Shows
At Work with The Ready37. Leadership Across Generations with Raven SolomonIt’s easy to blame “kids these days” when generational tension flares up at work. But beneath the eye rolls and stereotypes are deeper forces (economic shifts, social movements, and broken workplace systems) that shape how each generation sees loyalty, ambition, and success. From Boomers to Gen Z, we’ve all inherited stories about what work should look like and they don’t always fit the world we’re in now.
In this episode, Rodney Evans sits down with Raven Solomon—author, keynote speaker, and CEO of the Future-Ready Institute—to explore what it really takes to lead across gene...
2025-11-1756 min
At Work with The Ready36. What AI Is Teaching Us About OurselvesGet the AI Coffee Club toolkit to start one at your own organization: Download here!
AI isn’t coming—it’s here. Every organization is already feeling its impact, whether through new tools, shifting expectations, or the quiet panic of not knowing where to start. But most companies are doing what they always do: treating transformation like a plan instead of an experiment. And as AI reshapes how work gets done, the biggest risk isn’t falling behind—it’s automating the dysfunctions you already have.
In this episode of At Work with The Rea...
2025-11-0349 min
At Work with The Ready34. Even More Bad Bosses and How to Defeat Them, P2Every worker has a bad boss story—but why are they so common? In this two-part series, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin dig into the archetypes of dysfunctional leaders and the systems that keep them in power. Because bad bosses aren’t accidents—they’re often a predictable response to organizational pressures.
In Part 2, they take on the Ghost—the slippery, conflict-avoiding boss who’s always hard to find when decisions need to be made—and the Self-Promoter, the credit-stealing leader who thrives on claiming other people’s work as their own. From the frustration of c...
2025-10-0627 min
At Work with The Ready34. Bad Bosses and How to Defeat Them, Part 1Every worker has a bad boss story—but why are they so common? In this two-parter, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin dig into the archetypes of dysfunctional leaders and the systems that keep them in power. Because bad bosses aren’t accidents—they’re often a predictable response to organizational pressures.
In Part 1, they take on the Micromanager, the Rager, and the Martyr. From obsessive control and volcanic tempers to bosses who never log off, these archetypes reveal the deeper fears and systemic incentives driving destructive behavior. Along the way, Rodney and Sam share strategi...
2025-09-2237 min
Change SignalStart with the Gnarliest Problem: Rodney EvansThree key insights: Change work isn't transformative anymore—it's operational; your organization does everything the same dysfunctional way; and everyone secretly benefits from broken patterns.
My guest, Rodney Evans from TheReady, has abandoned talking about "adaptability" because people's eyes glaze over. Instead, she starts every conversation with leaders by asking about their gnarliest cross-functional problem that can't be solved.
Why does this work? Because everyone has experienced that moment where important work gets "chopped up, parceled out across the org chart where it goes to die."
Rodney introduces her depth-finding model — four organizational zone...
2025-07-1636 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Giving HRBPs the Future-of-Work Makeover They Deserve [Rebroadcast]Rebroadcast note: We're hard at work recording a brand new miniseries for January, so this week we're resharing one this episode from our Future of HR miniseries. As we've worked with companies over the last year to reimagine their HR departments, we've seen this episode's ideas and lessons about evolving the HRBP even more important in practice. So take a listen with some fresh ears, and we'll see in two weeks with a brand new episode.The role of HR Business Partner is often a tale of two experiences. On the one hand, HRBPs...
2024-12-0939 min
At Work with The Ready19. All The Small Things: The Power of Good HabitsWhile exploring bad meetings a few episodes ago, Rodney and Sam hit on something that doesn’t often get a lot of air time: the power of good habits and the discipline to care about the small things. Because when we’re trying to change companies on an atomic level, it can feel like small potatoes to focus on check-in rounds, or writing Slack messages, or how we compose to-do lists.But you can’t run toward the future of work at full speed when your shoes aren’t properly tied. Here’s what we know: H...
2024-09-1655 min
At Work with The Ready10. RACI is The Wrong Answer To The Right QuestionThe RACI matrix (as well its cousins DACI, DARCI, etc.) aims to neatly categorize stakeholders into roles—who’s responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for every decision your team makes. We spend a lot of time filling out those RACI boxes, because it’s supposed to give us order and predictability—a single source of truth for all future choices.We’re all about achieving real clarity, but we often see RACIs treated as a one-and-done exercise, rather than something that evolves with a team. People end up in the “R” or “A” space without having the actual authority t...
2024-05-1349 min
At Work with The Ready9. Ask Us Anything No. 1: You Asked, We Answered“Ask Us Anything” episodes were a Brave New Work tradition, and we knew they were going to live on in this next new chapter of the show. What we didn’t know was how much harder the questions would be this time around! Turns out, after nearly 200 shows our audience is pretty sharp and asking some very specific questions.On today’s episode of At Work With The Ready, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin look at what arrived in our inbox and tackle our listeners thorniest questions…and even tease a little something coming on the horizon.
2024-04-2939 min
At Work with The Ready8. Traditional Consulting Sold You a Great Idea. Now What?For decades, traditional consulting (think “management” or “strategy” varieties now synonymous with the Big Three) has been a go-to move for organizations looking for a shake up. Need a bulletproof vision for the future or a new org restructuring that’ll win over the C-suite and shareholders? You can’t beat their analytical prowess, strategy design, and slick presentation.But too often clients wind up stuck with expensive change plans they can’t execute on their own. Without real coaching, structure, and experienced guidance, these efforts stand a high chance of fizzling out and collecting dust on a shelf. Facin...
