If Anne Can

Michael Bungay Stanier (MBS) is the author of The Coaching Habit, the bestselling coaching book of this century with over 700,000 copies sold. His new book The Advice Monster focuses on what it takes to stay curious a little bit longer and tame your Advice Monster.  He is a global high profile speaker and is at the forefront of making coaching an everyday leadership behavior.  

As many of us live through tough times Michael is on hand to share thought-provoking, potentially life-changing material. His Year of Living Brilliantly is a beautifully curated 52-week collection of bite-sized lessons delivered by inspirational teachers. He also hosts a podcast called We Will Get Through This where he asks the best in the world how to stay resilient.

It was a great pleasure to talk to MBS as he was serving quarantine in a hotel in Sydney.

Our wide-ranging conversation explored how to make bolder, braver choices by overcoming our inbuilt risk-averse behaviour; thinking clear headedly about the outcomes; applying a robust process and amping up our own behaviour to put ourselves firmly in the game.

Taking time to really understand core values starts with looking back and working out what were your peak moments? What were you doing at this viscerally connected time? Understanding this will give you the insight to understand what you are all about and what your 10 out of 10 value looks like. In order for this vision to be true and succeed we need to reference our current activity and think about what we need to stop, start and continue doing.

Tune in for a lively conversation and find out what MBS thinks about being naked on stage?!    

References:

You can learn more about Michael Bungay Stanier here: https://www.mbs.works/

Year of Living Brilliantly: https://www.mbs.works/yearoflivingbrilliantlyoptin

The Coaching Habit:   https://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever/dp/0978440749

The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever: 

https://www.amazon.com/Advice-Trap-Humble-Curious-Forever/dp/1989025757 

My guest today, Claire Langree Saf is a notable figure in the sustainable development community. She is the founder of Simply Champagne a boutique importer of premier champagne from family-run artisan estates, deeply committed to sustainable farming and winemaking practices.
Claire has spent her professional life working with major companies helping them to implement complex change. After qualifying in business sustainable management she has founded 3Pillars Advisory to help businesses adopt sustainable practices.  
Our conversation is a revealing insight into the heart of the sustainability community in the Champagne vineyards. Claire explains how sustainability is intrinsically linked to future-proofing business and the hard fact that there can’t be infinite growth because there aren’t infinite resources. Available resources must be conscientiously used and there is a growing movement for communities to gather together to pool resources, be creative, and act responsibly to preserve traditions while also safeguarding the business for future generations. 
This collective approach is also apparent in many communities and Claire is optimistic that the will to preserve and sustain will make a tangible difference.

My guest today, Heather Garlick, is a notable entrepreneur and original thinker who builds businesses in the heart of her community of Stretford in Manchester.  

Heather founded Stretford Sip Club, a community bar located in an old office above an estate agents and this year she is in the process of opening an outdoor cinema and ‘curiosity garden’ on the top floor of a multi-storey car park which will run for the second half of the summer season. 

In the Autumn Heather will push ahead with her passion project; sourcing an ethical and sustainable tonic water for the on-trade. 

It was a special joy to speak to Heather and in our wide-ranging conversation we talk about community; how people rarely say no when asked to do something; having ideas and the art of exploring which ones are likely to work by being dispassionate and objective. 

Hard work and perseverance; and how not being daunted by the enormity of a task can have surprising results; as can emailing the United Nations!

Finally, never underestimate the importance of a notebook and the ability to see beauty and wonder where others do not. 

The Sip Club - https://www.visitmanchester.com/food-and-drink/the-sip-club-p298191

Yen-Lu is a notable figure in the tech and innovation community, he was an Apple Distinguished Technologist and advises the government and is asked to speak globally on entrepreneurship and innovation.
Following the tragic death of his son, Yen-Lu now dedicates most of his time to his family Foundation, WholeTree, which champions youth mental wellness and human wellbeing. 

In our conversation Yen-Lu discusses how approaching the difficult subject of mental wellness starts with people sharing their story and being brave enough to admit they are not perfect and to be open about what they have experienced. 

All human beings have flaws and they also have the ability to show great empathy. Yen-Lu notes that leaders such as Satya Nadella of Microsoft are reimagining their company’s culture and championing empathy as a central value. We also discuss how there is a shift towards employers having to demonstrate a sense of safety and belonging for their employees.  

Yen-Lu also stresses the importance of uniquely human skills in the workplace. AI is replacing many technical and repetitive jobs increasing the need for people to demonstrate skills that machines can’t replicate.

Yen-Lu concludes by acknowledging that we need to use this time to deeply connect with ourselves and have a high degree of self-compassion. We also have to help or ask for help and this will make our community stronger. With a bit of support, we can maximise our creative potential.     

