Truth, Lies and Work

Episodes

• 315. How to Handle Crisis in the Workplace, with Andrew Blotky, Facebook's first Director of Global Internal Communications 02.07.2026 50m

  Welcome to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. How do you steady your team and maintain trust when everything around you is chaotic? This week, we are joined by Andrew Blotky, an executive coach, author, and the founder of Azure Leadership Group. Andrew has managed internal communications at global scales, building Facebook’s first global employee communications function during a period of intense growth and scrutiny, and leading HR communications at Johnson & Johnson. In this episode, Andrew shares practical wisdom on leading with integrity through periods of change, crisis, and uncertainty. Moving past standard PR templates, he dives deep into the human side of leadership, discussing how authenticity, self-reflection, and mindfulness can help you stay grounded when you are under fire. 💡 Key Takeaways From This Episode The First 24 Hours: Why speaking early—even without all the answers—is critical to preventing people from creating their own negative narratives. Honesty vs. Oversharing: Navigating the boundaries of what you can say, what you can't, and how to admit uncertainty without losing your credibility. The Power of Pre-Work: Why the best crisis management happens long before the crisis hits by grounding your organisation in true core values. Compassion in Commercial Decisions: Dealing with the fallout of modern workplace challenges, like mass layoffs and the anxiety surrounding generative AI. Level 2 Listening: How to move out of a reactive "fight-or-flight" state and practice deep, curious listening to understand what your team truly needs. 👤 About the Guest Guest Name: Andrew Blotky Job Title: Executive Coach, Founder/CEO Organisation: Azure Leadership Group Website: https://www.azureleadership.com LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewblotky/ Instagram: @blotblot Andrew’s Book: Honestly Speaking: How the Way We Communicate Transforms Leadership, Love, and Life Get the book here: https://www.azureleadership.com/honestlyspeaking 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
• 314. Why do we all love an underdog? PLUS! Responsible A.I., Ford's human rehiring spree AND the psychology of disagreements. 30.06.2026 51m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, we are breaking down major shifts in the AI landscape, the science behind how we handle workplace friction, and a deep dive into why we naturally root for the underdog. 🔥 Stories Covered NatWest Group Commits to Responsible AI Training for All 60,000 Staff While many companies are rushing into AI deployment, NatWest is taking a human-centric approach by prioritizing data ethics. They have announced mandatory AI and data ethics training for all 60,000 employees, rolling out principles previously built in partnership with the University of Edinburgh's Edinburgh Futures Institute. The most fascinating takeaway? Over 50% of staff actively opted into extra training completely off their own back. With formal regulation still lagging behind, the bank is actively setting its own standard for corporate judgment and digital responsibility. NatWest Case Study: https://www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/executive-education/case-studies/ai-data-ethics-programme-natwest-group-leaders-colleagues NatWest Insights Article: https://www.natwestgroup.com/news-and-insights/latest-stories/ai-and-data/2025/may/upholding-ethical-use-of-ai-and-data-management.html 2. Ford’s AI Rollback: Rehiring 300 Human Engineers In a major corporate pivot, Ford has confirmed it is rehiring more than 300 veteran quality inspectors after its automated, AI-driven quality checks failed to match human engineering expertise. Ford learned the hard way that automation cannot replicate decades of tacit institutional knowledge. These veteran engineers are returning to factory floors not just to inspect vehicles, but to mentor the next generation and properly train the AI systems moving forward. BBC News Coverage: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrkd41n2v9o 3. Talk or Type? The Psychological Reality of Disagreements When friction arises at work, our immediate instinct is often to hide behind a carefully drafted email or Slack message. However, new research featured by the British Psychological Society highlights that talking it out outperforms typing every single time. Spoken conversations naturally foster more active listening language, lower conflict, and build better mutual understanding. Despite this, 84% of people still choose text over talk. Al and Leanne discuss why it's time to pick up the phone. BPS Research Digest: https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/better-disagreement-use-your-voice 🧠 Truth or Lie: Do We All Love an Underdog? From global sports tournaments to workplace dynamics, there is an assumption that humans are universally wired to root for the underdog. Leanne dives into the behavioural science behind this phenomenon, looking at the "effort heuristic" and why we value struggle over raw talent. However, this preference comes with a massive catch: the moment the stakes get high or personal risk is involved, our support for the underdog evaporates. 💬 Workplace Surgery This week, Al and Leanne tackle three real-world questions from the listener mailbag: The Accidental Manager: "Nobody prepared me for management. I got promoted because I was good at my job, but managing people is a completely different skill. What is the one thing you wish someone had taught you before you took the role?" The Workplace Drain: How do you handle watching a line manager slowly drain the happiness out of a stellar colleague when it's happening outside your department? Pre-Meeting Chit Chat: Is a leader being a misery for wanting to skip the weekend catch-up and get straight to business, or is casual social time a vital team-building tool? 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🧠 Mental Health Support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com Truth, Lies & Work is proud to be part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the ultimate audio destination for business professionals
• 313. "I told Jimmy Carr to quit his job", with Mike Harle, Jimmy Carr's (last ever) manager 25.06.2026 51m

  What do you do when a brilliant, Oxford- or Cambridge-educated graduate walks into your office, chronically late, completely uncommitted to the business, but undeniably sharp? If you’re Mike Harle, you don’t fire them—you tell them to follow their heart and join the circus. This week, we sit down for an exclusive, world-first public interview with Mike Harle, the former UK Chief Marketing Officer of Shell. In a legendary two-minute conversation around the year 2000, Mike looked past the corporate KPI metrics of a young, nervous junior executive named Jimmy Carr and gave him the ultimate piece of career advice: Do give up your day job. In this episode, Mike shares the fascinating backstory behind one of comedy’s most famous career pivots, why he turned down an exclusive UK deal with a struggling new startup called Red Bull, and what it truly means to manage potential over performance. 🎧 What We Cover in This Episode: The "Event" That Changed British Comedy: The real story behind Mike's office chat with a 24-year-old Jimmy Carr, who was torn between a high-octane job offer at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and performing stand-up in local pubs. The Fine Line Between Managing and Leading: Why management is about resources and objectives, but true leadership is about helping people find deep, individual meaning in their work. Managing Vulnerability and Breaking Corporate Boundaries: How personal tragedy and a shared love for the entertainment world fostered an unconventional mentorship between a top-tier CMO and a junior exec. Saying Yes to Jimmy, Saying No to Red Bull: Mike openly shares his corporate "bad decision"—turning down exclusive UK distribution rights for Red Bull back when the energy drink category didn't even exist. Life Beyond the Corner Office: Mike's incredible pivot from Shell executive to serving as a Church of England priest for 10 years, supporting asylum seekers, and starting a fresh career lecturing in the Czech Republic. "If you can't take a chance at 24 or 25 on your future, you're sunk. My job wasn't just to manage a pipeline; it was to do the best by a human being." — Mike Harle 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠ – Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠ – Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠ – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat⁠ Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠ UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk⁠ US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠ Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠ Global helplines: ⁠https://findahelpline.com⁠ Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
