Out on my morning dog walk (yes, the one where I have to put the flashing collar on my black dog ‘Flo’ so we can be seen in the dark!), I found myself reflecting on what I call the "eighth waste" in organisations - the waste of human potential.

Drawing on Toyota's management principles, I explore why so many of us in workforce development struggle to make our case to leadership, despite knowing just how vital our work is.

If you're working in coaching, workforce development, or people development roles and sometimes feel your impact isn't fully understood by those above you, I think you'll find both practical insights here and, importantly, a reminder that you're not alone. I'll share my thoughts on how we can bridge the gap between development professionals and leadership, turning our frustrations into productive action.

I'll also tell you about two communities I've created where you can connect with others facing similar challenges: the Guild of Pedagogical Explorers and our new initiative, The Cobbler's Children. Because sometimes, the best solutions come from supporting each other.

Duration: 45 minutes
Tags: #WorkforceDevelopment #LeadershipDevelopment #SportsDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment

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In today's episode, I'm thrilled to welcome back Richard Shorter, also known as 'Non-Perfect Dad', for a deep-dive conversation that every sports parent needs to hear. Rich brings his unique perspective as both a Baptist minister and a "conversation architect" who works with sports organisations, schools, and families to navigate the complex world of sports parenting.

We explore the challenging emotional landscape parents face when supporting young athletes - from managing our own reactions on the sidelines to making tough decisions about how much to push or protect. I share some personal stories about parenting my own kids in sport, and Rich offers brilliant insights about what he calls the "undisciplined squads of emotion" that we all face as sports parents.

Key Timestamps: 

🎯14:20 - "Parents are still allowed to choose how they parent within an ethical safeguarding framework" - Rich challenges some common assumptions about sports parenting

🏆 27:45 - "I made a parenting choice that I didn't want to mortgage my future relationship with my kids" - I share my personal philosophy on youth sport development and the choices we make as parents

⚡ 32:15 - We tackle the complex reality of balancing performance aspirations with maintaining healthy parent-child relationships Whether you're a parent, coach, or working in youth sport, this conversation offers practical insights and honest reflections on how we can better support young athletes while preserving what matters most - our relationships with them.

Connect with Richard: Email: [email protected] Website: nonperfectdad.co.uk

If you would like to have more conversations like these then you might want to join my leanring group - 'The Guild of Ecological Explorers' - https://www.patreon.com/join/thetalentequation

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Mark shares the PDS Action Review process and we discuss how coaches and leaders an use it to review performance but also how it is used for athletes, employees, etc can use it to self review.

This then becomes a foundational aspect of the way that organisations communicate leading to a shared dialogue about performance that becomes part of the normal fabric of organisational life.

To enter our competition to win 1 to 1 coaching with Mark. Subscribe to Mark’s website - pdscoaching.com Subcribe to our youtube channel and type 'Count me in' in the comments before next episode on 22nd January.

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In this special New Year's Eve episode, I welcomed back Shawn Myszka and Tyler Yearby from Emergence to discuss a recent academic paper criticising ecological dynamics and many of researchers and practitioners working in the space. The article is called "Ecological Dynamics as an Accurate and Parsimonious Contributor to Applied Practice: A Critical Appraisal" by Dave Collins, Howie Carson, Par Rylander and Ray Bobrownicki. 

I invited Shawn and Tyler onto the show because I wanted them to be given an opportunity to address the callous misrepresentation in the direct driticism they made regarding Shawn and Tyler's work on Bruce Lee's alignment with ecological principles. The conversation evolved into a broader discussion about the future of ecological dynamics in coaching science and the emerging role of skill acquisition specialists in professional sports. 

Five Key Points

1. The ecological community continues to grow, with practitioners across different fields finding value in applying these principles. It is interesting to note that Collins is authoring this criticism while at the same time promoting a book that embraces ideas from ecological dynamics. 
   
   
2. The paper misrepresented Shawn and Tyler's research about Bruce Lee, claiming they altered quotes to fit their argument when in fact they had been explicitly transparent about their modifications and reasoning.
   
   
3. There's a fundamental misunderstanding about combining traditional and ecological approaches - you can't simply cherry-pick elements without considering the underlying theoretical foundations. Anyone who suggests that you can do this is either being dishonest or they don't understand the basic assumptions of the ecological theory. 
   
