Shows
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 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 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
OrgDev with DistinctionReinvent Your Organisation with Sam Spurlin The Ready - OrgDev Episode 12We'd love to hear from you so send us a message!Our latest video is an interview with Sam Spurlin, consultant at The Ready (founded by Aaron Dignan, author of Brave New Work). We explore practical strategies and insights with Sam for shaping the future of work.The Ready are on a mission to revolutionise the work landscape envisioning a future that is more human, adaptive, meaningful, and equitable. In this conversation, Sam sheds light on The Ready's proactive approach to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. Join us as we explore Sam's jo...
2024-03-1152 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
Fields of WorkEp. 70: "I'm Going to Marry Mashed Potatoes"Low energy chill time with the boys. Thanksgiving discussions abound. Cold end-of-year times at the farm. Sam goes into a surprising amount of detail about his two projects. Can Max be Crypto Jesus? Maybe.
2023-11-2140 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: 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 minFields of WorkEp. 69: "Thanks, Aristotle"Max walks us through the last few unseasonably warm weeks at the farm. The boys test a special podcast-within-a-podcast concept. Sam shares his race report from his first half-Ironman.
2023-10-071h 10
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 minFields of WorkEp. 68: "Horatio, Hampton, and Prargnin"We kinda forgot to podcast through Max’s busiest season so we do a quick whistle-stop tour through the highlights: Max has bonded with a farm hawk, it turns out Max didn’t irreperably screw up the direct seeding he’s in charge of, and working for a larger outfit definitely has some perks (like PTO!). Sam also talks us through his last couple of months, with way too much time focused on triathlon stuff considering how bad he is at it.
2023-08-2549 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 minFields of WorkEp. 66: "All Slimed Up"Sam went on all sorts of adventures — triathlons, super secret Washington DC social clubs, New Zealand — a little bit for everyone. Max has basically turned his farming into a puzzle video game involving intricate irrigation strategies. The boys are both living their best lives, you could say.
2023-05-2259 minFields of WorkEp. 65: "Secret Bee Experience"Max is out in the fields and doing farmer things now. Planting seeds, moving tarps around, driving tractors — all the classics. Sam just got back from The Ready’s latest company retreat and is getting ready for a long trip to New Zealand. Listen closely for the point where he realizes he’s using the wrong microphone and switches over to the good one. Also, his tummy was jumbly so cut him some slack, okay?
2023-04-2152 minFields of WorkEp. 64: "No Hay All Strawberries"The boys are back! Max, like a human grizzly bear, has emerged from his winter cocoon and is rustling around in pursuit of vegetables. He's moved north, back to the Spurlin native homeland of Michigan, to continue his illustrious farming career. He talks about his new gig, which is actually starting to sound a little bit like Sam's gig. Sam is still here, too. On his same bullshit, for the most part. We all know Max is the real star of this show, though, so let's stay focused on him.
2023-03-261h 00
GreenPill97 - DAO Alignment with Sam Spurlin of The Ready✨ Subscribe to the Green Pill Podcast ✨ https://pod.link/1609313639 🟢 Get the GreenPilled Book 🟢 https://greenpill.party/ Apple Show Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/greenpill/id1609313639 Spotify Show Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/0l6aXWC94dd0RA3tkKfxjd ------ Is learning from frontline veterans your thing, anon? Sam is a Partner at the organizational change and transformation consultancy, The Ready, and is co-stewarding The Ready’s efforts to contribute to DAOs and the web3 space more broadly. Join us today as we dive in today...
2023-03-1753 min
The Pathless Path with Paul Millerd#136 Complexity & Complicatedness - Sam Spurlin on playing hockey, why he quit teaching, studying at Claremont, leaving a PhD program, working pro bono too start his career, complicated vs complex systems, how to deal with ego in organizations, remote work failures, podcasting with his brother, and the importance of a retrospective meetingSam is a partner at The Ready - an organizational design consultancy operating fully remotely. He is also a prolific writer, passionate about personal development, self-managing organizations and adopting a more human, adaptive, and meaningful way of working.🎥🍿 YOUTUBE: WATCH HERELinks:Twitter: @samspurlinInstagram: samspurlinLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samspurlinSam's writing: samspurlin.com/writingSam's writing on Medium: samspurlin.medium.comNewsletter: thedeliberate.substack.com/p/landing-page⌛TIMESTAMPS(00:53) - The scripts that Sam grew up with
(10:09) - Teaching and why Sam quit
(17:10) - Claremont and letting go of the PhD
(25:49) - Working pro bono to...