• 312. Remote Work Makes You Lonely, Should You Trust Your Gut or the Data, PLUS workplace surgery with Dr Jake Tuber 23.06.2026 54m

  Welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. In this episode of This Week in Work, Al is joined by guest co-host Dr Jake Tuber as they dig into a landmark report on youth unemployment, a blockbuster NYT piece on remote work and loneliness, and whether you should ever trust your gut over the data. Connect with Dr Jake Tuber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaketuber Subscribe to his newsletter: https://workwise.substack.com 📰 The News Round-Up One Million Young People Locked Out of Work — The UK's NEET Crisis A major government-commissioned report from former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn lays bare a structural failure in the UK's approach to youth employment. Around one million 16–24 year-olds are currently NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) — roughly one in eight — and that figure could hit 1.25 million by the early 2030s. Perhaps most striking: six in ten young NEETs have never held a single job, up from four in ten twenty years ago. The report also reveals that for every £25 spent on benefits for young people, just £1 is spent helping them back into work. Read the Milburn report coverage: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/28/a-record-of-failure-whats-in-the-first-part-of-alan-milburns-neet-report https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/may/27/neets-could-hit-125m-by-early-2030s-milburn-review-young-people-employment-uk Is Remote Work Making Us Lonelier? A NYT Deep Dive A new study published in Science tracked workers in remote-eligible roles — finance, software engineering and the like — and found they're working from home three times more than five years ago, and reporting significantly higher loneliness. But Stanford remote work researcher Nick Bloom urges caution: does remote work cause distress, or do people already under stress seek out remote work to cope? Dr Jake unpacks why the headline conclusions may be overstated. Read the NYT piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/opinion/remote-work-depression.html Read the original study: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec7671 🧠 Truth or Lie: Is Gut Instinct Better Than Data? Dr Jake takes on one of the oldest debates in decision-making — and delivers a verdict with a twist. The case for data: Decades of research, including a seminal 1954 study by Meehl and two major meta-analyses (Grove et al., 2000; Ægisdóttir et al., 2006), consistently show that analytical, statistical approaches outperform gut instinct on important decisions. The case for gut: When someone is a genuine expert in a stable, predictable environment with good feedback loops, intuition can reflect deep tacit knowledge — not guesswork. The verdict: It's a false binary. Your gut is partly made of data — years of pattern recognition your brain has processed unconsciously. The best decisions let intuition generate hypotheses and evidence test them. 🏥 The Workplace Surgery "My star player has become my biggest headache" — A brilliant employee has started missing deadlines, pushing back on everything, and dismissing feedback. She says she's been carrying the team for years. Do you owe her more patience, or have you already been too patient? "Why does returning to work feel harder than the work itself?" — Every time this listener takes time off, re-entry feels brutal — even though they actually enjoy their job. Is this psychological, or just a "them" problem? "Why is my team working hours I never asked for?" — Fully flexible, no core hours, work gets done. So why are people sending emails at 7am and Slack messages on weekends — and should their manager be more worried than they are? 🎙️ Coming Thursday We're joined by Mike Harle — the man who told Jimmy Carr to quit his corporate job and pursue comedy. He managed Jimmy at Shell, had the conversation that changed everything, and has some brilliant management stories to share. Don't miss it. 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠ – Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠ – Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠ – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat⁠ Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠ UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk⁠ US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠ Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠ Global helplines ⁠https://findahelpline.com⁠
• LIVE! Can Cultural Intelligence actually improve performance at work? With Polly Collingridge and Bernadette Thompson OBE 19.06.2026 1h 8m

  Most of us have sat through an inclusion training program that didn't change much—maybe a workshop, a follow-up email, and then it's back to normal. But what happens when an organization moves past the standard checkboxes and actually puts Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to work? In this special LinkedIn Live episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we dive deep into the framework of CQ—an evidence-based, academically validated skill that measures your ability to relate to and work effectively alongside people from different cultural backgrounds. We look at a remarkable real-world case study at Barts Health NHS Trust. By training thousands of staff members across their workforce, they achieved measurable improvements in staff engagement, team dynamics, and patient care in one of the most pressurized environments imaginable. Following the structural approach seen in our Show notes example, this episode breaks down how leaders of any size organization can use CQ to reduce toxic conflict, improve retention, and build a workplace where everyone belongs. 🔥 Key Takeaways From This Episode What CQ Actually Is (and Isn't): Cultural Intelligence is not a rigid rulebook on how to behave, nor is it just basic cultural awareness. It is a distinct, measurable capability divided into four core pillars: Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action. The 10 Behavioral Preferences: Workplace misunderstandings often stem from deep-seated preferences rather than malice. We explore dimensions like expressive vs. non-expressive communication styles and how mapping these helps teams collaborate seamlessly. The Real Cost of Poor Culture: High employee turnover, costly legal tribunals, and skyrocketing absenteeism aren't just HR headaches—they are massive financial drains. From tribunal payouts to bank and agency staff costs, investing in culture is always the more cost-effective option. Baking CQ into the Employee Lifecycle: To prevent training momentum from fading into the background, leaders must systematically embed it into operational processes—from recruitment checklists to pre-disciplinary reviews. The Hybrid & AI Twist: Why distributed hybrid environments and the rise of cognitive offloading to AI make human-to-human cultural intelligence more critical today than ever before. 👥 Meet Our Guests Polly Collingridge Polly is the UK General Manager at the Cultural Intelligence Centre. As a CQ-certified facilitator with a rich background in global mobility, intercultural training, and employee well-being, she has been partnering with organizations since 2022 to build sustainable, long-term cultural frameworks. Connect with Polly on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pollycollingridge Cultural Intelligence Centre UK LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/company/cultural-intelligence-centre-uk⁠ Bernadette Thompson OBE Bernadette is the Director of People and Culture at North Middlesex University Hospital and Community Services, and an associate facilitator at the Cultural Intelligence Centre. She spearheaded the operational rollout of CQ at Barts Health and has spent her award-winning career figuring out exactly what it takes to make people truly belong at work. Bernadette Thompson OBE Website: bernadettethompsonobe.co.uk Bernadette Thompson LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernadettethompson 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is proud to be part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
• 311. Are middle managers being set up to fail? With Kristien Turner 18.06.2026 1h

  Why Are Middle Managers Being Set Up to Fail? (And How to Fix It) with Kristien Turner Are middle managers facing an absolute existential crisis? According to today’s guest, the answer is a resounding, 100% yes. In this episode of Truth, Lies and Work, Al and Leanne sit down with Kristien Turner, founder and CEO of TK Talent Group, who works with global brands across the Americas and Europe to solve the modern talent crisis. Together, they pull back the curtain on why middle managers are drowning under the weight of AI disruption, corporate layoffs, and a severe lack of actual leadership training. If you are a middle manager who feels like they are drowning, or an executive wondering why engagement numbers are plummeting, this episode offers a raw, practical roadmap to reclaiming control of your career and leadership strategy. 🔥 Key Takeaways From This Episode The "Sally" Problem: Companies consistently reward top-performing individual contributors by promoting them into management without giving them a toolkit, a coach, or proper support mechanisms. The AI Illusion: Many organizations are cutting headcount assuming AI can fully replace human roles, failing to realize that technology cannot navigate tricky performance reviews, handle workforce drama, or look a struggling employee in the eye. The 8x8 Structural Trap: Middle managers are stuck acting as an emotional buffer for massive teams (sometimes up to 64 people deep) while running on an empty battery themselves. The Gen Z Shift: A massive shift is occurring where younger generations do not aspire to traditional corporate management roles and prefer gig or portfolio careers, paving the way for a severe leadership skills gap by 2030. The Power of Volunteering: How stepping outside your day job to give back can radically boost your mental health, redefine your core purpose, and expand your executive network. 🎒 Your 3-Step "Kit Bag" Strategy to Protect Your Career If you’re a manager struggling to stay afloat right now, Kristien outlines three immediate actions you must take this week: Have the Honest Conversation: Be vulnerable with your senior leader. Show them what is broken, present the data on why it isn't working, and ask for support. Give your organization one last chance to show up for you. Stop Trying to Be Everyone's Everything: You are not a workplace therapist, a buffer, or a corporate savior. Share the load by implementing peer mentoring programs and opening up communication access to the senior leadership layer above you. Build Your Kit Bag Now: Don't wait for a corporate restructuring call. Keep your CV polished, optimize your LinkedIn profile, and get out to in-person networking events to build real-world connections. 🔗 Connect with Kristien Turner & TK Talent Group Website: https://tktalentgroup.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristienturner/ 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🧠 Mental Health Support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
• 310. Workplace Nostalgia, Stalling Careers and Leaked Microsoft Data. PLUS! How to Praise Introverts 16.06.2026 57m

  Welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. In this episode of This Week in Work, Al and Leanne dive into a massive career longevity study, a leaked corporate memo from Microsoft, the sudden collapse of a 50-year-old hiring ritual, and the surprising psychological impact of the "good old days." 📰 The News Round-Up The Rise of "Stalling Out" in Mid-CareerInside New research from the Burning Glass Institute and NYU reveals a hidden crisis: stalling out. This happens when a professional goes five or more years without a meaningful promotion and experiences little to no wage growth. The study analyzed over 1.3 million career histories and found that nearly 1 in 4 mid-career professionals (24.2%) are completely stuck. Read the full study in the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/white-collar-workers-career-nyu-study-a81a7d9c Microsoft’s Leaked Employee Engagement Survey Thanks to an internal memo leaked to Business Insider, we get a rare sneak peek into employee sentiment at Microsoft. While their overall "Thriving" score hit a healthy 79%, critical management metrics took a significant hit. The score for managers coaching employees fell five points to 76%, and giving clear feedback fell four points to 79%. Read the leaked memo details on Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-surveys-employees-sentiment-memo-2026-6 The Death of the Technical Interview For 35 years, tech giants like Google and Amazon have relied on grueling, whiteboard-based technical interviews. Now, Steve Yegge—the legendary senior engineer who helped build these systems—declares them completely broken. Internal data showed interview scores had almost zero correlation with actual on-the-job performance. 🧠 Truth or Lie: Can Nostalgia Make Teams Stronger? Is looking back holding your company back, or is it a secret leadership superpower? Leanne puts "organisational nostalgia" under the psychological microscope. The Case For: Peer-reviewed research from 2024 tracking over 3,800 employees found that during massive organizational change, employees who felt higher workplace nostalgia became better colleagues. The Case Against: When nostalgia occurs naturally during the workday, it can make employees distracted, reduce daily task performance, and trigger lower daily well-being. The Verdict: It's a conditional truth. Nostalgia is a powerful tool for resilience during major organisational shakeups, but leaders must use it intentionally. 🏥 The Workplace Surgery Question 1 (Introverted Recognition): Most of my team are introverted. If I praise them publicly, they look like they want the ground to swallow them up. How do you make people feel valued without making it awkward? Question 2 (Financial Anxiety): I get the feeling my team are carrying a lot of anxiety about the economy and layoffs. Should managers acknowledge that sort of thing, or is it better not to open a conversation you can't really solve? Question 3 (Handling Unpopular Corporate Mandates): Our company has just mandated more days in the office and my team are not happy. How do you handle that as a manager when you end up being the face of a decision you had no say in? 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com
