The Standing Apart Podcast

In Part 1, Johan Roos introduced the central choice every professional now faces: the Amplification Curve or the Erosion Curve. In this second conversation, we get into the harder questions - and the more practical ones. Johan Roos is a management scholar, co-inventor of the LEGO Serious Play methodology, Professor and former Chief Academic Officer at Hult International Business School, and author...

As AI takes on more of the work once done by people, a fundamental question is emerging for leaders everywhere: what exactly is your role now? It's a question I've been wrestling with myself. I've spent years teaching and writing about leadership skills - motivation, situational leadership, delegation, team behaviour - and wondering whether any of it still holds. My guest in this episode has been...

Nigel sits down with Melissa Swift to untangle what really makes people and teams effective in a world drowning in meetings, notifications and shiny tools. Together they trace a path from the urgent scramble of modern work to quiet systems that deliver results: the fire‑fighter’s practiced rope, the ER doctor’s plan for interruptions and the consulting rituals that make good work repeatable. Throu...

What if the reason customers choose the cheapest or the loudest option isn’t because you’re bad, but because you’re easy to compare? Nigel Ridpath takes listeners on a crisp, story-driven journey through the quiet killers of great businesses - friction, generic messaging, and the danger of blending in. Through vivid examples, he shows how specificity, named methods, clear proof and brave trade-off...

Most corporate values are written for outsiders: customers, candidates, procurement, the internet. But culture is what happens internally on a wet Tuesday when something goes wrong.   In Episode 23 of Standing Apart , Nigel Ridpath gets practical about the gap between corporate values and company culture, why values statements so often become “values theatre” and how to build values that actually...

Nigel Ridpath speaks with Paul Ingram, Kravis Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, about values-based leadership and how to turn values from vague aspirations into a practical tool for decision-making, hiring and organisational culture.   They explore why the exact word matters, how values show up under pressure, how a single “chief executive value” can resolve hard trade-offs and a...

In this episode Nigel Ridpath sits down with entrepreneur and author Justin Hai to unravel a startling idea: stress isn’t new, but technology has stolen the off switch. Through vivid examples - from 80's TV to midnight binge culture - Justin traces how endless content and constant notifications have rewired our cortisol rhythm and left our bodies running on permanent alert. As the conversation mov...

Step off a pretty Cotswold lane and into a building that used to be a Salvation Army citadel - and now pulses with the kind of live theatre that makes a town rally around it. Nigel Ridpath sits down with John Terry, the long-time Artistic Director of Chipping Norton Theatre and untangles the unusual, heartwarming story of how a 200-seat venue turned eccentric vision, invention and a beloved pantom...

Join Nigel Ridpath for the second half of a gripping conversation with Vala Afshar and Henry King, authors of Autonomous, as they trace the line between human and machine, and reveal how AI-first strategies can heal the blockages choking modern businesses. Through vivid metaphors - cars without steering wheels, living organisms and clogged arteries - and hard-won examples from companies deploying...

Join Nigel Ridpath as he sits down with Salesforce evangelist, Vala Afshar, and his colleague, Henry King, to tell a story of transformation: how two thinkers traced a path from centuries-old silos to a future where AI is not just a tool but a colleague. Through vivid examples and personal histories - from refugee beginnings and engineering cubicles to CIOs and innovation labs - they reveal why th...

Step into a conversation that treats ambition like a puzzle you can actually solve. In this episode Nigel Ridpath sits down with Kyle Austin Young , a strategist who teaches you to diagram the path to success, spot the single step that could ruin everything and then quietly rewrite the odds in your favour. Through vivid examples - from marathon training to start-up breakouts and Edison’s relentles...

Step into the bustling corridors of MJBizCon with Nigel Ridpath as he unpacks the cannabis industry from seed to sale through a revealing conversation with Emile Lewis and Harrison Radie - a world where federal bans collide with state-by-state markets, entrepreneurs innovate around impossible rules and every regulation hides an opportunity. Follow the drama: bankers shut out, crippling taxes, mark...

Nigel returns from a hiatus and dives into  conversation with Grace Gimson , CEO of Holly Health , tracing the startup’s journey from low-code experiments to machine-learning personalisation, deployed in NHS settings. Through candid stories of pivots, funding challenges and clinical partnerships, Grace reveals how technology and behavioural science create scalable habit-change ... change that coul...

In this episode of Standing Apart, host Nigel Ridpath delves into the essential theme of motivation. Discover why traditional motivation tactics often miss the mark and explore groundbreaking insights from Dan Pink's research on what truly drives human performance. As we unravel the complexities of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, you'll gain access to practical strategies designed to harnes...

Join host Nigel Ridpath in a captivating exploration of premium positioning, where daring pioneers challenge the status quo to create extraordinary value. This episode of Standing Apart delves into the stories of remarkable businesses and individuals who defy conventional norms, demonstrating that standing apart is more than just a strategy—it's a movement. From the intriguing journey of Daylesfor...

In this episode of Standing Apart, join host Nigel Ridpath as we dive into the transformative journey of inbound marketing in the era of Gen. AI. Explore how traditional marketing has shifted from outbound strategies based on interruption to a more consumer-centric, inbound approach. We unveil the story of a mid-sized UK e-commerce business navigating the saturated market of sustainable living. Di...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 11 focuses on maximising the relationship with existing clients. I chat with Tamara Phelan about best practice.    I also reveal who is Superhero of the Week, which, this week, is from the world of TV comedy, and I get to have my 1-Minute Rant.    ** Please like, rate...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 10 is part 2 of an interview with Hugh Taylor from Roadnight Taylor . We discuss the energy sector that is the business focus, but also the purposefulness with which Hugh leads the organisation.  You can find the Roadnight Taylor flywheel here . Here is Hugh's reading...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 9 is part 1 of an interview with Hugh Taylor from Roadnight Taylor . We discuss the energy sector that is the business focus, but also the purposefulness with which Hugh leads the organisation.  Here is Hugh's reading list:  Good to Great - Jim Collins Influence- Robe...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 8 focuses on a personal story from Nigel, about how he and the team at Cloud9 Insight were pioneers in the world of selling SaaS solutions - in their case Microsoft CRM Online.    This is Cloud9:   Here Is David collecting his award in the House of Commons, from the S...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 7 focuses on the circular economy. We take a look at what's happening in this space,  inspired by this article by Pallab Ghosh.   I also reveal who is Superhero of the Week, which, this week, has a personal flavour, and I get to have my 1-Minute Rant, which gets sligh...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 6 focuses on the education sector. We take a look at what's happening in schools in the most deprived areas, inspired by this article by Elaine Dunkley and producer, Kate McGough. I interview Nicki Hambleton, former Head of Art at UWCSEA in Singapore, about how one of...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 5 is all about market disruptors. We take a look at examples, including WeBuyAnyCar, Habito and Marshmallow. We explore the characteristics of disruptive leaders. And finally, we provide some tips on how you can make your business more disruptive. It also includes a r...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 4 includes an interview with Kim Simmonds, CEO and Founder of Cloud Contracts 365 . Kim is shaking up the legal sector with her new SAAS product that handles day-to-day contract creation and contract review. It also includes a rant about New Year resolutions. ** Pleas...

Standing Apart, hosted by Nigel Ridpath, focuses on the theme of differentiation - both personally and in a business sense. Episode 3 is a music industry special, with stories about MTV, the sale of artists' back catalogues, Gorillaz and SZA. It also includes a rant about dynamic ticket pricing. ** Please like, rate and subscribe! It really helps us reach a bigger audience. **