Truth, Lies and Work

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Truth, Lies and Work episodes

February 19 277. What REALLY happens when you let A.I. run your workday, with The Economist's Boss Class Host, Andrew Palmer
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture.
This week we’re diving into how AI is actually landing in the workplace — and what that means for managers, employees and the future of work.
Our guest is Andrew Palmer, host of Boss Class from The Economist and author of the Bartleby management column. In Season 3 of Boss Class, Andrew goes hands-on with AI — not just talking about it, but living with it, testing it and asking the questions leaders need to answer as the technology transforms jobs and organisations.
This episode isn’t about hype. It’s about what AI is actually good at today, what it’s still terrible at, and how leaders should think about deploying it in ways that help people — not replace them.

🔥 What you’ll learn
1) AI isn’t coming. It’s here.
Season 3 of Boss Class opens with Andrew trying generative AI tools in real work routines — even asking Claude to draft his management column — and discovering both the power and the weirdness that comes with using them.
2) AI reshapes roles, not just tasks
Rather than automating jobs wholesale, the most immediate workplace impact of AI is changing how work gets done — augmenting roles, compressing coordination and expanding what managers are responsible for.
3) Imperfect AI still delivers value
Some AI tools don’t get things right. But when used as thinking partners — critiquing ideas, suggesting alternatives, or helping leaders make sense of complexity — they make teams more productive and innovative.
4) Leaders need AI literacy, not just tech teams
AI affects strategy, priorities and people decisions — not just coding and automation. The organisations that thrive aren’t those that wait for perfect tech, but those that integrate AI intelligently into leadership and workflows.
5) Human judgement still matters
Far from making humans obsolete, AI highlights uniquely human strengths: judgment, nuance, people skills and context-aware decision-making.

🧠 Why this matters for work
AI is not just a tool — it’s a workforce multiplier. Leaders who understand how to harness AI can reshape productivity, culture and the role of managers in their organisations. Those who don’t risk falling behind as workplace expectations shift rapidly.

🔗 Resources & links
Season 3 of Boss Class asks crucial questions about responsibility, adoption and what we truly mean by progress — and this episode brings those questions directly into your workplace context.
Listen to Boss Class from The Economist — Season 3 launched January 2026 and explores AI, management and the future of work:
https://www.economist.com/audio/podcasts/boss-class
Andrew Palmer’s work: search “Boss Class” on podcast platforms or visit The Economist’s podcast page:
https://www.economist.com/audio/podcasts/boss-class

💬 Connect with the show
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork
Hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne/

🧠 Mental health support
UK & ROI – Samaritans
Call 116 123 | http://www.samaritans.org

UK – Mind
Call 0300 123 3393 | https://www.mind.org.uk

US – Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 | https://988lifeline.org

Australia – Lifeline
Call 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com

55 min
February 17 276. Is your career giving you the ick? PLUS! A.I. literacy for managers, finding hope and the verdict on NLP
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week we explore career motivation, generative AI for leaders and the psychology of meaningful work. Plus we put Neuro-Linguistic Programming under the microscope and answer career questions from future business psychologists.
🔥 Stories covered
1. The rise of the “career comedown”motivation, engagement and the future of work.
Have you ever hit a major career milestone and felt underwhelmed?
Leanne introduces the term career comedown, coined by Stefanie Sword-Williams. It describes the emotional slump that can follow promotions, pay rises and career success. Many professionals report feeling bored, stuck or disconnected once they reach the goals they worked towards.
The research suggests three paths forward:
• Stick — reshape your current role
• Twist — change direction or reinvent your career
• Tap out — reduce how much work defines your identity
Source: https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/real-life/is-your-career-giving-you-the-ick/
Stefanie Sword-Williams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanieswordwilliams/

2. Generative AI becomes a leadership skill
These stories matter for leaders, founders and managers navigating
Google has launched a Generative AI Leader certification, signalling that AI literacy is becoming a core leadership capability.
The programme helps business leaders understand generative AI, identify opportunities and adopt AI responsibly. Leaders who lack AI literacy risk making strategic decisions without the full picture.
Learn more: https://cloud.google.com/learn/certification/generative-ai-leader

3. Hope is the emotion that creates meaning at work
New psychological research shows hope may be more important than happiness for creating a meaningful life.
Across six studies with more than 2,300 participants, researchers found hope strongly predicts meaning, motivation and wellbeing. Seeing progress, believing change is possible and having a future direction all boost engagement at work.
For leaders, clarity, visible progress and realistic optimism matter more than constant positivity.