2024-04-1550 min
At Work with The Ready7. Sync or Swim: Riding the Waves of Async WorkFor decades, face-to-face working has been the default way of working. Launching a new project; untangling an OS problem; updating a team on progress made in the last week—our classic go-to for all those different kinds of work is blocking off time on a calendar. When in doubt, just corral everybody into a room, real or virtual.But this “one-size-fits-all” approach is coming up short as work evolves. And while almost everyone dreads having a meeting-stuffed calendar, ideas for what to try instead can be in short supply. Plus, when 85% of leaders find it hard to trust...
2024-04-0148 min
At Work with The Ready6. If You're Faking It, You Won't Make ItEvery time something changes at work, someone’s bound to be upset. Digital transformations take resources from analog teams; restructuring a department can take authority from one group and give it to another; removing a step from a workflow can eliminate a role altogether. Any change, including those meant to make things better, will create winners and losers and that’s bound to kick up a hornet’s nest of feelings.Here’s the puzzling part: Despite years of research showing us that surfacing and processing these feelings is key to unlocking a company’s ability to be adapt...
2024-03-1848 min
At Work with The Ready5. Silos Are For Corn, Not For PeopleAsk anyone about organizational silos and they’re bound to tell you they’re bad. When we run Tension and Practice exercises with clients, “We work in silos” often shows up as Tension No. 1 holding a team back. Yet like a moth to a flame, we keep gravitating toward them, building walls that are higher and more insurmountable than ever before. What gives?In this episode of At Work with The Ready, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin dive into the bottomless ball pit that is organizational silos, exploring why we think they’ll solve all our problems, how they’r...
2024-03-0446 min
At Work with The Ready4. Return to Office: Real Issue or Handy Distraction?You can’t throw a stone on LinkedIn without hitting at least one post about return-to-office policies. From CEOs to employees, from thought leaders to maybe even your mayor, everyone is taking a side, doubling down, and yelling into the void as loud as they can. Where people work is being treated as the most important issue—the existential sea change that will either make or break a company.In reality, the RTO debate is the superficial fight we have instead of addressing the deeper, tougher, and way more complex issues that really matter (think questions around purp...
2024-02-1941 min
At Work with The Ready3. How 1:1 Meetings Are Messing Up Your Culture1:1s (or one-on-ones) are a ubiquitous part of our daily working lives. These two-person meetings (a manager + a direct report = a classic 1:1) are meant to be a space for diving into individual challenges, fostering trust, building stronger relationships, and providing a forum for feedback and recognition. When designed with intention, they can be great.But at some point, 1:1s jumped the shark. Today, we see more and more companies with an overwhelming “1:1 culture,” where calendars are packed with a million two-person meetings (on top of lots of other meetings), leaving precious little time to get work done. Wors...
2024-02-0540 min
The Edge of WorkThe Future of HR in The Future of Work with Rodney EvansRodney Evans is a Partner at The Ready, a future of work consulting firm, as well as the Co-Host of the Podcast Brave New Work. After working as a leader in HR for over a decade, Rodney has been advising organizations to think and work in new ways to adapt to a complex and ever changing world of work.During our conversation, Rodney spoke about some of the challenges organizations are facing both today and how new ways of thinking and working around HR can help us create a better world of work. She...
2024-01-1738 min
foHRsight: HR, Leadership & the Future of WorkREPLAY: The Future of HR with Guest Rodney EvansWelcome to foHRsight – a podcast about making work better brought to you by future foHRward.In this week’s episode, Naomi Titleman has the privilege to nerd out with co-host of podcast Brave New Work and partner at The Ready Rodney Evans.You can learn more about her work here:https://www.bravenewwork.com/podcasthttps://www.theready.com/Rodney shares some background to the podcast and explains why she enjoys working at The Ready so much – an organization that uses a self-managing system...
2023-12-2844 min
foHRsight: HR, Leadership & the Future of WorkRodney Evans, Co-host of Brave New Work and Partner at the Ready: The Future of HRWelcome to foHRsight – a podcast about making work better brought to you by future foHRward.In this week’s episode, Naomi Titleman has the privilege to nerd out with co-host of podcast Brave New Work and partner at The Ready Rodney Evans.You can learn more about her work here:https://www.bravenewwork.com/podcasthttps://www.theready.com/Rodney shares some background to the podcast and explains why she enjoys working at T...
2023-11-2344 min
I Hate It HereS2 E11: It’s OK If HR Can’t Be Everything, Everywhere All At Once, with Rodney EvansSpotted in the Podcast studio this week: Hebba Youssef and Rodney Evans chatting about the role of gossip in the workplace and how sometimes, it can actually be a good thing (IKR?). Brave New Work podcast host and Partner at The Ready, Rodney Evans was heard talking up a storm about the unseen emotional labor of HR professionals in the workplace and breaking free from the codependent caretaker role they often take on. I also heard a juicy rumor that HR might go the way of the dinosaurs. Out with a bang, amiright?My...
