Shows
At Work with The Ready27. Everything Can't Be Priority OneWe talk a lot about doing less to get more—but in practice, most organizations end up doing the opposite. When priorities pile up, and nothing gets removed or finished, the result is a familiar kind of chaos: too many projects, too little focus, and an endless loop of adding more in hopes of getting unstuck.
This week, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin unpack one of the most common organizational dynamics they see: the “more-is-more” trap of priority overload. They dig into why deprioritizing anything at work feels so psychologically and politically fraught, how identi...2025-06-0245 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 Ready15. This Workshop Could Have Been A MeetingPlanning a corporate workshop or off-site often feels like making a burrito. So many options—and so many opinions on what should go in it. A presentation rodeo on the next quarter’s objectives? Absolutely. Time for a key initiative to get the spotlight in front of the C-suite? Yes, please. Extra scoops of mandatory team-building to strengthen your culture? Why not. Everyone likes fun, right?But when it’s time to actually chow down, it quickly becomes clear you’re dealing with an overstuffed, leaky, $20,000 mess. And everything the workshop was supposed to accompli...2024-07-2257 min
At Work with The Ready14. Surviving the Summertime SlumpIt’s an unspoken truth in most knowledge work that summer is a wasted season. From late May to early September, many teams face reduced numbers and it’s nearly impossible to spin up anything new. The director you need approval from? On a cruise. The graphic designer you need for that new marketing campaign? Camping with the kids. When people just aren’t around, it can sometimes be easier to keep the lights on during the vacation relay race and run out the clock until fall.The two most common sense solutions: take vacati...2024-07-0842 min
At Work with The Ready13. Leadership Teams of the Future Act Like Org DesignersThe world is changing faster than ever. But leadership teams seem a little… stagnant. Sure, there’s plenty of changeover as one CEO is replaced by another, or as new C-suite roles pop up, but the way leadership teams operate is largely unchanged from the 1950s. That model? It’s antithetical to the change that’s needed for the rest of an organization to become more adaptable and resilient.In this episode, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin explore the ways in which leadership teams are holding their organizations back from the future. They’ll dig into h...2024-06-2452 min
At Work with The Ready12. Breaking the Cycle of Meeting-ocrityIt seems everybody’s up in arms about meetings these days. “There’s too many! They ones we have suck! We have meetings to prepare for other meetings! They keep me from doing my actual job!” We get it, and we hear you. In fact, between BNW and our current show, we’ve devoted 9 episodes to meetings! What more could there be to say in a tenth?Turns out, a ton. There’s so much intertwined with modern meeting culture that we’re often doomed to failure before we even get in the room. From the trap of the status...2024-06-1057 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
At Work with The Ready2. Your PowerPoint Deck Is Not a StrategyIt's January! New beginnings? Ambitious plans? Giant commitments to change? They’re on everyone’s mind. Companies included—since now’s the time when glossy PowerPoint decks are so eagerly rolled out. And those PowerPoints? They’re always brimming with promise for the year ahead.But there's a glaring disconnect between those slides (all 73 of them) and eventual success we often don’t address. Because how frequently do those meticulously crafted plans pan out? Does the new agenda account for the day-to-day running of the company? Is the plan flexible enough to handle economic curveballs? (We remember 2020, right?)2024-01-2241 min
At Work with The Ready163/1. A Brave New ChapterWhether it’s in front of clients or in front of a mic, we talk about change all day long. Having fewer, better meetings; learning to productively disagree; overhauling and evolving the HR function; exploring four-day work weeks—the podcast has covered miles and miles of transformational ground in 4 years.However we don’t often talk about how we’ve changed. And after six seasons and 162 episodes, how could we not be different? We used the show’s hiatus to reflect on where we’ve been and where we want to go—and we reached some bittersweet conclusions. But...2024-01-0836 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
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
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
At Work with The ReadyUnsuck Your Next Work Meeting with Sam Spurlin [Rebroadcast][Rebroadcast note: This episode originally aired in July 2021.]If 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 are joined by longtime member Sam Spurlin, who dispenses a step-by-step guide to implementing and scaling effective action meetings, breaks down the best ways to “get people w...2022-08-2938 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
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
