Season 3 Episode 34: How to Be a Better Boss Let’s be honest: most bosses are forgettable. They’re neither terrible enough to inspire a mutiny nor brilliant enough to earn your loyalty. But the ones who do stand out? They’re either the reason you quit or the reason you stayed. This week, Jimmy and James ditch the usual rant about bad bosses (though, let’s face it, they’ve had a few) to tackle the far trickier question: What actually makes a good one? Turns out, it’s not about charisma, a fancy title, or even a well-stocked biscuit tin. It’s about clarity—knowing where you’re going and making sure your team gives a damn about getting there. It’s about adaptability, because what works in a … [Read more...]
How to Boost Your Performance at Work – Debunking Workplace 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...]
Twelve Insights for Christmas
Series 2 – Episode 16 We end the year with our version of the 12 Days of Christmas – a light-hearted look at some seasonal insights to help you over the festive period and into 2025. Amanda Gilbert our Learning and Development Guru attempts to keep us in order as we cobble together insights on habits, collaboration and how to behave at Christmas Do's. Thank you to everyone for listening, sharing, following, and supporting the podcast this year. We hope you all have an amazing festive period and a great 2025. If you're lucky, Santa won't be taking advice from James this year – when you've listened in, you'll know why! We hope to see you all for our next episode on January … [Read more...]
How Can Systems Thinking Help You?
Season 2 – Episode 9: Changing People's Thinking is Hard. With Rob Wilson. A second episode, in which Rob Wilson (Co-Founder of Service Economics) shares his insights into Systems Thinking – an approach that can help transform how businesses work. We discuss how you can change the way you think about your system (or organisation) to improve customer and staff outcomes. Rob's advice is easy to understand and pragmatic, and it's immediately apparent how it will radically improve performance. Plus, you don't need to wait for the next Apple Event (pun intended) to find out what the must-have gadget is this Autumn, as James shares his latest acquisition! To find out more, … [Read more...]
What is Systems Thinking?
Season 2 Episode 8: Rob Wilson Explains This week, we are lucky to have Rob Wilson, Co-Founder of Service Economics, as a special guest. Rob has 20+ years of experience leading and transforming service operations across various sectors and is an expert in Systems Thinking. This approach can help transform how you think about doing your job, and it has some stunning results. However, it has been surrounded by mystique and cynicism, as highlighted by the first rule of Systems Thinking – never talk about Systems Thinking! Rob breaks this 'rule' and shows us behind the curtain to understand more about this method and some of the challenges it can help us solve. You'll also get … [Read more...]