2023-11-1547 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: The End Is Just the BeginningIn July, we began exploring what HR’s current reality looked like and how People teams could evolve into a better, brighter, more adaptive future. Thirteen episodes, three guest interviews, a record breaking AUA, and lots of unexpected hot dog talk later, we’ve reached the end. And while endings can be bittersweet, this miniseries, proudly co-hosted by two org design nerds, is transforming that feeling into a sweet retrospective.In today’s final Future of HR episode, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin look back on the three months they spent in the deep end of the HR poo...
2023-10-3040 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Creating Irresistible Workplaces with Josh BersinHR departments struggle to be all things to all stakeholders while delivering on the most strategic priorities of the business. But when we dig into the OS of HR, we find a resource-constrained function that contains multitudes. Long range people priorities are deemed negotiable, HR’s domain expertise isn’t respected, and the function acts as a service-provider when it should be guiding the organization's evolution.This week, Rodney Evans sits down with HR industry giant Josh Bersin to discuss his book Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World’s Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations and dig into how HR...
2023-10-2346 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Slaying Your Company’s Org Debt MonsterSpooky season is here, so it seems fitting to share a horror story. Because there’s a monster draining time and energy from most of our organizations. This sneaky shapeshifter can take any form, show up at any time, and is one of the more destructive, chaotic forces we’re forced to deal with at work.We’re talking about the monster that is org debt—and HR has been trapped in a maze with it for decades. Worse still, the maze’s towering walls and serpentine corridors come from outdated policies and processes HR largely built themselves...
2023-10-0945 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Finding a Third Way with AI Through The Noise, Part 2Was it ever possible for our first AI episode to not be a two-parter? Probably not. So we’re back today with more thoughts on AI and the Future of HR.In this miniseries, Brave New Work’s Rodney Evans is joined by friend-of-the-pod and Ready OG Sam Spurlin to dive into how HR can become more resilient, efficient, and equitable.Last week, they dove into the AI pool to begin filtering out the noise about how this coming wave will impact all of us. Today on episode 9, Rodney and Sam keep swimming around the deep...
2023-09-2524 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Finding a Third Way with AI Through The Noise, Part 1One midnight scroll through LinkedIn is all it takes to be overwhelmed with AI stories and hot takes. There’s a massive amount of confusion, apprehension, excitement, and just general noisiness to make sense of, some which is created by AI tools themselves. But as more and more AI-powered solutions promising to revolutionize HR flood the market—and as more and more employees spiral with worry that the’ll be automated out of their jobs—how are we supposed to get caught up on some AI basics? Let alone actually use these tools at work?In this miniseri...
2023-09-1837 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Putting the “Change” Back in Change Agents and Building Your HR Talent MarketplaceStop us if you’ve heard this one before: A company hires a change agent (think anyone with “org effectiveness,” “change management,” or “strategy and efficiency” in their title) with promises of how they’ll be the one to revolutionize the company’s future. Several months later, the change agent realizes the company is fighting them at every turn. Despite all the talk, these roles often have minimal authority and autonomy, so those lofty dreams of change? They end up unfulfilled.But for HR departments heading toward Level 4, The Marketplace, of our maturity model, these roles need to step off the si...
2023-09-1143 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Why Being CPO Is Just the Hardest with Hebba YoussefSince last fall, we’ve spoken/joked/laughed/cried with hundreds of HR leaders and change makers about the Future of HR and the industry’s evolutionary tipping point. And despite spending time with many inspiring CPOs and CHROs, there’s none quite like Hebba Youssef. Along with being Workweek’s Chief People Officer, she’s also the author of “I Hate It Here”, a no holds barred newsletter unpacking HR’s thorniest problems and putting into words what everyone’s thinking but too afraid to say. Plus, her GIF game? Unparalleled.This week, on episode 6 of our miniseries, Ro...
2023-08-2149 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Giving HRBPs the Future-of-Work Makeover They DeserveThe role of HR Business Partner is often a tale of two experiences. On the one hand, HRBPs are some of the most empathetic and passionate people you’ll ever meet. On the other hand, they’re stuck on the hamster wheel of busywork, bouncing from crisis to crisis without the authority to prioritize their energy—and without the respect from leadership to make a real difference. Look up “burnout” in the dictionary and odds are you’ll find a picture of an HRBP.In this miniseries, Brave New Work’s Rodney Evans is joined by friend-of-the-pod and Ready OG S...
2023-08-1437 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Building Your Capabilities Pt. 2 - From Levels 3 to 5...And Beyond!In this miniseries, Brave New Work’s Rodney Evans is joined by friend-of-the-pod and Ready OG Sam Spurlin to dive into how HR can become more resilient, efficient, and equitable.Last week, Rodney and Sam teamed up with Future of HR team member Meg Saxby to explore our new maturity model, assessment, and the six key capabilities every HR department needs to learn, strengthen, and evolve to succeed in the future of work. Today, on episode 4, Rodney, Sam, and Meg finish that two-parter. Which reminds us: If you haven’t yet listened to last week’s episode, do tha...
2023-08-0729 min
Future NonprofitBrave New Work: Rodney Evans - A Culture for Innovation"Where things fall apart is in the system design. It's in the how. It's not that the people are lazy. It's not that they're stupid, it's not that they're not trained well. It's not that the plan is flawed, –it's that we are working in complexity and there is no attention paid to how we are actually going to work differently." - Rodney EvansInnovation comes from boldness. Too often, companies and organizations seek out innovative solutions without building the groundwork to make those ideas possible. Building that groundwork starts with workplace structure and culture.Rodney Evans, co...
