We Not Me

The study of animal behaviour and evolution can provide a surprising insight into our own human behaviour and societal structures. By observing and understanding how animals interact with one another, we can learn more about the factors that shape the way we live and work together. Alex Thornton is a Professor of cognitive evolution at Exeter University in the UK. He conducts experiments on animal...

A workplace with autonomy isn’t a utopia where everyone does whatever they want. Autonomy is a journey towards balancing freedom and choice with responsibility and accountability. It needs leaders to facilitate and coaches, and means adopting tools and processes that enable self-regulation. Jon Barnes is a consultant who has devoted most of his professional life to autonomy and self-managed teams....

Local activism and community engagement can lead to significant changes in local politics, but such change doesn’t come easy. A paucity of community engagement, a serious lack of trust, the need for diversity – these and many other issues can become barriers to change. But this week’s guest, Peter Macfadyen, has proven that with perseverance, open communication, and a clear vision for positive cha...

Lots of teams are struggling when it comes to implementing psychological safety – particularly in areas like straight-talking, listening to each other, and challenger safety. Building psychological safety requires open and honest communication, a willingness to embrace conflict, and a shared understanding of how the team works together. Getting the right balance of healthy conflict and “just being...

Working together as a team can help a brand successfully transition and mature. When we stand side-by-side with each-other, supporting each other's success and fostering a collaborative mindset, teams can achieve greater productivity and success. Ben Powell-Jones is the former creative director of LADBible and the co-founder of Strong Watch Studio. He was involved in building LADBible's original c...

Embracing diversity, giving people autonomy, and working towards shared values with clarity – those are essential key ingredients for teams in 2023 and beyond. Those are among the insights Dan, Pia and their guests uncovered in season 6 of We Not Me. In this, the first episode of season 6, Squadify’s founding team are here to discuss what they learned, and share a little of what we can expect from...

Disagreements can quickly escalate into a fight for survival, triggering a limbic response in the brain that can lead to destructive behaviour. But none of us has privileged access to the truth. We all have different perspectives, and so by engaging with the unpredictability and uncertainty of our environment, we can get to a more precise, accurate, and nuanced understanding. To nurture a culture...

There are plenty of leadership “gurus” who can simplify complex topics. But how often do we consider the accuracy of their statements? Lots has been written about the purpose movement, but there’s another approach: embracing the absurdity of our current situations, and holding up a mirror to them. Irony in teams can give us an interesting perspective on performance and management, and can be a vit...

There comes a time when a startup moves to a scale-up, where small ideas take off and before you know it, you’ve got a hit on your hands. But with the highs come the responsibilities of leadership. In this episode, Dan shares his experience creating a successful music festival in his hometown of Ilkley, and offers valuable insights on how to make it work. Defining your values as you grow Dan and P...

W\hen you’re managing a crises, you need well-structured governance and communication framework in place. This will ensure all stakeholders are on the same page and working towards the same goal. Empowering team members with knowledge and delegating tasks is key. But we also need to be willing to take charge and get things sorted out when resources or support are needed. This week’s guest is Berna...

Building a diverse and inclusive culture is a complex challenge, especially in a geographically and culturally diverse environment. It takes a common set of values and behaviours to be established across the organisation, as well as a focus on communication, respect, and empowerment. But while diversity is invaluable, it doesn’t create equity and inclusion. Creating equity means addressing systemi...

Creating a community around a shared interest or passion can lead to unexpected outcomes. Matt Trinetti followed the energy of an idea and provided a space for like-minded people to come together and form a community. The London Writers’ Salon has grown and evolved over time, with daily writing sessions and weekly interviews with writers, and is now a profitable business formed from a simple idea...

AI has the potential to revolutionise collaboration and teamwork, but it has limitations and potential biases we need to watch out for. Benjamin Dehant is a specialist with experience using AI in collaboration and teamwork settings. He believes that in the future, every team member will have their own AI assistant that will help us work faster and more efficiently. But with those tools come limita...

