Season 3 - Episode 025 Welcome to another episode of A Job Done Well, where Jimmy and James dissect the brutal reality of middle management—a role where you’re accountable for everything and in control of nothing. This week, they expose the absurdity of being the corporate shock absorber: squeezed between bosses who demand miracles and teams who resent you for failing to deliver them. From the horror of “Project Hessian” (a type of sacking) to the farce of forced rankings, Jimmy and James share their war stories: translating mass culls into PowerPoint-friendly language, faking operational maturity scores, and watching as outsourcing contracts backfire spectacularly. They reveal why middle … [Read more...]
Fitting In: Is the Corporate Mask Exhausting You?
Season 3 – Episode 21: With Dawn Wray Fitting in at work isn’t just about wearing the right shirt or laughing at the boss’s jokes—it’s about survival. Or at least, that’s how it feels. This week on A Job Done Well, James and Jimmy are joined by Gestalt psychotherapist Dawn Wray to dissect the dark art of "fitting in" and why it’s more psychologically taxing than a Monday morning spreadsheet. It’s not about your social skills. It’s about the ancient, visceral patterns of belonging—or not—that shape how you show up at work, how you hide, and how you might just lose yourself in the process. Dawn pulls no punches: fitting in isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s exhausting. It’s the constant, … [Read more...]
How to Get Promoted
Season 3 – Episode 8: Without Selling Your Soul This week, hosts James Lawther and Jimmy Barber explore the subject of getting promoted and suggest how you can go about it without compromising your values or playing games. They discuss how promotions work in organisations, the importance of thinking through why you want a promotion, how you position yourself and some things to be wary of. The mix of practical tips and anecdotes will engage and inform on a topic many are interested in but few openly discuss! They also talk weather and holiday strategies - but don't go on too much! Transcript Speaker 7: 0:03 Hello, I'm James. Hi, I'm Jimmy and welcome to a Job Done Well, … [Read more...]
How to Prioritise Your Work and Increase Your Effectiveness
Season 3 – Episode 6 In today's world, we all face too many demands on our time—where do you start? How can you achieve more? The answer is never to work harder! This week, hosts James Lawther and Jimmy Barber explore ways you can prioritise the demands on your time by focusing on the most essential stuff and making the right choices so you can achieve more and avoid overwhelm and burnout. Stop being a slave to others' priorities and take control of your work. Plus, you can hear Jimmy's latest conspiracy theory and how James is progressing with his next bestseller! Transcript peaker 3: 0:03 Hello, I'm James. Hi, I'm Jimmy and welcome to a Job Done Well, the podcast that helps … [Read more...]