Leadership & Life Chat

Four years, 131 episodes, 38 guests and three presenters later, it's time to say goodbye to the Leadership & Life Chat 'band' as we know it.  In this episode, original presenter, James Lay, makes a triumphant return and, alongside Becky, questions Mark on exactly how he's been able to pre-plan and orchestrate his retirement at only 49, and the lessons he's learnt on the way. Mark is, as always, op...

In this episode, Garath Symonds, the founder of Reconnect Coaching, joins Mark and Becky to discuss his upcoming book,  'The Anxious Leader' . They explore how anxiety impacts decision-making and leadership, the importance of rational thinking and ego reflection, as well as strategies for tolerating anxiety as opposed to rejecting it. They delve into the role of meditation and self-reflection for...

In a world of quiet quitting and the 'Great Resignation', what should employers be doing to keep their best people?  This week Mark chats to Steve Jacobs, a director at WTW, to discuss the importance of employee benefits and how to navigate the ever-changing trends in the workplace.  With the shift in employee expectations post COVID-19, and a focus on flexibility and work-life balance, they look...

You might not think this topic applies to you – but it's a conversation that might be important for someone you love.  TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains mention of drug addiction, depression and suicide We open the LAST EVER series of the podcast with Mark and Becky chatting to Nick Jonsson in one of our most frank, honest and powerful episodes surrounding the often brutal reality of leadersh...

Do you listen to music whilst you work? There are countless studies and arguments on whether music can really make us more productive. We often hear radios playing in forecourts, offices and shops, and since the launch of Spotify and shrinking of headphones, playing music at work has become much less frowned upon. But what is the scientific impact on our brains? Should we be encouraging or discour...

This conversation is far from a laugh riot, but is a fascinating insight into the reality of what it's like for many teams members out there right now working under bad bosses. The stats will blow your mind! Fearless Organisation Practitioner Rob Kalwarowsky, famous for his speech 'How to Avoid Becoming an As*hole Boss'; outlines the 6 different destructive leader types: •    The arrogant or viole...

In this episode we talk all things chaos theory. No, not the ' interdisciplinary area of scientific study and branch of mathematics focused on underlying patterns and deterministic laws of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions ' (thanks Wikipedia). Rather, how our unpredictable behaviour can impact our work and those around us. Mark and Becky discuss how there's a diffe...

Psychotherapist, Gin Lalli, supports people in finding practical solutions for mental fitness when feeling out of control, and how to avoid negative thinking with the aim of limiting your stress. Stress is a consequence of negative thinking, and the responses come from the part of your brain that is designed to keep you safe – they were vital for survival in caveman days, but we don't need them da...

We are back for series 7! Loyal listeners will know that Mark and Becky are huge fans of Jim Collins, so they decided it was time to dive deep into his work, and look at the seven key questions he claims all leaders need to ask themselves. They outline how each question can help with recruitment and retaining our talented people! Jim once said leaders should be "rigorous, not ruthless." Can this r...

Do you think you've grown as a person, or as a leader, or have you allowed your challenges or failures to hold you back? Human Potential Coach Kamini Wood is passionate about helping people to understand their worth and grow their personal and professional paths, or as she puts it, "I mess with how people think!" Do you ever feel like you don't belong? You don't fit in? What do you allow your inne...

This week, Mark and Becky reflect on a topic which keeps coming up with their guests – the importance of emotional intelligence. They look back on their AI episodes and how the human in the loop theory will become more important in the future, extending past the technical aspects of a job, and into how to retain the people in your team; after all, people join organisations but leave managers.  The...

This episode is a complete refresh on the topic of leadership. Antonio Garrido, former architect and author of My Daily Leadership: A Powerful Roadmap for Leadership Success, has dedicated the latter half of his career to helping CEO's better tap into their emotional intelligence, understand the art of truth telling and create more productive working relationships. His energy and experience offers...

The world of business is changing again and, where once we were encouraged to be proactive in our businesses, now, thanks to the advancement in AI, we might have to start being predictive – but how easy is this for humans, and will the world look like Minority Report!  Mark and Becky reflect on their special roundtable chat this summer with AI experts, Alison Alexander and Alix Rübsaam, and discus...

