A Job Done Well - Making Work Better
Welcome to "A Job Done Well", the podcast that makes work better.
Each week, Jimmy and James will bring you an entertaining and informative show that will transform how you work. Their backgrounds – everything from running a multi-million-pound business to packing frozen peas – have given them a rich assortment of flops (and the occasional success) to learn from.
Whether you are the leader of your own business, manage an operations team, or just want to do your job better and enjoy it more, this podcast is essential listening. It provides insights, advice, analysis and humour to improve your performance and enjoyment at work.
The podcast is guaranteed to make your commute to work fly and may also help if you suffer from insomnia.
Contact us and let us know what you think.
Episodes
67 episodes
Unlocking Leadership Development with Frank Devine
In this episode, James Lawther and Jimmy Barber are joined by leadership development guru Frank Devine. Frank shares insights about which methods of leadership development work and which don't. After a long and varied career within ...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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37:55
Show Me the Money - How to Earn More and Still Enjoy Your Job
In this episode, we dive into how to make more money at work while still enjoying what you do. We chat about everything from the difference education makes to earnings, choosing the right industry and company, to the importance of ongoing devel...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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29:30
Mastering Collaboration: Insights and Strategies for Success
In this episode, we are joined by Amanda Gilbert, and we dive deep into collaboration in the workplace. We discuss the importance of collaboration, how to achieve it, and the common corporate pitfalls that can prevent it. We share practic...
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Season 2
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Episode 30
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36:45
Understanding Leadership Power Dynamics
This week, we delve into the intricacies of leadership power and its impact on workplace dynamics. We explore power’s misuse and ethical implications, highlighted by current events and personal experiences. We also share our 'research' an...
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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27:14
The Fear Factor: Understanding and Conquering Fear in the Workplace
In this episode, we are joined by returning guests Amanda Gilbert and Dawn Wray to discuss the pervasive impact of fear in the workplace. We explore various sources of fear, including individual anxieties, interpersonal dynamics, and systemic i...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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49:11
DOGE - Is This Really the Answer to Cost Challenges?
'The wise learn not only from their own mistakes but also from the missteps of others.'In this episode, we discuss the challenges faced by the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as it attempts to cut federal spending and...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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26:38
Customer Experience or Customer Service With Adrian Swinscoe.
In this episode, we welcome guest Adrian Swinscoe, an author, researcher, and advisor on customer service and experience. Adrian challenges the underlying management beliefs that you should try to manage revenue, cost, and profitabi...
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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34:56
The World's Most Valuable Metrics – With Bernie Smith
Bernie Smith, KPI guru, is back to help us find 'gold bars' - those vital measures that drive business success. Bernie shares a simple three-step method for unlocking those gold bars, using examples as diverse as predicting an inter...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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26:34
KPI's - Your Optional Unfair Advantage With Bernie Smith
This week, we are joined by KPI Guru Bernie Smith - world-renowned expert and author of 21 books...Bernie has made a career out of successfully helping people from across the globe to identify how they use KPIs to unlock performance. <...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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23:55
Wellbeing at Work With James Carrier Part 2
This week, we hear more from Leadership and Wellbeing Guru James Carrier.Following last week's episode, we discuss who's responsible for wellbeing, and if this is such an obvious thing to invest in, what gets in the way? Why do many orga...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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29:39
Wellbeing at Work With James Carrier
Wellbeing – is it another corporate buzzword, a moral responsibility or an investment in future performance? This week, we are lucky to have James Carrier joining us to discuss wellbeing at work. How do we define it...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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28:43
How to Flourish in a New Job – Start as You Mean to Go On
Throughout our work lives, we change jobs - sometimes, we get a promotion, move to a new organisation, or move within a company. It happens all the time.Often, the initial transition can be bumpy and influence your entire tenure in a rol...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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33:54
The Power of Questions With Graeme Rainbird
This week's special guest is Graeme Rainbird, a Leadership expert and self-confessed question addict.Questioning is something we do daily, but with little thought, Graeme talks about the power of questions for shaping outcomes and relat...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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37:21
Energy Limiting Conditions - The Workplace's Hidden Secret
You or someone near you suffers from one of these.....This week, Steve Shutts joined us to discuss energy-limiting conditions, which impact 15 million people in the UK or 1 in 5 in the workplace. These conditions are a silent challenge ...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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34:30
Meetings – The Lifeblood of Work, or Just Corporate Treacle?
On average, we spend 28% of our working lives in meetings. So how do we make the most of this time and ensure meetings are productive and positive rather than "hours of my life I won't get back."? This week's podcast discusses the impor...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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24:36
Playing to Your Strengths With Patricia Brooks
Happy New Year!We're back and starting 2025 on a high with a special guest: Patricia Brooks, a high-performance strengths coach.Patricia shares the importance and value of knowing what you are good at and her model for identifyi...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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34:13
Twelve Insights for Christmas
We end the year with our version of the 12 Days of Christmas – a light-hearted look at some seasonal insights to help you over the festive period and into 2025. Amanda Gilbert our Learning and Development Guru attempts to keep us i...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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31:26
How to Succeed in Your Career
Free advice from two old men, but is it any good?This week, we explore 'how to manage your career' - a subject often discussed, rarely taught, and where perfect answers don't exist. We have both had decades of experience—good and bad—tr...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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31:36
Do You Need Therapy? – Part 2
This week is the second part of our conversation with Gestalt Therapist Dawn Wray. Dawn explains the "five explorations", questions that will help you deepen your understanding of yourself and improve your relationships with the world a...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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24:47
Do You Need Therapy? – Part 1
This week, we will see the first of two episodes with Gestalt Therapist Dawn Wray. We will explore how therapy can help improve performance and enjoyment at work. Dawn discusses its nature and shares how it can have a profound effe...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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25:38
Embrace Failure and Succeed
Good/bad, happy/sad, success/failure—we are conditioned to fear failure, but it's essential for learning, growth, and innovation. This week, we review the research into failure and share our experiences and perspectives. Listen to help ...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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27:13
Developing Capable People – There Is More to It Than Training
This week, Amanda Gilbert joins us to share insights into how you can build people's capability - yours, your teams, or your organisation. Avoid some common pitfalls and follow critical steps to improve capability and results.This podca...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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27:30
The Magic Bullet for Better Results
This week, we discuss the often shortsighted cost-cutting measures companies adopt to hit their targets and the flawed logic behind these strategies. What might appear to be an immediate saving usually leads to more significant issues down the ...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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24:38
How Can Systems Thinking Help You Improve Performance? With Rob Wilson
A second episode, in which Rob Wilson (Co-Founder of Service Economics) shares his insights into Systems Thinking – an approach that can help transform how businesses work. We discuss how you can change the way you think about your syst...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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32:43
What is Systems Thinking? Rob Wilson Explains.
This week, we are lucky to have Rob Wilson, Co-Founder of Service Economics, as a special guest. Rob has 20+ years of experience leading and transforming service operations across various sectors and is an expert in Systems Thinking. Th...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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31:26