   
4. The role of skill acquisition specialists is becoming increasingly important in professional sports, with a growing recognition that these positions need to be fully integrated into organisational structures.
   
   
5. You can pick and choose methods but you can't pick and choose thoeries. If one theory is directly opposed the the ideas of another theory - trying to suggest that you can mix the two together is just academic populism. 

Three Key Quotes

"Don't throw stones at people that are not throwing stones back at you. I'm just trying to advance the field." - Tyler Yearby

"You can't be a vegan and have the odd bacon sandwich... you can't have your theoretical cake and eat it." - Stuart Armstrong

"It's just their cop-out way of not actually having these types of interactions and instead hiding behind the keyboard and maybe a research journal paywall... that shows the disingenuous nature of what they're doing." Shawn Myszka 

Note: This episode was recorded on New Year's Eve 2024 with Shawn Myszka and Dr. Tyler Yearby from Emergence

Emergence website

Shawn and Tyler's Article 

The Article

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Mark and I get together before Christmas to talk about how this time of year offers the opportunity to recharge and replenish ourselves in order to embody excellence for others going forward. We talk about how being 'selfless' requires us to be 'selfish'. Also Mark makes an announcement about our New Year giveaway.

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Mark and I talk about the origins of PDS from his time in the military and how we came together to embed the principles of PDS across the sporting landscape.

We also discuss my own commitments and some conversations we have had about honouring my own journey of change.

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Taking an ecological approach to learning science, Danny Hatcher is an independent researcher currently based in the UK, sharing interesting trends and stories domestically and from around the globe. Danny holds a BSc in Sports Coaching and an MSc in Strength and Conditioning from Brighton University
T
Danny's YouTube channel is amazing...it blends rigorous research with animation to create content that explains complex issues in relatable ways - I highly recomend checking it out. 
https://www.youtube.com/@Danny.Hatcher

In this conversation Danny shares his unique approach to trampolining, blending ecological dynamics with a passion for movement exploration. From his lived experience of visual and hearing impairments and how this shapes his coaching appproach to his work in both traditional and freestyle trampolining. Danny also offers insights into coaching diverse athletes and how his playful, inclusive methodology fosters personal growth and adaptability, making trampolining accessible and fun for all. 

This is a fascinating conversation and one I am sure you will enjoy. 



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In this conversation Mark and I discuss the challenge of establishing real clarity of the objectives that a person or group wants to set for themselves. We then discuss how easy it is for the leader to fall into the trap of letting them off the hook.

We discuss ways that leaders can lean into the discomfort of the difficult conversation by reframing the awkwardness as a 'duty' and an act of care rather than a point of conflict. We also explore how leaders can frame the expectations in terms of how people interact with each other to minimise conflict and create a 'high challenge - high support' environment.

Mark and I are available to support groups or individuals on their leadership and coaching excellence journey. Please reach out to [email protected] to shape a bespoke package.

You can get 25% discount to access Mark's online learning space to immerse yourself in all things PDS using this code PBNO25

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Andrea Andrews is a swimming instructor with a specialist research interest in drowning prevention.

Andrea describes herself like this...

"My aim is to improve the lived human experience in water by helping all ages make sense of the water through natural learner-led approaches that trigger the amazing hidden skills we are all born with.I am in effect focused upon panic prevention by helping everyone overcome emotional dysregulation in water....I am a scaffolder for an elite form of human aquatic prowes..."

Andrea joined me to discuss her unique approach to helping people learn to swim which is informed by the ecological approach. 

Andrea explains how her childhood experiences of play in water shaped her approach to teaching and instructing and how she has been passionate about offering similar experiences to others. In this episode we cover: 

- How people have an 'embodied trauma' that fuels a phobia of water. 
- How babies are actually very adapted to water. 
- How people sense differently in water and how verbal instructions lead to people using the wrong sensory apparatus.
- How traditional teaching could actually be dangerous and lead to increased risk of drowning.

and so much more...
This is an absolutely fascinating conversation - I hope you enjoy

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A new collaboration between Mark Bennett MBE and Stuart Armstrong that looks at topical news items and explore how they impact people in sport, education, business and life through the lens of the PDS philosophy and the principles of Ecological Dynamics. 

Mark and I got cut off by our recording software crashing but we thought we would publish the rough cut anyway!

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