We Not Me

Psychological safety is made up of a number of tiny interactions. Whether they be Slack messages, meetings, or emails, these forms of communication – and their responses – determine how likely someone is to speak up and share their ideas.Stephan Wiedner is a psychological safety trainer, CEO, and volunteer firefighter. Stephan trains coaches to help create spaces where people feel free to speak up, with the confidence to know they’ll be heard.Takeaways from Dan ad PiaAttunement is about making sure everyone is on the right mental frequency, and not just assuming you’re on the “correct” setting and everyone else needs to adjust.Focus on those micro moments of communication. Because without taking care of those micro interactions, problems can occur in the macro.LinksConnect with Stephan on LinkedInThe Fearless Organization – Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, by AC EdmondsonMultipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smart, by Liz Wiseman

For the first time in over a thousand days of Squadify and forty episodes of the podcast, Dan and Pia are in the same room, and are joined by Juliet Owen, to discuss findings from a recent analysis on Squadify data.Squadify works by asking team members to fill in a survey at the start and end of a particular period. Participants rate the importance of a series of conditions for team success, and then later return to record the presence of those conditions.Key findingsTeamwork is a more important condition for hybrid teams than it is for those that work face-to-face.Hybrid teams tend to be more task and transaction focused.Not being together is allowing us to become more easily distracted.Hybrid team communication can sometimes lead to fear of missing out.What hybrid teams should focus onCreating psychological safetyUsing the right technology to enable better communication and avoid distractionKeeping communication clear, so that everyone shares the same understandingLinksConnect with Juliet on LinkedInMarco Polo video chat appLeave us a voice note

Effective dialogue is the one thing getting in the way of senior teams. Listening is a fundamental part of team communication, and it begins with curiosity. Without it, leadership can be a lonely pursuit with less diversity of thought.Before heading up design and research at LIW, Andy Chevis was an HR director and a salesperson, and has taken his curiosity in how we communicate effectively through his career. In this episode, he shares some of the common – and very human – pitfalls we all fall prey to, and how we can bridge those gaps to hold space for fresh ideas.Takeaways from Dan and PiaCuriosity has a place at all levels in the System Team Self model.Curiosity starts with us.Ask yourself “what kind of person do you want to be?”LinksConnect with Andy on LinkedInEmpathic Listening: The Highest Form of ListeningLeave us a voice note

Community policing runs on trust, no matter the location. That trust flows both ways, and can have its basis in something as simple as a common interest.New Jersey police officer Adam Verducci and his squad are so well-connected that he knows when a situation is in progress just from the sound of a fellow officer’s voice on the radio. In his conversation with Dan and Pia, Adam walks us through a day in the life of a US police officer serving a relatively small town, where trust and connection come together to keep people safe.Takeaways from Dan and PiaKeeping a cool head can help keep a volatile situation from escalating.The uniform denotes the job, but doesn’t give the wearer power.LinksThe Rest is PoliticsBattleground: UkraineLeave us a voice message

Leadership is equal parts head, heart, and guts. Joining Dan and Pia to look back on an inspirational third season of We Not Me is CEO of LIW, Dan Meek.Episodes highlightedBreaking out of the box – neurodiversity and connection, with Ross FraserThe brain science of teams, with Sue LangleyTeams at the frontline of medicine, with Andy BocockConnecting to heal, with James & Kristy ThomasTeams in disaster relief, with Janet and Reid BoswellBringing our baggage to teams, with Mark SteadmanGenerative leadership in teams, with Kathleen CurranCoaching challenging teams, with Jackie WeaverLeadership for healthy teams, with Stephen HuntHappiness in teams, with Matt PhelanLinksHead, Heart and Guts: How the World's Best Companies Develop Complete Leaders, by David L Dotlich et alLeave us a voice note