2023-08-0228 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Building Your Capabilities, Pt. 1 - Getting to Level 3After decades of dealing with stagnant practices, burnout, and competing agendas, HR might be tempted to trade in the old family minivan for a flashy new race car and just put the pedal to the metal. A car’s a car…right? While we’re big proponents of “start by starting”, without the skill, confidence, and ability to take tight turns or use the paddle shifters (you’re still with us, right?), you’ll run into problems. Building fluency and comfort with the fundamentals is how your HR team can level and go full speed ahead.In this miniserie...
2023-07-3141 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Convincing Your Coworkers and the C-SuiteOne of the toughest work tasks? Convince someone else to back your idea. And if you’re in HR, it’s exceptionally tough to get buy-in from other functions. Maybe your coworkers think they know better because you just handle “people” stuff—and how hard is that? Maybe the CFO will only open the company chest for something with ROI they can track. Or maybe the CEO is hyper-concerned with legacy or the company’s stock price and doesn’t see the value in engaging with your employee engagement survey results. If you’re wondering why so many HR change efforts f...
2023-07-2438 min
At Work with The ReadyThe Future of HR: Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept ItIt’s no secret things haven’t been working in HR for… a while. When you include the last few years of navigating a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, dysfunctional hybrid work policies, rounds of layoffs, and unprecedented economic churn, it’s easy to see HR has been pushed to a breaking point. Human Resources? They feel anything but human.Trapped between competing mandates to mitigate risk while also transforming office culture and the employee experience, it’s no wonder HR can’t steward the change it so desperately wants to. But what if there was a way out?In this ne...
2023-07-1740 min
At Work with The Ready159: Help Me Help You: What If Your Coworkers Came with Instructions?We’ve all been there: trying to suss out what a colleague’s crossed arms meant during a presentation; reading between the lines on a passive-aggressive message; or struggling to interpret a perplexing emoji reaction (what do pineapples have to do with the budget?). We're all just doing our best at understanding our coworkers with little to no real information. That’s where a “User Manual to Me” can come in handy. These personalized handbooks can provide a helpful framework for others to better understand our behaviors, quirks, needs, desires, and working styles—if we commit to getting real when writing...
2023-02-1337 min
At Work with The ReadyNew Look. New Course. Same Hot Takes [Bonus]Fancy clothes. Beef Wellington. Movies until midnight. We really are having lovely holiday breaks—which we’re still on! But we’d be lying if we said we didn’t miss you, so Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans are back again with another Brave New Work bonus mini-sode, the “Happy New Year!” edition.This one packs a punch because we have an exciting announcement to share: The Ready is releasing its first-ever mobile course next week! Tune in for the good stuff—like what the course is called, who it’s for, why we made it, and what participant...
2023-01-0209 min
Black Wealth MediaI Followed My Passion and Believed in Myself w/ Rodney McCloud (ep 89)Overview:
This is an interview I did with Rodney McCloud. We talked about everything from his entrepreneurship journey to also working a part time job and being a full-time father. At some point, like all of us, Rodney second guessed himself when it came to his projects but he still had the drive to put it out there anyway.
Recommended Resources:
Facebook page: Black Wealth Media Podcast
IG: @_theblkwlthmdiapod
Support this Podcast: https://anchor.fm/blackwealthmedia/support
Guest IG: @r.mccloud
Business page IG: @soleloungerestorations
Business page FB: Sole Lounge Restorations
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod...
2022-12-1428 min
At Work with The ReadyOur Hosts in the Wild: Human Capital Innovations: Adaptive Organization Design and the Future of Work, with Rodney EvansSometimes, Rodney and Aaron stop by other people’s podcasts to nerd out on the hits we know and love: new ways of working, self-management, breaking down the binary between chaos and bureaucracy, the future of work—the list goes on and on. So today, we’re actually bringing one of those awesome conversations right to your ears.Rodney recently joined Jonathan Westover on his show, Human Capital Innovations, for an epic chat about adaptive organizational design and a whole lot more. We hope you enjoy the exchange and we’ll return with a fresh episode of Brave Ne...
2022-11-2828 min
At Work with The ReadyAdaptive Organization Design and the Future of Work, with Rodney EvansSometimes, Rodney and Aaron stop by other people’s podcasts to nerd out on the hits we know and love: new ways of working, self-management, breaking down the binary between chaos and bureaucracy, the future of work—the list goes on and on. So today, we’re actually bringing one of those awesome conversations right to your ears.Rodney recently joined Jonathan Westover on his show, Human Capital Innovations, for an epic chat about adaptive organizational design and a whole lot more. We hope you enjoy the exchange and we’ll return with a fresh episode of Brave Ne...
2022-10-1039 min
Human Capital LeadershipS40E4 - Adaptive Organization Design and the Future of Work, with Rodney EvansIn this HCI Podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Rodney Evans about adaptive organization design and the future of work.
Rodney Evans (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodneyeevans/) is a pioneer in adaptive organization design and the future of work. With 20 years of experience in all things transformation, she has researched, developed, and taught new ways of working in dozens of complex environments including Airbnb, Cooper Hewitt Museum, Macy’s, Intuit, and Johnson & Johnson. The Ready is a self-managed change agency that helps you discover a better way of working. Rodney works with companies around the world to mo...