Studies suggest that selling your business or retiring early do not necessarily make someone happier. Dawn Bloomer, a former veterinarian turned strategic advisor, knows this all too well.  Dawn guides us through her journey after selling her successful practice and finding herself adrift – she hadn't planned what to do next! She chats to Mark and Becky about the importance of exit plans and consi...

We're back for series SIX, and what better way to start than letting Mark do what he does best – philosophise about himself! He muses around what 'being a creative person' really means, and how we can embrace creativity and innovation in our businesses.  Mark and Becky look at how creativity can't be forced and how the pressures of work diaries, workloads and deadlines, particularly for business o...

How can you use, shape and lead AI in business – with experts Alix Rübsaam and Alison Alexander.  Should we be worried? What does the future of humanity really look like? You might aready be familiar with ChatGPT, but there's a whole world of AI out there, and it's rapidly impacting how we live and work.  For this special roundtable episode, we invited previous guests, Alix Rübsaam, Head of Curric...

Darryl's journey is nothing short of inspirational. Darryl was already living with degenerative eyesight, resulting in becoming legally blind, when he was brutally attacked at 17. Rather than recoiling from the world and pursuing resentment, he decided to embrace empathy and his life and career of thinking was brought hastily forward. Darryl achieved his doctorate at Duke University and wrote his...

'Stuff' happens, as Becky politely put it– but how do we deal with it now we're all facing a new wave of challenges? There's a lot going on; geo-political, environmental, and economic pressures and worries infringe on all our lives in some way, so Mark wants to revisit resilience. But that's a bit of a buzz word now, so they work on the peripherals of what this encompasses, looking back on the Loc...

It's widely considered that the US Marine Corps is one of the best examples of leadership in the world. Veteran Janet Polach chats to Mark and Becky about how best to leverage the skills of your team and avoid being a selfish leader.  They examine each step of Janet's book, The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make, and delve into Janet's 'make it worse' technique. After discussing the importance of pe...

Mark is inspired this week by a TEDx talk which leads him to reflect on one of his favourite topics – evolution, tribes and what makes humans tick. It's a tough question to ask yourself, but are you creating a cult or a culture? Mark and Becky discuss where the idea of culture comes from and what it really means for businesses. "Cult leaders see greatness in themselves", whereas, if you operate as...

We all have a personal brand, whether we know it or not.  Born in Romania, under a Communist regime, personal brand expert, Mihaela Berciu, faced more than the usual teenage worries. Simply saying the wrong thing would have landed her in a lot of trouble, but, little did she know that this lived experience, of having heightened anxiety over her own behaviour, would lead her into a post-revolutiona...

Mark loved explaining how Einstein was not great at making sandwiches this week! He didn't grow the wheat, didn't knead the dough, so did he really make a sandwich? The point being none of us really ever make it on our own. We're all reliant on so many factors around us that help guide, support and ultimately achieve our success. They challenge the listener to think about whether they lean into th...

Becky makes a great point in this episode – "it's only bragging if it isn't true". Doubting ourselves is part of our genetic makeup as humans, but we no longer need as much of a 'fear instinct' as our Homo sapiens predecessors – we're fairly high on the food chain now! Context is key, and you can use this as a driver when assessing decisions you need to make as a leader. A fear of judgment can als...

This week, Mark and Becky connect with a local Norfolk organisation, whose insights have global relevance – why businesses should embrace a strong Corporate social responsibility (CSR) package. (And we find out who Mark's favourite Womble is!) Voluntary Norfolk connects businesses and charitable organisations, to help businesses meet their community objectives. In previous episodes, Mark and Becky...

With Gen-Z now entering the workforce, how do you go about navigating the massive cultural divide that might now exist in your office? Typically, Gen-Z are no wallflowers; strong minded, often politically active and not afraid to call out inappropriate 'banter'. They are moving into workspaces with Gen-X, millennials and even boomers, who have not had to deal with such a big cultural leap in the g...