The Unified Team

Before teams can perform people have to be capable of performing.Burning out staff through stress or overload of work means the team will crash. Each individual is also facing personal challenges. Now they might not be strictly work related, they impact their ability to focus and contribute.I gathered an expert on mindfulness and neuroscience, another on health and fitness and someone who'd burned out and recovered from addiction.We talked about the challenges team leaders face and how they can navigate through them.

Leave your emotions at the door!Your personal life is your problem. Be Professional. Just get on with it.Theses are statements that we've probably all heardIn the old factories they made sense. We could press buttons as we stifled sobs and anxieties. Today though, they don't work.When we separate who we are from what we do, we have a soulless, passionless job.In today's Unified Team Podcast episode I was talking to Signe KorjusSigne helps leaders lead in the way they dreamed of. By connecting them to their own source of wisdom and power. So they have the confidence to grow.

Imagine your job rested on how your team performed in the next 45 minutes...how would you get your message across in 5 minutes?As we come to the end of the football season and games that decide who wins titles and promotions. And who loses and gets relegated. This is the situation football managers are facing.The very same lessons apply in every business across the globe.In every situation we are dealing with people. Their varying styles. And the dynamics of the group.A statistic tells us that Managers spend 50% of their time in meetings.Yet 65% of employees feel meetings reduce their productivity.Effective meetings are key to bonding a team and making them work effectively. How we approach 1-1 and group meetings is key to creating the climate and culture that defines the group.In this episode we discussed meeting dynamics. Individual responses and how to accommodate differing styles. How to ensure your message gets through and is heard in the way you want.Some great insights and tips from:Clark RayThomas CourtsTony Walmsley

Is AI to be our Saviour or Enslaver?Every great story is a battle of good vs evil. The question of what role AI plays out in our future is yet to be answered. What is critical is who gets to teach AI.Will it exaggerate the flaws within our own systems or will it bring more humanity?I gathered together a group of people brighter than me to think this through.Giannis Chatzidis Chief Data Scientist and AI CoachMuhammad Mehmood - Ex CEO of Tech companyNeil Harrison - Adaptologist and Change ProfessionalPaula Anastasiade - Change Management Consultant Listen in to see the potential pitfalls and benefits AI could bring.

Bartholomew Sharpe stole something that made him a fortune.In 1680, he and his men sailed out to central America where they stole a Spanish ship. They discovered an atlas of Spanish sailing charts. They used it to find and raid Spanish ships.On his return to England he was arrested for piracy and brought before the King.The Spanish Ambassador insisted he be hung for his crimes. However, Sharpe had something of great value to the King... the atlas. His gift kept him alive and free. Today's episode of the Unified Team Podcast is about mentoring. A Mentor is someone who has a map of where you want to go. They can warn you of landmines. And show you where treasure can be found. I was joined by three people who have deep and rich maps of experience.Matthew Ward started out on his own in business at 23 and grew a 72 strong chain of multi-national Hair Salons before selling up and retiring.Waldemar Zimmer went from the shop floor to becoming CEO of a Multinational company by the age of 30.Akanksha Adivarekar found herself in a new country, unable to practice her profession of Dentistry. She started from the ground up and built a second successful career in the HR field.

What's the most adaptive species on the planet?Some say rats or cockroaches. Despite being low in the food chain, they adapt to their surroundings. Many stronger and more powerful species have been wiped out long before them.Some that argue that humans are the most adaptive.Our intelligence and co-operation has enabled us to live in every climate. We can also change the environment to suit us. The last 300 years have been about manipulating the environment to create the world we know.It's been an act of monumental intelligence... ...and equally monumental stupidity.It took massive intelligence and resourcefulness to secure our survival. But the changes created a wealth of new problems and threats we hadn't considered. Global warming is the headline of these.But there are many more that we are all facing in our workplaces.Burnout. Disengagement. The great resignation.These are symptoms of our evolved biology conflicting with an artificial world. Neil Harrison is co-founder of The Adaptologists.He was involved in many change projects as a Change Manager. Seeing people break down in tears because he was the first person to listen to them had a profound effect on Neil. He saw a need for change that enabled people, rather than change for a specific outcome. With his co-founder Amanda Greenwood, they set out to try to help companies adapt to a post-industrial age world.In today's podcast episode he shared insights and experiences from his journey.

