Good Enough for Jazz

We have spoken about a 4-day work week on a previous episode before with our guest Will Stronge from the think tank Autonomy. We spoke about the topic as a theoretical solution to the economic crisis we are facing from COVID. In this week's episode, the 4-day work week comes up again, and this time, we speak to a boss that has actually implemented it in his business. Andrew Barnes, Founder of Perpetual Guardian and 4-day week, adopted the 4-day workweek for his business in 2018. He speaks with Cindy and Andrew about that journey, the astonishing benefits it has had on his employees and business, and how it had unknowingly prepared the business for COVID-19. We also speak about ethical leadership, caring for your employees, and success during this troublesome time. If you are a leader and are thinking about taking the step to the 4-day week, visit Andrew's association 4 day Week for resources to help you do this. Please don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you never miss an episode. Visit our website: https://consortstrategy.com/calibre to check out our Calibre programme and learn more about how you can become an ethical leader. 

The UK left the EU on the 1st of January. It happened whether we wanted it to or not. And we left with a deal. But what does that even mean, especially for small businesses trying to battle their way through a pandemic and now Brexit. In today's episode, Andrew is joined by Simon McVicker,  Director of Public Affairs, Policy & Communications at BackinBusiness, and small business owner Andy Carrol, AM&C Media. They try to distill what the new deal with Europe entails for small businesses and take a positive outlook. Tune in to gain some clarity on this highly complex topic!To find resources on Brexit, visit BackInBuisness' website: https://backinbusiness.org.uk/Follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn.Don't forget to subscribe to the pod, so you never miss an episode. Visit our website: https://consortstrategy.com/

The term 'sustainability' is ubiquitous. We try to shop and consume sustainably to ensure a sustainable future. Advocacy groups, local governments and the United Nations promote sustainable development for a more stable world. Investors and young employees are putting intense value on analysing a corporation's sustainability practices. Corporations are therefore making pledges to become "net-zero" by the 2040s and are cracking down on sustainability strategies and practices just to survive. As the world evolves the value of sustainability is growing exponentially. But what does being successfully sustainable actually look like? This is the question Andrew explores with net-zero specialist Kevin Couling. Project Director at Hoare Lea, Kevin has worked in sustainable development for many years. Together they discuss what successful sustainability looks like in practice, not just in theory.Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast, so you never miss an episode. For more information on the work Team Consort are doing visit our website: https://consortstrategy.com/Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram

We can all safely say that everyone is very excited to see the back of 2020 and welcomes 2021 (or at least after the first quarter) with open arms. In our first episode back, Andrew and Cindy take the time to reflect on the year we have all endured and look back on some of the fantastic conversations we have had on Good Enough for Jazz.They talk about how Consort as a business needed to pivot, for the want of a less-used word, after COVID rendered international travel and large scale meetings impossible. This led to the exploration of new and exciting opportunities, an example being the world of podcasting - one of our favourite offerings at Consort. Where doors close, others open and so this episode is dedicated to looking at those avenues that have become available because of the pandemic. Which, in hindsight is what Good Enough for Jazz is for. Discussing both the challenges and opportunities facing our community. 2021 is going to be a good year - it's not going to be perfect but its going to be better than the last. Inspiring progress, not perfection in 2021. For more information on all of the wonderful projects the team at Consort Strategy have coming up please visit our website: https://consortstrategy.com/To get in contact with us email: hello@yourconsort.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

2020 has been filled with an unexpected uniqueness that has shaped the world indefinitely. A global pandemic of epic proportion has challenged all corners of the globe and all walks of life. Climate change has rapidly seen to intensifying extreme weather all year. And the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement has awoken the world to racial discrimination in ways never seen before. 2020 has been a year of rapid change.What does this mean for organisations? It means that with the world, they must change too. They must become aware of their social responsibility or risk everything. As we have spoken about on previous podcasts, the next two generations are beginning their working lives and they are actively looking for socially responsible companies and organisations to work for and lead. If organisations fail to be actively changing with the times, they will be left behind. CSR Accreditation gives organisations the opportunity to talk about their positive environmental and social impacts. It gives a standard to which organisations can achieve and exceed. It is much needed, now more than ever. To round off the year Andrew and Cindy invite a very special guest on to speak about a topic that they are deeply passionate about. Richard Collins is our guest today, he is the Founder and Managing Director of CSR Accreditation, a company dedicated to and delivering a global standard for social responsibility.This is the last episode of the year, as we are taking a break from the airwaves but catch us back on the 6th of January! In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!Visit https://csr-accreditation.co.uk/ to find out more about the company. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.Visit our website: https://consortstrategy.com/

Vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress are terms used to describe the indirect trauma we experience when exposed to others' trauma, whether it be through retelling of a story or through disturbing images on the internet. There are many ways we can experience vicarious trauma. As human beings, we are naturally empathetic and can feel others' pain and suffering. Some people however work in a profession and environment that deals with others' trauma all day long and so are more prone to trauma and its effects. Public safety communications professionals are examples of those such people. These first responders are the first point of contact with someone directly experiencing trauma.With us to walk us through the complex concepts of vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout in relation to public safety communication professionals is Françoise Mathieu, Executive Director at TEND Academy.Françoise Mathieu is a sought-after speaker and educator in Canada, the U.S. and around the world. With over 20 years of work in the field of mental health, she brings with her extensive experience as a crisis councillor, and nearly a decade of working with Health Canada’s CFMAP (Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program). Françoise co-founded TEND with Dr. Patricia Fisher and divides her time between public speaking engagements and working with organisations looking to train their teams about burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, high stress workplaces, self care and helper wellness.If you are effected by any of the issues talked about in today's episode please visit TEND Academy's website to find resources and help. Please also do not hesitate to contact us at Consort Strategy.Visit TEND Academy's website to find out more about the work they do: https://www.tendacademy.ca/Follow TEND on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTubeFind Françoise on LinkedIn

Social responsibility has long been a buzzword for many big corporations' marketing teams, with many well-intentioned but poorly executed pledges being made to help solve the world's problems. But in a world of hyper-transparency and employee activism, is the pretence of CSR finally dissipating?Andrew and Cindy are joined by corporate responsibility specialist and campaigner, Alison Taylor, Executive Director of Ethical Systems, to discuss her arguments made in a range of publications that the corporate responsibility façade is crumbling. There is rapid realisation within business and industry that the world's environmental crisis is real, and the biggest and most powerful corporations are finally being held very publicly accountable for their decisions. Global pandemic and economic crisis has refocused societies’ priorities and big business is being forced to take substantial action against social injustice, the climate crisis and corruption, understanding that if they don’t, they risk being remembered for all the wrong reasons. Alison argues that ethical leadership is necessary for businesses to thrive and leaders must listen to their employees who are major drivers of change. There is still a way to go, but we are heading in the right direction.Follow Alison Taylor on Twitter and LinkedIn. @FollowAlisonTFind Ethical Systems at https://www.ethicalsystems.org/ Find a list of Alison's publications here: https://www.ethicalsystems.org/alison-taylor/Follow the team at Good Enough for Jazz on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram@ConsortStrategyThis episode is being released to coincide Consort Strategy's sustainability initiative IGNITE. We aim to start a social justice fire by sparking an all important discussion in the association sector and beyond. To find out more visit: http://yourconsort.com/

We speak a lot on this podcast about the importance of looking after your mental health and wellbeing. We are strong advocates of normalising discussions about stress, trauma, and mental health injuries so that we can better understand and address them and the myriad of struggles they can bring to people’s lives, including addiction. Our guest today knows all too well what this can do to a person and how easily someone who is seemingly at the top of their game can rabbit hole into the painful world of addiction.For three decades, Eilene Zimmerman has written about business, technology and social issues for a wide array of national magazines and newspapers. She was a columnist for The New York Times Sunday Business section for six years and since 2004 has been a regular contributor to the newspaper. In September 2020, she completed a master’s degree in social work.Eilene joins Cindy and guest host Issie Carrol to discuss her book "Smacked: A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction and Tragedy" which tells the story of her affluent, successful lawyer ex-husband Peter's descent into the world of substance abuse. We speak at depth about her and her family's story, coping with grief and how her loss led her to discover the hidden world of white-collar addiction. We also discuss how COVID has accelerated this problem.If you have been affected by any of the issues touched upon in this episode here are some resources to find support in the UK and the United States:SMART Recovery UK:https://smartrecovery.org.uk/Narcotics Anonymous:https://ukna.org/DrugFAM:https://www.drugfam.co.uk/The Director of Lawyers Assistance Programs in the US:https://www.americanbar.org/groups/lawyer_assistance/resources/lap_programs_by_state/The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) helpline (US government):https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helplineBuy Eilene's book "Smacked: A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction and Tragedy" hereAccess Eilene's  Guardian article "Why professionals, depressed and anxious are developing addictions during COVID"Access the NY Times article "The Lawyer, the Addict"Follow Eilene on LinkedIn and Facebook and visit her websiteFollow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and don't forget to subscribe to the show!Email us at hello@yourconsort.com!

