A Job Done Well

Good/bad, happy/sad, success/failure—we are conditioned to fear failure, but it's essential for learning, growth, and innovation. This week, we review the research into failure and share our experiences and perspectives. Listen to help you understand and develop a positive relationship with one of life's most prevalent natural resources.If that's not enough, we also share some TV recommendations. Though we recorded this before Rivals came out; otherwise, it would have made Jimmy's list!To find out more, contact Jimmy or James.

This week, Amanda Gilbert joins us to share insights into how you can build people's capability - yours, your teams, or your organisation. Avoid some common pitfalls and follow critical steps to improve capability and results.This podcast follows the recent episode where James shared a magic bullet for improving performance: building your systems' capability. People are critical to any system, so check out Amanda's advice.We also discuss the challenges of buying and maintaining cars, and James improves his productivity by listening to podcasts on double speed—perfect if you're a fan of the Smurfs!To find out more, contact Jimmy, James or Amanda.

This week, we discuss the often shortsighted cost-cutting measures companies adopt to hit their targets and the flawed logic behind these strategies. What might appear to be an immediate saving usually leads to more significant issues down the line. Instead of superficial cuts, we will explain the catch-all strategy to fix all your operational and financial woes.Are we snake-oil salesmen, or do we know the solution? Listen in and decide for yourself.To find out more, contact James, Jimmy.

A second episode, in which Rob Wilson (Co-Founder of Service Economics) shares his insights into Systems Thinking – an approach that can help transform how businesses work. We discuss how you can change the way you think about your system (or organisation) to improve customer and staff outcomes. Rob's advice is easy to understand and pragmatic, and it's immediately apparent how it will radically improve performance. Plus, you don't need to wait for the next Apple Event (pun intended) to find out what the must-have gadget is this Autumn, as James shares his latest acquisition!To find out more, contact James, Jimmy or Rob.Or have a look at Service Economics (service-economics.com)

This week, we are lucky to have Rob Wilson, Co-Founder of Service Economics, as a special guest. Rob has 20+ years of experience leading and transforming service operations across various sectors and is an expert in Systems Thinking. This approach can help transform how you think about doing your job, and it has some stunning results. However, it has been surrounded by mystique and cynicism, as highlighted by the first rule of Systems Thinking – never talk about Systems Thinking! Rob breaks this 'rule' and shows us behind the curtain to understand more about this method and some of the challenges it can help us solve.You'll also get insights from James on Nottingham's roundabouts, and Jimmy recommends the Art of Football for all of your football attire needs (and to get excellent customer service).To find out more, contact James, Jimmy or Rob. Or have a look at Service Economics (service-economics.com)

In last week's episode, we discussed the issues highlighted in Lord Darzi's report on the current state of the NHS and concluded that many are common to other organisations and teams. This week, we share some of the solutions we've found that can help overcome these challenges, from breaking a backlog to finding the best opportunities for improvement. We also discuss how Jimmy regresses to childhood to stay mentally fit whilst James opts to do what he's told to stay healthy!To find out more, please get in touch with James or Jimmy.

This week, we discuss Lord Darzi's report about the state of the NHS. The NHS is a crucial part of our lives, both in moments of joy and crisis, and it's widely recognised that it faces significant organisational challenges. But are these challenges unique? We delve into similar problems in other organisations, from perpetual restructuring and backlog management to ignoring customer feedback.  Additionally, James recounts his experience trading the sophisticated company at the Southwell Ploughing Festival for the thrills of the waltzer at Nottingham's Goose Fair.  Next week, we'll focus on some of the solutions that have addressed similar challenges elsewhere.  To find out more, please contact James or Jimmy.

Do you resent those who can 'manage upwards’, or do you simply envy them or feel uncomfortable doing it yourself?  In this episode, we discuss the power and value of sensibly managing senior members of your organisation. This skill can aid in career management, ensure tasks are completed well, and allow you to sleep peacefully at night without feeling like a sell-out or sycophant. We offer perspectives on its benefits and share various thoughts and methods for achieving the best possible outcomes for everyone involved. We also discuss the merits of O Beach in Ibiza, the NHS and the risks when forwarding emails... If you or your team want to enhance your or your team's ability to network effectively and manage upwards, please contact James or Jimmy.

