Starts at the Top Podcast

Episode 47 - Kim Perlow, Founder and CEO of Link UP London

How to tap into the power of skilled volunteers 

It’s Volunteers Week so we wanted to find out how charities and corporates alike can benefit from skilled volunteering programmes. 

Kim Perlow is the founder and CEO of Link UP London an organisation that harnesses professional skills for social good through skilled volunteering. Link UP, which started in 2016, is committed to building stronger communities and offering meaningful volunteer opportunities by connecting skilled professionals with charitable organisations, in areas such as legal, finance, human resources, communications, marketing, data, strategy, organisational development and more.

We chat to Kim about volunteering trends, how smart use of volunteering is helping charity leaders to take a step back from delivery to think about strategy and how the way that corporates and charities partner on volunteering initiatives is changing.

Zoe and Paul share another update on what’s going on with AI following the statement from the Center for AI Safety. 

 

Notes

Link UP London would love to hear from anyone interested in volunteering their skills in a meaningful way with London based community organisations or engaging their company in a skilled volunteering event or programme. 

You can learn more on their website – www.linkuplondon.org 

Find out more about their Corporate Programme - https://linkuplondon.org/corporates/

You can also find them on:

LinkedIn – linkuplondon

Twitter - linkuplondonuk

Instagram - linkuplondonuk

New stories:

Ars Technica story on statement from Center for AI Safety

Statement on AI Risk

Rest is Politics podcast AI special

 

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.

Episode 46 - Ian Dunt, Author and Political Journalist

How to influence Westminster now

We meet Ian Dunt, author, political journalist and broadcaster

Have you ever wondered what really goes on in Westminster? Maybe you work in policy and are planning how to campaign for change in politically turbulent times? Ian Dunt, author of new bestselling book How Westminster Works…and Why It Doesn’t is here to lift the lid on Westminster and share what he found, and what this tells us about leadership.

As a political journalist and broadcaster, Ian spent several years working in the heart of Westminster. Ian discusses why our political system needs to change, how ministers make decisions, whether politicians getting burned out is a political issue, and how your organisation can influence policy when so much is up in the air. What needs to change about the current system, and how can we make this happen?

This interview will be invaluable for anyone interested in or involved in working with politicians. We’re grateful to Ian for a very thought provoking conversation.

Speaking of politics, Zoe and Paul discuss what’s going on with AI regulation at the start of this episode.

 

Notes

Find Ian's book here:

How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't by Ian Dunt

Follow Ian Dunt on Twitter

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.

 

 

Episode 45 - Bruce Daisley, author of Fortitude, workplace culture expert, and podcaster

Why leaders need to rethink resilience

We chat with Bruce Daisley, author of Fortitude, workplace culture expert, and podcaster

 

We’re thrilled to open season 7 with a brilliant conversation with Bruce Daisley. Many of you will know Bruce as the author of Fortitude: The Myth of Resilience and the Secrets of Inner Strength (out now in paperback) and his previous book The Joy of Work. Bruce is a workplace culture expert and the host of the legendary podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat.  

In Fortitude Bruce challenges the myths we’ve all heard about resilience, and asks if they’re really achieving their desired effect. Organisations invest time and money in resilience training. Schools aim to increase children’s resilience. Yet the data shows that these interventions aren’t always successful. Why is resilience seen as an individual, rather than a collective responsibility? How can leaders really help their teams develop inner strength? Are we doing it right?

In this episode, Bruce explains why we need to flip the concept of resilience on its head and focus on the power of building communities in and outside the workplace. Fortitude is an especially timely read as he also discusses the impact of trauma and how we can help the people around us heal. This is a vital leadership skill given the events of the last 3 years.

A huge thank you to Bruce for sharing his insights into what leaders need to do differently.

 

Fortitude: The Myth of Resilience and the Secrets of Inner Strength by Bruce Daisley is published by Penguin in paperback.

