Jimbo Clark works across APAC with individuals, teams and organizations on achieving transformational change. He excels at meaningfully facilitating activities, games and simulations to bring new awareness of possibilities and clear actions for future improvements.

In this episode, Jim and Subbu talk about what it takes to enable meaningful change for people, and how this can be transformative for not just individuals, but also teams and organizations.

Key topics:

• Why Jimbo Clark decided to move to Taiwan from the US
• Jimbo's "Working Retirement" philosophy to life
• Busting the myth about people not wanting to change 
• Why less is more
• The origin story of THE BOX 
• Helping people think out of THE BOX
• Making the unconscious, conscious
• Applying THE BOX in the context of a period of transition
• The Word Ball Game!
• My experience with THE BOX

Biju is the Chief Evangelist at Fractal Analytics and Chairman at Final Mile Consulting. Biju and his colleagues have utilized Cognitive Neuroscience and Behavioral Economics and Design to develop a new research technique called Ethnolab and the communication practice of Non-Conscious Design.

Key topics covered in this conversation

• Biju's career spanning advertising to entrepreneurship
• Challenges with positively impact human behavior
• The power of the non-conscious
• Learning from neuroscience
• Working with the collective non-conscious
• How intentional rituals can help drive change 
• How rice farming drives collaborative behavior
• The role of context and work environment
• Workplace flexibility matters
• The word-ball game
• Closing remarks

Andrew Barnes is an innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is also the pioneer of the 4-day work week movement. His organization, Perpetual Guardian, piloted the very first version of the 4-day week many years ago, and Andrew wrote a whole book about it.

In this conversation, we learn about how Andrew came up with the 4-day week idea on a long haul flight, why we are all collectively time poor, how to setup a 4-day week trial, and a whole lot more.

Key topics

• Highlights from Andrew's career
• How Andrew stumbled upon the 4-day week idea
• The way we work hasn't evolved in the last century
• We've all become collectively time poor
• Structuring the 4-day week at Perpetual Guardian
• Will people revert back to working 5 days a week?
• Does the 4-day week require a high trust culture?
• The value of beginning with a trial
• The state of ongoing trials across the world
• Will the rise of AI accelerate the adoption of the 4-day week?
• Being time rich will afford us the time to upskill
• Does the future of work have 4 working days in it?

Aarti Kelshikar is a specialist in human capital development, an intercultural coach, an executive coach, a facilitator and an author. She has written two books on the converging themes of leadership and cultural effectiveness. Her latest book is - How Women Work: Fitting In and Standing Out in Asia. 

In this episode, we discuss insights from Aarti’s research and writing. The first part of the conversation unravels the complex corporate cultures we operate in, and the second half of the conversation is focused on women leadership in Asia.

Key topics

• From compliance to culture: Aarti's fascinating work background
• The 4Ps: Purpose, Passion, Patience and Persistence 
• How Aarti discovered research and writing
• Our ability to manage ambiguity and uncertainty
• The prevalence of hierarchy and what it means for org culture
• How Aarti got to writing her second book - How Women Work 
• How Leadership in Asia compares to other regions
• Seeking inspiration from women leaders in Asia
• Are women held to different standards compared to men?
• Aarti's advice to aspiring women leaders
• How can men become better allies

Abhijit Bhaduri is a talent management advisor to firms. He is among the ten most sought after brand evangelists and is a coach and mentor to leaders in different stages of their careers. He is rated among the top ten learning experts globally and is a LinkedIn Top Voice. Abhijit's weekly newsletter has more than 300,000 subscribers and is a powerful voice shaping the profession. 

In this conversation, Subbu and Abhijit discuss career archetypes, why we may be at an inflection point when it comes to careers, and the skills required to navigate the new world of work.

Key topics

• Abhijit's career arc spanning iconic brands
• The opportunities that lie in front of talent professionals
• How Abhijit got to writing his newest book - Career 3.0
• The "AI-Phone moment" we are experiencing today
• Blue v/s White v/s No-collar jobs
• Are directional goals better than specific goals?
• Shift in the Work-Worker-Workplace equilibrium
• Is moonlighting acceptable?
• Lifetime employment has been replaced by lifetime employability 
• How can organizations leverage the creator economy?
• The implications of Careers 3.0 on Org Culture
• The six skills to navigate the Careers 3.0 world
• Stay like a green tomato!
• The Word-ball game!
• The future of careers

Vanessa Bohns is a social psychologist and a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University. She holds a PhD in Psychology from Columbia University and is the author of the book You Have More Influence Than You Think. Her research focuses broadly on social influence and the psychology of compliance and consent.