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 89. Reimagining Retail with Nikki Kaufman of CAMPRetailers around the country—and around the world—are facing complex challenges. One of the industry’s main reckonings: Many job openings; very few applicants. Recruitment has also been top-of-mind for CAMP, a toy and family experience store that looks to hire artists, actors, musicians, magicians, singers, and camp counselors rather than those with traditional retail experience. So…how do you reinvent the landscape to attract and keep that talent? On this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk to CAMP’s cofounder and Chief People Officer, Nikki Kaufman, about recent wor...2021-10-2541 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 63. Mastery in the Age of Self-ManagementThe workplace is a wealth of knowledge. Each member of an organization is a master in their own specialized field, and in the 21st-century workplace, we're often exchanging knowledge, teaching and learning by equal measure. But in a future where self-management is key, how do we ensure this is done in a healthy way? In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans discuss how to cultivate mastery in a world of knowledge workers.Mentioned references:
Second Empire/Mansard roof
Baroque revival
"Yehudi's episode": BNW Ep. 42 with Yehudi...2021-02-2246 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
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 61. The Future of the Workforce with Todd JickIt's one thing to talk about what we'd like the future of work to look like—but what about the people who'll actually make up that workforce? Wha do they want out of their work, and how do they want to shape their organizations?In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk to lecturer Todd Jick at the Columbia Business School about his class on Advanced Organizational Change, and what his students want to see for the future of work.Learn more about Todd on LinkedIn and his Columbia staff pr...2021-02-0842 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 60. Solving Our System ProblemsThere's a thing that often happens when we try to add complexity our systems: in an effort to implement procedure and reduce "risk," we often massively overcomplicate the system at its core. It seems the more we try to distance ourselves from the humans working in our systems, the more we ruin what made the systems work well in the first place. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans discuss how to solve our systems problems at the root, and how reducing inefficiency can't be entirely divorced from people.2021-02-0135 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 57. Working Through A CrisisIt's been quite a week for the United States of America. And as Americans, we tried to do what we always do: keep working.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans discuss the volatile, unprecedented political situation we now find ourselves in, as well as ways to take a step back and recognize that some things might just be more important than business as usual.Mentioned References:
Mouse Trap the 1963 Hasbro game
J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist
“working agreements” - BNW Ep. 103
2021-01-1340 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 56. The Folly of the Annual Performance ReviewIt's the end of the year! And for many of us, that also means the return of the dreaded performance review. As we strive to make our workplaces and organizations more human, how can we reinvent this outdated tradition into something... actually useful?In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans discuss how the standard performance management cycle fails both managers and employees, and how we can work toward a better future for feedback.Mentioned references:
"radical candor" and "feedback" episode: BNW Ep. 13 with...2020-12-2249 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 55. Gaslighting and Other Forms of Epistemic Injustice in the Workplace with Cat SwetelWhen we begin to reckon with inequality in the workplace, a useful place to start is the concept of "epistemic injustice"—what we know, how we know, and who gets to decide and influence our reality. This concept goes deeper than simply who is in the room. This is about the stories we bring with us, the ones we build together, and how bias and representation shape the possibility of what can be.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Cat Swetel, a consultant specializing in data-informed coaching and increasing eq...2020-12-1847 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 54. Rethinking Our Approach to Power and Leadership with Doug KirkpatrickWhile we often throw around terms like "the future of work" and "new ways of working," the reality is that much of the wisdom about how to self-organize and self-manage has been around for a long, long time. What we can learn from this is that there's really nothing new about this moment—except for the fact that more and more people are waking up to the fact that the status quo just isn't good enough.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Doug Kirkpatrick, author of The No-Limits Enterprise (an...2020-12-0336 minAt Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 53. Combating The Pandemic Work HangoverIt's been almost a year of working remotely due to the pandemic. And we haven't exactly been doing it right. We've just been hanging in there with too much Zoom and not enough coffee. As a result, we're a little toasty. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about what they're seeing and feeling, and what it's going to take to make remote work... work. With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up this week in the USA, it seems like the perfect time to talk about how to recuperate, refresh, and return...2020-11-2531 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 52. Are You Ready for Self Management? with Ali RandelIf you've been listening to Brave New Work for a while you might be wondering, "Is a self-managing workplace right for me?" Or, if you're already in one, you're probably curious, "How can I better recruit (and screen for) those that are a 'fit' for new ways of working?"In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans are joined by their colleague Ali Randel to talk about what it takes to survive and thrive in self-managing and self-organizing environments, and what we can do to test for those traits and skills before we...2020-11-1842 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 51. The One Conversation Every Team Needs to Have with Alex Jamieson and Bob GowerWe often wait to talk about the hard stuff until the shit has hit the fan. But what if we made space for difficult conversations before they become difficult? That's the insight at the heart of Radical Alignment, a new book that introduces a four part conversation technique designed to get couples, teams, and groups on the same page.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Alex Jamieson and Bob Gower about how game-changing conversations—spanning our intentions, concerns, boundaries, and dreams—can transform our lives at work and at home...2020-11-1243 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 50. This is Justice Informed with Xavier RameyThree months ago, we started a conversation about diversity here on the show. And within our own company, that work has continued in earnest. Yet, we've only scratched the surface on what it means to realize true equity at work. We want to go deeper. We need to do more. And we need to make sure that the momentum of the summer continues into the fall. That's why we're back to talk about JEDI once again.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Xavier Ramey, CEO of Justice Informed, about...2020-10-2048 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 49. The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures with Keith McCandlessComplexity calls for a new way of working—and in particular a new way of meeting. What matters isn't the individuals in the room, but the relationships between them. Indeed, we need new interactions that change the dynamics and outcomes of our gatherings. No more limiting structures, it's time for liberating structures.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Keith McCandless, co-author and co-developer of Liberating Structures, about the power of microstructures in meetings and moments of collaboration. The structures Keith and the LS community have developed have shaped The Re...2020-10-1248 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 48. How Your Software Tool Stack Shapes The Way You WorkOne of the most common tensions we hear from teams is "our tools and technology are not maximizing our potential." Let me translate: our company uses crap software. We experience this for many reasons—status quo bias, frugality, security, and one-stop-shop pipe dreams. But the problem is that software is not a blank canvas. It's not neutral. It has opinions. And those opinions shape what we can do (and how we do it) at work.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans share how they think about software, and why you should ad...2020-09-2834 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 47. Moving from Bureaucracy to Humanocracy with Michele ZaniniWe talk about bureaucracy (and its downsides) on this show all the time. But what about a humanocracy? What would that look like? Luckily, Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini have written a wonderful book to explore that question. And their answer is simple: we have to abandon the ways of the past and allow organizations to be as amazing as the people inside them. Easier said than done, but more necessary than ever.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Michele Zanini, co-founder of the Management Lab and co-author of...2020-09-2141 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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
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
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
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 23. Ready For Anything: StructureThis is the fourth 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 structure 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...2020-03-2534 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 22. Ready For Anything: AuthorityThis is the third 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 authority 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....2020-03-2322 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 20. Ready For Anything: IntroductionThis is the first in a series of short episodes 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.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 CanvasSend the questions you'd like to see answered in...2020-03-1930 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 19. The Secrets for Better One-On-Ones with Michael Bungay StanierThe one-on-one meeting, often between a manager and their "direct report" is among the most common and popular meetings in existence. But it may also be the most harmful.