Start The Week With Lorna & Lottie

Episode 31: How to Escape the Pressure Cycle

Under pressure? (Queen or Vanilla Ice, pick your side). Yep, join the rest of the working world for whom busyness has become the proverbial badge of honour. Chasing it. Glorifying it. Celebrating it. Measuring success by it.
 
How do we start to climb off the hamster wheel of the seemingly endless pressure we put ourselves under at work and move into a place where we feel like we’ve got more control?
 
We look at some Health and Safety Executive research as a lens for what we can actually control at work to help relieve some of our work pressure and offer tips for how managers and leaders can manage their own pressure and in turn that of their teams.
HSE link: https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/causes.htm

Episode 30: The Grenfell Report

Not ones to shy away from the hard topics, we talk today about the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the report published at the start of the month. Of course, we have opinions. Get your (almost) weekly fix of deep insights, learnings for organisations, and raw emotions as we unflinchingly take on one of the biggest scandals of the century so far.

Episode 29: Has Lorna Gone Bananas?

Another solo flight for Lorna as Lottie takes a well earned break. Frankly this may be her last as Lorna manages to fill nearly fifteen minutes with her favourite allegory about Monkeys and Bananas and Organisational Culture. Good luck listeners!

Episode 28: Communicating During Unrest & Uncertainty

An additional weekly podcast to address the issues in the UK unfolding over the past week. Lorna and Lottie share research and guidance for leaders reflecting on how best to address the topic of the UK violence and unrest, and how to support their people. 
With reference to https://www.edelman.com/trust/2024/trust-barometer 

Episode 27: Chess, Not Checkers

Lottie is back! And she's been thinking a lot about management. Why it's such a reductive term, why we can all be leaders and what the key behaviours and actions of great people who lead people might be.
It's a gallop through such a big topic looking at personal experiences of leading and being led, stag do's and being a shit manager. With Lottie's run down of things to consider when getting things done through and with people is your job. 

Episode 26: Lorna Flies Solo

Join Lorna for a shorter than usual episode trialling a new format in between our fortnightly Monday morning joint adventures. 
This episode Lorna reflects on the topic of Courage in Leadership and Organisations. Why it's needed, how to cultivate it and in doing so manages to share a long list of the brave/stupid life decisions she has taken along the way.
With reference to this HBR article on Courage in Organisations 

Episode 25: Is Gareth the new Taylor?

How can Lottie top Lorna's obsession with La Swift? By going big on her obsession with Gareth Southgate, despite confessing to knowing sweet FA about football (see what we did there?).
After 10 days of a new UK government, culminating in sporting sorrow for one of the nations and probably jubilation for the other three, Lorna and Lottie reflect on how to lead through change - especially when you are new in role. 
Specifically: what should new leaders do/not do in their first days to drive change? 
Seasoned players of Start The Week podcast bingo: eyes down!

Episode 24: Shrinking Giants

With homage to John Amaechi OBE, join Lottie and someone called Nigel as they explore why seeking therapy as a leader is just the right thing to do. Expect to hear their personal reflections on therapy, male mental health, hayfever and (obviously) Taylor Swift. 

Episode 23: The Pursuit of Happiness

Join Lottie, Lorna and special guest Matt Phelan from The Happiness Index as we explore how we define Happiness at work, why it matters, how come so many leaders are inadvertently bad at it and what you can do.
Also witness Matt's shameless bid for Lorna's spare Taylor Swift tickets.
The Happiness Index helps organisations understand employee engagement and happiness drivers to power their people strategy. 

Episode 22: You Have (Too Much) Mail

Join Lottie and Lorna as they explore their different attitudes to the form of communication that everyone loves to hate, ponder on why we behave so badly when at the wheel of Outlook, 'fess up to their worst ever email crimes and see how Lottie's Dutch is getting on.