The Unified Team

In this episode, join Rob and Sarah as they delve into the life, philosophy, and leadership of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. They explore his humble beginnings, his profound stoic teachings, and how his writings still resonate today. They discuss the essential qualities of stoic leadership, the impact of historical context, and the importance of aligning actions with core values. This deep conversation also touches on personal growth, the Enneagram, vulnerability, and the timeless relevance of ancient wisdom in modern times. A must-watch for anyone interested in self-mastery, leadership, and philosophical introspection.00:00 Introduction to Note Taking and Personal Reflections01:08 The Backstory of Marcus Aurelius02:13 Philosophical Insights and Personal Connections03:49 The Stoic Leader and His Values06:37 Comparing Historical Leaders11:49 Modern Reflections on Leadership and Stoicism20:01 Exploring the Connection Between Ego and Emotion21:23 The Core of Leadership and Vulnerability25:31 Understanding and Resolving Conflict27:13 The Importance of Authenticity and Self-Discovery33:29 The Impact of Industrial Revolution on Human Behavior35:59 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

£2 trillion was wiped from the world's stock markets last week.Economist's estimate that the cost of Donald Trump's tariffs will be $1 trillion. If you ever believe you alone can't make a difference, consider the impact of Mr Trump. One man creating worldwide havoc financially and diplomatically. Millions of Americans think he's just what America needs.Billions around the world think he's nuts. And dangerous. But the point is, all the upheaval, uncertainty and anxiety is created by a narrative.Every day in our workplaces and families we operate on narratives.Whether it's to fight a war. To work from home or the office. Or to eat your veg and get up at 5am.It's all a narrative.Some are true and positive. Some are dangerous dogma. But we all work from a narrative.Friction in our relationships and our workflows have a cost.That cost is because the narrative we work on isn't true. When people protest at Tesla and in the streets, it's a reaction to not being told the truth. Humans have a built in BS radar for lies and they retaliate.Sometimes with violence and sometimes by quietly disengaging.Some lies are agreed. Some are manipulative. And some are borne from ignorance.The money today doesn't go to the people who do the work.It goes to the people who create the narrative for the people who do the work. Most of us today are knowledge workers. We play our part in creating that narrative.Creating a better narrative is the most valuable activity of our time.In this podcast episode Clark Ray, Tony Walmsley and I discussed the importance of narratives.

"Once more and I'm going to deck him".Do you love or hate open plan offices?I tried working at a co-working space at my local Uni. It was quiet when I got in, but once the Uni staff got in, they would be gossiping through the day. I really struggled to be able to concentrate in that environment.When we go to work, we don't choose who we work with. We are put together with a group of strangers. Some become friends. But others grate on us.Their little habits irritate us.The one who chews so loud. The one who plays music so loud through headphones that everyone else has to listen. The person who's always cold and ramps the heating up.It's these little frictions that build up resentments and can explode in anger.Tony Walmsley and I were talking about the personality differences that create these frictions. And how understanding can help us to ease personality conflicts.

Is it fair?Toddlers in pre-school cry that it's unfair.. Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing much the same. Your team will too.There's a deep human need for things to feel fair.Yet, there is no sign that life and the universe intend life to be fair. Every species is different. And every person is different.Your team will judge you for your fairness.Yet, that doesn't mean that you treat them the same. Sometimes it's been refined into equitable. That everyone has the same chance.Your job as a Manager is not to treat everyone the same.It's to understand which each need. In our conversation Tony Walmsley talked about the differences between Sprinters and Marathon Runners. Each needs different things.Your team members each have different needs... your job is to work out what they are.Today's podcast episode was a discussion with Niki Vinogradoff, Tony Walmsley and myself.

Who do you listen to?Your Mentor, Guide or Inspiration is the limit to your potential. The depth of wisdom behind their words is the limitation in how profound their impact is.We often live in a world of superficial knowledge. A world where tactics and fads dominate. But alongside the ephemeral lies some eternal wisdom.The Art of War is one of those deep sources of wisdom.Still required reading on many courses. 2,500 years after being written. And it still holds true in war, business and life.I was joined by Michael, Sarah and Tony to discuss The Art of War and it's relevance today.

