The Human Loop Podcast

What happens when a leader chooses compassion over clarity in a high stakes decision?

Phil Hobden, Head of Advocacy at Sage, scored 35% on his Decision Sprint. This episode breaks down exactly why.

Ben unpacks Phil's approach to the Trust Card scenario, where someone respected and visible is crossing a line and about to be publicly recognised in five days. The breakdown reveals why his person centric approach, while admirable, missed the wider organisational impact, how thinking in options before committing to a stance cost him points, and where the contrast with other leaders who faced the same scenario shows a fundamentally different leadership philosophy.

Plus, the episode gets into what happens when you focus on the individual at the expense of the team, why calling people out in public is never the right move, and what it means to balance being humane with being responsible for culture across the organisation.

If you're working on your own decision making, leading through tough calls involving people you respect, or trying to understand what separates a compassionate response from a complete one, this breakdown is packed with insights you can apply immediately.

More from Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhobden/?originalSubdomain=uk

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Connect with your host Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

What happens when a 40 year recruitment veteran with a reputation for building legendary teams takes on a live Decision Sprint?

Gary Goldsmith, founder of multiple training vehicles including RDLC, Proud to be a Pirate, and Pi Cubed, draws the Reversal Card and immediately says it's too easy. He passes. Then gets dealt a scenario about defending a strategic bet that's produced mixed results at best.

His response? "I've got such a big ego and confidence in my own ability, that's never going to fail."

Gary breaks down why he doesn't believe in motivating staff, why he thinks that's their job not his, how he built a business where people queued around the block to take a pay cut to join, and why he kept rookies in interviews all day so they couldn't make other meetings.

Plus, the episode unpacks his approach to leadership under pressure, why he sent flowers to employees' mums after asking them not to cook dinner, the red phone in the office that triggered a sprint across the floor, and why he fired someone who tried to negotiate by handing in their notice.

Gary scores 36% overall but hits 72% on conviction, the highest conviction score on the leaderboard. His archetype? Catalyst. High speed, high conviction, zero hedging.

If you're leading a team, building a business, or trying to understand what it looks like to lead with absolute clarity and zero apology, this one's for you.

More from Gary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garygoldsmith/

Powered by Atherio, real time leadership wisdom for every manager — https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with your host Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

What happens when a leader who topped the leaderboard breaks down their decision in real time?

Saeed Bor, founder of Embedded Ops and 15 year recruitment veteran, scored 56% on his Decision Sprint, the highest score on the leaderboard at the time. This episode breaks down exactly why.

Ben unpacks Saeed's approach to the Trust Card scenario, where someone respected and visible is crossing a line and about to be publicly recognized in five days. The breakdown reveals why his pause before answering mattered, how his values led conviction drove an 85% conviction score, and where he dropped points on operator density.

Plus, the episode gets into what separates a strong decision from a complete one, why clarity of values translates to decision speed, and what it means to lead with authenticity even when it damages your standing.

If you're working on your own decision making, leading through tough calls, or trying to understand what high performing leadership actually looks like under pressure, this breakdown is packed with insights you can apply immediately.

Powered by Atherio, real time leadership wisdom for every manager — https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with your host Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

What happens when a high-performing sales leader who thrives on clarity gets put under pressure with zero direction?

Scarlett, an AI-powered influence marketing leader with over a decade of experience across estate agency, recruitment, and tech sales, takes on a live Decision Sprint and draws the Strategy Card.

She gets into why psychological safety isn't about freedom, it's about clarity. Why emotional regulation matters more than experience when competitors make noise. And what she learned about leadership from going from hitting numbers to building partnerships with no playbook.

Plus, the conversation unpacks why ambiguity creates distrust, how to lead when your board is forwarding you articles and your team is asking questions, and what it means to stay grounded when everyone around you is reacting.

If you're leading through change, managing a team in a noisy market, or trying to stay calm when competitors are making moves, this one's packed with honest reflections you can apply immediately.

Powered by Atherio, real-time leadership wisdom for every manager — https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with your host Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

What happens when a leader who topped the leaderboard unpacks their decision-making process in real time?

