Tony Hunter is a Food Futurist and Strategic Foresight consultant grappling with one of humanity's most pressing problems: how to sustainably and equitably feed our growing global population (projected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050). This is also a major theme in my new novel The Olympus Project so I was especially excited to hear Tony’s worldview. Through his work Tony has become convinced about the potential of agrifood tech to be part of the solution - leveraging both technology and changing food habits to reduce the reliance on land and water in food production and to support widespread food self-sufficiency. Tony has seen firsthand what the technology is capable of achieving and believes the future of food lies in dissolving the divide between traditional and technological food production, opening minds, hearts (and mouths!) to a reimagining of where our food comes from and why. This points to some fascinating leadership challenges from rethinking relationships with traditional competitors to truly tapping into next generation customer desires.
Read MoreZoë Routh Leadership Podcast
Podcasts
269 Leadership principles for a heartful business from author Eudora Pascall
Coach, facilitator, author and, as we discover in this episode, Quaker, Eudora Pascall is all about bringing the heart back to business. ‘Back’ because she believes we used to have it, especially in Quaker-led businesses that thrive on equality, with no hierarchy in their organisational structures. Eudora shares fascinating insights into the Quaker decision-making process and talks about the importance of structure to create space, how safety influences performance, perfection is not the goal and why it’s OK to bring love into the business conversation.
Read More264 A leadership framework for cultures that deliver with Gerald Leonard
As a conservatory trained bassist and widely certified productivity and culture consultant, Gerald Leonard leverages the synergies of music and business to help teams deliver outstanding performances. Replicating the flow and connection of a jazz ensemble in a sprawling project team doesn’t faze Gerald, who thrives on organising chaos. Whether it’s getting the band together or satisfying the boardroom, it’s all a beautiful process that results in sweet music!
Read More263 First look and listen of The Olympus Project
With climate change wreaking havoc, new industries emerge to handle the challenges. “World design” is a burgeoning sector to take on creating human habitats for hotter temperatures and smaller arable, habitable landscapes. And then there is the push to build the first Moon base, the Olympus Project. This is the imagined future of Zoë Routh’s first novel The Olympus Project. Get an early listen to the overview and first chapter, along with an introduction to the theme for this quarter on the podcast: Holacracy, self-organising organisations.
Read More256 A leadership code for building better teams from George Karseras
As one of the first psychologists to work with elite sports teams in the UK, George Karseras knows a thing or two about winning ways. His many years of experience in occupational psychology have led to the creation of a science-backed code for better organisational teaming. George offers a new perspective on team building that puts mental trust and shared purpose before emotional safety and prioritises probing questions over psychometric testing. He talks of using deals and contracts, skin in the game and lists of demands to get on the same page and even has a (gentle) crack at Patrick Lencioni! Cracking the code on performance means stepping out of your comfort zone - are you ready?! P.S. His book, Build Better Teams, is my favourite on team building - EVER!
Read More255 Marie-Claire Ross’ leadership framework for instilling trust
Can we have safety without trust? Marie-Claire Ross doesn’t think so - in fact, her extensive research has told her so. Author of Trusted to Thrive, Marie-Claire was working in the safety communications space when she realised it wouldn’t work if there wasn’t trust in the workplace. So she left her family business to study, talk and write about trust – specifically, how leaders can instill it. Her work revealed a trend of leaders believing they had built trust (they hadn’t), cultures of stalled communication and assumptions a-plenty! In this episode Marie-Claire shares her formula for creating a trust foundation that everyone can build on.
Read More253 A leadership framework for trust from Dr Toby Travis
Dr Toby Travis believes mission fulfillment with wellbeing is the leadership sweet spot we should be aiming for. And it can’t be done without trust. Engineered from his own experiences in the workplace and doctoral research, Toby has crafted a bridge metaphor to illustrate how the right foundations and materials must be in place for trust to be built. Instead of conceptualising trust, he turns it into an assessable and actionable component of leadership that can create a workplace culture people want to be part of.
Read More250 How to use language better in leadership with Chris West
Businesses spend time, money and attention on visual identity but what about verbal identity? It’s a missing link in leadership frameworks. Language matters. From the disruptive to the dreary, language frames the experience for those both inside and outside of an organisation. With a background in physiology and computer sciences, Chris West leverages his rational thinking to bring the magic and mechanics of language to businesses around the world, helping brands to craft and communicate a verbal identity. Here he shares how words build worlds and language drives change.
Read More247 Hedda Bird on why high performance starts with people stuff
From paper and pulp to performance management might sound like a big leap, but Hedda Bird sees opportunities for improvement wherever she looks so it turned out to be a natural fit. Hedda, author of the Performance Management Playbook, works with organisations to help them use performance management as a route into better communication, culture, creativity and results. Her enthusiasm for understanding what makes people tick is infectious and she brings a refreshingly practical leadership perspective.
Read More240 A leadership framework for high performance with Will Schirmer
Having worked for many years in HR there’s very little people stuff that Will Schirmer hasn’t encountered in his career. On the gnarly subject of team performance he takes a clear cut view of leadership responsibility across expectations, accountability and follow-up and shares how to do that in practice.
Read More236 Perspective shifting leadership insights
Zoë Routh shares a revelatory reflection on polarised conversations and shifting perspectives that digs into the role of identity in our beliefs.
Read More235 A leadership framework for productive disagreement with Buster Benson
Author of Why Are We Yelling? Buster Benson flips the perspective of difficult conversations and conflict, turning them from something to be feared into a super power. By asking thoughtful questions, disagreements become leadership learning opportunities, goodwill generators and windows into a bigger world. Buster explains why ‘What am I missing?’ could be the most important question you’ll ask today and shares what it is like to go from entrenchment to exploration.
Read More234 Courageous leadership with Peter Scott, retired submarine Commodore
Former Commodore Peter Scott spent three decades in service of the Australian Navy, rising to the position of professional head of the submarine arm. Leading in some of the most demanding conditions imaginable, Peter has remained grounded through a deep sense of responsibility and a commitment to understanding those around him. From leading and living in close and isolated quarters to taking ultimate accountability for missions, Peter is a study in graceful leadership under pressure and he shares the experiences and insights that have shaped him.
Read More233 Bobbie LaPorte’s ‘anything is possible’ leadership mindset
Bobbie LaPorte is ready for anything! A coach and consultant who helps leaders navigate uncertainty, Bobbie’s approach is inspired by her late-in-life foray into Ironman competitions and the realisation that, with discipline and determination, we can push through our leadership limits and vulnerabilities to make the impossible, possible.
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