What if your team's differences were it's greatest strength?There's a belief held by many that the 9/11 Twin Towers wasn't seen because of a lack of diversity in the CIA. The CIA argued that it needed the best people to protect the country. So they recruited people who looked and thought like themselves.Until the 9/11 tragedy highlighted a problem.When we don't understand cultural differences we miss nuances in the intelligence gathered. So they started to recruit more diverse backgrounds to cover their blindspots. People who understood the context the intelligence came from.Until Trump put an end to DEI initiatives at least.Diversity is a strength because it can help us get past our own biases. Without it we are vulnerable to believing we're right. And pride always comes before our fall.The old story of the blind men who each feel a different part of the elephant shows us why we need diversity.If we only took one, or even two, we'd never know what an elephant was like. Together we can get a much more accurate perspective.In today's podcast episode Clark Ray, Tony Walmsley and I discussed how cognitive diversity can be a team's strength.

There's been a lot of talk recently about quiet quitting and burnout.Tony Walmsley talks about something he's made me think a lot about... the cost of adapting.For starters we work in a world that is stressful for our biology.When we then have to change our natural personality to fit a culture or our colleagues it stresses us. These adaptations come at a cost. When we make too many, for too long, we burnout.Friction comes at the cost of efficiency. Sometimes the business pays the cost in lower profit. And sometimes the employees pay the cost personally.As a Manager or an Employee it's something to think about... how much adaptation tax are you paying?

What is the key task of a leader?Ask 100 people and you’ll get 100 answers. When you abstract at the most universal truth of leadership. The key is to connect people to the reality of their situation.We are a world of 8 billion people.Each with our own interpretation of the world. What it means. And what is good or bad.A Leader creates a frame that fences the boundaries of the group.The team then operate within this frame of reality. This defines shared objectives, values and standards. It becomes the culture that creates the performance.What do you think is the key task of a Leader?Today’s podcast episode with Clark Ray and Tony Walmsley discussed how Managers can set and control the operating frame.

What's the opposite of fragile?Most people would say something robust. But Nassim Nicholas Taleb says that's a mistake. He argues that the opposite is something antifragile.Something which gains from disorder.In an increasingly volatile world, he says we shouldn't try to protect the fragile. But instead to be more resilient through anti-fragility. Industries like restaurants become better as the fragile get weeded out.The system as a whole becomes stronger. How can we use this principle in our work and life?In this episode Eduardo Dos Santos Silva, Neil Hamilton and I discussed the implications.

Is a referee a leader or manager?Often today we use the term referee or leader interchangeably. This dilutes the difference those roles have. Which poses the question... is a sports referee a leader or a manager?Establishing the differences, allows us to define the responsibilies of each.In today's podcast, Clark Ray, Tony Walmsley and I discussed Managers, Leaders and Followers. What are the rights, responsibilities and duties of each?What happens when team members fall short or disengage?Is it the responsibility of team members to follow? Or for leaders to inspire followers to want to follow?Share your thoughts below and as part of The Building Better Leaders Research ProjectLinks:Clark Ray’s Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/10thman/Clark’s Website: https://www.clarkray.comTony Walmsley’s Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-walmsley/Tony’s Website: https://theleadersadvisory.comRob McPhillips’s Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robmcphillips/Building Better Leaders Research: https://robmcphillips.com/building-better-leaders-project/Chapters:00:00 Ben White's Gamesmanship: A Controversial Tactic00:39 Referee's Role: Leadership or Management?01:25 Defining Leadership: A Philosophical Debate02:33 Ethics in Sports: Comparing Football and Rugby03:28 Historical Leaders: Churchill, Blair, and More04:23 The Complexity of Leadership and Followership05:31 The Referee's Ethical Dilemma08:52 Leadership in Crisis: Trust and Authority14:42 The Role of Vision in Leadership20:13 Permission vs. Commitment in Leadership31:42 The Essence of Leadership33:25 The Problem with Modern Leadership34:02 Historical Examples of Leadership Failures35:50 Character and Integrity in Leadership37:12 Leadership in Family and Society39:39 Challenges of Leading in Today's World44:22 The Role of Vision in Leadership54:06 The Importance of Moral Leadership55:45 The Need for Collective Vision58:58 Final Thoughts on Leadership and Followership

Who do you serve?How do you serve them? Why? And what are the boundaries of that service?The answers to these questions go a long way to clarifying our work. They help define the contexts of our relationships in coming together. They ensure we fulfil our purpose. And they help us frame the decisions we make.This starts with understanding who we are and how us and our colleagues work.Today's episode was a discussion into self awareness informed by Tony Walmsley's work on his SCORE Profiling Tool.Links:Clark Ray’s Linkedin ProfileClark’s WebsiteTony Walmsley’s Linkedin ProfileTony’s WebsiteRob McPhillips’s Linkedin ProfileRob’s Website