 

For more about Fortitude check out https://www.findfortitude.net/

Bruce has an excellent newsletter https://makeworkbetter.substack.com/ and  podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat

You can buy the book on Hive - https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Bruce-Daisley/Fortitude--The-Myth-of-Resilience-and-the-Secrets-of-Inne/27169356

 

We also have two copies of Bruce’s book Fortitude to give away. To be in with a chance of winning sign up to our newsletter over at https://www.startsatthetop.co.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 wwww.arvato.co.uk/WalesAirAmbulance

 

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.

Episode 44 - Sharon Jones, Head of Digital Innovation at The King’s Fund.

How to put digital at the heart of your organisation

We chat to Sharon Jones, Head of Digital Innovation at The King’s Fund

We’re closing season 6 by chatting to a charity digital legend about their journey as a leader. Step forward Sharon Jones, Head of Digital Innovation at The King’s Fund.

Sharon has worked as an editor and producer in organisations such as MTV, Sky and among others, the BBC. Before The King’s Fund she also worked at BookTrust. We discuss which of these experiences informed the way she leads and why, the digital challenges and opportunities she is leading on at The King's Fund and her thoughts on digital skills. We also chat through the latest digital trends facing the sector, and where charities are at with inclusion.

Zoe and Paul also discuss what the Gary Lineker story means for how your organisation uses social media. Could your organisation face a staff walkout about a colleague’s tweets in the future?

 

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.

Episode 43 - Jeff Nathenson, Managing Director, Whistle Sports

How leaders can reach Gen Z online

We speak to Jeff Nathenson, Managing Director, International at Whistle.

We speak to a lot of leaders who want to reach young people online. So how do you get the attention of Gen Z, when every brand and influencer is competing for their attention?

Jeff Nathenson is Managing Director, International at Whistle, the digital entertainment media company for Gen-Z. Launching the international business of Whistle in 2014, Jeff has also worked on strategy, programming, channel management, marketing, and monetisation on behalf of The Premier League, the Olympics, FIFA, World Rugby, Major League Baseball, and many others.

Jeff discusses how reaching young people online requires a completely different approach to communications, focused on participation in conversations with, and putting power in the hands of, your community. He tells us what this means for your digital marketing strategy and shares his advice on how older, more established organisations can learn from relative newcomers like YouTubers turned businesspeople, KSI and Logan Paul.

Zoe and Paul also discuss the latest tech news, focusing on the role of social media in policing.

Episode 42 - Tree Hall, CEO at Charity IT Leaders

What it’s really like to be a neurodivergent CEO

We chat with Tree Hall, CEO of Charity IT Leaders

It’s estimated that 1 in 7 people in the UK is neurodiverse. So what is it like to be a neurodiverse leader? 

Tree Hall, CEO of Charity IT Leaders, was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 47. In this very personal episode, she shares her story, exploring what autism means to her, and how it has shaped her life. Tree has become a staunch advocate of how everyone needs to understand autism and other neurodivergence. She is on a mission to make the workplace more inclusive and supportive of neurodivergent individuals.

We’re very grateful to Tree for sharing such an open, honest account of the experience of being a neurodiverse leader. We discuss how leaders can better understand what being neurodiverse means, and how improving the workplace with this in mind will help improve it for everyone.

Zoe and Paul discuss the latest leadership and tech news including the director general of the CBI’s comments about working from home and Jeremy Hunt’s call for more over 50s to rejoin the workplace.

 

Notes:

BBC story about over 50s in the workplace

Twitter thread about the CBI’s comments on remote work (original story on the BBC is here).

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)

 

Episode 41 - The Fun Episode with Mike Rucker and Emmy O’Shaughnessy

How to put the fun back into work

We speak to Emmy O’Shaugnessy, Director of Innovation and Growth at Oxfordshire Youth, and Michael Rucker, organisational psychologist and author of The Fun Habit.

The last 3 years have been tough and 2023 will be challenging. Engaging our teams is more important than ever so how can we bring fun and joy back into the workplace? Is it even possible right now?

Joining us this week are two leaders who think it’s not only achievable but necessary to experience pleasure and enjoyment at work. Emmy O’Shaugnessy, Director of Innovation and Growth at Oxfordshire Youth, is doing fascinating work with her organisation about this. Michael Rucker, an organisational psychologist based in Silicon Valley, is the author of The Fun Habit, a new book about the pursuit of joy and wonder and how it can change your life.

