Making Stuff Better Podcast

A poem by David Whyte is the catalyst for this week’s conversation about loneliness and self-reflection. The period of isolation we’re experiencing at the moment is an opportunity to discover things about yourself and figure out what you really want. There’s a certain stigma attached to alone-ness but perhaps we need to embrace the darkness a bit more.

For many of us adapting to new ways of working in the lockdown, there seems to be a lot of effort put into not wasting this time. We write ‘to do’ lists to manage our day despite the fact that for a lot of people, there’s actually less ‘to do’ at the moment. Maybe we should focus a title more on our ‘to be’ list instead. Despite all the restrictions we currently face, we do have choices as well - we have choices in the way we want to behave.

Will we choose to find the positives? What can we take away from this experience to use when we’re out the other side?

Conversation this week inevitably returns to what seems to be the topic of everything at the moment: Coronavirus. But more specifically, Matt and Gill discuss the endless paradoxes that seem to be bought to the surface when we’re living through a global pandemic. They also discuss how, at times like this we need to examine our values and test our commitment to them.

We’re back following a little hiatus and in this episode we’re following up on the special episode we published earlier in the week in which Matt interviewed Andew Macdonald-Brown, Director of Dulwich College Zhuhai. We’re living though very strange times at the moment and leaders, like everyone else, are having to adapt quickly. There’s a lot of uncertainty and that inevitably leads to anxiety and panic - what coaching tools can we use to help with these feelings?

In this special interview episode, Matt talks with the Andrew Macdonald-Brown, Director of Dulwich College Zhuhai. They discuss the challenges that his and many international schools are facing as a result of the Coronavirus crisis.

The first episode of Season 3 comes to you from a taxi on the road from Zhuhai to Guangzhou, China. Gill and Matt discuss the many facets of coaching and how it affects thinking and behaviour. What keeps us stuck in our way of thinking and how can we change our perspectives to escape it?

Gill and Matt are gathered around the Leadership Table once more and in this episode they’re discussing the ups and downs of a ride on the Sigmoid Curve. Leaders can face push-back when they attempt to initiate change at a time when the organisation is perceived to be already doing well - at the top of its game, even. How do you respond to those challenges tactfully and get the whole team on-board?

We’re back! It’s been a little while since the last episode but Matt’s been reading the work of Richard Barrett. Barrett has written a lot on the importance of trust and integrity in leadership - not just your trust in others but their trust in you.

It’s Gill’s turn and this week she brings an article from the Korn Ferry Institute. Lessons from the Cosmos explores ideas from leaders in the field of space exploration. The article delves into the strategies that need to be employed when you’re leading people in groundbreaking, world-changing endeavours.

When you’re jumping into the unknown, you need to fail fast and learn faster.

Matt’s brings the topic to the podcast table this week, and he’s revisiting an idea he and Gill have looked into previously: the ‘Let Go & Lead’ theory. As a leader, can relinquishing some control and being less hands-on, actually garner better results from your team?