Ollie Whiting, Group CEO of La Fosse, a £200 million staffing and consulting business, scored 57% on his Decision Sprint, the highest score on the leaderboard at the time. This episode breaks down exactly why.

More from Oli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverwhiting/

Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

John Reynolds, founder of Titan Property Developments and host of Extraordinary Life Stories podcast, sits down for a conversation that goes deep on what it actually means to lead yourself before you lead anyone else.

He gets into why leadership is less about experience and more about relationships, what he learned from scaling a £250 million property business before walking away, and how conducting an orchestra is a better metaphor for leadership than leading from the front.

Plus, the conversation unpacks cold showers as resilience training, the cost of being present across business and family, why vulnerability is now a competitive advantage, and the non-negotiable everyone breaks: sleep.

If you're leading a team, building a business, or just trying to stay human in a world moving faster than ever, this one's for you.

More from John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnreynolds1/

Check out Extraordinary Life Stories: https://www.youtube.com/@johnreynoldsofficial/

Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

Natalie Arendale, MBA, Enterprise Payments & Commercial Leader with 10+ years scaling fintech businesses across APAC and London, takes on a live Decision Sprint and draws the Strategy Card.

She gets into what leading a team she'd never met through a global pandemic taught her about intentional leadership, why silence is the worst move when a competitor makes a move in market, and how to keep high-performance sales teams steady when they've already read the threat before you have.

Plus, we break down her Decision Sprint score, strengths, watch outs, and leadership archetype in real time — and she tops the leaderboard at 68%.

More from Natalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliearendale/

Powered by Atherio, real-time leadership wisdom for every manager — https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with your host Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

Ollie Whiting, Group CEO of La Fosse , a £200 million staffing and consulting business, takes on a live Decision Sprint and draws the People Card.

He also gets into what he's learned about leadership over the last five years, why employee ownership changes everything, the role of a meeting chair in surfacing real opinions, and why indecision is more dangerous than a wrong call.

Plus, we break down his Decision Sprint score, strengths, watch outs, and leadership archetype in real time.

More from Oli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverwhiting/

Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

What Would You Do If You Knew Someone Was Crossing a Line?

Phil Hobden, Head of Advocacy at Sage, takes on a live AI-powered leadership challenge — and draws the Trust Card.

The scenario: a respected, visible colleague is crossing a line. A public recognition event is five days away. Do you say something? When? How?

His answer unpacks difficult conversations, when to escalate, and why staying silent is always a choice.

Phil also gets into what he looks for before joining any business, why culture beats product every time, and why a room full of yes-people is one of the biggest red flags in any organisation.

More from Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhobden/?originalSubdomain=uk

Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

What happens when a leader discovers someone is crossing a line and has five days before they're publicly recognized for their work?

In this episode of The Human Loop Podcast, Saeed Bor, founder of Embedded Ops and 15-year recruitment veteran, takes on a live Decision Sprint that tests his values, speed, and leadership instincts under pressure.

Plus, Saeed shares a real-world example of a leader handling a line-crossing moment with speed and conviction, and we unpack what it means to lead as a Catalyst.

If you're building teams, managing change, or navigating tough calls as a founder or operator, this episode is packed with honest insights you can apply today.

Chapters
00:00 Meet Saeed — Embedded Ops & 15 Years in Recruitment
03:37 The Lonely Founder Myth
05:00 Building Your Network as a Business Strategy
06:27 Why Human Connection Still Wins in an AI World
09:12 Getting Buy-In: Understanding What People Actually Want
11:30 Everyone's Selfish — And That's Okay
14:10 The Decision Sprint Begins
18:23 The Trust Card: Someone's Crossing a Line
19:16 Saeed's Answer — Values, Speed & Accountability
23:00 Can a Line Ever Be Un-Crossed?
25:27 A Real-World Example of Leaders Acting Fast
27:44 What If You're the Outside Consultant?
29:59 Indecision Is Worse Than a Wrong Decision
31:33 The Score Reveal & Leaderboard
32:00 Breaking Down the Scorecard
34:37 The Catalyst Archetype — What It Means to Lead This Way

Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com

Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken