Listen Now

A poem by David Whyte is the catalyst for this week’s conversation about loneliness and self-reflection. The period of isolation we’re experiencing at the moment is an opportunity to discover things about yourself and figure out what you really want. There’s a certain stigma attached to alone-ness but perhaps we need to embrace the darkness a bit more.

For many of us adapting to new ways of working in the lockdown, there seems to be a lot of effort put into not wasting this time. We write ‘to do’ lists to manage our day despite the fact that for a lot of people, there’s actually less ‘to do’ at the moment. Maybe we should focus a title more on our ‘to be’ list instead. Despite all the restrictions we currently face, we do have choices as well - we have choices in the way we want to behave.Will we choose to find the positives? What can we take away from this experience to use when we’re out the other side?

Conversation this week inevitably returns to what seems to be the topic of everything at the moment: Coronavirus. But more specifically, Matt and Gill discuss the endless paradoxes that seem to be bought to the surface when we’re living through a global pandemic. They also discuss how, at times like this we need to examine our values and test our commitment to them.

We’re back following a little hiatus and in this episode we’re following up on the special episode we published earlier in the week in which Matt interviewed Andew Macdonald-Brown, Director of Dulwich College Zhuhai. We’re living though very strange times at the moment and leaders, like everyone else, are having to adapt quickly. There’s a lot of uncertainty and that inevitably leads to anxiety and panic - what coaching tools can we use to help with these feelings?Related LinksTara BrackOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

In this special interview episode, Matt talks with the Andrew Macdonald-Brown, Director of Dulwich College Zhuhai. They discuss the challenges that his and many international schools are facing as a result of the Coronavirus crisis.Our intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

The first episode of Season 3 comes to you from a taxi on the road from Zhuhai to Guangzhou, China. Gill and Matt discuss the many facets of coaching and how it affects thinking and behaviour. What keeps us stuck in our way of thinking and how can we change our perspectives to escape it?Our intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

Gill and Matt are gathered around the Leadership Table once more and in this episode they’re discussing the ups and downs of a ride on the Sigmoid Curve. Leaders can face push-back when they attempt to initiate change at a time when the organisation is perceived to be already doing well - at the top of its game, even. How do you respond to those challenges tactfully and get the whole team on-board?Related LinksCharles Handy on WikipediaBuilding Schools for the Future on WikipediaGill’s book, Where Will I Do My Pineapples, gives a deeper look into the building of the new schoolOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

We’re back! It’s been a little while since the last episode but Matt’s been reading the work of Richard Barrett. Barrett has written a lot on the importance of trust and integrity in leadership - not just your trust in others but their trust in you.Related LinksBarrett Values CentreThe Values-Driven OrganisationOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

It’s Gill’s turn and this week she brings an article from the Korn Ferry Institute. Lessons from the Cosmos explores ideas from leaders in the field of space exploration. The article delves into the strategies that need to be employed when you’re leading people in groundbreaking, world-changing endeavours.When you’re jumping into the unknown, you need to fail fast and learn faster.Related LinksLessons from the Cosmos from Patricia Crisafulli at the Korn Ferry InstituteThanks for the suggestion, Robin GildersleeveOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

Matt’s brings the topic to the podcast table this week, and he’s revisiting an idea he and Gill have looked into previously: the ‘Let Go & Lead’ theory. As a leader, can relinquishing some control and being less hands-on, actually garner better results from your team?Related LinksLet Go & LeadMeg Wheatley’s video seriesOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

The Making Stuff Better Podcast is back!This season, Gill and Matt will be discussing the mind-blowing things they’ve been reading and we start with a study by Laura Empson that’s made Gill’s brain go a bit funny.Related Links‘Reluctant leaders and autonomous followers’ by Laura EmpsonOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

This week the jet-setting duo come to you from Hong Kong Airport. Matt and Gill have been working with some wonderfully receptive educators in China and are on their way to Singapore.Gill shares a powerful coaching technique and Matt discusses his first experience with it.Apologies for the audio quality and background noise in this episode. We did ask the announcers to be quiet for a bit while we recorded a podcast but for some reason they seemed more interested in making sure passengers caught their flights.Our intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

A lot of what we do is about connection; connecting with our clients, helping our clients connect with themselves and their colleagues and connecting with our ideas. This week Gill and Matt discuss the alchemy of connection and the magic that can be produced when the right ingredients are mixed together by the right people, at the right time and in the right place.There’s also some exciting news about the future of the Making Stuff Better Podcast!Our intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

This week the MSB Podcast comes to you from the United Arab Emirates! Gill and Matt have been at the GESS Dubai conference where they’ve had the chance to listen to and speak with a bunch of fascinating and insightful people.The duo discus diversity of people and diversity of thought, and a company’s duty to it, both ethically and for the good of the business.Related links- GESS Dubai- Darcey Bussell- Positive Action UK (Gilda Scarfe)- Helen WrightOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

This week Gill and Matt are at different ends of the country and are operating at a considerably different pace to one another, so it seems fitting to dive deeper into a topic they a topic from last week’s episode: Slowing down. Why do we seem to have this innate need to schedule everything (to some degree) and to organise our day around the ticks of a clock on the wall?Related links- Carl Honoré - In Praise of Slow - Book and TED Talk- Nikki Armytage-Foy- Matt’s employerOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

Matt’s going on holiday… and that’s okay! Gill and Matt discuss the misconception that we have to be busy all the time. Maybe, just maybe, our worlds won’t crumble around us if we take a few days off.Also, Gill starts stalking Oprah Winfrey. We aren’t quite as confident that that’s okay.Our intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

It’s been a big week at MSB Towers and it looks like there could be even bigger things for the company on the horizon. As promised, Matt and Gill sit down for a chat about faith this week and the role that played in the founding of the company and the role it continues to play as Making Stuff Better grows and changes.Our intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

Gill’s been ‘up north’ at the Independent Thinking conference and shares stories of some of the wonderfully inspiring people she heard at the event. Matt and Gill also discuss some of the case studies they’ve been working on, looking into how people step-up to leadership in some of the most extreme and extraordinary circumstances.Related linksIndependent ThinkingThe Working ClassChoose Love Movement (Scarlet Lewis’ charity)Minnehaha AcademyOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

In this week’s episode Matt and Gill discuss their visit to the Peak District and explain how the simple act of walking with someone can aid a conversation and reveal fresh insights that might not come up in a more sterile environment.We apologise for the minor ‘technical hiccup’ you’ll hear part way through the episode. Laughing’s good though, right?Our intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

This week’s podcasts is about the struggle many of us have with those inner voices. They tell us we’re unworthy, that we’re not good enough or that we don’t deserve to be happy. Gill and Matt share their strategies for dealing with those thoughts.Related Links:David Whyte’s TED TalkOur intro and outro music by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.