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"inclusion is about leadership - it is a verb not a noun.. " A great and fun conversation with Stephen about inclusion and accountability. How we can make it a natural part of the system : both in operations, decision making, leadership and culture ? How can senior leaders create the conditions for inclusive decision making to be the norm ? It all starts on the inside. Leaders must do their own inner work first to create psychological safety in their immediate bubbles, and there is patchy progress towards a more collective model but old habits die hard: we can grasp logical, intellectual, rational and commercial aspects but inclusion encompasses more emotional, unspoken aspects. Stephen shares his experience, research and insights on building sustainable inclusive workplaces from working with leaders and organisations across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Diversity is a reality (no two people are the same), whereas inclusion is a choice (to include diversity) and therefore not always comfortable - homophily is our natural tendency, but it doesn’t help us solve problems or tackle challenges. -       Inclusion is measured based on strategy, data, governance, leadership and systems against an accompanying maturity scale of diversity 1.0 (compliance), diversity 2.0 (looks good), inclusion 3.0 (embedding) and inclusion 4.0 (changing the system to be more inclusive). -       Being truly inclusive – i.e. inclusion 4.0 – means feeling it in the culture of the organisation, witnessing it in behaviours, and having a low incidence of cognitive dissonance, e.g. by being employee-centric, offering choice, recalibrating systems and algorithms. -       Inclusion is the verb to diversity’s noun and is often difficult to enact in a hierarchy as there is less diversity towards the top - senior sponsorship must ensure checks and balances and transparency to make it tangible. -       Diversity is not an HR subject, but a strategic topic, and decision-making processes must be more inclusive. -       Leaders must start with themselves to prevent a credibility gap, create psychological safety, and motivate the team (intrinsically – e.g. self-worth, and extrinsically – e.g. remuneration). -       Being vulnerable is a necessity and not as risky as it might appear but the system holds us back on this front: data inflow exceeds our cognitive capacity and so we must seek help from others. -       There is patchy progress towards a more collective model but old habits die hard: we can grasp logical, intellectual, rational and commercial aspects but inclusion encompasses more emotional, unspoken aspects. -       A ‘speak up’ culture rewards questions and productive dissent and co-opting it enables evolution – often not intentionally but in response to a crisis - but ideally it should be intentional so as to integrate empathy, etc. into the education system as life skills. -       Inclusion has a central role to play when it comes to competitive advantage and why should it not? The exclusion of cognitive diversity and personality types represents a deficit model as opposed to the value-added model of inclusion. -       Maslow’s hierarchy of needs confirms that inclusion matters, and major disruption or crises (e.g. COVID) make us more open to accepting this and having a more balanced life. -       We need to...

" We need to create organisations for the people in them, and for society, not just for shareholders and the money." Jardena and I delve into the world of transformational leadership. What is transformational leadership, why do we need it and how can we constantly hold the balance between the soulful and the practical ? We look at the 3 different lenses of me, we and the system and get curious about soulful organisations. How can we intentionally connect these 3 levels and stay connected to our ecosystems at an emotional level as well as at an operational level ? What does the dance between the different levels of the system look like, and how can we think about 'soulful processes' ? We need to stop vying for scarcity and build developmental practice to intentionally cultivate, nurture and grow an environment of emotional literacy and purpose. Jardena shares her insights and experience from working with global businesses and leaders across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Technology can’t solve all our problems; humans must manage it properly, communicate properly and organise themselves better. -       We all have an impact on our world (whether we like it or not) and we have personal agency over what that impact will be. -       Three different lenses/ecosystems produce the butterfly effect: me = know thyself, seek out our blind spots; we = acknowledge, sit in and heal pain; the system = incremental change, the ‘adjacent possible’ to give a different perspective (for the future). -       How do we connect the three, and connect people? Through empathy, rapport, healing pain and creating a cohesive unit - the third lens requires consideration of the previous two. -       Transformational leadership starts with better meetings, improved organisational design, and new and better ways of working introduced into embedded systems. -       It is underpinned by creating organisations for people and society/community; seeing employees as both the raw materials and the audience; and understanding that our behaviour at work is our behaviour in life (= soulful + practical). -       It holds tensions in the system in terms of the mechanics (process) and their impact on people’s wellbeing. We tend to think only in terms of money, but there is no reason why it cannot also be soulful. -       A soulful approach understands that the purpose of the process should be to thrive, but it is often soul-crushing. We must understand why and reimagine it, as soul-crushing will prevent transformation – we must sit squarely in the pain to heal it. -       Top executives often (unintentionally) cut themselves off from the organisation and we must guard against the ‘permafrost layer’ – buffering is not helpful, and neither is ‘don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions’. -       Transformational leaders must be curious and ask (disruptive) questions diplomatically outside the normal institutional framework. -       Cultivating transformation requires compassion, nurturing, adaptability, pruning and watering – we are looking after living systems, not building machines; it can be messy, but we must let it be messy because it doesn’t have be orderly to be effective. -       Scaling/operationalising soulful transformation requires deeply curious, emotionally literate and soulful organisations that have a collective identity; we must apply things we apply to ourselves...

"The concept & construct of leadership as we know it is fundamentally a male developed, created construct.. so how would women thrive ? " Susan and I explore women navigating leadership in a world that is still designed for men, and how we can intentionally nudge the system and create more inclusive leadership and decision making practices for sustainable change.  How can we change the conversation on 'fixing the women' to 'fixing the system' ? What we think and feel drives what we say and do and we need to tap into this a lot more than we do today as leaders. The universal question is how can we use this to lead from our best self ? How can we develop this to use our talents and energy and be in service of others to serve a more collective vision ?  Inclusive leadership however is not just about women and we need to use our joint talents to level the playing field.  How can we create systemic change in the system and step out of the exclusive groups often created in organisations ?  How can we create organisational culture change and empower people through learning, equity and inclusivity ?  Susan shares her years of research, insights and experience from working with leaders and organisations around the world. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Many senior women lack support once they ‘arrive’ and do not thrive, which is not an attractive model for effective leadership: they must lead with their best self, bring unique value and foster equal respect for greater innovation, creativity and psychological safety. -       We must be and return to our best self (in times of adversity), which requires deliberately developmental practices from various fields such as sociology, anthropology and psychology, -       We must slow down and notice our thoughts and feelings; take time to respond, in order to prevent negative reaction or harm to self or others; heed our second consciousness; go from moment to moment and get to know ourselves at our best. -       Enablers/blockers to our best selves are important for efficacy and a precondition for thriving. We must ‘Velcro-in’ and develop an allergy to disempowerment - there are no rewards for putting yourself last. -       Being competently courageous means ensuring the right conditions for action by establishing a strong internal reputation based on values and managing our messaging and emotions. -       Relationships are a constant cycle of harmony, disharmony and repair, and courage needs quick and honourable reparation. Being appreciative is FREE and creates an organisation in which people feel valued. -       Courageous curiosity is a move away from defensive reaction - curiosity is the fuel that drives the car that is your best self. If leaders are transparent about their learning journey, we can all learn together. -       Women in the corporate world must purposefully and intentionally foster muscle, fortitude and agility to thrive whilst remaining resilient (positive deviance). Women make connections more naturally and build meaningful human relationships. -       The notion of connection is at the forefront post-pandemic: leadership is a social and human relationship and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating connection in a team. -       COVID forced us to confront our co-workers - with vulnerability, humanity, inclusion, uniqueness and belonging – and be intentionally inclusive. Indeed the three most important qualities of authenticity are honesty, openness,...