2022-09-2628 min
KME Coaching, Business & MarketingEpisode #51: Rodney Alamo Brown, Guest, Community Advocate with Kim Evans, HostEpisode #51: Welcome Rodney Alamo Brown, Guest, Community Advocate with Kim Evans, Host.In this podcast, Rodney shares the process of Leadership and Community Engagement. When I is replaced with WE even illness becomes Wellness".The 7-Pillars of Community consists of Individuals, Economic, Political, Education, Culture, Environment and Social along with Health & Wellness.About Rodney Brown:Rodney Brown is a Community Advocate, Leader and Founder of Sunday Softball Sunday in Richmond, CA.Follow Rodney Alamo BrownEmail: alamohawaii@yahoo.comFB@ https://www.facebook.com/rodney.a.brown1/...
2022-09-2153 min
People AnalyticsCreating an Equitable Environment and The Benefits of Self-Management with The Ready’s Rodney EvansRodney Evans has been a coach for over 10 years and is currently a Partner at The Ready and Host of the Brave New Work Podcast. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of People Analytics:
Why The Ready exists.
Different ways of working and what self-management involves.
The value of having a business coach.
How hierarchies work and how to fight back against hierarchal culture.
The benefits of creating an equitable environment for new staff.
What questions to ask in an interview to learn about a company’s culture.
What motiv...
2022-07-1139 min
At Work with The Ready135. Rodney and Aaron Go To Work Therapy: Part 2We’re coming at you with part two of the intimate conversation Rodney and Aaron cracked open last week. (Haven’t listened to part one yet? Go back and check out that episode now!) Today on Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans continue exploring the ups and downs of their professional partnership; why they chose to start working with a coach; the big lessons and lingering worries they both sit with; and why seeking out help isn’t necessarily a sign that something’s broken, but rather that you’re actually ready to dig deeper.
2022-07-1141 min
The Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. TaylorStrategies for Leading Past Complexity with Rodney Evans. Ep. #181Strategy & Leadership Podcast Ep.181:
On this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Rodney Evans joins us to discuss strategies traditional organizations can use to modernize their workplaces, How leaders can best balance results and individual needs, and practices to implement to give your employees agency in their roles.
Rodney Evans is a leadership coach, organization designer, and podcast host at The Ready. She has 20+ years as an adaptive organization designer working with numerous organizations such as Macy’s, Johnson & Johnson, Airbnb, and GE, helping them confront outdated norms and redesign their organizational structures to actually serve those who work th...
2022-07-0724 min
At Work with The Ready134. Rodney and Aaron Go to Work Therapy: Part 1In part one of a very special two-part episode from Brave New Work, Rodney Evans and Aaron Dignan talk about…themselves. Specifically, their partnership and why they decided to start working with a coach. Together, they dig into:
The tensions, dynamics, and patterns that prompted them to seek outside help
How they picked a coach and the skills and capabilities they wanted to level up on
Why org designing their way through conflict wasn’t working
Why self-work is a critical part of self-management
What’s scared them, surprised them, and pushed them after a few months of coachi...
2022-07-0541 min
Facilitation Lab PodcastRodney Evans: We Can't Plan Our Way Out Of Complexity"And to your earlier point about complexity, most of those kinds of models and titles and bands and blah, blah, blah, are complicated solutions that don't serve well in complexity. And so my job as an org designer is to say, what is the lightest most elegant, most intuitive solution that equips us to navigate complexity rather than what is a complicated and over-engineered solution that doesn't actually do anything to cut through complexity, it's just an exercise that we have to go through." -Rodney Evans In this episode of Control the Room, I had the pleasure...
2022-04-0448 min
The Hectic PodcastComplexity conscious with Rodney EvansWhat’s wrong with work today? Since you listen to this podcast, you’re probably dissatisfied with the normal 9-to-5, but do you know why? My guest this week, Rodney Evans, is here to tell you. Through years of personal development and her work as an organizational designer, Rodney has learned the many reasons that work doesn’t work, in both our personal and professional lives.Join us to learn about the outdated systems that are at the root of these problems, plus a peek at the ways Rodney is helping organizations reclaim a healthy workspace. You’ll also...
2022-03-1441 min
The Future Of WorkThe Best Way To Revitalize Your Corporate Culture With Rodney Evans, Org Designer and Leadership Coach at The Ready Episode 64The traditional corporate structure is failing us. Industrialization created a work culture derived from efficiency but forgot about humanity. How do we reshape our models to place humans at the center? Rodney Evans, org designer, leadership coach, and podcast host at The Ready is an expert in confronting corporate norms and redesigning organizations to actually serve those who work there. She joins us today to give us insights into designing a system that is more adaptive, putting principles into practice, and giving people agency over their jobs. It's time to move past the traditional models and embrace a brave...
2022-03-0137 min
HostedEpisode 1 - Rodney EvansWant to know how Rodney Evans and business partner, Aaron Dignan fell into podcasting? Well, you have come to the right place. In this episode, Rodney Evans co-host of Brave New Work shares how two folks just nerding out over the future of work decided to push record on their convos and record over 100 conversations with their team and influential people in their space. At the end of the episode, Rodney gives three takeaways for podcasters – tune in!
