Researchers have found that the accelerated pace of modern office life is taking its toll on productivity, employee engagement, creativity and well-being. Faced with a relentless flood of information and distractions, our brains try to process everything at once increasing our stress, decreasing our effectiveness and negatively impacting our performance. 

Ironically, we have become too overworked, unfocused, and busy to stop and ask ourselves the most important question: What can we do to break the cycle of being constantly under pressure, always-on, overloaded with information and in environments filled with distractions? Do we need to accept this as the new workplace reality and continue to survive rather than thrive in modern day work environments?

What if your organisation’s culture could be fuelled by creativity and productivity? It is possible to train the brain to respond differently to today’s constant pressures and distraction?

The secret to dealing with life’s interruptions is incredibly simple: Give each distraction just “one second’s” time, mindfully. Many companies turn to mindfulness to help their workers become more attentive and less distracted.

Today’s guest has worked with a multitude of fortune 500 countries in over 22 countries. He is the founder and managing director of the Potential Project and the focus of today’s show is his wonderful book “One Second Ahead”.

We discuss:

Mindfulness

Selling mindfulness within an organisation

Translating the benefits to business needs

More about Rasmus here:

https://www.potentialproject.com/

His TED Talk here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n_CWAiF5yE

In the corporate world, we’re fast realizing that people are our largest source of competitive advantage. The problem is, all of our systems and structures are set up for products, services and technology to give us an edge over our rivals. But whether it’s recruitment, leadership, culture or high-performance, pro sports has been quality-testing people strategies for decades, and now contains a treasure trove of ideas for you to harness. Through in-depth interviews and meticulous research, Where Others Won’t dives deeper than ever before into professional sports from around the world.

We are joined by author of “Where Others Won’t: Taking People Innovation from the Locker Room Into the Boardroom”, Cody Royle

We talk:

• Team building
• Leadership
• Hiring
• Innovation
• Outside-the-box thinking
• Best Principles
• Leaders as Coaches
• and much more.

More about Cody here:

https://medium.com/where-others-wont

We can do more with our lives. We all know it, we all wish for it, but just how to do it—that eludes us. As one man describes his life, “In the morning I can’t wake up, in the day I am bored, in the evening I am tired, and at night I can’t sleep.” Even if we want to change, we’re not sure which path to take, and if we do find our way, we are usually too emotionally wounded, physically unhealthy, or mentally stressed to take the steps we know would transform our desperate life into a meaningful one.

Many of us long to change this troubled world, but the one thing we have the most influence over is the person looking back at us in the mirror every morning. We live in fear of terrorism, but in actuality, the most devastating terrorism comes from within as we continue to sabotage ourselves. A neglected body, chaotic mind, or wounded heart will prevent us from fulfilling our destiny as much as any outside enemy.

We all know that we deserve and are meant to live an inspired life that rises above mere existence, today’s guest shares some ways we can live the life we have always known we can live, a life with meaning, a life full of love, a life worth breathing.

We welcome global speaker, teacher, and author who acts as a bridge to connect people with their inner axis and thereby build better relationships with others, Max Strom

We discuss:

• The power of breathing
• Letting go of anger
• Fear of death
• Resilience in children
• Overwork
• Work addiction
• and much more.

More about Max here https://maxstrom.com/

We have been spoon-fed the notion that creativity is the province of genius – of those favoured, brilliant few whose moments of insight arrive in unpredictable flashes of divine inspiration.  And if we are not a genius, we might as well pack it in and give up. Either we have that gift, or we don’t.  But that simply isn’t true.  Recent research has shown that there is a predictable science behind achieving commercial success in any creative endeavour, from writing a popular novel to starting up a successful company to creating an effective marketing campaign.   

As the world’s most creative people have discovered, we are enticed by the novel and the familiar. By understanding the mechanics of what is called “the creative curve” – the point of optimal tension between the novel and the familiar – everyone can better engineer mainstream success.   

Our guest on this episode reveals the four laws of creative success and identifies the common patterns behind their achievement.

We welcome Big Data entrepreneur, CEO of Trackmaven and author of the fantastic “Creative Curve” Allen Gannett.

