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The Focus

The Focus

By Team Novavi

We believe everyone can live their ikigai. We are passionate about renewing ways of work, better leadership and oversight.
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The Focus Episode 30: Tony Ponton Interview

The FocusOct 18, 2022

00:00
01:24:01
The Focus Episode 32: Erich Bühler Interview

The Focus Episode 32: Erich Bühler Interview

In which we interview Erich Bühler

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Oct 20, 202201:18:20
The Focus Episode 31: Linda Rising Interview

The Focus Episode 31: Linda Rising Interview

In which we interview Linda Rising

We discuss:

  • Effective ways of introducing new ideas, discovered through much struggle
  • Fearless Change
  • More Fearless Change
  • Telling stories that involve people emotionally
  • Attempting big change is usually unsustainable. Instead, growing ideas and approaches together organically works much better.
  • We cannot take everyone with us. For any new idea, there will be champions and early adopters, but there will be laggards as well.
  • What genuine diversity is about
  • Braver Angels
  • Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow
  • Jonathan Haidt's Happiness Hypothesis
  • Menlo Innovations
  • Building trust by sharing food together
  • The ease with which we get divided into groups, and yet we all overestimate the number of nickels in a jar
  • The miracle of agape
  • Embracing both the early adopters and the laggards
  • Choosing worthy targets
  • Dealing with ego
  • The magic of hope
  • Suzanne Simard's Finding the Mother Tree
  • Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees
  • Linda's intentions as a Mother Tree for us

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Oct 20, 202201:29:25
The Focus Episode 30: Tony Ponton Interview

The Focus Episode 30: Tony Ponton Interview

In which we interview Tony Ponton 

We discuss:

  • The three-speed economy
  • Transformation or transition?
  • How do we fund agility?
  • Understanding organisations and "Undercover Boss"
  • Recreating watercoolers online for their social benefits
  • Measuring for outcomes rather than outputs
  • The Remote:af agility framework 
  • Setting up home offices for healthy remote working
  • Crafting teams as if for planning a heist
  • Virtual Obeya rooms
  • The Responsibility Process by Christopher Avery
  • Finding the right person to get help from, in a distributed and dispersed environment
  • Rewarding courage
  • Genuine collaboration in leadership teams

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Oct 18, 202201:24:01
The Focus Episode 29: Renata Barcelos Interview

The Focus Episode 29: Renata Barcelos Interview

In which we interview Renata Barcelos

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 29, 202201:21:45
The Focus Episode 28: Angus Muir Interview

The Focus Episode 28: Angus Muir Interview

In which we interview Angus Muir

We discuss:

  • Going from "this is crazy" to "wow, this works"
  • Being wary of Value Stream diagrams that are too pretty
  • Overcoming "not my problem"-syndrome and learned helplessness
  • Patterns of lean-agile leadership
  • The lessons of the marshmallow tower TED talk, and developing the "assassination skills" to stop throwing good money after bad and pivot initiatives.
  • Overcoming arrogance by creating clear accountability to our ultimate customers
  • Noticing and adjusting for bias
  • "Building bridges is a messy business; sometimes you have to deal with the mud"

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 28, 202201:23:57
The Focus Episode 27: Clarke Ching

The Focus Episode 27: Clarke Ching

In which we interview Clarke Ching

We discuss:

  • The Theory of Constraints
  • Dollarising the prize
  • Pre-crastination and procrastination
  • The Ikea effect
  • Test-first thinking
  • The curse of excellence
  • Being busy mistaken for productivity

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 23, 202201:21:49
The Focus Episode 26: Shane Gibson Interview

The Focus Episode 26: Shane Gibson Interview

In which we interview Shane Gibson

We discuss:

  • Making good decisions and sequencing work
  • Data quality
  • Frameworks and paywalls
  • The necessity of context sensitivity - adapting practice guides to the local situation, iterate and experiment
  • Using words that make more sense

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 15, 202201:23:18
The Focus Episode 25: Ziaan Hattingh Interview

The Focus Episode 25: Ziaan Hattingh Interview

In which we interview Ziaan Hattingh

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 15, 202201:34:56
The Focus Episode 24: Andreas Drechsler Interview

The Focus Episode 24: Andreas Drechsler Interview

In which we interview Andreas Drechsler

We discuss:

  • Organising for fluidity and change
  • Hype and management fashions
  • How languages shape how we see the world
  • The nature of value
  • Architectural thinking - a holistic view across the organisation and its partners
  • Sensing at speed
  • Ambidextrous organisations - explore and exploit in balanced measure
  • Struggles with value streams and value networks

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 14, 202201:31:59
The Focus Episode 23: Samuel Crescêncio Interview

The Focus Episode 23: Samuel Crescêncio Interview

In which we interview Samuel Crescêncio

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 13, 202201:17:41
The Focus Episode 22: Johan Steyn Interview

The Focus Episode 22: Johan Steyn Interview

In which we interview Johan Steyn

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 01, 202201:19:52
The Focus Episode 21: Scott Ambler Interview

The Focus Episode 21: Scott Ambler Interview

In which we interview Scott Ambler

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 01, 202201:27:54
The Focus Episode 20: Shane Hastie Interview

The Focus Episode 20: Shane Hastie Interview

In which we interview Shane Hastie

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Sep 01, 202201:26:04
The Focus Episode 19: Alan Hesketh Interview

The Focus Episode 19: Alan Hesketh Interview

In which we interview Alan Hesketh

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Aug 31, 202201:24:35
The Focus Episode 15: Joanne Stone Interview

The Focus Episode 15: Joanne Stone Interview

In which we interview Joanne Stone 

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Aug 28, 202201:23:20
The Focus Episode 18: Carlos Andrade Interview

The Focus Episode 18: Carlos Andrade Interview

In which we interview Carlos Andrade

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Aug 28, 202201:28:40
The Focus Episode 17: Janet Gregory Interview

The Focus Episode 17: Janet Gregory Interview

In which we interview Janet Gregory

We discuss:

  • Changing the perception of quality
  • The role of the tester into the future
  • Overcoming stigma
  • How we might get emotions to help us make better decisions
  • Seeing our teams as extended families
  • Beyond zero sum
  • Doing the work to get the benefits

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Aug 28, 202201:12:03
The Focus Episode 16: Al Shalloway Interview

The Focus Episode 16: Al Shalloway Interview

In which we interview Al Shalloway

We discuss:

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Aug 28, 202201:48:15
The Focus Episode 14: Dr. Isabella Allan interview

The Focus Episode 14: Dr. Isabella Allan interview

In which we interview Dr. Isabella Allan and we discuss:

  • Reading clues and cues
  • Confirmation bias
  • Network science and the need for social nodes
  • Overcoming marginalisation
  • Getting into flow together through song and rhythm
  • Maintaining a shared context and discipline in group conversations
  • Habit stacking
  • Disruptors, dissenters and outliers
  • The value of simulation and training for contingencies
  • Thriving in an enduring crisis

Turn Talk Into Action: Harness the power of dialogue and collective decision-making

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Jul 16, 202201:20:38
The Focus Episode 13: Kiron Bondale interview

The Focus Episode 13: Kiron Bondale interview

In which we interview Kiron Bondale 

We discuss:

  • Risk management
  • Cognitive overload
  • Reframing combatants into partners - beyond us and them
  • Turning lessons into gold
  • Seeing learning as another type of work
  • The Peter Principle 
  • Noticing erosion and skills to stop wasteful initiatives

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Jul 15, 202201:19:32
The Focus Episode 12: Daniel Gagnon interview

The Focus Episode 12: Daniel Gagnon interview

In which we interview Daniel Gagnon and we discuss:

  • Ego struggles
  • People impervious to argument
  • When do we get to toxicity?
  • Left-shifting oversight
  • The four stages of psychological safety
  • Agency and organisational agility
  • Rasputin coaching
  • Anti-fragility
  • Escaping zero-sum thinking - there's nothing that has more room than a full heart

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Jul 15, 202201:23:41
The Focus Episode 11: Dawie Olivier interview

The Focus Episode 11: Dawie Olivier interview

In which we interview Dawie Olivier, and we discuss:

  • Classic governance as a process of progressive disappointment
  • How the underlying foundations of governance and control are flawed
  • How we may learn to embrace auditors and devise competence-based controls
  • Hubris and fear
  • How we may energise change agents by setting them gently asmoulder
  • The vital importance of belief in the possibility of becoming better

We are:

By visiting the home of The Focus Podcast you can find alternative ways to access this podcast. Thank you in anticipation for considering to support us.

Jul 15, 202201:16:19
The Focus Episode 10: Safety & Courage
Jul 01, 202201:29:01
The Focus Episode #9: Competence & Innovation - Part 3
Jun 29, 202259:53
The Focus Episode #8: Competence & Innovation - Part 2

The Focus Episode #8: Competence & Innovation - Part 2

In which Aldo and Horia explain:

  • What we found as we navigated the tension between keeping things steady and inviting exploration - primarily form the perspective of the people involved in the work that creates value
  • How this contributes to balancing the maintenance of competent capability with exploration and innovation

We are:

  • Aldo Rall https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldorall/
  • Horia Slușanschi https://www.linkedin.com/in/slusanschi/
  • Gareth Holebrook https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethholebrook/

Find us at https://novavi.co/the-focus-podcast/

Jun 26, 202201:09:16
The Focus Episode #7: Competence & Innovation - Part 1

The Focus Episode #7: Competence & Innovation - Part 1

In which Aldo and Horia explain:

  • What we found as we navigated the tension between preserving the status quo and creating a better way of working  - primarily form the perspective of the people involved in oversight activities
  • How this contributes to balancing the maintenance of competent capability with exploration and innovation

We are:

  • Aldo Rall https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldorall/
  • Horia Slușanschi https://www.linkedin.com/in/slusanschi/
  • Gareth Holebrook https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethholebrook/

Find us at https://novavi.co

Jun 25, 202259:50
The Focus Episode #6: Optimise Utilisation & Optimise Flow

The Focus Episode #6: Optimise Utilisation & Optimise Flow

In which Aldo and Horia explain:

  • What we found as we navigated the tension between optimising utilisation and optimising flow in an attempt to sustain a dynamic balance

We are:

  • Aldo Rall https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldorall/
  • Horia Slușanschi https://www.linkedin.com/in/slusanschi/
  • Gareth Holebrook https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethholebrook/

Find us at https://novavi.co

Jun 17, 202201:11:41
The Focus Podcast #5: Personal Interest & Organisational Purpose

The Focus Podcast #5: Personal Interest & Organisational Purpose

In which Aldo and Horia explain:

  • What we found as we navigated the tension between personal interest and organisational purpose in an attempt to sustain a dynamic balance

We are:

  • Aldo Rall https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldorall/
  • Horia Slușanschi https://www.linkedin.com/in/slusanschi/
  • Gareth Holebrook https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethholebrook/

Find us at https://novavi.co

Jun 15, 202252:19
The Focus Podcast #4: Iron & Agile Triangles
Jun 12, 202201:14:09
The Focus Podcast #3: Control & Trust
Jun 12, 202248:11
The Focus Podcast #2: Overview of Adaptive Oversight
Jun 12, 202201:05:45
The Focus Podcast #1: Our intention with The Focus
Jun 03, 202248:21