Do you want a first class or economy class life?When we travel we have a choice. We can be herded like cattle in economy. Or we can pay a lot more to be treated better.In life we also have the choice.We can have a vibrant and full experience. Or we can be sluggish and have a dull experience. But this time we pay with our effort and discipline.The key question is how do you source your energy?Do you eat junk, sit around a lot and fill your mind with whatever is on your feed? Or do you eat nutritious food, exercise your body and mind?Priyamvada was travelling through life in economy class.Until one day she'd had enough and chose to upgrade. Today, she lives a first class life. She runs marathons, eats healthily and is conscious about what she pays attention to.Now she helps others to upgrade their lives, by making better choices about how they source their energy.She told me about her journey in today's podcast episode.

How much do you spend on a computer?You can buy a Chromebook new for £179. But most of us spend a lot more. Why?Because we've experienced the frustration of rebooting and waiting after crashing.We pay more for more a better processor and higher RAM. Because it means we can do more. And we have to deal with less frustration.How about your capacity?Are you crashing because there isn't enough RAM free? Are you running our of capacity for high level thinking? Is it time for an upgrade?We can't pull off the cover and slot in more RAM.But we can clear the clutter and the fog to optimise our brain. We can increase our focus. And so we have more presence and more power in each moment.This is what today's guest, Neuro Science Coach, Niki Vinogradoff teaches people to do.He understands the leadership journey having been through it himself. He told me about his path which included living in a meditation centre and training for 15 years. He told me about the challenges people find in beginning meditation.

Which makes more impact... changing technology or people?Of course the best answer is to make both change in harmony.When companies make a big change in how they work, there's two key factors:1. Making the technological/organisational/process change.2. Getting people to adopt and adapt to the change.Project Management developed in the first half of the 20th Century.Often though projects ran into problems because people were ignoring the change. They would continue to do things as they always had. Change Management developed in the later decades of the 20th Century as a fix.They work to bring people into harmony with the change.Daniel Lock is a passionate advocate for advancing the field of change.Besides leading his own projects Daniel coaches and trains other Change Managers.Because Change Management is less understood it is often less visible or listened to.Daniel helps CM's to get the visibility, respect and influence they need to make effective change.

What would you do if you were cut off from the profession you trained for years to do?In a new continent. In a new culture. Without a network. With the one thing you've dedicated your life to be good at, cut off from you.This is Akanksha Adivarekar story. It's a story about the power of positivity and humility. Of making the best of your situation and asking how you can do better.Akanksha is a Dentist by training. And despite the desperate need in the UK for Dentist's she was unable to practice in any form here. But Akanksha looked for the positives. She began sharing her feelings and experiences, anonymously at first.Soon she grew to 9 - 10,000 followers.She had to begin a new career from scratch and started out as a crew member at McDonalds. She rose to manager and then in the learning and development team. Then she developed a career in HR.All from finding Mentors who could help and asking for help when she struggled.In our conversation she shared her passion for helping people through her HR roles. And also her belief in seeking advice and feedback from others.

Becoming a leader is a journey of managing fear.Am I enough?Will I be accepted as an authority?Who am I to lead this group?These fears are at the core of the challenge of leading.In these three mini clips three successful leaders:Clark RayThomas CourtsTony Walmsleytalk about the challenge of becoming comfortable leading and the skills needed to lead well.

Let's talk about Gen Z...They're lazy!They're entitled!They want everything yesterday!Or are they the force that is going to change organisations?Is the problem that we've built structures where people are expected to sell their souls for a job?Are we demanding too much and giving too little to employees?Is it time the work-life balance was rethought?Is it time to bring your whole self emotions and all to work?I got together some bright passionate people to talk through some of these issues.Representing Gen Z - Sandy De JesusRepresenting Millenials - Saieed SadeghzadehRepresenting Gen X - Sarah Gruneisen

When you want to make a change what do you do?You can force people with a stick. You can entice them with a carrot. Or you can talk it through and agree how to work together.Today Paula Anastasiade goes into organisations and works to make changes happen. Without bribery or force. But through dialogue and listeningChange happened through force and fear. Later she trained as a Social Scientist. Her Master's degree involved Conflict Resolution and mediation processes. She understands how people work and interact together in groups. Today Paula goes into organisations and works to make changes happen. Without bribery or force. But through dialogue and listening.I had a fascinating conversation about her experiences and how to make change work.

