Leading with Agility

Text us to share your thoughts In the past two weeks, Co-op Live, a brand new entertainment venue in Manchester has had to publicly apologise after its grand opening got delayed repeatedly. While it's General Manager resigned after controversial comments were made about the UK entertainment industry.What are the lessons leaders can draw about how to plan successfully? What does strategic planning mean and can plans ever work when working on such complex projects?We discuss this and more in this week's episode.And as always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] BBC: "Co-op Live: How UK’s biggest indoor arena became butt of jokes"[2] HBR: 4 common reasons strategies fail[3] A futurists framework for strategic planningVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts What happens when you make assumptions about what your employees are capable of? what impact does that have on their performance?We delve into two relatively unknown psychological principles that underly this assumptive approach. And if you're a leader, we'll be exploring what it means if you're in a line management role. As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] YouTube: Assume That I Can | Global World Down Syndrome Day 2024 [2] The Golem Effect[3] The Pygmalion EffectVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts As the news of Samsung's push a 6 day work week goes viral, we discuss what productivity really means. A relic of a bygone era or time for a reinterpretation as the world of work rapidly changes?But beyond this discussion, we explore the deeper causes behind execs and employees working ever longer hours. We uncover the phenomena of the insecure overachiever and its impact in the workplace. As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] Samsung's decision to move to a 6-day week for execs [2] Britain's 4-day work week experiment[3] Listen to Professor Laura Empson's breakdown of the Insecure OverachieverVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts We explore what self-management means, the various categories under it and whether or not its an achievable style of management that leaders can aim for.We compare some popular methods structures and frameworks that describe self-management practices and discuss how applicable they are in the modern workplace. As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] Betterup: What are self-managing teams?[2] StartupGrind: Benefits to self-organising teams [3] HBR: Beyond the holacracy hype Visit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts Diversity is more than just representation, many leaders are responsible for managing teams that bridge continents not just cultures.  This brings a range of considerations to the fore, what type of communication pattern works best? Should I be more directive, or less? How do I ensure my instructions are understood? Listen in as we do compare a range of approaches and share some of our own anecdotes and experiences! As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] HBR: Managing multicultural teams[2] Fond: 9 ways to manage a multicultural team Visit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts Continuing the conversation on diversity, this episode focuses on a very specific , yet troubling phenomena that affect women in c-suite positionsJoin us as we uncover the origins of the Glass Cliff, the research behind it and how a status quo bias might be what is underpinning to this day. Finally we look to the future and consider what actions leaders can take when hiring staff to reduce its effect.  As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam introduce the concept of the Glass Cliff in 2004[2] Researcher Susanne Bruckmüller's studies on the Glass Cliff  [3] Vox article on the challenges of a Glass Cliff Visit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts This week, our team at Humble Associates received some awesome feedback commending our team's diversity. Not only ethnicity and gender, but of style and approach. It got us thinking more ...why is this so important to us? Join us as we delve into this topic with a focus on how vulnerability can be the key to unlock real diversity in your teams.As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] HBR: Prof Amy Edmundson's thoughts on leadership vulnerability[2] BBC: Code switching and remote work[3] Pixar: Pixar's diversity and inclusion policies[4] HBR: How Pixar fosters a culture of vulnerabilityVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts How should leaders and organisations support Gen Z in the workplace? Why does it matter?  What are Gen Z looking for from leaders?We get our teeth into this hot topic and try to better understand what type of environment leaders need to create in order to better include Gen Z employees. We also explore what leaders Gen Z may become in the future and how it compliments Agile Leadership! As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] 2022 Lever employee report[2] Gen Z: a stressed generation[3] Gen Z and future leadershipVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts Post pandemic, organisations seem to be prevaricating over their remote work policies. From Disney to Nvidia many organisations are battling with a greater desire from employees for a remote work policy that works.In this episode we explore what the latest data can tell us about organisations who adopt flexible work policies. We discuss what it means for leaders and organisational cultures. Finally we discuss how understanding and appreciating different employee needs could be the answer for leaders today.  As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] Disney demands employees to come back into the office 4 days a week  [2] Nvidia, is fine with remote work—and is ignoring the return-to-office trend[3] Flex Report by Scoop[4] Flexa Flexible Working Index[5] LinkedIn Global State of Remote and Hybrid WorkVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts This month marks the two year anniversary of the tragic kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer. Her death provoked an outcry into the state of UK policing with subsequent inquiries revealing that the Metropolitan Police is institutionally misogynistic and racist. As a result, polls show that trust in the Police has now hit all time lows; policing is in a state of crisis. In this episode we explore how leaders typically lead at times like these. We uncover the psychological patterns that underpin these leadership approaches before looking back in history for sources of inspiration.As always, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] Dozens of police officers convicted of crimes including rape and sexual assault since Sarah Everard's murder[2] The power of options: 4 stances a leader might take in a crisis [3] The psychology behind effective crisis leadership[4] 7 lessons from history's greatest leadersVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts With the Boeing 737 MAX back in the headlines following yet more safety issues, we take a deep dive into what is going on both with the leadership but the wider culture at the troubled airline giant.Many analysts have already pointed to the 1997 merger as being a major factor in Boeing's current troubles, but we wanted to take a look at how true that is. What really happens when a company goes through such a seismic change and how much of that is leadership responsibility?Plus we explore the broader leadership culture at Boeing and discuss whether or not Boeing's leaders are being courageous enough in making change happen.And finally, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] Boeing 737 Max program chief fired [2] Retaining your culture amid organisational change[3] Courage, the defining characteristic of leadersVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts The Body Shop, founded by Anita Roddick in 1976, grew from a single store in Brighton into a successful brand that became well-known on many of Britain's high streets. With the recent news that the store will be entering administration we wanted to reflect on Anita's inspiring leadership style that led to its success.We'll uncover what inspired Anita as a leader, the leadership behaviours she detested the most and her important ideas of "belly to belly" communication .  