The Noggin Podcast - people in good places do good sh*t (Ben Houghton, Michael Wood)

It's that time of year....This week Michael interviews Ben about Performance Conversations. Whether it's end of year, half year, continuous, courageous... whatever the title, timing or the context, we are sure you'll want your one-to-one conversations to be effective. Listen to Ben share his experience on what helps and what hinders.

As we emerge from lockdown what will you secretly miss? Here Ben and Michael explore some ways of re-orienting yourself and others to whatever emerges next in this weird world of ours.

In this episode Ben and Michael explore the research and ideas of Marcus Buckingham. Using his book, Nine Lies at Work (2019), we share our responses and experiences to the 8 factors of engagement: 1. I am really enthusiastic about the mission of my company. 2. At work, I clearly understand what is expected of me. 3. In my team, I am surrounded by people who share my values. 4. I have the chance to use my strengths every day at work. 5. My teammates have my back. 6. I know I will be recognised for excellent work. 7. I have great confidence in my company’s future. 8. In my work, I am always challenged to grow.

Is your self-talk critical or nurturing? This week Michael and Ben are joined by friend and associate Caroline Flin whose favourite topic right now is self kindness. Coming to her own version of this over the past few years she shares her thoughts, ideas and practices for a more nurturing relationship with yourself. Thankfully, we realise the critical voice in our head is not just us.

Welcome to the Noggin Podcast. Today we are joined by Claire Thompson, a long term client of ours who we’ve been keen to get on the podcast for some time now. We’ve asked her to share her experience and insights from inside her organisation, and as the Head of Learning and Development at Balfour Beatty, she is in a great position to tell us how she and her team supports leaders to be at their best.

Join Michael and Ben for the first part of their conversation about the Immunity to Change process. Joined by two special guests, Kim and Rich, who recently participated in a Noggin workshop, we discuss and share our personal learnings from this powerful development framework.

Together with our special guest, Leadership Consultant Pete Morris, we explore our thoughts and ideas about the year ahead. in this episode Ben poses the question: Where should we be putting our attention? And Pete suggests we should all follow the work/life philosophy of Richard Ayoade. Simple. No more zoom fatigue.

Moving on from how to initiate conversations, join Michael and Ben as they take their interaction on into the inquiring phase. Whether you are trying to find stuff out, discover more, or simply listen and question with more precision; this episode explores how to facilitate dialogue without imposing, hijacking or taking over. 

Today we are digging into collusion, the ways in which we inadvertently participate in and support a leaders reactive behaviours to avoid an issue that might need addressing. Think of it as the deal that you and me make, often unspoken, where we agree not to discuss something. Using the Leadership Circle as a lens to explore this, Michael and Darren share their experiences of this challenging workplace dynamic and how to overcome it.

Today we are joined by our colleague Caroline where she invites us to explore some BIG questions. What holds you back from the truth? What do you really want? What's your purpose? What are you going to do to really make the most of your life? And quickly we realise how difficult these questions are to answer.

Continuing on from our our previous episode on the 4 Promises of Leadership, today we dive deeper into the Leadership Circle Profile. Together with Ben and Darren, we’ll be sharing some of our own insights and reflections from the profile experience to give you a sense of what this tool is about and how it can support leaders to focus on the competencies that improve leadership effectiveness and drive business results.

During lockdown have you been Yoda or Superman? Here Michael and Ben discuss the psychological concept of “holding space” and how to make it part of your everyday behaviours with your team, colleagues and more.

Join Michael and Ben for the first part of their conversation about how to initiate dialogue. Whether it is with someone you've only just met or with someone you have a known for longer, this episode explores how to set the scene, create buy-in and avoid fueling defensiveness.

In the conversation you'll hear Caroline refer to these important influences:

Aurélie Athan, Ph.D. https://www.matrescence.com

Alexandra Sacks M.D. https://www.alexandrasacksmd.com Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/jOsX_HnJtHU

Zoe Blaskey https://www.motherkind.co

Danna Greenberg https://www.babson.edu/about/our-leaders-and-scholars/faculty-and-academic-divisions/faculty-profiles/danna-greenberg.php

Finally, Ben and Michael finish their chat about their respective Greens and Reds when influencing in a dialogue. What started out as a conversation about the Noggin Card Sort, in this episode, slowly develops into something deeper and more meaningful. If you want to get in touch and ask us about any of the behaviours that are named on the cards then email michael@mynoggin.co.uk, or of you'd like us to send you a set of cards then drop a note to the same address.