• 309. Stop Asking the Chatbot (And Start Asking Your Colleague), with Sean O'Shea 11.06.2026 53m

  When you don’t know the answer to a problem at work, what is your immediate reflex? Do you search for a quick answer from an AI chatbot, or do you pick up the phone to ask a colleague? In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we dive deep into the hidden cultural cost of digital convenience. While artificial intelligence is incredible for cutting through administrative noise and streamlining corporate tasks, it is quietly automating away the most critical asset your business has: human connection. Our guest today is Sean O'Shea, the brilliant mind behind Craft Your Culture and Locon. Sean spent a fascinating decade working at Microsoft, sandwiched perfectly between the leadership of Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella. He witnessed firsthand how a radical shift in corporate mindset and the intentional removal of rigid, performance-stifling systems could skyrocket a company's share price from $30 to over $540. Now, through his data-driven work at Locon, Sean is on a mission to measure the "relationship gap" between team members. He breaks down the phenomenon of "messy moments"—those vulnerable, slightly awkward, but entirely essential human interactions that act as the true engine for workplace psychological safety, team learning, and high performance. If you are a business leader, founder, or manager trying to navigate remote-first challenges, return-to-office mandates, or AI integration, this conversation will completely change how you design your team interactions tomorrow morning. Key Takeaways From the Episode The Trap of the Frictionless Workplace: AI onboarding bots and agents are fast, non-judgmental, and always available. However, by relying on them exclusively, employees bypass the vulnerable moments of asking a peer for help—the exact moments where corporate trust is built. The High Cost of the "Relationship Gap": High performance isn’t just an aggregate of individual talent. It is directly limited by how well your people actually know each other. Loneliness and disconnection don't just hurt morale; they actively cost businesses billable hours. The 3 Pillars of Accelerated Trust: How do you build genuine, bulletproof workplace relationships when everyone is short on time? Sean reveals the three non-negotiable ingredients: vulnerability, shared emotionally significant experiences, and active, empathetic listening. Overcoming the "Eye of Sauron" Management Style: Reflecting on his time under Steve Ballmer's mid-year review process, Sean highlights how defensive corporate cultures destroy innovation. True leadership requires getting your ego out of the way and letting your team collaborate without you always being in the loop. The 6 Pillars of Team Effectiveness: Sean breaks down the core framework measured by Locon: psychological safety, accountability, connection, learning, clarity, and adaptability. Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Cold Open: Are chatbots silently killing your team's natural human connection? 01:15 – Meet Sean O'Shea: The mission to turn people potential into business performance. 04:20 – What is a "messy moment" and why are modern teams hiding from healthy conflict? 07:30 – The 3 critical elements needed to fast-track real human relationships at work. 10:45 – The AI paradox: Why a small business champion is incredibly worried about the rise of perfect tech. 15:10 – Designing connection: How leaders can architect micro-moments of collaboration instead of boring, packed agendas. 23:15 – The Train Experiment: The fascinating behavioral science proving we are terrible at predicting social interactions. 30:30 – Lessons from Microsoft: The real story behind Satya Nadella's growth mindset revolution. 39:45 – Quantifying wasted time: The data showing how many hours your team loses each month by not collaborating. 45:10 – The story of Locon: Using six-week experimental sprints to give teams true agency over their culture. Connect with Our Guest To learn more about Sean's work, access his data diagnostics, or follow his daily insights on corporate culture, use the links below: Craft Your Culture Website: www.craftyourculture.co.uk Locon Website: www.locon.co.uk Sean O'Shea LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshea7/ About Truth, Lies & Work Truth, Lies & Work is the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Hosted by Al Elliott and Leanne Elliott, a chartered occupational psychologist, we are here to help you simplify the science of work, boost employee engagement, and build high-performing teams. Truth, Lies & Work is a proud part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the ultimate audio destination for business professionals. 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com
• 308. Dark Showering, Google A.I. Interviews and the M&S Cyber Attack. PLUS! Is Experience the Best Predictor of Job Performance? 09.06.2026 57m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. This week, hosts Al Elliott and Leanne Elliott unpack the sleep science taking over TikTok, a massive shift in how Google interviews tech talent, and the ethical dilemma of corporate accountability after a major cyberattack. Plus, we dive deep into the data to see if "years of experience" actually matters on a CV, and answer community questions from the experts at The Business Psycho. 🔥 Stories Covered 1. Word of the Week: Dark Showering Imagine a simple way to wind down your body and brain after a hard day at work using something you already do every day. Leanne introduces "dark showering"—the practice of showering in a completely dim or pitch-black bathroom as part of a bedtime routine. Far from just a social media trend, sleep researchers explain that the rapid cooling of your body post-shower mimics natural circadian signals, while the darkness stimulates melatonin production and lowers cortisol. Source: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/dark-showering-improved-sleep-experts-debunk 2. Google Embraces AI in Job Interviews While most companies are actively trying to ban candidates from using AI during interviews, Google is leaning all the way in. Starting later this year, software engineering candidates will be allowed to use Google's Gemini AI assistant during code comprehension interview assessments. Instead of testing rote memory, interviewers will explicitly evaluate "AI fluency," including prompt engineering, output validation, and debugging skills. Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/google-job-interview-software-engineers-ai-assistant-coding-2026-5 3. The M&S Cyberattack: Who Pays for Corporate Failures? Following a massive cyberattack that wiped £131.3 million off annual profits and dropped market value by 12%, UK retailer Marks & Spencer made a sweeping decision: no employee bonuses will be paid this year. This affects 63,000 workers, from the shop floor straight up to the CEO. While leadership "sharing the pain" equally sounds noble, it raises major workplace culture questions. Source: https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/m-and-s-cyberattack-wipes-131m-off-annual-profits-xrlldf7lb 🧠 Truth or Lie: Is Experience the Best Predictor of Job Performance? We have all seen job postings demanding "5 to 10 years of experience". It feels like the safest metric for hiring managers. But does a century of organisational psychology actually back this up? 💬 Workplace Surgery – Special Edition with 'The Business Psycho' This week, Al and Leanne take a trip into the online community forum The Business Psycho—a hub founded by Mary Luu for business psychologists, HR leaders, and curious professionals. Leanne tackles three brilliant questions submitted straight from the community members: Can business and occupational psychology skills be applied outside work and in everyday life? What is the single hardest workplace problem Leanne has ever had to solve as a Chartered Occupational Psychologist? Is work-life balance actually realistic in highly competitive industries? Connect with Mary Luu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trambaoluu/ Check out the community forum: thebusinesspsycho.framer.website/forum 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com
