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Starts at the Top is about how leaders from all sectors are using digital to navigate uncertainty and forge a path to the future. It’s hosted by Zoe Amar and Paul Thomas.
Episodes
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
How Conversations From Calais is bringing together art and activism
We chat with Mathilda Della Torre, author of Conversations from Calais: Sharing Refugee Stories
When Mathilda Della Torre came home after visiting the refugee camps in Calais for the first time she thought, “I can’t look away from this.”
And so she began documenting the conversations between volunteers and migrants from Calais, firstly on posters, which people began to put copies up of on streets all around the world, and then in her book, Conversations from Calais. These conversations are moving, heartfelt and capture the diversity of refugees’ lives.
Della Torre’s book is a window into refugee and migrant’s stories, behind the tabloid headlines and culture wars we see on social media. As she says, it is an introduction into the topic, and the essays in the book from campaigners, artists and authors from Nish Kumar to Ai Weiwei to Yasmin Alibhai-Brown offer more experiences.
Thank you to Mathilda Della Torre for an inspiring conversation. You can find out more about her book here: https://www.conversationsfromcalais.com/
Conversations from Calais book https://www.conversationsfromcalais.com/
Follow Conversations from Calais on:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/conversationsfromcalais/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/conversationsfromcalais/
Twitter https://twitter.com/cfcalais
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production - Syren Studios with Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
The future trends coming to your workplace
We speak with Dr Michelle P.King, author of How Work Works and expert on organisational culture
Michelle P. King has spent the last two decades researching organisations and is an expert on organisational culture.
She is a Senior Advisor to the UN Foundation’s Girl Up campaign, where she leads the NextGen Leadership Development Programme and was previously Director of Inclusion at Netflix and the Head of UN Women’s Global Innovation Coalition for Change. Her latest book, How Work Works, is about the changes that have disrupted the workplace in recent times- and how to navigate them.
We chat to Michelle about how the workplace is evolving, from the need for greater inclusion to the rise of AI and how organisations might change again over the next few years. We also discuss how leaders, and employees, can prepare for the disruption ahead and get on the front foot with their careers. Michelle also tells us how leaders can create meaningful, fulfilling cultures for their teams.
This episode is a great listen for anyone looking to understand how their organisation and its culture are developing in ways you may not be aware of.
Michelle’s book How Work Works is out now.
Notes
How Work Works - https://www.michellepking.com/how-work-works/
More about Michelle P.King - https://www.michellepking.com/
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people and processes to improve their customer journey, while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production - Syren Studios with Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Leaders’ mental health special: part 2
We chat with Dr Sarah Hughes, CEO of Mind
Almost 10% more leaders feel more burned out than in 2020. What can we do about this?
In the second of our two part special on leaders and mental health, we were honoured to speak to the one and only Sarah Hughes, CEO of mental health charity Mind. We wanted to find out how leaders can look after their mental wellbeing during an exceptionally tough year, and how they can give the same level of care to their teams.
Sarah tells us why having a peer group is a really important part of leaders’ wellbeing, whether the pandemic genuinely shifted the conversation about mental health and how people are processing the upheaval and trauma of the last three years.
We also discuss why and how the charity sector needs to change- and some of the challenges that may be encountered along the way.
Zoe and Paul also open the episode by sharing their experiences of how they manage their mental health.
Notes
Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/
Third Sector podcast with Sarah Hughes https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/third-sector-podcast-sarah-hughes-mind-mental-health-role-charities/management/article/1819044
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people and processes to improve their customer journey, while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production - Syren Studios with Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.
Thursday Oct 05, 2023
Thursday Oct 05, 2023
Leaders’ mental health special: part 1
Ben Lindsay OBE is founder of Power The Fight, an award-winning charity which tackles violence affecting young people.
35% of leaders report that they feel stressed at work. More than 50% of managers feel burned out.
In our day jobs, we speak to leaders everyday who are dealing with huge pressures. We’ve been there ourselves with our own mental health challenges. So we thought it was high time we devoted two special episodes to leaders and mental health.
In the first part of our special we are joined by Ben Lindsay OBE, founder of Power The Fight. Through his work Ben has learned how to take a trauma informed approach, and is a big advocate of therapy for his staff, and himself.