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans debate and discuss the best and worst ways to hold this meeting. Later, they're joined by the author of The Coaching Habit, Michael Bungay Stanier, to figure out how to show up to one-on-ones as a coach rather than a boss.Learn more about Michael and his work on LinkedIn and...2020-03-1758 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 18. The Impact of Reinventing Organizations with Frederic LalouxIt's been many years since the release of Frederic Laloux's groundbreaking book Reinventing Organizations. In some ways the world is different—more ready, more radical—and in other ways, not much has changed. More adaptive and soulful ways of working are still fringe. The way forward isn't clear.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans speak with Frederic about where we stand, where we're heading, and why this moment feels like the last gasp of authoritarianism, extractive capitalism, and all the other -isms.Learn more about Frederic and...2020-03-1651 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 17. What We Can Learn About Org Design from the CoronavirusFacing a pandemic, many of the world's institutions are finally giving remote work, agility, responsiveness, and basic human decency some deep consideration. Meanwhile, it's becoming clear that organizations who have already been prioritizing adaptivity and humanity at work are surprisingly well prepared to face this challenge.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans explore what we can learn from a moment like this, and why creating a culture built on autonomy, transparency, and decentralization makes sense with or without a crisis. In this moment of disruption and anxiety, it felt good to...2020-03-1336 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 16. Embracing Uncertainty: Navigating Future Tension with Thomas ThomisonOur job is to keep the organization safe, right? And in order to do that we need to predict the future, see around corners, and avoid unnecessary risk. We need to be able to list all the ways the idea we're considering can go wrong. Or... do we? In this episode, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about a concept The Ready calls "future tension," which is what happens when we let our worries about the future hijack the present. Later, they’re joined by Thomas Thomison, founding partner of Encode.org, wh...2020-03-0959 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 15. Unauthorized Change: How to Break the Rules with Sarah DevereauxThe most common question we hear is, "What can I do if I'm not the one in charge?" So many of us—including leaders and managers—want to eradicate bureaucracy. But, we're not the head honcho.In this episode on Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about the simple moves anyone can make to start moving toward a better way of working. Because we have a lot more authority than we think we do. And the power we don't have can be enlisted.Later, they're joined by Sarah Devereaux from Google, who shar...2020-03-0250 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 14. Inside The Ready's Hiring Process with Kate GlazebrookThe Ready has a habit of disrupting the established way of doing things, but we've never really looked at our hiring process... until now. In the last few months, we've radically overhauled the way we making hiring decisions by asking questions like, "Can we design a process that reduces bias and homogeny? Can we design a process that focuses on what we want rather than what we don't?"In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about the inner workings of The Ready's new system, the rationale behind it, and what early...2020-02-241h 03
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 13. The Future of Feedback with Kim ScottAre you open to some feedback? Gulp. That one word is enough to send most of us packing. Why? Because we've endured far too many "conversations" that were infrequent, impersonal, critical, and one-sided. But, is it possible to do feedback right? In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about three different waves of feedback at work, and why it's so critical to question our assumptions and reinvent this pervasive practice. Later, they’re joined by Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor, who teaches us how to balance caring pe...2020-02-171h 09
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 12. Ask Us Anything No. 1: Talent Calibration Minefields and Building Your Future of Work BookshelfAny 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, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans took to Twitter and the Brave New Work Wednesdays newsletter to find out what you're wondering about. And you came through big time. We plan on doing this every twelve weeks or so from here on out, so if you ever feel a question percolating as you're listening, just drop us a line at podcast@theready.com2020-02-1032 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 11. The Journey To Self-Managing Teams with Doug SeacristWhen we decide to start working differently, it often begins with just one or two teams taking the leap. For everyone involved, the first weeks and months are a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Not everyone has the courage to see things through.