Plan C: Recent Episodes
Dave Lester
With David Lester & Neil Gibb
Over the last few years we have become intrigued by how the more disrupted and uncertain our world becomes, the more people there are claiming to know the solution. Like it is obvious. Let's face it, none of us do. As Jack Ma sagely put it "There are no experts in the future, only the past."
This was the seed that led to the Plan C Podcast. Rather than speak to people who simply have a point-of-view - so called 'thought leaders' - we are talking to people who are out there doing things differently, often in the face of conventional wisdom, and getting results.
Our intention is to shine light on people who are trail-blazing, experimenting, doing things differently, and getting results, both as a means to share insight that others might find useful and to celebrate and acknowledge the people we interview.
We choose people we like, and organisations we respect and are aligned with. We want them to look good.
The people we are interviewing will all have a few things in common. They are interesting, authentic people. They care passionately about what they do. They are making and building things. They are in some way innovating and applying new ways of thinking and doing things. They care - about people and the impact they have.
Our aim with the Plan C podcast is to make a business focused podcast that is as interesting as something like This American Life.
The Long Game We can't keep doing what we are doing, we all know that. We need a new mindset, a new kind of leadership. Easy to say, but challenging when scale, fast-growth, and pace have become the measures of so many businesses. Spencer Land is out to break that mold. The founder of Global Associates, a tech-led, market leading building intelligence company, Spencer talks to us about his vision for a company that is about so much more than bottom line results. If we are going to build a sustainable future - one we actually want to live in - then Spencer Land is a great role model. https://www.global-associates.co.uk/who-we-are/about-us
Nnenna Ilomechina The original title for this episode was ‘The experiences of a multicultural nomad’. When you read Nnenna's bio you will understand why. But when we listened back to it we thought a better title might be ‘The art of diversity’. Nnenna was born in Rome, her parents are Nigerian, she was brought up in Ghana, went to university in America, and has lived in the UK for 20 years (with two years in Dubai).
She is a Managing Director in strategy and consulting at Accenture, sponsor of the company’s Diversity and Inclusion Agenda , and was a finalist in the 2020 Black British Business Awards.
This is a fascinating interview, exploring what diversity and inclusion really means from ’an as-lived perspective’ with some thought provoking insights. If there is one thing we hope people will take away and practice it is ‘cultural curiosity’.
Papua New Guinea - The land of the unexpected. How do you become a leading and trusted retailer In a country that in the most part is non-monetised, with its people living from subsistence farming. In PNG a retail business has to be a lot more than just about selling stuff. And this is really where the Plan C Thinking comes into play. Ian Clough is the Chairman of the Brian Bell Group, a business established by Sir Brain Bell in 1958, and is still today considered a trusted PNG family business. The Plan C thinking in this conversation is really about what happens when a business is led from within the community it serves. The opposite of current conventional retailing, where customer data dictates and drives what stocked. This is a fascinating conversation, regardless if you have ever travelled to Papua New Guinea or not. The insights include, culture, community, giving back, belonging and how to get a national reach across 700+ individual isolated society's, each with their own language! https://www.brianbell.com.pg/ https://www.papuanewguinea.travel/
In every crisis lies opportunity. So it with the high-street. Tillie Peel is the founder of the The Popup Club, a new retailing concept that is growing at a time when so many stores are failing. There are a lot of c-words in this interview - community, connection, craft, curiosity, curation. But what it is really about is that thing we all seek most. In a world where so many products are available online, the future of the high-street is not on the internet. You find out more about The Popup Club here http://popupclub.co/ And follow them on Instagram here; https://www.instagram.com/thepopupclub_/
How do you fundamentally change how you work? It is one of those million dollar questions (often quiet literally), that few organisations truly manage to answer. In this episode we talk to Richard James from the Nationwide Building Society on the ongoing journey of radical transformation that is fundamentally changing how the organisation works... The conversation gets behind the hype and theory and gives clear examples of how a large, diverse organisation is making real changes in how they work. This episode is fascinating, frank and insightful in equal parts, especially for anyone involved in organisational transformation and change.
