Season 3 – Episode 014 Welcome to A Job Done Well, the podcast for managers who want to improve their performance—and enjoy their jobs. Hosted by Jimmy Barber and James Lawther, this episode tackles hybrid working, a topic that’s causing headaches, heartburn, and heated debates in boardrooms and Slack channels everywhere. The pandemic proved that remote work could work. But now, as companies scramble to bring people back into the office, many are doing so in the clumsiest way possible: mandating days without considering the why or the how. The result? Frustrated employees, plummeting morale, and—ironically—often worse performance. In this episode, Jimmy and James … [Read more...]
Can You Make Work a Source of Vitality?
Season 3 – Episode 5: With Ben Simpson Do you end each day full of energy or drained and in need of recovery? This week's guest, Ben Simpson, believes that our working lives should be a source of vitality, and not something we have to recover from, and he shares his insights on how to achieve that. Ben is the Chair of the Deming Alliance in the UK and co-founder of VitalOrg, so he knows plenty about what makes organisations and people tick. Plus, you hear from hosts James Lawther and Jimmy Barber to see if their working lives were ever a source of vitality. If that isn't enough, James takes a walk down memory lane, visiting universities with his daughter, whilst Jimmy is just back … [Read more...]
Corporate Myths
Season 2 – Episode 37: The Things You've Been Told That Just Ain't So! In this episode, host James Lawther and Jimmy Barber discuss common corporate myths that hinder performance and productivity in the workplace. They explain that while targets will drive performance, it won't be the performance you want, the fallacy that senior management has all the answers, and the misconception that long hours equal productivity. They also highlight the importance of small, tactical improvements over big strategic projects, the value of treating suppliers as partners, and how introverts can make exceptional leaders. The episode wraps up with a reflection on social media perceptions versus … [Read more...]
Why Belonging Matters
Season 2 – Episode 33: The Key to Loving Your Work Did you know the sense of 'belonging' at work improves performance by 56%, reduces attrition risk by 50% and decreases absence by 75%... Want to find out more? Check out this week's episode where hosts James Lawther and Jimmy Barber discuss why belonging is so important and why it's not just changing your behaviour to 'fit in'. Research, examples and mildly "amusing" anecdotes help bring the subject to life and provide pragmatic ways to unlock the sense of belonging and reap the benefits of satisfying this basic human need. You will also hear from the biggest April fool of recent years and receive a health warning regarding macho … [Read more...]
Energy Limiting Conditions
Season 2 – Episode 19: The Workplace's Hidden Secret You or someone near you suffers from one of these..... This week, Steve Shutts joined us to discuss energy-limiting conditions, which impact 15 million people in the UK or 1 in 5 in the workplace. These conditions are a silent challenge for many, often not talked about or understood, and consequently negatively impact many people's working lives. Steve shares the extent to which these conditions impact people, provides insights into how to make the workplace inclusive for people with ELCs, and discusses the benefits this can bring to individuals, teams, and organisations. We will all work with people with ELCs, and many of us suffer … [Read more...]