Episode 90: Values, Identity and Our Best Performance

Over the last few decades, many organisations have moved away from deliberate strategies to more emergent strategic approaches. This has allowed organisations to reman agile, but has this had a longer term impact, preventing organisations from achieving their full potential? Is VUCA the new norm, meaning we need to rethink our strategic approaches? And how do we go about improving our personal performances at work? Amrit refers back to history seeing what lessons we can learn from pre- and post Russian history to improve our personal and business performances in this week's podcast.

What drives discrimination? If the colour of someone's skin is the only reason, how did the holocaust happen with Nazi Germany creating a 'Master race'? What then do we make of the caste system in India, where some people born into castes are considered untouchable, where their very touch could pollute another? Is race a version of a systemic caste system where humanity has artificially created superior groups and inferior groups, putting in place structures to perpetuate this very notion? Despite all the efforts by organisations to create more inclusive workplaces through ED&B initiatives, could this be the reason we haven't seen an impact? Join Amrit as he explores this topic, driven by the film 'Origins', highlighting the book 'Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents', in this week's podcast.

Just when you thought companies had adapted to remote and hybrid working, Boots announces that all their employees must come back into the office five days a week. The reason? Because they felt remote and hybrid working was having an impact on their culture. Cultures are made up of the values we hold most dear. What are the values driving Boots? Are companies making decisions aligned to their values? And for those who choose to work remotely, what impact is this having on their chances of career development and promotion? Join Amrit for this week's podcast on Flexibility and the Hybrid Ceiling.

Have you noticed how when companies have had a fantastic financial performance, they share the great news, but then tell employees they cannot invest in any additional resources because they just don't have the budgets? It leaves employees confused about the decisions being made, and questioning where all the money is going to? Leaders are working in a different time zone to employees, and if this isn't taking into account, it can cause disengagement, rather than driving engagement. Join Amrit as he explores this topic in this week's podcast - Communicating to Employees like Investors.

Is it inevitable that power will corrupt? Is this something we need to accept as the frailty of the human condition, that as soon as we achieve powerful positions, corruption is inevitable, irrespective of who you are and your benevolent intentions? Whilst power tends to corrupt, could power attract those with pathological tendencies acting like a magnet, only enhancing and magnifying what already existed in those people? What can companies do to protect those positions of power from those looking to get drunk on power? Join Amrit as he discusses Leader: Power and Hypocrisy in this week's podcast.

How much does your reputation matter to you? Obviously, we don't want people around us saying horrible things about us, but for some people, that can matter far more than for others. How important is reputation to those best performers? What role does having a clearly defined identity play in helping performance? It turns out, quite a lot. Our Values and Identity play a pivotal role based on the experiences of authors of a new book 'Learned Excellence', findings we can all apply to improve our own performance.

Would you know if your employees were living in poverty? What signs would you see? Would a drop in performance towards the end of the month be something you would ever associate with poverty, questioning whether some people are rationing food because they have no more money? This might sound extreme, but with the findings from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlighting how millions of employees are living in poverty, what does this mean to the role of the employer? Join Amrit as he explores this topic in this week's podcast.

Many of us will have watched the documentary called 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office', which showed the way sub-postmasters were treated after the roll-out of a new computer system which started to show hundred of sub-postmasters having huge gaps in their takings. Instead of questioning the system, the default of the senior leadership team was to blame their people. Not just blame, but to pursue criminal prosecutions and convictions, which were based on errors. Lives were wreaked, lives were lost, yet no one has been held to account. What can we learn from The Post Office scandal? Join Amrit for this week's podcast as he shares his thoughts.

Despite all the experience you have across your career, do you find you doubting yourself? Do you suffer from Imposter Syndrome? Are you afraid of being 'found out'? You are not alone. Many of us suffer from this and for those in senior positions, it could go on to impact on the culture. How can we overcome this and what could we do to improve how we feel? Join Amrit as he explores this in this week's podcast.

How often do you sit there on Sunday night thinking 'I really don't want to go to work tomorrow'? As winter draws closer, the thought of work on a Monday morning may fill some with dread. But whilst most of us think work is a means to an end - if we could find another way of earning a living, we would, could work mean something completely different? What if work just happened to be an avenue for you to positively touch the lives of the people you come into contact with? How would this change how you thought about work? Join Amrit as he explores our thoughts about the value of our work.