8 Words or Less

It is a privilege to be joined by Céline Cousteau for the season finale to discuss the book The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. As a filmmaker, author and environmentalist, Céline is in a unique position to understand and appreciate the power of storytelling. Picking up on Campbell’s assertion that ‘the only myth worth thinking about in the immediate future is the planet and everyone on it’, we talk about what this means in reality today, and whether there is a place for myth in the modern world.In the episode, we explore what it means - in Campbell’s words - to 'find your bliss' and ‘slay your dragon’, and what these concepts have meant to Céline throughout her life and career. Finally, we hear from Céline about the work she has done in the Amazon and the impact this magical place has on all our lives, including how it is said that the rainforest produces oxygen for one in every five breaths we take.

In this episode, we discuss the book The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and take on the challenge to try and distil it into a central message of #8wordsorless. The book is vast in scope, covering the themes and symbols of ancient narratives and how these continue to bring meaning to our lives, offering lessons that can be applied to leadership today.  We talk about the power of storytelling, and how leaders can, and should, utilise this to communicate a vision and inspire their teams. Samie also talks about Campbell’s famous concept of ‘Follow your Bliss’ before touching upon the monomyth, and the dragons that need to be slayed if we are to ‘be the hero of your journey’. 

For this week’s bonus episode, we are joined by Becks Beere - the founder and CEO of Avec UK, a market-leading strategic brand and product partner for global retailers.Becks recommended 'Principles' by Ray Dalio and shares the many ways the book has influenced her life and how the insights influenced the considerable success of her business. Basing our discussion on insights garnered from the book, Becks speaks about how failures on her leadership journey have fuelled the desire to create a strong foundation for a lively workplace and inclusive culture. We also discuss the benefits and challenges of radical transparency, and what that means in practice if we are to encourage open conversations among employees and meaningful feedback loops.

In this episode, we discuss Ray Dalio’s book Principles.  Dalio is one of the most successful entrepreneurs and investors in the world, and in this book he distils the, somewhat unconventional, principles that have underpinned his success. The author shares his life’s journey and how his experiences shaped his principles – particularly the ‘crucible moment’ where he lost everything and had to start all over again. The principles are structured into ‘work principles’ and ‘life principles’, all of them grounded in the experience of implementing them in the real world and how this contributed to the success of Bridgewater Associates. Samie and James pick on some of the key principles – namely those focused on radical transparency, facing into reality, learning from failure and radical openness. We discuss how these can be applied in our day-to-day lives, what we can learn from them, and how we can encourage even more transparency and openness in our leadership.

In this bonus episode we are joined by Amna Al Owais, chief executive and registrar of the DIFC Courts, to talk about the key themes and messages from Samie's book #Time4Humanity.We discuss why Amna has placed values and culture at the centre of her leadership and how she discovered her purpose. Amna shares more about her leadership journey and how she learned, over time, to bring her full authentic self to work. Finally, we discuss the implications of technology in the legal industry, and how retaining the human perspective is vital in the courts of the future.

In this episode we discuss the book #Time4Humanity by Samie Al-Achrafi. In a wide ranging discussion that matches the breadth of the book, we discuss the implications of advancing technology in all elements of our lives, and whether the right questions are being asked as to the long-term impact of this. Samie talks about the importance of a more conscious leadership style that embraces the full range of our nature. Linked to this - and particularly relevant in a world increasingly reliant on Zoom - we touch on the criticality of listening, how to create space for deeper listening, and become more aware of what can distract leaders in any given moment. Samie argues that how we show up as leaders – how we listen and connect, and care for others – are not just commitments; they are intentions as much as skills. Finally, Samie shares the central message, it’s #Time4Humanity.

In this episode we are joined by Rob Gardner, investment director for St. James's Place Wealth Management, co-founder of Redington, author and thought-leader on financial education and inclusion.Rob shares his experiences from founding and successfully growing his own businesses and the significant impact that Clayton Christensen’s book had both on his career and keeping him focused on what is really important in his life. Rob talks about the motivations that led him to leave a successful career as an investment banker to start-up his own business, how he stays focused on his ‘why’ (helping others to become in control of their financial future), the concept of ‘Ikigai’, and how he stays intentional about the way he spends his time and energy.Clayton Christensen’s fantastic book stimulates a lot of reflection and is very relevant for the challenging times we are currently experiencing.

In this episode, we explore the powerful and wide ranging book by Clayton Christensen that offers a series of guidelines for helping the reader find meaning and happiness in life.The book hits home in many ways and manages to deliver a holistic message grounded in both his experience and the case studies of successful organisations.Samie and James discuss the difference between hygiene factors and true motivating factors, and how often money gets confused for the latter. We talk about the importance of aligning personal resources (time and energy) to what matters most, and how to avoid letting a 'just this once' attitude knock you off-course.A fantastic book and one that stimulates a lot of reflection, leading to James's central message 'Don't leave your life's purpose to chance'.

In this bonus episode, we are joined by Harvard Business School professor, former Medtronic CEO, and bestselling author Bill George.Bill shares anecdotes from his leadership journey, as well as reflecting on the interviews and stories from his book ‘Discover Your True North’.  We discuss the impact of ‘crucibles’ on our lives and how these can help forge authentic leadership, and how every leader needs a good ‘support group’ around them. Bill then shares the central message from his book, in 8 words or less: Authentic leaders serve with character and integrity.

Authentic leadership has never been more critical than now. In his excellent book Discover Your True North, Bill George outlines how, by following our internal compass, and staying focused on our True North, we can chart a course to being truly authentic leaders.In this episode, Samie shares his central message of 'Authentic Leaders go from Me to We'. Picking on examples from the book, we discuss the importance of ‘crucibles’ in our lives, and how these can be used to drive authenticity. We touch on the concept that Bill calls 'servant leadership’, and even manage to combine both Mandela and basketball into the same petal!