• 307. What skills do leaders actually need in the age of A.I.? With Vince Sanderson 04.06.2026 51m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. As artificial intelligence accelerates and automation becomes a fixture in our workplaces, a massive shift is happening. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs data maps out the skills that will define the next five years, and the top of the human skills list reads less like a traditional training catalogue and more like a description of a great therapist: empathy, active listening, resilience, and the ability to influence without authority. This week, we are joined for a third time by management and leadership coach Vince Sanderson. With 14 years of coaching experience and millions of likes on social media, Vince’s mission is to teach leaders the vital human-centric skills they very often never get formal training on. In this episode, we break down these "soft skills" into actionable workplace behaviours, discuss why a manager has more impact on an employee's life satisfaction than a therapist, and identify the single "multiplier" skill that will define successful leadership this decade. 🔑 Key Takeaways from the Episode The Shift from "Soft" to "Core" Skills: The term "soft skills" originated in the 1960s US Army to differentiate human capabilities from equipment hardware. Today, framing them as human-centric or core skills is vital to demonstrating their financial and operational importance to a business. Complexity Translation & Pattern Recognition: Analytical thinking in leadership isn't just about data; it’s about taking strategic plans and translating them into meaningful language so individual team members see how their role fits into the bigger picture. The 4 Levels of Listening: Most people operate in conversational listening (waiting for their turn to talk). True leadership requires active listening—employing silence, reflection, and simple coaching questions to let employees uncover their own clarity. Influence vs. Manipulation: Social influence is the ability to move people without relying on positional authority. The difference between influence and manipulation comes entirely down to intent—true influence serves the collective good, built on the law of reciprocity. The Power of Emotional Regulation: To foster a resilient and psychologically safe team culture, managers must first master their own emotional regulation and be willing to role-model vulnerability and setbacks. 🎙️ Meet the Guest Vince Sanderson is a highly sought-after management coach, keynote speaker, and content creator dedicated to helping corporate leaders bridge the training gap. Connect with Vince: Website: www.vincentsanderson.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vince-sanderson-9957a5254/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vincent_sanderson/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vincentsanderson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vincentsanderson460 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne Truth, Lies & Work is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. Help us simplify the science of work by connecting with us below! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🧠 Mental Health Support If you or someone you know is struggling with workplace burnout, stress, or mental health challenges, please reach out to these free and confidential resources: UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com
• 306. Firing your HR department, restroom lurking and the accidental manager. PLUS! Does Gen Z value purpose over pay? With Dr Jake Tuber 02.06.2026 1h 4m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, hosts Al and Leanne Elliott are joined by returning guest, organisational psychologist Dr. Jake Tuber! Together, they tackle the biggest news in business, bust media myths, and solve your trickiest management dilemmas. This Week: Restroom Lurking, Firing HR and The Sales Promotion Trap. PLUS, Does Gen Z Actually Care About Purpose? 🔥 Stories Covered 1. Restroom Lurking: The New Workplace Space Crisis Leanne reveals the latest viral workplace trend: "Restroom Lurking." A Kickresume survey found that 44% of workers admit to using office restrooms to regain composure when overwhelmed. We discuss the deeper issue—the lack of quiet spaces in modern office design. Forbes Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2026/05/22/restroom-lurking-on-the-rise-as-workers-seek-refuge-from-job-stress/ 2. Tech Firm Fires Entire HR Department Al breaks down the shocking news from checkout software company Bolt, which laid off its entire HR department. The CEO defended the move, claiming HR "creates problems that don't exist." We discuss why this "smoke alarm" approach to policy is a catastrophic business decision that overburdens untrained leaders. CityAM Article: https://www.cityam.com/fintech-boss-defends-sacking-entire-hr-department-for-creating-problems-that-didnt-exist/ 🧠 Truth or Lie: Does Gen Z Value Purpose More Than Pay? The media claims younger workers only care about meaningful work and ethical alignment. Dr. Jake Tuber leads this week's segment to reveal why this is actually a "life stage phenomenon" rather than something unique to Gen Z. Previous generations felt exactly the same way in their twenties—they want meaning, but they aren't willing to sacrifice financial security to get it. Academic Resources & Studies Mentioned: Deloitte Gen Z & Millennial Survey: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/2025-gen-z-millennial-survey.html Gen Z Workplace Expectations Study: https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/32ad6bf8-a1e8-4890-8eeb-04437a1190f1/1/What%20do%20Gen%20Z%20want%20from%20a%20workplace%20-%202024%20-%20Nichols%20Smith.pdf Understanding Gen Z Workplace Motivations: https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15010011 Generational Differences in Work Values (JMP): https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940810904385 Revisiting Generational Work Values: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.147 Generational Differences in Work Values (JoM): https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309352246 The Silent Revolution in Europe: https://doi.org/10.2307/1953494 💬 Workplace Surgery We dive deep into your real-world workplace questions: The Accidental Sales Manager: How do you undo a promotion without destroying confidence or your credibility? We break down the classic trap of promoting your best individual salesperson into management. The Sustainable Business Owner: What do you do when you preach wellbeing but are secretly a workaholic hypocrite? Jake and Leanne discuss the mindset shifts required for founder-led businesses. Loyalty vs. Honesty: How do you have the hard conversation with a loyal, 7-year employee who has stopped growing with the business? We map out a fact-finding approach to avoid an unexpected review bomb. 🤝 Connect with Dr. Jake Tuber LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaketuber/ Website: http://www.ticonadvisory.com Podcast: https://www.ticonadvisory.com/podcast 🎁 Special Offer: Get 6 months of free access to Jake's Substack, Workwise: https://workwise.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=1e481d0b 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK/ROI — Samaritans: Call 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind: Call 0300 123 3393 | https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call/text 988 | https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network.