Careers are made and broken on getting things done... or not.You can devise the most brilliant strategy in the boardroom, but if you can't get people to execute it... you fail.When your success relies on hundreds or thousands of employees, how do you get people on board?How do you ensure projects get people adopting changes to processes or technology?Sophisticated leaders employ specialist Change Managers. They work to get people adapting and adopting the change. I asked three experienced and successful Change Managers...Paula AnastasiadeLisa Cunningham DeLauneyDaniel Lock...what they wish Leaders knew before a change.

If you want to sharpen a knife what do you do?You use a sharpening steel. In the right hands the knife becomes sharper. And then it cuts through with more ease.The world of work is changing. What worked once isn't anymore. We need to cut to the heart of the matter. They say steel sharpens steel. Enter Waldemar Zimmer the steel to sharpen the next generation of leaders.Waldemar saw poor leadership and set out to prove their could be a better way. After working himself up to CEO he sought a new challenge. His new mission is to develop a new generation of leaders.After a childhood of facing and meeting challenges @waldemar allowed himself no excuse.The complaints are that Gen Z are snowflakes, whiners and soft. I see no better Mentor than Waldemar to sharpen the next generation of leaders.Listen in to our conversation to see how I came to that conclusion.

They say when life gives you lemons you should make lemonade.My guest on today's episode is the living embodiment of that motto. He has been challenged in every way and still found a way to succeed. Today he's helping others to lead more successfully.Muhammad Mehmood crossed continents to take up a job in the UK National Health Service.When he got here, a technical hitch meant he couldn't start. Imagine being in a new country without an income, home or knowing anyone. Homeless and jobless he started from rock bottom.He found a job as a Kitchen Porter.Soon he found an opportunity. To turn an idea into a thriving hospitality business that could be successfully sold. After succeeding he was hired in to be CEO of a Tech company.From homeless to leading 10,000 employees Muhammad Mehmood's journey meant completing nine degree/diploma courses (including qualifying as an MD). Learning to speak six languages. And visiting to around 55 countries.I was lucky enough to spend a fascinating hour in discussion with Muhammad Mehmood.And the best thing is that it was all recorded so you can listen in. 

What do you get if you combine data science, coaching and a team?A happy team coached by Giannis Chatzidis.Giannis is a Data Scientist. Team Leader. And a Coach.He found purpose and joy in merging tech and coaching to help people reach their full potential.He shares his journey and process in our conversation.

What if everything you did at work was being reported and analysed... in public!Every decision was pulled apart in the media. Every failure was booed by tens of thousands of people. There was a running critique on social media.When feedback is this immediate there is no hiding.Two Football Managers shared how they manage pressure, ego's and extreme competition. Clark Ray was sharing his parellel experiences in Manufacturing Companies. Together we tried to look for the universal leadership lessons.The PanelThomas Courts ex professional footballer and Manager. He led Dundee United into qualifiction for Europe and also managed Budapest Honved.Tony Walmsley is an ex-Coach for Sheffield and Manchester United. And Manager in the Australian A League, Chinese and Indian leagues. He now runs The Leadership Advisory.Clark Ray until a recent accident consulted with Manufacturers using The 10th Man Principle. He now coaches Individuals using the same core principles.Rob McPhillips host and creator of Unified, a program to unify teams.

In one moment, everything in your life can change!Three months ago Clark lived that moment. A careless SUV driver smashed into his motorbike. Breaking 5 ribs, his sternum, right shoulder, collarbone and two vertebrae.An event like this changes everything.But Clark is not your average guy. He already operated from the 10th Man. The principle that everything should be challenged.Even so, he's had to adapt to recover.No longer able to challenge the boards of Manufacturers he challenges individuals. If life isn't how you want it to, there's no one I could recommend more to change your circumstances. My strategy has always been to change the frame so our philosophies are aligned.His posts are profound and deeply thought provoking. So he was long on my radar to talk. As soon as he was well enough I pinned him down to a time to talk. Here's our conversation.

