Beyond Busy

Graham and Colin begin by talking about the first meal of the day, and how getting protein in first thing can make a big difference.

'You’re either going to work forty years until you die, or you’re going to be able to create your own wealth… so take a shot at the second thing.'

Midway through watching War Dogs and being frustrated at the lack of business acumen from one of the characters, Colin paused the film and wrote a business plan for a bed sheet company. Almost instantly he happened upon the name Sheets & Giggles, and bought sheetsgiggles.com straightaway. Three months later, he was laid off from his job, and three weeks after receiving this blow, he founded Sheets & Giggles.

'Spellable, sharable, memorable.'

Colin shares his rules for company branding, one of the most important of which is connoting or denoting what the company does.

'Your greatest weakness is your empathy for others.'

Colin recounts being told this at the hedge fund he was let go from in his early 20s, and how the toxic work environment he suffered informs the way he works with his own team now.

'People hire people who are like themselves.'

After describing his frustrations with the “arbitrariness of the American workday”, Colin sets out the way he recruits, by looking for people who share similar drives or methods of working, while being aware of the issue of hiring people that look like the founder.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

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Olivier has a long history of helping organisations make decisions. He is a professor at prominent business school HEC Paris, and has worked as a Director at McKinsey & Company.

'We’re not just economic human beings.'

The discussion dives deep into the cognitive biases that shape how we frame world events like the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit.

'Don’t think that you’re going to get better at it on your own.'

Olivier describes one of the “Nine Traps” outlined in his book, The Confidence Trap, and how that can affect planning and productivity. He also recommends putting a system in place to overcome cognitive biases.

Graham and he also discuss group think, and the propensity for groups to converge on decisions too quickly, and Olivier offers advice on encoring healthy disagreement in meetings.

Dialogue, divergence and dynamics

Both fans of the Checklist Manifesto, Olivier discusses with Graham how checklists can be more intelligently deployed so they’re not simply rote lists of tasks that require no initiative. Olivier then outlines his three Ds of decision architecture, that encourage real dialogue, challenge some preconceived notions around diversity of thinking.

It’s OK to fail honourably

The discussion draws to a close with a discussion on humility, and Olivier’s take on work-life balance.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

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After a coffee with one of the founders of Tiny Capital, Daniel was invited to join the project management software company Flow, as their CEO. He combined his design and product experience with a desire to help lead teams.

Daniel turned a business that was contracting into a growing one, overseeing a new iteration of the product that has gained mass adoption, and focusing the offering around team-based productivity.

Repeatably excellent design

Daniel talks about being a “designer CEO”, his former job at Apple, joining Square and forming the investment company Blackletter Ventures.

'If you want a team with world-class performers…you need to have a high bar.'

Drawing on inspiration from the founder of Visa, Daniel shares his approach to leadership, setting high standards and managing laterally, rather than always from the top down.

'Give yourself the chance to compound.'

Both Graham and Daniel open up about suffering from work-related depression, and Daniel shares how he came to realise he was depressed and so could work to reduce overwhelm and take time to reflect.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

Useful links:

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Ray originally wanted to be a doctor, but found an interest in trading during his teens, and as the son of a diplomat, he grew up with an affinity for understanding other cultures and ways of working.

Graham and Ray begin by discussing the impact the pandemic has had on the City of London, and how the financial industry has dealt, and continues to deal, with the uncertainty that surrounds it.

'If I had to pick one factor which can really influence and enhance your sleep, it’s the concept of going to bed and rising at the same time, even at weekends.'

Working through his framework for productivity, Ray explains how rhythm and regularity in sleep, and getting the right amount of sleep can make us more productive. He also advocates for focusing on gut health, testing gut tolerance, and using that information to improve diet and possibly mood.

'Softer skills matter more than absolute levels of intelligence.'

Hard work and humility are two key traits that Ray values and looks for when recruiting. Graham and he discuss ways to assess these traits, focusing on the candidate as a person, rather than simply an applicant for a job.

'If happiness is out of reach, aim for contentment.'