Removing hierarchy and implementing self-management in an organisation can be challenging, but it can also lead to positive changes and benefits for businesses willing to take the leap. Agency founder Tom McLaughlin felt he needed to let go of some control and delegate more as the company grew. He wanted to remove the hierarchy and power dynamics in the organisation, so worked with an expert in th...

Embracing neurodiversity can bring valuable perspectives, innovation, and organisational endurance to teams. By recognising the strengths that come with neurodivergent conditions, individuals and teams can benefit from a plurality of perspectives and explore new ways of thinking and working together. Matthew Bellringer is a consultant, practitioner, speaker, and author who focuses on systems engin...

Teams need to prioritise creating and maintaining clarity, especially during times of disruption and uncertainty. While purpose and shared goals have held steady in Squadify’s latest Team Tracker data, the importance and presence of more granular aspects like a clear plan and measures of success have dropped, creating a significant clarity gap. Juliet Hammond joins Dan and Pia to discuss how teams...

In times of crisis, community collaboration can be a powerful force for relief efforts. Gaz Breen's coordinated efforts during the 2022 Burringbar floods demonstrated the importance of identifying our strengths and assets to contribute to a larger effort. Pia witnessed the recovery efforts that Gaz organised, and in their conversation, they discussed the significance of being an asset rather than...

With the challenges of hybrid working and resource constraints, team leaders need to create a shared vision and a set of meaningful goals. By putting the team at the centre and leveraging the interdependencies between members, organisations can achieve greater improvements in performance and outcomes. In this first episode of the season 6, Dan and Pia look back on highlights from season 5, and wha...

If you want to build a community asset that promotes teamwork, communication, and resilience, focus on the positives, have a vision, and stick to your values. These are some of the things actuary Richard Giles discovered when taking up the position of Chairman at his local football club, Ilkley Town AFC. Richard has a growth mindset and the courage to make changes when needed. He believes in promo...

Innovation is a team sport and design thinking is a team activity. A great team involves multiple disciplines, diversity of perspectives, and a culture of permission to help guide each other towards good behaviours. Adam Billing is the founder of Treehouse Innovation and Sprintbase, and an expert in how design thinking can be used to fuel innovation. In his conversation with Dan and Pia, he explai...

When companies put the customer at the heart of their business and empower employees to improve the customer experience, they form stronger relationships with satisfied customers. Marcus Swalwell and Tom Wedge worked together at a large optometry firm, owned by Novartis. They transformed the company by putting customers at the heart of the business, using a variety of methods from forming a virtua...

the latest dataset from Squadify reveals how teams rate psychological safety. Juliet Owen joins Dan and Pia to go through the numbers and add some context. Carl Rogers defines psychological safety as an individual feeling unconditional worth. This forms the basis of the movement, continued on by Amy Edmondson who defines it as a shared belief held by team members that the team is safe for interper...

“I don’t fit in”. It’s something everybody feels, at least at some point. We're all struggling to find our place. And if we let systems define us, we'll always be at odds with ourselves. But as Robin Hutchinson discovered, if we identify the situations where we feel more comfortable and can cope better, then we can take ownership of it all. Robin describes himself as a very lucky person who has ha...

Organisations think a lot about culture “fit”. But inclusivity strategist Marsha Ramroop believes people need to think more about “culture add”. Hiring for culture fit leads to homogenous teams and groupthink. Hiring for "culture add" on the other hand, leads to the creation of diverse and inclusive teams. Organisations need to be aware of bias in the recruitment process and take steps to mitigate...

Whether you’re facing off against pirates or catering for celebrities, life on board a megayacht is about teamwork, reciprocity, and pulling your weight. Jens Lee is a deck engineer who has spent the last five years working on various large vessels. Jens describes the adventure of a lifetime, including working on everything from small sailing bases to 100-metre megayachts, catering for world leade...