"imagine that your job is designed, not around roles & processes & competencies.. but around business - a business within a business" A rich and insightful conversation with Dean around his vision of a Market organisation : the design and engineering of an ecosystem in which we can all work and thrive. Dean walks us through the idea of a hierarchy that houses a network of entrepreneurs, using the science and engineering principles of organisational design, as well as the golden rules of empowerment to build high performance. How can we go about conceiving of this vision as well as the mechanics of implementing this vision successfully ? How can we help and support leaders to think more holistically - to design an organisational ecosystem in which everyone can prosper, even when they are no longer there ? Dean shares his research, insights and experience, as well as his definition of Organisational design as a science. Together we journey through the different structures within the system as well as his wider vision for high performing organisations, where leaders set time aside to work both 'in' and 'on' the system. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Organisational design is the ecosystem in which we work and interact and there are five organisational systems: three major ones (structure, resource governance, culture) and two minor ones (best practices, metrics and consequences). -       Mechanics/engineering and collaboration within the ecosystem are both human systems and a leader must have a system design in which everyone can prosper. -       Structure cannot follow strategy as strategy is no longer stable in a fast-moving world –organisations must be more dynamic in design and take a systems approach. -       Hierarchy must be used to provide the requisite competencies when they are needed, and the required performance management and coordination so as to leave nothing to chance. -       A different organisational paradigm looks at the engineering science of the ecosystem and change management: ·      Vision: a job as a business within a business, job holder is empowered and accountable, teamwork ripples across the organisation and fosters collaboration not competition. ·      Decision-making: consensus and the golden rule of empowerment apply - authorities and accountabilities match to prevent either an unconstrained tyrant or a helpless victim. ·      Consensus: should only/aways be used when a decision impacts multiple stakeholders across an organisation – this requires clarity from a well-designed ecosystem. -       The approach seems to work regardless of industry although consensus is difficult in large organisations (1000+). It is universal given the human and interaction aspects. -       System mechanics and organisational design are a combination of art and science: applied science of engineering comprising firm constructs plus aesthetics. -       Organisations exist to allow specialisation and the group performs better than the individual because individuals have to be generalists and do not perform as well as specialists. -       The human mind has finite brain cycles, bandwidth and throughput, whereas the world has unthinkable variety: a T-shaped team therefore gives an organisation breadth and depth. -       Common truth, collective wisdom and implementation form the power of participation for...

"One of the top four drivers of happiness at work is the freedom to take opportunities .. happiness is what your heart needs, engagement is what your brain needs " A fun conversation with Matt about what happiness actually is, what it means for employee engagement and how we can intentionally leverage our own sense of happiness. Emotions are generally not spoken about in the workplace but wearing social masks and inhibiting emotions prevents flow and thus performance, and we sophisticatedly disguise/block our emotions using an emotional deflector field. How can business leaders use data/data science to shift organisational culture? How can technology enable a more human centred approach in organisations ?   The Happiness Index platform looks at the entire EX and allows the company to listen to the employees; it provides an unfiltered view for larger companies to visualise culture and interrogate data. What could this insight leverage for both employees, leaders and businesses if it was intentionally followed and used for understanding the flow of motivation, performance and well being? Matt shares his experience, stories and research from working with over a 100 countries and thousands of leaders across the globe. The main insights you will get from this episode are : -       Happiness consists of joy (fluctuating feeling) and eudaimonia (underlying feeling of how happy you are, spirit) and unlocks the freedom to be human and take opportunities, which is one of the top four drivers for happiness at work. -       Data backs up the neuroscience of happiness: happiness is what the heart needs and engagement is what the brain needs – when employee engagement and happiness are aligned, they achieve the right balance, e.g. happy at home/in life = happy at work. -       The analogy of a car is useful to illustrate the difference between engagement and happiness: engagement is the sat nav (direction, clarity, purpose of journey), and happiness depends on who is in the car with you (relationships). -       There are cultural differences in terms of the happiness index data, e.g. engagement is more westernised, whereas happiness is more global – a human emotion we all experience – and there are different interpretations of it and comfort levels in terms of talking about it. -       In both Canada and the US, the first driver of employee engagement is positive relationships, but the second driver differs: in the US it is clarity (engagement metric), and in Canada it is feelings of acknowledgement. -       In the US, a business case is required to discuss the happiness index, but this is not the case in Denmark, where there is a concept known as arbejdsglæde meaning ‘work happiness’ - in some cultures, the scientific question of ’what makes you happy?’ is perceived as too personal and a reluctance to have conversations can be a huge barrier.   -       There are three sources of happiness: flow, meanings and pleasure, all preceded by emotions, e.g. the difference between feeling anger and lashing out - we cannot ignore the emotion and positive relationships require sharing both positive and negative emotions. -       Emotions are generally not spoken about in the workplace but wearing social masks and inhibiting emotions prevents flow and thus performance - we sophisticatedly disguise/block our emotions using an emotional deflector field. -       Purpose and psychological safety feature in the top eight drivers of happiness but number one is positive relationships – this is more difficult remotely,...