"Proceed, if you do, with caution" is the advice given by our guest Reid Blackman when speaking about employee monitoring whilst remote working. For many of us, working from home has been a nice change and one of the only positives to come out of the global pandemic. It has meant more working-time freedom, avoiding the long commute and no boss breathing down your neck. But as we all made the move home, managers have ramped up employee monitoring seemingly in fear of dropping levels of productivity. Managers are worried that employees will shirk off from their duties and become complacent, failing to perform as well as they do when in the office.Heightened employee surveillance brings forth a number of ethical concerns to do with trust, consent, freedom and privacy. It is proven that intense employee surveillance actually reduces productivity rather than boosts it. It creates a culture of untrustworthiness. Employees feel watched all the time and their freedom is diminished, like they're in some Orwellian nightmare. In this episode Andrew and Cindy speak about this topic with Reid Blackman, Founder and CEO of Virtue and Professor of Philosophy (and trapeze instructor!). The topics of conversation include:Whether employee monitoring is ever ethical.What productivity actually is and its relationship with time. How to implement employee surveillance as ethically as possible. How to avoid discriminating against groups in the workplace through surveillance. Trust, consent and freedom.Reid Blackman, Ph.D., is the Founder and CEO of Virtue. He works with senior leaders of organizations to integrate ethics and ethical risk mitigation into company culture and the development, deployment, and procurement of digital products. Prior to founding Virtue, Reid was a professor of philosophy at Colgate University and a Fellow at the Parr Center for Ethics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.To find out more about Reid and to look at his work visit his website https://reidblackman.com/aboutFind the article that sparked this conversation written by Reid hereFollow Reid on Twitter and LinkedInMake sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode!Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedInVisit our website http://yourconsort.com/

We didn't always work a 5-day week, it wasn't until the first part of the 20th Century that it was introduced. It was only after the two World Wars that Britain saw their working week reduce from 7 days, to 6 and then to 5. History would suggest that natural progression would've landed us a 4-day working week years ago, so why is it still viewed as a leftist utopia? History would also suggest that shorter working times have come about during and after a crisis world wars being the last two major catalysts. The COVID-Crisis has already put into question how we work, where we work, for how long and what counts as valuable work.  Is this the catalyst needed to get a shorter working week put into motion? Our guest Will Stronge certainly believes so. He argues that the 4-day working week would help reconstruct the economy following the crisis through retention and recruitment of staff, enhanced leisure time boosting demand and boosts in productivity.In this episode, Andrew and Cindy are in conversation with Will about the 4-day working week.  They touch upon:The history of the 4-day working weekFair sharing of workThe Automation ArgumentHow do we get there? Progressive policiesGovernment influence and interventionWhat the future of work looks like post-covidWill Stronge is co-director of Autonomy, an independent think tank focusing on issues relating to the future of work. He is the co-author, with Kyle Lewis, of the forthcoming book – Overtime: why we need shorter working weeks (Verso, 2021)Get in contact with the team at Autonomy email info@autonomy.workAccess the work Autonomy are doing visit https://autonomy.work/Access the "Time for Change" report mentioned in the episode hereFollow Autonomy on Twitter and Facebook@Autonomy_UKRecorded, edited and produced by the team at AM&C MediaFollow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedInVisit our website http://yourconsort.com/

In today’s episode we are keeping with the theme of last week and talking about being a leader of the new age.  This year has brought to light the need for leaders who care less about profits and more about people. Covid-19 and social upheaval have posed a great challenge for the leaders of today because never before have we seen such progression in the workplace. We have never before needed leaders who are compassionate and emotionally aware and that have the ability to bring people together.Andrew and Cindy are in conversation with Dan Pontefract, founder and CEO of The Pontefract Group and author of Lead. Care. Win. How to Become a Leader Who Matters. Dan's new book establishes 9 Leadership Lessons that aim to teach current and aspiring leaders on how to be a compassionate and successful leader. 

