Office Detox Podcast: Recent Episodes
Stefania Sigurdson Forbes
Office Detox is a show about business. Just like any great story, business is a battleground. The quote from Edmond Burke is very relevant here: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” If we, who are basically trying to just make a living and do more good than harm are too passive, the rest – predators, narcissists and more are going to take over the place. All of the things that we love about business will vanish, leaving the thieves and conmen. It may be too late already – but call me an optimist? I’m going to try. And there is so much to love. In business, you can create your life. You are not in the safety of a lab or an educational institution. You are out in the real world – creating things that other people need. Ruled by the invisible hand of economics. Throughout the series, we are taking a look at the different factors, some of which were part of commerce and trade since it started, and others that have joined us more recently. Welcome to Office Detox - I’m your host, Stefania Sigurdson Forbes. If I didn’t love business, I wound not be doing this. But – there is a big gap between where business is, and where it could be. So my friends, let’s get started. And say hey business… we can do better.
In this humble finale to the Office Detox podcast, I talk about the 12th part of the Dirty Dozen. In a nutshell, no one can save you, you have to save yourself! But you don't have to do it alone. Thank you, lovely listeners, for being with me on this journey.
Support the show
The thing about inequity in the workplace is that it is (I believe) that minority of people who put you in the situation like I was in, but it affects you strongly. In this episode, we explore the marriage and divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates, Microsoft and the Gates Foundation.
We also look at inclusive leadership, and how it means to lead inside and lead outside.
Sources
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/bill-and-melinda-gates-divorce-saga-next-phase
https://www.newsweek.com/timeline-allegations-bill-gates-money-manager-michael-larson-1595397
https://nationalpost.com/news/bill-gates-money-manager-accused-of-bullying-sexual-racist-misconduct-at-cascade-new-york-times
https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-reportedly-pursued-microsoft-employees-while-married-2021-5
https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-and-melinda-gates-marriage-2017-11#melinda-had-reportedly-been-seeking-a-divorce-since-2019-and-unnamed-sources-told-the-new-york-times-bill-had-pursued-other-women-while-married-38
https://www.catalyst.org/research/inclusive-leadership-report/
MusicChris Zabruskie
Pain
What does Anyone Know About Anything
Kai Engel
November
Synth Kid
Devotion
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
What do you do when a work relationship has been working well for over a decade... suddenly doesn't? Sometimes a colleague has an addiction to drugs or alcohol that can throw off a whole project, team or even a state's judicial system.
In this episode, we discuss Sonja Farak's addiction and how it crippled a state's judicial system. If you are interested in this topic, you may want to check out "How to Fix a Drug Scandal" on Netflix.
Research:
https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80233339
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a31991509/sonja-farak-how-to-fix-a-drug-scandal-netflix/
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/apr/01/how-to-fix-a-drug-scandal-netflix-erin-lee-carr
https://heavy.com/entertainment/2020/04/sonja-farak-netflix-drug-scandal/
https://heavy.com/entertainment/2020/04/netflix-fix-drug-scandal-story/
Music Credit:
Kai Engel:
Dark Alleys
Downpour
Augmentations
Chris Zabruskie:
Pain
That Kid in 4th Grade Who Liked the Denver Broncos
Synth Kid:
Chromatic
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
The topic of today’s podcast, “War Against Talent”. This is somewhat a play on words, if you are a corporate insider. You see, people in the recruiting industry talk about the “War On Talent” that we are all fighting to get the best people on the team. But, in reality, there is a “War Against Talent” with people hurting the talented people on the team.
Today’s story that we are going to focus on the botched hunt for Canada’s worst serial killer, Robert Pickton, and Geographic Profiler for the Vancouver Police, Kim Rossmo, who tried to warn them.