Episode 4 Following the episode on mood (season 2, episode 2), Rachael Edmondson-Clarke returns to delve into the interconnected topic of emotion. While mood is an internal state, emotions are our responses to external stimuli. They can surprise us and disrupt both performance and relationships.Rachael helps us understand why emotions affect us and how we can manage, select, and alter our natural reactions. We contribute with perspectives on DIY, football, golf, and road rage, but fortunately, Rachael offers more intriguing insights that will help you enhance your performance and enjoyment at work.To find out more, contact Rachael, Jimmy or James

Episode 3 This week's discussion centres on the future of 'operations' within the U.K., where over 80% of us work in service industries. We delve into potential future scenarios and the historical undervaluing of 'operations'. We also examine the trends that are likely to influence this sector.  We ask if A.I. will replace all our jobs and wonder why technological trends don't deliver as promised.Although the world and work will change, the fundamental challenges will persist—achieving cheaper, better, and faster outcomes. The conversation turns to practical operational thinking and the importance of enhancing operational capabilities for individuals, teams, and organisations to remain relevant, capitalise on trends, and achieve continuous performance improvement.To find out more, contact jimmy@ajobdonewell.com or james@ajobdonewell.com.

Episode 2 This week, we are joined by Rachael Edmondson-Clarke, an expert in Leadership Psychology and Biology. Rachael shares some fascinating insights on mood and how it can impact performance.  Listen in to understand what mood means, how it affects you, and how you can manage yourself to deliver peak performance.  Plus, you can learn which of us is the moodiest. Rachael is well worth listening to as a speaker and authority on behavioural change. She will help you become 10% better at work!  To find out more, contact Jimmy, James or Rachael.

Season 2 will be full of insights to make you 10% better at work. Episode 1 - In today's kick-off episode  of  'A Job Done Well,' James, Jimmy, and guest Amanda explore the distinction and overlap between management and leadership.We discuss how the business pendulum has swung toward leaders and leadership training and away from management. Has leadership become an overplayed idea? Would your business benefit from good management?Listen as we delve into the role of leadership in motivating staff and setting direction. Is it a critical skill or just H.R. baloney? Should you focus on managing your systems or leading your staff? Spoiler Alert - you should do both and it's not just a case of semantics!Plus, you can find out what we did last summer....To find out more, contact us at jimmy@ajobdonewell.com or james@ajobdonewell.com.

Episode 35 - Join us for highlights from our inaugural season as we aim to enhance work performance and enjoyment. We'll revisit some standout moments and reflect on what we learned. Plus, don't miss an outtake disguised as a 'Director's Cut', which reveals how our performances can spiral into chaos yet emerge sounding almost professional post-editing.  Listen in as James recounts tales of his worst boss and his penchant for Deming quotes. Try to guess who is going on holiday to Ayia Nappa and Ibiza and who will live the middle-class dream and head to the South of France in a Volvo.  We're also excited to preview the intriguing topics we'll explore in Season 2, starting in September... stay tuned!  If you have feedback on Season 1, please share it with us. If you found it enjoyable, pass it along to friends and colleagues. And if there are topics you'd like us to delve into, drop us a line at Jimmy@ajobdonewell.com or James@ajobdonewell.com.

Episode 34: This week, as part of our Leadership Series, we explore Transformational Leadership – A leadership style for today's environment, where change is the only constant (if you believe the hype). Amanda shares a model to help define and understand the characteristics of a Transformational Leader, and we all bring this leadership style to life with our experiences... as ever, good and bad.  We wanted to unlock the secrets of 'Inspirational Leadership'; however, we realised that this is an outcome, not a style... so Amanda introduced us to a great substitute that could help you 'inspire' your teams to 'transform' their results.  Don't forget this is the penultimate episode of the podcast (we'll be taking a short break over the summer), so don't miss next week's episode, where we will share some of the highs and lows from season one along with some of the best insights/learnings we've had and a small selection (there have been loads) of outtakes.  Here's some further reading on Transformational Leadership... www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-transformational-leadership.htmlwww.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/online-learning/insights/how-to-become-a-transformational-leaderwww.profolus.comhttps://leaders.com/articles/leadership/transformational-leadership

Episode 33: We continue our series of episodes focused on answering the critical question –What Is the State of Customer Experience Today? As 81% of the UK's economic output comes from the service industry, understanding how to improve customer experience has never been more important.  We will be asking guests for their perspectives on the following questions:  What's the state of customer experience? Why do you think that? Who provides a good customer experience? How would you improve the customers' experience?We are lucky to have insights on these questions from Sean Keane who has led, grown and sold CX technology and consulting businesses, and has a strong background in Op Model design, technology and process. He’s led complex programmes and teams for companies like Davies Group, Ember and Capgemini on behalf of brands like RSA, Tesco, BUPA, The British Council, Thames Water, Disney Channel and HMRC. With all of that experience he's definitely worth listening to!Sean has recently set up a consultancy to help organisations lower costs via smart service design. Follow this link for more informationService Economics (service-economics.com)

