The Mind Takeaway Podcast

In this episode, we speak to Giulia Iannucci, a  social entrepreneur and founder of KnowThyBrand dedicated to helping women in business build sustainable ventures and career paths. Always curious and inquisitive, Giulia has worked and lived in Spain, Belgium, Australia, Singapore, the UK and Luxembourg.

Timestamps and Takeaways

02:15 Not knowing what we want to do, exploring our curiosity and accepting opportunities over a long period, we can find our passion and purpose.

07:50 How sometimes the jobs we are the most passionate about can have the most significant impact, we're not paying the most money.

08:42 What is a social enterprise and how to turn an existing for-profit business into one, where the proceeds are invested into something good for society.

10:43 Resilience does not mean working too many hours to the detriment to your personal life.

12:09 The more you take care of your own needs first for your mental and physical health, the more it reflects positively on your team, your business, and your family.

14:39 We often forget we have a conscious choice of whether to work more hours than we really need to.

19:18 If you care for your team's results, spending time on too many tasks might not get you where you want to go with regards to more creative solutions and often leads to burnout.

20:41 There is still this badge of honour of smashing too many hours, and even though you might not say, hey, you should do that too,  your team will copy your behaviour and feel under pressure to do the same.

29:59 How can we all be tricked by a feeling of urgency, that feeling when you receive an email and think you have to act straight away, and where does that come from?

31:29 The common mistakes startups make as they grow and build a bigger team are thinking they have to follow what everyone else is doing, which can be dangerous.

34:15 One trap entrepreneurs often take every opportunity that comes their way and suddenly realise it's not their business anymore or it evolved into something they didn't want.

36:45 It really all boils down to who you are, what you want to achieve as a business and why are you doing it?

44:05 Accepting your own vulnerability as a leader, we are humans after all and being ok not to have all the answers.

Your manager's and peers' behaviour can positively or negatively impact your self-confidence and belief in your ability to do great things.

Sometimes leaving a toxic company can be as challenging as ending an unhealthy and abusive relationship.  All because our self-confidence, self-belief and self-esteem are shattered, and we can't see better options.

In this 14 minute Micro Episode, we explore how to leave a toxic workplace.

Timestamps and Takeaways

01:24 How can your manager's and peers' actions impact your self-confidence and belief in your ability to do great things.

02:51 There is no special feeling of confidence that you have to build; it is the absence of discomfort, doubt and over-thinking.

05:06 One practical action you can take for yourself is to do a self-inventory and get it all out of your head and on paper.

06:09 We can't always see what we are capable of when we are in a low mood; just knowing that can save you lots of time and worry.

07:28 The trap of self-sabotage and how to get out of it and take meaningful action.

12:02 No matter how much self-confidence you may think you have, you have to start somewhere and take the first step.

Tenacity, perseverance and being a good human being will get you far in life.

In this episode, we speak to Martin Newman, an expert keynote speaker, columnist, author and advisor on customer-centric transformation and customer experience.

Martin is also an advocate for diversity, social responsibility and employee engagement for all consumer-facing sectors.

He appears regularly on BBC TV and Radio, on Sky, ITV and Channel 5 and a host of other media channels such as LBC, The Times and FT to discuss consumer issues relating to the retail, travel, automotive and financial services sectors. Martin has worked for over 35 years leading the multichannel operations for some of the world’s most recognisable retail brands. These include Burberry, Intersport, Pentland Brands (Speedo, Berghaus), Harrods and Ted Baker. His bestselling book 100 Practical Ways to Improve Customer Experience, is seen as definitive within the sector and was shortlisted for the Business Book of the Year Award 2019.

Connect with Martin

[email protected]

www.thecustomerfirstgroup.com

www.customerserviceaction.com

www.martinnewman.co.uk

www.consumerfocus.tv

www.consumerfocus.fm

www.linkedin.com/in/martindnewman

Timestamps:

04:36 The importance of empowering your people and seeing leadership as a service role.

08:51 How to provide a great customer experience isn't just about efficiency and speed.

14:32 Leaders that do not focus on service can often overlook opportunities that impact the longevity and profitability of their businesses.

