Samatha (Sam) Emery is a formidable change agent - a genuine "force of nature" within the financial services industry in the UK and beyond. Having held prominent positions at RBS, the FCA, Lloyds Banking Group and Swift, she is a frequent speaker at many of the financial services events I attend, and from the very first time I saw Sam on stage, I've wanted to get her on this podcast.

I knew that in order for her to achieve what she has done so far, she would have have faced what most people would consider insurmountable barriers and obstacles - just have a listen to the first 5 minutes of this show to see why I say that!

In the true spirit of the show, Sam not only shared the Monsters and Myths (the barriers and obstacles) that she has encountered on her innovation, change and transformation journey to date, but also the Mayhem (the impact) these cause in organisations and the Magic (the solution / approach) that she has successfully applied to conquer them.

We discussed:

• The Comfort Cocoon - that lulls people and organisations into complacency and inhibits change and transformation
• The Fragmented Labyrinth - of the financial services landscape
• The Meritocracy Mirage - the myth that hard work will get you ahead (acutely experienced by underrepresented minority groups)

You can follow Sam's journey on LinkedIn here and don't pass on an opportunity to see her on stage - you won't regret it!

Click here to find out more!

Go back to the podcast playlist

The post Banking Monsters and Myths with Samantha Emery appeared first on Andrew Vorster.

How do you cross the yawning chasm of lack of context in today's remote-first, distributed working environment? If you're in a management position, you might not even be aware of it or even worse, you might be dealing with it in a way that alienates your employees!

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Leda's weekly articles tagged as #ledawrites on LinkedIn. It doesn't matter what industry you work in, her stories resonate with everyone who has ever worked or still works in a corporate environment. As a result, her writing is also a huge source of material for this show as she shines a light on the biggest barriers and obstacles that get in the way of getting things done - precisely what this show is all about!

And so it was that an article about shoes sparked a conversation about how the concept of an "owner's manual" inspired by CPO Supremo Arthur Leung might go a long way in helping to cross The Context Chasm.

Click here to find out more!

Go back to the podcast playlist

The post The Context Chasm in today’s remote first working world – with Leda Glyptis appeared first on Andrew Vorster.

This episode of the show saw a departure from the the usual format, but I should have expected nothing less from the CEO and Founder of a company called Unconventional Ventures.

Theo is saddened, angry and frustrated by the very real Monsters she has encountered as a woman in the workplace over the last three decades.

Sadly the solutions put forward so far have all been Myths - there has been no Magic to dispel them.

Awareness has increased.

But behaviour has not changed much.

The stories she shares will make you feel uncomfortable at best.

At worst, they will be relatable.

This is a deeply personal account that is difficult to summarise in the way that I normally do, but this is the essence of this show - to expose the biggest barriers and obstacles that get in the way of getting things done.

And these do:-

1. The Predator
2. The Policy Myth
3. The Wrong Incentives

These are not up for debate. Their existence cannot be denied. This is her lived experience.

It's up to us. All of us to conjure the "magic" required to banish these from the workplace, and society at large, in order to leave the world a better place than we found it.

** Read the blog post by Leda Glyptis that gives me a glimmer of hope for the future

And to hear more from Theo, you can find her One Vision Podcast here.

Click here to find out more!

Go back to the podcast playlist

The post Theo Lau on Monsters and Myths faced by Women in the Workplace appeared first on Andrew Vorster.