2023-03-061h 10
RMIT FORWARDSam Spurlin, a new organisational OSPeter Thomas talks to Sam Spurlin, one of our FORWARD Fellows and partner at The Ready, an organisational design consultancy focused on the future of work.
Sam and Peter talk about the work that The Ready does in helping organisations find better ways to work. The Ready is based on the premise that as the world becomes increasingly complex and uncertain, bureaucracy and hierarchy are holding us back. The organizational operating system is broken and needs to be fixed
Sam and Peter look at how The Ready works, how it seeks to have an impact and chat about some potential...
2022-12-1628 min
The Clique PodcastEp. 23 [The Ready] Exploring DAO Org Design Tensions Part - 3 ~ Sam SpurlinSam Spurlin is a partner at the Ready, a self-managing organization design consultancy focused on changing how the world works & one of the foremost DAO org design thinkers in the space.
For Part 3, we get into his time acting as an external facilitator with GitcoinDAO & the story of how he landed the gig through connecting with Disruption Joe, FDD Workstream Lead, GitcoinDAO. We see his observations around how tensions were rampant across the workstreams during the budgeting process & talking about the value of a clear essential intent to clarify these important conversations. We talk about some of...
2022-11-2440 minThe Clique PodcastEp. 23 [The Ready] Exploring DAO Org Design Tensions Part - 2 ~ Sam SpurlinSam Spurlin is a partner at the Ready, a self-managing organization design consultancy focused on changing how the world works & one of the foremost DAO org design thinkers in the space. We've got him on board for a series of episodes to discuss DAO org design, the tensions that pervade it when the organizational system is not tuned properly & how to address it.
In Part 2 of the series, we set the stage for the DAO org design mindset talking about Sam’s observations of the Ready as a self managing org, talking about the basic fundamentals that DA...
2022-11-2335 minThe Clique PodcastEp.23 [The Ready] Exploring DAO Org Design Tensions Part - 1 ~ Sam SpurlinSam Spurlin is a partner at the Ready, a self-managing organization design consultancy focused on changing how the world works & one of the foremost DAO org design thinkers in the space. We've got him on board for a series of episodes to discuss DAO org design, the tensions that pervade it when the organizational system is not tuned properly & how to address it.
In Part 1 of this series, we also talk about common org design tensions within the trad world like poor meeting cultures & addressing them with action meetings. DAO people may find a lot of nuggets to...
2022-11-2238 minFields of WorkEp. 62: "Did We Not Say Yay Enough?"Bringing a chill vibe to this one. Sunday morning energy. End of farm season energy. Max had a big frost at the farm, which is, you know, not great for plants. Sam went on his honeymoon and the most recent The Ready retreat. He talks about some strategic shifts that the company is making and what that means for his role. Very cool episode. Very chill.
2022-10-2759 minFields of WorkEp. 61: "Cute But Frustrating"Max is psyched to be moving into the fall, even if the outdoor temperature doesn't really reflect it. His favorite candle scent is John Steinbeck. I'm not even joking. Sam did his last triathlon of the year and is getting ready to go on his honeymoon (yes, that's a pretty great work update, right?)
2022-09-121h 10
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 minFields of WorkEp. 60: "Woodchucks are the Snakes of Mammals"Max is making hay, figuratively. The farm has already made as much money as it did all of last year and it's only the end of July! How cool is that? Somehow it keeps making money even though a woodchuck is going ham on the veggies. Max tried to catch him and only managed to get a possum instead. Amateur hour. Sam went on vacation to Cape Cod but forgot his swim buoy so he's sad. He's also starting a new "regular" project so he isn't purely a crypto boy any longer.