🧠 Truth or Lie: Does NLP actually work?
This week we explore Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
While NLP training can boost confidence and communication skills, strong scientific evidence for its broader claims is limited. Many techniques overlap with established psychology, but NLP itself is not considered a robust evidence-based approach.

💬 Workplace Surgery – Special edition
This week’s questions come from The Business Psycho, a new platform launching for students and early-career professionals in business psychology.
We discuss:
• Breaking into business psychology
• The real people problems inside organisations
• Mistakes leaders make when trying to fix culture
• Future trends in workplace psychology
Follow The Business Psycho
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-psycho/
https://www.instagram.com/thebusinesspsycho.official

Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans
Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org

UK — Mind
Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk

US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org

Australia — Lifeline
Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au

Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com

🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
55 min
February 12 275. Why your 13th hire is like puberty (and what to do about it), with Steve Kemish
What happens when a small, tight-knit team suddenly starts to grow fast?
This week on Truth, Lies & Work, we’re joined by Steve Kemish to talk about the most uncomfortable phase of company growth. The moment when your business moves from a handful of people to a real organisation. Steve calls it the puberty of a company and if you have ever scaled a team, you will know exactly what he means.
Steve has grown a marketing agency from a small team into a business approaching 50 people. In this conversation, he shares what leaders rarely talk about when growth accelerates. The identity crisis, the culture wobble, the communication breakdowns and the leadership shifts that suddenly become unavoidable.
This episode is packed with practical advice for founders, leaders and managers navigating rapid growth.

Key Takeaways
Why growth changes everything
Many founders assume growth is purely positive. In reality, scaling introduces new complexity overnight. Communication becomes harder. Informal processes stop working. Leaders who once knew everything now have to learn to let go.

The “puberty phase” of organisations
Steve explains why the jump from around 13 to 20 employees is a major turning point. This is when businesses must move from instinct and intuition to structure and systems. Without that shift, chaos quickly follows.

The leadership identity shift
The skills that help you start a business are not the same skills needed to scale one. Founders must evolve from doers into leaders, from decision-makers into decision-enablers.

Culture under pressure
Growth puts pressure on culture. New hires bring fresh perspectives, expectations and habits. Leaders must become intentional about culture rather than relying on “how things have always been.”

Communication becomes the biggest challenge
As teams grow, assumptions and informal conversations stop working. Leaders must learn to communicate clearly, consistently and at scale.

Why this episode matters
If you are hiring quickly, planning to scale or feeling the growing pains of expansion, this conversation offers a roadmap for navigating one of the most challenging phases of leadership.

Connect with Steve Kemish
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skemish/
Website: http://www.intermedia-global.com

Connect with the show
Follow Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Follow Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

Mental health resources
UK: https://www.mind.org.uk
UK Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org
US: https://988lifeline.org
International: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network – the audio destination for business professionals.

54 min
February 10274. Is this the internet’s most unsettling AI story? PLUS! Hiring Gen-Alpha, Career Destiny and the Truth About 'Matrescence'
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture.
This week we’re asking: how prepared are workplaces for real life transitions, what happens when AI becomes your colleague, and does your name secretly shape your career?

