Warring colleagues, shrinking budgets, low morale: TV producer Becky has only a few weeks to turnaround a troubled morning show before it’s cancelled. If she’s going to make it, she’ll have to quickly learn:

- How to cope with sudden change

- How to convince others to try doing things differently

- Deciding if it’s time to walk away

- The pros and cons of making dramatic changes early

- Motivating colleagues and enlisting allies in change

- Role modeling change

Ever felt like getting change started in your organization would take a full-blown revolution? In Snowpiecer, Curtis leads the underclass as they fight from the back of the train to control the engine at the front. Aside from the apocalyptic frozen wasteland outside, the story has a lot in common with change movements within teams, including:

- The importance of creating a vision for change

- Knowing when an organization is ready to change

- The role of rituals and storytelling in change movements

- Overcoming failure and sabotage

- Building momentum for lasting change

When they’re not harassing customers, playing hockey on company time, or debating the risks of working on the Death Star, Dante and Randall serve as clerks at the Quick Stop Grocery and video rental store. This classic portrayal of Gen X “slackers” offers a surprisingly insightful look at:

- Stereotypes of Gen X in the workplace

- “Selling Out” vs. “Finding Your Passion” at work

- Negativity, disengagement, and absenteeism

- Front-line management and the need for self-regulation

- Purpose and motivation in employees

- The role of work and personal brands

When American football coach Ted Lasso is brought over to England to coach “football” football, no one—not the fans, the players, or even his boss—expect anything but a complete fiasco. But the “Lasso Way” slowly wins people over, and in fact serves as the perfect blueprint for any leader trying to transform a team. This episode’s highlights:

- Leading when you’re new to the field (3:45)

- Building trust with a new boss (8:00)

- Getting executive support for change (14:25)

- Turning skeptics into champions of change (17:24)

- Managing star players who aren’t team players (21:39)

- Overcoming your first failure (27:56)

- Maintaining your own sanity when navigating change (32:47)

As a newly promoted manager at San Francisco startup SPRQPoint, Zoey must build team spirit, placate a demanding boss, and navigate office relationships—all while people break into song and dance around her, expressing their innermost thoughts and desires. Whether you’re stepping into a leadership role for the first time, stepping up into a new role, or managing a new leader, you’ll learn:

- How to transition from a peer- to leader- relationship with former colleagues (2:47)

- Where to find training and coaching for leaders (16:10)

- How to manage a first-time manager (20:35)

- How to retain great talent on your team (31:40)

- How to come back from a big, public mistake (34:24)

- Ways to identify leadership potential (42:36)

When Mae gets a job at Amazon/Google/Facebook stand-in The Circle, her work quickly becomes her life: constant customer feedback tracks her performance, tiny cameras follow her every movement, and her social profile keeps her engaged with other employees. As companies demand ever more from their employees, it’s a chance to discuss:

- Customer-centric teams and feedback (2:18)

- Building trust and the “trust triangle” (10:35)

- The problems with “mandatory fun” at the office (15:21)

- The line between employee engagement and cult-like culture (24:27)

- Increasing accountability on your team without increasing surveillance (27:50)

- Dealing with micromanagers (29:37)

While the monsters of Monsters, Inc. might think they’re in the business of scaring children, they’re the ones who should be scared: their workplace is a culture of cutthroat competition, toxic colleagues, cover-ups, and misplaced company values. This delightful children’s movie is really an opportunity to uncover the impact of fear on organizations; dealing with toxic colleagues and whistle-blowing; maintaining personal integrity in toxic workplaces, and more.

Quarantine making you stir crazy? Can’t take one more Zoom meeting with colleagues? Then you’ll appreciate the predicament facing the two characters in The Lighthouse: stuck on an island for four weeks, living in close quarters, with no one else to distract them from their endliess chores. We discuss:

- How to start a relationships with colleagues on the right foot (3:50)

- The risks of having no separation between work and life (10:30)

- Managing conflict and the stress of social isolation (19:24)

- Mental health in the office (32:02)

- Bonding with colleagues in stressful times (41:40)

When developer Richard comes up with a new technology for file compression, he finds himself suddenly launched into the heart of startup culture in Silicon Valley. We take a look at the early stages of Pied Piper, and what it means for:

- The difference between purpose, mission, vision, and values—and why they matter (3:53)

- The different stages of culture at startups, and how to scale your team effectively (14:45)

- The four different types of company cultures (17:40)

- Hiring for culture fit vs. culture add (23:20)

To work her way up the career ladder, Tess McGill will have to overcome casual sexism and backstabbing bosses, all while navigating a relationship with her business partner. It’s a fascinating look at how women’s roles in the office have evolved—or not—since the 80’s, including:

- How sexism and classicism in the workplace have changed since the 80’s. (3:10)

- The unique challenges female leaders face, and how women can support women in the office. (10:28)

- Managing inter-office romantic relationships. (20:49)

- Taking career risks and growing as a leader—including an invitation to NOBL’s new leadership retreat. (23:34)