2022-08-0450 minFields of WorkEp. 59: "Dirty Cockroach Secret"Episode 5, take two! After a little recording mishap last week, Sam and Max are back together to chat about what’s been going on the last month. Sam’s popsicles have spoken and summer is officially here! Here is how it has been going: Max hurt himself and ended up at urgent care twice, dealt with some brutal weather and has been working to try and catch up at the farm; Sam got married and he also ended up at an urgent care this month (unrelated) and is only one triathlon away from finishing the trifecta.
2022-06-291h 01Fields of WorkEp. 58: "Finish With Dignity"Sam has completed his first triathlon and begins what is sure to become a new famous segment on the podcast, “Triathlon Talk.” He shares some important tricks to having a successful race. Things like, being honest with yourself about your swimming capabilities, learn the course so you don’t repeat any legs of it and most importantly remember to lube up your whole body. Max is up to his ears in strawberries. The CSA has started and the veggies are pouring in. Also, he is concerned about how hot it is.
2022-05-151h 01Fields of WorkEp. 57: "Regardless of Wizards"Max continues to have chicken problems. Apparently they don't swim so good. But before that, there's an important chat about where we're going when we get to the zoo and what we're stoked is in our lunchbox. Sam continues to do fun DAO things and be generally inscrutable to the average person!
2022-04-1845 minFields of WorkEp. 56: "Chickens, Cows, and DAOs"The boys kick things off with one of their more profound check-in questions and then quickly move into discussion of the wetter parts of being a farmer; namely, cow birth and lubing egg bound chickens. It’s super gross and that’s why Max likes plants better. Sam went to Canada and visited various eating establishments. Then he had a horrible time trying to get home.
2022-03-2458 minFields of WorkEp. 55: "Non-Fungible Carrots"The boys are back in town (as The Beach Boys said…) and season four is officially here! Is it going to be any different? No, not really. The boys talk about what Olympic sport they could have played, hypothetically. Sam and Max then bond over their general fear of horses —they’re just so big and seem like they know things. Max talks about what his off season has been like and what new things are coming to the farm this year. Sam talks briefly about his new initiative at The Ready and tries to give us a quick run do...
2022-02-2749 minFields of WorkEp. 53: "Sam's Sabbatical Retrospective"It’s been a month, Sam’s sabbatical is over and this episode they talk all about it. What did he learn? What does he regret? Did he get really good at skateboarding? You’ll have to listen to find out. Oh and Max is still just farming except now it’s colder.
2021-11-041h 04Fields of WorkEp. 52: "Poblano"Sam and Max catch up after a month off. Max is winding down for the season as cooler weather finally approaches. Also he has a kitten now. His name is Poblano. What more do you need to know? Sam is nearing the end of his sabbatical and is trying to answer the age old question, what do you do with your last two weeks of no responsibilities?
2021-10-0645 minFields of WorkEp. 51: "Sam Goes Farming"It's finally here. The moment we've all been waiting for -- Sam goes to Tennessee to work with Max for a week. What kind of shenanigans does he get up to? Does he drive the farm into the ground? Does he come up with some great new ideas? You'll just have to listen to find out.
2021-09-0359 minFields of WorkEp. 50: "Legendary Worm Farmer"It’s a hot one out there, so Sam and Max share their favorite water activities. Sam shares his personal stand up paddle-board story. Max is fighting the heat and trying to keep his plants alive. The summer fruits are flowing and the weeds are growing twice as fast. Max finds his new motto, “Every hole in the leaf is a chance for disease to get in.” Sam gives Max his newest business idea, a worm farm. Sam went on a big walk and is still paying the consequences of that.
2021-07-3151 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 minFields of WorkEp. 49: "Goose Vibe"Sam and Max are finally back. They start by chatting about what they have been reading recently. Max gives a long farm update now that summer is officially here. He’s hired an employee, started prepping for fall and begun the almost daily harvest of summer fruits. Sam on the other hand is two weeks deep into his sabbatical. He talks about what all he has been up to and what might be on the horizon for him.
