More Than a Lumpy Jumper

Do not fear…they are not off sailing or map reading (both of which Bridge is good at…Bobby not so much!), instead they are off into a conversation around navigating tricky conversations, dealing with discomfort. How can you hang out there and learn to listen to understand rather than listening to respond.

Join them for some ideas on how to cope and even thrive in such moments.

And however, hard she listened, Bobby never quite got to the bottom of the Pigeon Playing Chess scenario. See if you do better!

Links

Nonviolent Communication - A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships : Amazon.co.uk: Rosenberg, Marshall B.

The elephant

5 Exercises to Improve Your Conscious Listening - Wide Lens Leadership

Julian Treasure books: How To Be Heard and Sound Business

Miki Kashtan

Playing chess with a pigeon- arguing with idiots

Pigeons

“Life is about perspective and how you look at something…ultimately, you have to zoom out”. Whitney Wolfe Herd

Happiness, in psychology, a state of emotional well-being that a person experiences either in a narrow sense, when good things happen in a specific moment, or more broadly, as a positive evaluation of one’s life and accomplishments overall—that is, subjective well-being ~ Brittanica

On the cusp of International Day of Happiness (20th March), Bobby and Bridge explore their relationship with happiness and how it might have changed or stayed the same through stages of life. And in what they have learned, how can Happiness be applied in the workplace, by leaders?

Come and join them and please don’t forget to bring a grin with you!

Links

International Day of Happiness

Get a monthly happiness calendar

The Happiness Report 2024

My Neighbour Totoro (film)

Trailer Wonka (film)

Create a Happy List - The Joy Within

Your Happiness Calendar for March 2024 (berkeley.edu)

Rohit Dev | LinkedIn | Creating a Happiness Playbook

The Science of Happiness | Greater Good (berkeley.edu)

Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach

Happiness In The Workplace Is Serious: Why Leaders Need To Respond (forbes.com)

Sugar and sloth neurodiversity cuteness

The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less Socrates

When was the last time you were an absolute beginner…learning something from scratch?

Can you even remember or like so many of us, the discomfort of not knowing how to do something is just TOO much?

Join Bobby and Bridge as they chat about learning styles, the benefits of having both a growth and a fixed mindset, how we expand our learning “blob” in different territories and not have it stay contracted because of previous experiences. There is also chat about Banksy style mind maps, geese, stationary collecting and javelin throwing. But you will need to join them to find out more.

Come and find out about your Learning Edge.

Links

Sir Ken Robinson | Speaker | TED

Mind Map Mastery: Tony Buzan

Gardner's Theory Of Multiple Intelligences (simplypsychology.org)

Carol Dweck: The power of believing that you can improve | TED Talk

What Having a “Growth Mindset” Actually Means (hbr.org)

Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential: Amazon.co.uk: Carol Dweck

The Growth Mindset Workbook: CBT Skills to Help You Build Resilience, Increase Confidence, and Thrive Through Life's Challenges: Amazon.co.uk: Elliott-Moskwa, Elaine, Dweck, Dr Carol

Sticky floors, broken ladders, glass ceilings? What on earth are these two up to now? Talking about “investing in women, accelerating progress” in preparation and to honour of International Women’s Day, this coming Friday (8th March).

This, however, is NOT a podcast for women only. Bobby and Bridge talk collaboration for solutions to benefit ALL. How are we, TOGETHER, going to fix that ladder rung into middle management.

There’s no easy answer…but come and take a seat anyway, share in the meanderings and give yourself some time for leadership reflection.

And if you know a good adhesive remover…let us know!

“I love to see a young girl go out and grasp the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve gotta go out and kick ass” ~ Maya Angelou

Links

International Women's Day | United Nations

A Modest Manifesto for Shattering the Glass Ceiling (hbr.org)

How women can escape the “sticky floor” and innovate for the future (diversityq.com)

Women in the Workplace 2023 report | McKinsey

New LeanIn Study: The Broken Rung Keeping Women From Management (forbes.com)

The 50 cups of coffee challenge | Bobby Audley | TEDxPSUErie (youtube.com)

Five Vital Conversations for Getting Things Done In Groups | Richard Watkins | TEDxRoma (youtube.com)

Leap Day is nearly upon us. The day where, tradition states, women can propose to men and men should be sure to carry cash and gloves with them to hand over to any woman’s proposal they wish to refuse!

Don’t worry…Bobby and Bridge are not looking to make an episode out of this baloney…only to use it as a segway into conversation about all of us learning to stand our ground for what we believe in and filling our space just the right amount rather than shrinking from the world.

What does ground and space mean for our variety of leadership styles?

And before we go…does anyone know what a group of peacocks is called?

