Shows
The Squid of DespairSquid #24 - IdentityWhat is your identity? How do you get one in the first place? And what happens when you meet 'disruptors' in life that impact or change your identity?DAS and Peter are joined on this podcast by a special guest - Sadie - as they explore what identity is and (with the aid of a list from DAS - of course) what to look at when you feel you might have lost your identity,2025-02-0847 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #23 - Getting your Mojo backIn which DAS shares some personal experiences around losing your mojo and both Peter and DAS share some (possibly) new words with their listeners on descriptions of the human condition.It is all about recognition of entering the state of languishment, finding an antidote to this state, and presenting ideas to re-connect and recover.There is a disclaimer about DAS and Peter learns all about Ikigai. Plus Squid of Despair is in the top 10 Squid related podcasts!2024-05-2233 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #22 - SisuShockingly there are 3 people in this podcast – DAS and Peter welcome their first ever guest, Donna Cooper – Services Leader and Untra-Marathon runner.DAS kicks it all off by introducing a brand-new word (to Peter anyway) – Sisu: A Finnish word variously translated as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness – and this is the Squid of the Day.In the light of this Donna talks about her running experiences and challenges considering the value of a clear goal, flexibility of plans, and choice, and how this can play out in the business world.Pet...2024-04-1731 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #21 - Personal BrandingIn which David (aka DAS) and Peter (aka The Lazy Project Manager and now also aka Pedro) explore the value and purpose of evolving a personal brandAlong with stories of branding successes the dynamic duo (think the Ant and Dec of the business world) consider how anyone can invest in their own brand and what this can offer to them in their business and personal lifeSo, Squid of Despair Episode 21 - a new and improved podcast? Up to you to decideSpoiler alert - episode concludes with Peter receiving quite a...2024-02-2827 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #20 - BalanceWhere DAS assumes complete control of the podcast topics for 2024 (not precisely a coup but Peter is assuming a subservient role...)Exploring Balance in LeadershipDAS and Peter reflect on the 'old school' style of command and direct leadership and the more relevant and appropriate blended leadership model that is both expected and needed in the modern business world.Peter, despite his 'underling' position does lead the conversation in the somewhat random direction of tightrope walking records that DAS consider interesting but not specifically relevant to the podcast topic.Happy New...2024-01-2029 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #19 - Uninformed OpinionsThis week, we're tackling a topic that's increasingly relevant in today's world Peter feels: The danger of uninformed opinions.Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance – Plato.Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes – Voltaire.But that is only Plato’s and Voltaire’s opinion of course, the question is whether they were both either informed or uniformed? It is about the importance of speaking from real knowledge, especially in a world where opinions can be hugely and rapidly amplified through various platforms - #socialmed...2023-11-2932 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #18 - ResilienceIncorporating the now famous 'lost episode of Squid' when a technical issue caused a significant loss to DAS and Peter but the subject of this episode is resilience and they are committed to therefore being 'resilient' about it all.Resilient - (of a person or animal) able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditionsThe dynamic duo explore whether you are, or aren't resilient, and why - and consider ways to become more resilient in the future, as well as ways to stave off the cause of stress that may test any resilience that...2023-11-0336 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #17 - The Quiet VoiceAn episode spoken with a soft voice but with a strong message in which DAS argues that the quietest voice in the room can, in fact, be the loudest (which initially confuses Peter a lot)Can a quiet voice be a powerful voice?Can you mistake such quiet for weakness or mistake seniority?Is it possible to balance the loud and the quiet?Many questions are raised and, hopefully, addressed in this intriguing episode2023-08-3033 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #16 - Artificial IntelligencePerhaps the #1 topic out there at the moment - the rapid (or so it seems) rise of artificial intelligence with technology like ChatGPT and Synthesia and MS Co-Pilot and Bing (and more) had to be discussed by the hosts eventually, and here it is.Joining DAS and Peter is a non-person who still contributes to this episode with some thoughts of value (and humour).Important questions such as do fish really have fingers and will AI replace the water cooler chats in the future will be addressed, as will the the aspects of the ethical...2023-07-2141 min
The Squid of DespairSquid #15 - Time TravelIn this episode DAS has a proposition: He would like to suggest that we experience time as a variable, not a constant. Interesting start, he continues:That you think our experience of time changes depending on the context, when we're happy time flies, when we're not enjoying ourselves, time seems to drag. And there's lots of phrases about this, you talk about people describing themselves as being slaves to time where you're trapped by the amount of time you've got available to do the things you want to do, which often you don't want to d...2023-06-1636 min
