The Business of Being Brilliant

How do you discover what truly motivates people in their careers? In this episode I sat down with Thomas Harwell, Head of Talent Engagement and Diversity Recruiting at Google for Europe, Middle East and Africa. We discuss how understanding personal motivations and creating meaningful career paths can lead to flourishing workplaces. In this episode we explore: ⭐️ Understanding that careers make se...

How can we ensure that flexibility in the workplace is accessible and fair for everyone? This week, I am thrilled to dive into an enlightening conversation with Claire Campbell, Chief Executive of the award-winning social enterprise Timewise. We explore the pressing issue of making flexible working arrangements more equitable in our post-pandemic world. We also discuss how Claire and Timewise are...

How can you reduce bad decisions in both personal and professional contexts? This week, I'm thrilled to share a captivating conversation with Adrian Kelly, author of "The Success Complex" and an expert in decision-making under pressure. We explore how intellectual humility and resilience can lead to better decision-making and more effective leadership. We also discuss how we can: ⭐️ Encourage peo...

How do you unlock personal and professional growth? This week, I am thrilled to dive into a conversation with Julie Doleman, a global executive with extensive experience in business expansion and innovation. We explore how creating growth opportunities and fostering accountability can lead to flourishing organisations.  We also discuss how Julie helps individuals to excel by: ⭐️ Encouraging peopl...

Hello! Happy 2025, I hope this year is going to be a brilliant one for you. This is just to give you a quick heads up on what’s coming up on the podcast as there’s a few bits of news to share with you. First up, the podcast will be going out fortnightly from now on throughout the year, as opposed to being series-based as it was before.  That means you get to enjoy a steady flow of fresh topics, gu...

To wrap up series 9 of The Business of Being Brilliant 🎙, here is some collective wisdom from all my guests on how to build a strong community at work. Find out: ⭐️ What people are expecting from their work community, and their leaders; ⭐️ How we can make it easier for employees to collaborate across internal boundaries; ⭐️ How we can empower them to try new things and deal with difficult situa...

Hands up if work and life are steady, predictable and neatly compartmentalised for you? Me neither. This week I was delighted to chat with Tom Shaw, Head of Organization Effectiveness at The Economist about how to have a fulfilling career when life and work are deeply intertwined and in a constant state of flux.   We also discuss how he helps colleagues to grow and realise their potential by: ⭐️...

I’ve been speaking with a number of Chief Executives and other business and HR leaders about retention, freedom and work culture as I’m writing People Glue, and I’m delighted to share some of my conversation with Simon Wilson, President at Markel International, in this week’s episode. It was fascinating to hear Simon talk about how they've built a culture of empowerment and trust at Markel Interna...

I talk with Adolfo Gomez Sanchez, performance mentor to elite athletes and global executives, about what drives exceptional performance. Links: Visit Helen’s website www.helenbeedham.com . Check out Helen's award-winning business book: The Future of Time: how 're-working' time can help you boost productivity, diversity and wellbeing . Leave a book review on Amazon here . Get in touch about Helen’s...

I talk with Mark Arian, CEO of Korn Ferry Consulting, about the factors affecting how employees feel about their jobs today and what they want from their relationship with their employer. Links: Visit Helen’s website www.helenbeedham.com . Check out Helen's award-winning business book: The Future of Time: how 're-working' time can help you boost productivity, diversity and wellbeing . Leave a book...

Flatter structures can mean fewer roles for people to progress into, making it harder to hang on to valued employees. So organisations have to get creative with career paths. Hannah Rowland, Head of Organisational Development at Henry Boot plc, joins me this week to chat about the challenges of retention when the jobs market is tipped in favour of the employee.  We explore: ⭐️  Making the most of...

This week on The Business of Being Brilliant, we’re demystifying innovation. When we’re all short of time, how do we really get people to think creatively, come up with fresh insights and solve complex problems?   I’m joined by innovation leader and adviser Nick Staite who explains: ⭐️ Why it’s hard to be innovative in today’s world of work; ⭐️ What stops people from sharing their ideas; ⭐️ How...

I talk with Jenn Fenwick, Executive Coach and Leadership Transition Specialist, about how organisations can best support leaders stepping into new roles. We discuss the challenges and triumphs that leaders face when stepping into new roles and: The critical importance of support systems for new leaders; The common pitfalls leaders encounter when transitioning into a new role; Strategies for organi...

