intheOffice Cast

In this episode of intheOffice Cast, John Kent intheOffice's founder interviews Hana Gray, the founder and CEO of The Office Management Group. Hana shares her journey from being a branch secretary to establishing a consultancy and training business that supports and empowers office managers globally. Hana discusses the misconceptions surrounding the office management role, emphasising that it is often undervalued and misunderstood. She explains that office managers handle a wide range of responsibilities, including facilities management, event management, culture, wellbeing, health and safety, reception, and remote working policies. This broad scope makes it challenging to educate others about the role's importance and complexity. Hana also talks about the growth of her business, which started in July 2016. The Office Management Group offers various services, including a membership platform, events, an exhibition, awards, a podcast, group training courses, and one-to-one B2B consultancy. She highlights the importance of having an office manager in every office, especially as businesses grow and expand. Throughout the episode, Hana shares anecdotes and insights from her career, including the challenges she faced and the support she received from her network. She emphasises the need for proper training and support for office managers, as well as the importance of recognising their contributions to the workplace. The episode concludes with Hana reflecting on her journey and the mission of her business: to ensure that office managers are valued, supported, and empowered to excel in their roles. Key points 10 key takeaways from this episode: Hana Gray's Journey: Hana Gray, the founder and CEO of the Office Management Group, started her career as a branch secretary and eventually established a consultancy and training business to support office managers globally.Misconceptions about Office Management: Office management roles are often undervalued and misunderstood, with many people not realising the broad scope of responsibilities that office managers handle.Broad Scope of Responsibilities: Office managers are responsible for facilities management, event management, culture, wellbeing, health and safety, reception, and remote working policies, among other tasks.Growth of the Office Management Group: The Office Management Group offers a membership platform, events, an exhibition, awards, a podcast, group training courses, and one-to-one B2B consultancy.Importance of Office Managers: Having an office manager in every office is crucial, especially as businesses grow and expand.Challenges Faced by Office Managers: Office managers often face challenges due to the broad and varied nature of their roles, making it difficult to educate others about their importance.Support and Training: Proper training and support for office managers are essential to ensure they can excel in their roles.Hana's Career Progression: Hana's career progression included roles at JP Morgan, RBS, and City Index, where she realised the lack of support and training for office managers.Establishing the Business: Hana established the Office Management Group to address the gaps she observed in the industry and to ensure office managers receive the support they need.Community and Networking: The Office Management Group has created a community for office managers to connect, share experiences, and support each other.Hana Gray - biography: Hana Gray is a dynamic leader and the founder of The Office Management Group, a consultancy dedicated to supporting office and administrative professionals globally. Her journey began with a strong belief in the vital role that office personnel play in the success of any business. This belief has driven her to create a platform that not only provides resources and training but also celebrates the contributions of these professionals. Before founding The Office Management Group, Hana gained extensive experience in office management and administration, which equipped her with the insights needed to address the challenges faced by office professionals. Her work is characterised by a commitment to empowering these individuals through education, recognition, and community-building initiatives.

