We Not Me

Contracts are so often focused on preparing for the worst, rather than setting up successful relationships. Effective contracts focus on establishing strong relationships, good communication, and problem-solving. Leading with these principles allows contracts to evolve from being blunt legal instruments to valuable tools for promoting collaboration and navigating uncertainties.

Sally Guyer is the global CEO of World CC and a professor at Durham University. She is passionate about improving the way contracts are structured and managed, focusing on creating successful relationships and driving desired outcomes. She believes that contracts should go beyond just addressing legal aspects and must provide a scaffolding for navigating uncertainty and fostering effective governance.

In her discussion with Dan and Pia, she advocates for a shift towards relational contracting and emphasises the importance of communication and an outcome-focused approach in contract management.

Three reasons to listen

• To explore the importance of contracts in business and society, and how they can be improved to drive successful outcomes
• To learn about relational contracting and the principles that support strong and effective relationships
• To discover how contract management can contribute to the success of organisations

Episode highlights

• [00:11:37] What's wrong with contracts now
• [00:15:30] How to fix contracts
• [00:24:28] What good contracting looks like
• [00:33:54] Integrity of relationships
• [00:35:30] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Sally via LinkedIn
• WorldCC
• Legal contracts drawn up as comic strips are being used in South Africa
• Leave us a voice note

Toxic workplaces can have a devastating impact on individuals' mental health and wellbeing. Leaders need to create positive and supportive work environments where employees feel valued, heard, and safe.

Building trust, fostering open communication, and addressing any signs of toxicity quickly are key to preventing the harmful effects of a toxic workplace. Empathy and active engagement are key in understanding team members’ needs and concerns. By prioritising the wellbeing of employees, organisations can cultivate a healthier and more productive work environment for everyone.

Glenn Akramoff works on improving toxic workplaces in the public sector in the US. With a background in public works and experience as a city manager, Glenn is passionate about addressing toxic work environments and supporting individuals who are affected by them.

In his conversation with Dan and Pia, Glenn describes how he focuses on building trust and rapport with team members, earning their respect, and creating a positive work culture. Through his work, he aims to heal organisations by helping individuals heal, and fostering a healthier and more productive work environment.

Three reasons to listen

• To learn about the impact of toxic workplaces on individuals and the wider organisation
• To understand the factors that contribute to the development of a toxic workplace
• For practical approaches to healing and transforming toxic workplaces

Episode highlights

• [00:08:44] The impact of toxic workplaces
• [00:13:12] Unwritten rules
• [00:16:54] Getting permission to lead
• [00:23:32] Glenn's roadmap for turning toxic teams around
• [00:26:26] Toxic homelife to toxic worklife
• [00:28:34] Combatting tribalism
• [00:32:58] Glenn's practical tips
• [00:35:11] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Glenn via LinkedIn
• Glenn’s company
• Leave us a voice note

Creating a psychologically safe and high-performing organisation means focusing on both performance and wellbeing. Organisations need to foster a culture of learning and development, building strong leadership capabilities, and prioritising psychological safety at all levels. By balancing the delivery of services and outcomes with the support and wellbeing of staff, organisations can make a tangible difference in the lives of their clients while maintaining a positive and productive work environment.

Rebecca Pinkstone is the CEO of Bridge Housing, a community housing provider in Australia. With a background in community development and a passion for providing safe and affordable homes, Beck leads the organisation in its mission to make a tangible difference in people's lives.

Lee Geary is the Executive Director of People, Culture and Brand at Bridge. With a career focused on capacity building and organisational development, Lee is responsible for cultivating a psychologically safe and high-performing culture within the organisation.

Through learning and development initiatives, data-driven decision-making, and leadership development, Bridge ensures that its employees have the skills and support needed to deliver quality services to their residents.

Three reasons to listen

• For a refresher on psychological safety and to learn about its place within high-performance teams
• For practical insights and strategies for building a psychologically safe work environment
• To hear real-life examples and experiences from Beck and Lee on their journey of creating a psychologically safe and high-performing organisation

Episode highlights

• [00:02:01] Meeting Rebecca & Lee
• [00:11:39] The challenges of social housing
• [00:14:26] How Bridge maintains a high sense of wellbeing
• [00:18:25] Getting buy-in and engagement from across the team
• [00:22:46] Setting values and aligned behaviours
• [00:28:32] Legislation around psychosocial hazards
• [00:32:02] Challenger safety
• [00:37:04] The management operating system
• [00:43:54] Practical steps to implementing Bridge's principles
• [00:48:36] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Rebecca via LinkedIn
• Connect with Lee via LinkedIn
• Bridge Housing
• Squadify resources on Psychological Safety
• Leave us a voice note

While there are plenty of stereotypes around software developers, the industry has innovated when it comes to teamwork and project management. Whether it’s methodologies like Agile or Lean, or simply recognising the competitive landscape employers are faced with, non-technical teams can learn a lot from how developers work together to get stuff done.