What makes a good leader? This is the question investigated in this week's episode of Good Enough For Jazz. Andrew goes solo in hosting, as Cindy joins him with Anthony Chamberlain to discuss the leadership qualities that really count. Introducing their new and exciting leadership development programme "Calibre by Consort", the guests are experts in leadership development and relay their experiences of leading and being led. They talk emotional intelligence, knowing your stuff and recalibrating the ways businesses choose their leaders. 

This month (and every month) is all about championing #diversityintheworkplaceand so in this week's episode Cindy and Andrew speak to Kanchan Prinsloo who works with women of colour in #leadership roles, coaching them to be the very best they can be. We know that being a leader can be difficult - for anyone. But being a woman of colour brings with it additional challenges, such as #racism, #sexism and #unconsciousbias. Kanchan helps us to recognise and appreciate those challenges and to understand how to counter them through our own #personaldevelopment and awareness. #conversationsthatcount#consortcommunity #applepodcasts

Anti-slavery day is on the 18th of October and so in this bonus episode our topic of conversation turns to modern slavery, an unseen crime that takes place under our very noses. It is estimated that there are around 40.3 million people falling victim to modern slavery around the world, 13,000 estimated in the UK. It hides away, taking place in restaurants, nail-bars, hotels, car washes and private homes.Victims of modern slavery have no typical face. Men, women and children of all different ages, ethnicities and nationalities fall victim. But those that are most vulnerable in our society, within minority and socially excluded groups, are most at risk.But what exactly is modern slavery? What are the laws against it and how effective are the laws? How can you raise awareness in your organisation or company around this topic and how can you affect change?Andrew and Cindy welcome three experts on this topic - Jimmy Brannigan (NETPositive Futures),  Andrew Smith (Wilberforce Institute) and Cristina Talens (Wilberforce Institute) - to answer these imperative questions.

This month is Black History Month and so to take part Cindy and Andrew have been speaking to leaders, thinkers and experts about the issues of diversity, inclusion and equity affecting business, leadership and society. In this week's episode Andrew, Cindy and guest host Andy welcome Saba Kia and Lauren Miller, two successful women of colour in the creative industry. The conversation explores discrimination, unconscious bias, the BLM movement and ways in which they make it their mission to champion minority and diversity in their work. 

Surge capacity is a collection of adaptive systems — mental and physical — that humans draw on for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations, such as natural disasters. But natural disasters occur over a short period, even if recovery is long. Pandemics are different — the disaster itself stretches out indefinitely. The pandemic has demonstrated both what we can do with surge capacity and the limits of surge capacity. When it’s depleted, it has to be renewed. But what happens when you struggle to renew it because the emergency phase has now become chronic? In a change to our normal routine, this week Producer Andy co-hosts as Cindy sits in the guest seat and helps us to understand that our faltering energies are totally normal. 

Why do leaders hold back? Showing and using emotion is such an important part of the leadership toolkit. We're all just human so how about we start recognising and valuing our humanity in the workplace? 

Understanding global trends, gaining a sense of perspective and being able to prioritise accordingly is critical, especially right now, when we're not only navigating a post-pandemic environment, but also facing so many other socio-economic changes. As the range of issues widens, how do organisations prioritise? How do we capitalise on these trends rather than fear them? How do we foster cultures of innovation and collaboration? Afshin Molavi joins us to explore and understand both the pandemic-proof mega trends, as well as the emerging trends on which leaders need to focus to ensure the successful future for themselves, their teams, and their organisations.

Climate crisis, a multi-generational workforce, populism, mental health, artificial intelligence, the 'wokeplace', the gig economy, the Zoom Boom, gender equality, 5G... the list of global trends, challenges and expectations are significant. As the range of issues grows, so too do expectations and pressures on us as leaders. How do we prioritise? How do we innovate? How do we remain relevant? How do we maintain our humanity? John Mark Williams, new CEO of the Institute of Leadership & Management joins us to discuss.

To coincide with publication of the book One Percent Safer, this week we’re discussing workplace safety and culture with the author and safety specialist and advocate, Dr Andrew Sharman. Creating and promoting safety in the workplace is paramount for leaders. In a constantly changing work environment, and particularly over the last year, safety has been exceptionally important for our teams, and for the clients we serve. As leaders, how can we make sure we’re doing a good job of not only creating and promoting safety, but building and leading in a culture of safety? Buy the book at onepercentsafer.com.