You're in charge of a team... How do you spend your time?Are you a Leader or a Manager?What's your key responsibilities?How do you create a culture that performs?These were some of the topics we discussed. The panel was...Matthew WardMuhammad MehmoodJohan Meyerand me, Rob McPhillips.

When we're stuck in our careers, how do we get unstuck?How do we get recognition and value for our efforts?How do we avoid being misunderstood in our communications?This was what Johan Meyer and I discussed in this podcast episode.

If life is a river, Sandy De Jesus is diving right in!He's an experiencer of life. A Seeker of truth. And a Creator of the future.From class clown to entertaining, engaging and educating on social media.Sandy is about the same age as my eldest daughter. He told me about his journey and how he sees life. We talked a lot about the generation differences and how Gen Z'ers see life.Organisations around the world have operated in certain ways.Almost every generation has followed the rules. They served their time. Worked their way up.Then when they earned the right to lead, suddenly these kids are changing everything.We can moan and complain. Call them snowflakes and work-shy. Or we can try to understand how they see the world.Today's podcast is a fascinating insight into the world of Gen Z.Told through the charismatic and engaging lens of Sandy

Imagine we could take x-rays and see people’s emotionsYou could see the layers of hurt and pain. You could see the fears and insecurities. You could see a tiny seed of potential. You could soothe the pain and reassure the fears.Then you could take that seed and bring it into a safe incubator. You’d water it. And nurture it until it sprouts. The seed would grow. And that is Sarah Gruneisen's superpower. She sees the seed of potential in people and she nurtures it into a great oak.

When everything changes what stays constant?We live in a world where the world is rapidly changing. Technology becomes obselete. We are continually changing.Lisa Cunningham Delauney has been exploring change for decades.An early proponent of Change Management professionally. She has also experienced change personally. Living in nine countries and speaking six languages.While many of us grumble and resist change, Lisa has run full pelt into change and embraced the journey.In our conversation she explained the difficulty in making change happen. The barriers and resistance. And the importance of communication in bringing people along on the journey.

How do you lead a remote or hybrid team?The world has changed after Covid and the genie isn't going back in the box. We have to get used to a world where we work with people we don't regularly see. We have to become more flexible and face new challenges.Curious about what leading a tech team in a modern world I spoke to Paul Chen about the work he's doing.He shared his insights and experience with me. We looked at how his cultural background and childhood experiences. And how they have shaped his leadership style.

Stories are inspiring and they can teach us lessons about what works.But they also have their limitations. Stories have specific characters and are bound within a context. Someone in a different situation with a different style might not be able to replicate that.Maths is the language of purity.An equation abstracts what is universally true. As soon as it doesn't work in a given context, it is no longer true. So an equation can give us a frame of knowledge that empowers everyone.In this episode we set out to try to identify what are the universal elements of a team that any leader could use as a guide.

How do you unlock the potential in your people?The basic constraint in your business is in your people. When you can unlock that potential, you turn your team into an elite team. The million dollar question is how to unlock that potential. Saieed Sadeghzadeh has some interesting thoughts on how to unlock that potential.As someone who grew up in the UK to Iranian parents, Saieed experienced two cultures.This sensitivity helped him see the importance of culture. Working in both helps him to see how dynamics express themself differently. Now he assesses cultures as an indicator of the health of a team.Saieed was a high performer right out of the gate.But it took him to crash to learn the lessons that help him improve businesses today. First as a first time manager. And later confronting the demons that drove him to perform at the expense of his health.Now he shows businesses a pathway to higher performance through:Self awarenessSelf care EmpathyCommunicationCulture

Is it possible to manage people?If not, how do Managers hold people accountable and manage projects?How do we distinguish between Leaders and Managers?These were some of the questions Matthew Ward helped me to clarify my thinking on in this fascinating hour long podcast episode.