We chat to Ben about how leaders can look after their mental health, how to deal with burnout and how he keeps going when dealing with a hugely challenging job tackling violence affecting young people. This is a raw and honest conversation about the challenges of leadership and how leaders can take care of themselves and their teams.
We’ll be back next week for the second part of our leaders’ mental health special featuring Dr Sarah Hughes, CEO of Mind.
Notes
Power The Fight https://www.powerthefight.org.uk/
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people and processes to improve their customer journey, while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production - Syren Studios with Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (.srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
How The Wildlife Trusts are taking on digital transformation
We chat with Alice Kershaw, Head of Digital Transformation at The Wildlife Trusts
Digital transformation can often feel very project heavy. This week we talk to Alice Kershaw, Head of Digital Transformation at The Wildlife Trusts, who is leading a holistic, root and branch approach to their digital transformation. It’s all about creating sustainable, lasting change.
Alice discusses the digital journey so far at The Wildlife Trusts, along with the knotty topic of how to make decisions about digital in a federated organisation. This involves work with staff who are at early stages on the digital journey, and Alice shares why the energy for digital transformation can come from those working at the grassroots. We also discuss exciting projects she has been involved in such as Nextdoor Nature, and what she wishes she had learned earlier in her career.
Zoe and Paul discuss what the response to the allegations about Russell Brand and Elon Musk’s idea to charge Twitter users tells us about the current state of socila media.
The Wildlife Trusts https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/
Check out their campaigns https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/get-involved/our-campaigns
Paul and Zoe discussed:
The News Agents’ podcast https://youtu.be/Ypnm630R04g?si=8Kz11Ob86NIJfL8S
Starts At The Top interview with Soma Sara https://www.startsatthetop.co.uk/episodes/episode50-toxic-masculinity-workplace-leaders
Elon Musk story from The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/19/elon-musk-twitter-x-subscription-fees-users-posts
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people and processes to improve their customer journey, while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production - Syren Studios with Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
Why we need to think 'people-first' in the age of AI
We speak to Ben Williams, CEO and co-founder of AI start-up Loopin
We’re back from our summer break and excited to dive into discussing two of our favourite topics, workplace culture, and AI, with Ben Williams, CEO and co-founder of Loopin.
Ben is a best-selling author and leadership coach, who has worked with the likes of Gareth Southgate’s England football team, Facebook, and Gymshark. With Loopin, Ben is using his commando mindset experience as a former Royal Marine and partnering with real-time AI to help combat burnout and empower managers to promote wellbeing in the workplace.
We talked about empathy in the workplace, how leaders are recalibrating their leadership styles post lockdown, burnout, and how to motivate employees during a challenging year (and the answer isn’t what you think it might be). We also discuss the role that AI can play in improving employees’ well-being and supporting managers. This is a fascinating conversation that will be food for thought for anyone interested in improving organisational culture.
Paul and Zoe also discuss tech news including where Google is at with AI.
More info about Loopin https://letsloopin.com/
Follow Loopin on:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/lets-loopin/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/letsloopin/?hl=en
Twitter https://twitter.com/letsloopin
Notes
Paul and Zoe discussed Google’s search for an AI future https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66659361
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people and processes to improve their customer journey, while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production - Syren Studios with Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
What leaders need to know about the 4 day week
The 4 Day Week has grown in popularity since the pandemic and the rise of hybrid and remote working. Maybe you or your organisation have even tried it. Is it the future of the world of work? Or something that only works for certain roles and responsibilities?
We thought we’d go straight to the source this week by talking to Joe Ryle, Director of the eponymous 4 Day Week Campaign. Joe and his team are campaigning for a four-day, 32 hour working week with no loss of pay. Is the 5 day a week model of work broken? In his discussion with us Joe discusses how the UK works some of the longest hours in Europe, yet it’s not making us more productive, just stressed and burned out.
58% of the British public expected a four-day week to be the normal way of working by 2030, with only 22% believing it would not. We chat through what leaders need to do to get ahead of this trend, and the practical tips they need to implement it. It certainly got us both thinking about how we can move to a 4 day week.
Paul and Zoe discuss their experiences of new social media platform Threads, along with the key stats from the new Charity Digital Skills Report.
