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...]
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...]
Embrace Failure and Succeed
Season 2 – Episode 12: Don't Panic When It All Goes Wrong Good/bad, happy/sad, success/failure—we are conditioned to fear failure, but it's essential for learning, growth, and innovation. This week, we review the research into failure and share our experiences and perspectives. Listen to help you understand and develop a positive relationship with one of life's most prevalent natural resources. If that's not enough, we also share some TV recommendations. Though we recorded this before Rivals came out; otherwise, it would have made Jimmy's list! To find out more, contact Jimmy or James. Transcript Embrace Failure and Succeed Hello, I'm James. Hi, I'm … [Read more...]
Why Good Analysis Beats Gut Feel Every Time
Season 1 – Episode 32: We All Need to Understand the Data Welcome to Unlocking the Power of Analysis, where we explore data’s transformative potential for improving work performance. You only have an opinion without data, so analysis is critical to the workplace. In this episode, James dredges through his 20+ years of being called an ‘analyst’ to help practitioners fine-tune their skills, whilst Jimmy discusses how front-line managers, executives and board members can sharpen their skills to get the most out of data. We discuss everything from how analysis stopped a cholera outbreak in 19th-century London to the way the “Head of Colouring In” produces informative reports. Data analysis … [Read more...]
Are You a Curious Leader?
Season 1 – Episode 19: Or Just Plain Odd? This week, our resident Learning and Development Guru, Amanda Gilbert, joins us again for the third episode in our Leadership series. We explore the subject of Curious Leadership (and we don't mean odd!) We conclude that this is a practical part of any leader's toolkit. It can have a positive impact if used correctly and at the right time. We share a helpful model to understand and assess your own levels of curiosity, some of the upsides and downsides to this approach, and, most importantly, how you can become more curious. If you need any help exploring or developing your personal or your team's curiosity, then get in touch at … [Read more...]