Have you ever listened to a piano that was off-key?The Pianist could be trying their best. Yet, whatever they do it won't sound right. Until the piano gets re-tuned it was always be that bit out.Sometimes people are a little off-key.There's something that isn't working. We can all know it. But how do you get them tuned back in?When a leader is off-key it affects them and their team.In this episode of The Unified Team I spoke to Michalina Buenk.Michalina is a Coach who works with leaders on career and leadership transformations. She has a a range of qualifications and experience, but also empathy and intuition. She has a very different style to the way I work. One I dubbed the piano tuning style. Listen in to see why...

How do we perform under match pressure in the moments that matter most?That's what I discussed with Tony Walmsley - Performance Specialist in the first episode of the relaunched Unified Team Podcast.I've often shared ideas and examples of how football managers unify their teams. So I was thrilled to have the chance from someone who's spent 30 years working at the top level of football. Tony's great skill is helping people to perform at their best in the moments that matter most.

This episode is a call to arms for a new type of relationship.Relationships for many people have been frustrating, confusing and often disappointing.This is because relationships are typically built on a bedrock of blaming, gaming and shaming.The result is unsatisfying relationships that do not meet the emotional needs of the modern world.There is a better way. Modern relationships have to go beyond the knee-jerk reaction to blame, game and shame. We have to build relationships of support and not relationships of control or transactio

The relationships that have most impact on our lives is the family we are born into. How our parents treat us, the dynamics with our siblings will carry into all our other relationships.So we discussed relationships and the difficulty of breaking out of familiar patterns as we changed.

Almost everyone has had a difficult boss, colleague or employee. Here's why work relationships can be difficult and what makes them harder to work with.

Whatever our life looks like in the future is down to how we play the game of life. Every game has limitations and a strategy of how we play the game. In this episode we looked at primary and secondary currencies and how clarity on these can get us what we really want.

How we relate to the world is how we relate to others. In this episode we discussed the six different ways we relate to the reality of our circumstances and others.

Everything we want in life comes through other people. The ability to have good conversations is how we share who we are, understand others and develop connection. In this episode we talked about the elements of state and structure that lead to better conversations.

Every problem we ever face is when we are out of alignment. In this episode we discussed what alignment is and the main levels we want to align.

Last week we complained about everything that is wrong in dating. In this episode we talked about what would be the perfect dating to start a relationship that lasts.

Dating should be so simple. There's almost nothing more natural than one human connecting with another. For all of human history our species's survival has depended on it.Yet, when technology seems to have solved the problem, it's created different problems. In this episode we talk about people's experiences in dating and what they dislike.

There are certain things that are always with us in life. Fear, desire, disappointment and conflict are all things that we have to navigate around. In this episode we talked about dealing with conflict.

This episode is a year from our first Meetups in these groups. We've covered so much ground, from breakups, to dating and so many different aspects of relationships.This was a chance to look back and reflect on what we learned and what's changed for us

Relationships can seem overwhelming. There's so many moving parts, so how can you get all of them right?The truth is we don't need to be perfect. We don't have to do everything right.Yet if we do nothing we never get the relationships we want. Our existing relationships will end up stagnating.So the solution is to get a little better every day. Here's our conversation...

Co-operation is the super-power of humans. We're not the strongest, fastest or most adaptive species.Yet we've dominated the ecosystem.Trust is the glue that enables us to co-operate.Trust is what makes a relationship safe and secure.But how do we build it?How do we lose it?When should we trust? When shouldn't we?In this episode we explored the nature of trust.

Dating and relationships is often filled with questions and confusion. This episode was a chance to air those questions and get answers.

Much of dating advice for men is based on the premise that being an alpha male gets you the girls.Some of the female dating advice is on how to bag an alpha.But is an Alpha really the key to relationship success?

After our 5 Day Get Relationship Clarity Sprint we looked at what's the next step. How do you go to confidence from clarity.

Sex and money are the taboo subjects. that few people are comfortable talking about. In this episode we discussed the way we look at sex and the problems it causes for us.

What makes relationships so difficult for most people?We took a different perspective on answering the perennial question and had a deep and fascinating conversation.

What are the most common relationship challenges and problems women face in their relationships?In this episode we talked to women about their experiences and men about their perceptions. Here's what they said...

Men and women have different challenges and experiences in relationships.Here we spoke about some of the big challenges for a man in navigating relationships and how women perceive these.