We All Need to Understand the DataWelcome to Unlocking the Power of Analysis, where we explore data’s transformative potential for improving work performance. You only have an opinion without data and analysis, so analysis is critical to the workplace.In this episode, James dredges through his 20+ years of being called an ‘analyst’ to help practitioners fine-tune their skills, whilst Jimmy discusses how front-line managers, executives and board members can sharpen their skills to get the most out of data.We discuss everything from how analysis stopped a cholera outbreak in 19th-century London to the way the “Head of Colouring In” produces informative reports.Data analysis can benefit you, and you might even enjoy it. To find out more, contact us at jimmy@jobdonewell.com or james@jobdonewell.com.Recommended Reading:The Tiger That Isn't: Seeing Through a World of Numbers – Andrew Dilnot and Michael Blastland

Today, we have a special guest, Alex Alexander, to discuss Gen AI. Alex runs a tech start-up, Xoots and has a glittering career in technology across Europe, working for brands including Emirates and Net A Porter. He's advised companies and governments on all things AI and we are lucky to have him join us to explore this hot topic.  He will help educate you on what Gen AI is and how it works, explore some of its uses and potential, and finally, Alex will share his insights on how you can get started and exploit the power of Gen AI.  If you've wondered what it is or how to start on the journey, you mustn't miss the opportunity to hear from a genuine AI Guru!  If you would like to know more about Gen AI or get help from Alex, you can get in touch via his company, Xoots or by Linkedin .  XOOTS – Your digital transformation co-pilot Alex Alexander | LinkedIn

Episode 30 - This week, we continue to explore the UK Customer Experience. The country's service economy employs 80% of the workforce, so understanding and enhancing customer experience is crucial.  We conduct a 'shallow dive' (or maybe a snorkel) into Virgin Media, examining its history and origins, as well as customer feedback on their experiences. What lessons can we draw from such a giant corporation?  Expect the usual mix of anecdotes, statistics, and insights to provide some food for thought and ideas to ensure you're delivering the best customer service!  Learn the importance of thinking about design from a customer's perspective (obvious but rarely done well) and how policies are not the same as performance when looking after vulnerable customers. We also discuss how much your reputation is worth.  Also, Jimmy is relaxing a bit now. Nottingham Forest has another season in the Premier League, and James is celebrating finishing his audiobook. It's well worth a listen, or so he tells us.

Episode 29: Insights from Hugh AlleyIf you have worked in a large organisation, you will have seen continuous improvement initiatives come and go with alarming regularity. Everybody knows continuous improvement is a good idea, yet few organizations can pull it off.This week, we talked with Hugh Alley about why these initiatives fail and what organisations need to do differently to see them succeed. James tells his worst joke (to date), and we discover why most managers cause continuous improvement initiatives to fail.To find out more: Web Sites: Mike Rother’s Kata Website - Free resources and background to help you get started.Kata School UK – LinkedIn – Gemma Jones and Ann Hill. Interesting research and excellent practice in the UK and worldwide.  Kata School Cascadia - The most active kata school in the world right now, based in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Books: Bringing Scientific Thinking to Life – Sylvain Landry – an excellent introduction to the thinking process of Toyota Kata and why it is useful - Start here.The Toyota Kata Practice Guide – Mike Rother – the definitive “how to” guide is the essential reference on the process of doing Toyota KataGiving Wings to Her Team – Tilo Schwarz and Jeff Liker – a novel describing how one young manager learns to do Toyota Kata and saves her plant from being closed. It’s a long book but an engaging read, so worth it.Toyota Kata Memory Jogger – Jean-Marc Legentil, Marc-Olivier Legentil, Tilo Schwarz – this practical pocket guide breaks down all the steps in great detail. Toyota Kata Culture – Mike Rother, Gerd Aulinger – a great guide to how the Toyota Kata can be used up and down an organization, showing how corporate strategy can be driven down to the production floor while still leaving lots of room for creative problem-solving and difficult challengesAnd, of course, you can always contact us at jimmy@ajobdonewell.com and james@ajobdonewell.com

Episode 28 - Being made redundant is a possibility that we all may face. It's one of the most challenging experiences in our working lives. In our discussions, we share insights and personal experiences about the highs and lows encountered, how we've coped, and strategies that have enabled us to survive and prosper after redundancy.The taboos linked with redundancy and the feelings this generates are still not discussed openly enough. By examining this, we hope some of our experiences will either resonate with you or help you prepare for when the experience happens to you.Useful resources includeAcas—Acas gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules, and best practices. It also offers training and helps to resolve disputes.Mind— Free mental health support for adults in England and the Channel Islands.Mental health - NHS—Information and support for your mental health.Samaritans—Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.