Engaging People, Powering Companies - The Leadership Podcast

Have you noticed how much easier it is to deal with the challenges of work when you come back from holiday as opposed to how you felt before you left? Nothing else changes except the mindset we bring to our work. When we get a chance to reflect and recuperate, it can have a massive impact on our outlook and our resilience. Mindset is the secret ingredient that allows us to make the most of opportu...

We hear so often how the world is more VUCA/ BANI/TUNA/ RUPT - take your pick, but the point is that it's far more complicated to allow organisations to embrace a deliberate strategic approach, resulting in confusion over the long-term direction. It's now harder than ever to think beyond 12 months, with the changing environment around us. If established organisations are now having to go back to e...

Have you ever experienced a moment in your life where you knew what the outcome was going to be, you could see it, taste it, and you were in no doubt what it would become? Having such a strong power of conviction allows us to move forward from the natural state of fearing change, fearing uncertainty, and fearing losing what we have as we strive to achieve more. Sometimes, our internal narrative ca...

A company reputation matters. Those organisations that have a reputation for a great culture will attract people because of that culture. But that reputation could blind us to the toxic micro-cultures that may exist, resulting in people suffering in what should be a great culture. What can leaders do to uncover these toxic micro-cultures? What causes these cultures to develop in the first place? J...

This week we're facing into the hard truth of whether senior leaders and CEOs are motivated enough to improve productivity and performance across organisations. Doing nothing can actually pay off. Many senior leaders will get their bonuses, and one could argue, they are almost being incentivised to maintain the status quo. But across every organisation, everyone knows those areas that need improve...

Welcome back! Now that the summer is over, and we hope you have enjoyed time with family and friends, having rested, we hit September with the enthusiasm of starting the new year like we do after a Christmas break. This quarter is critical to many businesses so it's important that we are being as effective as we can possibly be. A specific request from a listener this week about a manager who is m...

How much are we relying on data to make important decisions? Data is critical, but in our quest to process data at an exponential rate, to the extent that we need to rely on AI to provide us with insights, are we missing a critical human component? What ever happened to 'gut feel' or instincts? Have you ever had a moment when the data all pointed one way, but your gut told you to go another? What...

Details of Oliver Burkeman and his book: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/ Details of out YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@and-evolve/videos  

Here at &Evolve, we've been running our podcast over the last three years, hoping to provoke thought, to consider how we can improve the world of work and improve the lives of everyone, whilst at the same time improving performance and productivity. With our special 100th episode, we wanted to do something different. This week Amy Billings, and Carole Castle from the &Evolve team who help support...

We have a real treat for you this week. To support you in your quest to develop greater wisdom, we have our accompanying digital Reflective Practice Journal which you can download immediately after the podcast, using the following link: DIGITAL REFLECTIVE JOURNAL    

How many Baby Boomers make up your organisation's senior leadership team? Are you prepared for them to begin retiring? Whilst they may not all choose to, in the U.S. alone, 2024 is going to see the largest population of people in its history, celebrate their 65th birthday. In the U.K., the baby boomer generation make up almost 25% of the population. How prepared are our organisations for when they...

Welcome to a special episode of our podcast where we delve into the intersection of social media, expectations, and stereotypes within the workplace for Generation Z professionals. In this episode, we explore how social media influences the way Gen Z approaches work and relationships within their careers. We'll discuss the unique expectations Gen Z brings to the workplace, from a desire for purpos...

What drives discrimination? If the colour of someone's skin is the only reason, how did the holocaust happen with Nazi Germany creating a 'Master race'? What then do we make of the caste system in India, where some people born into castes are considered untouchable, where their very touch could pollute another? Is race a version of a systemic caste system where humanity has artificially created su...

Just when you thought companies had adapted to remote and hybrid working, Boots announces that all their employees must come back into the office five days a week. The reason? Because they felt remote and hybrid working was having an impact on their culture. Cultures are made up of the values we hold most dear. What are the values driving Boots? Are companies making decisions aligned to their valu...

Have you noticed how when companies have had a fantastic financial performance, they share the great news, but then tell employees they cannot invest in any additional resources because they just don't have the budgets? It leaves employees confused about the decisions being made, and questioning where all the money is going to? Leaders are working in a different time zone to employees, and if this...

Is it inevitable that power will corrupt? Is this something we need to accept as the frailty of the human condition, that as soon as we achieve powerful positions, corruption is inevitable, irrespective of who you are and your benevolent intentions? Whilst power tends to corrupt, could power attract those with pathological tendencies acting like a magnet, only enhancing and magnifying what already...

How much does your reputation matter to you? Obviously, we don't want people around us saying horrible things about us, but for some people, that can matter far more than for others. How important is reputation to those best performers? What role does having a clearly defined identity play in helping performance? It turns out, quite a lot. Our Values and Identity play a pivotal role based on the e...

Would you know if your employees were living in poverty? What signs would you see? Would a drop in performance towards the end of the month be something you would ever associate with poverty, questioning whether some people are rationing food because they have no more money? This might sound extreme, but with the findings from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlighting how millions of employees a...

Many of us will have watched the documentary called 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office', which showed the way sub-postmasters were treated after the roll-out of a new computer system which started to show hundred of sub-postmasters having huge gaps in their takings. Instead of questioning the system, the default of the senior leadership team was to blame their people. Not just blame, but to pursue crimi...

Despite all the experience you have across your career, do you find you doubting yourself? Do you suffer from Imposter Syndrome? Are you afraid of being 'found out'? You are not alone. Many of us suffer from this and for those in senior positions, it could go on to impact on the culture. How can we overcome this and what could we do to improve how we feel? Join Amrit as he explores this in this we...

How often do you sit there on Sunday night thinking 'I really don't want to go to work tomorrow'? As winter draws closer, the thought of work on a Monday morning may fill some with dread. But whilst most of us think work is a means to an end - if we could find another way of earning a living, we would, could work mean something completely different? What if work just happened to be an avenue for y...

Have you ever been accused of flip-flopping? When we think of leaders, we often have images of strong, charismatic individuals who are clear visionaries, with the ability to immediately know where to go and how to get there. Whilst this applies to some very exceptional people, the world is full of great leaders who are more open-minded. When being open-minded is a great predictor of workplace succ...

How is your home life? Perfect and all unfolding the way you planned it out? I suspect not. Whilst there's a huge focus on employee experiences and employee engagement, we can often forget the human beings experiencing life outside of work, trying to cope with the uncertainty life throws at us, and the constant change we are having to deal with. This week, Amrit shares his own challenges over the...

How many times have you heard the word 'entitled' when people describe Gen Z employees? What's so different about this generation than any other, that they can't seem to handle work? Well, maybe there's nothing wrong with them, and it's our work we need to fix. How supportive are our workplaces to those aged 18-24 years? Have we got lazy with job descriptions and recruiting the right fit, only to...