2022-02-2339 min
On The Other Side24. Consent-based governance + designing for self-management w/ Rodney Evans + Aaron DignanRodney Evans and Aaron Dignan are hosts of the Brave New Work podcast and work at The Ready, a consultancy that helps traditional organizations transform into self-managing orgs. Rodney and Aaron talk governance in self-managing orgs, ego death, hiring, firing, and so much more.Follow Rodney on Twitter (@rodneyevans919)Follow Aaron on Twitter (@aarondignan)Follow Chase on Twitter (@chaserchapman)‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒Links from the show:The Ready: https://theready.com/Brave New Work podcast: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/bravenewwork?selected=TR2420252733Brave New Work (book by Aaron Dignan): https://www.bravenewwork.com/
2022-01-1256 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 80. Unsuck Your Next Work Meeting with Sam SpurlinIf we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: Meetings are the worst. Instead of being a meaningful work tool to help teams strategize efficiently, meetings more often block things—anything—from actually getting done. At The Ready, we’ve got a different method: action meetings.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans invite longtime member Sam Spurlin on the show to dispense a step-by-step guide to implementing and scaling effective action meetings. They break down the best ways to “get people what they need” and reveal how...
2021-07-2738 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 70. AUA No. 3 - This And That: Peer Feedback, All Hand, and PrioritizationWe're opening up the mailbag. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans tackle the topics of some of your most fascinating questions, from gossip to peer feedback to all-hands meetings.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans dive into our mailbag and answer some of the top questions we're hearing from our listeners.Questions featured in this episode:
Is back channeling good or bad in the workplace?
How to get colleagues comfortable giving each other peer-to-peer feedback?
What's a more participatory...
2021-05-0445 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 62. Real Change Through ExperimentationLeaders in the workplace often talk about experimenting within the existing structures. But in the excitement and flurry of change, we often forget the goal of experimentation: to make it a real learning practice.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans discuss how to plan, structure, and assess change experiments with the right intentions, and for the best outcomes.Read the article based on this episode here.Mentioned references:
Supernatural
Foreshadowing Rodney's 4-day work week episode: BNW Ep. 81
Doug Kirkpatrick and...
2021-02-1545 min
Real Life Discussions with Rodney EvansFaith (Part Four) Parts 1-3 are on our YouTube channel. Real LifeDiscussions with PastorRodney EvansFaith for everyday living.
2020-10-0423 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 46. Clarity and Coherence In Your Organization's IdentityAt a sufficiently large scale, any organization that has maximum "diversity" across all variables will become average. Why? Because taking a stand—any stand—is the basis for the boundary of the firm. It's what separates what's inside from what's outside. We must answer the question: "What makes us... us?"In order to succeed, we need generative difference—members of different races, backgrounds, and experiences. But, we also need clarity and coherence. We need to be explicit about the lines that matter to us, and have enough alignment and connection that a whole emerges from the parts.
2020-08-3133 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 45. The Importance of Strategy with Lorin Thomas-TavelWe recorded this episode in April, and to be honest, it kinda feels like April never left. All the themes that were present then are simply louder now. What has become clear in the meantime is that strategy (e.g. what is happening, what matters, and what are we doing about it) is more important than ever. But how should we think about strategy in an emergent and participatory system? Is it intuitive and built in to the very structure of the org? Is it something we have to do? How should we weigh reflection against action?
2020-08-2437 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 44. Prioritizing Your Priorities With Even/OversPrior to the 1940's, the word priorities (plural) was rarely used. Because the word priority means that which comes before anything else. It's one thing! But these days, it's not uncommon for leaders and boards to demand multiple, often contradictory outcomes at the same time. We want faster output AND higher quality. We want to grow market share in our core category AND open three new categories. We want to hit the impossible target AND have work life balance. But as the saying goes, if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. What we need is a...
2020-08-1745 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 43. Steering Together: The Power of Participatory GovernanceMaking decisions at work can be perilous. It's not always clear who has the authority to make them. And even when it is, it's usually just a chosen few that benefit. So, it's no surprise that making decisions about how we govern the organization—designing the rules and roles that underpin everything, is so hard that it's often avoided altogether.That's why one of our favorite things to share is a form of governance that has its roots in the Quakerism, Sociocracy, and more recently, Holacracy. But the best part is you don't have to completely reinvent yo...
2020-08-0351 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansKingdom Principles (Part One)!Identification- Identifying with Him
2020-07-2625 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 42. The Shadow Side of Self-Management with Yehudi MeshchaninovThe stories of self-management and decentralization from evolutionary organizations like Buurtzorg, Morning Star, FAVI, Haier, and others are often told breathlessly, as if it was "happily ever after." But, the truth has to be more... nuanced, right? Indeed it is. More adaptive and human ways of working are not without their own frustrations and tradeoffs. The question is: are they worth it?In this episode of Brave New Work, (technically the first "colleague-as-guest" episode though BNW is releasing it late), Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans are joined by Yehudi Meshchaninov to talk about what it's really like...
2020-07-2044 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansGod‘s Plan for Your Life (Part Three)Knowing God‘s word. Confidence in prayer. Receiving direction from God.
2020-07-2022 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 41. Ask Us Anything (AUA) No. 2: Check-Ins, Leadership Dynamics, and "Return to Office"Any podcast that promotes busting bureaucracy and hobbling hierarchy is bound to stir up some questions. That's why this week we're going to let our listeners Ask Us Anything. For this episode, we took to Twitter and LinkedIn to find out what you're wondering about. And you came through big time. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans hear questions about check-in rounds, leadership, and the post-pandemic move back to work. If you ever feel a question percolating as you're listening, just drop us a line at podcast@theready.com and we'll...
