The Box I Live in Podcast is the “no fluff” guide to corporate survival and growth. Host Ben Reeve and co-host & producer Blake Howard discuss the series one highlights, advice and inspirations from the ways our wonderful guests navigate their careers and their lives.
When my daughters were growing up, I was asked what I’d like to give them to help them in their lives. After much deliberation, I decided on “a work ethic and a sense of humour”.
After recording this podcast – and now that they have grown up – I will add a few more: an appreciation for what they have, a genuine curiosity for the world around them and the ability to say ‘I don’t know’!
In my line of work, I get to talk to lots of people, and everybody has a story to tell. Hearing them tell their story and share what they have learnt along the way is what I love about what I do.
I met this week’s guest, Navroze Kotwal, as a participant on a leadership program I am running. Nav’s personal philosophy on leadership, the questions he asks, and his contribution to the program have been marvellous. He has made all of us think a little deeper, challenged our assumptions and kept us entertained. The podcast will give you an insight into how he does it.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
There are a couple of assumptions in this age-old question. The first is that we have a choice, and the second is that we have a calling and know what we want to be!
During my lifetime as a card-carrying Gen Xer, I feel fortunate that the ability to change careers and follow my passions has been possible without needing anything close to a calling or clear vocation.
My parent’s generation are ‘Baby Boomers’ born during WW2. They never had much choice. Their school and working environments offered them security and then gave them a job. Once they were in the system, if they were loyal, they were rewarded and didn’t have much reason to change. Whether you were happy and fulfilled was not a question they spent much time thinking about; they went to work and came home and created a wonderful life for themselves and their family.
When I think about the working environment for my daughters (Gen Z) and some of the “younger folk” that we work with, their working environments will be very different again.
Our guest on this podcast episode, Christopher McIntosh, has what he describes as a “Scenic Career Path”. Starting as a divorce solicitor in London, he then set up his own business as he attempted to change an industry. He subsequently packed up and moved to New Zealand to start a new life and find satisfaction in his current role. His story is a fantastic listen.
If you don’t feel like a grown-up or have any idea what you want to be, maybe a Scenic Career Path is the right one to follow!
If the pandemic has made you rethink your career or question the role of work in your life, then the appeal of stepping off the corporate treadmill and doing something with a greater purpose can be pretty attractive.
The for-purpose sector – including charities, not-for-profit organisations, philanthropy, and social enterprises – is run by passionate people focused on making a difference for their chosen cause. I know this first hand, having worked with many founders and employees from the for-purpose sector who have attended our leadership programs.
This is where I met Denise Cheng, our guest on this episode’s podcast. Denise has transitioned from a corporate career into fundraising roles and now has what she describes as her dream job as a Philanthropy Relationship Manager, helping families and individuals on their philanthropic journey.
In our chat, we discuss Denise’s career and the challenges that the sector faces. Being passionate about a cause is just the starting point. Knowing how to navigate the various funding models and createing a sustainable entity that doesn’t burn you or your people out are just a couple of challenges people can face.
If you are thinking of making a change or want to understand the for-purpose sector in more detail, give the podcast a listen.
I suspect this episode’s guest, Michelle Lim, and my podcast co-host and producer, Blake Howard, may be difficult to manage.
Not because they don’t deliver; quite the contrary, they do deliver and then they get bored and want to do something else.
Is it up to the individual to fit in with the company, or is it up to the company to listen and learn and change to reflect the needs and wants of today’s employees?
If you have an endless talent pool of people queuing up to work with you, then maybe you can hold firm. However, for most organisations, if we want to keep and retain our talent we need to listen, learn, and think about modifying and moulding our workplaces to meet both business objectives and our people’s needs.
For those of us from older generations, it can be challenging. We need to suspend our judgment and not lament that it “wasn’t like this in my day!”
Michelle provides a great insight into how she has managed her career and is navigating her way through the corporate world to ensure she delivers in her role and lives the life she wants.
Adam Lindsay was a stay-at-home dad who created a million-strong cult following for his eco-friendly cleaning products business Koh, using Facebook ‘before and after’ images.
But before all of this, we both worked for Dell Computers in Dublin back in 1993. The last time we caught up in Australia ten years ago, we committed to each other that Adam would start his own business, and I would write the book that I had been talking about for years.
As we hadn’t caught up since then, the podcast was an excellent reason to reconnect and for Adam to remind me that I hadn’t delivered on our deal, but he certainly had.
Adam is a force of nature, and his story from sales executive, to stay at home dad with “Idea- rrhea” (his words, not mine), to growing his eco-start-up into the business it is today is a rollicking tale not to be missed.
Many years ago, an old boss gave me feedback that she thought I was lazy!
She then observed that this wasn’t a bad thing. Focusing on getting a job done as quickly as possible and with minimal effort was actually a rather good trait. Having the most impact with the least amount of work has always been my philosophy, so it turns out she was spot on.
Hearing Radha quote this philosophy back to me during our conversation as one of her insights from our many discussions over the years made me smile.
Radha is one of the few people I know that has a true vocation in life, and her passion for sustainability and the environment means she is certainly not lazy.
In our conversation, it was great to hear Radha’s story and what drives and motivates her. She also shares her learnings about finding the right balance in life to chair global environmental summits at 2 am and then quickly transition back to being a parent, partner and friend.
As well as making our online programs available to a broader public audience, I had always intended to use them to support the corporate programs we run.
Fortunately, I had a very willing business owner in Tom Hall, who was keen to see how The Box could help his business, Alitex.
I had been talking to Tom, an old school friend, about my plans for several years. When I finally had something we could launch, he was surprised and genuinely interested to see how it could help him continue developing his people. Tom and I share our learnings and insights and discuss how leadership and sponsorship from the right people are vital in rolling out successful development initiatives.
Talking to people who know me well for these initial podcasts has allowed for very authentic and honest conversations. The best theories and research in the world are useless if you can’t translate them into tangible actions. Being able to capture and share the learnings and insights from people that walk the talk has been a lot of fun.
Companies spend a lot of time, energy, and money trying to engage their employees to get them to “buy in” and get them excited about coming to work.
It makes good business sense – if you enjoy what you do, you will work harder and be more invested in helping the business achieve its goals and outcomes.
The concept of employee engagement is well researched, and there is a mountain of resources freely available, yet many businesses still struggle to get it right!
Imagine what it takes to engage 50,000 people. Louise Smalley, HR director at Whitbread PLC, has faced this challenge over her career. With three decades of experience working in HR roles at the highest levels, she understands what levers to pull when it comes to engaging people.
Louise is also my sister, which allowed me a bit more freedom to ensure our discussion was not only informative but also a lot of fun.
Given that we live and work on different continents, we don’t often “talk shop”, as there are other things to catch up on. I knew Louise had to be good at what she did given the roles and positions she held, yet somehow we had never sat down to explore her work and mine and some of the challenges we both see.
You could argue that, because we are related, I will be a little biased and supportive of her; alternatively, if you have a sibling, you also know that we can be the harshest of critics.
I can honestly say I left our conversation feeling that Louise is someone I would happily follow. She knows her stuff, articulates it clearly in a very matter-of-fact way, and I can see how she can motivate those around her.
Having made the transition from “corporate life” to running my own business, there are lots of learnings and experiences that I have picked up along the way. It’s only when I stop and reflect on my own transition and hear how others have gone about making their changes that I remember how exciting – and, at times, stressful – making a significant career move can be.
In our second podcast, we talk to our colleague Sarah about the essential considerations if you’re thinking about stepping out of your comfort zone and out of corporate life.
If you have aspirations to change career paths or starting your own business, here are our top tips on how to think about making a transition.
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