2021-07-1252 minFields of WorkEp. 48: "Sam's Big Sabbatical"Sam and Max are back after having some technical difficulties, mainly Max’s “farm internet” and thank goodness they are because this week they talk about important things. Like why corn is the taste of summer and Sam’s journey to find the best facial hair for him. Also, Sam describes what it is like being in the epicenter of a big bug event. Max shares some of the struggles of marketing a farm. Lastly, Sam is going on sabbatical. He talks about how The Ready came to this decision and what the next four months might look like.
2021-06-131h 03Fields of WorkEp. 47: "Tongue Wagging"Sam and Max are racing a storm in this week's episode. They share their feelings about bugs and it turns out it is all about context. Sam is starting to get into baseball, well kind of. Things are cruising along at the farm, the heat is here and all the plants are going in the ground. Max educates Sam on planting sweet potatoes. Sam asks the very important question of, “How do you feel about cantaloupe?” Sam is finishing up with the client he has been working with for the last two and a half years. They are going to u...
2021-05-2844 minFields of Work"Staple Boy"Sam and Max get serious. They talk birds. Most importantly, they pick the best bird(s). They rehash their brief trip home to Michigan and share stories of the great fence raising. Sam’s Roomba bites the dust and Sam shares his favorite stories from his brief life. Max’s snake count is up to 3. Other than that, he has just been planting like crazy and trying to work around the ever changing weather. He also shares a secret, all veggies are the same. Sam shares some thoughts on his work helping The Ready make some decisions about its gove...
2021-05-1458 minFields of WorkEp. 45: "Dog Brothers"Sam and Max share the story behind their names. They finally get their big break with a shoutout in The Ready’s newsletter. So hello all you new listeners...or listener. Things are settling in at the farm a bit but there is a new count underway -- snake count: 2. Also, Max continues to complain about his potting soil and compost. Sam does a quick walk through of a recent “structure” workshop he did.
2021-04-291h 03Fields of WorkEp. 44: "Lingering Hamilton"Sam gives us a beautiful rendition of the song that plays in his head whenever he enters a room. Max asks Sam a few more questions about what working at The Ready is like. What does it mean when you get to set your own salary? Max gives the farm update, mainly that the weather has been all over the place but plants are growing. He’s also been battling mice, again.
2021-04-231h 03Fields of WorkEp. 43: "A Handsome Lettuce"Sam talks about his early days of making websites and how he would like to get into programming. Sam and Max share their very different half marathon experiences. Max is on a planting spree at the farm, catching up after the cold snap last week. He also talks about what is stressing him out on the farm these days; it is mostly clumpy soil. Sam is now a powerful vaccinated boy after struggling through some side effects. He is also starting a new experiment and getting a virtual assistant.
2021-04-0850 minFields of WorkEp. 42: "March Flash Floods Lead to April Showers"Sam and Max talk about their favorite things about Sam’s fiancee, Emily. It’s good and wholesome. Max talks about scary farm time and how the farm barely avoided being washed away. The weather keeps changing and now Max is preparing for frost. Lastly, he shares his worst night-farming experience. Sam and Max share their love for corn. Sam’s project is still in flux, kind of, as things at the client continue to settle. Sam talks a bit more about what working at The Ready is like and answers Max’s questions about the inner workings of the comp...
2021-04-021h 09Fields of WorkEp. 41: "A Knighted Aardvark"Fields of Work is back, two weeks is a long time to go without getting your regular dose of two dudes talking. Sam recalls the hockey rivalry of his youth and how he has tragically lost his golf swing. Max gives updates on the farm: beds being shaped, seeds being sown, harvesting shrooms. Sam learns the difference between an aardvark, armadillo, and anteater. Max has a rooster problem now. Sam has some chang’em ups happening at his current client and is in a bit of an in between state. Lastly, Sam gives Max some homework for next week's ep...
2021-03-261h 04Fields of WorkEp. 40: "The First Seed"We want to apologize to all our Norwegian listeners in advance. Sam and Max talk about their ideal place to travel. Sam just wants a beach. Any beach, anywhere. Max gives the much anticipated trellis update. He also shares some of his least favorite farming experiences, mainly the time he stabbed some sweet potatoes. Sam has also started farming and his plants are thriving. He teaches Max about different types of meetings and introduces the idea of “meta strategy”. So strap in!