Undiagnosed autism can feel like a constant struggle to understand, and to be understood. For autism campaigner Ross Fraser, this led to him hiding away for decades to avoid continuing to feel like he was doing or saying the wrong thing, without ever being given rules that made sense.The autism community in the UK includes approximately five million people, and yet in Ross’s experience, most people who live with autism say they’ve felt alone most of their lives.In his conversation with Dan and Pia, Ross breaks down some of the key differences between neurotypical and neurodivergent minds, and talks openly and emotionally about the impact loneliness and isolation has, which is what fuels his advoacy.Takeaways from Dan and PiaAre we getting worse at connecting together as humans? If so, part of the work of connection means treating each-other as individuals.Is anyone really “fully” neurotypical?Any difference needs to be embraced with compassion, care, and curiosity.If you can be compassionate, you can work with any human.Links“I wouldn’t change it for the world” Scot who met wife after breaking back in freak accident is “grateful for injury every day”The Best of Enemies (2019)Leave us a voice note

Human beings are designed to connect. Lockdowns showed us how much we valued connection, but also how vital our habits were to helping us stabilise. But while habits include routine behaviours, they can also include thought patterns that lead to judgements of others.Sue Langley equips people to be the best they can be. She does this by applying positive psychology, emotional intelligence, and neuroscience. In her conversation with Dan and Pia, she explores how principles applied of positive psychology can help teams get stuff done together.Takeaways from Dan and PiaPut your brain health first.Build habitsPay attention and attune to the things that will keep you on your game.LinksLangley GroupPositive psychologyfusiform gyrusIn Conversation with Professor Marco IacoboniGenerative leadership in teams – We Not Me episode 30Self-determination theoryLeave us a voice note

When Becky Malby discovered that her local water provider was dumping raw sewage into the nearby river on a regular basis, she was outraged. So she helped setup a citizen science project to test the local water and found that it was full of dangerous pollutants, contradicting the study the water company had conducted which labeled the river water safe enough to drink.Becky helps GPs within the NHS understand where the gaps are between those needing primary care and those who are making and getting appointments. As well as discussing bathing water status, Becky also outlines some of the systemic issues with primary care in the UK, and how she’s helping practises address them.Takeaways from Pia and DanIf you approach a complex problem with a simple answer, you might end up worsening the situation.Humans need to connect differently to work against decisions made for the pursuit of shareholder profits.Adaptive challenges require adaptive leadership.LinksTheory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges, by C Otto ScharmerDiatomsThe Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World, by Ronald HeifetzLeave us a voice note

Accident and emergency nursing involves managing and working with ever-shifting teams, with people joining temporarily who bring skill and knowledge, but aren’t familiar with the team’s inner workings. This is one of the challenges facing NHS nurse Andy Boocock.Andy describes working, not only with his team in A&E, but when teams dovetail in emergency situations.This conversation involves a discussion on and examples of gallows humour, involving stories of a medical nature.Takeaways from Dan and PiaWe can choose to help people or “mop around them”.Fear of embarrassment should not stand in the way of us helping someone in need.Links“My only regret is running out of space” - how tattoos transformed one Very Inky Dude into a celebrity fashion starLeave us a voice note

Where do you go to half a fast-tracked career and make some quick cash? For Stephen Hunt, the answer turned out to be Internet advertising. But it was only ever a limited-time plan to create enough space for him to explore his real passion: music.Steve is the co-founder and COO of Music Health, a company improving mental health through music. Inspired by a 2014 film about music’s impact on people with dementia, Steve and his business partner Nick began work on an app that would do for dementia what Headspace and Calm have done for meditation.Takeaways from Pia and DanRather than list a set of values on the wall, what are the practices that will lead to behaviours?When trying to work against the failure statistics of startups, it makes sense to prioritise mental and physical health.Those short-term health choices can lead to longer-term positive consequences.LinksAlive Inside (2014)AIM iHub – Australia’s first music incubatorVera – the music companion for people living with dementiaRadical Candor, by Kim ScottLeave us a voice note

