The Sticky From The Inside Podcast

Employment law is changing. But the bigger question is whether your leadership is ready.

The biggest changes to UK employment law in a generation are placing greater responsibility on organisations to manage people fairly, consistently and confidently. But while many businesses are busy reviewing contracts and updating policies, are they asking the most important question of all?

Have we equipped our managers to lead?

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by Aliya Vigor-Robertson, Founder of JourneyHR, to explore why the new legislation isn't simply an HR issue, it's a leadership capability challenge.

Together they discuss what the Employment Rights reforms mean in practice, why poor management has always been expensive (and is about to become even more so), and why investing in managers may now be one of the smartest commercial decisions an organisation can make.

The conversation goes far beyond legal compliance, exploring why performance management should never begin when things go wrong, the difference between being nice and being kind, and why HR can advise, but managers must lead.

Whether you're a CEO, HR professional, business owner or line manager, this episode offers practical insight into building workplaces where people perform, grow and thrive.

The key moments in this episode are:

01:38 – If Every Management Decision Went to Tribunal, How Confident Would You Be?

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Why can good leadership go bad when we already know so much about what works?

In this episode, Andy Goram is joined by psychotherapist and leadership researcher Dr Amar Dhall to explore what happens when leadership, power, pressure and human psychology collide.

Amar introduces a powerful distinction between capability, what a leader is able to do, and capacity, their ability to access those capabilities when it really matters. From there, Andy and Amar explore why behaviours that once made us successful can become overplayed, why leaders can become increasingly certain under stress, and how genuine care can tip into the Superhero or Rescuer role.

They also discuss the hidden effects of power, why technical expertise doesn't automatically translate into relational leadership, and Amar's memorable proposition that leadership is like dancing: you can know everything about the steps and still struggle on the dance floor.

The conversation finishes with practical reflections on curiosity, self-awareness and the possibility that the next stage of your leadership might require less effort rather than more.

The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Why Do We Still See So Much Shitty Leadership?

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

What if some of the effort you're putting into being a “good leader” is actually making leadership harder?

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram talks with former RAF pilot, executive coach and Free to Lead author Will Steel about leadership identity, pressure, internal narratives and the mental capacity leaders can lose when they're busy trying to be who they think they're supposed to be.

Drawing on stories from Will's childhood, RAF officer training, flying career and coaching work, the conversation explores why “be yourself” may be good advice but is much harder than it sounds, particularly when old beliefs, external expectations and the voice in your own head all feel completely real.

They also explore what happens under pressure, how separating circumstances from interpretation can create greater choice, and why becoming free to lead may require both self-awareness and discipline.

A conversation about who you're being, what's driving it, and whether it's leaving enough capacity to lead what's actually in front of you.

The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Could the Leader You're Trying to Be Be Getting in the Way?

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Why do so many capable people stay silent at work? It's rarely because they don't have something valuable to contribute. More often, it's because they're unsure how their ideas will be received, they question whether it's their place to speak, or they worry about saying the right thing in the wrong way.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by executive coach and leadership advisor Corinne Gavlinski to explore why leadership influence begins long before we speak.

Drawing on her own leadership journey, including a pivotal leadership moment that fundamentally changed how she thinks about influence, Corinne explains why leadership isn't simply about having the confidence to speak up. It's about understanding the impact you want to have, reading the room, managing your emotions and communicating with intention.

Together, Andy and Corrine explore why capable people often stay silent, why curiosity may be one of leadership's most overlooked skills, how vulnerability is often misunderstood, and why every leader benefits from having someone they can think out loud with before the highest-stakes conversations.

If you've ever walked away from a meeting wishing you'd spoken up, or wishing you'd said the same thing differently, this conversation will help you think about leadership influence in a completely new way.

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The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Missed influencing opportunities we can relate to

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Artificial Intelligence may be changing the way we work, but it isn't replacing the one thing organisations need most: human imagination.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by innovation expert, former Hewlett-Packard executive and author Stephen W. Hinch to explore why the organisations that succeed won't simply be the ones with the best technology, they'll be the ones that build an innovation culture where everyone believes their ideas matter.

Drawing on decades of experience leading billion-dollar product innovations, Steve explains why innovation isn't reserved for R&D teams or senior leaders. Instead, it's a leadership responsibility that depends on creating environments where people feel trusted, encouraged and empowered to think differently.

Together, Andy and Steve discuss the growing fear of becoming obsolete in the age of AI, why AI is a powerful tool but not a replacement for human creativity, the difference between incremental and disruptive innovation, and the organisational structures that help great ideas thrive instead of being quietly buried.

If you've ever wondered why some organisations consistently innovate while others struggle despite investing heavily in technology, this conversation offers a practical and refreshingly human answer.

