang, Armin Scharlach, Thierry Fausten and Bill Young consider aspects of trade protectionism. The background is clearly the well-trailed tariffs of the U.S. president-elect and we want to know what. if anything, business people should do to prepare for the new politics of international trade. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...

How can hierarchic corporations avoid killing creativity and initiative? Featuring Daniela Dollinger, Martin Eisenhut, Chris Holmes and Bill Young, this episode is about new forms of organization; how they encourage ideas, motivate staff and build self-reliance. Listen and all will be revealed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonu...

Ciaran Crossan, Richard Norcross and Bill Young venture into Personality Typing (aka Psychometric Testing). What is your 'Colour'? Which Star Wars character are you? If you are unamiliar with these questions, then we apologise if this episode could be a little puzzling. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

Peter Wright, Ciaran Crossan, Armin Scharlach and Bill Young explore the controversial, occasionally confusing but always fascinating world of NLP. This discussion may change your opinions on the topic, whatever they are. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.swissues.com