2021-03-131h 05Fields of WorkEp. 39: "Eating an Animal You Hate"This week Max talks about his inaugural sunburn. They get literary and talk about the best books they read last year. Max updates Sam on the farm life and talks about rotating chickens, making beds and burning things. He also gives an update on his relationship with the goose. Sam tells us all about his perfect day. Also he quit social media, but like, for real this time. He talks about why he made this decision and some of the changes he’s noticed in his everyday life as a result.
2021-03-061h 05Fields of WorkEp. 38: "The Premise of a Goose"Max poisoned himself. We find out Sam has always been into data and Max loves rocks. Max talks about how he ended up on the farm in Tennessee and what even has he been doing on the farm?! We also meet the newest villain/hero of the show, Flossie the Goose. Lastly, Sam has been living in a virtual world this week.
2021-02-2753 minFields of WorkEp. 37: "Head Honcho of Vegetable Things"Fields of Work is back! It’s technically season 3 but we are treating it like season 1. The same two lovable hosts and that high quality content you know and love. In this episode, Sam and Max talk about their cringey high school fashion sense. We learn how Sam once ran right out of his shorts and Max went through lots of phases, none of them good. They recap the premise of the show and reintroduce themselves. Max talks about how he came to be an organic farmer and Sam shares his story of how he...
2021-02-2055 minFields of WorkEp. 36: "A Field of Venus Flytraps"Sam and Max talk about their brief moments of fame. Max is in the weird in between times of work and talks briefly about what he’s been doing to stay busy (it’s mostly reading). Sam is still in the thick of his current work project, however there is potentially some light at the end of the tunnel. Max pitches his new business idea, garden consulting.
2020-11-1139 minFields of WorkEp. 35: "The Barking Man"Well, it has been two months and a lot has changed and a lot hasn’t. Max’s life has been a whirlwind of change while Sam has been a steady source of consistency. Max gives updates on his last few months, his new location, and the end of his farm season. Listen closely and soak in the last lamb and pig updates for quite awhile. Sam excitedly announces his new engagement and talks briefly about his current work project and retreat.
2020-10-2145 minFields of WorkEp. 34: "Keep That Pig in Play"Sam and Max do a late recording. Max talks about his love of hot wheels and his favorite car. They both reminisce about K’Nex demolition derbies. A pig got loose and Max tells the tale of catching it. Sam is a busy boy. He updates us on “The Month of Sit” and they tease a few ideas for the next episode. Lastly, Sam is a golf guy now.
2020-08-2938 minFields of WorkEp. 33: "Swimming On Purpose"Sam and Max talk about swimming and their favorite food growing up. Max gives a much needed lamb and pig update. Max recaps the last couple weeks on the farm...mostly things are growing. Sam talk about his leisurely two weeks of vacation. He updates us on his new focus for the month of August and talks about how his month of move went in July. Lastly they give some hockey predictions.
2020-08-1000 minFields of WorkEp. 32: "Lamb Chef"New week, same quarantine. Max and Sam reminisce over childhood vacations and talk about the magic of the “road trip box”. Max gives the usual farm updates except this time, there are pigs. Sam talks about his virtual work retreat and his new internal project. He’s also doing push ups and riding his bike a lot, which can only mean one thing: it’s the “month of move”. Lastly he brings his epic office saga to a close.
2020-07-101h 04Fields of WorkEp 31: "Bucket Boy"It was a late Sunday morning recording, and Sam and Max wanna apologize if it’s a bad one. They talk quite a bit about things the viewer can’t really see at home.After a two week break, there is a lot to catch up on. Sam is on the bread train. Max updates Sam about what’s new at the farm. Mainly lots of stuff is in the ground growing. Sam talks a bit about his “hard reset” and why he does it.Mouse count: 9
2020-06-2052 minFields of WorkEp. 30: "True Farmery"SummaryThanks to some technical difficulties, Sam and Max have a lot to catch up on. They each decide what cereal they’d be, you know, if they were turned into cereal. Max talks about being back at Gibbet Hill and his new bond with the lambs. Sam discusses his month of read and how he is ready to go surfing...as long as there aren’t sharks. Lastly, Sam has some questions to answer, what should next months theme be? Should he keep his new office?
2020-06-011h 02Fields of WorkEp. 29: "Dope Salads"A special Mother’s Day episode...so of course they talk a lot about mice? Sam tells us about “Dope Salads” and chocolate chip banana bread. It’s cold on the farm and Max describes what that means for the plants. Also, Max announces his return to Gibbet Hill Farm. Sam and Max talk about how the Coronavirus may affect their respected fields and what it could mean for the future.
2020-05-101h 01Fields of WorkEp. 28: "Teddy Bear Mountain"NOTE: Please excuse Sam's audio. It gets better after a couple minutes.After a long three week break, Fields of Work is back. Sam and Max catch up on life and talk about their favorite things to collect growing up. Max reiterates his hate for winds and describes the crazy weeks at the farm. Sam concludes his “Month of Write” and talks about what he learned and his new routine for writing.Max’s InstagramCarving out your space to contributePersonal development is an expedition, not an exercise in perfection...
2020-05-0358 minFields of WorkEp. 27: "Cantaloupe Afternoon"Sam and Max offer up some innovations for airlines. Max updates Sam on his week at the farm, and they get into the nitty gritty details of farming: how to trellis peas, how regenerative agriculture builds soil health, how to build a caterpillar tunnel. Sam ran a retrospective with a new team and is ramping up the next phase of the project, creating a coaching program. Lastly they talk about Sam’s writing habit. Oh, and Max is a handkerchief guy now.
2020-04-141h 06Fields of WorkEp. 26: "The Kite is Very Harmed"Sam and Max catch up during these wild and uncertain times. Sam recaps his “Month of Sit” and talks a bit about his meditation practice. Max began working at a new farm and is learning all types of new things. Sam shares the saga of the harmed kite.Zafu and ZabutonMonth of Sit by Sam SpurlinGaining GroundBCS TractorPaper Pot TransplanterLet My People Go Surfing
2020-04-0648 minFields of WorkEp. 25: "Quarantine is a New Experience"SummarySam and Max talk about these super normal times. Not much going on really. Max is looking forward to farming again and Sam updates us on his “Month of Sit” as well as his recent digital declutter. They briefly discuss the apocalypse and their plan if things get real, real bad. Lastly they briefly touch on what this could mean for the future of work.LinksGaining Ground: https://gainingground.org
2020-03-2153 minFields of WorkEp. 23: "The Year of Experimentation"After three long weeks away, Sam and Max have a lot of catching up to do. Max has been trying his hand at the food industry and breaking plates along the way. He has also dabbled in flooring as well as vintage markets? It’s been a weird month. Sam has himself a new fancy office, and a brief moment of podcast fame, almost. He recaps his month of writing and preps for a month of meditation. Lastly, Max shares his theme for 2020: Prepare yourself for The Year of Experimentation.* Sam’s fancy new electric kettle: https://fell...
2020-03-0159 minFields of WorkEp. 22: "Big Bread Year"Sam and Max use this episode to continue catching up. This isn’t season 2 yet, we think? Sam talks about his theme(s) for the upcoming year. Max’s theme is a work in progress, stay tuned. Lastly, Max talks about how working in the restaurant makes him very anxious. Good thing he’s mainly a farmer.
2020-02-1542 minFields of WorkEp. 21: "Long Hours in the Podcast Mines"Where's Season Two? It's not here, yet. But this in-betweener is! Sam and Max talk about Max's winter UPS endeavors. He's full of knowledge about the big brown company.
2020-01-2441 minFields of WorkEp. 20: “Car Pants”Does something feel different this episode? It’s the end of season one of Fields of Work! This week Sam and Max talk about best Halloween costumes and childhood trick or treating. Max gives a final farm update and recaps the season. Max shares his car troubles. Sam went to a work retreat in New York and tells us about the new initiative he’s in charge of. Lastly they talk about the future of Fields of Work.Thank you for following along and listening to the first season of Fields of Work. It’s been a lot of...