🔥 Stories covered
Matrescence: the workplace transition nobody plans for
Leanne introduces a word we should all know: matrescence. Similar to adolescence, it describes the emotional, psychological and identity shift that happens when someone becomes a mother.
This is one of the most significant transitions in a woman’s career, yet it’s rarely reflected in performance systems, leadership pathways or job design. The question for organisations is simple: instead of asking people to return unchanged, how can we support them to grow forward?
Follow the research: https://www.instagram.com/microrosie/
Follow Rose on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-soffel/

2. The AI that called its owner while he was sleeping
A developer created an AI agent that can run a computer, read emails, organise files and complete work independently. Then things escalated. Users began connecting their agents together through a platform called MoltBook, a social network for AI agents to share ideas and improve each other.
If AI can do eight hours of work in minutes, what does productivity mean? And what happens when the AI isn’t the company’s tool, but your personal one?
Read more:
https://openclaw.ai/
https://www.moltbook.com/

3. The biggest workplace problem in 2026 isn’t pay or burnout. It’s managers.
A new SHRM report based on thousands of HR leaders and employees found ineffective leadership has overtaken pay and workload as the top workplace concern.
In organisations rated ineffective, job satisfaction falls to 44%. In effective workplaces it rises to 91%, and more than half of employees in poorly led organisations expect to leave within a year.
Leadership development is now the top priority for HR leaders, with economic uncertainty and AI adoption adding pressure. The message is clear: workplaces don’t fail because people don’t care. They fail because leadership systems don’t support people properly.
Read the report: https://www.webpronews.com/boss-bottleneck-why-leadership-tops-2026-workplace-woes/

🔥 Truth or Lie
Does your name influence your career?
Nominative determinism suggests people are drawn to jobs that match their names. Early research hinted at a small effect, but larger modern studies found the link disappears when you control for demographics and chance.
Verdict: Lie. Your brain loves coincidences, but your career is not written in your name.

💬 Workplace Surgery
This week we tackle:
• Why personality tools like DiSC remain popular despite weak evidence
• Whether small businesses should hire younger workers
• How to stand out when starting a career in occupational psychology

🎧 Coming up Thursday
We’re joined by Steve Kemish to talk about the “puberty of organisations” and what happens when teams grow fast.

💬 Connect with the show
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans – 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – 988 https://988lifeline.org
Australia: Lifeline – 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global: https://findahelpline.com
53 min
February 05 273. What Taylor Swift can teach leaders about workplace change, with Hollywood screenwriter turned organisational psychologist, Lindsey Caplan
Why do so many change initiatives, town halls and big launches create excitement and then fade with no real behaviour change?
In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, Al and Leanne speak with Lindsey Caplan, a former Hollywood screenwriter turned organisational psychologist, about why leaders struggle to influence groups at work and what actually works instead.
Lindsey shares the MOVED Model, a practical framework for driving engagement, influencing behaviour and communicating change in a way that sticks. If you lead teams, present ideas, manage projects or drive transformation, this episode explains why information alone never creates change and what does.

What you’ll learn
Why most workplace change fails
Many organisations fall into the transmission trap: the belief that more information leads to better results. More slides, more frameworks and more meetings rarely change behaviour. Real change happens when people feel involved, motivated and emotionally connected.

Informing vs influencing at work
Influencing one person is very different from influencing a group. Leaders often assume employees are already motivated and aligned, but many are neutral, cautious or distracted. Real change begins with a better question: What do we need people to do differently? Not: What do we need to tell them?

The MOVED Model explained
Lindsey’s framework maps how leaders try to influence behaviour using two key dimensions. Push vs Pull: is change being done to people or with people? Generic vs Personalised: is the message broad or relevant to individuals? These create four outcomes: compliance, awareness, entertainment and engagement. Most organisations aim for engagement but accidentally design for compliance.

What Taylor Swift can teach leaders
Great performers design experiences that involve their audience. Leaders can do the same by giving people a role in the change, creating curiosity with a central question, sharing emotion as well as expertise and showing why the change matters to employees. The message is simple: perform with people, not at people.

Practical leadership takeaways
Decide the behaviour you want before designing the message. Pull people into change instead of pushing information at them. Stop saying “I’m excited about this change” and explain why employees should be.