How good are you at making decisions?How confident are you in your answer? The more aware you are of the way your mind works, the less sure you will be of your answer. Our decisions are fraught with biases and distortions.Thinking Fast and Slow is one of the most respected books on decision making. Daniel Kahneman's work won him a Nobel Prize for Economics. Some call it the bible for the developing field of Behavioural Economics.In it he shows a number of surprising ways we fool ourselves.Eduardo dos Santos Silva, Michael Ward, Romana Prochazkova and I met to discuss our insights from the book.Links:Eduardo Dos Santos SilvaMichael WardRomana ProchazkovaRob McPhillipsChapters:00:00 Introduction: Understanding Decision-Making Systems00:17 Key Insights from the Book01:10 Exploring Biases and Decision-Making01:40 The Importance of Diverse Teams02:55 Personal Reflections and Comparisons04:51 Frustrations with System One and System Two05:16 Regression to the Mean: A Key Concept06:13 Psychological Soundness and Boredom06:58 Head, Heart, and Gut: Different Systems?09:27 Decision-Making Processes and Logical Thinking13:04 The Book's Audience and Writing Style21:17 The Legacy of Kahneman and Tversky23:00 Visual Learning in Mathematics24:08 The Pyramid Pattern and Pattern Recognition26:57 Heuristics, Algorithms, and AI28:10 Cultural Differences and Fairness28:39 Book Readability and Summariesa...

Clark, Tony and I discussed our ideas of leadership. We talked about how our own sense of identity and our psychology impacts our thinking and behaviour as a leader using examples from history and personal experiences. Links: Clark Ray’s Linkedin Profile:   / 10thman   Clark’s Website: https://www.clarkray.com Tony Walmsley’s Linkedin Profile:   / tony-walmsley   Tony’s Website: https://theleadersadvisory.com Rob McPhillips’s Linkedin Profile:   / robmcphillips   Rob’s Website: a...

Want to really know someone?Get into a fight with them.  Especially one that hits all their hot buttons.  You’ll soon see the worst of them. Conflict does funny things to people.It is one of the few times we drop our carefully crafted social masks.  It’s one of the reasons couples think their partner has changed.  Because they just didn’t get to see this side when everything was smooth sailing.Work is the other place where conflict can often happen.It happens because we care.  We see our future as being tied up with the future path we choose.  And so we get threatened.How we deal with conflict is the key determinant of how effective we will be.All too often, we avoid conflict.  Or we become over-aggressive.  In today’s episode Clark Ray, Tony Walmsley and I talked about conflict at work. 

What did you want to be when you were a child?Before the world filled you with doubts. Before you learned to subjugate yourself to it's rules. What did you love to be?I loved @Michael's quote from Gustave Flaubert in this context'Genius... is childhood rediscovered'One of the most influential schools of psychological thought is that of Behaviourism. That children are blank slates. And we can program them to be whatever we want.Yet to be human is something much more than one of Pavlov's salivating dogs.We are born with something, that flavours everything we do. Today's podcast episode is our discussion of the book, Mastery by Robert Greene.I was joined by:Eduardo Dos Santos Silva: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardodossantossilva/Michael Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ward-7a4671227/Saurabh Debnath: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabh-debnath/00:00 Introduction and Initial Impressions00:06 Different Versions of the Book01:01 Author's Background and Controversial Works02:41 Personal Reactions to the Book03:39 Comparing Mastery with Other Books07:12 Themes and Commonalities Among Masters13:38 Education and Mastery23:20 Socioeconomic Disparities and Their Impact25:16 Global Perspectives on Poverty28:47 Aid to Africa and Global Wealth Disparity30:10 Work-Life Balance and Cultural Pressures in India32:38 The Influence of Social Media and Role Models35:37 Economic Systems and Societal Values39:41 The Concept of Mastery and Personal Growth46:59 The Role of Coaches and Mentors48:26 Ego and Mastery in Various Disciplines56:02 Final Reflections on Mastery and Ego

In this episode, Clark Ray, Tony Walmsley and I talked about the power of authentic leadership.How do we know what's authentic? We discussed psychological safety, the pitfalls of social media's lack of authenticity, and the importance of staying true to oneself. The conversation also tackles the role of universal truths, conflict resolution, and the 10th man concept in leadership and personal development.00:00 A Chance Encounter: A Story of Unexpected Connection02:01 Reflecting on Authenticity and Psychological Safety03:00 The Cost of Social Media and Authentic Interactions05:49 The Complexity of Authentic Leadership14:19 Universal Truths and Leadership Models23:49 The Importance of Honesty and Self-Awareness26:50 The Nature of Truth and Belief27:41 Religious Beliefs and Personal Values29:30 Self-Limiting Beliefs and Authenticity30:10 Understanding Assumptions and Wisdom32:02 Coaching and Leadership Challenges34:23 The Role of the 10th Man47:06 Conflict Resolution and Communication52:07 Dogma and Open-Mindedness

