Most of us avoid conflict. We fear tension, fallout, or damaged relationships. But what if conflict wasn’t something to shy away from? What if it could be smart - a pathway to stronger relationships, higher trust, and better team performance?

Highly Relational

Season 4 - Episode 2

Kung Fu Fighting - Getting Good at Conflict

with Alice Driscoll and Louise van Haarst

In this episode, host Robert Digings is joined by Louise van Haarst and Alice Driscoll, co-founders of The Power House and co-authors of Smart Conflict: How to Have Hard Conversations at Work. Together they share how leaders and teams can move from conflict avoidance to conflict competence.

Between them, Alice and Louise have spent thousands of hours coaching leaders, boards, and teams. They argue that organisations don’t need less conflict - they need more, but of the right kind. In their work and new book, they show how to shift from destructive relational conflict to productive task conflict.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 🔄 Why reframing conflict as opportunity unlocks better collaboration
• 🧭 The Five R’s model - Reflect, Regulate, Readiness, Respond, Repair—and how to apply it
• 💬 Why repair is always possible, even when conversations go badly
• ⚖️ How to balance accountability with empathy in today’s workplace
• 🚦 The difference between relational conflict (“me vs. you”) and task conflict (“us vs. the problem”)
• 🌱 Why awareness of conflict styles matters and how teams can use diagnostics to build shared language
• 💡 Practical ways to bring smart conflict into your next team meeting or one-to-one

Their message is simple but powerful: conflict is inevitable, but with the right tools, it can become one of the most valuable resources for growth, creativity, and resilience at work.

Alice Driscoll:

www.linkedin.com/in/alice-elizabeth-driscoll

www.thepowerhouse.company

Louise van Haarst:

www.linkedin.com/in/louise-van-haarst

www.thepowerhouse.company

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Julie Allen

© 2025 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes a workplace culture healthy, compelling, and sustainable = and when does it tip into something toxic?

Highly Relational

Season 4 - Episode 1

Can You Feel It - Creating Workplace Culture

with Peter Greedy

In this episode, host Robert Digings speaks with Peter Greedy, leadership coach, consultant, Belbin practitioner, and Ikigai trainer. With over 35 years of experience in healthcare and leadership development, Peter brings a deeply personal perspective: as a young man studying in London, he was recruited into a cult. What began as belonging and meaning turned into control and harm. That experience now profoundly informs his work on workplace culture, leadership, and his current doctoral research in coaching psychology.

Together, Robert and Peter explore:

• 🌱 Why culture is best understood as what it feels like to be in the workplace
• 🔍 How cult-like tendencies—binary thinking, exclusion, control—can also appear in subtle ways inside organisations
• 🧭 Why self-awareness in leaders is essential for shaping the culture of their teams
• 📊 Peter’s development of the Workplace Culture Index—a new way to assess and improve culture at team and organisational levels
• 💡 How values, psychological safety, and “moral ambition” can transform teams and organisations
• 🚫 Where toxicity comes from, and how leaders can face into it with curiosity, honesty, and courage
• ✔️ Practical steps you can take in your next meeting to make your team culture healthier and more human

Peter’s message is clear: great culture is possible, but it requires intention, effort, and values-driven leadership.

Peter Greedy:

www.linkedin.com/in/petergreedy

www.petergreedy.com

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Julie Allen

© 2025 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back for a fourth series of Highly Relational!

This autumn through until Christmas we’ve a great line-up of excellent guests for you, including:

• PETER GREEDY – on corporate culture, leadership, and how culture can become toxic
• KARIM HIRANI – on the role of AI in teams
• LOUISE VAN HAARST & ALICE DRISCOLL – on how to get good at conflict at work
• JOHN LEARY-JOYCE – on somatic wisdom and in-the-moment leadership

And right in the middle of this season, we’ll be officially launching The Highly Relational Team. This is more than just a new model – it’s the bringing together of everything Robert's learnt over the last 20 years about what enables people to do their best work together. A practical framework designed to help any workplace build stronger, more relational, and so more effective teams. It’s about turning everyday collaboration into something extraordinary.