18:00 The dangers of short term decision making and the damaging knock-on effect that can have on both customers and employees.

21:58 Business owners' decisions and employers' expectations ultimately dictate how companies approach sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

22:50 When businesses scale to a certain size, they feel they have to behave differently, losing their entrepreneurial spirit and creativity.

24:45 95% of consumer-facing businesses (maybe more) see customer service as a problem and are even ok with unhappy customers venting about lousy service on social media.

30:33 Companies that look after their staff provide flexibility, offer ongoing training and education and recognise that they get better-skilled people who stay longer in the company.

43:21 If you want to understand what's working and what isn't, walk the floor, talk to your people and listen to what they have to say.

44:26 The difference between data and insight; brands are drowning in data and measuring the wrong stuff, outputs instead of inputs.

48:40 Martin shares a great example of a company that truly empowers its employees.

Dissent is essential in leadership.

If you are not comfortable with differences of opinion in your team, then you cannot really call yourself a leader.

Leaders often shy away from open dialogue and differences of opinion because it feels uncomfortable to have someone not agree with you, even though diversity can only flourish if you are open to differences of opinion.

If you want to innovate, solve problems and create a safe and inclusive environment, then it's time to allow your people to express disagreement without fear of retaliation.

Timestamps and Takeaways

00:54 Dissent is required if you want to cut through groupthink and have high performance in your team.

01:23 The meaning of Dissent is to publicly disagree with an official opinion, a decision or set of beliefs.

01:58 Contrary to popular belief, if your team feels safe enough to express their opinions, this is a great thing because the opposite of that can stifle creativity, create fear, and give up voicing their concerns.

02:35 Allowing Dissent allows you as the leader to relax (you don't have to have all the answers) and gain different perspectives that you didn't have before.

03:37 The reason leaders are not comfortable with Dissent is because they have the mistaken belief that if someone doesn't agree with them, they are wrong, and there is this push back to prove that they are correct, instead of listening to what people are saying.

04:30 When you create a space where Dissent is ok, where other people's opinions are ok, it becomes a conversation.

06:56 What we noticed is that Dissent can often look personal, but it's usually not and the means of an individual or team expressing their opinions.

07:30 Having open dialogue can result in an agreeing on a consensus with your team which results in trust, psychological safety and high performance.

07:56 There will always be a few people who argue for the sake of it, but as you get more comfortable with dissenting opinions, you will quickly notice who has the right intentions and who doesn't.

09:07 If you listen to everyone's point of view, the noise will decrease because your team will not have to shout to be heard.

09:49 If you ignore and marginalise your team and don't allow people to express their opinions, you create a toxic environment where trust is eroded.

10:14 if you are not listening to someone, you force them around to our opinion or the company's views without facilitating a safe space to discuss things openly. The result with always a power struggle.

In this episode, we speak to Tiffiny Frances Hogg, an accredited transformational coach and founder of the Personal Consultancy. Tiffany has spent the last 17 years helping executives and founders build their businesses and now helps aspiring and existing entrepreneurs challenge the status quo and create successful and fulfilling businesses and lives.

Having suffered multiple burnouts in the rat race in London, she has made it her priority to create a life she doesn't want to escape from. Her mission is to help people do the same by finding their purpose and equipping them with the confidence and strategy to live it.

Social links

The Personal Consultancy

[email protected]

https://thepersonalconsultancy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thepersonalconsultancy

https://www.instagram.com/thepersonalconsultancy/

Youtube

Personal

https://www.instagram.com/tiffinyfrances

www.linkedin.com/in/tiffinyhogg

Free workbook

Download Workbook

Timestamps

05:33 The sad truth of how some people think burnout is just a normal part of life and it’s ok.

06:22 The importance of finding out what is causing you to stress in your work and taking action to change it.

07:26 What are some of the reasons for burnout at work and how to identify if it is happening to you?

08:21 How often the triggers of burnout are driven by a desire to be needed, please everyone,  exceed peoples expectations and feel wanted.

10:22 Awareness is everything when it comes to identifying what stops us from caring for our own mental health and wellbeing.

