Talking Leaders

In this inter-season special Paul interviews Professor Ruth Roberts, Dr Park Ellingson, Dr Kim Rockley and Michael Sebastian about their involvement in the Tubular Cells project. Where did the idea originate, how was it developed and realised, and what does the final piece sound like? Special thanks to ApconiX for allowing us to share this episode, and to Jodrell Bank, University of Manchester UK for permission to use the soundtrack of the electrical emissions from Pulsar PSR B0329+54. For a graphic-supported version of this podcast click here: https://www.apconix.com/tubular-cells/

As an inter-season special, we are delighted to be able to share an example of work completed for a client. Tubular Cells is a piece of music inspired and driven by the electrical output from cultured brain cells. It's also the outcome of a collaboration between a group of scientists who came together to see if they could make an abstract idea a reality for no other reason than to see if they could, how it would turn out and because it would be fun. In the episode we made for ApconiX on the Tubular Cells project, Paul explores the origin of the original idea and how the key players worked together to craft the final piece. Click here to jump to the episode. https://www.talkingleaders.com/podcast/episode/609050b1/tubular-cells-part-2-the-music-of-thought  

Lessons from radio documentary Katharina Smets is a sound artist and researcher who draws upon documentary material to create audio stories for live performance, radio and podcasts. She is an expert in how the three elements of interviewer/producer, interviewees/subjects and audience interact to create an audio experience. In conversation, Katherina and Paul take a deep dive into the mechanics within impactful audio and discuss how leaders can use lessons from documentary storytelling in their podcasting. Links Katherina talking about her PhD Thesis and book Between You and Me”. https://archive.org/details/radia-katharina-smets Podcasts Heavyweight https://gimletmedia.com/shows/heavyweight/94hwad/1-buzz Seeing White https://sceneonradio.org/about/ Get in touch letstalk@talkingleaders.com https://www.talkingleaders.com

Time to up your GAME with audio! Will Coley is a producer of narrative journalism stories for a radio and a communication problem solver. In episode 5 of this season, Will talks with Paul about using impactful audio to shift the narrative and deliver solutions. The key is to be strategic and clear on your GAME: Goal, Audience, Message, Engagement / Evaluation. -------------------------------- Links to material Will mentioned: Article on the pre-interview: https://transom.org/2016/art-pre-interview/ Radio piece from Cathy McCune on low-income New Yorkers struggling after Hurricane Sandy: https://transom.org/2016/art-pre-interview/ Indefensible podcast: https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/indefensible/ Catherine Carr's podcast: https://www.whereareyougoing.co.uk   Contact Talking Leaders: letstalk@talkingleaders.com https://www.talkingleaders.com/  

In the latest episode of the Talking Leaders season of podcasts on why podcasting is perfect for leaders Cyrus Hoseyni of Janessen Pharmaceuticals shares his experience of being part of a team producing a program of podcasts for pharmaceutical industry statisticians. He talks with Paul Gisby about what the process was like for him, how his company has used the podcasts and how his own communication skills have been upgraded thanks to being involved in the project. Link to the Kelly Corrigan episode Cyrus recommended: https://www.kellycorrigan.com/kelly-corrigan-wonders/parenting letstalk@talkingleaders.com paul.gisby@talkingleaders.com https://www.talkingleaders.com/

Debbie West of Audere Communications joins us for episode three of the Talking Leaders season looking at why podcasting is perfect for leaders. An old friend of the show, Debbie is a highly experienced and talented podcaster. In conversation with Paul, she shares her insights into how to get the best out of using audio as part of an overall communication strategy. Links: 9/12 from Dan Taberski:  https://open.spotify.com/show/3ufgLmlLHsZPQCeh5rBm4X?si=fe6209894e4248cf Looking Forward: Conversations about Work. The episode with Ruth and Tom Harkin https://open.spotify.com/episode/0e6b7ZnQuwpvjSeVhBJZAc?si=Dqk2bK41RaGMnXswH4_76w Audere Communications: https://auderecommunications.com/    

For episode two in the season, Paul spoke with JP Gooderham, Founder and CEO of Storyboard. Storyboard is an unashamedly audio first platform, providing organisations with a suite of services that allow them to produce, share and extract maximum value from internal podcasts privately and securely. With over 5,000 organisations using the platform and tens of thousands of listeners benefitting from the podcasts produced, Storyboard has built up an impressive, possibly unrivalled library of data and use cases on the medium of internal voice podcasting. In conversation JP shares fascinating insights and examples on internal podcasting, making a compelling case for its place in the communication toolkit of any leader and their organisation. Links Storyboard’s website: https://new.trystoryboard.com Storyboard’s podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/881431 JP’s memorable impact podcast recommendation: Slack & Flickr:Stewart Butterfield on How I Built This https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ssW2s4N415KnjK08i0QrT?si=