Research
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2011/10/12/investigator_tried_to_warn_of_serial_killer_pickton_inquiry_told.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20110706182046/http://www.hamiltonhowell.ca/cases/rossmo.htm
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/changes-needed-to-prevent-another-b-c-serial-killer-profiler-1.544998
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Rossmo
http://tevlingleadle.com/rossmo-v-vancouver-police-department/
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/ex-detective-stands-by-his-pickton-testimony/article4197532/
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/former-profiler-expected-to-tell-pickton-inquiry-why-the-police-ignored-his-serial-killer-warning
https://www.aptnnews.ca/the-disappearance-of-natasha-lynn-starr/
https://canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/2017/12/6/15-robert-pickton-part-1
http://tevlingleadle.com/rossmo-v-vancouver-police-department/
https://hbr.org/2010/04/envy-at-work
Music
Kai EngelNovember
Downpour
Smoldering
Chris ZabruskieThey Call it Nature
Last Night I Dreamed I Saw True Love In Your Eyes
That Kid in Forth Grade Who Really Liked the Denver Broncos
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
The topic of today’s podcast, “Nowhere to Turn” as in… today, when someone is experiencing a toxic work environment, there really is nowhere to turn to help – HR, management, Unions, Courts, changing jobs – it is all hard and there is no easy road. We discuss Lois Jenson and the first Class-Action sexual harassment case. In exploring the case, we chat about how this is still relevant for today's workforce.
Research:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/feb/03/gender.world
https://www.virginiamn.com/one-of-the-first-silence-breakers/article_88fcd506-dd3c-11e7-a9fd-0f0affa3de04.html
https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2018/01/04/conflict-interest-hr-roles/
Music:
Chris ZabruskieHide Their Secrets
Stories About a World that Once Was
That Hopeful Future
Thoughtless
Kai EngelDenouement
Maree
October
Synth KidHeartache
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
Have you ever been a part of an organization that seemed more like a cult than a regular workplace?
In this episode, I discuss the famed sex cult NXIVM and its leader, Keith Raniere. I also look into one of his followers, Sarah Edmondston. Bringing it to an everyday situation, when an organization turns into a cult, it begins to be more about serving the leader, than serving the purpose for which it was started.
Resourceshttps://www.cbc.ca/radio/uncover/uncover-season-1-escaping-nxivm-1.4675949https://culteducation.com/group/907-nxivm/34368-the-making-of-vanguard.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2019/05/15/keith-raniere-the-leader-of-the-nxivm-sex-cult/#75be810135a9
https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/852-keith-raniere-s-twelve-point-m/14c1838fee817b774dfc/optimized/full.pdf
https://www.thecut.com/2019/04/nxivm-sex-cult-case-a-complete-timeline-of-events.html
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46113727-scarred?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=PA9dwzMj3M&rank=1
Music
Chris ZabruskeA Day in the New Sector
The Kid in 4th Grade Who Really Liked the Denver Bronkos
Last Night I Dreamed I Saw Love In Your Eyes
Thoughtless
Kai EngelContention
Headway
Synth KidWanderlust
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
According to Security Magazine, employee thefts cost US businesses 50 Billion per year. One of the most egregious thefts ever investigated by the FBI was Rita Crundwell, City Comptroller of Dixon, IL, who embezzled over 53 Million dollars over the course of 22 years.
By the time of her arrest, she had over 300 horses across 22 farms in 13 states. She had a motorcoach which seems similar to a very fancy looking tour bus, that she upgraded 5 times, worth 2.1 million dollars.
My promise to you, my dear listeners, is to go through what I think of as “the dirty dozen”. It is the “dirty dozen” of what makes business so dirty and hard. And so if you are a young person, you can go into it with your eyes open. If you are investing in training or any other type of business, you are seeing it from a real view. If you are someone who has been around for a while and waking up to what your environment is really about, you can come on this bus too.
I truly think a small minority of people are making it way too hard for the rest of us.
Research:
All the Queen's Horses: https://www.allthequeenshorsesfilm.com/
Security Magazine: https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/88432-employee-theft-costs-us-businesses-50-billion-per-year
Music:
Chris Zabrieskie
Grey Skies Remix
Stories About the World that Once Was
What Does Anyone Know About Anything
The Wizard of Lies
Kai Engel:
Devotion
Synth Kid:
Trapped in the Upside Down
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
You can't have a leader without a follower. Music Entrepreneur Derek Sivers introduced first follower theory at the 2010 TED (technology, entertainment, design) conference. According to Sivers, the first follower is what transforms an individual with a unique idea into a leader. Here is a shortened version of his talk. I will put a link to it in the show notes.
