We Not Me

Steve McLeod has spent years building Feature Upvote, a small bootstrapped software company, and along the way became fixated on a question most product literature ignores: how do founders with no product manager, no big budget and no army of researchers actually decide what to build next? He set out to write a book about prioritization frameworks — and discovered almost nobody uses one. This epis...

Ian Turner has spent over two decades as a Chief People Officer watching the same slow collision happen inside organisations: brilliant performers get promoted into leadership roles, never get developed as leaders, and quietly become — in Ian's phrase — "overpaid doers." This episode asks what it actually takes to be a human-centric business leader, why that capability is in shorter supply than it...

Episode Summary Joel Casse spent over two decades inside large global organisations — most recently as Nokia's Global Head of Leadership Development — watching senior teams up close. What he found wasn't a talent problem. It was a behaviour problem: packed agendas with no room for the team itself, leaders competing to showcase expertise rather than build on each other, and decisions perpetually ki...

🎧 Three reasons to listen Make feedback less scary and more useful – learn why most feedback triggers defensiveness and how to avoid it Get a practical framework you can use immediately – mindset, relationship, and delivery Handle difficult conversations with confidence – be honest and direct without damaging trust Episode overview In this episode, Dan and Pia are joined by Katie O’Brien Ceccarin...

🎧 Three reasons to listen Rethink performance problems – Learn why most performance issues aren’t people problems at all, but symptoms of unclear systems, roles, and ways of working. Lead for impact, not burnout – Discover how leaders unintentionally drive burnout by asking individuals to compensate for broken systems—and what to do instead. Practical ways to create momentum – Take away simple, t...

In an increasingly complex, polarised, and fast‑moving world, the ability to have high‑quality conversations may be one of the most important leadership skills we have. In this episode of We Not Me , Dan Hammond and Pia Lee are joined by Dianna Anderson , founding member of the International Coaching Federation and a pioneer of coaching-based leadership. Together, they explore why conversations ar...

In this episode, Dan and Pia are joined by Danielle DeMarco and Greg Neufeld to explore a powerful idea: the family is the first and most important team we ever belong to . Drawing on their backgrounds in venture capital, startups, and leadership, Danielle and Greg share how they intentionally design family culture using the same principles that underpin high‑performing teams — clarity, shared ide...

Maintaining relevance and purpose as we age requires letting go of entitlement based on experience, embracing genuine curiosity about new things, and focusing our energy on meaningful connections and contributions within our immediate sphere of influence rather than consuming anxiety-inducing information we cannot control. Three reasons to listen Explore how to maintain relevance and purpose as yo...

AI transformation is fundamentally a human transformation, not a technology project. Success depends on taking deliberate steps to build AI literacy across your entire organisation while managing fear and maintaining team cohesion. Most companies are still at the beginning of their AI journey. The key is to start with a clear plan that's reviewed regularly, ensure everyone from board level to fron...

Many groups calling themselves teams are actually "TINOs" (Teams In Name Only) — collections of individuals focused on their own functional KPIs rather than collective goals. Transforming them into real teams needs three critical elements: a shared goal that transcends individual targets, genuine interdependence through cross-functional strategies, and executing together on making work visible and...

Teams often struggle with hidden dysfunctions that disguise themselves as positive behaviours, like pretending everything’s fine when it isn't, making decisions in corridors rather than as a team, and heaping blame on a single person rather than addressing systemic issues. These patterns are particularly insidious because they hide under seemingly good intentions, making them difficult to spot and...

In a working world where the conversation is increasingly dominated by AI, we need to consciously prioritise human connection and old-school practices, like face-to-face conversations, physical books, and time for deep thinking, to avoid becoming trapped in a cycle of constant acceleration that ultimately undermines our wellbeing and what makes us fundamentally human. Jon Whittle is the former CEO...

Leading through uncertainty means accepting complexity rather than fighting it. The most powerful tool for doing so is clarity. While conventional wisdom suggests focusing on trust-building and communication skills, Squadify data shows that starting with clarity – specifically around shared goals, processes, and measures of success – is what actually transforms groups of individuals into cohesive...

Autonomy in teams requires clarity, not chaos. Successful autonomous teams need defined authority over coordination, transparent processes, and intentional facilitation to empower people whilst maintaining alignment and effectiveness. Jon Barnes is a facilitator, coach, and co-founder of Pala, and he focuses on helping teams and organisations become more autonomous. His approach spans a spectrum f...

There's a scientific basis for understanding optimal team size, including research on connection complexity, social loafing, and performance data that challenges common assumptions about how many people should work together effectively. In this Q&A episode, Dan and Pia dive into the science and the data, to discover the optimum team size. Episode highlights [00:01:27] Is it OK to have a big te...

While AI will dramatically reshape work and careers – potentially displacing entry-level jobs and creating “companies of one” – the true competitive advantage will lie in taking a human-centric approach to AI adoption, where diverse teams maintain creativity, critical thinking and genuine human connection rather than simply automating away people to maximise shareholder returns. Larry Chao is the...

Successful team performance requires slowing down to achieve alignment before rushing into action. Spending more time upfront ensuring everyone truly understands the problem statement, decision-making roles, and priorities will save significant time, energy, and relationship breakdowns later. Without this foundational alignment, teams waste enormous amounts of time in ineffective meetings, experie...

Rather than trying to "fix" people or show them rungs on a ladder, social mobility comes from recognising individuals, giving them psychological safety, and allowing them to fulfil their own potential. Diverse workplaces thrive not because of tokenistic inclusion efforts, but because different voices at the table lead to better outcomes and more successful organisations. Dan and Pia are joined by...

Restaurant franchises can be powerful environments for leadership development, especially for young people. When managed with intentionality, these seemingly entry-level jobs can provide significant opportunities for personal growth, skill development, and career advancement. Melissa Nuttall, along with her partner, is the franchisee of a quick service restaurant in New Zealand. In this conversati...

While many teams focus on building trust to improve performance, it's actually clarity that needs to be addressed first. Research shows that teams need clear roles, goals and processes before they can effectively build trust and collaborate. This represents a significant shift from traditional thinking about team development, and the data shows that improving clarity drives up trust results, whils...

Humans are crucial to AI adoption. While AI technology continues to advance, its effective implementation in business depends on people working with it rather than being replaced by it. Inclusive AI means finding the right balance between technological advancement and human insight, rather than seeing AI as a simple push-button solution to complex knowledge work. Susi O’Neill is a consultant, auth...

Leaders who are respected are 12x more likely to be seen as effective than those who are simply liked. This is because respect is tied to competence, fairness, and consistency. Respect in leadership isn't about titles or status, but about treating team members as capable adults rather than children. This helps avoid learned helplessness among teams, and creates environments where people feel safe...

Too many "best places to work" lists focus on performative, low-cost perks like free breakfasts and dog-friendly offices. But they ignore fundamental issues like fair pay, reasonable working hours, and meaningful parental leave. Companies often use marketing language to make minimal benefits sound impressive, like claiming "enhanced parental leave" when they're barely exceeding the statutory minim...

Effective change management hinges on the quality of our conversations. Asking questions can be an exertion of power, so motivational interviewing seeks to bring clarity and ensure information is shared in a way that respects the recipient's readiness to receive it. Jeffrey Wetherhold is a change management professional who helps organisations and teams navigate difficult changes. He specialises i...

The “traditional” understanding of hybrid working is being challenged as organisations try to implement more structured approaches, creating friction with employees who developed their own interpretations of what hybrid working means during the pandemic. Matthew Davis is an associate professor at the University of Leeds. He specialises in organisational and business psychology, with extensive rese...