In the first episode of the 2023 season of podcasts from Talking Leaders, Paul Gisby speaks with Colin Gray of The Podcast Host. A former University Lecturer, Colin became fascinated by the potential of podcasting. After teaching on the topic for several years, he decided to leave academia and set up The Podcast Host, a business dedicated to helping would-be podcasters with everything from an impressive library of blogs and guidance articles to AI based tools and a podcast production platform. In conversation Paul and Colin focus on the features of podcasting that can make it a particularly potent leadership communication channel. Links: The Podcast Host main site: https://www.thepodcasthost.com Indiepod manifesto: https://www.thepodcasthost.com/pillars-to-podcasting-success/ Rogue Startups as mentioned by Colin. https://roguestartups.com/rs281-the-state-of-saas-marketing/ https://roguestartups.com/rs284-next-level-marketing-with-colin-gray/  

For the season finale of the Talking Leaders series on Psychological Safety @Work, we were delighted to get some time with renowned “guru” of the subject Tom Geraghty. In conversation with Paul Gisby, Tom talks about the seven most common myths he comes across and why they need busting. You contact Tom by email – tom@tomgeraghty.co.uk For more information go to https://psychsafety.co.uk/about/ Links: Tom's video on the history of Psychological Safety is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_mcUKlCBjE&t=9s The article about non-violent communication is here https://psychsafety.co.uk/psychological-safety-76-non-violent-communication/    

Recalling his time working in Sweden Paul Gisby had the recollection that Swedes did seem to place greater emphasis on the importance of the psychological safety of the work environment, even if the term itself was not used. In the latest episode of the Talking Leaders season of podcasts on Psychological Safety @Work, Paul interviews a Swedish former colleague Maja Marklund to ask, is his recollection correct? Are Swedes just good at this stuff?

In the latest episode of the season on Psychological Safety @Work Paul talks with leadership and interpersonal communication experts Katie McCleary and Jennifer Edwards about their book Bridge the Gap. As Katie and Jennifer put it “Let’s just say it flat out: you work with people that you struggle to understand, like, or respect. You also work with people who struggle to understand, like, or respect you.” Where such gaps between people exist, Psychological Safety is at risk. The good news is, as the book lays out, there are straightforward actionable things that you can do. https://howtobridgethegap.com/

In the latest episode of our season on Psychological Safety @ Work, Paul takes to the streets to ask people about their experience of Psychological Safety. And he finds that while there are still plenty of problems there are encouraging reasons for optimism.  

Even though like many of us, Ann Cormack MBE only became aware of the term Psychological Safety in the latter stages of her distinguished career, it turns out that she has been a proponent of it from her first days as a leader. In this episode of our season on Psychological Safety @ Work, Ann shares her thoughts and advice on how to create conditions where motivation is high, and teams thrive. Listen out for the quick tip to test whether your teams have strong psychological safety.  

Claire Hamlin and Sheila Fitzsimons are consultants with Q5, a consultancy that specialises in Organisational Health. Kicking off the season on psychological safety at work Claire and Sheila share their thoughts on what psychological safety is (and isn’t) and how leaders and individuals can go about improving it. Their optimistic stance is that it’s not that hard or costly to do, and that real change can and will happen if everyone, not just leaders act. Their challenge – what are you going to do? Useful links https://www.q5partners.com claire.hamlin@q5partners.com sheila.fitzsimons@q5partners.com https://psychsafety.co.uk  

Psychological Safety seems to be getting mentioned more than it ever did. But is the increased attention just a leadership fad, or is it finally being seen as not only a human right but as a significant feature of the highest performing teams? In this episode, I introduce a new season of podcasts, which explore how people are thinking and talking about psychological safety at work, as well as offering practical steps leaders and individuals can take to improve the psychological safety they experience at work.  

In the final episode of Conversations about Promotion we bring together the top tips from all eleven interviewees and what a rich resource it is. Packed with a wealth of proven and actionable tips drawn from over 300 years of collected experience, there is plenty for anyone targeting their next promotion. https://www.talkingleaders.com Contact us here: letstalk@talkingleaders.com  

In this episode Paul Gisby gives a summary of the excellent advice and wisdom passed on by the people interviewed for the season. Covering things like making yourself promotion ready, how to make a success of your promotion, key watchouts and the best piece of advice ever on the secret of successful promotion. https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Even though she left the British Army nearly 22 years ago, Lisa Smith is still a big fan of the way the army teaches and develop leadership. The skills that she first picked up at Sandhurst and then honed over her nine years as a serving officer have served her well since leaving. And one other thing that has stayed with her, is her belief that if you are going for a promotion do it because it will lead to something really want to do. https://www.talkingleaders.com    

Nowhere is promotion more delineated and integral to an organisation than in the armed forces, where the tradition and structures have deep routes. To get an insight into how promotion works in the military we spoke with former British Army officer Andy Stanley. Andy spent 21 years in the Education and Training Services branch, as it’s now called, of the British Army reaching the rank of major, before leaving to become a successful leadership behavioural coach and trainer. As Andy explains, the clarity and centrality of the promotion process for soldiers and officers has definite advantages. However, it also comes with the risk of potentially over-dominating how someone thinks about career planning, causing them to perhaps miss out on exciting and fulfilling opportunities because they don't tick the right boxes for promotion. https://www.talkingleaders.com  

If Kirsten Campbell has learned anything in her career it’s not to limit your expectations of what you can achieve. In this episode Kirsten shares her experiences of promotion, from shoe shop assistant to noted leadership consultant and all without a degree. As a former manager said to her once “Don’t go through life waiting for permission.” https://www.talkingleaders.com