• 305. How to go from Founder back to Employee (Without the Shame), with Laurie MacPherson 28.05.2026 42m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture . This week, we are tackling a massive, silent trend affecting thousands of professionals: The Great Reentry . During the pandemic, thousands of people left their corporate jobs to seek purpose and flexibility in self-employment . But now, six years on, a quiet crisis is happening . Thousands of founders are realizing that business ownership is lonely, financially straining, and exhausting—and they are trying to return to the traditional workforce . The problem? They are drowning in shame, hiding their businesses, and navigating the job market completely wrong . To help us simplify the science of this messy transition, we are joined by Laurie MacPherson, a brilliant career and LinkedIn mentor who specializes in helping mid-to-senior-level women find their next roles . Laurie delivers a masterclass on how to overcome the internal struggle of "going back," why the modern job market punishes founders who apply blindly, and how to de-risk yourself to recruiters . 🔥 What We Cover in This Episode: What is 'The Great Reentry'? Laurie breaks down the stark reality behind the post-COVID freelance boom, the isolation of working from home, and the silent shame that keeps former founders from admitting they need a job . The 437-Applicant Trap: Why firing off cold CVs to job boards is a losing battle for former business owners, and why your next role is sitting directly inside your network . How to Handle the "Why Are You Leaving?" Question: Laurie shares her exact, bulletproof interview scripts to reframe your business history as a badge of courage rather than a failure . The BOLD & REAL Frameworks: A deep dive into Laurie's signature acronyms designed to help you own your achievements, tailor your applications like a master tailor, and show up authentically on LinkedIn without sounding like a corporate robot . The 100 Rejection Challenge: How flipping the script on sales outreach can completely remove the sting of "no" and accelerate your career breakthrough . 🎙️ Key Takeaway Quote from Laurie MacPherson: "It takes courage to start a business, and it takes equal courage to recognise it's not working and make a change. Frame it as a brave chapter, not a failure. Say it, then stop talking." 🔗 Connect with Laurie MacPherson: Website: lauriemacpherson.com LinkedIn: Laurie MacPherson Instagram: @_laurie_macpherson_ 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🧠 Mental health support: UK & ROI — Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind: Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com Truth, Lies & Work is proud to be part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
• 304. Al Elliott: "I've just ruined the last three years of my life.", Our co-host talks business, bankruptcy and the meaning of success 26.05.2026 1h 14m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, we are adjusting our usual format for a specific reason. Co-host Al Elliott recently celebrated his birthday, so Leanne is taking over the reins to give him a brief respite from the standard news cycle. Instead, we are answering our most requested listener query: an analytical retrospective into the operational history, the high-stakes decisions, the failures, and the legal battles of Al’s career as a serial entrepreneur. In this special episode, we dissect a highly unconventional career path. From being recognised as a "42 under 42" breakout entrepreneur to navigating a complex £103,000 personal bankruptcy, Al shares the raw realities of scaling businesses from the ground up—and how hitting rock bottom ultimately informed his blueprint for ethical, sustainable growth. 📈 Strategic Takeaways From This Episode 1. Operations & Turnaround: From Bottom Tier to Market Leader Al details his early career in hospitality management, outlining the strategic operational changes required to take a underperforming Manchester student venue from the 27th worst in the region to the number-one position in total sales volume. 2. Regulatory Arbitrage: Exploiting Systemic Loopholes Discover the origins of Al's first major tech start-up: an after-hours alcohol delivery service. He explains the technical loop-hole he engineered around credit card transaction processing windows to legally bypass strict UK licensing frameworks—and the bespoke 50-binder software system required to protect the operation. 3. Risk Management & Insolvency: Navigating a £103K Bankruptcy When capital markets dried up post-dot-com bubble, Al faced a devastating cash crunch resulting in asset repossession and a £103,000 bankruptcy. He discusses the psychological toll of financial restructuring, the operational dangers of relying on short-term credit, and why shifting toward an American perspective on corporate failure can turn insolvency into a critical founders' credential. 4. Ethical Scalability: Building a 38-Property Portfolio Out of Crisis How do you launch a real estate venture with maximum capital constraints? Leveraging high market empathy and strategic partnerships, Al built a 38-property portfolio during the dawn of the 2008 global financial crisis. Learn how his startup outmanoeuvred corporate institutional landlords by designing an innovative, ethical "99-year tenancy" model for families facing foreclosure. 5. Founder Fallacies: Why Ego Destroys Early-Stage Ventures Al offers critical advice for modern founders and next-generation executives. His primary directive: eliminate overhead-heavy vanity metrics, suppress founder ego, and prioritise rapid market validation over theoretical perfection. He shares the costly mistake of investing £40,000 into premium office infrastructure before securing an initial proof-of-concept, and argues for a biased-toward-action framework. 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com Truth, Lies & Work is a proud part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
• 303. What can veterans teach us about leadership? With Danny Wareham, Major General (Ret) Matt Smith and James Hardie 21.05.2026 1h 22m

  Welcome back to this special live edition of Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, Al, Leanne and Associate Producer Georgia, are joined by three exceptional experts to explore a straightforward but powerful question: what does the military do differently when it comes to leadership, and what can businesses actually learn from it? Most organisations say leadership matters, but many are just guessing. We promote based on length of service, confuse being "in charge" with being a leader, and create cultures where capable people are too afraid to speak up. The military, however, has spent decades perfecting the art of building instant trust and providing the clarity needed for independent action. 🔥 Key Themes Covered 1. What 'Mission Command' Actually Means James Hardie and Major General Matt Smith break down the concept of Mission Command: providing a clear goal and the "commander's intent," then trusting your people to figure out the "how". While most businesses are flexible at the top and rigid at the bottom, the military provides a structure that empowers disciplined initiative at every level. 2. Trust as a Starting Point, Not a Prize Danny Wareham explains the "trust gap." In the military, trust is often assumed based on shared competency; it only reduces if proven otherwise. In civilian life, we often make people earn it slowly through "presenteeism" and internal politics, which slows down performance and kills initiative. 3. Leadership Emerges, It Isn't Assigned We discuss the concept of leaderless leadership (or constellation leadership). If the mission and culture are strong enough, they can effectively replace the need for a traditional "boss". We explore how leadership should shift situationally to whoever has the most relevant expertise in the moment. 4. The "Liminal State" of Transition James discusses his research on the experience of veterans moving into civilian roles. He describes the "liminality"—the uncertain journey between two identities—and why veterans often struggle, not because they lack skills, but because civilian organisations aren't built to receive what they bring. 5. Calmness Under Pressure Major General Matt Smith shares a powerful story from ground combat in Afghanistan, illustrating that a leader's most effective tool in a crisis isn't shouting—it's maintaining a level of calmness that signals to the team that everything is under control. 🎙️ The Guests Danny Wareham: Certified Business Psychologist and author of Constellation. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danny-wareham Website: firgun.co.uk Major General (Ret) Matt Smith: A 32-year US Army veteran and head of the Master in Business for Veterans programme at Emory University. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/smithmattd James Hardie: Former RAF helicopter pilot and organisational psychologist. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/james-hardie72 Website: coursecorrection.co.uk 📬 Connect with the show – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Georgia Hodkinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgia-hodkinson-gmbpss/ – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com