2020-07-1324 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansGod‘s Plan for Your Life (Part Two)Preparing for victory and success.
2020-07-1223 min
The Curious CapitalistThe Curious Capitalist - Aaron Dignan & Rodney Evans (The Ready)Episode 12On this episode, our host Claire Edwards chats with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans from The Ready.www.theready.comwww.connecticut.consciouscapitalism.org
2020-07-0829 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 40. JEDI: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with Sharan BalIt's been six weeks since George Floyd was murdered, and activism around the Black Lives Matter movement has reached new heights. For many of us, it's triggered incredibly challenging conversations and reflections about who we are and who we want to be. It feels like now is the time for real change—but what kind? How can each of us play our part without blame or shame? And where do we begin?In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans are joined by their colleague and resident JEDI knight, Sharan Bal to talk ab...
2020-07-0658 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansGod’s Plan for Your Life (Part One)Get Before God to Get The Vision , Revelation and Prophetic Vision
2020-07-0526 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 39. Getting Things Done with David AllenWe recorded this episode almost two months ago, and while so much has changed since then (look for an upcoming episode on DEI and BLM), the challenges we face sitting down at our computers every morning have not. They've only intensified. How are we supposed to move our work forward with everything that's going on out there in the world? And what is productivity when it's not defined by economists but by us?In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, about how to...
2020-06-2945 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 38. The Challenges of Remote FacilitationWith much of the working world collaborating remotely these days, one thing is abundantly clear: facilitation matters, especially when we're not in the same room.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans commiserate about the difficulty of keeping everybody focused from afar, as well as the top tips and tricks for producing a great remote meeting.Mentioned references:-Parabol-Basecamp--------------------Our book is available now at bravenewwork.comWe want to hear from you. Send your...
2020-06-2330 min2020-06-2128 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansThe Word of God to Grew.For the Word of God to Grow in You. 1) Study 2) Meditate 3) Faith 4) Do
2020-06-1452 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 37. How to Pick Your PrinciplesWithout bureaucracy and compliance, how can we ensure that we remain aligned and coherent while also leaving room for judgment? The answer: principles. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans explore how to craft a useful principle—and how to make use of them day-to-day.Read The Ready's article for more information on principles here.Mentioned references:
hangboards
Principles (2017) by Ray Dalio
'Beyond Budgeting"
"Even Overs" - BNW Ep. 44
"canvas areas" - The Ready's OS Canvas
"safe to try"
------------------...
2020-05-2543 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansFeed My Sheep “Rod and Staff”Feeding the Sheep and The Lambs. Special Announcements about Real Life
2020-05-2415 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 36. The Case for Profit Sharing with Nathan BarryNot that long ago, we were living in a grow-grow-grow economy where stock options in a hot venture-backed startup were what most employees coveted. Today, a profitable bootstrapped company that shares its profit with its own employees feels like a revelation. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Nathan Barry, founder and CEO of ConvertKit, about how his bootstrapped software company shares profit with its employees, and while we're at it, how they think about compensation more generally. Hopefully, some of our listeners will follow in their footsteps.
2020-05-1942 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 35. Beyond Remote Work with Sid SijbrandijMost of us are working remotely. But we're just treading water, we haven't really mastered it. That's why it's important to talk about remote work after the novelty wears off—when the home office is just... the office. In this episode, we speak with Sid Sijbrandij, Cofounder and CEO of GitLab, about how their 1,290 team members work remotely in support of a $2.75B business. For Sid's team, remote work is a way of life. What can we learn from them?In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans explore what ha...
2020-05-1132 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansHappy Mother’s Day and Types of Prayer Continued...Happy Mother’s Day and continuing talking about prayer today subject “Different Kinds of Prayer”.
2020-05-1019 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 34. How To Think About What’s Next with Kevin KellyIt's the question that's on everyone's mind these days: "What does the future hold?" In moments like these when uncertainty is especially high, having the right lenses and mental models is the difference between being ready and being overwhelmed.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Kevin Kelly, Senior Maverick at WIRED and author of The Inevitable, about how he thinks (about how he thinks) about predicting the future. And we make some guesses of our own.Learn more about Kevin at his website and...
2020-05-0443 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansIncreasing Expectations.It’s time to get your expectations up, God has bigger things in store for you.
2020-05-0354 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 33. Joining Team Human with Douglas RushkoffWith the Ready For Anything series behind us, we're jumping right in to Season Three of the podcast! For this season, we're going to play with the format—making it shorter, sweeter, and (hopefully) even more helpful.Before the pandemic, many of our technologies, markets, and institutions had what Douglas Rushkoff calls an "antihuman agenda." Today, the limitations of that agenda are showing. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Douglas about how our economic and social operating systems need to change (and are changing) to meet this mo...
2020-04-2737 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansThe Glory, The Favor and Manifestation of GodYou were created for a time such as this, God will manifest his Glory through you so people will see there’s a God in heaven.
2020-04-2646 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 32. Ready For Anything: CompensationThis is the thirteenth and final episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything.Today's episode explores the area of compensation and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.Mentioned references:...