References:

WholeTree Foundation http://foundation.wholetree.com/

Over-The Rainbow  http://overtherainbow.sg/

Asia Institute of Mentoring United Against COVID19 (UNACOV) https://asiainstituteofmentoring.com/unacov-1

Having the chance to talk to someone who has made a huge difference to your life has for me been one of the great joys of podcasting. 
Over thirty years ago I started my career at Ellert Retail Field Marketing and my guest today is the company founder, Rob Ellert. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of trust and how, if business leaders don’t invest in people in the good times they will have nothing to draw upon when things are challenging. 
We also consider how diversity is vital to business success and that the ability of teams to ignite their energy is a product of culture as well as great leadership. 
Finally, Rob shares some fascinating stories about how his entrepreneurial business led the world in technological advances but was not able to fully capitalise, primarily because of timing. 
Throughout the conversation, it is clear what an enormous difference working at Ellert Retail made to many. The abundance of focus, insight, energy, and passion was palpable, and as an added bonus there was the priceless opportunity to make life-long friendships. 

My guest today is a notable figure in the arts and culture community; Jane Iyer. 

Jane is the CEO of Jane’s Singapore Tours, a previous President of Friends of the Museum and a passionate supporter of the performing arts. 

In our conversation we talk about the blossoming arts scene in Singapore; how the arts community is adapting to reach their audience; how attitudes to careers in the arts have changed over recent years; how the community is telling and sharing stories; and throughout, Jane gives us a fascinating glimpse into some of the rich cultural offerings that are vital to Singapore's thriving art scene.
    
You can find out more about Jane’s Tours here https://janestours.sg/

You can see Elissa Viornery’s poetry accompanying artwork  on “Frequencies 1 Series 2” by  Zaki Zulkafor here - https://www.stpi.com.sg/printmakers-assembly-2020-resource-centre/elissa-viornery-on-frequencies-1-series-2-by-zaki-zulfakar/
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On today’s episode of the Our Community podcast, I’m joined by Arnaud Frade, futurist, analyst, and trusted advisor to senior executives across a wide range of businesses and government departments.

We talk about the world of retail and Arnaud shares his thoughts around accelerating trends that were already apparent before the current pandemic. He notes that lack of investment in training has led to poor customer service and this combined with unappealing product ranges has resulted in many retailers becoming hopelessly distant from their mission.    

He advises that successful retailers must have a passion for, and be anchored in the heart of their community. They must use their knowledge of the community to carefully curate their products and hone a personal customer service that will build loyalty and trust. The use of technology and social media must focus on fostering human connection.

For brands, a strong transparent ethical framework where failure, as well as success, is honestly communicated will foster trust. Diversity and inclusiveness must also be part of the mix. An emphasis on using technology to reduce friction between the brand and the buyers needs to be constantly refined.

Arnaud is always worth listening to and I’m hopeful his analysis and predictions will ensure the retail industry will serve all of us better in the future. 

On today’s episode of the Our Community podcast, I’m joined by Melinda Murphy: Storyteller; Emmy Award-Winning Journalist; Singapore's Journalist/Writer of the Year 2018 (MPAS).

Melinda writes stories and articles about events that impact people including COVID-19 which has dramatically impacted her own family.

Melinda talks about writing openly, sharing her experiences, and the overwhelmingly positive response she has received from people who have reached out to help.

We also talk about the need to create structure and routine and how Melinda imparts a brave positive attitude to her children.

Melinda also talks about the power of mentoring in her life and what makes a compelling story.

You can learn more about Melinda here: linkedin.com/in/murphymelinda

And see some good news stories here:  https://www.copehopeandalotofsoap.com/  

On today’s episode of the Our Community podcast, I’m joined by Chris Richards MD, APAC and Middle East for Ultimate Performance. Together we talk about how the fitness industry is managing the transition from physical gyms to virtual delivery and how building a technical digital presence represents a big challenge for smaller gyms.
We also talk about how people are building fitness into their lives and how small changes like daily walking and rediscovering cycling on quieter roads can make a big difference. 
Fitness is a major focus as we re-evaluate our lives and the fitness industry has to build strong relationships to help us get through this period of disruption and beyond.

In today’s episode Mark Leisegang Head of New Markets for Insights Learning and Development shares his thoughts on human behaviour in the workplace and the increasing importance of aligning vision and purpose. He outlines how it’s time to be brave and express what is important.

Being brave is made easier by the current situation as people are communicating more often and revealing much more of themselves than they would have previously. Authentic, nurturing leadership is crucial and a good fit between the leader and the organisation is key.  

Mark’s advice for people today is to be aware of pace, not everybody is in the same place both personally and geographically and this must be considered and adjustments made.