After 5 years of running a card sorting exercise with delegates on their workshops, Ben and Michael finally get round to doing it with one another. This episode, and Parts 2 and 3, are what happened when they decided to hold this conversation in public, rather than doing it in private first. Diving straight into it, the jeopardy is present as they each share their thoughts on each others Green and Red behaviours when initiating dialogue. Get in touch: michael@mynoggin.co.uk

Join Michael and Ben for the second part of their conversation about how to initiate dialogue. In this episode we run another demo of a tricky 1-1 feedback conversation, where you get to spot the difference between the two approaches. 

This week Ben and Michael return to the Noggin Podcast to discuss a New York Times article titled What Satya Nadella Thinks. “Be on the lookout,”  the CEO of Microsoft says when considering the switch to an all-remote set-up, “for what is lost.” 

Starting his career in the military and then going on to study politics at university, transitioning into sales, then an MBA before becoming a business owner and to now an Executive Coach, Darren has devoted himself to many different careers. In this episode Ben asks the questions to prompt Darren to share his key touch points and life lessons from his colourful career journey.

Are you “tending” towards a happy life? This week Michael and Ben are joined by friend and associate Maxine Gooding aka Max…. The occasion of 3 significant birthdays raises questions about how to live a happy life. No pressure... From stagnation to generativity and other light hearted topics :)

Joined by our new associate Darren Hilton, and together with Ben, in this episode we'll be exploring the 4 universal promises of leadership set out by Bob Anderson and Bill Adams. You'll hear us discuss how leaders – and organisations – succeed or fail depending on whether or not leaders clarify their roles and goals, understand the impact implicit expectations have on their perceived effectiveness, and keep their promises.

As we all start heading back to office environments, whether that's some of the time or all of the time, what is important to be aware of? What have we forgotten about the benefits and challenges of in-person contact? What has been lost during this time of virtual communication? And how can we get the most from whatever decision you and your team make going forward?

Ben and Michael continue their Greens and Reds conversation from last time. This time sharing their thoughts on each other's behaviours when inquiring in a dialogue. Michael suggests that he is "Thoughtful and Understanding" and Ben believes he is "Responsive and Present", but do they agree? And what about "Unhelpfully Critical"? How does that show up for each of them? Get in touch: michael@mynoggin.co.uk

Real collaboration is a different ball game to line management. You are operating without authority and instead relying on the dynamic you are able to facilitate. Listen to Ben share his experience on what helps and what hinders when it comes creating a collaborative dynamic.

You can read more about the concepts from todays episode in:

Playing to Win by Larry Wilson: https://www.amazon.com/Play-Win-Choosing-Growth-Over/dp/188516761X

Mastering Leadership by Bob Anderson and Bill Adams: https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Leadership-Breakthrough-Performance-Extraordinary/dp/1119147190/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2K9G7BQ490XLJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.30V2xHDf-OK3ni8r4TXOL1Zx8Cc61CSzO4WrMZfzYQA.mG6g32mIwZxEhDxsEWUL-AngJzJvS1Jhh0MZbxS1R88&dib_tag=se&keywords=mastering+leadership+an+integrated+framework&qid=1714378507&s=books&sprefix=mastering+leaders%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C157&sr=1-1

 

 

Join Michael, Ben, Kim and Rich for the second part of their conversation about the Immunity to Change process. In this episode we look at the final steps - discussing the hidden side of our commitments as well as the big assumptions, or rules, that hold us back from achieving our goals.

We've done how to initiate dialogue and start well. We've done how to inquire and precisely listen and question. And today, we finish the trio with how to influence. Whether you are trying to get someone on board with your plans, get buy-in to a team initiative or simply communicate an organisational message without accidentally fuelling defensiveness; this episode explores how. 

We are back!! After a long absence from the podcast Ben has joined forces again with Leadership Consultant Pete Morris and top Noggin Coach Tom Answer to explore all things leadership and engagement.