I've been seeing a lot of misinformation and disinformation about Chinese companies lately. I think it's related to the current (comical but not comical) 'red scare' sweeping some countries. Or maybe it's algorithms trying to mess with me? The latest HBR podcast a pretty good listen to, and it might help to bring some balance and basic insight. It's less than 30mins (or 20mins at x1.5 speed - i love an efficiency hack, and it gives an insight into what it's like living in my head 😅) https://lnkd.in/gjWwVSFa

“There are arguably more learnings in the failings than there are in the successes.” Sean Sebastian knows that one of the most important qualities to have as a start-up is the ability to adapt to changing markets years after you first launch. See what else he shared with Daniela Osio on the latest episode of Let’s Talk Direct. Full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/e3qXuZ6W 

This week on Rockstar CMO FM, the host Ian Truscott sits down with Accenture Song's Simon Daniels as he breaks down his top five takeaways from the Accenture Song Client Buying Index 2026. Later, Ian joins Robert Rose in the virtual bar to debate the ultimate AI content dilemma: whether brands actually value quality, or if speed, cost, and convenience are taking over. https://lnkd.in/g2ph5DRS #podcast #brand #business

Anything can happen within a team, and leaders have to be ready to pivot. Learn how to create foolproof systems for everyone on the latest episode of Contributor Wednesday. Listen to more of this episode: https://bit.ly/3RCBloY

Most teams in organisations aren't short of strategy. They're short of the thing that makes it worth showing up for. From our conversation with John Peck, Episode 02.

Loved this conversation with our Box of Crayons Founder and Jana Werner. Werner shares that what frustrates her most about the way most organizations approach transformation is, frankly, the wasted intelligence: hiring smart, fantastic people and then telling them how to think and work and change instead of ensuring they are engaged agents of change. I think that creating space for human agency is one of THE leadership challenges in the age of the machine. Inherent in much organizational change is a sense of inevitability, and lack of power: a few people at the top are agents of change, the rest of us are recipients of it. This makes change something that’s happening to people rather than something they are driving. The changes wrought from AI are no different, and in some ways are more pointedly disempowering: at the same time that leaders are trying to gain efficiencies to keep up with margin compression and competition in the market, the broader question of what systemic changes will be required to shift humans’ relationship to work and life hangs like a spectre, heavy but unanswered. In that environment, the ability to ask better questions, enable ownership, and unlock thinking across teams becomes a critical capability. And that’s because the way to lead through this fear and uncertainty is to increase your team’s agency: their choice and participation in and ownership of the work they’re doing, a way to help create autonomy and drive purpose. To state the glaringly obvious: command and control has never been so obsolete an approach when what your leaders need is a way to bring people along with them. People don’t want direction, they want inspiration and an invitation to contribute to work they believe in. Werner's metaphor of the "octopus organization" is fitting: because organizations that cultivate curiosity-led leadership unlock not only the intelligence but the impetus of the whole system. 

This has to be one of the most thought provoking podcast I have heard this month. It is based on an article Adam Grant wrote titled, "No, You Don't Get an A for Effort." Adam and Brené went on to discuss that effort should be rewarded with time i.e. coaching. Recognizing the distinction between excellence and effort matters in the short- and long-term. https://lnkd.in/e4xBkVBj

🎧 What if your audit programme could do more than tick boxes? In the latest episode of our Network-hosted podcast 'Quality Perspectives', join Andy Nichols CQP MCQI, alongside guests Jon Swift PCQI and Richard Brett CQP MCQI, as they continue the conversation from Episode 8, Avoiding Groundhog Day. This episode explores how organisations can transform audit programmes from a routine compliance exercise into a valuable business tool. Instead of revisiting the same checklist year after year, the discussion focuses on how audits can: ✔ Support business objectives  ✔ Address real organisational risks  ✔ Deliver valuable insights  ✔ Drive continual improvement And with priorities constantly shifting, one principle remains true: "No plan survives first contact." Whether you're an auditor, quality professional, or simply interested in how organisations achieve better outcomes, this episode provides practical takeaways and expert perspectives. Listen now ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eMmYHgas

Knowing what to leave out is a muscle. So is knowing how to pull the pieces back together into one clear message. This is the same work behind everything we help leaders with: how they think about their message and the person receiving it; what lands, what influences, and what gets lost in the extra words. It's not a talent some people are born with. It's a skill you build with reps 💪. Don't miss the latest episode 👇

Most leaders know what matters. The harder question is whether their attention is actually aligned with what matters. That is the tension I explore in this week’s Culture of Excellence podcast. Plans can name priorities. Attention reveals what is actually being protected, repeated, interrupted, and allowed to drift. Listen here: https://hubs.ly/Q04qJ3x80 Plans name intention. Attention tests it. #CultureOfExcellence #LeadershipArchetypes #ProfessionalWellness