2020-04-2236 minReal Life Discussions with Rodney EvansThe prayer of Daniel. I wonder what breakthroughs are available for us “through the power of prayer”It was Daniel’s prayer that got the angel through, not the angel who got Daniel’s prayer through.
2020-04-1927 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 31. Ready For Anything: MasteryThis is the twelfth episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything.Today's episode explores the area of mastery and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.References mentioned
The OS...
2020-04-1936 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 30. Ready For Anything: MembershipThis is the eleventh episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything. Today's episode explores the area of membership and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.Resources me...
2020-04-1730 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 29. Ready For Anything: InformationThis is the tenth episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything.Today's episode explores the area of information and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.Resources me...
2020-04-1544 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 28. Ready For Anything: MeetingsThis is the ninth episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything.Today's episode explores the area of meetings and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.Resources me...
2020-04-1336 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 27. Ready For Anything: WorkflowThis is the eighth episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything.Today's episode explores the area of workflow and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.Resources mentioned:
The OS...
2020-04-1139 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 26. Ready For Anything: InnovationThis is the seventh episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything.Today's episode explores the area of innovation and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.Resources me...
2020-04-0935 min
Real Life Discussions with Rodney EvansPray until something happens.Your success and instructions are waiting for you in prayer. Powerful prayer, undergirded by a strong faith is the “arm” that reaches into the spirit realm and takes whatever resources is there to meet the need here on earth.
2020-04-0527 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 25. Ready For Anything: ResourcesThis is the sixth episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything.Today's episode explores the area of resources and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.References Me...
2020-04-0233 min
Real Life Discussions with Rodney EvansDon’t become annoyed with your journey with Pastor Rodney and Teresa.A discussion about today’s topics and how to handle them with the word of God
2020-03-291h 19
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 24. Ready For Anything: StrategyThis is the fifth episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything.Today's episode explores the area of strategy and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty.This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work.References me...
2020-03-2737 min
Real Life Discussions with Rodney EvansGod Will ProvideNo matter what circumstances you may be walking through, trust God and watch Him do the impossible!
2020-03-2240 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 21. Ready For Anything: PurposeThis is the second episode in a series devoted to teams in transition due to the Novel Coronavirus. It's about more than simply adapting to remote work—it's about adopting (in the midst of this chaos) a way of working that will make you ready for anything. Today's episode digs deep into the area of purpose and the role that will play in navigating this uncertainty. This Brave New Work miniseries with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans is based on The Ready's OS Canvas which is featured in Brave New Work....
2020-03-2122 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 5. Egos and Identities in the Workplace with Dr. Gareth HolmanSelf-awareness in the workplace is hard to come by—because our egos are so good at “protecting” us from reality. For many of us, our identity is so tied up in who we are at work that deep down we worry, “If not for my title... who am I?”In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about how our egos get the better of us, and why reinventing organizations often means reinventing ourselves. Later, they’re joined by psychologist Dr. Gareth Holman (Rodney’s own coach) who shares how we can bri...
2019-12-2348 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 1. Introducing Brave New Work with Aaron Dignan and Rodney EvansBrave New Work is a podcast about reinventing our organizations and the search for a more adaptive and human way of working. But what does that really mean? In this brief introductory episode, we set the stage for what’s to come—covering everything from our theory of change to our reasons and plans for the show. Our first full episode is also available now.----------------Our book is available now at bravenewwork.com.Have an idea for an episode, or the perfect guest? Reach out to podcast@theready.com.Looking for...
2019-12-0219 min
The Spark File with Susan Blackwell and Laura CamienMakers: Rodney Evans: Vision Portraits, Liminal Space and Truth-tellingIn this week's maker-sode, Susan and Laura talk with award-winning filmmaker Rodney Evans about his very personal documentary, Vision Portraits. Rodney shares the details of his loss of vision and and what it means to be a blind or visually impaired creative artist. Rodney shares the power of channeling his fear into his creativity, illuminates the difference between sight and vision, and shares his belief that going blind just might create new ways of seeing. According to The New York Times, Vision Portraits “has the power, however briefly, to alter your perception." Learn more about yo...
2019-10-0332 min
Speaking Out for the BlindSpeaking Out for the Blind Episode 198 - Rodney EvansAccording to the Hollywood Reporter, Rodney Evans is a low vision award-winning filmmaker. Evans’ vision loss hasn’t stopped him from directing and writing movies. We’re going to learn how Rodney directs movies and a little about his new film Vision Portraits.
2019-08-3126 min
LGBTQ&ARodney Evans: How Losing His Vision Made Him a Better DirectorRodney Evans, best known as the writer-director of the 2004 film Brother to Brother, has a career that's spanned over 20 years. In his new documentary, Vision Portraits, Evans chronicles the lives and creative processes of four visually impaired or blind artists, including Evans himself. LGBTQ&A is hosted and produced by Jeffrey Masters. @jeffmasters1
2019-08-2828 min
Chosen FamilyS2 E5: Disrupting the Senses with Rodney EvansThomas and Tranna talk about not feeling queer enough. Then, a chat with filmmaker Rodney Evans on Vision Portraits – his moving documentary about the challenges and strengths of being a visually-impaired artist. Plus, in a very special Obsessions, Tranna gets answers to a certain Sex and The City episode that has plagued her, from the writer herself, Cindy Chupack.
2019-08-1440 min