• 302. How Do You Stop Being the Person Everything Falls On? PLUS! Bot bosses, poisoned chocolate and the dumbest Teams call mistake. With Cait Donovan 19.05.2026 57m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, we are skipping Truth or Lie because we have a massive, jam-packed episode featuring the brilliant Cait Donovan! Cait is a culture and leadership keynote speaker, host of Fried: The Burnout Podcast, and author of an upcoming book out later this year. Together, we tackle the existential anxiety of AI, the baffling world of employee retaliation, a hilariously disastrous federal crime, and a deep-dive workplace surgery to help you protect your energy and lead authentically. 🔥 Stories covered Word of the Week: Circling Forward Leanne introduces a phrase coined in an Esquire article by Kyle MacNeill exploring why so many workers feel pessimistic about the future of work. "Circling forward" is the idea that progress doesn't move in a straight line. Esquire Article Link: https://apple.news/AqVByb5pFTsKcDzvf_F50iA When Candour Hurts the Business (and Someone Poisons the Chocolate) Cait brings a highly controversial Harvard Business School article by Henrico Castro-Pires to the table. The research suggests that managers are giving overinflated performance reviews to mediocre employees because they are terrified of employee retaliation—ranging from workplace gossip to an extreme case where an employee dumped ethanol into a tank of melted chocolate. Harvard Business School Article Link: https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/when-candor-hurts-the-business-economics-of-employee-retaliation Two Brothers, One Firing, and the Ultimate Teams Call Blunder Al shares a wild, real-life crime story from February 2025 involving two brothers, Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, who were fired from government contractor Opexus on a joint Microsoft Teams call. Ars Technica Article Link: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/drop-database-what-not-to-do-after-losing-an-it-job/ 💬 Workplace Surgery with Cait Donovan Question 1: How do I stop being the person everything falls on? A listener feels completely burnt out after taking on the responsibilities of four roles without a pay raise or promotion, fearing that pushing back will make them look like they can't cope. Question 2: Hiding the wires as a senior leader. A executive leader admits they are burning out but feels it is unsafe to tell their team, their board, or their peers, wondering if leadership is just a sustained pretence that everything is fine. Question 3: Trapped in a culture of meeting overload. A leader spends three-quarters of their day in meetings, leaving them cognitively empty when it's time for strategic thinking. They’ve tried blocking out calendar time, but the culture runs on meetings as a currency of power and information. Connect with Cait Donovan To learn more about Cait's corporate workshops, keynote speaking, and her mission to eradicate chronic stress, visit her website or connect with her on social media. Don't forget to listen to Leanne's guest appearance on Fried: The Burnout Podcast this week! – Website: https://www.caitdonovan.com – BurnBold Website: https://www.burnbold.com – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitdonovanspeaks – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitdonovan 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Find more incredible business shows at https://b2b.hubspot.com/podcast-network
• 301. Are you too smart to succeed in business? With Dr Rosenna Bakari 14.05.2026 46m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture. Have you ever wondered why some of the most brilliant people struggle to get a business off the ground? This week, we are joined by Dr. Rosenna Bakari, a psychologist, empowerment expert, and author of Seven Exits. Rosenna’s story is a wake-up call for high achievers. After heading to Cornell at 17, earning her PhD, and building a lauded career in academia, she hit a brick wall when she tried to become an entrepreneur. She discovered that the very skills that make you "right" in a classroom—intellect, working alone, and academic rigor—can actually be the primary barriers to success in the real world. 🔥 What We Discuss in This Episode In this episode, we dive into the psychology of "leaving where you are" and the seven exits you must take to truly grow. The Hyper Ego: Why smart people often lean into defensiveness instead of awareness when things go wrong. The "Right vs. Solved" Dilemma: The one question from a mentor that changed Rosenna’s life: "Do you want to be right, or do you want to solve the problem?" The Trap of Passion and Purpose: Why treating passion like intellect can blind you to what the market actually needs. Transitioning from Books to People: Why shifting from a high regard for knowledge to a focus on relationships is the essential "knob" to turn for business growth. The 200-Call Challenge: Rosenna’s journey of moving from a "safe" academic facade to vulnerable, human outreach. 🧠 Key Lessons for Founders and Leaders Your Intelligence is a Tool, Not a Passport: It can get you in the door, but it won't keep the door open. At some point, you have to change how you show up. Check Your Ego Before You Blame the Market: When a project fails, the first question shouldn't be about the economy; it should be: "How am I getting in my own way?" The "Respect vs. Like" Reality: If you believe it doesn't matter if people like you as long as they respect you, entrepreneurship might not be for you. Business moves at the speed of relationships. 🔗 Connect with Dr. Rosenna Bakari LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosenna-bakari-ph-d-b3120194/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr._bakari_empowerment YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rosennabakari5535 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sevenexits_rosennabakari/ Website: https://rosennabakari.com Book: https://transformation.sevenexits.com 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
• 300. JP Morgan's sex scandal, A.I. fears and the executive presence problem. PLUS! Are diverse teams better? With Dr Jake Tuber 12.05.2026 1h 14m

  Episode 300 is here! 🥂 To celebrate this massive milestone, Al and Leanne are joined by a very special guest, Dr. Jake Tuber. In this jam-packed anniversary edition, we’re tackling the "FOBO" phenomenon, the radical 10% pay rise experiment, and the truth behind high-performing diverse teams. 🔥 Stories Covered 1. The Rise of "FOBO": Why Gen Z is Resisting AI Move over FOMO—there’s a new acronym in town. FOBO (Fear of Becoming Obsolete) is driving a quiet backlash against AI among Gen Z workers. Leanne breaks down why younger employees are slowing down adoption as a form of self-protection against automation that threatens their long-term value. Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/24/fobo-fear-of-becoming-obsolete-ai-gen-z-workplace 2. The 10% Automatic Pay Rise: A Cure for Toxic Culture? Stockholm startup Lovable has ditched traditional performance reviews and negotiations. Instead, every employee gets an automatic 10% raise on their anniversary. We debate: Does guaranteed security make people work harder, or does a little "insecurity" keep you sharp? Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/stockholm-startup-lovable-automatic-10-percent-pay-rise-anniversary-2024-3 3. Workplace Scandals & Economic Indicators Jake brings two contrasting stories: a massive $1M settlement offer in a high-profile JP Morgan lawsuit and the curious case of US job cuts—which are down everywhere except in the Tech sector. Is AI really the culprit, or is it just a convenient excuse for layoffs? 🧠 Truth or Lie: Do Diverse Teams Perform Better? It’s the claim that has dominated business strategy since the 90s, but what does the research actually say? Dr. Jake reveals that while cognitive diversity (varied skills and perspectives) consistently boosts innovation, demographic diversity alone can sometimes increase conflict and slow down coordination if not managed correctly. 💬 Workplace Surgery: The Management Edition In honor of Jake’s upcoming book, The Deliberate Manager, we tackle three burning questions: The Drained Team Lead: Is the first year of management always this exhausting? The Group Chat Trap: What do you do when you accidentally see what your team really thinks of you? Executive Presence: How do you bridge the gap between being a "great executor" and looking like a VP? 🤝 Connect with Dr. Jake Tuber LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaketuber/ Website: http://www.ticonadvisory.com Podcast (Forces at Work): https://www.ticonadvisory.com/podcast Special Offer: Dr. Jake is offering our listeners six months of free access to his Substack, Workwise. Use this link to claim: https://workwise.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=1e481d0b 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind: Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com