I talk with Ryan Anderson, VP of Global Research and Insights at MillerKnoll, about how we can design offices more purposefully to facilitate connection, productive working and innovative thinking. We dive deep into the evolving world of office design and explore:  ⭐️ Why traditional office layouts are falling short of our needs today;  ⭐️ How to foster stronger connections and a sense of belong...

Excited to be kicking off series 9 of The Business of Being Brilliant podcast with a great line-up of business leaders and experts. We talk about reimagining the office; seeing problems differently; setting leaders up for success, not boxing people in and more. This week, Audra jenkins, Global Chief Equity Officer at Randstad, and I cast our eyes over the DEI landscape and dive into some big quest...

This wrap-up episode features advice from all my guests in series 8 on how to avoid hurtling down the wrong path, as individuals and as organisations. They share advice and examples from whistleblowing to wellbeing, meetings to managers and much more.   Tune in to hear how best to ⭐️ Take stock wisely and redirect your efforts. ⭐️ Figure out what to let go of and what to bring with you. ⭐️ Help...

How do you encourage people to be fearless in raising concerns about how work is being carried out or sharing a fresh idea? Spot non-compliant or potentially damaging behaviour before it spreads and becomes normalised?   On the pod this week I chat with leaders Sisieta Owen and Britt Johnston about why having great policies and processes isn’t sufficient to manage risk and compliance effectively o...

When you run a global business, how do you figure out what aspects of your culture should be consistent globally and what people are free to decide locally? How do you get agreement to this across the board and bring people with you?   My guest on #TheBusinessOfBeingBrilliant this week Kisha Payton, Chief DE&I Officer and Global Head of Culture, shares how she is leading this work at Escalent...

How do you get the most out of each individual at work? By understanding what makes them tick. And to do that, you have to ask great questions and look at the whole person.   On the pod this week I’m joined by Carolyn Stebbings, Chief Operating & Inclusion Officer at RAPP, who shares 3 questions to ask your team members and colleagues plus some practical ways that RAPP encourage individuality...

Is your meeting culture grinding you down? Find out how to unleash your team's full potential in this week’s podcast conversation with Alison Coward, founder of Bracket and author of the brilliant "Workshop Culture." With clients like Google and Meta, Alison shares insights from her 20 years of experience in fostering creativity, productivity, and collaboration. We discuss: Why we’re...

I talk with Anna Campagna, formerly Senior Global Sales Director at Heineken, about leaving a familiar role and ‘stepping into the unknown’ to start a new career chapter. As Anna puts it, this isn’t about the ‘plug and play’ career move, i.e. more of the same somewhere new. This is about nerve-jangling, scary-but-exciting endings in order to figure out a new beginning that isn’t yet fully formed....

I talk with Gwen Stirling-Wilkie, future of work expert and award-winning author, about the key trends shaping our world of work and how to build connected, collaborative teams and organisations. Visit Helen’s website www.helenbeedham.com . Check out Helen's award-winning business book: The Future of Time: how 're-working' time can help you boost productivity, diversity and wellbeing ....

I talk with Khushboo Patel, an expert in workplace culture and wellbeing who previously led on these topics at Metro Bank. Got a wellbeing strategy and programmes? Great stuff. But how do you create a culture of wellbeing? That’s a tougher nut to crack. Khushboo & I discuss: discuss: What we’re seeing today in terms of wellbeing at work. How social expectations and definitions of success impac...

I talk with Mark Bateman, executive coach, CEO of WeQual and author of Disruptive Leadership, about how best to manage our time and energy to avoid burning out. Mark shares two powerful questions to ask ourselves: 1. How are you spending your energy and your time? 2. How are you gaining energy and time? Tune in – even if you’re not a leader - to hear Mark’s perspectives on why we ignore the signs...

I talk about people, skills and jobs with Helen Alkin and Jennifer Goldsmith, who job-share as Head of Early Careers and Recruitment Strategy Lead at accountancy firm BDO. Links: Visit Helen’s website www.helenbeedham.com . Check out Helen's award-winning business book: The Future of Time: how 're-working' time can help you boost productivity, diversity and wellbeing . Leave a book rev...