12:50 Even the freedom to be an entrepreneur can lead you to burn out just as much you did before if you do not set some boundaries for yourself when it comes to self-care.

13:34 What does self-care actually mean and what can you do to make that happen?

14:27 What do we mean by increasing your awareness, how you can do that by exploring your values and getting to know yourself.

17:22 The value of cognitive dissonance and what it when it comes to what holds true for us and being gifted with new information.

20:14 The power of realising we all have choices and just stopping to reflect on that can make all the difference to our quality of life.

28:56 The importance of incremental daily milestones and not living for the next shiny new thing.

24:14 How to set non-toxic goals that won’t burn you out and will keep you curious.

31:34 Life’s traumas don’t always have to be massive things to affect us and we don’t often realise the little things that can impact our ability to make informed decisions.

33:14 To really know what you want in life, you have to try things out first and experience what makes sense for you.

36:00 It’s only when allowing ourselves to slow down and take time out of our day is the space where insight lives and creative ideas can take form.

37:41How to do less when it looks like you have to do more of the same, because of a sense of urgency is so counterintuitive in our modern fast-paced world right now.

42:58 How great leadership is all about showing others that self-care is vital when it comes to your mental health and wellbeing.

At work, we often say yes to things under pressure that does not serve even the company or us.

In this Micro Episode, we explore personal boundaries.

You may or may not be aware of some of the boundaries you have in your life for both your personal and professional life. Once you become aware of them, it becomes easier for others to know them, too, if you are willing to share them.

Timestamps and Takeaways

01:10 When you don’t set boundaries for yourself and manage the expectations of others, you might end up taking too much on yourself.

01:59 If you want to set boundaries for yourself that serve you, they must be set when you are clear of mind and have reflected on why they are essential in your life.

03:11 How most people are not aware of their boundaries are; they agree to everything, even if it impacts their mental health and causes resentment.

04:35 Why is it that the more you take care of yourself, the better leader you become?

05:00 Often, our clients tell us they feel guilty for setting boundaries and taking time out for self-care; however, self-care is not selfish. 

05:46 Getting curious about your boundaries means you can explore what works for you, and you can always change your mind and set new ones. 

06:16 Your boundless will evolve as your awareness increases, and you learn new thighs about yourself and others.

07:28 What are your non-negotiables right now when it comes to your life and work?

08:18 Setting boundaries comes from our own life experience about how we want to work, how we make our best decisions and when are we at our best.

10:22 If someone steps over one of your boundaries, it doesn’t mean they are a terrible person. It just means you have the responsibility to communicate the impact of you not sticking to them.

If you are curious about how we can support you with one-on-one coaching or leadership development, visit our website for more details at https://www.themindtakeaway.com/

In this episode, we speak to Marjolijn Flug, a career and allyship coach who firmly believes that everyone deserves that YOU-shaped space in the world where they can truly be themselves, feel valued and welcome. People who have created that space for themselves can also pay it forward and more easily create more space for others, becoming stronger allies to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Marjolijn has an extensive background in HR and Communications. She often coaches internationals and multi-passionates (multi-potentialities). That said, she’s really interested in every individual’s personal story.

Connect with Morjorlijn here:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjolijnvlug/

Twitter https://twitter.com/marjolijnvlug

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marjolijn.vlug.coaching

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/workfloorhospitality/

Takeaways

03:57 What is a YOU shaped career, and how will it help you?

05:43 The importance of employees having side hustles and others focus other than their main careers.

10:16 We explore the positive impact of employers embracing all of the skills each person can bring to the table in  their roles

10:31 When leaders do not feel free to be themselves, it can harm Inclusion initiatives and their ability to foster positive relationships.

14:55 How increasing awareness about others can make all the difference in creating safe spaces for everyone to do their best work.

20:47 What gets in the way of female leaders being authentic and feeling comfortable to be themselves?

23:33 How imposter syndrome is normal, as anyone willing to step up and be themselves professionally will always experience it, as it contradicts the idea of what you should be.

27:34 How making a profit while sacrificing employees' mental and physical health is just not acceptable anymore.