We all carry our psychological histories on our backs, and the weight of those feelings can affect how we work within a team. We Not Me producer Mark Steadman began to understand this as he learned more about how his neurodivergence contributed to team dynamics.Mark is a podcast producer, consultant, and coach. He works with individuals and small teams to help them access their potential to create impact, using their voice. He started his own community for changemakers and thought-leaders last year, fuelled by his love of connecting with other humans.Takeaways from Pia and DanWe can examine our origin stories to understand how they inform our present.We can try to see ourselves as evolving, rather than set in place.Rather than wait for the messy parts of life to be over, be can be compassionate towards ourselves and be OK in notbeing OK right now.LinksConnect with Mark on LinkedInOrigin, Mark’s consultancyPodcode, Mark’s podcasting blog and communityLeave us a voice note

There is a void of leadership following the pandemic, and everything feels uncertain. That uncertainty – precarity – is an area of study for generative leadership specialist Kathleen Curran.Kathleen defines herself as an “explorer with purpose”, and helps people not only bring their whole self to work, but fully inhabit it. She is a co-author on a book about precarity, with her contribution focusing on the word of certainty and normalcy that opened in the wake of the global pandemic.Takeaways from Dan and PiaThe void in leadership opened by the pandemic is still in place today.It’s sometimes necessary for those without traditional leadership positions to step up, to do the work that needs to be done.There is a disconnect in the communication of our need for connection, between anecdotal conversations and data collected on teams.LinksPrecarityFind Kathleen on LinkedInGlobally Responsible Leadership InitiativeDisasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis, by Samantha MontanoVUCA: Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguitySeeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, by Rita McGrathEnough Leadership. Time for Communityship, a blog post by Henry MintzbergLeave us a voice message

If you look after your employees, your customers will be happier, and you’ll make more money. That’s the hypothesis Matt Phelan took, inspired by Richard Branson. But with that hypothesis in place, where’s the data to back it up?Before founding the Happiness Index, Matt began working with animals, then studied marketing, starting his own digital marketing agency just before the 2008 financial crash. As someone used to tracking the efficacy of digital campaigns, he began to explore how the assumption that happier employees meant more money could be proven.Takeaways from Pia and DanRelationships are the primary driver of happiness.Humans have set points – almost predetermined levels of happiness we return to, after a peak or a trough.Bring a happy person into an unhappy team, and that person’s happiness will dip.To build better relationships, we need to express our emotions.LinksThe Happiness IndexHow William Kahn revolutionized employee engagement at workFreedom to be Happy: The Business Case for Happiness – Matt’s bookLeave us a voice message

Husband-and-wife team Kristy and James Thomas have both suffered profound and untimely loss in their lives. But from that grief, they have been able to create a charity that impacts the lives of children all around Australia who are dealing with grief.The Thomas’ charity Feel the Magic brings children to Disneyland and puts on regular Camp Magic events, providing much-needed respite from and support throughout the grieving process. Their camps focus on four core values of empathy, empowerment, growth, and connection – this last value being something they discovered as they witnessed how mentors not only changed kids’ lives, but vice versa.Takeaways from Pia and Dan“Giving” means more than giving money. It may mean giving a piece of yourself, your time, and your energy.The grieving experience is unique, making individual support all the more important.Grief is not a team sport.LinksFeel the MagicLeave us a voice note

Jackie Weaver became an Internet sensation in February 2022, when her handling of a parish council meeting – and the councillors’ reaction to it – went viral. But Jackie has decades of experience coaching teams of all sizes, which she shares with Dan and Pia.TakeawaysIt’s easy to overlook the amount of ground we share, when in disagreement.Sometimes it takes a third party to help us see the common ground.Experience can bring with it a degree of calmness when approaching difficult situations.Jackie used her Internet fame as a platform to raise awareness of the work she and people like her do, across the country.LinksThe infamous Handforth Parish Council meetingYou Do Have the Authority Here! – Jackie’s bookLeave us a voice message

