Being Human

#170 Self-Work Meets Complexity - with Gabriel Jurj

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode of Being Human, I speak with Gabriel Jurj, who is a complexity practitioner and seasoned executive working in Romania. He didn't take the standard path, dropping out of University to join a monastic order, running hostels in Budapest.Still practising some of his monkish disciplines, Gabriel leans on these to help him lead. He also sees the strong links between a spiritual appreciation and the ability to embrace and work in an uncertain world.In this episode, we talk:What he learnt being a monkRetrospective cohesionThe links between self-work and complexity thinkingSpiritual practice in business lifeLetting go of goalsLinks:Cynefin at 21 - The BookAnanda Marga

#169 Graceful Extensibility - with David Woods

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode of Being Human, I speak with David Woods, a professor at Ohio State University who discovered and pioneered the concept of Graceful Extensibility.As the opposite of brittleness, graceful extensibility is the ability of a system to extend its capacity to adapt when surprise events challenge its boundaries.In this episode, we talk:Dealing with shockThe need to stretch at the boundariesHow all systems are fragileStaying alive to 'weak signals'How viability requires extensibilityLinks:The Theory of Graceful Extensibility: basic rulesGraceful Extensibility - short presentationThe Strategic Agility Gap

#168 Embracing Flow - with Nigel Thurlow

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/This week on Being Human, I speak with Nigel Thurlow, ex-Chief of Agile at Toyota and co-author of The Flow System.Tired of the framework merchants and the over-commercialisation of the Agile movement, Nigel could see that a new approach was needed. A philosophy that went beyond Lean and Agile to embrace complexity thinking, team science and the critical question of leadership.He believes, first and foremost, in education as the driver of change. Present people with the science and trust them to apply it in their context.In this episode, we talk:The holy triad of complexity, team science and distributed leadershipWhy leadership training must changeGoing beyond Systems ThinkingNew physicsHow information is upstream of energyLinks:The Flow System - Read the BookThe Flow System - Buy the BookFlow Guides

#167 Rare Breed - with Sunny Bonnell

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode of Being Human, I speak with author, speaker and CEO Sunny Bonnell.Together with her co-author, Ashleigh Hansberger, she wrote Rare Breed: A Guide to Success for the Defiant, Dangerous, and Different, a book that empowers people to take what society deems as "vices" and turn them into unrivalled assets.Sunny, herself a rare breed, dropped out of pre-veterinary school to start a branding agency with Ashleigh when branding agencies weren't a thing. Together, they built the hugely successful firm Motto around a 'rare breed' mindset.In this episode, we talk:Owning your weirdnessHer Dad's pivotal advice that kept her goingWhat it means to be a rare breedEmbracing your misfits for business agilityThe dark side of the rare breedLinks:Are you a rare breed? Find outSunny's Company - MottoRare Breed - The Book

#166 Cultivating Well-being - with Marion Kiely

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode of  Being Human, I speak with complexity practitioner and well-being advocate Marion Kiely.Marion has dedicated her career to figuring out how the latest complexity thinking can bring sustained change to organisations.From her home in Cork in Ireland, she talks passionately about how we can truly be well at work.In this episode, we talk:Why yoga and yoghurt is not the answerCould your work culture be a Health & Safety issue?The alternative to Powerpoints and plansThe power of storyHumble leadershipLinks:Marion's Practice - UpstreamThe Cynefin Wiki

#165 Letting Go of Certainty - with Sonja Blignaut

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode of Being Human, I speak with author and complexity consultant Sonja Blignaut.Meteorologist then IBM consultant, Sonya took a varied path to her latest role as CEO of leading complexity practitioners, Cognitive Edge.Sonja is a born-and-bred South African. As she points out, things don’t get much more complex than in the Rainbow Nation.In this episode, we talk:Complexity and mindfulnessThe individual versus the systemLetting go of the certainty merchantsThe diversity withinFacing your triggers Links:Sonja's Medium PageSonja's Practice - More Beyond

#164 A Strategy for Uncertainty - with Steve McCrone

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/This week on Being Human, I speak with former bomb disposal team leader and pioneer in adaptive strategy Steve McCrone.Adaptive strategy applies complexity thinking to the art of high-level planning to enable firms to build resilience in the face of uncertainties.Steve is a very passionate speaker and presenter and brings this approach to life brilliantly using a strategically placed whiteboard. A good one to watch on video.In this episode, we talk:- Rules of thumb for bomb disposal- The three aspects of adaptive strategy- "Dark constraints" in organisations- The stupidity of current/future state thinking- Riding the new paradigmLinks:Steve's Practice AGLX

#163 Future Sense - with Malcolm Parlett

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode of Being Human, I speak with psychological researcher, consultant and author, Malcolm Parlett. From an orthodox academic background, at Cambridge then MIT, Malcolm discovered Gestalt psychology, which changed his life and work. It opened up a new sense of connectedness and took him away from more traditional, reductive approaches. Malcolm went on to co-found the UK's Gestalt Psychotherapy and Training Institute and to create the British Gestalt Journal. His book, 'Future Sense: Five explorations of whole intelligence for a world that’s waking up' has been an inspiration for coaches, educators and therapists worldwide.  Malcolm is a powerful, tender soul, and he was a joy to interview.In this episode, we talk:- Getting out of your head- Practical Gestalt- Embodying- Self-Recognising- The power of gardeningEnjoy!To your humanity,RichardLinks:Malcolm's Books

#162 Embodiment Now - with Mark Walsh

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode of Being Human, I speak with embodiment coaching specialist Mark Walsh. Embodiment is about working through gentle non-athletic movement, posture, awareness, and breathing to pursue deeper, faster and more permanent change. In this conversation, Mark shows us how to make friends with our bodies and feel at home again in our skin.In this episode, we talk:- From drug dealer to aikidoka- The three levels of embodiment- How to be become trauma-aware- Saving lives in the Middle East- Training circus acts in EthiopiaEnjoy!To your humanity,RichardLinks:The Embodiment ConferenceEmbodiment Coaching 

#161 How to Make Optimal Decisions - with Dr. Timothy Yen

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode of Being Human, I speak with psychologist and former U.S. Army mental health specialist Dr. Timothy Yen.Dr. Yen has used his experience to create a framework that helps you build up your inner decision-making capability and use it successfully to address your most important choices.In this episode, we talk:- How trauma impacts how we make decisions- 5 pillars to help you make great choices- Growing up in an Asian-American family- Dealing with Iraqi vets- Blind spots for Eastern and Western culturesLinks:Dr. Yen's Website