2019-11-0258 minFields of WorkEp. 19: "Pigs Need Jumpsuits"Sam and Max are a bit rusty. You may hear some interjections from Siri or a seventh month old puppy. Sam and Max catch up after a long break. They reminisce on the genius of Super Mario Strikers. Max talks about why he loves fall farming so much. Hint: it involves less work. Sam gives an update on his project. Things are going well. They need more “Action Meeting” facilitators. Anyone? Lastly, they tease next week’s topic. What is Sam actually doing at work?
2019-10-1951 minFields of WorkEp. 18: “Poncho Pants”Max goes on a Boston adventure, eats food, and sees Important History Places. Sam went to Florida for work and did not see any Important History Places (but did travel with no backup pants). Max got a new job where he can exercise one of his core competencies, moving things hither and thither. Sam is getting ready for another Florida trip and in a real twist-em-up Sam teaches Max a new weeding game.
2019-09-2856 minFields of WorkEp. 17: "Furry Five Pound Sausage”Sam and Max talk about superpowers. Max gives a final lamb update. Max talks about how his season is coming to an end. Sam recounts his travels last week and explains what a “silent meeting” is. Lastly, Sam describes his ideal consulting company.https://medium.com/the-ready/creating-an-organizational-design-consulting-firm-for-the-21st-century-6150f15668c5
2019-09-141h 10Fields of WorkEp. 16: "Soil Never Forgets"SummarySam and Max recap their Labor Day travels. Sam drove through Manhattan and attended the US Open. Max describes his ideal farm — or at least tries to.
2019-09-0754 minFields of WorkEp. 15: "Hot Ankles"Sam apologizes for mistakes he made on the last episode. Max shares why farming goes well with his love of lists. Max gives a very big lamb update and talks a bit about crop failures. Sam talks about leadership and the future of work. They bond over their love of rewatching shows.
2019-08-3100 minFields of WorkEp. 14: "Is Your Dog Bowling?"Sam relives his glory years. Sam and Max talk about their favorite desserts. Max learned how to naturally dye fabric. They discuss how well their jobs line up with their personalities.
2019-08-241h 01Fields of WorkEp. 13: "The Spurlin Malady"Sam saw Hamilton. Max and Sam talk about what vegetables they are. Max gives a lamb and pig update. Max shares his horror highway story. Sam tells us about his walk to work. They pitch their new business venture, farm to table diner. Max talks about his flying experience and Sam gives his flying advice.
2019-08-171h 01Fields of WorkEp. 12: “Pinned Between Lambs”Show NotesWhat’s that? Sam and Max are in the same room?! A Fields of Work first. Sam gives us a lamb update and pig update. Max recounts his week, from baking to trips to vets. Sam needs a beard barber. Sam is going to see Hamilton. Sam tells us what he is tracking these days.
2019-08-1000 minFields of WorkEp. 11: “Scabby Noggin”Max recounts his birthday weekend. Sam hosted a meeting on meetings. Max updates everyone on the sick lambs. Sam and Max do a quick check in round. Lastly Sam tells us what makes a good consultant.
2019-08-031h 02Fields of WorkEp. 10: "Little Potato Rewards"Sam and Max decide they are going tosee the penguins. It’s Max’s birthday, kind of. Max gives a lamb update and reads a poem. Sam talks about his week and his current project. Max talks about what makes a bad farmer versus a good farmer. Sam tells us what he thinks a farmer does. Max ends the show with a bit of farm lore.
2019-07-2756 minFields of WorkEp. 09: "An Indoor Sam"It’s hot y’all. Max watches farming YouTube videos. Max talks about when he feels the most like a farmer and Sam says what makes him feel most like a consultant. Sam shares a hay story. They talk about the worst possible occupation for them. They name Max’s sourdough starter and Max shares more cooking adventures. Sam updates us on his current project. They tease the next episodes topic: What differentiates a good from a bad farmer?
2019-07-2053 minFields of Work08: "Bucket-O-Pea"Max did his homework. Sam ate his body weight in lobster. Sam also learned that weather involves science. Max talks about how used bookstores sometimes make him angry. Max describes what a farm dinner is. Sam went on a work retreat in New York and feels pretty dang good about the future of The Ready. Sam missed his chance to go on The Blob. Lastly, they quickly discuss tennis and who is going to win Wimbledon.