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The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Why Innovation Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

For years, organisations have invested heavily in defining their culture through mission statements, corporate values and engagement initiatives. But leadership speaker, trainer and author Bruce Mayhew believes great workplace culture isn't truly created like that. It's built much closer to where work actually happens.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram explores Bruce's concept of micro-cultures: the relationships, habits and everyday interactions that shape how people experience work. Through the story of a challenging relationship with a colleague that ultimately became one of the strongest partnerships of his career, Bruce explains why trust matters more than chemistry, why fear quietly undermines collaboration, and how leaders can intentionally create environments where people thrive.

Together they discuss why the opposite of trust isn't distrust but fear, the surprising power of ten-minute one-to-one conversations, and how organisations can scale a healthy workplace culture without trying to control every behaviour.

If you've ever wondered how culture really develops, or what practical steps you can take to improve it, this conversation offers a refreshingly human perspective.

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The key moments in this episode are:

01:10 – Why a Great Workplace Culture Is Built Two People at a Time

03:03 – Meet Bruce Mayhew and the idea of micro-cultures

04:27 – What is a micro-culture and why does it matter?

09:40 – The Merike story: how trust transformed a difficult relationship

13:44 – What Bruce would tell his younger self about building trust

16:19 – Trust before chemistry: why fear is the real barrier

20:22 – The simple leadership habit that strengthens trust every week

28:54 – Can micro-cultures build a great workplace culture?

35:20 – Lessons from The Path of an Inspired Leader

41:05 – Bruce's three Sticky Notes for creating healthier workplace cultures

45:24 – Final reflections and where to learn more

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

AI is making individuals more productive than ever before.

But could it also be making organisations less connected?

As every function gains access to increasingly powerful AI tools, there's a growing risk that teams become more efficient at working independently while becoming less aligned with one another.

Chris White believes that's one of the biggest leadership challenges of our time.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram speaks with the former Cisco executive and author of Non-Optional Collaboration about why human collaboration is becoming more important, not less, in the age of AI.

Drawing on lessons from helping scale Cisco from $1 billion to $50 billion, leading global transformation programmes and building high-performing teams across multiple industries, Chris explains why collaboration can no longer be viewed as a soft skill or leadership nice-to-have.

Together, Andy and Chris explore the dangers of organisational silos, the myth of the hero leader, the lessons business can learn from elite rowing teams, and why the organisations that thrive in the future will be those that combine two powerful forces: Artificial intelligence and human collaboration.

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The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Why collaboration has become non-optional

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

We've never had more workplace wellbeing initiatives. More employee assistance programmes. More mindfulness apps. More resilience training. More engagement surveys. And yet burnout remains stubbornly high, stress-related absence continues to rise, and employees seem more exhausted than ever.

So what's really going on?

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by workplace wellness and organisational culture expert Andria Barrett to explore why the answer may have less to do with individual resilience and more to do with how modern work is designed.

Together they unpack the hidden causes of workplace exhaustion, why burnout is becoming harder to spot, the role leaders play in creating healthier environments, and why genuine human connection remains one of the most powerful drivers of performance and wellbeing.

They also explore the opportunities and anxieties surrounding AI, and why technology should help people reclaim time rather than simply increase workloads.

If you've ever wondered why people seem to be working harder than ever but feeling less energised than before, this conversation offers a timely and practical perspective.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:11 – Why are so many people exhausted at work?

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

In Part 2 of this special conversation on The Art Of Trust Building, Dr Dennis Reina and Dr Michelle Reina move from awareness into action. If trust matters more than ever, how do we actually build it?

In this episode, Dennis and Michelle unpack their practical 3Cs framework for trust-building:

Together, we explore:

This conversation is practical, actionable, and full of immediately usable insight for leaders, teams, and organisations.

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The key moments in this episode are:

00:00 — Returning To The Conversation And Why Part 2 Gets Practical

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Trust affects everything. How we lead. How we communicate. How we collaborate. How safe people feel to contribute. And ultimately, how organisations perform.

Yet despite its importance, most organisations still leave trust to chance.

In this first part of a special two-part conversation, I speak with Dr Dennis Reina and Dr Michelle Reina, pioneers in the field of workplace trust and authors of The Art Of Trust Building, to explore why trust has become one of the defining leadership challenges of our time.

Together, we unpack:

This conversation is thoughtful, practical, deeply human and shows why trust is more relevant than ever.

And in Part 2, which follows, we move into the practical frameworks and behaviours that help leaders intentionally build and repair trust at work.

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The key moments in this episode are:

00:11 — Why Trust Shapes How We Live, Work And Connect

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Get the full transcript of the episode here