Season 3 – Episode 20: With John Seddon Welcome to the 100th episode of A Job Done Well—where we celebrate the art of calling out corporate nonsense and replacing it with something that actually works. This week, we’re joined by John Seddon, a management thinker so influential he’s got his own Wikipedia page (unlike James, who may or may not have written his own). John’s spent decades proving that traditional management—targets, incentives, standardisation—doesn’t just fail to improve performance; it actively makes things worse. John’s approach is simple: stop incentivising the wrong things. Most organisations reward behaviours that undermine their own goals. Engineers rushed to fix … [Read more...]
Performance Reviews Are Broken – Here’s How to Beat the System
Season 1 – Episode 22: How to Survive, Thrive in or Change Your Performance Appraisal System This week, we look at Performance Appraisals. Dating back to the 3rd century, these systems try to solve many of an organisation's performance management and leadership challenges but often destroy more value than they create. We look at the pros and cons of the process and, if you have the opportunity, discuss some of the things to consider when improving it. Most importantly, if you cannot change your organisation's approach, we discuss how you can at least survive the annual process and maybe even thrive and get the best results for you and your team. If you've got any questions or comments or … [Read more...]
Why Recognition Matters More Than Reward
Season 1 – Episode 15: The Workplace Steroid This week, we discuss our different tastes in pancakes - what does Jimmy’s preference for vegan delights and James’s taste for galettes say about us? We also talk about Reward and Recognition - what is the difference between the two, and what behaviours and outcomes they drive. They’re like steroids. They will turbocharge behaviours, but are they the behaviours you want? Do large corporate incentives work, or are they a waste of money? We also discuss what works, a simple thank you for a job done well (see what we did there) and creating an environment where your staff can feel and be successful. If you have any questions or comments or need … [Read more...]
Managed by Morons
Season 1 – Episode 5: The Path to a Thriving Organisation This week we mix things up a little - Jimmy will be interviewing James about his best-selling and highly rated book 'Managed by Morons' - everything from what inspired him to write the book, what impact he wants it to have through to his favourite film and most importantly - who are the morons! Transcript James: 0:03 hello, I'm James. Jimmy: 0:05 Hi, I'm Jimmy. James: 0:06 Welcome to A Job Done Well, Jimmy: 0:08 the podcast about the world of work and how to improve the daily grind Today's episode is something slightly different. I am going to be interviewing my co host James about the book that … [Read more...]
The Power of Purpose
Season 1 – Episode 2: Making Your Work Meaningful Are corporate mission statements essential or are they just so much hot air? That genuinely depends on what they say. We all need a purpose or goal in life, so it might as well be a good one. Transcript Episode 2: Giving Your Work Meaning - Being Clear About its Purpose [00:00:00] James: Hello. I'm James. [00:00:05] Jimmy: Hi, I'm Jimmy. [00:00:07] James: Welcome to A Job Well Done. [00:00:09] Jimmy: to a podcast about the world of work and how to improve the daily grind. Welcome to a job well done podcast. [00:00:18] James: A job done well, not a job well … [Read more...]