Felipe Tabares is the head of development at Squadify. He’s held various roles in innovation, engineering, project management, and people management, and teaches passionately from his own mistakes and learning experiences. In his discussion with Dan and Pia, he emphasises the need for teams to have a clear purpose, measurable goals, competent members, and a shared fate.

Three reasons to listen

• To understand the challenges faced by development teams in a rapidly changing landscape
• To learn about the importance of engagement and skill development in retaining talented developers
• To discover strategies for fostering a culture of learning and knowledge sharing within teams

Episode highlights

• [00:08:23] What makes development teams different
• [00:16:01] How to move quickly in a fast-paced world of change
• [00:21:46] Agile and Lean for non-development teams
• [00:28:42] Developer to leader
• [00:33:53] Creating a high-performing development team
• [00:40:52] The importance of vulnerability
• [00:43:40] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Felipe via LinkedIn
• Leave us a voice note

The study of animal behaviour and evolution can provide a surprising insight into our own human behaviour and societal structures. By observing and understanding how animals interact with one another, we can learn more about the factors that shape the way we live and work together.

Alex Thornton is a Professor of cognitive evolution at Exeter University in the UK. He conducts experiments on animals – particularly birds of the crow family – to understand how behaviour and intelligence evolve. In his discussion with Dan and Pia, Alex draws some fascinating parallels between human behaviour and that of other animals, including evidence of democracy and compassion.

Three reasons to listen

• To explore the evolutionary aspects of animal intelligence and the role of social interactions in shaping behaviour
• To dive into research on crows and their complex societies, providing potential insights into human social dynamics
• For a discussion on the impact of social media on human thinking and behaviour in the context of global conflicts

Episode highlights

• [00:12:03] Introducing the corvid family of bird
• [00:13:57] What crows use their large brains for
• [00:20:06] Leadership dynamics within corvids
• [00:22:06] How crows vote
• [00:24:10] Why human culture is cumulative
• [00:30:33] The evolutionary benefits of kindness
• [00:35:05] Wrapping up
• [00:36:28] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• What can we learn from other animals? – Episode 45, with Beki Hooper
• Leave us a voice note

A workplace with autonomy isn’t a utopia where everyone does whatever they want. Autonomy is a journey towards balancing freedom and choice with responsibility and accountability. It needs leaders to facilitate and coaches, and means adopting tools and processes that enable self-regulation.

Jon Barnes is a consultant who has devoted most of his professional life to autonomy and self-managed teams. He helps organisations move towards self-management by coaching teams and working one-on-one with CEOs. For Jon, autonomy is about empowering teams and individuals to make decisions and take ownership of their work while fostering a culture of trust and collaboration.

Three reasons to listen

• Gain insights into the concept of autonomy and what it truly means in a workplace setting.
• Understand the myths and misconceptions surrounding autonomy and self-management.
• Learn about different decision-making processes and their effectiveness in organizations.

Episode highlights

• [00:10:57] What is autonomy, and what is it not?
• [00:14:18] Who benefits from autonomy?
• [00:16:16] What decision-making processes realy work?
• [00:19:23] Challenges for autonomous team leaders
• [00:22:44] Challenges for autonomous team members
• [00:32:50] How our need for agency changes over time
• [00:37:27] Getting started with creating an autonomous team
• [00:40:07] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Connect with Jon via LinkedIn
• Jon’s Inner Management course
• Kick Out Your Boss – Ricardo Semler documentary
• The ups and downs removing the hierarchy from a team – Episode 65 with Tom McLaughlin
• There are no solutions, only trade-offs – Thomas Sowell
• The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play it, by Will Storr
• Locus of control
• Individual identity in teams – Episode 21, with James Prior
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Local activism and community engagement can lead to significant changes in local politics, but such change doesn’t come easy. A paucity of community engagement, a serious lack of trust, the need for diversity – these and many other issues can become barriers to change.

