Amy Edmondson is a professor of leadership and management at Harvard Business School and one of the world’s most influential management thinkers. She talks to host Isabel Berwick about her new book, Right Kind of Wrong, in which she argues that companies can only hope to succeed when they make it ‘psychologically safe’ for their teams to fail. Plus, Brooke Masters, the FT’s US financial editor, tells Isabel about the time, early on in her career, when she made a mistake. What did she learn from the experience and how does Amy’s thesis play out across the US corporate world?

Do you have a workplace dilemma you’d like Isabel and Jonathan Black, director of the careers service at Oxford university, to help you with? Submit it using this link.

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The art of making good mistakes

FT 2023 business book of the year shortlist

Why bosses must take time to learn from failure

Psychological failure: the art of encouraging teams to be open

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re getting better at talking about the roles that gender and race play in career progression. What’s less spoken about is class or social mobility. In this episode, host Isabel Berwick talks to John Friedman, professor and chair of economics at Brown University, who studies the impact of childhood inequality, and hears from Sophie Pender, a London-based corporate lawyer and founder of the 93% Club, a UK network that connects and empowers people who went to state school, about how class discrimination continues to affect people at work and what to do about it.

Do you have a workplace dilemma? Isabel and Jonathan Black, director of the careers service at Oxford university, are on hand to help you out. Submit it using this link.

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Harvard faces federal probe over legacy admissions

University is more than just a springboard to a job

UK youth face being worse off than parents, says social mobility chief

KPMG survey on social class and career progression here

The 93% Club here

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the start of the pandemic, tens of thousands of people in the UK have retrained as psychotherapists or counsellors. What is it about the field that has attracted so many, and what does this phenomenon tell us about work? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to the FT’s Bethan Staton, who wrote a brilliant piece on this topic, to find out more. Later, she speaks to Michael Skapinker, who worked as an FT reporter, senior editor and award-winning columnist before training as a counsellor. Michael tells us what his new line of work has taught him and why he wishes he’d thought about it sooner.

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‘Profession of the century’: why so many people are retraining as therapists

Letter: Therapy is no cure for a society in crisis External Link

Therapy at work: banks and law firms among those offering counselling as staff perk

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Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clear communication can be the difference between getting what you want at work, and missing out. But some of us are better at it than others. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to BBC News analysis editor Ros Atkins, best known for his viral explainer videos, about how we can learn to get to the point. Atkins has made his career conveying information effectively. His recent book, ‘The Art of Explanation,’ distils lessons from more than 20 years at the BBC.

Some work jargon is a lot worse than others

Workplace buzzwords to take seriously — and those to ignore

If you thought business jargon was bad...

Communication is a ‘leaky process’

What Beyoncé and J-Lo’s Grammy speeches teach communicators

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not all that long ago, you might have done the same job – or kind of job – for your entire career, but as life expectancy increases and social mores change, a growing number of people are pivoting to new jobs in middle age. In this episode, recorded at the FT Weekend Festival at London’s Kenwood House, Isabel Berwick speaks to three experts to find out why changing careers can have surprising benefits – and how to do it best. Isabel is joined by Jan Hall, founding partner of leadership consultancy No 4 and co-author of a book exploring career change for senior leaders; Ana Baillie, a former financial and professional services lawyer now studying to be a midwife; and FT contributing editor and columnist Camilla Cavendish, author of ‘Extra Time: 10 Lessons for an Ageing World.’

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The City workers who swapped the office for the great outdoors 

New job, new you? Well, maybe . . .

Would it be unwise to leave my well-paid job to pursue a career in film? 

I have done the same job for years — how do I now move my career on?

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. 

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? Which topics should we tackle? Email the team at [email protected] or Isabel directly at [email protected]. 

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn 

On X, formerly Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

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Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brits love to moan about their managers – but maybe they have a point. The vast majority of bosses in the UK get no formal training on how to lead, and most MPs don’t think improving the quality of management should be a priority, according to polling and data from the Chartered Management Institute. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Ann Francke, head of the CMI, to find out where British managers go wrong – and what better leadership could do for the British economy. Later, she speaks to the FT’s US financial editor, Brooke Masters, and Lucy Fisher, the FT’s Whitehall editor and host of the Political Fix podcast. They discuss what UK leaders could learn from their US counterparts, and why bad British leadership starts from the top.

Leadership skills neglected for too long, warns UK management body

CBI to recruit new president as part of governance overhaul

What Lucy Letby tells us about the NHS culture of secrecy and denial

Workplace flattery gets you everywhere

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Friday afternoon in the city. You’re surrounded by office blocks, there’s a restaurant or bar on every corner… so where is everyone? If occupancy and travel data are anything to go by, they’re probably at home. Isabel Berwick speaks to Stanford economics professor Nick Bloom and FT columnist Pilita Clark to find out whether cities will be ghost towns on Fridays for the foreseeable future. She also asks: if people aren’t at the office on Friday, what are they getting up to? Finally, Chris Silcock, the managing director for the UK and Ireland at Kellogg’s tells Isabel why the company lets workers knock off early on Fridays.

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Thursdays really are the new Fridays

Get ready for the four-day working week

Big US city downtowns ‘stuck’ behind smaller rivals in pandemic recovery

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. 

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at [email protected] or Isabel directly at [email protected]. 

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn 

On X, formerly Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, with production assistance from Lucy Snell. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New data from Gallup shows that almost one in five Brits say they feel angry at work – a sharp jump from last year and comfortably higher than our European counterparts. So how can we stop getting wound up in the office – and how should we deal with colleagues who fly into a rage? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Mike Fisher, founder and director of the British Association of Anger Management, about how workplace fury works. Isabel also hears from Liz Fosslien, the bestselling co-author and illustrator of two books about how to embrace emotions at work: No Hard Feelings and Big Feelings.

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Why we are all so angry at work

The hell of other people in the office

Should you cry at work? And other personal questions

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. 

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at [email protected] or Isabel directly at [email protected]. 

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn 

On X, formerly Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes are commonplace, and with good reason. They can help with staff satisfaction, retention and improve business outcomes. But all too often they are implemented in incoherent ways. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Lily Zheng, a DEI strategist and consultant, about how companies can develop initiatives that make a lasting difference.

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Corporate diversity in the crosshairs after US Supreme Court ruling 

Exits of diversity executives shake faith in US companies’ commitments

Recession is no excuse for going backwards on diversity 

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. 

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at [email protected] or Isabel directly at [email protected]. 

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn 

On Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineers are Simon Panayi and Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Work has changed immeasurably since the pandemic – and office design has adapted too. Laura Beales, co-founder and chief operating officer of Tally Workspace, tells host Isabel Berwick why beer taps are out and phone booths are in, while Ebbie Wisecarver, head of Global Design and Development at WeWork, discusses how the company’s approach to design has matured since Covid-19. Finally, FT columnist Simon Kuper discusses how he made his perfect office: a beautifully appointed, 19th-century flat in Paris.

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How I made my perfect office

After 25 years working alone, I tried WeWork

Hybrid working enters a third dimension

Privacy at work and the rise of the ‘quiet space’

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. 

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at [email protected] or Isabel directly at [email protected]. 

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn 

On Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.