Expertise can allow us to flourish in our comfort zones, but when thrust into a new environment, we have to rely on others. For Janet and Reid Boswell, what started as a parish-wide mission to bring aid to post-earthquake Haiti ended up as a mini industry, delivering medicine and dental care to the people of Haiti.Takeaways from Pia and DanThe collaborative mindset was transferred from Haiti back home.Reid had to let go of his need to control, in order to work within a team.We need to journey outside of our comfort zones to discover what’s possible.LinksLeave us a voice message

Dan and Pia kick off season three with a look back at the previous season, with help from special guest Lucy Hovanec. The team discussEpisode 22 – Data from the heart, with Simon ShephardEpisode 21 – Individual identity in teams, with James PriorEpisode 24 – The Great Retention, with Suni LoboEpisode 18 – Building the right team culture, with Kevin BrownseyEpisode 14 – The jazz ensemble, with Craig ScottEpisode 20 – Critical teams, with Martin BromelyEpisode 23 – Community teams, with David BurnsEpisode 16 – Teams in the Metaverse, with Ian SmithEpisode 17 – Teams in adversity, with Jim MolanEpisode 19 – From the frontline of firefighting, with Sandy QuirinaleEpisode 15 – Mental health in teams, with Chuck Anderson

For Chief HR Officer Suni Lobo, psychological safety is key to teams feeling like they belong. It was put to the test during the pandemic, but her company’s ability to create a space where people felt able to do their best work, produced incredible results.In her conversation with Dan and Pia, Suni discusses employee compensation and the minimal role it plays in job satisfaction when offset against a sense of belonging. Using concrete examples from Silicon Valley, Suni shares how organisations can build trust within teams, and underscores the importance of teammates having each-others’ backs.LinksLeave us a voice message

If one member of a team isn’t working towards the common goal, they won’t succeed. Social entrepreneur David Burns sees that in the work he does to help strengthen teams, viewed through the prism of sport.In his conversation with Pia and Dan, David highlights the importance of respecting and honouring people’s cultural values within teams, even at the risk of his work being misinterpreted r met with resistance.Takeaways from Dan and PiaA challenge can be flipped from something you have to do, to something you get to do.Seek first to understand.LinksCollective LeisureDavid’s appearance on Australia’s *Current Affair*SBS News’ coverage of David’s initiative to train and employ refugees as swimming teachers

How do we create moments to reset? Just like a Formula 1 car pulling into a pitstop, slowing down and stopping completely in order to win a race – how can we create moments of mental and emotional rest during our working days?Simon Shepard is the CEO of Optima-life. He helps teams understand themselves better as individuals, and the role their physiologies play in their performance. Simon shares his frameworks for helping people understand the messages their body might be sending them. One of them includes a way to measure the stresses of the last week, by scoring events on a scale of difficulty and multiplying them by the emotional impact they had.Dan and Pia’s takeawaysA heart rate variability monitor may help you understand what affects your sleep patterns.Taking a pitstop is more effective than trying to push on through burnout.LinksThe Battle For Balance – Simon’s bookCritical Teams, with Martin Bromiley – episode 20 of We Not Me

Amid various models of team management, it’s important to remember that each of us is an individual player. We bring our own unique perspectives to our teams, and that sense of personal identity can bring tension when offset against the goal of the team.James Prior, Global Head of Leadership Development at Gilead Pharmaceuticals, joins Dan and Pia to explore the symbiotic relationship between the individual and the team.Takeaways from Dan and PiaIf we’re open to diversity, we can build a richer understanding of how humans work.Ambiguity needs to be addressed if it’s being ignored in pursuit of certainty.LinksHow to Be a Liberal: The Story of Liberalism and the Fight for Its Life, by Ian Dunt

Pia and Dan are joined by Martin Bromiley OBE, airline captain, charity trustee, and public speaker whose story of loss has fuelled much of the work he does today.In 2005, Martin’s wife Elaine was admitted to hospital following an emergency that occurred while she was under anaesthetic. During the investigation into her death, Martin identified that Elaine’s death was due to failures in the way the surgical staff operated as a cohesive team.Now, using his experience within aviation, he works with organisations to help teams get things right in critical situations.LinksUnited Airlines Flight 173The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness, by Professor Steve PetersMartin’s story from *the New Statesman*Takeaways from Pia and DanIf your team can’t communicate across a hierarchy, you risk fragmentation.If you can anticipate that there will be challenges, you can help calm your inner chimp.Asking open questions help you to learn, not just those junior to you.