Resources and links
Take the MOVED Model quiz: https://www.gatheringeffect.com/quiz
Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseycaplan/

Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Connect with the hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans – 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – 988 https://988lifeline.org
Australia: Lifeline – 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global support: https://findahelpline.com
43 min
February 03272. What if work was about purpose, not survival? With Louise Hill, Founder of GoHenry, and Ruth Handcock OBE, CEO of Octopus Money
A LinkedIn Live conversation on money confidence, risk and the future of careers
Over the last few years, work has quietly shifted from ambition to survival.
Rising living costs, economic uncertainty, layoffs and AI have changed how people make career decisions. Instead of taking risks or pursuing meaningful work, many are staying put not because they want to, but because it feels safer to stay. The media has called this the Big Stay or job-hugging.

Why these two perspectives together
Louise and Ruth operate at different, but deeply connected, points in the system.
Louise works at the earliest stage, where money beliefs, habits and confidence are formed in childhood and adolescence.

Ruth works at the adult decision-making stage, where financial confidence shapes career risk-taking, leadership progression, entrepreneurship and long-term wellbeing.
Together, they offer an end-to-end view of how money confidence shapes working lives.
Why money confidence often matters more than income when it comes to career choices

How financial insecurity quietly shapes promotions, leadership ambition and risk-taking

Why people from less affluent backgrounds are less likely to take career risks, even when highly capable

How early money beliefs follow people into adulthood and the workplace

Why financial wellbeing is the most neglected pillar of workplace wellbeing

What leaders and organisations can do to reduce fear-driven decision-making without being intrusive
What you’ll learn in this episode
This conversation reframes financial literacy not as budgeting or products, but as freedom, confidence and optionality.
Money confidence influences:
Who feels able to negotiate, speak up or take risks

Who progresses into leadership roles

Who starts businesses or new ventures

Who opts out, plays safe or stays stuck
Why this matters for leaders and organisations
For leaders concerned about engagement, retention, wellbeing, DEI and social mobility, this episode highlights a hidden but powerful driver of workplace behaviour.

About our guests
Louise Hill
Co-founder of GoHenry, a financial education platform helping children and young people build money confidence from an early age.
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-hill-5197614/
🔗 GoHenry: https://www.gohenry.com

Ruth Handcock
CEO of Octopus Money, supporting adults and employees to make confident financial decisions about work, life and the future.
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-handcock-obe-71b3656/
🔗 Octopus Money: https://octopusmoney.com

🎧 Who this episode is for
Leaders and managers worried about engagement, retention and risk-aversion

HR and People teams focused on wellbeing, DEI and social mobility

Parents thinking about the long-term impact of money conversations at home

Employees feeling cautious, stuck or unable to take career risks

Founders and policymakers interested in innovation and economic participation

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

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

Connect with the hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/

Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/
🧠 Mental health support
If this conversation brings anything up for you:
UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org

US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org

Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com
1 hr
January 29271: "This Is and Will Always Be the Best Place I've Ever Worked", with Gemma & Xav from Studio XAG
What happens when two art students fall in love, start freelancing together, and accidentally build one of the UK's happiest creative brand agencies?
In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we're joined by Gemma Ruse and Xavier Shariff, the husband-and-wife co-founders of Studio Zag, a 60-person agency that designs and builds experiential installations for brands all over the world.
STUDIO XAG: https://studioxag.com/

Gemma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-ruse-646979a

Xavier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-sheriff-49091132

Ellie Glason PR: https://ellieglasonpr.com/
They met at 20 in a house share at Central Saint Martins. They've been together for over 20 years, running Studio Zag together for 16 of those. They've clad a 35-metre boombox onto Diesel's Carnaby Street facade, become a certified B Corp, and built a business where people regularly say: "This is and will always be the best place I've ever worked."
This isn't a story about having it all figured out. It's about trusting your gut, knowing when enough is enough, and building culture through brilliant work — not ping pong tables.
What you'll learn in this episode
Why they never planned to work together (and why it works anyway)

How complementary skills matter more than identical visions

Why "disagree in the room, commit outside the room" is their partnership rule

The difference between forced fun and authentic culture

Why they don't want to grow from 60 to 600 people (and what that says about sustainable business)

How trust your gut feeling actually works as a leadership strategy

Why great work IS culture (and how they keep that red thread of attention to detail at scale)

