SEASON 2

DATE: 25 November 2020

HOST: David Webley, Founder & MD of Granite Consulting

GUESTS: Julia Steel, Speaker, Author, Facilitator, & Coach  

This episode of CWTLeaders explores the obstacles and constraints during times of uncertainty, and provides insights to developing a mindset to overcome them.

KEY INSIGHTS

• In time we will see the positive impact on culture that 2020 challenges has had.
• This year has provided great opportunity to pause, reflect, and adjust.
• Recognising what's important, rather than what's urgent, will enable what matters.
• It's the situation that's uncertain, not ourselves, and we have control of how we respond.
• Uncertainty doesn't diminish our enduring capabilities to overcome challenges and thrive.

This conversation was part of an online forum that took place on Wednesday 25 November 2020, with attendees joining and posing questions from all around the world.

05m30   Julia's Journey & Backstory   

09m00   Impacts of 2020 on Productivity   

12m30   Employee Expectations   

15m00   Building Virtual Teams   

17m00   Impacts of 2020 on Culture   

24m30   Removing the Obstacles   

26m30   Mindset Reset During Uncertainty   

27m30   Developing New Habits   

42m00   Building   Relationships Virtually   

44m45   Focus on What Matters   

50m15   2021 Cause for Optimism

DATE: 11 November 2020

HOST: David Webley, Founder & MD of Granite Consulting 

GUESTS: Jo Burston, Founder & CEO Inspiring Rare Birds

This episode of CWTLeaders explores entrepreneurship, how people can turn their passions into their livelihood, and the difference between a growth and fixed mindset.   

KEY INSIGHTS

• A passion for the cause and backing yourself are essential to entrepreneurial success. 
• Failures are inevitable when pushing boundaries and should be leveraged to learn and grow.  
• Adversity provides the impetus for innovation to occur. 
• Your people must be exceptionally change ready to seize emerging business opportunities. 
• Diversity nurtures different ways of thinking, yielding greater ideation and problem solving. 
• A growth mindset helps to leverage failures, build resilience, learn and grow.  

This conversation was part of an online forum that took place on Wednesday 11 November 2020, with attendees joining and posing questions from all around the world.

# The Catalyst for Change 

# By Accident or Design 

# Importance of Passion 

# Innovation from Adversity 

# Hiring for Human Skills 

# Fixed v Growth Mindset

DATE: 28 October 2020 

HOST:  David Webley, Founder & MD of Granite Consulting 

GUESTS:

Alana Bennett, Human Experience Fanatic & Coach, Connected Experience

Tim Way, MD & Career Coach, The Career Conversation

This episode of CWTLeaders explores the latest views and insights on leadership, with a particular focus on leaders who have leaders within their team, and how they should approach their role differently. 

KEY INSIGHTS

• Leadership is about shedding ego and enabling others to shine. 
• Don't under-estimate the significance of the human element. 
• Focusing on impact, rather than deliverables, will nurture trust and grow engagement. 
• The right language will help people get to know each other and work together better. # Leadership isn't easy, and it's important to make time for self care, to do it well. 
• Personal branding looks different in a remote working world, and shouldn't be forgotten.
• Unlike the traditional 'ladder', a 'lattice' is a different way of thinking of leadership and type of contribution to be made.

This conversation was part of an online forum that took place on Wednesday 28th October 2020, with attendees joining and posing questions from all around the world.

# Leadership is Enabling Others 

# Shifting Emphasis of Leadership 

# Impact and Contribution Over Deliverables 

# Leading in a Virtual World 

# Ladder and Lattice Leadership, Different Ways to Contribute 

# Leadership in Self Managed Teams

DATE: 14 October 2020 

HOST: 

David Webley, Founder & MD of Granite Consulting 

GUESTS:

Con Mouzouris, CEO, Mantel Group

Caroline Henshaw, Head of Culture and People, Mantel Group

This conversation shares the journey and insights of the Mantel Group, and its use of a Principle based culture to drive substantial growth (0 to 300 team members in just three years), as well as be awarded one of Australia’s Top 10 Places to Work.