But this week’s guest, Peter Macfadyen, has proven that with perseverance, open communication, and a clear vision for positive change, these challenges can be overcome to create a more effective, participatory and community-driven local government.

Three reasons to listen

• To gain insights into the power of local activism and community engagement in driving political change.
• To discover the significance of grassroots movements, citizen empowerment, and challenging traditional political structures.
• To learn about the transformative potential of creating a more democratic and effective local governance system.

Episode highlights

• [00:07:41] British attitudes to death
• [00:13:58] The story of Flatpack Democracy
• [00:27:12] Mistakes made early on in the transition
• [00:31:19] Establishing a lasting change
• [00:37:10] Finding hope amid political division
• [00:43:43] Bringing people together
• [00:48:57] Don't improve the system - build a new one
• [00:50:40] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Flatpack Democracy: A DIY Guide to Creating Independent Politics – Peter’s book
• The Flatpack Democracy movement
• Action on Disability and Development
• The Humanity Project
• Leave us a voice note

Lots of teams are struggling when it comes to implementing psychological safety – particularly in areas like straight-talking, listening to each other, and challenger safety. Building psychological safety requires open and honest communication, a willingness to embrace conflict, and a shared understanding of how the team works together. Getting the right balance of healthy conflict and “just being nice” is core to building a safe team.

Joining Dan and Pia this week is Squadify business analyst Juliet Hammond, who breaks down the latest figures from Squadify’s data on team performance.

Three reasons to listen

• To gain insights into the concept of psychological safety and how it impacts team performance.
• To learn about the different levels of psychological safety and how they contribute to team dynamics.
• To understand the importance of challenging and straight-talking within a psychologically safe team environment.

Episode highlights

• [00:04:14] What is psychological safety?
• [00:09:37] What Squadify measures
• [00:11:37] What teams are recognising
• [00:17:55] 44% of people experiencing stress
• [00:22:12] A leader's role in fostering psychological safety
• [00:28:49] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Connect with Julia via LinkedIn
• The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety, by Timothy Clark
• Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive, by Amy Edmondson
• Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the World's $8.8 Trillion Problem – from Gallup
• Leave us a voice note

Working together as a team can help a brand successfully transition and mature. When we stand side-by-side with each-other, supporting each other's success and fostering a collaborative mindset, teams can achieve greater productivity and success.

Ben Powell-Jones is the former creative director of LADBible and the co-founder of Strong Watch Studio. He was involved in building LADBible's original content, coming from a TV career. He also spent time living in Japan, which had a significant cultural impact on his perspective on teamwork and collaboration.

Three reasons to listen

1. To discover how a cohesive and collaborative team can achieve more than individuals working solely for their own success.
2. To find out how a brand associated with schoolboy humour transitioned to one that promotes diversity and inclusion.
3. For a glimpse into the diverse range of stories and conversations Ben teased out, which provided inspiration and a fresh perspective on life for millions of viewers.

Episode highlights

• [00:14:59] Extraordinary conversations
• [00:28:31] Creating a difficult-conversation survival group
• [00:34:30] Idea generation in teams
• [00:36:03] Strong Watch Studios
• [00:39:34] Key takeaways from Dan dnd Pia

Links

• Connect with Ben via LinkedIn
• Extraordinary Lives
• Minutes With
• Leave us a voice note

Embracing diversity, giving people autonomy, and working towards shared values with clarity – those are essential key ingredients for teams in 2023 and beyond.

Those are among the insights Dan, Pia and their guests uncovered in season 6 of We Not Me. In this, the first episode of season 6, Squadify’s founding team are here to discuss what they learned, and share a little of what we can expect from the next 12 weeks.

Links

• What will happen when AI joins your team? – Episode 66, with Benjamin Dehant
• Season 6 review – Episode 72 with Matthew Bellringer
• What Simon Sinek could learn about irony in teams – Episode 71 with Richard Claydon
• The ‘clarity gap’ in teams and how to close it – Episode 63 with Juliet Hammond
• The ups and downs of removing hierarchy from teams – Episode 65 with Tom McLoughlin
• Diversity and inclusion in West Africa – Episode 68 with Sahera Sumar
• Lessons in leadership from Fiji’s COVID response – Episode 69 with Bernadette Welch
• Holding your values as you scale – Episode 70
• When building a community, shared silence can be golden – Episode 67 with Matt Trinetti
• Disaster relief, community engagement and being an asset not a liability – Episode 62 with Gaz Breen
• Leave us a voice note