In this episode, Subbu and Prof Bohns discuss what we typically tend to get wrong about our ability to influence others, why assertiveness as a skill may be overrated, and how leaders can become better aware of the sway they hold over others.

Key Topics

• Prof Vanessa Bohns' journey into academia
• Why we hold ourselves back when complimenting others
• What we typically get wrong about our ability influence others
• The amplification of shared experiences
• The power of behavioral contagion
• Direct v/s indirect effect of our actions on others
• Assertiveness as a skill may be overrated
• Embarrassment can be a powerful motivator
• When influence turns into manipulation
• Leadership blind-spots on perspective-taking
• Taking responsibility of your positional power
• Becoming better aware of our influence over others
• The Word-ball game!
• Write a gratitude letter today

Krish Shankar is an industry veteran. He received his postgraduate diploma in HR from the prestigious XLRI way back in 1984. Since then, Krish has led the Human Resources function at firms such as Unilever, Bharti Airtel, Philips and Infosys. Krish is also the author of the book Catalyse – Power Up Your People Ecosystem.

In this conversation Subbu and Krish discuss key learnings from Krish’s career over the last 40 years, the megatrends driving the future of work, and how leaders can catalyze culture transformation initiatives.

Key topics

• Reflections from Krish's 40-year career
• Overcoming career-related challenges
• How Krish came to writing and publishing his book Catalyse
• Is Krish a Beatles fan?
• The critical traits of an effective business leader
• The megatrends driving the future of work
• HR as a culture and emotions architect
• How do we make key behaviors come alive in an organization
• The importance of fair and equitable people practices
• Inclusion precedes diversity
• What happens when the Employee Value Proposition is at odds with the culture?
• Time to update the 70:20:10 model of learning
• The role of emotions at work
• AI as a foundational megatrend for the future

Aparna Piramal Raje has worn a variety of hats including that of a business leader, journalist, author, educator and public speaker. For well over a decade, she profiled not just the workspaces of CEOs but also corporate offices of multi-national firms, the government, and startups for her Mint column Head Office. She is the author of two books – Working Out Of The Box, and most recently, Chemical Khichdi.  

In this wide-ranging conversation, Subbu and Aparna discuss the big shifts in the world of work, workplace design, the evolution of leadership styles and mental health advocacy.

Key topics

• Aparna's multi-faceted career as a businesswoman, writer, educator and mental health advocate
• The big shifts in the world of work
• Workplace designs that make a difference
• The link between workplace design and org culture
• Have leadership styles evolved over the years?
• Do leaders who practice design thinking nurture empathetic workplaces?
• How Aparna got to writing her new book Chemical Khichdi 
• Unpacking Love Therapy and Work Therapy
• How do we all become better allies advocating for mental health?
• Performance and well-being can go hand in hand

R Gopalakrishnan, also known as Gopal, served for 31 years as a senior executive with Unilever and then for 17 years as Director of Tata Sons. He has authored over 15 books cutting across a variety of domains and is one of the foremost thought leaders in the field of management and business leadership. 

In this candid and no-holds barred conversation,Gopal shares insights from his first managerial stint back in the late 1960s. He discusses why it's imperative for executives to keep learning, how the cultures at Unilever and Tata Sons differ, and much more.

Key points

• Connecting the dots on Gopal's career
• Gopal's first managerial role
• The 4A framework of leadership development
• The learning imperative
• Intuition v/s rationality
• IQ+EQ+AQ = Future Leader
• Cultures at Unilever and Tata Sons
• The role of leaders and managers in nurturing org culture
• Rapid fire round
• Culture, habits and rituals
• The workplace of the future

S 'Venky' Venkatesh is the President - Group HR and a member of the board at RPG Group. Since 1996, Venky has been holding group HR leadership positions at the national and global level for large corporations.

In this episode, Subbu and Venky dive into the findings of the Gen Z Happiness Code report, which was commissioned and released by the RPG Group. We also discuss various initiatives that contribute to talent attraction and retention at RPG. 

Key topics discussed

• Insights from Venky's multi-decades-long career trajectory
• RPG group's focus on Happiness as a construct
• Why RPG commissioned the GenZ Happiness Code research
• Big aha moments from the study
• How GenZ's values differ from the previous generations
• Work isn't worship anymore
• Are they more individualistic or collectivist?
• Overcoming workplace toxicity
• Dealing with inter-generational conflicts
• Rapid fire round!
• Why autonomy matters
• What the workplace of the future looks like