After covering the mind and the body, Ray and Graham turn to the spirit, and focus on what happiness can achieve, rather than how to attain happiness through productivity or success.

'Shinrin-yoku is my top tip.'

In lieu of something to promote, Ray finishes by sharing a recent discovery, that he has found to be “an amazing experience”.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

Useful links:

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Strategic consultant and former rocket-scientist Fred Pelard has worked with brands like Nike, Barclays, the Guardian and more, and is the author of How to be Strategic.

Fred lays out the difference between management and strategic consulting, creating space for structured brainstorming, and solving complex problems.

'Being strategic is a skill, and you can learn it.'

There are four key ways of solving problems, which Fred has identified as the Expert Way, the Analytical Way, the Creative Way and the Strategic Way. He also outlines the Strategic Rollercoaster, which charts the interactivity between creative and analytical thinking.

'You have to be Tigger before you’re Eeyore.'

Graham and Fred discuss W Chan Kim’s successor to the golden rule: “treat others as they would like to be treated”, breaking complex problems down into threes, and the Happy Line.

'There are three different types of jobs: product, process, performance.'

Finally, Fred reveals how he’s able to read between 20 and 30 business books in a month, and shares his skepticism of the “productivity industrial complex”.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

Useful links:

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See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jennifer Aaker is a behavioural psychologist and General Atlantic Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Naomi Bagdonas is also a Stanford lecturer, a strategy media consultant, and an improv comedian.

Together, they co-authored the book, Humour, Seriously.

'It’s a lot easier and more accessible than people think, to tap into their sense of humour.'

The two met when Jennifer asked Naomi to be a guest lecturer at Stanford, where Naomi had the students in hysterics.

The conversation kicks off in musical fashion, with Graham put on the spot and asked to sing an intro, and continues with a discussion on the importance of bringing levity into the workplace and preventing us from “dropping off the humour cliff” as we age.

Jennifer and Naomi bust the myth that you have to be funny from birth, and offer four options to help you find your humour style: Magnet, Sniper, Standup, or Sweetheart.

'Humour does not exist in a vacuum — it’s all about the context and relationship you have [with the audience].'

As well as discussing where humour can be considered appropriate or not, Jennifer and Naomi also offer their techniques for observational humour: finding unusual moments in life that can be made fun of.

There are also some handy tips for thoroughly inappropriate use of your email signature or post-scripts.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

Useful links:

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See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Social entrepreneur Nand Kishore Chaudhary is no stranger to working from home. He started his career selling shoes in his father’s shop, and declined the offer to join a nationalised bank to strike out on his own. Now he runs a business working with over 40,000 rug weavers, spanning over 700 locations and selling to 60 different countries.

NK formed his company, Jaipur Rugs, with a $200 loan from his dad, but was struck by the class system in India that drew strict divisions between his cast and the cast of his weavers. When he began to expand outside of Jaipur, he was advised against working with a Gujarati tribe.

'People can beat you, people can kill you. They are the tribal people, and they are not very welcoming to the outsider.'

Undaunted, NK sought advice from a friend and mentor, who encouraged him to work with the tribe, but with love, compassion and empathy to counteract the experiences of exploitation the tribe had faced in the past. NK ended up staying for nine years, training fifteen thousand Gujarati tribespeople in the art of rug-making.

'I’m a weaver, so you are going to study in America as the daughter of a weaver, and never forget this.'

In the intervening years, NK fathered three daughters. The idea that he didn’t have any sons was viewed as an “impurity” by members of his family, so NK went back to his mentor who advised him to redouble the care and attention he was already showing his girls, treating them with the same respect as he might a son.

'We sell the stories, we sell the experiences, and our carpet is free.'

NK saw his business from the beginning as having two important endpoints: that of the consumer and of the weaver, and that it was his mission to connect the two. In this way, the lives of the weavers who work part-time to produce a rug that can take up to six months to finish, are an inextricable part of the product.