"We can't have the benefits of a diverse & vibrant company without acknowledging when it gets hard... Everett and I delve into the leadership of global business and societal issues and the need to constantly navigate uncertainty, and solve complex problems creatively. This starts with leading from within first and foremost. How do we navigate when we don't know the answer ? How do we do 'sense making' in order to create the conditions for systems to thrive ? How do we create the system and emotional infrastructure to scale the new practices or products we want to adopt ? We often fail to solve complex problems because we have forgotten the human aspect...and not knowing what to say or do is an innately human reaction to uncertainty and it's sometimes hard. We need to master both interior and exterior practices to sustain and lead complex systems Everett shares his experience, personal stories and research from both building his own businesses and supporting businesses all over the globe to shift their mindset and move to their edge for more inclusive and sustainable businesses. The main insights you will get from this episode are : -       ‘Moving to the edge’ means navigating when not knowing the answer, an uncomfortable place to be but leaders should always do something, even if it’s saying ‘I don’t know’ - others are relieved to see leaders as human. -       ‘Declaring it center’ means understanding how to create a system to scale the new practice you want. Creating a transition giving rise to new skills and processes to prevent innovations dying on the vine due to a lack of infrastructure - we must create systems to scale, share and sustain them. -       Critical systems thinking is required for complex issues, but there is a difference between complex and complicated problems: complex problems involve unknown or unpredictable interactions; complicated problems involve well-known interactions. -       Interior and exterior practices are necessary to deal with complex problems: exterior practices involve different ways of dealing with problems, e.g. premortems; interior practices require internal alignment to apply frameworks correctly. -       We often fail to solve complex problems because we have forgotten the human aspect – we all have blind spots and the opinions of those closest to the problem must be factored into the decision-making process. -       When it comes to evolution in technology, we must take care not to code bias into AI and machines - with deep democracy, innovation is at the edges and those voices must be heard at meetings that are inclusive. -       There must be constant iteration to get better: as a pioneer of remote working, all-hands meetings at Truss are not in one room so it is important to have quick feedback loops - it is easy just not to get started, but the goal is to keep going. -       Originally from the agile world but applicable to many scenarios, regular retrospectives are a useful tool for learning - what went well? what didn’t go well? Both must be discussed in a blameless environment in order to learn. -       We should take a more systemic approach to problem-solving by starting with information gathering rather than an answer or a plan: optimization based on hypothesis enables rapid adaptation through curiosity and compassion instead of planning and linear thinking. -       Having experience of sport brings to leadership an understanding of losing, taking responsibility, having to carry on regardless, dealing with...

"We have an almost unlimited capacity to deny data that doesn't fit with our own view. It is therefore important to master the constant paradox of facts and feelings. " Why do we so often fail to lead and sustain transformational change ? All transformation is change, but not all change is transformational. Ian and I discuss the power of us : 200 voices in under 200 pages - how does this contribute to getting the right recipe for sustainable and transformational change ? There is wisdom in the collective, which allows leaders to scale change together with others who share the same purpose and passion.  There is no need to necessarily change everything, as some leaders try to do, but it is about anticipating where possible and building ‘as you go’. The secret sauce is simple in ingredients and complex to implement because it is about constantly navigating human and business polarities and complexity. This is the capacity of a system to shape its future and nudge both people and processes towards a more innovative and agile culture. Ian shares his experience, thoughts and research from the Consortium For Change on working with leaders and businesses across the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Ingredients of the secret sauce: o  spirit of abundance: learn from and share with other people to create a wealth of information for the collective benefit with a huge spill over effect for leading transformational change – this is fundamental for success. o  from what to what: learn from life and experience (e.g. trauma, bereavement, life-changing events); it is the most important question to ask when driving large-scale change – what is the start and end point? o  the beauty of ‘and’: master paradoxes and reconcile polarities - facts and feelings, data and humans, speed and rhythm (of change), listen to what is and isn’t being said. -       There is wisdom in the collective, which allows leaders to scale change together with others who share the same purpose and passion. There is no need to necessarily change everything, as some leaders try to do, it is about anticipating where possible and building ‘as you go’. -       Leaders should demonstrate love and respect for those who influence and those who resist and not marginalise or ignore people. Covid shows that plans can be sent off course and we need the capacity to figure it out on the fly as part of managing uncertainty. -       The evolution of the workforce and the workplace sees future work as work without jobs - bite-sized, ‘nugget-ised’, not salaried, AI, robotics – and a smorgasbord for leaders to both select from and compile. Disruption brings new opportunities and up-/re-/new skilling should not have a negative connotation. -       Personal definition of transformational change is deriving a benefit from many different perspectives - completely rethinking the what, why, who, how, when and where. There should be a dramatic yet sustainable improvement in or the survival of something or something (at whatever level, i.e. personal, individual, company, societal). -       ‘Pizzanalogy’: a huge global industry from humble ancient beginnings with a multitude of shapes, sizes, toppings, crusts, cheeses, preparation styles, outlets, sauces - entails constant repositioning and reimagining to be relevant, despite being traditional. In a company setting, it prompts the question: what long-standing practices might be jeopardising the ability to see the need to rethink something?   -       Do’s and don’ts for leaders o  don’t...

"..as with any technology, the question must always be: is the decision to be made good for humanity?" A fun conversation with @JeremyWilliams around the bridge between technology and human, as we explore the blockchain landscape. We journey through use cases and understanding of how blockchain will change business and the way humans do business in the future.  The fact that blockchain is immutable brings with it in-built trust, accountability and a lever for more transparent governance and decision making. We explore the idea of blockchain as a lever for culture change, and the potential positive impact on human systems. Leaders must educate themselves, understand the basics of blockchain and look to leverage the technology in their organisation.  How do companies, particularly hyper growth companies, decide what to focus on ? How can this technology help to create a more equitable and regenerative model for organisations and indeed society as a whole ? Jeremy shares his insights and experience from his own career and from supporting clients across the globe in bringing together blockchain technology and emotional intelligence.  The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Blockchain can disrupt the globalised world by decentralising governance and changing structures at both country and company level, moving into a world for the many governed by the many, not the few.  -       Bitcoin (stemming from a white paper in 2008), a cryptocurrency, is the first successful use case of blockchain technology, which has 3 core elements: it is decentralised, transparent and immutable. -       There is no lack of trust as data and transaction records are permanent. Other blockchain use cases are for supply chain and financial purposes (e.g. to replace the SWIFT global banking system and send value across the world with no loss of currency).  -       Blockchain furthermore offers security (hacks are only of centralised exchanges, not the blockchains themselves), advanced cryptography (allows the third party to be removed from a transaction), and accountability. -       Third parties such as banks must decide where they add value, given that users own the private keys to bitcoin wallets, and are now starting to offer storage for such private keys using advanced technology, thus pivoting their business model. -       For organisations, this private key technology means a private, efficient and secure blockchain to which users (stakeholders, suppliers, etc.) are invited, fostering trust in the ecosystem. -       Thus blockchain is a lever for culture change and has a positive impact on human systems as a relationship between the people and the technology - technology will be very different in years to come but not so people. -       Tech-savvy millennials are moving into positions of power, bringing with them a shift in mindset; some companies focus on emotional intelligence and human aspects, others – hypergrowth companies – on technology, and this is a difficult balance to strike. -       The complexity of systems is difficult to manage. For example, the metaverse – a great use case for blockchain technology - is yet to be defined but essentially merges the virtual gaming world with reality; we have ‘game-ified’ blockchain technology. -       Luxury brands are active in this space, creating virtual shops for their clients to experience personal shopping; training/onboarding in the metaverse too will be short, dynamic, engaging and interactive in the...