“Ever felt the pull to tackle one of societies big problems but don’t feel qualified”? This is your biggest asset. This week we talk to Marco about how he has applied a Plan C approach to rehabilitating young men at risk and in doing so perhaps trailblazed the transformation of education. The result is the MOB Academy. A revolutionary school on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. This is an inspirational and down to earth story in which Marco turns on its head how we need to approach education. Check out more about the MOB Academy here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYt2KKG8YDc&t=2s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYt2KKG8YDc&t=2s) https://menofbusiness.com.au/ (www.menofbusiness.com.au)
Emma is starting up and is the head of the NHSX Innovation Lab. A team that looks for opportunities to innovate, and using human centred design to apply disruptive technologies as solutions. This is a fascinating conversation with Emma Harvey about her new role and the new Innovation Lab, driving forward digital transformation within health and social care. You can check out the NHSX Innovation lab on the URL below. http://www.acertus.co.uk/nhsx/index.html (http://www.acertus.co.uk/nhsx/index.html) During this Podcast Emma informs us that she is currently recruiting for a number of positions which can be found on the links below. https://twentysevenconsulting.co.uk/job/lead-engineer-innovation-lab-band-afc-8d/ (https://twentysevenconsulting.co.uk/job/lead-engineer-innovation-lab-band-afc-8d/) https://twentysevenconsulting.co.uk/job/senior-user-researcher-innovation-lab-band-afc-8b/ (https://twentysevenconsulting.co.uk/job/senior-user-researcher-innovation-lab-band-afc-8b/) https://twentysevenconsulting.co.uk/job/senior-designer-innovation-lab-band-afc-8b/ (https://twentysevenconsulting.co.uk/job/senior-designer-innovation-lab-band-afc-8b/) https://twentysevenconsulting.co.uk/job/product-lead-innovation-lab-afc-band-8d/ (https://twentysevenconsulting.co.uk/job/product-lead-innovation-lab-afc-band-8d/)
In this episode we speak to Frances Bishop, runner up in the UK apprentice, and founder and driving force behind the children's clothing brand Pudstore. This is an inspiring and candid interview, a must-listen for anyone looking to startup a business. Frances has an instinctive approach to business; she is a natural rule breaker while at the same time having a deep empathy and care for what her customers really want and need. There are many Plan C moments: from the debunking of the social media industry, to how she started an e-commerce business without a website, to the simple but so-often forgotten ethos that has helped her build a thriving business in a way and in places that industry experts said wasn't possible.
Ten years ago Matthew Steans was working in an office block in Auckland when he saw someone jump from the top of a car park to their death. A couple of months later a good friend committed suicide. These incidents affected Matthew deeply and set him off on the journey that led him to startup Stigma Statistics... In this episode Matthew Steans Founder of Stigma Statistics talks to us about the opportunities they are creating to achieve real time suicide surveillance through the data insights generated from their online platform. Stigma Statistics are applying epidemiology thinking to the tracking of real time data to get support where it is needed when its needed. This episode was recorded in support of World Suicide Prevention Day. During this episode reference is made to following resources and we strongly encourage and support anyone who is managing suicidal thoughts and depression to use these resources and start a conversation. Support is available through the below resources or through contacting your GP: http://www.stigmastats.co.uk (www.stigmastats.co.uk) https://hubofhope.co.uk/ (https://hubofhope.co.uk/) https://www.befrienders.org/ (https://www.befrienders.org/) https://www.lifeline.org.au/ (https://www.lifeline.org.au/) https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/) Link to the Stigma Statistics Crowdfunder campaign: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/pursuing-prevention (https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/pursuing-prevention) Matthew also makes mention of a book that has recently inspired him; https://www.amazon.com.au/Lost-Connections-Uncovering-Depression-Unexpected-ebook/dp/B075RTJV67/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=connection&qid=1599616902&sr=8-1 (Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions)
In this episode we talk to Foong, Founder and CEO of matchable, We are in a period of massive social upheaval, with public consensus changing quickly and dramatically while fragmenting at the same time. There is a pressing demand for leaders and companies to be more accountable, to be more socially responsible, to not only react but to lead in areas that were once seen as the domain of politicians or the social sector. Plan A was that corporations and the social sector were separate. Plan B has seen the emergence of a new category of social enterprises while many corporations now have social responsibility on their agenda. Plan C though is that the two become inextricably linked....... www.wearematchable.com