What it means when people say your agency is, "the best place you've ever worked"
Gemma and Xavier are brutally honest about the realities of building a creative business with your life partner: the complementary strengths, the stubborn moments, and why sometimes the best business advice is to ask yourself: "What does this feel like in my stomach?"
💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: ⁠https://truthliesandwork.com⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork⁠
Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/⁠

Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/⁠
🧠 Mental health support
If this conversation brings anything up for you or someone you care about:
UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠

US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠

Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠

Elsewhere: ⁠https://findahelpline.com
1 hr 1 min
January 27270. Is flexible work actually fair? PLUS! Corporate politics, motivating Gen X and the truth about learning styles
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work — the podcast where behavioural science meets real working life.
This week, we’re asking a simple question with uncomfortable answers: who really gets flexibility, who’s trusted around AI, and what psychology myths are still shaping work decisions?

🔥 Stories covered
1. Who actually gets flexible work — and why
Leanne introduces a new term this week: i-deals — short for idiosyncratic deals. These are personalised, one-to-one flexibility arrangements negotiated privately between employees and managers.

📄 Research source:
https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/joop.70084

2. When corporate politics becomes the real job
Al brings a thread from X this week by an account called IT_Unprofessional, written by an IT Director earning around $280k a year. He describes what he calls a “corporate survival guide” — not about technical excellence, but about navigating power, perception and incentives.

3. Why banks are hiring behavioural scientists for AI roles
After one of the toughest recruitment years since 2008, UK financial services firms are hiring again — and not just technologists.
The concern isn’t AI failure. It’s human behaviour around AI — over-trust, automation bias, and quiet deference to systems that sound confident but may be wrong.
🔗 Reporting:
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/banks-ai-experts-worried-misuse-5HjdRJS_2/

🔥 Truth or Lie💬
People learn better when teaching matches their learning style
Visual learner. Auditory learner. Kinaesthetic learner. The idea is everywhere.
Leanne breaks down decades of evidence and explains:
Preferences exist

Enjoyment increases when preferences are met

Learning outcomes do not reliably improve
The verdict: Lie.
What matters is the material, not the learner label. And learning that feels harder is often more effective.

Workplace Surgery
This week we tackle:
How to motivate a team nearing retirement without patronising them

What to do when a career coach crosses ethical lines

Whether employee NPS is a meaningful measure of engagement
We explore motivation, power, boundaries and what good evidence actually supports.

🎧 Coming up Thursday
We’re joined by Gemma Ruse and Xavier Sheriff, co-founders of Studio XAG, to talk about building a people-first agency, becoming a B Corp, and what it’s really like running a business with the person you’re married to.

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

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

Connect with the hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/

Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org

US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org

Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com
56 min
January 22269. Why Truth is Funny: 7x Emmy Winner Beth Sherman on Building Trust at Work
What do late-night comedy writers know about trust, influence, and human connection that most business leaders don’t?
In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we’re joined by Beth Sherman — a seven-time Emmy-winning comedy writer who spent three decades in Hollywood writers’ rooms before taking what she learned into the world of business.
Beth has written for The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Oscars. Today, she works with leaders, sales teams, and organisations who want to build trust quickly, communicate with confidence, and connect more humanly at work.
This is not about telling jokes in meetings.
It’s about understanding why humour works, how truth creates connection, and why the most effective communicators are the most observant — not the funniest.

What you’ll learn in this episode
Why “truth is funny” — and what that reveals about trust and rapport

The difference between self-awareness and self-deprecation (and why confusing the two damages credibility)

How humour creates psychological safety without undermining authority

Why being human matters more as work becomes more automated and AI-driven

How observational humour helps in sales, leadership, presentations, and difficult conversations

Why you don’t need to be funny — you need to be emotionally intelligent and observant
Beth explains how comedians build instant rapport with strangers, and why those same principles are powerful in boardrooms, client meetings, and tense workplace moments.