Welcome to season two of intheOffice Cast. In the first podcast of season 2, episode 1 features a conversation between Jon Kent and Andy Long, an ex-England rugby player and performance coach. Listen as he shares insights from his career in professional sports and his transition to coaching in business. One of Andy’s key strategies around mindset is the concept of ‘red to blue’, a framework to help teams and individuals create more predictable performance and outcomes, aimed at reducing and controlling the negative emotions in high performance situations. Key Points: Performance Management: Andy discusses the importance of performance management in both sports and business, emphasising the need for cohesive teamwork in hybrid working environments.Background and Career: Andy shares his journey from being a professional rugby player to becoming a performance coach, highlighting his experiences and the lessons learned along the way.Coaching Philosophy: Andy explains his coaching philosophy, which focuses on helping individuals and teams perform at their best by managing pressure and maintaining a positive mindset.Red to Blue Head Concept: The podcast delves into the "Red to Blue" head concept, a tool used to manage mindset and attention under pressure, which is applicable in both sports and business.Impact of Pressure: Andy discusses the impact of pressure on performance and the importance of being prepared for it, whether in sports competitions or business challenges.Key Takeaways: Mindset Management: The "Red to Blue" head concept is a valuable tool for managing mindset and attention under pressure, helping individuals perform better in high-stress situations.Adaptability and Resilience: Andy's journey from professional sports to business coaching underscores the importance of adaptability and resilience in achieving high performance and overcoming challenges.Andy Long Biography: Andy Long has had an impressive and diverse career, transitioning from professional sports to business coaching. From Rugby to Business Coaching Andy Long began his professional rugby career in 1996, joining Bath Rugby as part of the first crop of academy professional rugby players. His career in rugby spanned 16-years, during which he experienced many highs and lows. Notably, he was capped for England in 1997 as a 20-year-old, making him the youngest post-war player in his position to achieve this. He also played for Bath Rugby and was part of the squad that won the Heineken Cup in 19983/4. Unfortunately, his rugby career was cut short in 2012 due to a neck injury. Transition to Coaching After retiring from rugby, Andy transitioned into coaching. He started coaching Bishop Stortford Rugby Club and also began working as a performance coach. Coaching had always been a passion for Andy, and he had been involved in coaching young players even during his rugby career. His coaching philosophy focuses on helping individuals and teams perform at their best by managing pressure and maintaining a positive mindset. Business Coaching and Impact-2 Andy eventually moved into business coaching, leveraging his experience in sports to help individuals and teams in the corporate world. He worked with various technology companies, including Visa and IBM, and learned a great deal about project teams and the corporate environment10. In 2015 he founded his own business, Impact-2, which focuses on helping people perform at their best and feel at their best. Through Impact-2, Andy works with individuals, teams, and organisations across different industries, providing one-to-one coaching, team coaching, and helping to embed positive culture within organisations. Key Concepts and Philosophy One of the key concepts Andy uses in his coaching is the "Red to Blue" head concept, which helps individuals manage their mindset and attention under pressure. This concept is applicable in both sports and business and is part of Andy's broader coaching philosophy that emphasises the importance of mindset, structure and skillset in achieving high performance. Andy Long's journey from professional rugby to business coaching underscores the importance of adaptability and resilience in achieving high performance and overcoming challenges. His diverse experiences and insights make him a valuable coach and mentor in both sports and business contexts. Website: https://impact2.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-long-17369052/

Welcome to part two of Adam Scorey’s interview with Dr. Jeff Standridge, an innovation consultant, investor, entrepreneur, author and educator from Arkansas, USA. Jeff and Adam discuss Dr. Standridge's experience in helping organisations transform their culture, processes and products through innovation, as well as his insights on leadership, finance and mentorship for startups and entrepreneurs. "Don't fall in love with the solution, fall in love with the problem you're trying to solve." Jeff Standridge Jeff also shares some personal stories and anecdotes from his career, such as how he started his career as a respiratory therapist to becoming a global executive, how he learned to balance results and relationships, and how he became a mentor himself for many aspiring innovators. The episode is full of valuable tips and advice for anyone who is interested in building a product, starting a company or leading a team in a changing and competitive environment. Jon & Adam's thoughts As with Part 1, Jon and Adam follow up the recording with some thoughts and insights of their own. 10 takeaways from the podcast: Innovation is planned change directed at more pleasant, efficient, or effective ways of doing things or doing things that substantially reduce the transaction cost of doing business.Innovation consultants help organisations make their organisations better using the process of innovation or to create new products and services.Change is central to innovation, but it can be difficult to do and takes a long time.Coaching people through change can involve both people change and process change.Don't fall in love with the solution, fall in love with the problem you're trying to solve.Learn how to manage your own personal finances first so that you can then learn how to manage your business finances.Get good at knowing what you don't know and finding and utilising mentors to help you fill the gaps.Being intentional about what you do is more important than what you're actually intentional atIt's important to have consistency in going to bed and getting up. Everyone has a responsibility of owning their tendencies in results and relationships, discovering them, and then creating mechanisms around themselves to help them maintain that balance. Jeff's best selling books: Creating Startup Junkies Top Performers Field Guide Reach Out to Jeff LinkedIn

