But Sill Have to Deliver It. Season 3 – Episode 027 Ever been stuck delivering a message at work that makes you froth at the mouth like a rabid dog? Welcome to the club. This week on A Job Done Well, Jimmy and James tackle one of the most soul-crushing tasks a manager faces: delivering a decision you know is wrong. From performance management systems designed by third-rate sportsmen to closing sites for arbitrary profitability targets, the hosts dissect the emotional toll, the credibility crisis, and the sheer absurdity of corporate life. They explore why it’s so stressful, and why some battles are just not worth dying in a ditch for. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Jimmy and James also … [Read more...]
Stuck in the Middle: Why Managers Burn Out
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...]
Values at Work: Are They Just Corporate Wallpaper?
Season 3 – Episode 017: With Jackie Le Fèvre This week, Jimmy and James welcome back Dr. Jackie Le Fèvre—aka “Dr. Values”—to dissect the messy, often hypocritical world of organisational and team values. Spoiler: those shiny plaques in the foyer? Probably bollocks. But don’t despair—this episode is your survival guide to navigating the gap between what companies say they value and what they actually do. Jackie pulls no punches: if your boss keeps “second-guessing” your work, it’s not (always) about trust—it’s about their own values. And if your company’s “core values” feel more like corporate wallpaper than a compass, you’re not alone. The trio digs into why stated values so rarely match … [Read more...]