We'll be asking what can we learn from Anita's human approach to leadership and how it fits with our own ideas of modern, Agile Leadership. And finally, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] The Body Shop to enter administration[2] An interview with Anita for 'The Mind of a Leader Legends'TV series[3] 1996 Interview with Anita for 'High Profiles' website[4] Conversation Café's: A method to bring people togetherVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts With the recent news that both McDonalds and Starbucks are feeling the effects of worldwide boycotts , we discuss what organisations can do to avoid them and how Agile Leadership can navigate a different path through such turbulent times.With reputations at stake, leaders often have difficult choices to make. On the one hand stay silent and risk being considered complicit or speak up and antagonise a segment of your customer base. Join us as we explore how to effectively lead in such a challenging environment. We'll share thoughts from academia, some real-world examples before ending on a range of options that leaders should consider in order to better connect with the world around them. As ever plenty to discuss and ponder over. We hope you enjoy listening, and don't forget to like, subscribe and share the episode!And finally, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] Financial Times: McDonald’s says boycotts over Israel-Hamas war have hurt sales [2] Coping with boycotts: an analysis and framework[3] NY Times:  When do consumer boycotts work? [4] Forbes: Larry Fink's annual letter to CEOs[5] HBR: How business leaders can reduce polarisation in the workplaceVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts Many of you will have heard the bombshell news this week that Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool FC has decided he will leave the club at the end of the season citing his mental health as being a critical factor. In this episode, we go a bit deeper into Klopp's leadership style, how it may have led to his decision but also the environment around him and the pressures of working in an elite sport can cause. We then explore what causes Burnout to occur, sharing data from surveys and thoughts from academia ending our discussion on the important role that leaders in organisations can play in preventing Burnout from occurring in the first place.As ever plenty to discuss and ponder over. We hope you enjoy listening, and don't forget to like, subscribe and share the episode! And finally, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] Klopp's full interview detailing his reasons for leaving Liverpool FC[2] Arif's article on Klopp's leadership style and its relevance to Agile Leadership[3] HBR article describing how Burnout is a result of the organisational and leadership cultureVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts With President Biden going viral this week for his striking comments regarding airstrikes in Yemen, we ponder what it means for leaders who routinely make their decisions based on their ideologies or beliefs. What motivates them and what is the impact they create? How do they learn from their failures, and if they don't why? And with continuous improvement being a key tenet of Agile leadership, we discuss  how leaders can make better decisions. To do that we take a deep dive into the work of two professors from Stanford who've written not only a book, but research on the the state of decision making today. As ever plenty to discuss, share and ponder over. We hope you enjoy listening, and don't forget to like, subscribe and share the episode!Finally, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] President Biden responding to neighbours re airstrikes in Yemen [2] Professors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton and their research on Evidence Based Management[3] Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense, Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton Visit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts Here in the UK many of you will now be aware of what some call the largest miscarriage of justice in British legal history,  the Post Office Scandal. Since the early 2000s Hundreds of postmasters and mistresses were wrongfully prosecuted for fraud and theft when in fact it was all due to a faulty IT system named Horizon.  Some have had their convictions overturned, but for many more the long road to justice continues, and in the meantime it has left thousands of lives ruined. In today's episode we explore the state of leadership across both Fujitsu and The Post Office itself. Questioning what led leaders to deny problems, or in many cases to simply  hide and obfuscate the truth.  We cover everything from leadership culture, to ethics and we ask what would have happened if leaders had demonstrated Agile leadership characteristics instead?We hope you enjoy listening, and don't forget to like, subscribe and share the episode!Finally, if you've listened to the episode, here are some of the resources we reference:[1] A special report on the entire scandal from 'Private Eye'[2] The BBC Panaroma documentary, The Post Office Scandal[3] HBR article on Ethical Leadership[4] Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanVisit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts Has micromanagement really gone away? In this episode we discuss how subtler forms have become more common place and how complex work requires leaders to be far more attentive and supportive than ever before.Our journey starts with how and why micromanagement occurs, the impact it has on employees and importantly how a leader you can recognise their own patterns of behaviour.  Using a 10 year research study conducted by 3 professors as our guide (https://hbr.org/2021/01/how-to-help-without-micromanaging), we continue on by exploring the strategies you need to shift towards real agile leadership.Enjoy the episode!Visit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates

Text us to share your thoughts In our very first episode, TK and Arif introduce the podcast and kick-off the discussion with a look at the state of leadership development. According to a recent report, less than a quarter of leaders surveyed felt the quality of leadership development wasn't of a high enough standard.  So what does this mean for the state of leadership development and what leaders need in an age of constant change and disruption? We also take a look at what Agile leadership is and discuss whether it's a solution to many of the leadership and organisational challenges many of you see today. Post-pandemic, employees have far more demands of their employers and Western economies are struggling to grow. So how can leadership with Agile at its core be  solution to many of these challenges?Join us for an engaging discussion as we ponder these questions and more!Visit our website www.humble.associatesOr check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about Humble Associates