The search for divine soul

After becoming dissatisfied with what he saw as unconscious behaviour and negativity, NK worked on reframing his thoughts and reflecting on his actions, which flowed into the business and resulted in the renaming of his HR department to “the search for divine soul”. He encouraged his team to focus on the inward qualities of job candidates, rather than the outward expression of clothing and presentation.

He offers his advice on increasing self-awareness, and developing practise along with furthering knowledge, gives us his take on meditation, and emphasises the importance of love as a driving factor in what we do.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

Useful links:

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Self-described generalist Francis works with the creative consultancy FizzPopBang, helping companies create a sense of relationship and integrity between their brand and their employee experience. He also founded Wise Fool School, bringing together the concepts of embodiment, spiritual development, and wellbeing, to enrich leaders’ skill sets.

'I’ve learned to see the value in the way that I see connections that other people don’t see.'

Francis trained as an interfaith minister, helping to remind people of their intrinsic worth, and reframe what they see as failings or flaws in themselves, as an opportunity to become more whole, connected, aware and vibrant.

'Wisdom is cultivated within the span of a lifetime.'

Graham and Francis discuss theism in its many forms, how writings of today echo work that has been read for generations, and explore the inevitability of death.

Responsibility, presence and integrity are three tenets Francis has taken from his years of interfaith study. In this episode, he expands on these learnings, and how they apply to everyday work and life.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management trainingcompany Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

Useful links:

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See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eman is an email conversion strategist and copywriter, helping business owners and ecommerce brands boost profit and build relationships. Eman is proof that email is not dead, and in fact has seen an increase in investment in email strategy as more companies go digital.

'People mistake email for being a one-to-many marketing tool, when it’s actually a one-to-one marketing tool.'

Eman has great advice for people who want to use email as a more meaningful, personal and intimate marketing tool. She also shares some of her favourite resources and authors, to help business owners write better copy.

Eman always wanted to be a writer, but had been led to believe the only way to make money from writing was to become the next JK Rowling. After running the communications department for a charity, Eman felt like she needed to address her work-life balance, so made the move to freelance copywriter at the age of 26.

'I’m only going to have more responsibilities, I’m only going to have more bills to pay, so if I want to start a business, now is the time.'

Eman started her copywriting business InkHouse so that she could build a lifestyle that worked for her and her young son.

In this episode, she shares some of the rules that help her maintain boundaries between work-life and home-life.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

Useful links:

https://www.grahamallcott.com/links

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stefanie Sword-Williams is the author of the book F*ck Being Humble, and describes herself as the “tough-love agony aunt careers coach”. Her book and business help people combat the social conditioning that prevents them from being able to promote themselves.

F*ck Being Humble was born from a moment of creative burnout, and Stef’s desire for more creative control, and the ability to advocate for things she really believed in.

'There was a lot of millennial boss-bitch, “you’ve got this, hon” going around.'

Although Stef describes herself as being a confident person and possessed of self-belief, she’s faced risks and challenges that have shaped her journey. She also gives Graham a free sample of the coaching she provides, by workshopping his Instagram profile.

'The more we self-promote, the more confident we get in our skills, our crafts and our abilities.'

Both Graham and Stef share their upbringings, and how they differ from the perceptions people have of them as adults. Stef also discusses the age discrimination she’s faced, being described by a journalist as a “tedious blowhard”, and the fear employees have faced working with someone with a prominent side-hustle.

'Companies will use any excuse to not pay you more, to not give you the promotion, to put more pressure on you to work harder.'

The two also discuss the use of the F word, how 90s R&B influenced Stef’s brand, and overcoming the disadvantages of having a disruptive name.

Graham Allcott is the founder of time management training company Think Productive.

This podcast is produced by Origin.

✔ Links: 

Subscribe to Graham's Newsletter: 

https://www.grahamallcott.com/sign-up​​

Buy “How to be a Productivity Ninja”: 

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785784617​​ 

Our Show Sponsors: Think Productive - Time Management Training:

http://www.thinkproductive.com​​

Useful links:

https://www.grahamallcott.com/links

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.