Tune in every Wednesday on your favourite podcast app or YouTube to hear stories, insights and useful tips from leaders, authors, coaches and consultants about how to create terrific teams at work.

And don’t forget – if you’re new, or fancy another listen – you’ve got the whole of Seasons 1, 2 and 3 ready to catch up on.

Your host is team development consultant Robert Digings and the conversation focuses on relationships, teamwork, and all the joys and messiness of human collaboration.

Do please like, subscribe and review wherever you’re listening or watching – it makes such a difference.

To join in the online conversation follow Robert on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Enjoy!

Production credits:

Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Julie Allen

© 2025 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode Robert shares his reflections on the six conversations from the second half of the series - in the hope it’s a welcome opportunity for you to reflect too.

We really do want you to make these ideas your own - to incorporate them into your leadership style or consultancy practice, so they make a difference to the individuals and teams you’re in relationship with.

Robert's two standout themes are, firstly the enormous importance of paying attention to the PRESENT MOMENT - our very sense of being here, now - with all the possibilities that includes, and secondly the huge impact our MINDSET has on our moment-to-moment experience, our behaviours and our success.

With expert contributions from:

Alastair Kidd and Pete Marsh:

S03 E12: Come Alive - Generative Teaming

Karen Ellis:

S03 E11: Making Your Mind Up - Meaning and Intersubjectivity

Will Glendinning:

S03 E09: Moments Like This - Adventures in Creativity

Penny Mallory:

S03 E07: When The Going Gets Tough - Mental Toughness

Garry Sanderson:

S03 E08: Everything Changes - Collaborative Performance

Clare Cracknell:

S03 E10: Wild Horses - Serving Human Potential

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this new business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Ella Halsall

© 2024 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can generative leadership lead to better decisions, better teamwork and better outcomes? Why without an understanding of vertical development is it very difficult to appreciate what’s going on in us, our teams and our organisations? What are the tangible benefits of embracing greater complexity in our lives - whether at work or at home?

Highly Relational

Season 3 - Episode 12

Come Alive - Generative Teaming

with Alastair Kidd and Pete Marsh

Alastair Kidd and Pete Marsh are two long-time coach/ facilitators with a passion for understanding the dynamics that exist in organisations around relationships, maturity and complexity, and the new ways of being together that can arise, leading to altogether-better outcomes for everyone involved. In today's conversation Pete and Alastair discuss their collaboration around GENERATIVE LEADERSHIP and GENERATIVE TEAMING and why - for them - this is the way forward for leaders and organisations to thrive, amid the myriad of challenges we’re all currently facing.

Videos:

This is Me - The Greatest Showman - Keala Settle (workshop session to get the movie greenlit)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-e8ZJBzw8Y

How Stairway to Heaven was written - Jimmy Page (BBC News)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDo4CA13LbY

Alastair Kidd:

www.linkedin.com/in/alastairkidd

www.alastairkidd.com

Pete Marsh:

www.linkedin.com/in/petemarsh1

www.petemarshconsulting.co.uk

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this new business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Ella Halsall

© 2024 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is meaning-making so relevant to our working lives and the challenges we face here? How can we understand ourselves and each other better by asking some simple questions when things get difficult? What part does meaning-making play in relationships, collaboration, problem solving and psychological wellbeing?

Highly Relational

Season 3 - Episode 11

Making Your Mind Up - Meaning and Intersubjectivity

with Karen Ellis

Karen Ellis is a business consultant who helps individuals, teams and organisations with their meaning-making. She’s the founder of the business Adaptology, co-author of the book Upgrade - Building your capacity for complexity, and is particularly interested in how meaning is created between individuals - a concept known as intersubjectivity. In today's conversation Karen discusses how we make meaning in our lives - both with our friends and families, and at work - and its fundamental importance to relationships, collaboration, decision making and psychological wellbeing.