"nobody can "demand respect", because respect has to be earned, but everyone can demand to be treated with dignity.. " Great conversation with Donna as we explore the concept of dignity and how to put it into words and actions. Donna underlines the power of giving a label to profoundly emotional human reactions that are impossible to articulate in difficult/conflict situations. Using the right language legitimises suffering, opens doors for understanding and starts discussions. Leaders must understand that Dignity is our highest common denominator. We need to acknowledge that we are worthy no matter what, and we that need the emotional infrastructure to ensure that we can survive negative experiences, atone for mistakes and recover from violation and violating others' dignity.  Humanity/dignity is a level playing field yet sadly shame and fear form the basis of much organisational culture, and there is not necessarily a place for emotions, vulnerability or compassion. Here dignity skills are required for building a safe environment and leaders need to understand how this can help to create a more inclusive workplace, and create a whole new paradigm of empowerment.  Donna shares her insights, research and experience from working with Dignity and the dignity model with leaders across the globe.  The main insights you'll get from this episode are :  This approach is applicable to and resonates in all arenas; dignity is the highest common denominator of humans, who all want to be treated as something of value - indeed, the ‘D’ in DE&I could just as well stand for dignity as we should all treat each other with dignity. Dignity, and the assaulting thereof, gives a label to profoundly emotional human reactions that are impossible to articulate in difficult/conflict situations - using the right language legitimises suffering, opens doors and starts discussions. Mandela consciousness – nobody can be stripped of their dignity, we are the guardians of our own dignity and it unifies us. The biggest dignity violators are those who have been violated the most. We must understand that we are worthy no matter what; we need the emotional infrastructure to ensure that we survive negative experiences, atone for mistakes and recover from violation and violating others. There is a fundamental difference between dignity and respect: we cannot ‘demand’ respect (it should be earned), but we can ‘demand’ to be treated as a human being (we can learn it). As dignity-conscious people, we require the 3 c’s: connection to our own dignity, connection to others’ dignity, connection to something greater than ourselves that gives life meaning. Leaders must frame these connections for employees for an organisation to have dignity too, but there is often a disconnect between these three connections in organisations - everyone should be able to connect regardless of their position in the organisation. There are ten elements of dignity: accepting identity, fairness, independence, recognition, acknowledgement, understanding, safety, accountability, inclusion, benefit of the doubt. -       80% of people said safety was the most violated element in the workplace – they don’t speak up when something bad happens, they ‘suck up’ dignity violations and can’t be their authentic selves. There are dignity skills required for a safe environment: being able to speak up and give / receive feedback skilfully – humans have a biological aversion to feedback and we must take the shame out of it by using disarming language and practicing delivery. We all have blind spots and feedback is a learning opportunity that should be seen as positive, not negative, to help leaders in a workplace move from self-reflection to self-correction. Humanity/dignity is a level playing field yet sadly...

"we always try to do everything, but we must let go, and look at how we occupy the present moment" Steve and I delve into his model of different depths of practice and the idea of unfoldment to learn to navigate complexity more effectively. Taking a more holistic and integrated ecology of coaching practice to open up channels of wisdom and looking at the different ways human beings have learnt to grow, individually and collectively.  As we move into a more connected and digital world we see ourselves as humans in "technological terms", to be ‘upgraded’ or ‘fixed’ through self improvement. This however is often at the cost of our humanity. How can we shift from this to a different and more human centred paradigm. What if we didn't need to be 'fixed' but rather to 'let go' and let ourselves 'unfold' ? Improvement is often driven by assessment, evoking resistance and anxiety, and triggering emotions and defences as we are asked to fit in rather than belong; self-unfoldment helps us navigate complexity. Steve shares his experience, methodology and insights from working with clients and organisations across the globe.  The main insights you'll get from this episode are : A holistic coaching method to face unprecedented challenges, particularly post-Covid – an integrated ecology of coaching practice, next-generation coaching, and a variety of methodologies and philosophies to make it more accessible. Powerful coaching is like a great work of art - it reveals the profound wonder of being human, very important in a digital world – the Aletheia method is based on unfoldment and a curiosity to learn more. Attunement - of which there are two types, technical and poetic - is the key to shifting between self-improvement and self-unfoldment. Self-improvement prevails in our global culture: we want to feel competent but often start from a feeling of deficiency. Self-unfoldment is based on the premise that nothing is missing, we just need to find it. The philosopher Martin Heidegger saw how the view of technology was overtaking the view of being human - we see ourselves as humans in technological terms, to be ‘upgraded’ or ‘fixed’, but at the cost of our humanity. He suggested attuning to the world more poetically: what do we feel, in our body, in our life? This allows deeper self-discovery but is a huge shift, particularly in organisations as everything is based on performance. Improvement is often driven by assessment, evoking resistance and anxiety, and triggering emotions and defences as we are asked to fit in rather than belong; self-unfoldment helps us navigate complexity. We all operate at different depths. If we can find a way of moving fluidly between different depths, we can change the conversation and see powerful results. There are four depths: 1. Depth of parts: everything is seen as separate, outwardly and inwardly; a partial view. The Aletheia method is about parts work: make the parts feel seen and understood, loved and valued as they are. This naturally leads to the next level of …. 2. Depth of process: experiencing the fluid flow of felt experience; a more embodied depth; feeling relatedness. Relational intelligence is necessary for high performing leaders to be present with people (a felt sense of what’s happening between people). 3. Depth of presence: a sense of wholeness; I am equal to what is happening in life; I can meet this moment as it is; I can navigate through it; I have the human virtues required, e.g. love, perseverance, compassion, inner strength, humility, patience. 4. Depth of non-duality: non-separation; a sense of shared humanity in a spiritually profound way; if we relax our defences, we land more in relationship with each other - we often live on the surface of life. How does depth change inclusion? Group unfoldment is intricately linked to group