First Followers are a part of the toxic work environment today, as they give the leader that "follower glow". In this episode, we talk about the death of Kirby Brown, follower of self help guru James Arthur Ray. Ray, who got famous from the movie "The Secret" led three seekers to their deaths in 2009 in a sweat lodge ceremony gone wrong. Kirby Brown, an entrepreneur and a seeker died that day. We look at this story in the context of followers and what can be done.
Books
Fear - Bob Woodward
Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered - Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Research
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/first-follower-theory
https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement?language=en
https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/4/5038930/the-death-dealer-james-arthur-sweat-lodge-deaths-in-sedona
http://www.seeksafely.org/
https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/james-arthur-ray-arizona-sweat-lodge/story?id=11016900
https://spiritualityisnoexcuse.wordpress.com/james-rays-first-victim-colleen-conaway/
http://www.seeksafely.org/resources/self-help-fact-sheet/
http://www.seeksafely.org/2019/02/08/happybirthdaykirby-wish/
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/mixes
Music
Kai Engel
Downpour
Great Expectations
Synth Kid
Wizard of Lies
Chromatic
Chris Zabrieskie
The Oceans Continue to Rise
Stories About a World that Once Was
Music above is used under an Attribution License - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
Have you ever dealt with paranoia in the workplace? Or the "blame game" on overdrive?
All of us have an inner warning system that alerts us to danger. But with the paranoid personality, it’s as if this system is stuck in overdrive, sounding alarms about you, me, neighbors, co-workers, ethnic groups, foreigners, the government and on and on. Their skewed perspective dominates their life, and the lives of the people that work with or for them. Key traits include: being easily insulted, holding grudges, questioning motives, challenging the rules, fears, dislikes or hates those who are different.
We take a look at Snapchat or the parent company, Snap's VP of People, Talent Acquisition and Global Security Jason Halbert. Learn about how working with paranoia in the workplace can affect you, and what you can do.
Note: This episode includes some explicit language.
Researchhttps://www.theinformation.com/articles/employee-complaints-about-snap-personnel-chief-led-to-outside-inquiryhttps://nypost.com/2018/01/19/snapchat-threatens-leakers-with-jail/
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/01/snapchat-goes-full-scaramucci-threatens-leakers-with-jail-time
https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-is-the-data-snapchat-doesnt-want-you-to-seehttps://www.neowin.net/news/snap-incs-human-resources-chief-jason-halbert-departs-the-company/
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/16/silicon-valley-internal-work-spying-surveillance-leakers
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/05/how-zuckerbergs-billionaires-club-can-atone-for-facebook
https://www.wired.com/story/inside-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-2-years-of-hell/
Music
Chris ZabriskieJohn Stockton Slow Drag
What Does Anybody Know About Anything
That Kid in Fourth Grade Who Really Liked the Denver Broncos
I Don't See Branches, I See the Leaves
The 49th Street Galleria
Music above is used under an Attribution License - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
Have you ever walked into a place, and it is a pressure cooker? Like the pressure is so high you can hardly breathe? Like the pressure is so high, that it will blow at any minute? You may be working in an emotionally unstable workplace.
In episode 3 of Season 1 of Office Detox, we explore the unstable workplace, through the lens of the suicides of Gaetan Mootoo and Roz McGregor of Amnesty International.
On the night of the 25th of May, Gaetan Mootoo killed himself, aged 65, in the Paris offices of the famous human rights NGO. This researcher specializing in French-speaking Africa, unanimously respected, has spent his entire career, started 32 years earlier, there. He left behind his son, Robin and his wife Martyne. Five weeks later, 25-year-old intern, Roz McGregor. "Roz has been overwhelmingly described as a smart, motivated, ambitious, and enthusiastic person. She has been described often as 'bubbly'. Roz's work at IAP was of high quality and she was recognized as an excellent intern."
We dig into this story, and everything behind it. We also give tips on what you can do if you are in an emotionally unstable workplace right now.
