Being Human

#90 The Art of Performance - with Jeroen De Flander

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In late September this year, I read the extraordinary story of the Hungarian psychologist László Polgár. He was convinced that talent was made not born.To prove it, Polgár declared that his as-yet-born children would become chess grandmasters through his training. He found a willing woman to join him in this grand experiment.Their daughters - The Polgár Sisters - are now some of the most successful chess players of all time. It was my guest this week, Jeroen De Flander, who first told me of this spectacular tale. It forms the basis of his latest book 'The Art of Performance'.In this week's episode, we talk:- How any kid can become Mozart-level pitch perfect- The myth of the 10,000 hours to mastery- The role that genes do play in talent- Why your interests matter more than your personalityLinks:The Art of Performance bookHolland Interests Test - FREEHolland Interests Test - PAIDJeroen's websiteThe Institute of Strategy Execution website

#89 Liminal Thinking - with Dave Gray

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/A conversation with multiple-author and thought leader Dave Gray on his book 'Liminal Thinking'.We talk:- The power of popping our "bubbles of belief"- The ultimate culture hack in a Dallas district- Hacking fishmarkets in Mogadishu- The art of the pattern interrupt- What we can learn from the American PragmatistsEnjoy!Links:Liminal Thinking on AmazonThe WesbiteDave's personal website

#88 Running Business on Love - with Marcel Schwantes

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/Marcel Schwantes is a speaker, executive coach, podcaster and syndicated columnist for Inc.com.He joins me in this episode to talk:- His epiphany overcoming a narcissist boss- The core tenets of Servant Leadership- How Servant Leaders must still lead- When to start and when to wait- Love in the workplaceEnjoy!Best,RichardLinks: http://www.leadershipfromthecore.com/

#87 Show Me Your Salary - with Tom van der Lubbe

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/We're back with Tom van der Lubbe, the radical CEO of Dutch financial advisors Viisi.This month the Fawcett Society in the UK made a call for women to be able all see men's salaries in the cause of equality. The Business Insider has also recently reported on an ad-industry viral salary spreadsheet.What if firms just made salaries public? Not only that, but set out the expected rises for years to come. This has been Viisi's approach.In this episode, we talk:- Why bonuses kill good culture- The power of public 'salary curves'- The self-organising approach to solving pay tensions- Why he doesn't let staff set their own salariesEnjoy! Links: Dan Pink TED Talk - The Puzzle of MotivationCorporate Rebels article about Viisi 

#86 Who Has the D? - with Paul Rogers

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In 2006, our guest this week, Paul Rogers, got a paper published in the Harvard Business Review titled "Who Has the D?"Over ten years later, the simple ideas in that paper continue to inspire. In a world of complex workflows and team dynamics, asking the question "Who Has the D?" can provide great clarity.In this episode, recorded at the Umbrella Rooms in London, we talk: - The RAPID method Paul developed for creating clarity in teams- How Paul uses this in day-to-day life as a senior consulting partner- The power of thinking of organisations in terms of 'Decision Architectures'- The surprising (at least to me!) progressive management culture at Bain- How he helps clients work through tensions in making decisionsLinksOriginal HBR paperBain & Company

#85 The Inflamed Mind - with Ed Bullmore

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/Early in his career, Professor Edward Bullmore, Head of Psychiatry, suffered an infected tooth. During his recovery, Edward felt uncharacteristically depressed. Was he down just because he was dwelling on the misfortune of his sore tooth? Or perhaps - perhaps he was depressed as a direct result of his physical infection. Was his depression actually emerging in his body as it fought the contamination? His idea was heresy within his medical community. As Descartes taught us, the mind is the mind, and the body is the body.In this episode with Professor Bullmore, now Head of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, we talk:- The mechanics of how inflammation can cause depression- Why the drugs industry has stalled on new mental drugs - The exciting potential for a new class of mental health drugs - Losing the distinction of 'mental' health. Is it just health?Links: The Inflamed Mind

#84 Reboot The Future - with Kim Polman

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/We're at the forefront of three societal waves: environmental degradation, rising inequality and human isolation.Kim Polman is out to make a change.At a fringe meeting at Davos in 2016, she launched a book of essays. On a snowy hill of hard-headed global capitalists, she spoke of heart-based connection, caring for the environment, and yes, spirituality. It caused a sensation. It started a movement. Kim's message is simple. Jesus, the Buddha and the great sages shared the same idea. The Golden Rule: treat others as you would wish to be treated.In this episode, we talk:- How to apply the Golden Rule in practice- The metaphor of the caterpillar's imaginal cells- How her playing the cello helped her parent her sons- The tale of a 40-hour-week success story in Silicon Valley- Why connecting to ourselves is at the core of global transformationEnjoy!Links: https://www.rebootthefuture.org/

#83 AI and the HR Department - with Devyani Vaishampayan

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode, I talk to HR Director-turned-investor Devyani Vaishampayan. Devyani has created a role for herself at the forefront of AI innovation in the HR sector. Her investment arm funds HR tech start-ups while she helps corporations test new ideas with her incubator programme.In this illuminating conversation, we talk:- The five ways in which AI is impacting businesses - How AI can help organisations become more human-friendly - The new leadership required in the Age of Transformation- How AI is improving the hiring process - What she looks for in start-upsEnjoy!Links: https://hrtechpartnership.com/

#82 Obo: Connecting Humans - with Dev Tandon

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode, I speak with ex-McKinsey consultant-turned business revolutionary Dev Tandon.How would the Buddha run a business? What if the workplace was organised purely around human connection?These are some of the questions Dev seeks to explore with the 'Obo' movement. With no money, he has already inspired a team to help him build a brand, write a book and design the movement's first products.We talk:- His moment of inspiration while meditating on a flight to Mexico- Starting meetings with silence - The broader human project to build 'awakened' systems for business- His radical approach for hiring- Why putting money to one side has it chasing usEnjoy!Links:Join Obo: https://obomovement.org/References:Reinventing Organisations, Frederick Laloux: https://amzn.to/2BiZJRLThese are some of the questions Dev seeks to explore with the 'Obo' movement. With no money, he has already inspired a team to help him build a brand, write a book and design Obo’s first products. 

#81 Psychological Safety at Work - with Amy C. Edmondson

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/In this episode, I talk with Harvard Leadership Professor Amy C. Edmondson. She's the author of The Fearless Organisation and world-renowned for her pioneering work on the link between psychological safety and team performance.I’m delighted that I got to speak with Amy. She is, undoubtedly, one of the management thinkers today having the greatest impact on the workplace culture conversation.We talk:- How she first discovered the link between performance and psychological safety- The parallels between psychological safety and free speech- Why psychological safety doesn't happen easily and must be cultivated- The recent furore of Google firing James Damore for sharing his views- Where to start with building psychological safety in your teamsLinks:The Fearless Organization: https://amzn.to/2nxF3lO