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about SLAM teams (self-managing, lean, audacious, multidisciplinary), the early days of a transformation, and why leaders should stay the course even when the going gets tough. Later, they’re joined by Doug Seacrist, from Bloomin’ Brands, who shares his story of rein...2020-02-0350 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 10. Retros: The Most Important Meetings You're Not Having with Jordan HusneyWe all know that faster learning loops are critical to success in complexity. Yet, we rarely (if ever) take the time to practice one of the most powerful learning moves in the game: the retrospective.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about the power of reflection—for the individual, team, and organization—and why we can't keep charging ahead without looking back. Later, they're joined by Parabol founder and CEO Jordan Husney, who shares what he’s learned hosting tens of thousands of retrospectives on their platform, including this gem: ”The only...2020-01-271h 02
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 9. Skip the Plan and Learn by Doing with Ben KaufmanWhen starting something new, most of us tend to research, analyze, plan, and procrastinate. Because we don't want to fail. We don't want to be exposed as imposters. And we don't want to take big risks. But in novel and complex spaces, that strategy doesn't help, it only slows us down without increasing our odds. Instead, we need to start by starting and learn by doing so that our ideas can make contact with reality as soon as possible. In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans explore how to g...2020-01-2042 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 7. How to Have Productive Disagreements with Buster BensonA diverse team doing important work is bound to disagree. But they’re also likely to avoid talking about it—because conflict makes many of us deeply uncomfortable. But, what if we simply lack the skills to do it well? In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about why disagreement is so hard, what healthy disagreement looks and feels like, and why it’s so critical to success in complexity. Later, they’re joined by Buster Benson, author of Why Are We Yelling, who teaches us how to have disa...2020-01-0647 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 6. Defaulting to Transparency with Joel GascoigneIn a complex and dynamic world, sharing information on a "need to know" basis is misguided, because it perpetuates ignorance and bias. No one needs to know everything all the time, but we need the right (and the ability) to find what we need when we need it. And while many teams and organizations are coming around to the principle of transparency, when it comes to sharing more sensitive data—like compensation—many people freak out and start to backpedal.In this episode Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about why trad...2019-12-3048 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 4. Let's Have Fewer, Better Meetings with Dan KimIn almost every organization we visit, teams aren't just having bad meetings—they're having meetings to prepare for those meetings. The virus is spreading. And so we have to ask: when should we have a meeting? And how can we make them more effective when we do?In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about why meetings are a symptom of other problems in the operating system and the path to a healthier meeting culture. Later, we’re joined by Dan Kim from Basecamp, who shares how the icon...2019-12-1646 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 3. The Right (and Wrong) Ways to Message Change with Deirdre LatourCommunication around organizational change is a prime example of a complicated approach (write an email that nineteen people edit!) to a complex situation (human beings and their feelings!). Most of us have been on the receiving end of messages that feel like they were designed to obscure any actual information.In this episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans dive into the double talk that gets the better of so many of us, and what to do instead. Later, they're joined by Deirdre Latour, who has led communications at both GE...2019-12-0937 min
At Work with The ReadyBrave New Work 2. Rethinking Our Working Agreements with Mike BrevoortThe best teams in the world don’t just agree on what they’re going to do, they agree on how they’re going to do it. In this debut episode, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans talk about working agreements—what they are and why we need them—and explore which working agreements might be critical to success.Later in the episode, they’re joined by Mike Brevoort from Slack who takes us inside the norms and agreements that enable the company's “work hard and go home” ethos.Learn more about...2019-12-0244 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
At Work with The ReadyIt's Time for Brave New WorkWhat’s stopping us from doing the best work of our lives? It’s the way we work. Whether you’re building a startup or reinventing a global enterprise, every day is a battle between chaos and bureaucracy. But, what if there’s a third way? Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans help teams all over the world discover a more adaptive and human way of working. Now it’s your turn. Each week, they’ll bring you a counterintuitive take on a common challenge at work—and you'll hear from guests who have been there and found their way to something b...2019-11-1903 min