Special Guest: Paul Coates, FranklinCovey In the second of our podcasts with special guests, in this we interview Paul Coates, Head of Consultancy with one of the top leadership development and behaviour change companies in the world, FranklinCovey. You will have heard of the founding and best-selling business book that started it all 30-odd years ago: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Paul runs the consultancy team and is a leader at FranklinCovey, a global consultancy firm that focuses on leadership development, individual development, cultural inclusivity development and strategy execution. The podcast discusses the importance of behaviour change and mindset in leadership, the challenges and opportunities of hybrid working, and the need for leaders to be intentional in creating a sense of belonging, strengthening communication and balancing accountability with flexibility. What will you learn? Definition and characteristics of a good leader: A good leader is someone who delivers results, takes effective actions, has a mindset of stewardship and trust, and leaves leaders behind. A good leader also chooses to be a leader and does not use the word "should" in their vocabulary. A good leader also knows what they don't know and hires people who can complement their strengths and weaknesses The importance of behaviour change and mindset in leadership: Behaviour change and mindset are interrelated, as mindset drives behaviour, behaviour drives results and results reinforce mindset. Behaviour change is not achieved by reading a book, but by reflecting, absorbing, practicing and applying the content. Behaviour change also requires a shift in mindset from being efficient to being effective, from being a manager to being a leader, and from being self-centered to being others-centered The challenges and opportunities of hybrid working: Hybrid working is a reality that is here to stay, and it poses both challenges and opportunities for leaders and organisations. Some of the challenges are maintaining trust, communication, culture and productivity in a dispersed and diverse workforce. Some of the opportunities are increasing flexibility, autonomy, engagement and innovation. Hybrid working also requires leaders to rethink the purpose and function of the office, and to balance accountability with flexibility Ten Takeaways from Paul Coates: Trust is a leadership skill that can be learned and is an economic driver that affects speed and cost in an organisationBehaviour change is not achieved by reading a book, but by reflecting, absorbing, practicing and applying the contentHybrid working poses both challenges and opportunities for leaders and organisations, and requires leaders to rethink the purpose and function of the officeA good leader delivers results, takes effective actions, has a mindset of stewardship and trust and leaves leaders behindMindset drives behaviour, behaviour drives results and results reinforce mindsetHybrid working is here to stay, and most people want a hybrid model, but there are concerns about its impact on cultureLeadership is a skill that can be learned, and everyone can choose to be a leaderTo maintain a consistent company culture in a hybrid setting, leaders need to be intentional about creating a sense of belonging, strengthening communication and balancing accountability with flexibilityWith people, slow is fast and fast is slow, meaning that behaviour change takes time and cannot be achieved by flicking a switchFranklinCovey is hosting live events focusing on growing managers to be able to deal with the hybrid workplace, covering topics such as adaptability, leading hybrid teams and navigating difficult conversationsFranklinCovey Live Events: FranklinCovey run regular live events using Paul's team, one off the latest being 'Build The Middle'. You can find out more here: FC EVENTS

Special Guest: Dr Jeff Standridge In our latest interview, we had the pleasure of sitting down with an extraordinary individual who wears so many hats. As a growth strategist, Dr Jeff Standridge has helped businesses thrive in competitive markets, uncovering hidden opportunities and charting new paths to success. In his  role as an innovation consultant has sparked groundbreaking ideas, revolutionising industries and challenging the status quo.  But that’s not all! As a best-selling author, Jeff has penned insightful books that dissect business trends, leadership and the art of navigating change. His passion for guiding the next generation of entrepreneurs shines through as an educator, empowering future leaders with practical knowledge and critical thinking skills.  And let’s not forget their financial acumen! As an investor, Jeff makes strategic bets on startups and disruptive ventures, turning risks into rewarding opportunities. Lastly, he somehow finds free time for a private passion, flying. Jeff is also a pilot.   There is simply so much covered, we had to turn this interview into two parts.  In part one we look at: Hybrid workingPerformance managementInvesting and supporting start-upsLeadershipMuch more... Extra Comment As Jon was away in South Africa with the GB Long Range Rifle Team, he wasn't available to be on the recording. Instead, Jon joins afterwards and shares his reflections on Jeff's interview with insightful and thought-provoking comments. Stay tuned for our exclusive interview, where we delve into their journey, wisdom and the secrets behind Jeff's multifaceted success. Jon and Adam   Jeff's best selling books: Creating Startup Junkies Top Performers Field Guide Reach Out to Jeff LinkedIn

In Episode 7 of intheOffice Cast, Jon is a special guest on The Homeworker podcast with its founder, Louise. Between them, they talk about the definition, challenges and benefits of hybrid working, discussing how hybrid working can improve productivity, creativity and well-being. In addition, how it poses some difficulties in terms of communication, coordination and trust - for individuals and for professionals like office managers and HR teams. This podcast also examines the role and design of the office in a hybrid world, suggesting that the office should be flexible, attractive and supportive of different types of work and people.  The Homeworker The first magazine dedicated to helping you thrive when you work from home. The Homeworker was founded to inspire you to make positive changes that will help you achieve a happier, healthier, more fulfilling work life. Louise, its founder, has created a print magazine and a digital platform catering to the modern homeworker: freelancers, business owners, remote and hybrid workers.