33:39 Nowadays, people are unwilling to put up with the terrible and toxic working conditions anymore and are willing to resign if necessary.

35:44 How there is enough fear already regarding diversity and Inclusion, so supporting leaders instead of blaming them is the way forward.

36:45 The power of allowing yourself the freedom to say, "I don't know, and I have changed my mind".

40:06 The impact of allowing yourself to feel vulnerable and how it helps you be more honest and transparent.

43:06 How people stepping into management roles forget to be human and often lack key leadership skills.

46:01 Compnaies often don't know they have all the answers to improve their culture; They neglect to listen to their employees and struggle to retain high talent.

When people feel well, they do well! 

We all fall into the trap, believing that when we do well, we will feel well, which leads to mental health challenges in the first place. If we want better results, we have to take care of ourselves first. 

In this 10 minute Micro Episode, we explore:  

Timestamps and Takeaways

😃 Why is it so essential to take care of your mental health first before being able to help others? 

🤔 Companies are not getting the results they want with their current working methods, so what has to change in the future?

😩 What happens when leaders focus on tracking hours worked instead of thinking about the results? 

In this, our 60th episode (well, actually our 79th if you include the Micro Episodes), we speak to Layla Li and Sonali Sanghrajka, co-founders of KOSA AI. They are based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, building software solutions that help companies make their AI technologies more inclusive of all genders, ages, races, and more through bias detection and mitigation.

Timestamps:

00:15 What does it mean for companies to implement software that can make their technology more inclusive and detect bias in their AI systems before it's too late?

2:25 New regulations in  EMEA include fines for any AI or data misuse by companies that are not holding themselves accountable.

4:06 The upside of making your technology more inclusive is tapping into new markets that can often be overlooked due to a lack of awareness.

7:23 Today employees care about what they produce and the actual values of the company they are working for - one in six employees will quit their job rather than help build a system with AI bias built in it.

9:41 How can we know that companies are accountable for making positive progress in their culture regarding DEI and sustainable practices?

10:43 The first step towards diversity and inclusion is transparency because there are no clear metrics you could use to measure it; it's a constant conversation and improvement based on that.

15:41 Machines reflect our own bias and blind spots, and as we're correcting ourselves, we need to fix the data we add to those machines as well.

24:00 Self-reflection and the desire to do something meaningful for society drew Layla to leave her cushy job at Tesla and build technology for good.

28:00 What challenges and biases do women face in leadership roles in predominantly male environments?

35:06 Sonaly explains how their authenticity and way of doing things as female founders helps grow the company and improve their product.

38:17 How living in different countries and being exposed to different cultures exposes your vulnerability and helps you become aware of your resilience.

40:05 To make meaningful changes and use AI to improve the hiring process or product, companies must know where they stand at the moment and what they want to achieve.

44:01 Why is it important to have diverse talent and in different parts of the world to have different perspectives?

46:05  Examples of the importance of listening to the employees because executives are often not closely in touch with the problems and ideas available from all their employees.

Peter had a wonderful conversation with Garry Turner for his LinkedinLive Right Here, Right Now show about the creative process and what can emerge when you have a minimal brief, simple questions asked and an open heart.

They talked about the interplay between flow, thought and creativity, plus the creative process and freedom of thought, inspired by their recent collaboration where Peter created an electronic music track called Kaleidoscope which Garry has been using as a vehicle to introduce his work as a coach and consultant.

Garry is the founder of HEXO Change where he acts as a Strategic Advisor, Facilitator and Interpersonal Guide across commercial, people, culture and systems for solopreneurs, startups and progressive corporates.

Connect with Garry here:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garryturnerstrategicadvisor/

Website: https://www.hexochangenow.com/

Takeaways

“It’s not a back and forth in a linear way, it’s a lot more spiral, circular way, it’s more important that we remember that this creativity thing is much more organic”.

“None of this has been a fixed process at any point, yet we have come out with an incredible product at the end of it”.

“To innovate, you have to mess up a lot of stuff and fail often”.

“When people collaborate, that’s when the magic happens”.