"There is no point in embracing agile unless you know what problem you’re trying to solve” We now live in a complex world and we’ve got to be able to operate in a different way to stay competitive, and every context is different but everyone is facing similar challenges.  Natal and I delve into Agile HR and how it is evolving in the more hybrid workplace. Agility is inextricably linked to digital and transformation strategy and we need to modernise and enrich the employee experience, add value, demonstrate impact, and take a multiskilled approach to solving complex problems.  Organisations need to unpick legacy (IT and human legacy) and build a more agile mindset and ways of working to be more constructively disruptive. Agile doesn’t need to be called “agile” but it does need to be anchored in understanding of the overall business purpose and create the environment and leadership for the system and the culture to adapt accordingly.  Natal shares her insights and experience from working with businesses big and small across the globe on defining the best approach to stay competitive and constantly meet customer’s evolving needs.  The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Agile HR for the 21st century must ensure that a company is great place to work and enable business agility through people practices – understanding where business is at and dealing with complexity and constant change. -       Agility is inextricably linked to strategy in terms of transformation and digitisation and HR must lead by example – modernise and enrich the employee experience, add value, demonstrate impact, and take a multiskilled approach to solving complex problems. -       The Agile manifesto cites people before process – HR must follow best practice, transpose talent frameworks and understand the context: examples can be borrowed but each company must have its own system/approach that can adapt and evolve. -       Agile tools don’t work without an agile mindset/culture (cf. Simon Powers’ 3 beliefs: complexity, people, proactive) but this can be a chicken-or-egg scenario, e.g. if a company’s purpose requires agility with regard to reskilling the workforce or changing the supply chain. -       Everyone faces the same problems, such as disrupted markets and a drive towards business agility, but agility must be individualised: change management, project management and consulting (one size fits all, top-down) must be replaced by continuous evolution. -       Disruption is the reality, but measurement is still necessary although targets will change and may be wrong. Agile HR should use a tracking/understanding dashboard and data-driven decisions to see both the bigger picture and the crossover between HR and other functions. -       Job descriptions no longer define one particular skillset or role, and agile organisational design must bring people together in a multiskilled way to solve problems as they arise by scaling up and down within the network, understanding different capabilities and gaps. -       A T-shaped approach provides the general capability to navigate different business scenarios with specialisms where required; T-shaped teams can undertake multiple projects with a combined collection of specialised skills to provide more stability. -       Company-wide, there must be a good understanding of how to use skills, offer holistic career development and improve the employee experience. There should be no proprietary rights to team members; people should be helped to find their place in the new...

"it's not just about presence, it's about culture and intentionally looking at the full spectrum of the employee journey " Sam and I delve into the world of dynamic work and the different strategies available to organisations to create an equitable, inclusive and adaptable work policy as we come out of the pandemic and into a different world of work. What models do we nee d? How do we cater for everyone ? Dynamic work strategies must be anchored in trust and used to further empower employees and leaders to make the best decisions and create new rituals for optimised performance. Listening to and acting upon employee feedback is key, as the workplace, organisational culture and digital technology evolve. Sam shares her thoughts and experience from pioneering this topic both in OKTA and across other global businesses. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Dynamic work is a broad remit seeking to maintain choice and flexibility for employees while maximising opportunities for engagement. Hybrid/remote working offers a big opportunity for companies to consider what goes into building a workforce. -       It encompasses the full spectrum of the employee lifecycle and journey and focuses also on community, equity, benefits, engagement, D&I, and belonging. The culture must foster a holistic environment where ‘place’ is purposeful and intentional in a post-pandemic world. -       Employees have reacted well thus far to the opportunity to better manage their work-life balance; the framework for this is anchored in trust – for employees to get work done and the company to provide extra support when necessary. -       Companies need to track premises utilisation and on-site presence: people may choose to come together in an office or meet locally where there is no office. This new ecosystem also brings a competitive advantage over companies who enforce on-site work. -       Adaptive culture is enabled by forward-leaning digital technology, e.g. an employee app to give cross-team visibility, a variety of zoom products, digital whiteboards, cloud-based on-demand printing, space sensors for (re)design purposes, virtual neighbourhoods, etc. -       Personal choice sees leaders offering transparency around their own decisions to go into the office or not; Okta have a new L&D unit to address leading differently for distributed teams looking at inclusion when working remotely, and new/more resources for managers. -       People are empowered by a dynamic work environment that still offers career development opportunities, and feel engaged and incentivised whether they are working remotely or on-site, for very different personal reasons. -       A belonging strategy is important with distributed teams and relies mostly on technical operations, such as home working/3rd party environment mirroring the office environment with the same equipment and amenities. -       Change management tools: individual meetings with executives and direct reports to discuss the tactics of dynamic work, discussions with HR, individual roadshows at business unit level, management being open to questions, a social intranet platform for dynamic work. -       To drive the philosophy and practices of dynamic working requires a targeted push-and-pull approach: employee engagement survey data reveals where the gaps are, and management must interact constantly with employees to obtain their feedback. -       Leaders must also constantly listen and pay attention to what

"Building data driven industries is about transforming relationships : it's strategy in a digital world. " Digital transformation is a buzzword but is taken for granted, and therefore it can mean everything, or nothing. Marc and I have a great discussion about the art of turning traditional companies into data driven companies .. particularly focusing on unlocking the potential of data, and driving digital at scale. What are the challenges, opportunities and things to look out for when taking organisations on this journey ? How do we prepare for scale at the same time as we go from idea to Proof of concept ? Digital transformation is about technology, business outcomes, market experience and change management - a tapestry of unknown and known quantities that needs to be unpicked to be put back together differently. Marc shares his wealth of experience and insights on what digital can enable in organisations and how people & their organisations can leverage this. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : Digital transformation turns traditional companies into data-driven companies and, beyond that, creates data-driven industries – ‘transformation in a digital world’. Data is truly fundamental but there is room for improvement:  1.    Access the data that is available in a company: if only the company knew what the company knows - people underestimate the potential on their doorstep. 2.    Data follows processes across silos: process mining tools follow the data flow/end-to-end chain - data is a true indicator of business performance. Data is a powerful lever for change; being able to use data to track and explain soft actions (diversity, loyalty, empowerment) – the softer the problem, the more important the data. It is also relevant at individual operator level, not just at systemic level, as informed people require less intervention. All companies face the same challenges: being data-driven requires, courage, effort, risks, and far-reaching change, which can result in new business/business models.  Digital transformation is the responsibility of the collective executive committee, not just the CIO; companies must increase their spending to kickstart a digital programme but there are no real incentives to do so – it requires governance.  It is difficult to transform and perform at the same time, but the executive level can manage these two agendas by having one team to optimise performance and another team to build something new. It is very complex to innovate at the core and traditional companies see innovation as an outpost/satellite: a team that is freed from the constraints of the mother ship yet is working for the benefit of it.  The foundations for scaling up must be laid before or at least alongside MVP/PoC - this requires modern, agile, iterative IT that is compatible with old systems, and the choice of tools is important to ensure technical solutions that permit scaling.  Digital transformation is about technology, business outcomes and change management: the difficulty with ramping up change management is the human element, training, etc. HR and the digital team cannot do it alone - there are digital entrepreneurs within companies.  Leaders must demonstrate awareness, take it seriously, recognise the gaps, offer support, get involved, be trained (by their teams), role model interest and lead as a supporter - data is about customers, products, employees and performance, not only systems and piping.  There must be incentives to upskill and operationalise in the digital world: often the project is not clearly defined and the conditions for success not in place - there is more maturity around the subject, and good tools, but it is still not adopted to the appropriate...

"Sustainable inclusion is not successful overnight and requires patience and intentional development of the right conditions in the workplace" Lamé and I explore how to leverage inclusion to create sustainable transformation in the way organisations approach the topic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Developing women and pioneering D&I along the entire industry value chain requires inclusive environments and unconscious bias training that goes as far as conscious inclusion, i.e. taking action in how we address the lack of inclusion in organisations. The traditional bottom line of shareholders’ value has now been joined by an organisation’s attitude towards people and community and creating more inclusive working environments is key to future growth and sustainable transformation of workplaces, organisational culture and of ways of working.  Lamé shares her experience, thoughts and recommendations from working on this topic with businesses and communities across the globe.  The main insights you'll get from this episode are : ·      To develop women and pioneer D&I along the entire industry value chain requires inclusive environments and unconscious bias training that goes as far as conscious inclusion, i.e. taking action in how we address the lack of inclusion in organisations. ·      Organisations must fundamentally change their approach; it may be uncomfortable and painful, but the decision must come from the top to inspire a new culture – the environment will cleanse itself as those who don’t like it will leave. ·      They must move from reflection/intention to action, police the system for inherent bias and introduce equitable performance management - leadership with kindness and empathy creates an inclusive workforce by walking in peoples’ shoes: ‘if you build it, they will come.’ ·      There is a link between gender parity and sustainability: females represent 50% of the population and the right people must have input into decisions for the future otherwise we are only solving half the problem for half the population. ·      Recruitment must be mindful and intentional with transparent opportunities for all, and leaders must influence their spaces by giving everyone a voice, inviting people into the conversation and role modelling a new way of working. ·      The traditional bottom line of shareholders’ value has now been joined by an organisation’s attitude towards people and community – the S in ESG (environmental, social and governance) is becoming more amplified to take account of geopolitical challenges. ·      UN sustainable development goal #8 calls on societies and economies to create programmes to provide access rather than hiring for qualification: we must open the door wider to give access to more people and signpost opportunities. ·      Non-profit organisations rely on partnership and collaboration to unlock access to a wider pool of people, empower women, support leaders to lead women, create inclusive teams and amplify the messaging of not leaving women behind; we must create a network effect and leverage that to accelerate the pace of change. ·      Once we have created democratised access, how do we measure inclusion and inclusive growth? In terms of a happier workforce, lower staff attrition, better customer service and ultimately more business; positive feedback is good for branding and brings about transformation. ·      Leaders must design the culture of the future, be credible and build trust. We must all seek to call out bad behaviour but we need psychological safety to do so; we must nip things in

"Wellbeing must be applied throughout the entire organisation and have equal weight across functions" A great discussion with Andy about understanding the strategic approach and integrating wellbeing into the strategic objectives and measurement of an organisation. The more digital load increases, the more visible and important the qualities that keep us human. We need patience and deliberate design, as well as personal agency as this is not a 'quick win', but yet leaders need to bust myths and role model behaviour that creates these conditions - for humans to thrive in the post pandemic workplace. Andy generously shares his stories, insight and experience fro his career to date and from working with leaders and organisation across the world. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       ‘C4human’ takes a strategic approach to human capacity and building and sustaining performance and is a single value chain underpinned by science, in which all factors are inextricably linked. -       It seeks to give wellbeing a seat at the top table along with other commercial metrics - if our wellbeing is under resourced, we lose the qualities of decision-making and self-awareness, both of which can impact business. -       Talented people still fail due to a lack of wellbeing and resource capacity to behave reasonably, make consistent decisions and act without bias. Wellbeing is an enabler rather than an obvious money-spinner, so it is hard for leaders to factor in. -       Messy human problems take time to resolve and commercial KPIs linked to wellbeing are long-term, low-penetration programmes with a low ROI – they should be seen as a sustainability metric, not an acute performance metric. -       Wellbeing must be applied throughout the entire organisation and have equal weight across functions. It is about individual agency and should not be mandated or disadvantaged by the wrong culture. ‘Millisecond lessons’ show the place of wellbeing within an organisation. -       The more digital load increases, the more visible and important the quality of the human; if wellbeing is compromised, our bias increases and we revert to type, stymying inclusive and synergetic behaviour. -       Mental health is a chronic issue, yet most information is targeted at those already struggling with acute symptoms. Mental energy would be a better label and have a less negative narrative, picking up problems before they become acute: prevention – optimisation - rather than cure. -       Good mental health affects the culture within an organisation and wellbeing should be integrated into daily operational and working practices with positive and authentic intent - humans sense, feel and experience everyday interactions. -       Sport involves dealing with intimidation, unfamiliarity and the psychology of experiencing changing situations. In the corporate world, negativity leads to recalcitrance, less inclusion and spikes of opinion, which will not yield innovation, open collaboration or performance. -       Sports psychology works because all team members understand it – does the same apply to the corporate world of comfort and threat? People are hyper-vigilant post-pandemic, and a lack of results often leads to impatience. -       The underlying biology informs what see in the workplace; we must increase understanding and education about wellbeing and the effects it can have and build comfort to allow senior leaders to see small but consistent progression in this...