Research
Books:
Dangerous Personalities by Joe Navarro - this includes the emotionally unstable personality "checklist"
Report:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/org60/9763/2019/en/
Articles:
https://blogs.mediapart.fr/edwy-plenel/blog/100618/gaetan-mootoo-1952-2018-elegance-one-just
http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20180528-mort-gaetan-moutoo-droits-humains-afrique-amnesty-international
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ga%C3%ABtan_Mootoo
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/oct/22/amnesty-faces-scrutiny-as-inquiry-links-paris-workers-suicide-to-his-job
http://www.tlaxcala-int.org/article.asp?reference=24789
https://www.facebook.com/PayYourInterns/posts/we-are-deeply-saddened-to-read-the-story-of-roz-mcgregor-a-28-year-old-intern-wo/2168292216782484/
Music
Chris Zabriskie
Nature
Thoughtless
Kai EngleAveu
Denouement
Downpour
November
Synth KidDevotion
Heartache
Trapped in the Upside Down
TCM UndergroundThe Wizard of Lies
Music above is used under an Attribution License - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
According to the book “Dangerous Personalities” by former FBI profiler Joe Navarro, Narcissistic personalities only care for themselves, their needs, and their priorities. While you and I appreciate attention, the narcissist craves it and manipulates people and situations to get it. While you and I work hard to be successful, the narcissistic personality connives to succeed and may cheat, lie, embellish the truth, or scheme to get ahead, uncaring of how others are affected.
In this episode, we are going to talk about Travis Kalanick, the former CEO of Uber.
e
We also offer tips on how to spot these in the workplace, and what to do after an encounter with one.
Research:
Dangerous Personalities by Joe Navarro (check out the Narcissist checklist)
https://hbr.org/2015/11/why-bad-guys-win-at-work
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/communication-success/201504/10-signs-your-co-worker-colleague-is-narcissist
https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-travis-kalanick-life-rise-photos-2017-6
https://thoughts.siliconguild.com/can-we-trust-uber-c0e793deda36
https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-uber
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/15/technology/uber-ipo-price.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/technology/uber-travis-kalanick-final-hours.html
https://mashable.com/article/uber-ipo-starts-trading-travis-kalanick-ceo/
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bets-against-uber-and-lyft-rev-up-to-nearly-us-2-billion-131703736.html
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-05-21/time-to-repeal-the-rule-that-aided-uber-s-ipo-flop
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/understanding-dark-triad.htm
Music
Audionautix
Rubix Cube
Chris Zabriskie
Pain
Stories About the World that Once Was
Thoughtless
Kai Engel
Cold War Echo
Denouement
Headway
Kevin MacLeod
Fearless First
Synth Kid
Chromatic
Devotion
Elsewhere
Far from Home
Music above is used under an Attribution License - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)
Have you ever encountered a corporate predator? One thing is that predators can be very charming at first. They draw you in. If you are someone who relies on “vibes” when it comes to people and a predator can overcome that. They have learned a way to appear like a nice person who helps out. Brain scans of sociopaths, with emotional stimuli, says it goes to the analytical side of their brain, rather than just reacting like the rest of us.
In this episode, we look at how Carrie Toldstedt went from a Most Successful Woman to a corporate predator. We will discuss how she went from the head of Well's Fargo and #27 on Fortune's Most Powerful Women to being in charge of a division that gave 2 million, mostly unauthorized accounts for their customers and eventually forced to give back 67 million dollars.
We weave in personal stories, and at the end, we give tips on how to handle corporate predators in your life.
Books
Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout
Dangerous Personalities by Joe Navarro - this includes the predator "checklist"
Research
https://money.cnn.com/2018/02/27/investing/wells-fargo-sacramento-lawsuit-discriminatory-lending/index.html
https://prospect.org/article/wells-fargo-gets-what-it-deserves-and-just-time
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Fargo_account_fraud_scandal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Tolstedt
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/14/john-stumpf-retirement-wells-fargo-ceo-jail-time
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/10/wells-fargo-board-slams-stumpf-and-tolstedt-claws-back-millions.html
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/wells-fargo-corporate-culture-fraud
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/gsb/files/publication-pdf/cgri-closer-look-62-wells-fargo-cross-selling-scandal.pdf
https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wells-fargo-sale-pressure-20131222-story.html
https://www08.wellsfargomedia.com/assets/pdf/about/investor-relations/presentations/2017/board-report.pdf
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-114shrg23001/pdf/CHRG-114shrg23001.pdf
Music
Chris Zabriskie
A New Day in a New Sector
The Oceans Continue to Rise
Stories About a World that Once Was
Kai Engle
October
November
Smoldering
Kevin MacLeod
Fearless First
Music above is used under an Attribution License - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/officedetox)