• 299. “There are 200 people on a waiting list to work here”, with Rachel Harris, StriveX Accountants 07.05.2026 50m

  Welcome to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. Most businesses struggle with recruiting. They post jobs on Indeed, sponsor LinkedIn ads, and cross their fingers. Rachel Harris, co-founder of StriveX Accountants, does the exact opposite. She has built a multimillion-pound firm from her dining room table with a waiting list of over 200 people eager to join her team. In this episode, Rachel reveals how she treats recruitment like a 24/7 marketing function and why her employees are her most powerful recruitment tool—even when they’re calling her a "micromanager" on social media. 🔥 What we cover in this episode: The "Always-On" Strategy: Why Rachel never posts "we're hiring" ads and why waiting until you have a vacancy means you're already too late. Franchising the Inside: How Rachel systemized recruitment and onboarding so the process runs itself, allowing her to focus on the human connection. Employee Generated Content (EGC): The "no-rules" scheme where Rachel’s team earns bonuses for sharing raw, unscripted stories about their work life. The "Micromanager" Post: How a post highlighting Rachel’s intense systems became one of their best-performing pieces of recruitment content. Culture as Credibility: Why a lack of employee advocacy isn't a social media problem—it's a culture problem. 💡 3 Key Lessons for Leaders Recruit Like a Marketer: Stop selling the job; start showing the life. Use day-in-the-life stories and team moments to sell the culture before a candidate ever applies. Turn Your Team into Trusted Voices: Authenticity beats polish. Giving your team the freedom to share their real experiences without an approval process builds massive credibility with future hires. Fix the Culture First: Rachel’s EGC scheme only works because the workplace actually delivers on its promises. If your employees won't vouch for you publicly, focus on the culture before the content. 🔗 Connect with Rachel Harris LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachel-harris-a3192372 StriveX Accountants: https://strivex.co.uk Instagram/TikTok: @accountant_she 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com
• 298. Dry chatting, Gen-Z CEOs and toxic bosses. PLUS! The science behind 'bring your dog to work day' 05.05.2026 53m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, we explore the shifting vocabulary of the modern office, the rise of "Gen Z entrepreneurs," and a sobering look at the prevalence of toxic leadership. Plus, for Mental Health Awareness Month, we dig into the research behind "Bring Your Dog to Work Day" and answer three tough listener questions in a bumper Workplace Surgery. 🔥 Stories Covered 1. Six Words Defining the New World of Work Leanne introduces "dry chatting"—the practice of rehearsing emotionally charged conversations with AI before having them in real life. We also explore: Meaning-maxxing: Optimising life around purpose rather than status. Rage applying: Rapidly submitting job applications as a cathartic response to frustration. False retention: When staff stay for security but aren't actually engaged. Vibe working and the Anti-office: How AI and office design are prioritising "progress over productivity." Source: https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/how-world-of-work-changed-times-enterprise-network-t0zvf96wv 2. The Gen Z Career Ladder is Being Rebuilt With entry-level hiring at its lowest rate since 2020 and AI automating "learn-the-ropes" tasks, Gen Z is pivoting to ownership. We discuss why "the new promise is ownership" and look at young founders who are turning down traditional internships to build their own empires. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2026/apr/25/gen-z-entrepreneurs-business-ai 3. Is Toxic Leadership the New Norm? A new study reveals that 6 in 10 workers currently have a toxic boss. We discuss the impact on mental health and why many employees feel companies are investing more in AI than in developing their people managers. Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/91534390/6-in-10-workers-say-they-have-a-toxic-boss-study-finds 🧠 Truth or Lie: Bring Your Dog to Work Day Does having a "fluffy colleague" actually support mental health? The Truth: Some studies suggest dogs act as a stress buffer and increase workplace engagement. The Lie: The evidence is surprisingly weak. Most studies rely on self-reporting, and for the 15-30% of people with allergies or phobias, a dog-friendly office can be a major source of stress. 💬 Workplace Surgery Question 1: Are we doing more harm by asking and not acting? We regularly survey our people and ask for feedback, but if I’m honest, we don’t always act on what comes back. Are we building trust by listening, or damaging it by not following through? Question 2: Why isn’t anyone using our wellbeing benefits? We offer a range of wellbeing benefits — things like support resources, initiatives, and time off — but hardly anyone actually uses them. What are we missing? Question 3: If people keep leaving, is it really a hiring problem? We bring in good people, but a pattern’s emerging where they leave within the first 12 months. Is this a recruitment issue, or something happening once they’re inside the business? 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
• LIVE! Is A.I. changing the way we think? With Charli Nordone, Gabrielle Dolan and Paul Spiers 01.05.2026 1h 18m

  Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. We are part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. In this special LinkedIn Live edition, hosts Al Elliott and Leanne Elliott are joined by three world-class experts to tackle one of the most pressing questions of the modern era: If machines are increasingly doing the thinking for us, what happens to our own ability to think? 🔥 Discussion Highlights 1. The Irony of Automation We dive into the "irony of automation," a theory from the 1980s stating that as we automate complex tasks, humans shift from "operators" to "supervisors." Over time, the critical skills needed to intervene or judge quality begin to weaken. We explore how this is playing out in today’s knowledge work. 2. Writing as a Thinking Tool Charli Nordone explains why writing isn’t just communication—it’s how we process and structure our thoughts. When we outsource the first draft to AI, are we accidentally outsourcing the very thinking that makes our work valuable? 3. The Case for Human Authenticity Gabrielle Dolan highlights the "AI vs. AI" loop, where machines write resumes and machines screen them. She argues that in a world of machine-generated content, authentic, personal storytelling is the only way to build genuine trust and connection. 4. Leadership & Curiosity Paul Spiers discusses why leaders must move beyond seeing AI as a "productivity plug-in" and instead treat it as a foundational change. He shares how to foster "curiosity with context" to ensure employees feel empowered rather than replaced. 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🎙️ Connect with our Guests Charli Nordone Website: www.thebetterwritingstore.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlinordone/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/betterwritingstore Gabrielle Dolan Website: gabrielledolan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/ Instagram: @gabrielledolan.1 Paul Spiers Website: paulspiers.com | principlesandleadership.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulspiers/ 🆘 Mental Health Support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au Global helplines: findahelpline.com