Notes
4 Day Week Campaign https://www.4dayweek.co.uk/
The Charity Digital Skills Report
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people and processes to improve their customer journey, while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production - Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Toxic Masculinity in the Workplace: what every leader needs to Know
We speak with Soma Sara, author, founder, and CEO of Everyone’s Invited
72% of women have either encountered or witnessed inappropriate behaviour from male colleagues at work.
A third (32%) of women say their careers have been affected by sexual harassment.
What’s caused this? And what do leaders need to do about it?
Soma Sara, author, founder, and CEO of Everyone’s Invited joins us to answer these questions. In June 2020, Soma Sara founded Everyone's Invited, an anti-rape movement organisation that allows survivors of rape culture to share their stories through testimonies anonymously on their website and Instagram profile. Soma was included in the BBC 100 global list of inspiring and influential women of 2021 and won the 2021 Harper's Bazaar Activist of the Year award.
Soma shares with us what leaders need to know about misogyny in and outside the workplace and how to tackle it. We discuss the many forms that toxic masculinity can take, including the ones that may be hiding in plain sight. And we talk about the role that we can all, including leaders, play in challenging toxic masculinity, creating safer spaces and more inclusive cultures that not only benefit women but help everyone. All of these themes are explored in Soma’s book, also called Everyone’s Invited, which is out now in paperback.
This is a frank, eye-opening discussion that some may find shocking - but you’ll be glad you listened.
Trigger warning - this episode contains references to themes of sexual assault and rape, which some individuals may find distressing.
Everyone’s Invited https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/
Everyone’s Invited book by Soma Sara https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/book
Stats above are taken from https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1797842/third-womens-careers-affected-sexual-harassment-study-finds
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people and processes to improve their customer journey, while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
How emerging tech can supercharge your digital transformation (Digital Leaders Week - Special Episode)
We chat with Wales Air Ambulance Charity and Arvato CRM Solutions about their partnership
Can emerging technologies help your organisation’s digital transformation go further and faster? We attempted to answer this question as part of our live podcast recording at Digital Leaders Week, featuring Wales Air Ambulance Charity and Arvato CRM Solutions.
We discussed how Wales Air Ambulance Charity used automation and AI to improve the donor and supporter experience, saving money and time, improving ways of working and developing staff skills. For example, using automation for new member communications has saved Wales Air Ambulance Charity up to £20,000 annually and is reducing its reliance on paper.
Speakers:
James Stephens Director of Finance & Commercial Services, Wales Air Ambulance Charity
Mark Stevens- Head of Fundraising- Wales Air Ambulance Charity
Mike Stewart- Intelligent Automation Practice Lead Arvato CRM Solutions
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people, and processes to improve their customer journey, while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production - Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
How to build your brand during a cost-of-living crisis
We talk to Donna White, Senior Head of Digital and Youth Marketing at The Prince’s Trust
When times get tough the first thing that gets cut is often the marketing budget. So when we heard that The Prince’s Trust was taking a creative approach to digital marketing during the cost of living crisis we had to find out more.
We first met Donna White, Senior Head of Digital and Youth Marketing at The Prince’s Trust when she gave a brilliant presentation about her team’s work at the Charity Digital conference. So we invited her onto our podcast for a longer chat.
Donna describes how she and her colleagues are using digital to affirm The Prince’s Trust's place as a youth brand, reaching young people as well as older supporters and donors. We discuss her charity’s canny approach to digital marketing during the cost of living crisis, focusing on partnerships, and how they are using data to be as efficient as possible about where they invest their efforts. Donna also shares her advice on the age-old challenge of making the case for marketing as a strategic, not a service function.
We felt really inspired after talking to Donna. Her story shows that it’s possible to build a brand, achieve great results and be creative even when money is tight.
Many thanks to Donna for sharing her insights.
Notes
The Prince’s Trust https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/
We are delighted that this episode of Starts At The Top is sponsored by Arvato CRM Solutions. Arvato CRM Solutions designs and delivers award-winning customer service, business process outsourcing (BPO), and digital and intelligent automation solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands, as well as innovative charity and public sector clients. They partner with clients to help them define their customer experience and transformation strategies by implementing the right technology, people, and processes to improve their customer journey while driving new efficiencies and helping them prepare for the future. To find out more about how Arvato CRM Solutions could help an organisation like yours and to receive a free no-obligation chat visit their website.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Full transcript of this episode (srt file)
Full transcript of this episode (.txt file)
Transcripts also available through your podcast app.