What is Leadership beyond the theories?This episode explores the core principles of effective leadership, emphasizing humility and the importance of values. Through the lens of experiences in sports and business, the discussion covers situational leadership, the impact of values like honesty and integrity, and the power dynamics in relationships. The episode features anecdotes, such as Unai Emery's interaction with his set piece coach and the challenges faced by leaders in fast-growing companies. It advocates for a values-driven approach to leadership, recognizing the critical role of self-awareness, the need to yield when necessary, and the importance of relationships in maintaining influence and authority.00:00 Introduction to Leadership Philosophy00:16 Analyzing a Real-Life Leadership Example03:59 The Role of Humility in Leadership06:05 Challenges of Situational Leadership15:41 The Importance of Values and Moral Compass23:46 Building Trust Through Conflict29:57 The Concept of Leadership30:20 Defining Good Leadership32:06 Values and Principles in Leadership38:23 Leadership in Relationships49:42 Influence and Organizational Leadership

Do you feel your work brings you purpose?In all my work with individuals, I've seen three core needs. The first two dominate our early career.To belong and feel part of a tribe.To gain status and value within that tribe.We seek out the field we want to be in. And how we can fulfil our ambitions in that field. But often many then feel a sense that something is missing.A sense of purpose.This relates to the third need. The desire to want to be part of something meaningful. And this is what Simon Gallagher coaches Clients on.In today's podcast we talked about his journey from PHD Chemist to Beer Brewer to Purpose Coach.Links:Simon Gallagher's Linkedin00:00 Finding Your Purpose00:45 Understanding Core Values01:20 A Journey Through Education02:21 Discovering Coaching03:50 The Power of LinkedIn05:16 The Irish Influence13:32 Transition to Coaching19:25 The Coaching Landscape24:45 Values and Purpose: The Foundation of Coaching26:13 The Role of Humor in Personal Values27:27 Navigating LinkedIn with Authenticity and Humor30:59 The Importance of Visual Content on LinkedIn32:37 Mechanistic vs. Aspirational Values37:53 Coaching for Clarity and Performance44:00 The Challenge of Freedom and Self-Validation46:36 The Burden of Comparison and the Education System47:20 Final Thoughts and Future Conversations

In this episode, we talk about the implications of Blackbox Thinking (by Matthew Syed) for organisations. We talk about how differing companies such as Kodak, Google, and Amazon either learned or ignored the lessons from failure. The conversation explored concepts such as antifragility, psychological safety, and growth mindset. By integrating ideas from various domains, this episode offers insights into fostering a resilient and thriving organizational culture.Links:Michael Ward: Saurabh Debnath: Rob McPhillips: 00:00 Introduction to Black Box and Rebel Ideas00:48 Critique of Matthew Syed's Approach01:31 Ben Hardy and Making Ideas Accessible03:09 Personal Reflections on Failure04:32 Learning from Success vs. Failure11:04 Marginal Gains vs. Kaizen16:35 Corporate Culture and Innovation26:36 Processes and Anti-Fragility30:10 Productivity and Training Methods30:36 David McClelland's Research on Professional Performance32:34 The 10,000 Hour Rule and Perfect Practice34:10 The Role of Psychological Safety in Organizations35:45 Religion, Closed Loop Systems, and Cognitive Distortions44:38 Blame, Emotions, and Learning from Mistakes50:06 System One vs. System Two Thinking58:46 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

In this episode, dive into Harit Bhasin's journey of becoming a successful Tech Leader. Learn the importance of embracing conflict and building trust, as well as the value of a 'can-do' attitude, continuous self-learning, and personal branding. Discover how integrating diverse knowledge and fostering a growth mindset can lead to professional success. Gain insights on effective networking, mentorship, and balancing various perspectives within an organization. This episode highlights key leadership principles such as empathy, active listening, and resilience in both startups and large enterprises.Links:Harit Bhasin Rob McPhillips00:00 Understanding Conflict in Leadership02:25 Personal Leadership Journey05:46 Career Growth and Networking10:36 Entering the IT World12:12 Challenges and Resilience16:56 The Importance of Mentorship22:48 Beyond Expertise: Expanding Your Knowledge24:35 The Drive Behind Ambition25:13 The Importance of Continuous Learning28:51 Balancing Priorities and Consistency32:56 Empathy and Leadership34:26 Common Leadership Mistakes39:18 Mentoring and Coaching40:30 The CEO Mindset42:22 Final Thoughts and Advice