Emmy and Michael take us through how leaders can create more opportunities for fun at work, how to make it inclusive, and where enjoyment can create additional benefits, such as developing psychological safety and changing your culture. Ultimately it’s about us all being free to be who we are at work, and who doesn’t want that?

 

Notes:

Oxfordshire Youth
Follow Emmy on Twitter

The Fun Habit book (published by Pan Macmillan)

Connect with Mike via his website and Twitter

We also discussed this legal case about how a French employee won the right not to be fun at work(Business Insider).

 

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)

 

Episode 40 - Louise Lai, Chief Client and Transformation Officer at TPXimpact

How to help your organisation hit refresh

In our latest episode, we chat with Lou Lai, Chief Client and Transformation Officer at TPXimpact.

The new year can mean new ways of doing things. And we’ve got just the episode for you if your organisation needs reinvention in 2023.

Lou Lai, Chief Client and Transformation Officer at TPXimpact, knows all about transformation. We begin with her own story of a leader, and how she changed her career from charity to agency side, staying focused on the impact she wanted to have.

Lou guides us through how organisations should approach transformation. We discuss why it’s necessary to take a long hard look at your governance, leadership, and approach to inclusion if you want to see real change.

We loved talking to Lou. Her interview will give you the energy and ideas to begin January on the right note.

Paul and Zoe also round up the latest tech news. What does big tech cutting back on staff and office space mean for the rest of us?

 

Notes:

LinkedIn : Tech giants downsize office space
Reuters: Salesforce announces plan to cut 10% of workforce

From Lou’s interview:
TPXimpact
FemMentored

 

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

Transcripts also available through your podcast app.

Episode 39 - Jane Ide, CEO of ACEVO

What will the leaders of 2023 need? We speak to Jane Ide, CEO of ACEVO

The last two years have seen huge, unprecedented upheaval, leading to the current state of permacrisis. There are so many challenges facing civil society, and the wider world, into 2023. What qualities will leaders need for the road ahead?

Few civil society leaders are better placed to answer this question than Jane Ide, CEO of ACEVO, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations. Jane discusses why CEOs need time to think, and space to invest in relationships. We also discuss how leaders can master continuous change, both professionally and personally.

If you’re a leader who’s ever experienced doubt, wondered where to focus your attention or questioned whether you’re working as successfully as you can with your team this episode is for you. Jane’s insights are both inspiring and reassuring, and will set you on the right path for 2023.

Zoe and Paul also discuss how podcasts can be more inclusive, along with their views on racism at sector events.

 

Notes:

Find out more about ACEVO

Zoe Amar’s blog What does ‘Where are you really from?’ really mean?

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 episode 39 with Jane Ide (.txt file) - transcript also available through your podcast app.

Episode 38 - Michael Wilkinson, Associate Director of Digital and Innovation, RNID

How RNID went fully remote and agile

We chat with Michael Wilkinson, Associate Director for Digital and Innovation at RNID

Going fully remote, and agile, is a big ask of any organisation. It inevitably brings risk as much as opportunity. What do charities need to do to make this a success?

Back in 2020 RNID (or Action on Hearing Loss as it was then known) announced its plans to sell its office and go fully remote. Not long after that, it decided to rebrand. That’s a lot of change, but RNID has seized the opportunity to do things differently and embrace disruption.

Michael Wilkinson, Associate Director for Digital and Innovation at RNID, tells us how their team has thrived through remote working, establishing new ways of working, removing core working hours, and taking an agile approach to leadership and strategy.

Zoe and Paul discuss what’s happening at Twitter after staff walkouts and share their advice on how to plan for whatever the future holds for the platform.

 

Notes:

Find out more about RNID

 

RNID’s hearing test

 

Read Michael’s blog about his blueprint for digital transformation

 

Read Roger Swannell’s blog about RNID’s project opportunity canvas

 

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 episode 38 with Michael Wilkinson (.txt file) - transcript also available through your podcast app.