Karen Ellis:

www.linkedin.com/in/karen-ellis-41a3b1311

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this new business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Ella Halsall

© 2024 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is servant leadership so effective at supporting the potential of others? How can leaders best undertake the challenging - and rewarding - opportunity of working on themselves? What is Equine Assisted Learning and how can it be used to develop the leaders and teams of the future?

Highly Relational

Season 3 - Episode 10

Wild Horses - Serving Human Potential

with Clare Cracknell

Clare Cracknell is an Enterprise Agile Coach for one of the UK’s insurance groups, she’s a dedicated advocate of Servant Leadership and a highly experienced Equine Assisted Learning practitioner - which, as you may know, involves using horses to help individuals and leaders develop their emotional connection and intelligence with themselves and others. In today's conversation Clare discusses her ongoing passion for personal growth - what it is to be human, how we can best develop as individuals and teams, and the huge opportunity we have to serve those around us to grow and develop their potential.

Clare Cracknell:

www.linkedin.com/in/clarecracknell

www.clareandthefox.com

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this new business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Ella Halsall

© 2024 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when we define our own value and what we believe to be the point of what we do? How can dictatorial leadership with democratic management often be the key to success? Why is it important to help people discover what they really care about?

Highly Relational

Season 3 - Episode 9

Moments Like This - Adventures in Creativity

with Will Glendinning

Will Glendinning is an executive producer, entrepreneur, author, creator and adventurer. With a rich background in designing, producing and delivering events at the highest possible level, Will has worked with world leaders, governments, global businesses, international performers and household names. In today's conversation he talks to us about what he's come to understand about leadership, creativity and taking risks - along with why he believes life - and work - are about significant, stand-out moments rather than the whole experience.

Will Glendinning:

www.linkedin.com/in/willglendinning

www.willglendinning.com

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this new business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Audio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Megan Thomas

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Ella Halsall

© 2024 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can collaboration be approached much more intentionally? Why is what you consciously think, so much less important than how you actually behave? What aspects of the working environment can we engineer for collaborative success?

Highly Relational

Season 3 - Episode 8

Everything Changes - Collaborative Performance

with Garry Sanderson

Garry Sanderson is a leadership and behavioural consultant, founder of Visualyze, and author of the recently published - The Change Engineer. As the title suggests, Garry has a technical engineering background, but it’s his love of applied behavioural science that’s caused him to question the very way organisations - and therefore leaders - set their people up for success. In today's conversation we explore human collaboration - what it is, how and when it happens, and the myriad of ways it can be undermined, poorly prioritised and readily left to chance.

Garry Sanderson:

www.linkedin.com/in/garrysanderson

www.change-engineer.com

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this new business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Ella Halsall

© 2024 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is mental toughness so readily misunderstood and what does it actually mean? How could developing it improve your life and leadership capability? What would you need to work on to achieve mental toughness in the situations that matter to you most?

Highly Relational

Season 3 - Episode 7

When The Going Gets Tough - Mental Toughness

with Penny Mallory

Penny Mallory is a former Champion Rally Driver, TV presenter, author and international keynote speaker on mental toughness. As a coach and consultant who works with both individuals and senior execs, Penny knows that mental toughness isn’t something that can just be taught - but needs to be developed and worked on at all levels. In today's conversation we explore the role mental toughness plays in what we achieve in all areas of our life, along with its valuable psychological counterpart mental sensitivity.

Penny Mallory:

www.linkedin.com/in/pennymallory

www.pennymallory.co.uk

Robert Digings:

www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings

Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach

Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. 

He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging.

In this new business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants.

Production credits:

Studio Manager at Nozzle Media - Richard Lannen

Post Production - Shaun Lawson

Series Producer - Ella Halsall

© 2024 Highly Relational Limited

Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube

If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.