The Squid of DespairSquid #14 - The Challenge of AdoptionPeter gets sneaky and challenges DAS to talk about a subject that DAS promised to write about in Peter’s new book (2,500 words due by mid-June)Change Adoption is not Change Management – but the two go hand in hand – DAS and Peter explore the differences and ponder the art of making ‘adoption’ a reality in business transformationDAS suggests that without Adoption 'it' (insert Change of your choice) is all a waste of time really - and he further proposes Adoption is the most ignored part of Change2023-05-1037 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #13 - The Positivity of HopeIs hope just a vague, passive, woolly idea or is it something much more?DAS takes Peter on a journey re-evaluating the idea of hope as a strong and positive thing that can be very personal but sometime become a collective showing at difficult times"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.2023-04-0628 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #12 - The Imposter SyndromePeter reminisces about featuring in Glamour Magazine (with Brad Pitt) and DAS considers taking out a subscriptionOn a more serious note the podcasting duo worry that they shouldn't even be speaking or sharing their thoughts due to that little beast of the imposter syndromeLooking at the five syndrome types:1. The perfectionist2. The natural genius3. The rugged individualist4. The expert5. The superheroPeter and DAS explore some techniques that might help overcome the impact of imposter syndrome 2023-02-1638 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #11 - Global ThinkingDAS and Peter have been thinking, and discussing, everything 'global' - especially relating to business, but also the scientific world, which seems to have got the 'global' thing generally sortedPeter peaks early with an internet statement and boasting about speaking at CERNDAS keeps the conversation on track (mostly) exploring thoughts of culture and respect in a global community before heading of to Sweden and reminiscing about automatic doorsThey are both still seeking a publisher who would like to publish 'The Squid of Despair' book2023-01-2536 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #10 - A Look Back at 2022A light hearted (and short) look at back a the first year of the SquidIntroductions - Compliments - Insults - and Banter2022-12-2306 min
The Squid of DespairSquid #9 - Competition - Does the Winner Take it All?A festive edition of this beloved (by at least three people) podcastExploring competition - at a business level - at team level - and at a personal levelUnderstanding why Peter needs a photo of DAS and why DAS should never be put in charge of an Awards ceremonyIncludes the Bonus of the annual 'SODA's' - Squid of Despair AwardsHappy Holidays! 2022-12-1530 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #8 - Optimism - The Argument For and AgainstOptimism is an attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavour, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favorable, and desirable. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled with water to the halfway point: an optimist is said to see the glass as half full, while a pessimist sees the glass as half empty.Can you be overly optimistic?Can you be overly pessimistic? Or even realistic? And how do these two worlds balance each other?DAS gets back to insulting P...2022-11-2540 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #7 - Thinking Inside and Outside the BoxWe heard from our listener Mike B – thank you for your kind comments We kicked off with a Terry Pratchett quote 'I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it'Then moved on to three key questions:1) should we get in the box right first 2) best way to think outside the box and 3) how far away from the box should we go?Questioning the status quo is a good thing.If everyone just accepted things the way they are...2022-10-2133 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #6 - Strategy and the road to Successful TransformationAbout 2,500 years ago, Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu, wrote “The Art of War.” In it, he said: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Tactics and strategy should always complement each other, and are two sides of the same coin.Saying yes to the right things and no to the wrong things in order to meet strategic intentionReminiscing the time of the Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Mapping - The four perspectives of a traditional balanced scorecard are Financial, Customer, Internal Process, and Learning and Growth.2022-09-2327 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #5 - The Building of a Great TeamThere is no Squid in the Room – all such ‘squids’ have been addressed head on and dealt with like the mature professionals that we are, but you can learn the best place to find squid on Paxos.This episode is all about teams:A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal.As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, “a team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to information, resources, knowledge and skills and who seek to combine...2022-08-2033 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #4 - The Use of Fun in the WorkplaceExploring the complex world of fun and what makes people laughIts appropriate, and inappropriate, use in the workplaceAnd how it can be incredibly bonding in many situations but how it can be used in a negative and 'bullying' manner in othersPeter and DAS share some of their 'fun' stories from the past and Peter declares himself as DAS's 'spirit animal', which doesn't make DAS laugh at all2022-07-2239 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #3 - The Art of Expectation ManagementBeginning with the necessary addressing of the 'Squid in the Room'Exploring why the Tooth Fairy is a great example of expectation management (or it can be)All happiness is dictated by the reality compared with expectation - deep thoughts examinedAnd why the key to a happy relationship is - under promise and over deliver (works for partners apparently as well)2022-05-2032 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #2 - The Value of a Great QuestionExploring the problem of 'DSAS' - Difficult Second Album SyndromeConsidering what is the 'Squid of the Day'How formulating a really great question is critical to problem resolution and changeSeeing the world differentlyThe power of the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and the power of silenceAnd considering De Bono and the six thinking hats (not the Harry Potter sorting hat - just to be clear)All part of the Business Cookbook2022-03-1444 minThe Squid of DespairSquid #1 - The History of the Squid of DespairMeet David, DAS and Peter - the two podcast presentersLearn more about cephalopods than you ever thought that you wanted toUnderstand the ancient origins of 'The Squid of Despair' as we explore the world of creativity and fun in business (and life)And discover the value of 'Talk like a Pirate Day' (Monday 19th September 2022) whilst also having 'The Matrix' finally explained2022-02-1848 minThe Squid of DespairIntroducing 'The Squid of Despair' PodcastSquid, any of more than 300 species of 10-armed cephalopods can be found in both coastal and oceanic waters. Squids have elongated tubular bodies and short compact heads. Two of the 10 arms have developed into long slender tentacles with expanded ends and four rows of suckers with toothed, horny rings. The body of most squids is strengthened by a feathery-shaped internal shell composed of a horny material. Squid eyes, almost as complex as human eyes, are usually set into the sides of the head.The smallest squid is the Southern pygmy squid males grow only to a...2022-01-1202 min