2019-07-1450 minFields of Work07: "Bread Day"Sorry for the bad connection/audio. Sam had a popsicle accident. Max baked some bread. Max needs overalls and maybe a straw hat. Max talks no-till farming and what that means for the farm and the overall soil health. Max rambles about farming and food. Max briefly talks about his opinion of the future of farming. Sam tells us his reading plans for vacation.
2019-07-0656 minFields of Work06: Benjamin OinklinSam and Max complain about the heat. Max talks about the new pigs and running the cattle run. Sam’s main project is in flux. He breaks down what that means for the future of his work. Sam prepares for a big decision which turns out wasn’t really necessary. Sam mulls over what it would look like to do a tour of duty as an internal consultant. Sam lays out his three vacation goals.
2019-06-2947 minFields of Work05: "Dr. Wool"Sam eats a popsicle. Max has a cat neighbor and he adopted a dog. He talks about the trials and tribulations of dog parenting. Sam tells us he ate a dog treat (when he was like 13). Max talks about weeding on farms, specifically flame-weeding. Sam tells us about his trip to New Jersey and his atrocious travel diet. Sam explains why you have to eat chicken off the bone. Lastly Sam recounts how he went from teaching to consulting and how his blog and writing led him to the world of personal development.
2019-06-2200 minFields of Work04: Big Boy HikeOn this episode Max talks about getting a “farmers tramp-stamp.” He also gives a much anticipated lamb update and describes his beetle squishing technique. Sam learns his cactus might be dying. He is also making big changes with his task management system. They briefly talk hockey. Max describes his “big boy hike” and lastly, Max talks about how he got into farming and what his farming education has been like.
2019-06-1655 minFields of Work03: "Fifteen Cucumber Touches"We picked a name! Welcome to Fields of Work. On this episode Max talks about what happened at the farm this week. Sam names a lamb and wants a pet pig. Sam makes a guest appearance on another podcast. They discuss Brave New Work and how it applies to the world of farming. Max talks about how innovation happens on a farm. They discuss the Lean Farming movement. Sam invents farm segways. Max challenges Sam to start cooking new things. Max is getting a dog.
2019-06-0751 minFields of Work02: I Forget About HoneMax complains about wind and getting sunburned. Sam faced a tornado head on, kind of. Max updates everyone on the lambs and Sam asks the pivotal question, when does a lamb become a sheep? Sam talks about his habits and how he splits up his work. He also describes the ups and downs of work and how he tries to diagnose the cause of that change. They discuss bees and the next great Disney movie idea. They discuss writing and journaling habits.
2019-06-0645 minFields of Work01: Ocean FoodSam and Max introduce themselves. They discuss farm strong versus corporate strong. Max talks about organic farming and moving to Massachusetts. Max attempts to explain what Sam’s job is. Sam clarifies and explains what it is he really does. They discuss what kind of things this podcast is going to be about. Max gives Sam a quick farm crash course. Like what is a pea tendril? What is a transplant? What is a microgreen?
2019-06-0634 min
Nonprofit Lowdown#36-Upgrading Your Organizational Operating System with Sam SpurlinSo. Many. Truth. Bombs.
This interview with The Ready's Sam Spurlin. I reached out to Sam because I'm OBSESSED with the book Brave New Work by Aaron Dignan. So often in organizations when things aren't working, when communication breaks down, when we're having meetings about meetings--well, it just makes you crazy. Sam talks about how our approach to organizational change might be about identifying and fixing the operating system one experiment at a time. We talk so much about culture, but culture is created by organizational operating systems. Tune in to this very educational interview with Sam.
2019-05-3038 min
Chip Off The Old BlockWhen I Dip, You Dip, We Dip - Sam SpurlinIn the very first episode of the podcast we talk to Sam Spurlin, a friend from south of the border that eats his chips in a very unique and peculiar way. We will talk to Sam about why he does what he does and how he does and why it might say more about him than he might think.
2019-01-0628 min