• On this episode we talk:
• The origin of the creativity myth
• The myth of the lightbulb moment
• The patterns behind the creative curve
• The four laws of the creative curve:
• Law of consumption
• Law of imitation
• Law of creative communities
• Law of iterations
• The social acceptance of ideas
• The significance of the mere exposure effect
• Psychological safety
• Ben and Jerry as champions of the creative curve

More about Allen Gannet here:

http://www.allen.xyz

https://trackmaven.com/

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of other men”

Albert Einstein

Dogs don’t bark at parked cars. Dogs only chase moving objects. If you aspire to invest your life in a noble goal; you will experience barking dogs. But you do not have to stop the car for them.

Drawing from a lifetime of entrepreneurial experiences and relationships with some of today’s most dynamic business leaders, founder and CEO of SCB Marketing and author of “Dogs don’t bark at parked cars”, Jeff Piersall shares core principles that are the blocking and tackling of a successful life.

We discuss:

• Tackling the Naysayers
• Overcoming Fear
• Trust
• Social Enterprise
• Medicating Entrepreneurship
• Paying it Forward
• and much more

You can find out more about Jeff here:

http://www.jeffpiersall.com/

The world is full of leaders, from newly minted entrepreneurs to highly paid CEOs. There are nearly a quarter million CEOs in America alone. But according to a Gallup report, only one in ten people possess the talent that’s required of a CEO. If 90% of people lack innate management skills, how CEOs succeed?

CEOs can build incredible cultures, grow companies, and enhance the bottom line. But without the right guidance, they can just as easily burn out, cause cultures to stagnate, and lead their organisations to ruin.

Drawing from twenty-plus years of working side by side with today’s top leaders, Leadership expert and author of Finding Time to Lead, Leslie Peters pulls back the leadership curtain to reveal the shifts, practices, and tools that move leaders past the status quo.

We explore:

• Why “having all the answers” ultimately sabotages success
• How to recognise if busy-ness is, in fact, a sign of anxiety or discomfort
• Why there’s no such thing as a perfectly crafted corporate message
• How the lack of a counter-narrative can bring a CEO down
• How to lead change in a way that brings people along
• Three great shifts as leader:
• From doing to being
• From knowing to understanding
• From reacting to responding

More about Leslie Peters here: https://www.findingtimetolead.com/

“A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

This episode aims to introduce practical instruction for mastering the Wheel of Awareness, a life-changing tool for cultivating more focus, presence, and peace in our lives.

We will explore:

• The science that underlies meditation’s effectiveness
• How to harness the power of the principle “Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows.”
• How developing a Wheel of Awareness practice to focus attention, open awareness, and cultivate kind intention can help us grow a healthier brain and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in our lives. 

Whether we have no experience with a reflective practice or are an experienced practitioner, we are going to explore this hands-on guide that will enable you to become more focused and present, as well as more energized and emotionally resilient

Our guest is the author of 4 New York Times bestsellers and I’m sure today’s book Aware will be a fifth. His books include:

• The Developing Mind
• Parenting from the Inside Out
• The Mindful Brain
• Mindsight
• The Mindful Therapist
• A Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology
• The Whole-Brain Child
• Brainstorm
• No-Drama Discipline
• Mind
• The Yes Brain

And the focus of today’s episode:

Aware The Science And Practice Of Presence—A Complete Guide To The Groundbreaking Wheel Of Awareness Meditation Practice

More about Dan Siegel here:

TEDx Prague we refer to in the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyhxXwclfNs

Wheel of Awareness

http://m.drdansiegel.com/resources/wheel_of_awareness/

“There are truths which are not for all men, nor for all times” – Voltaire

True or false? It’s rarely that simple.

This episode aims to equip us to spot misleading truths that are all around us and to communicate more effectively with friends & family.

There is more than one truth about most things. Eating meat is nutritious but it’s also damaging to the environment. The Internet disseminates knowledge but it also spreads hatred. When we communicate we naturally select the truths that are most helpful to our agenda.

