I'm back from quite a hiaitus while I wrote my book.

Now that's done, I'm pumped to preview what's on the way for the podcast in this short bonus episode.

Thanks to Bensound for our jaunty intro and exit music, and to Fina Charleson for her production support.

In this episode I talk to Daniel Murphy (no, not the alcohol bloke!), owner of the very successful and growing Movement Therapy group.

In a strange twist, I used to manage music festivals, and Dan is definitely a connoisseur. We use music festivals as a case study in the different between "operational excellence" and creating customer magic. We walk through:

• Unnecessary organisational (and literal) "fences"
• The gap that can often exist between "well run", efficient, and "good" customer experience
• How to get your team to reach for magic

Thanks to Bensound for our jaunty intro and exit music, and to Fina Charleson for her production support.

Saffron Meade, founder of branding agency Saffron & Co. Creative, joins me to talk about her colourful ride experiencing "bosses", and then becoming "boss" herself.

We unpick some lessons along the way including:

• How overwork cultures are often linked to fear
• How important getting "stability" right is for the experience of your workers, including:
  • the emotional stability and predictability of leaders
  • the basics, including pay and legal compliance
• How we use "stories" to approach conflict through a organisational "we", rather than right/wrong perspectives that is "owned" by you
• Understanding the drives and motivations of your people, so that you can create an environment that meets their needs
• Getting around respect and "family" first, so that work is part of your worker's wider flourishing
• Not wanting minions: "What's the point of having a team if they can't contribute properly?"
• The link between employee voice and business stagnation

Thanks to Bensound for our jaunty intro and exit music, and to Fina Charleson for her production support.