Battling with Business

Episode 35 - The Influencers #3 - John Boyd, the greatest strategist since Sun Tzu

Once again we deep dive into the life of an individual who has changed the way we think about the world.  Col John Boyd is the creator of the infamous 'OODA loop' as well as many other concepts that have changed our perceptions of strategy.  In the discussion, we try to untangle myth from reality, tackle misconceptions of the OODA loop, and chat about the links between mechanics and human dynamics in systems.

Episode 34 - Lie, damned lies, and Deception!

Chris and Gareth explore the difficult subject of Mis, Dis, and Mal information. trying to work out when, if ever, it's appropriate for a leader to mislead people or hide things.  They also discuss the difference between honesty and transparency, how to capture the narrative, and how to lead people in an ever more polarised world. 

Episode 33 - Decision making lessons from J Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project

Having just come back from a screening of the Christopher Nolan film, Oppenheimer, Chris and Gareth discuss what we might learn from such a profound and important moment in our collective history.  From project management, through to leading teams on morally difficult tasks.  Gareth discusses leading teams in Combat and they both try to understand what led to General Groves and Dr Oppenheimer ultimately being successful in the pursuit of such an audacious, complex, and wholly unprecedented goal.      

Episode 32 - The Leadership role of Chaplains with Ian Pegg

In this episode we are joined by Ian Pegg, a senior manager in his own right, but also a historian who has focused on the role of the Chaplain during the Second World War.  We talk about the surprising role chaplains have on Unit cohesion and explore the need for soft skills in Leadership that they often fulfill.  Is this a gap in the civilian workplace?

Bonus Episode 2 - Human Machine Teaming and the future of military collaboration

In the second of our bonus episodes Gareth has recorded an essay  he wrote for Karve International on the lesson we can learn from the current conflict in Ukraine on the role of Human Machine Teaming and the future of military collaboration.

Episode 31 - Influencers #2 - Leonard Cheshire

There are few people who achieve greatness and leave a lasting impression on the world after they die.  To do it twice in two completely unrelated fields is truly remarkable.  Leonard Cheshire, a decorated pilot, commander, philanthropist, and charity worker.  In the second of our Influencers series, we try to unpack the extraordinary life of Leonard Cheshire and try to understand what made him so successful in such a diverse range of undertakings.

Episode 30 - Why teams don’t work - Hubris and humility with Douglas Waterfall

In the second of our chats with Douglas, we discuss the difference between the visionary leaders that change the world and the mavericks that break things and people.  We discuss the Ocean Gate disaster and examples from our own career where arrogance and exceptionalism have led to poor outcomes.

Episode 29 - Why teams work - cross functional communications with Douglas Waterfall

In this episode, we chat with Douglas Waterfall about the concept of technical debt and why software engineers may have a different perspective from project managers. We explore why some teams can build shared consciousness and cohesion whilst others don't and what this can mean for strategy.

Episode 28 - Resilience, stress and adaptive organisations

We discuss the symbiosis between individual and collective resilience. Gareth and Chris both open up about their own personal struggles and use these to explore resilience and the ability to withstand and endure stress without becoming damaged.  This is a leadership challenge that applies to the military, business and every day aspects of life.  

Episode 27 - Influencers #1 - Steve Jobs

In the first of our Influencers series, we explore the man, the legend, that was Steve Jobs.  Co-Founder of Apple, Chairman of Pixar, Inventor, investor and business magnate.  There's no doubt that he was successful. But what lessons are there that we can learn?