Changing Conversations – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Why spaciousness matters for leading in speed—and how to create it

These are the key questions we discuss in this episode of Changing Conversations with Megan Reitz.

Megan Reitz is Associate Professor at Saïd Business School, Oxford, and Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult-Ashridge Executive Education. A leading voice on leadership, speaking up and organisational dialogue, her latest research explores spaciousness: a quality of attention that reveals relationships, interdependencies and possibilities hidden in constant doing mode.

In this conversation, we share:

• That leaders operate in two modes of attention: doing (instrumental, narrow) and spacious (open, curious, unhurried)—and why “spaciously doing” integrates both
• How your presence shapes others’ voice and performance—and practical micro-pauses to shift how you show up
• Why we often avoid space (fear, success = activity) and the myth that spaciousness means doing nothing
• How to design for creativity and safety in fast-paced systems (rituals, metrics, environments)
• A practical framework: SPACE—Safety, People, Attention (speed bumps), Conflict (dissonance), Environment

We’d love to keep the conversation alive. Reach out to Katrina and Stig to challenge us, ask a question, recommend a future guest and give us feedback.

Why is consciousness important for leading in complexity? And how do you grow your consciousness?

These are the key questions that we discuss in this episode of Changing Conversations with Lisa Doig.

Lisa Doig is a pioneer in the field of values and consciousness, designing, facilitating and training practitioners in profoundly transformational leadership development programs that are accessible to business leaders. Lisa founded Corporate Evolution in 2002 and her background includes 20 years in the oil and gas industry, and 15 years working as an external facilitator for McKinsey & Company. 

In this vulnerable conversation, we share:

• That consciousness is expanding your view and your ability to navigate uncertainty and complexity
• How expanding consciousness is related to the fears that limit your ability to see
• A values-based approach to personal development
• How consciousness links to organisational development

We’d love to keep the conversation alive. Reach out to Katrina and Stig to challenge us, ask a question, recommend a future guest and give us feedback. 

Eli Buren is an expert in embodied presence. Eli has taught workshops and retreats and has worked with clients internationally since 2005, working with thousands of people across the US, Europe and Asia. We have invited Eli to talk about how we can be more present in our conversations by working with embodiment. 

 The key topics covered in this episode are: 

• How to bring presence to your conversations 
• How to practise presence 
• How to honour the creation cycle
• Giving space in the conversation to be more effective
• Noticing how your body is reacting in a conversation
• Using the body as your anchor

 For references, links and other episodes, visit our podcast page here. 

Michele Zanini is the co-founder of the management lab and the co-author of the book “Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them”. Michele helps organisations become more resilient, creative and engaging places to work by inventing new management practices. We have invited Michele to talk about how we can unleash people’s potential by introducing a more humanocratic organisational model. 

The key topics covered in this episode are: 

• How organisations can reach their full potential by introducing the right organisational model
• How conversations in post-bureaucratic companies are far more lateral than they are vertical
• How to transfer knowledge and problem-solving expertise in a very organic way
• How to create cross-pollination of expertise within an organisation
• The importance of opening up the conversation and giving people the tools to have interesting and productive conversations with each other. 

For references, links and other episodes, visit the podcast homepage here.  

Wendy Smith is a professor of management at the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics, co-founder of the Women’s Leadership Initiative and author of the book Both/And Thinking. She is an advocate for bold leadership, and much of her work focuses on helping leaders and teams navigate paradoxes. We have invited Wendy Smith to talk about how we can get better at embracing paradoxes and go from either/or to both/and thinking.

The key topics covered in this episode are: 

• How we can embrace and invite tensions into the organisation 
• How paradox invites us to honour different points of view 
• How we can capitalise on friction 
• The importance of being transparent and vulnerable as a leader 
• Inviting ourselves to think about a different possibility space 
• How we can change questions from either/or to both/and 

 For references, links, and other episodes, visit the podcast homepage here. 

Sheila Heen is the founder of Triad Consulting Group, a lecturer on law at Harvard Law School and Co-Author of “Thanks for the Feedback” and “Difficult Conversations”. She is consulting with companies ranging from Pixar, Hugo Boss to the NBA around difficult conversations, negotiation and sound decision-making. We have invited Sheila Heen to talk about the conversations around feedback and specifically how we can each be better feedback receivers.  

The key topics covered in this episode are: 

• How do we move away from being dismissive in the way we receive feedback to genuinely being grateful and appreciating the feedback 
• Feedback as a learning and leadership skill 
• The three types of triggered feedback reactions: Truth triggers, relationship triggers and identity triggers 
• Asking for the feedback you want 
• Enabling feedback in your organisation 

 For references, links, and other episodes, visit the podcast homepage here. 

Gail Gallie is the co-founder and creative leader of Project Everyone. Project Everyone is the organisation behind the campaign launch of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Previously, Gail has run marketing and advertising practices, but she is now focusing on how to drive solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. In this episode, we have invited Gail Gallie to talk about the conversations that led up to the big success that is the Global Goals and how it changed global conversations.

The key topics covered in this episode are:

• The conversations that led up to the creation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• The power of conversations, trusting your instinct, keeping it low-fi and listening
• How visuals can help fuel a conversation 
• The importance of making things granular 
• How we can engage everyone in changing global conversations 
• How to enable a global ecosystem of changemakers 

For references, links, and other episodes, visit the podcast homepage here. 

Julie Diamond is the founder of Diamond Leadership. She works as an executive coach and international leadership consultant, and she authored the book: “Power - A User’s Guide”. Her focus is on creating transformational learning and leadership solutions across sectors. In this episode, we talk with Julie Diamond about the power of power in conversations and how each of us can become better power users.  

Key topics covered in this episode are:  

• Understanding the difference between social and personal power
• Advice on how to be more inclusive as a person with high social power
• Speaking up as a person with low social power
• Addressing power when it comes to difficult conversations, for example conversations in a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion space

For references, links, and other episodes, visit the podcast homepage here.

Fred Dust is the founder of Dust&Co. He works as a designer and advisor to social and business leaders and he authored the book “Making Conversation”. Fred works at the intersection of business, society, and creativity where he tries to implement the craft of humancentric design. In this conversation, we talk with Fred Dust about the importance of committing to the conversation and thinking of conversation as a creative act.

Key topics covered in this episode are:

• Building a space for creative conversations
• Committing to the conversation first, the people second and your beliefs third
• Making friends with the unknown
• The importance of being a good listener

 
For references, links, and other episodes, visit the podcast homepage here.

David Whyte is a philosopher and poet. He explores the conversational nature of reality, focusing on the relationship of human beings to their world, to creation, to others, and to the end of life itself. In this conversation, David challenges us to think of conversations not as an exchange of words but rather as a lens through which you can look at your life and way of being. 

Key topics covered in this episode are:

• Being in conversation with the things that are other than us
• The concept of a beautiful question
• The conversations you need to stop having
• The invitation you bring into a conversation
• Letting the conversation do the work

For references, links and other episodes, visit the podcast homepage here.