Battling with Business

Episode 50 - The Christmas Special - Chris and Gareth’s personal journeys that led them to the Podcast

Gareth and Chris thought that the end of the year might be a good time to reevaluate why they do the podcast and explore a little bit more about each of their own personal journeys that has led them to being self-confessed Leadership, Management and Strategy nerds.  Gareth talks about process of becoming a Royal Marine Commando. Chris describes his formative years at Britania Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.   They finish the episode by describing what attributes they think are important to becoming a better Leader.  

Episode 49 - OODA with Mark McGrath

In this episode, Chris and Gareth are delighted to be joined by Mark McGrath the Chief Operating Officer of AGLX and co-host of the 'No Way Out' Podcast.  As a US Marines Officer, economist, and expert on the works of John Boyd, Mark is the perfect guest to help the Battling with Business team really get to grips with the concept of the OODA Loop.  

Episode 48 - Influencers #6 - David Sterling & Paddy Mayne - The founders the SAS

The Special Air Service (SAS) is on of the most infamous and yet mysterious Special Forces Units in the world.  It all started as a ruse to convince the enemy that the British has considerable Airborne fighting power in the Northern Deserts of North Africa in the Second World War.  Several tenacious, bright and arguably slightly unhinged men set out to turn this myth into as legend.  Two of these men, David Sterling and Paddy Mayne were perhaps the most  well known.  In this Influencers episode we explore how they managed to achieve so much with so little, what lessons we can draw from their story, and how much were their individual leadership styles critical to the enduring success of the SAS.  

Episode 47- The Gardener of Lashkar Gar - with Defence Editor of The Times, Larisa Brown

In this episode we have the privilege to be joined by the award winning journalist and Defence Editor of 'The Times', Larisa Brown.  We discuss her new book The Gardener of Lashkar Gah: The Afghans who risked everything to fight the Taliban.  
This book explores the courage of the people of Afghanistan who risked everything to work with British Soldiers in the fight against the Taliban.  Larisa tells the story of Shaista Gull, a kind man who build a beautiful garden inside the British HQ in Helmand Province and then his fight to get his family to safety after the withdrawal of Allied troops.    
Chris and Gareth try to understand what has gone so wrong for the British Government to betray the loyalty of so many interpreters and they explore the lessons that we might learn from this.
 

Episode 46 - The Starfish & The Spider and the power of decentralised networks

In this episode we look at the concepts from the Book The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom.  We discuss the benefits and disadvantages of decentralisation.  
Using the analogy of the Starfish as a decentralised and self-healing system and the Spider as a centralised system, the book introduces the contrasting characteristics between organisations that embody these differing approaches.
We discuss the need to find the balance between being so controlling that you potentially stifle innovation and become inflexible, and so decentralised that there ceases to be any coherence between teams at all, and communication and purpose break down all together.  

Episode 45 - Lessons in stress management from Bomber Command with Mary Brazier

Mary is both a historian and senior manager.  She is currently researching the lengths the RAF went to to protect Bomber Crews from the stresses of a very new type of warfare - strategic bombing.  In the episode, we discuss how to identify mental stress and mental fatigue, prevention vs cure, and the meaning of resilience.  Join us as we learn about the wartime RAFs approach to stress management and mental heath, as we discover if there is anything we can learn for todays hectic work environment. 

Episode 44 - Influencers #5 - Dolly Parton

Perhaps a surprising choice for this Podcast, what could a country & western singer possibly teach us about business, leadership, or decision-making? Turn out, quite a lot.  Listen to Gareth and Chris explore the remarkable life of one of America's most beloved singers.  From her humble routes, she set out to be successful. As a musician, businesswoman, and philanthropist she has undoubtedly changed the world for the better!  Perhaps most impressively, she reaches across many generations, diasporas, and demographics and despite her considerable influence, fame and fortune, is almost unanimously loved by everybody.  

Episode 43 - Why people do bad things: Exploring the systemic and institutional failures that led to the Holocaust with Dr. Waitman Beorn

In this episode, we are privileged to be joined by Dr. Waitman Wade Beorn.  He is an author and historian and one of the preeminent academic experts on the Holocaust and the events that led up to the most heinous and barbaric episodes in human history.  He is also a previous Tank Commander from the US Cavalry and as such has a tactical appreciation of small team management. In this facinating discussion, we explore the combinatorial factors of bad individuals, bad organizations, and bad systems. Why do good people stand by when bad things happen? What is the role of leadership in preventing or propagating ethical drift?  Recognizing that this is a deeply sensitive and distressing topic, Gareth and Chris try to explore the analogies and the potential lessons for today without trivialising or over generalising.   
 
  

Episode 42 - How to get people dancing; first followers and loyal dissent

After a party at Chris's house, he pushed the emergency podcast button to ask why he couldn't get anyone dancing?  We explore the concept of the first follwer and the power they have in driving group behaviours.  The conversation moves on to wider group dynamics, group-think, and  the idea of loyal dissent.  We discuss the conditions required to allow team members to normalise good behaviours and support the overall mission.

Episode 41 - The Loneliness of Command

When leaders feel that the decisions they need to make isolate them from their teams or even their superiors, they can feel the stress and pressure of their position.   In this episode, Chris and Gareth share their experiences of feeling the loneliness of command and explore why this happens. Emotional stress is normal, but there are things that can exacerbate it and there are mitigations to help reduce it. Gareth talks about a time when he refused an order and the lessons that all involved learned from the experience and Chris talks about being put on the spot in front of his team and how this induced stress and made him feel detached from the organization.