Why this matters for leaders and teams
In a world where people can buy similar products, services, and solutions anywhere, relationships are the differentiator.
Humour, when used properly, signals:
Awareness of the room

Confidence without ego

Safety without softness

Humanity without oversharing
Beth’s work shows that humour isn’t about performance. It’s about connection — and connection is the foundation of trust, influence, and persuasion at work.

About our guest
Beth Sherman is a comedian, keynote speaker, and communication expert. She spent over 30 years writing comedy at the highest level before translating those principles into practical tools for business leaders.
Her upcoming book is published by Blue Goat Books.
🔗 Beth Sherman website: https://www.bethsherman.com/
🔗 Beth Sherman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-sherman/

🎧 Listen if you’re…
A leader who wants to build trust without forcing charisma

In sales or marketing and tired of scripts that feel inauthentic

Giving presentations and feeling pressure to “perform”

Curious about the psychology of humour and human connection

Navigating communication in an increasingly automated workplace

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/

Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/
🧠 Mental health support
If this conversation brings anything up for you or someone you care about:
UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org

US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org

Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com
48 min
January 20268. Does complaining at work rewire your brain? PLUS! Gen Z growth hunting, wellbeing perks and how to manifest success
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture.
This week we’re exploring what employees and leaders are really looking for at work right now — and how it’s shaping leadership behaviour, burnout, employee wellbeing, and workplace culture.

🔥 Stories covered

Why are Gen Z leaving jobs so quickly?
According to a Fast Company article by Jeff LeBlanc, Gen Z workers aren’t job-hopping out of disloyalty. They’re growth hunting.
The research shows:
Nearly half of Gen Z plan to leave roles for better growth, not higher pay

86% won’t upskill without employer funding

43% feel too burnt out to learn outside work hours

Cost, not motivation, is the biggest barrier to development
This reflects a wider shift in workplace expectations. When organisations talk about growth but don’t support it structurally, people move on. Gen Z isn’t rejecting work — they’re rejecting stagnation.
🔗 https://www.fastcompany.com/91452297/the-rise-of-growth-hunting-why-gen-z-changes-jobs-so-oftengenz-job-hopping
Jeff previously joined Truth, Lies & Work to discuss Gen Z, burnout, and leadership psychology: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/207-what-happens-when-leaders-start-being-kind-with-jeff-leblanc
You can also explore his book Engaged Empathy Leadership for practical, science-backed management advice: https://www.amazon.com/Engaged-Empathy-Leadership-Redefining-Action-ebook/dp/B0FCGSC48C

Does complaining at work make teams less resilient?
Research highlighted by Stanford suggests that repeated complaining rewires the brain.
Over time:
Neural pathways linked to stress and threat detection strengthen

Baseline stress levels rise

Small irritations feel bigger

Negativity becomes automatic
For leaders, this matters. Teams that normalise constant complaining may unintentionally reduce resilience, decision-making quality, and psychological safety.
🔗 https://x.com/shiningscience/status/2013113758386987099

What employee wellbeing benefits actually reduce burnout?
After a LinkedIn post went viral, Slate introduced a $200 monthly cleaning stipend for employees.
Why this matters for employee wellbeing:
It removes friction instead of adding effort

It gives people time and mental space back

It supports carers and those under chronic time pressure

Research consistently links cluttered environments to higher stress
This reframes wellbeing away from “one more thing to do” and towards burnout prevention.
🔗 https://fortune.com/2026/01/15/company-adds-cleaning-services-as-employee-benefit-what-hr-leaders-can-learn/

🔥 Truth or Lie
Can you manifest success just by visualising it?
Lie — if it’s about imagining outcomes alone.
Truth — when visualisation is used to plan actions and effort.
Psychology shows visualising the process increases follow-through. Imagining success without action often reduces motivation.
💬 Workplace Surgery — practical management advice
This week we answer:
What’s the earliest sign of burnout before someone admits it?

Is it genuinely hard to find a good manager?

If you hate your job and feel stuck, what’s the first practical step?
🎧 Coming up Thursday
We’re joined by Beth Sherman to explore how humour builds trust, rapport, and confident decision-making at work.

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org

US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org

Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com
55 min