The Focus – Details, episodes & analysis

In which we interview Erich Bühler

We discuss:

• Leading Exponential Change
• The impact of the neurochemistry of cortisol
• Kelly McGonigal's TED talk on How to make stress your friend
• Detecting organisational stress
• Techniques for reducing stress, like breath-work, physical workouts, cold and heat exposure
• Susan David's Emotional Agility
• Celebrating when we notice holding inaccurate ideas
• The trials and tribulations of interactions with people that have psychopathic habits
• The Huberman Lab podcast
• The Enterprise Agility World Conference - enjoy the discount code THEFOCUS for your registration

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Linda Rising

We discuss:

• Effective ways of introducing new ideas, discovered through much struggle
• Fearless Change
• More Fearless Change
• Telling stories that involve people emotionally
• Attempting big change is usually unsustainable. Instead, growing ideas and approaches together organically works much better.
• We cannot take everyone with us. For any new idea, there will be champions and early adopters, but there will be laggards as well.
• What genuine diversity is about
• Braver Angels
• Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow
• Jonathan Haidt's Happiness Hypothesis
• Menlo Innovations
• Building trust by sharing food together
• The ease with which we get divided into groups, and yet we all overestimate the number of nickels in a jar
• The miracle of agape
• Embracing both the early adopters and the laggards
• Choosing worthy targets
• Dealing with ego
• The magic of hope
• Suzanne Simard's Finding the Mother Tree
• Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees
• Linda's intentions as a Mother Tree for us

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Johan Steyn

We discuss:

• Why do so many incompetent men become leaders (and how to fix it) 
• K-waves or economic super-cycles
• Sapiens, the "useless class", and dystopia, utopia or something else?
• The hypothesis that "all sentiences are created equal"
• Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey
• How civilisation is quite thin, and we're only a few missed meals away from a riot. Hunger and privation are powerful motivators
• The Truman Show and how people accept the realities they are presented with
• The Theories of Everything podcast
• The original meaning of "blessed are the meek" Matthew 5:5
• How we are excellent procrastinators
• The New Human Movement
• Corporate Rebels

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Scott Ambler

We discuss:

• Agile modelling and agile data
• Short-termism
• Non-invasive data governance
• Truthfulness in work and data
• The Disciplined Agile governance process blade
• From PMO to VMO 
• Multi-disciplinary governance tribes
• Value streams begin and continue through to the customer
• Rapid adaptation including customer feedback and the example of Zara
• Building relationships and automation of governance with a human touch (see also autonomation or jidoka)

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Shane Hastie

We discuss:

• Skills and titles
• Agile People
• #noprojects - A Culture of Continuous Value
• From Project to Product
• The code of ethical conduct for agile coaching
• Frederic Laloux's concept of teal organisations
• The Social Dilemma
• The Art of Holding Space
• Shane's upcoming book, The Rock Crusher - about a model for populating and managing product backlogs

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Alan Hesketh

We discuss:

• How when we work better we enjoy life much better
• Alan's upcoming book "Start Fast. Achieving rapid impact from digital transformation"
• How the lessons of endurance swimming apply to leadership
• Making Work Visible
• The "Lemons and Roses award" idea
• John Boyd's OODA loop
• Paul O'Neill's keystone habits put into practice at Alcoa
• Beyond Budgeting
• Willful Blindness
• The Obstacle is the Way
• Management 3.0
• The Bureau of Sabotage and Jorj X. McKie
• Leadership is Language

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Joanne Stone 

We discuss:

• What Wick'd Agile is about
• How getting fired as an Agile Coach triggers deep insight and professional growth
• How people experienced in practicing an agile mindset may band together and help in more communities - with an invitation to join us in the World Café Event on September 10th.
• The Agility Impact Community
• Unintended consequences, and the story of the Cats in Borneo
• Leadership agility
• The inspirational example of José Andrés and the World Central Kitchen
• Going from bickering to feeling like we belong

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Carlos Andrade

We discuss:

• The value-add of effective leadership
• The necessity of disciplined training to develop effective skills
• How great leaders create great professionals in their organisations
• Vicious and virtuous cycles 
• Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow
• The Inside the mind of a master procrastinator TED talk
• David Marquet's Intent-Based Leadership
• Jocko Willink's Extreme Ownership
• Corporate Rebels
• Humanocracy
• Steven Pinker
• Simon Sinek's Start with Why and Adam Grant's Think Again
• Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• Hoshin Kanri or strategy deployment
• The role of the court jester

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Janet Gregory

We discuss:

• Changing the perception of quality
• The role of the tester into the future
• Overcoming stigma
• How we might get emotions to help us make better decisions
• Seeing our teams as extended families
• Beyond zero sum
• Doing the work to get the benefits

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

In which we interview Al Shalloway

We discuss:

• How logic isn't enough to achieve impact. An engaging conversation is essential.
• Cultivating empathy
• Echo chambers and how we might break out of them.
• Ways of dealing with complexity
• Systems Thinking and Russ Ackoff's "TED talk"
• How amazing instructors seem to be reading our minds
• Steve Tendon and The Book of TameFlow
• What makes a professional coach?
• Dealing with toxic cultures
• Stoicism and Ryan Holiday's work
• Trim tabs 
• The Amplio community of practice
• Success Engineering

We are:

• Aldo Rall
• Horia Slușanschi
• Gareth Holebrook

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.