We can select truths constructively to inspire organisations, encourage children, and drive progressive change. Or we can select truths that give a false impression of reality, misleading people without actually lying. Others can do the same, motivating or deceiving us with the truth. Truths are neutral but highly versatile tools that we can use for good or ill.

Today we will explore how truth is used and abused in politics, business, the media and everyday life. We will explore how a clearer understanding of truth’s many faces renders us better able to navigate our world and more influential within it.

We welcome strategic communications expert, master storyteller and author of “TRUTH How the Many Sides to Every Story Shape Our Reality”, Hector MacDonald

More about Hector here: https://www.hectormacdonald.com/about/

“How does one fashion a book of resistance, a book of truth in an empire of falsehood? Is it possible for freedom and independence to arise in new ways under new conditions?”    – Philip K. Dick

The argument of the book is that we’ve evolved a number of mental modules. They are associated with characteristic types of human behaviour.

This show introduces ten people. In a way, we already know them. Only we don’t – not really. In a sense, they are us. Only they’re not entirely. They inform and shape the most important decisions in our lives. But you’re almost certainly unaware of their intervention. They are the Ten Types of Human. Who are they? What are they for? How did they get into your head?

We want to believe that there are some things we would never do. We want to believe that there are others we always would. But how can we be sure? What are our limits? Do we have limits?

The answer lies in the Ten Types of Human: the people we become when we are faced with life’s most difficult decisions. But who or what are these Types? Where do they come from? How did they get into our heads?

The Ten Types of Human is a pioneering examination of human nature. It looks at the best and worst that human beings are capable of and asks why. It explores the frontiers of the human experience, excavating the forces that shape our thoughts and actions in extreme situations. It explores people undaunted in the face of unimaginable conditions, people who have stolen, people who have killed, people who have spoken out at enormous personal risk, people who have performed feats of unimaginable heroism.

Mixing cutting-edge neuroscience, social psychology and human rights research, The Ten Types of Human is at once a provocation and a map to our hidden selves. It provides a new understanding of who we are – and who we can become.

Ultimately that is what The Ten Types of Human is about: finding fresh ways to be free.

We welcome Dexter Dias, human rights barrister who as Queen’s Counsel has been instructed in some of the biggest cases of recent years involving murder, terrorism, civil liberties, war crimes, human rights and genocide. He has been instrumental in changing the law to better protect young women and girls at risk of FGM and works pro bono internationally with survivors of modern day slavery, human trafficking and Violence Against Women and Girls.

Dexter gives us an in-depth account of the concept of the book and shares some of the stories which informed the book.

We get through a handful of the ten types and intend to follow up with a part 2 in 2019.

More about Dexter here: https://thetentypesofhuman.com/about-dexter-dias/

“Trust is not what we “do”—it is what results from what we do.”

Of the thousands of books published each year on leadership, management, self-help, and motivation, very few offer practical tools and solutions to the number one challenge in business: trust.

With trust, our relationships flourish, our productivity rises, and we have high personal and professional satisfaction. A trust-filled atmosphere lets people take risks, allowing innovation and creativity to thrive. Your team’s collective sense of self-worth and purpose becomes a beacon of light for others to follow. The healthy, dynamic atmosphere is contagious, and it raises the bar for your entire organisation. Higher productivity and lower turnover create a more profitable business. High trust is the currency of greatness.

We welcome founder and president of Peak Solutions, globally renowned speaker, consultant and author of Trustology Richard Fagerlin.

In this episode, we address questions like:

What is trust?

Is trust earned?

Who is responsible for trust?

How do you grow trust with others?

What does it mean to be trustworthy?

How can I lead my team to be a high-trust team?

How do I find out how much trust my team has now?

How can team members hold each other accountable for high-trust behaviour?

Any high-trust relationship involves at least two people, so there are always two things to think about regarding trust: Do you trust them? Do they trust you?

How do you build trust in your children?

The premise is that both are your responsibility.

A high-trust relationship requires that you trust the other person and that they trust you back.

More about Richard and his work here:

https://richardfagerlin.com

http://www.trustologybook.com

https://www.peaksol.com