INSIGHT 1

People are more engaged in small organisations. This type of engagement is able to be maintained in a growing organisation by limiting the size of each division to an optimum scale of ~150 people (as per Dunbar theory), a level up to which people are able to have meaningful relationships with each other.

INSIGHT 2

One advantage of remote working has been to create a level playing field between team members. Prior to COVID, people working in remote locations were alone when dialling into meetings where the rest of the team were co-located. Under COVID and the remote working practices it has introduced for most people, everyone is now dialling in and no-one feels on the outer.

INSIGHT 3

An uncompromising culture provides not only a sense of identity internally, but is also outward facing and something customers are able to recognise as an organisation they wish to do business with. A strong culture that is defined by Principles also means there is less need for internal rules and policies as the Principles themselves are able to guide the right behaviour.

This conversation was part of an online forum that took place on Wednesday 14thOctober 2020, with attendees joining and posing questions from all around the world.

09m45 Nurturing Culture

11m45 Uplifting Trust

13m30 Mantel Group Principles

17m45 Top 10 Places to Work

21m00 House of Brands

36m00 Mental Health

39m15 Customer Relationship

46m15 Future Plans

48m15 Difficult Stakeholders

49m15 Talent Acquisition

51m30 Resilience to Growth

DATE: 30 September 2020 

HOST: 

David Webley, Founder & MD of Granite Consulting 

GUESTS:

Mark Bain - General Manager Technology, Fred IT Group

This conversation explores transformation journey by Fred IT Group to a Customer Centric SAFe delivery model.

INSIGHT 1 A fundamental part of transformation is first asking the hard questions, and being prepared to answer them honestly. Until you truly face into the underlying problems, you are not able to solve them.

INSIGHT 2  Putting the customer at the centre of every conversation has enabled Fred IT to solidify its purpose and objectives. Even executives who had been in the business for several decades admitted to discovering new things about the customer. Clarification of purpose and objectives through a customer lens has made work much more meaningful for staff and resulted in an uplift in productivity and morale.

INSIGHT 3 Although KPIs continue to be used in certain areas, a greater emphasis on OKRs (objectives and key results) has helped to define a customer centric approach.

This conversation was part of an online forum that took place on Wednesday 30th September 2020, with attendees joining and posing questions from all around the world.

00m15s  Welcome and Introductions

07m15s An overview of Fred IT, Customers and Products

11m30s The Imperative to Change

12m15s  High Level Approach and Selection of SAFe

21m45s What Worked Well24m00s Improvement Opportunities

29m30s Could the Transformation have Occurred During COVID

31m15s  Onboarding New Team Members Virtually

32m45s A Customer Centric Approach

36m15s Purpose to Drive Engagement and Better Outcomes

39m00s Key Challenges Faced

40m15s Level of Visibility for Business Prioritisation

41m30s KPIs versus OKRs46m00s Getting People Onboard

50m00s Advice for Tackling Change Resistance

DATE: 9 September 2020 

HOST: 

David Webley, Founder & MD of Granite Consulting 

GUESTS:

Rebecca Murch - Head of Internal Comms & Engagement NHS Bristol

Advita Patel - Founder & Director Comms Rebel

This conversation explores the Comms strategies required to support your people through the post isolation period.

INSIGHT 1 The pandemic is causing heightened levels of uncertainty and anxiety, which equally heightens the importance of comms to help people through their journey.

INSIGHT 2 The days of annual staff survey are past, and regular pulse checks are now critical as a barometer of morale and to craft and nuance comms accordingly.   

INSIGHT 3 Understanding the psychological stages of change and stress and awareness of where your people are on it will help identify the support needed.

This conversation was part of an online forum that took place on Wednesday 9th September 2020, with attendees joining and posing questions from all around the world.

04m20s   Guest Background 

08m00s   Impact of Pandemic on Morale and Ways of Working 

11m30s   The Three Pillars of Post Isolation Communication 

26m50s   The Kubler Roth Change Curve 

33m50s   Elements of Success at the NHS 

39m10s   Measuring Success 

41m10s   The Growing Significance of Video in Comms 

47m50s    Should Feedback be Anonymous? 

49m30s   How To Conduct Pulse Checks