Pia and Dan are joined by former corporate worker and now voluntary firefighter Sandy Quirinale.After her second son became interested in the fire service as a teenager, Sandy decided to sign up. She’s currently the only active female firefighter at her rural New Jersey station, and so brings her insight into diversity and teamwork within this highest-of-pressure situations.Takeaways from Dan and PiaDiversity allows for us to pick the right person for the job within a team.That in turn helps people feel less like they need to hold on to a specific task.Improvising and thinking outside of the box isn’t appropriate in every situation, and for every team. There is benefit to sticking with tried-and-tested methodologies.LinksWe Not Me episode 17: Teams in adversity, with guest Jim Molan

Dan and Pia explore creating safe cultures for people to thrive, with consultant Kevin Brownsey.Kevin is the CEO of Red Pill Consulting, a company that tries to help organisations change their culture. While some organisations strive for a “winning culture”, Kevin defines culture as the “beliefs that underpin the behaviours that drive the outcomes, not the outcomes themselves.”Takeaways from Dan and PiaThink about how we set the tone as team members or leaders.Are you standing by and letting things slip?“We’re not innately evil, but we do take shortcuts”.Don’t shy away from discussing questions of culture.This applies to family as well as work.Be prepared to make transformations yourself.Cultural change looks simple, but takes courage.

Jim Molan spent 40 years in the army from the age of 17. Since retiring from the army in 2008 as a Major General, he has written a book about his time in Iraq, co-authored policy on border-control, and consulted internationally. Jim is now a Senator for the Liberal Party in Australia.When talking with Dan and Pia about how teams work together, Jim makes the observation that within the military, teams are formed and their work is rehearsed. He sets out his view on leadership within teams, and the importance of decision-making coupled with the ability to take criticism.LinksRunning the War in Iraq, by Jim Molan

What is the future of remote team collaboration? Do we continue with Zoom meetings and the risk of fatigue they can bring, or is there a new approach we can take?Dan and Pia explore meetings in the metaverse, with the help of freelance technologist Ian Smith. They discuss virtual avatars, getting together in a 3D space, and examine where it’s appropriate to meet in a space where everyone looks like they’re in The Incredibles, and when it’s not.LinksHorizon WorkroomsMicrosoft MeshMicrosoft to acquire Activision BlizzardProject Cambria: All there is to know about Meta's rumored Oculus Quest ProSpatialUncanny Valley

For over a year Chuck Anderson underwent a battery of tests to find out why he was feeling so physically unwell. After moving from the US to Sydney and still finding no answers, he was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and ADHD.After cycles of depression and anxiety, Chuck was finally given information on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which changed his life dramatically for the better.Since then, Chuck has co-founded Living to Thrive with his partner, to help organisations build better overall resilience.LinksMental Health – Our World in DataMore Australians see their GP about mental health issues than about cold and fluTop 10 causes of death for Americans ages 20 to 24Mindfulness-based stress reductionSelf-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, by Kristin Neff

Professional double-bassist Craig Scott of the Sydney Conservatorium joins Dan and Pia to discuss the ultimate team: the jazz ensemble.“There’s probably no better example of democracy than a jazz ensemble – individual freedom, but with responsibility to the group,” –Michelle ObamaJazz improvisation follows a set of rules that enable creativity within a structure, so that out of a predictable pattern can come something different each time it’s performed.Within an ensemble, each member might get their own moment to lead, by taking on the melody of the piece and expanding on it. The musician in the lead role can then signal, through their solo, that it’s time for another musician to take up that leadership role. This requires all members of the band to be listening, not just to the notes, but for other cues to lead or make space for others.LinksJudy Bailey Trio playing My RomanceYes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz

In their first episode of season two, Dan and Pia explore the three Cs needed for success: clarity, climate and competence with the help of Dr Jessica Tonissen.Download the Three Cs cheat sheetDan, Pia, and Jess review some of the key takeaways from season one of the We Not Me podcast:Three things sales teams need to do to be more effective: episode 4 with Anna Britnor GuestBringing head and heart to teams: episode 6, with Lucy HovanecTeamwork on set: episode 8, with Erik ThomsonAgile teams: episode 9, with Natalie PetersDiversity in Teams: episode 11, with Sahera SumarWhat teams can learn from sport: episode 7, with Owen FineganClarity at speed: episode 5, with Todd SchroederCustomer-centric teams: episode 10, with Stuart DalzielTeams in a work from anywhere world: episode 2, with Michelle ZimanyCompassion, Actually: episode 12, with Gillian Coutts

When you help people help, you help people hope. Gillian Coutts, Country Director at Potential Project discovered this when working within her community during Australia's border closing following the COVID outbreak. In her work, she saw teams come together in extraordinary ways, but she also shares findings from a UK study that has been replicated elsewhere, that show how we often see ourselves as having compassion, but not our neighbours.In her discussion with Pia and Dan, Gillian explores the differences between empathy and compassion, and the importance of self-compassion to resilience.LinksHumankind: A Hopeful History, by Rutger BregmanPerceptions Matter: The Common Cause UK Values SurveySelf-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, by Dr. Kristin NeffSquadify

For global leadership consultant Sahera Sumar, "diversity is a fact, but inclusion is the mindset", and it's possible for teams to be diverse but not inclusive.Sahera felt like she denied her heritage in order to feel accepted and fit in at work. Many organisations run programmes to try and combat unconscious bias, but this is only the start of the journey, and there's much more work to do to foster inclusivity within teams.As part of her work as a leadership consultant, Sahera builds on the foundation of unconscious bias training, and helps move people from a space of judgement to awareness and understanding, and then onto acceptance.LinksWorldwide SheroesSquadify

Customer-centric companies are laser-focused on providing great experiences for their customers. For Stuart Dalziel, teams play a pivotal role in bringing experiences that create ease in customers' lives.Using examples from café chains to high-end hotels, Stuart breaks down how teams share knowledge, roles, and responsibilities, in service of the Peter Drucker axiom: "The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer".LinksSquadify

Every member of a squad is of equal value, regardless of their department, seniority, or pay scale. It's important to check egos at the door when forming a squad and embarking on a new project. Those are some of the principles held by Natalie Peters, change and transformation lead at Australian bank NAB.After 20 years working in HR, Natalie began exploring the world of agile project management and human-centred design. In this discussion with Pia and Dan, she debunks some of the common myths around agile, and runs through effective structures, which are typically flatter than more traditional or waterfall management styles.LinksBridges' Transition ModelScrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the TimeSquadify

Actor Erik Thomson is no stranger to being part of a team, whether that be on the production set of a feature film or TV series. In his conversation with Dan and Pia, Erik discusses the importance of recognising everyone's role in a production, from lighting a scene to walking the red carpet at Cannes.For Erik, building a solid working team is about breaking social barriers away from work. He emphasises the importance of clearing the eyeline so the actors can work distraction-free, and explores the role of psychological safety on set, especially when the action gets a bit more steamy.LinksAftertasteThe LuminariesComing Home in the DarkSquadify

Sports teams have been evaluating their effectiveness for a long time, with the singular goal of improving performance. This week, Dan and Pia are joined by former Australian rugby player Owen Finegan, to look at the way businesses and not-for-profits can use data in the same way sport has for decades.Owen played and coached professional rugby for 16 years before moving into the non-profit world, where he now sits as CEO of the Kids' Cancer Project. He took his learnings about honest – sometimes even brutal – feedback from the rugby pitch, and has adapted it to the way he leads teams, encouraging analysis combined with honesty and constructive feedback rather than criticism.LinksSquadify