"inclusion is about recognising everything that is inadequately connected with everything else and increasing the connectivity" A very insightful conversation with Graham on what inclusion is and how it can encourage ecosystem thinking. We discuss the structures and interactions in a process of constant flux as opposed to a more rigid model, and the fact that as the world changes, inclusion changes; culture will always be ‘catching up’ so we must build adaptable organisations and focus on the sweet spot of viability. We often try to shoehorn new methodologies into old systems, whereas what we really need are new, structured dialogue patterns to allow people to hear and understand their own stories and act on their self-identity accordingly. This is not about problems to fix, but rather mysteries to explore.. how can we constantly and curiously nudge the system ? Graham shares his insights, research and experience from working with businesses and leaders across the globe, from large corporates to start ups The main insights you will get from this epsiode are : Stratum 1: personality - each individual is a complex ecosystem. Inclusion is already an issue here as we each reject some part of who we are, and we grow and change over time. We must learn how to be inclusive with ourselves and allow ourselves to evolve. Stratum 2: interpersonal - the next layer of complexity that includes all of stratum 1 plus new interactions/emerging connections. Every team member has a different reality, filter and view. Stratum 2 is also about culture - the consequence of all the different meaning-making stories of individuals, including ‘complementary pairs’ (seemingly mutually exclusive, but actually different sides of same coin). Stratum 3: abstract - systems and the interactions of roles, accountability and tasks. Our work structure and personality are deeply intertwined - we should aim for sociocracy and agency to define our identity. Stratum 4: ecosystem - all systems and interactions between stakeholders and the capitals they represent. Invested stakeholders with a share of wealth and power is not democratic - natural capital, built capital and personal capital give no voting rights, leading to a lack of inclusivity. Stratum 5: local economic ecosystem Stratum 6: global economic ecosystem -       Inclusion at team level means exploring the mysteries of both the individual and collective interpretation of stories. People in the wrong role give rise to a dysfunctional system and results in an inverted pyramid where leaders feel a need to prove their worth whilst followers doubt themselves. -       For a community to exist, there must be a line between membership and non-membership, i.e. some exclusion is needed for an organisation to function. The role of culture is to establish this boundary and determine the requisite degree of inclusion for an organisation to be both functional and values-aligned. -       As the world changes, inclusion changes; culture will always be ‘catching up’ so we must build adaptable organisations and focus on the sweet spot of viability. We often try to shoehorn new methodologies into old systems, whereas what we really need are new, structured dialogue patterns to allow people to change their self-identity. -       Holocracy is when strata 1, 2 and 3 are aligned and highly inclusive. If stratum 4 is misaligned however, there is a lack of inclusion where power really sits and the business is destined for failure. We must build companies inclusively across all 4 strata. -       Inclusion in the natural world does not try to...

An insightful and rich conversation with Linda about understanding and speaking out about psychological harassment and bullying in the workplace.  How can we change the conversation in organisations ?  How can we move away from normalising this to creating awareness and action ?  We must self-monitor, and have self-insight, be aware and respectful of our environment and peoples’ sensitivities, and learn what the triggers are for both ourselves and others.  This deepened understanding of ourselves coupled with further access to understanding the topic itself can create allies as opposed to bystanders.  Linda shares her stories, experience and insights from working with bullies and victims of bullying in organisations and communities across the globe.  The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Anyone can be bullied, and it is often only once they become physically and mentally ill that they see it for what it is and ask for help – it is unfortunately very normalised in our society and the metaverse adds yet a further dimension. -       Bullying - usually aimed at race, background, gender, religion – can be one-time or repeated whereas harassment is never one-time, but is more insidious, passive aggressive and often behind closed doors. -       They involve a variety of negative behaviours, words or non-verbal actions over three months or more aimed at a group or individual with conscious or unconscious intent that cause harm, i.e. humiliation, embarrassment, diminished self-esteem.  -       People must understand what is and is not banter/appropriate; we must self-monitor, self-understand, have self-insight, be aware and respectful of our environment and peoples’ sensitivities, and learn what the triggers are for both ourselves and others.  -       There are different types of bully - psychopath, narcissist, sociopath - who come across attractively until they are called out, but most people are not hard-wired to be bullies and can change their ways.  -       Authoritarian leaders who abuse their power, are mean, rude, sarcastic and not accountable for their behaviour set the wrong tone - bullying comes from the top and contaminates the environment. -       There can be female bullies in a female-dominant environment and male bullies in a male-dominant environment but also cross-contamination e.g. a female trying to behave like a male, and sexual harassment can be perpetrated by and towards both genders. -       Everyone should be given trauma-informed training to build awareness and prevent further injury – using (crisis) intervention and special resources - with leaders acting as role models. The issue is often not taken seriously due to fear, insecurity, disinterest, arrogance and ignorance, but avoiding it can impact reputation. -       It is not just an HR issue and should be standardised and professionalised (via an official association) – we need strong legislation against bullying to hold leaders to account; policies and procedures for zero tolerance and consequences for bad behaviour.  -       Witnesses are critical if harassment/bullying is behind closed doors, but they are often reticent to speak up because they have seen the process fail before, and the damage it causes. They need a support system to feel safe and should document everything for credibility in an investigation.  -       A large proportion of burnout is due to psychological bullying and is...

"Digital technology is great, but digital profiles also need to include human science to enable sustainable innovation." A great discussion with Geoff where we explore a myriad of different subjects from self discovery, to digital profiles, rubiks cubes and the myths of modern agile for sustainable innovation. We discuss how to constantly question the orthodoxy, and hold different perspectives simultaneously to create a space for enquiry, listening and dialogue. This curiosity in turn encourages sense-making, decision taking and action but not necessarily in the layers of the organisation where we would expect to see it - understanding our role in the system is key. Geoff shares his stories, insights and experience of working with leaders and businesses across the globe The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       Organisations must create cultures of innovation by making sustainable change and becoming proactively agile - COVID has in part forced a culture of innovation, agility and adaptiveness. -       (Digital) technology is very good and works well, but how do we get people to do the same?! Human science should be included in digital profiles: in the words of Ian McGilchrist, innovation requires science, reason, intuition and imagination. -       The key to success is to commercialise good ideas, see beyond things and question the orthodoxy; it is a big ask for people to constantly question their assumptions so it must be made tangible for organisations and leaders. -       No one ever sees the whole of any situation. In an organisation, someone with influence declares that their perspective is the only one to follow, but (this) power does not mean wisdom - ego pushes other people, and their views, away. -       Only eco-leadership can facilitate real co-creation but moving away from pyramids and into networks is intangible unless we really understand our roles within systems - English doesn’t have many words to describe subtle aspects of consciousness because we focus too much on the external world. -       Psychological safety is essential and to understand an organisation’s culture, we must ask the people who work there what they would advise to thrive. Behaviours based on fixed perspectives will stifle and strangle adaptiveness. -       The 2D/3D mindset system is based on looking at a culture of innovation like a Rubik’s cube – some see orange, some see green, some see yellow, etc. – and in the absence of colours, you look at different shapes instead, e.g. circle vs square vs triangle… -       The 2D/3D shape metaphor provides an easy way to understand a difficult psychological concept - different people provide different pieces of the puzzle when they work together, and it is not necessarily right vs wrong; humility is knowing that you don’t know everything. -       Climbing the greasy pole of an organisation boils down to brutal debate (meaning ‘to beat down’) and discussion (from percussion, meaning ‘to smash to pieces’) rather than dialogue, a spirit of enquiry and listening. -       Curiosity helps create a balance between advocacy and enquiry to produce meaning, and it is enquiry that is normally the missing piece of the jigsaw in organisations. We must encourage people to be curious. -       This begins with a sponsoring executive and a few naturally curious internal people - key instigators to bring alive a mindset and create a ripple effect; in-housing human capacity to influence is preferable to hiring help that hinders,