Links

Shrinking Women Poem by Lily Myers (youtube)

Shrinking Women Poem by Lily Myers

Amy Cuddy: Your body language may shape who you are | TED Talk

Goddess Yoga Pose

Why women stay out of the spotlight at work - HBR

“Our bodies can change our minds and our minds change our behaviours and our behaviour changes our outcomes”.

Ooooooooooooooo A GUEST!

Bobby and Bridge are joined by Neena Sims, coach, facilitator, poet and mother as well as formerly an actor and director. Needless to say…awesome!

Together we explore how we can learn to love ourselves more.

Our beautiful conversation meanders through some theory, depth and simplicity, a “real life” working example (where Bobby sweats a bit), and some interruptions from our menopausal brains. What’s not to love. Come and join us.

Links

Meet Neena and Third Space Coaching

No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz |

The Gifts of Imperfection:10th Anniversary Edition by Brene Brown |

One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon |

Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization by Robert Kegan, Lisa Laskow Lahey |

Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic by Lisa Lister |

So, whilst romance isn’t entirely dead in either Bobby or Bridge’s house, it was much easier to focus this episode questioning whether there is a place for the word LOVE in leadership and the workplace.

They even go as far as to explore the word INTIMACY in the workplace…NOT the naughty, naked type (that’s a whole other podcast!)

Love and intimacy might not be the words many of you, as leaders, want to use but what about your leadership actions? Showing more care, attention…love.

Curious? Come and have a listen and make up your own mind.

Links

The Oxford Character Project | About Us

Leader: Know, love and inspire your people by Katy Granville-Chapman | Amazon

The Leadership Challenge Book Summary by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner (shortform.com)

Can You Really Power an Organization with Love? (hbr.org)

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant | Amazon

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek | Amazon

Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work: Michael Stallard

Matt Tenney: Why the Best Leaders Make Love the Top Priority | TED Talk

“Give away love like you are made of the stuff..” Bob Goff

“You can love people without leading them, but you cannot lead people without loving them” Unknown

What have Barry Manilow, Bernard Matthews and Bernard Manning got to do with speaking from the heart? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

But other than this slight confusion about who’s who, Bobby and Bridge do manage to get into the topic as to why it really is SO hard to speak from your heart to another’s.

Fear of rejection, vulnerability? Putting on an act to mask true feelings? Or blasting when you haven’t spoken what’s truly in your heart and kept it bottled in?

Do any of these sound like you? Come and have a listen.

Links

Leadership is Love: The Power of Human Connections | Dr Mark Rittenberg | TEDxCincinnati (youtube.com)

Sidney Jourard, Psychologist

Sidney Jourard - The transparent self

Simon Sinek – turn off your phone

Keeping communication authentic during remote work

“Leadership is not a formula or a program. It's a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It's an attitude, not a routine.”

Time to Talk Day is upon us which has prompted Bobby and Bridge’s conversation around the “I’m Fine” response to the question “How are you?”

No really. How are you?

Join them as they explore how to get underneath the “I’m fine” response and the impact it can have on psychological safety, mental health and wellbeing and feedback if you don’t.

And seemingly a WRAP can be so much more than a lunchtime option. Who knew?

Links

⁠⁠Time To Talk Day - 1st February 2024⁠⁠

⁠⁠Erasmus plus⁠⁠

⁠⁠Strozzi Institute | Somatic Practice⁠⁠

⁠⁠Inspiring insights - Well-being and resilience in senior leaders (deloitte.com)⁠⁠

⁠⁠Sign the Leadership Pledge - The Global Business Collaboration for Better Workplace Mental Health (betterworkplacemh.com) ⁠⁠

⁠⁠How Leaders Fake Psychological Safety (hbr.org) ⁠⁠

⁠⁠The Basics of Prosocial Behaviour (verywellmind.com)⁠⁠

⁠⁠The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Welcome⁠⁠

Ooooooooooooooo A GUEST!

Bobby and Bridge are joined by Kelly Swingler, Coach for the HR World, Burnout Expert, Author…basically all-round Bonne Oeuf with a compelling story to tell about her recovery from Burnout and her crusade to ensure it doesn’t KEEP happening to HR Directors the length and breadth of the land.

And all three of them have got colds whilst recording this episode. Promise it isn’t too much of a snort fest other than the inevitable laughter…

Links

Kelly Swingler | The Coach for HR Leaders

Mind The Gap: A Story of Burnout,... by Swingler, Kelly (amazon.co.uk)

Frazzled The Podcast (kellyswingler.com)

10 rules for a stress-less life

Blends - artisan ayurvedic lattes by Claire Paphitis

Light Is the New Black: A Guide To Answering Your Soul’s Callings: Rebecca Campbell: Amazon Books

Menopausing: The Positive Roadmap to Your Second Spring: Davina McCall