For civil engineering General Manager Lucy Hovanec, purpose can breathe life into teams, and in order to lead, self-knowledge is crucial.In this discussion, Lucy shares with Dan and Pia her toolkit for working with teams across cultural divides and around the world, to help them wake up excited to come to work:Asking questions to make sure everyone is aligned on the task at handAssessing the climate of a team and creating conditions for successUsing the Example, Impact, Change model of delivering feedbackLinksPsychological safety in teams – Episode 3 of We Not MeSquadify

Google iterates in 30-minute increments, which is part of why this massive company is able to innovate so quickly at scale. This involves making mistakes, but recovering and correcting quickly. The pace at Google is a far cry from the stereotypical image of people lying around on beanbags or playing foosball.As Managing Director for Global Public Sector Strategy and Sales at Google, Todd Schroeder has to work across multiple teams who are serving markets at different stages along the maturity curve. This means the idea of clarity can change from a traditional sense of certainty into becoming clear that things are uncertain.In the midst of a global pandemic, the job of leading multiple teams moved from knowing what to do, to finding out what to do.Dan, Pia and Todd discuss the process a new Google employee (a "noogler") goes through to becoming a full-fledged Googler, and some of the challenges they face along the way.

This week, Dan and Pia are joined by Anna Britnor Guest, who has over 30 years of technology sales experience and who now works to develop and coach salespeople within the SaaS industry.They talk about whether sales "teams" are really teams and not just groups of people, pivoting the mantra of "don't lose alone" to "don't learn alone", and maintaining a common language around the sales process.Anna also shares three key things teams can do right now to work more effectively to meet the customers' needs, and to meet their own needs.LinksAlate Business GrowthSquadify

This week, Pia and Dan discuss psychological safety with Dr Jessica Tonissen, leadership and wellbeing coach, Doctor of Psychology and Associate Director at InLightening in Melbourne.Dr Tonissen dispels some of the myths and misunderstandings around the term, how psychological safety does not have to come at the expense of performance, and that there's a difference between safety and artificial harmony.The conversation also touches on our ingrained fear of rejection, and how it stimulates our fight-or-flight response.LinksPsychological Safety Isn't the Same as Being ComfortablePsychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams, by Amy EdmondsonRejection Really Hurts, UCLA Psychologists FindThe Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, by Amy EdmondsonSquadify

Empathic leadership is what's needed in a globally-distributed workforce, and replacing water-cooler moments isn't as simple as organising more mandatory Zoom calls.This week, Dan and Pia talk remote collaboration with Sydney-based Michelle Zimany, Human Resources leader for the pharmaceutical company Sanofi. They discuss the loss of spontaneity and serendipity in the age where people only meet on Zoom, and missing those moments to have a quick chat while getting a coffee.Michelle shares some of the events she's running and participating in within her organisation, to help people feel more connected without a feeling of enforced fun. She, Pia and Dan discuss the change in attitudes to work attire, and how rigid corporate thinking has given way to understanding and tolerance, now that so many of us are sharing our homes virtually.LinksSanofiSquadify

Dan and Pia speak to Rob Metcalfe – a former commando now leadership consultant and team coach – about significant performance challenges, how groups of people need to work proactively together to solve them, and how important social capital can be in fostering team effectiveness.LinksThe Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance OrganizationTeam of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex WorldSquadify

What makes a rockstar team? How can we work from anywhere? What part does connection play in today's world? Welcome to a brand new podcast, all about how humans connect and get stuff done together, presented by friends and colleagues Dan Hammond and Pia Lee.Pia is the CEO of Squadify. She taught children and then wanted to find out what they did when they grew up, so became a leadership consultant.After exploring engineering, Squadify Chief Product Officer Dan found analytical and people-focused joy in product management.Subscribe now to hear new episodes of We Not Me, as soon as they're released.