Rahaf and I discuss hustle culture and why it is so harmful. We focus on the underlying belief systems of the "people" working in this culture because this isn't a new phenomenon - we were burning out before the pandemic, but COVID brought a rush to digitise and increased this 'scope creep' of "doing more with less", and presenteeism became digital (overload). We also discuss the big disconnect between what leaders want and what employees want, and how we can reprogram ourselves and reclaim intentional recovery as part of high performance. Neuroscience proves that our brains are not wired for permanent high cognitive/knowledge work and have a limited amount of time in ‘flow’.  We now have powerful data to highlight opportunities for change and companies must look at their culture and ways of working, and how they use technology to enable a more human experience.   Rahaf shares her insights, experience and research from working with leaders and businesses around the globe. The main insights you'll get from this episode are :  Hustle culture: a set of beliefs/behaviours developed to prioritise being busy, glorifying and celebrating the process/effort of working hard rather than the end goal or result.  Invisible - historical – forces stem from non-stop productivity due to the industrial revolution and its modern incarnation of the ‘American dream’ ideology. We do not look at effectiveness/efficiency; our systems seek solutions, but system users must ask fundamental questions; our expectations are flawed, and we try to ‘fix’ the system.  The pandemic brought a rush to digitise and presenteeism became digital (overload); it amplified everything and highlighted different company cultures - companies that didn’t trust their employees used tech to control their staff instead of giving them flexibility. There is a resistance to moving away from hustle culture; we operate around assumptions of what success is and our internal operating systems are based on what we have been told.  Our individual programming varies but we don’t stop to examine the narratives and can therefore inadvertently harm ourselves - we must make intentional choices and understand our own stories and beliefs surrounding success. To set ourselves up for success we must recharge and reset; we are addicted to our devices and live in a culture where everything is urgent and we must be constantly responsive.  Teams should agree digital norms to provide safety and security; clarity reduces the need to be constantly connected and we put in place collective boundaries and commitment. Hybrid working models require these norms to ensure happy teams; communication is essential to understand peoples’ preferences to improve morale and performance and use tech to make the right decisions for people and create a more inclusive workplace. We must reprogram ourselves and reclaim intentional recovery as part of high performance; companies must look at policies and the use of technology.  Neuroscience proves that our brains are not wired for permanent high cognitive/knowledge work and have a limited amount of time in ‘flow’. The high-performance cycle consists of ramp up, flow, ramp down, intentional recovery. -       The four stages of the cycle are the same for everybody but the times in each stage vary so that working days should ideally be structured differently for different individuals. National cultures determine work stories and these in turn affect our brains; executive functions diminish if we rely on fight or flight and compromised human functional capacities lead to burnout. The polarity of the pandemic was that we needed to connect but couldn’t - now we need time to regulate our nervous systems and listen to the signals our bodies...

"A lack of acknowledgement leads to people feeling under-appreciated and gives rise to hidden resentment, internalising suffering and has a huge impact at a human level” Kylee and I dive into the power of storytelling, and more compassionate authentic leadership. Storytelling brings about transformation and offers the biggest breakthroughs, allowing people to discover their potential and develop organically, regardless of job title. So much goes unseen and unrecognised in today's workplace, and suffering is internalised and continues - silently. The power of acknowledging the different patterns and reactions can lead to different, and more transformative leadership for both individuals and collectively. Kylee shares her stories, insights and experience form working with leaders and business owners around the world. The main insights you'll get from this episode are : -       It is time to disrupt the status quo of traditional leadership - a hierarchical system offers many roles at the bottom but few at the top, where there is little space to act and lead. -       Storytelling brings about transformation and offers the biggest breakthroughs, allowing people to discover their potential and develop organically, regardless of job title. -       It should not be about a set direction or ultimate goal, but rather the journey itself, to pursue passions, vision, values and purpose in order to be more productive and authentic. -       Coaching others helps us on our own journey of where to position ourselves and recognising what our priorities are. Others demonstrating what to do makes us ask ourselves what we want, e.g. the opportunity to make a real difference.   -       Clarity on values requires us to look back on our own lives and ask what we fight for or against - the indicators of our core values - but focus tends to be on company as opposed to personal values. -       We often feel a disconnect between our work self and home self; many of us stay in a place of fear for our entire career, climbing a vertical ladder - the turning point is to acknowledge that fear. -       We must use acknowledgement as a lever, the first step to dismantling a lack of freedom – to acknowledge and be truthful to ourselves about what is really going on, i.e. are we showing up but not being authentic? -       We must make changes inside to bring about changes outside - the challenge for leaders is how to make the difference: they are blamed when things go badly yet miss out on acknowledgement and praise when things go well as it is directed at their team. -       It is not a leader’s job to make others happy or give answers; they can be good at talking and advising, but not so good at listening (to help employees make discoveries for themselves). -       A coach is a good reference point for leaders by providing feedback as opposed to answers; stepping back, allowing others to come forward and making them feel safe. -       A lack of acknowledgement leads to people feeling underappreciated and gives rise to hidden resentment, internalising suffering and having a huge impact at a human level. -       Acknowledgement is an ongoing practice that requires a change in habits; power comes from our own acknowledgement of what is happening in our lives and what we want to be acknowledged for.      -       There is no difference between men and women on this point despite the...