In Episode 6, Jon and Adam turn the tables on each other to find out a little more about how each of them thinks about business and personal subjects - enabling you to get to know each of them a little better. These two entrepreneurs talk a little about the story of how they met, a little back story on their careers to date, imposter syndrome, having fun as they work as a pair of nerds, Jon debugging and Adam working on telling stories. They also talk AI and the future and even share a few secrets about their personal lives. Take a short while out of your day, while at the gym or walking the dog to see the brains and creativity of the senior leadership team at intheOffice.

After reading recent comments from leading blue chip CEOs about remote working and hybrid working not being "fair" or worse "a fantasy", Jon and Adam look deeper into these headlines to understand what is really being said. What do these CEOs really mean and are we only getting part of the story? If these interpretations or reports are accurate and these business leaders are in fact denouncing hybrid working, are they making a more general statement or are they simply arguing the case for the corporations they lead. So, in fact, protecting the organisations they are responsible and accountable to and for.  We hope you enjoy episode 5. Please like and subscribe to get more content. Jon & Adam

A mass return to the office is being hailed as the proverbial glue that holds a business culture together. Jon and Adam totally disagree and site this is a paradigm born from fear and the desire to control, partially due to the prevailing financial climate. Of course, there could be more insidious reasons, as we wrote about in our recent blog: Fear and Loathing in Las Boardroom - https://www.intheoffice.io/articles-news/fear-and-loathing-in-las-boardroom But Jon and Adam believe business culture, like faith, can be nurtured anywhere as it stems from the Mission, Vision and Values of a business. A culture lives and grows inside everyone and can be organically grown and multiplied. But it needs strong leadership and investment, at all levels, holding to those values. Though a place is important for people to evolve elements of a culture, and can be a 'spiritual home' and used for necessary practical purposes, if emanating from the vision and mission that culture can be spread far and wide - many remote-only organisations thrive post pandemic. The key is creating a safe environment for the culture to grow from led and enabled from the top. Enjoy the full video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@intheoffice

With desk-booking software the go-to solution for managing hot desks and office spaces for hybrid and remote workers, Jon and Adam question whether it takes into account the need of the individual as well as the CEO, Manager or HR professional it was designed for. You may know who is in the office, but what about those working from home or the remote sales team? In short, is it a fix to the right problem? Jon and Adam believe that a more people-focused approach that understands the challenges at a deeper level, across stakeholders and users, enables evolving hybrid working policies more inclusive and ultimately more effective. A solution that is intuitive, meets people where they are at and can easily be led by senior staff as a cultural necessity. And the key is buy-in from the bosses and continuity of message and usage. This all sounds easy, but any leader will know that people generally resist change - for changes sake - and slow is fast is a good mantra. Watch the full video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@intheoffice

In this episode Jon and Adam discuss the potential of changing our paradigms around how we, and those professionals managing hot desks and office spaces for us, approach offices spaces. With offices being put back on pedestal by CEOs from some leading organisations, many siting offices needing to be protected as they are the cultural epicentres of a business, and the sole place that true work gets done. We disagree and believe there is a better way... With over 15 years in product development, Jon Kent shares how looking at the office this way can change the mindset of hybrid and remote working, completely re-imagining how office spaces could serve people and businesses better. This in turn would make office managers and facilities managers more product managers, if only in approach. With a new paradigm around the office as a tool, this could be enough to meet and dispel the fear around productivity, business culture and flexible working many leaders are displaying. See the full video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@intheoffice

In this, our first new Podcast episode, Jon Kent and Adam Scorey talk about starting up a software business in a post-pandemic world after looking for a solution to a problem awe are still facing - making hybrid and remote working about people and not offices. Our software/app, intheoffice, was developed as a better way for desk booking, hot-desking and generally managing office spaces to able CEOs, HR and IT professionals and Facilities Managers to think about the office as a product, a tool to do a job - or many jobs - with the crucial ingredient being people come first. The end in mind: make hybrid working simple and data driven. With CEOs and some business leaders calling for returns to the office, post pandemic promises have been u-turned and some businesses are struggling to make hybrid and remote working seem productive. In this Podcast, Jon and Adam talk about why starting a software business creating a solution that fix the challenges people face first, an app that encompasses more than the office as place to be productive, all while create data for those who care about the office can make decisions based in data and not fear. Check out our full video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@intheoffice