A Job Done Well - For Managers Caught in the Middle
A Job Done Well: for managers caught in the middle
A Job Done Well is for managers caught in the middle of large organisations—stuck between the strategy from above and the reality on the ground. Hosted by Jimmy Barber and James Lawther, this is a straight-talking, often funny look at what work is really like inside big businesses. With decades of experience—from shop floors to senior leadership—they’ve seen the decisions, the dysfunction, and the small wins that actually make a difference. Each episode unpacks real situations, practical ways to handle them, and the mindset shifts that make work not just more effective—but more bearable.
If you’ve ever thought, “surely it’s not just me?”—it isn’t.
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Episodes
116 episodes
Why Work-Life Balance Doesn't Exist
Work-life balance? Jimmy and James are here to dismantle the corporate fairy tale that you can magically split your life into two neat, equal halves. The hosts, both veterans of demanding jobs, long hours, and the occasional existe...
Why Most Workplace Communication Fails
Have you ever sent an email so polished it could double as a mirror—only for no one to act on it? Or delivered a change initiative so inspiring it left your team staring blankly at their screens? This week, Amanda Gilbert joins Jimm...
Why Some Bosses Bring Out The Best In People
Let’s be honest: most bosses are forgettable. They’re neither terrible enough to inspire a mutiny nor brilliant enough to earn your loyalty. But the ones who do stand out? They’re either the reason you quit or the reason you stayed. Th...
Everything We Get Wrong About High Performers
Everyone wants a team of high performers. Or do they? This week, Jimmy and James dismantle the corporate obsession with “high performers”—a label so vague it could mean anything from “top salesperson” to “office psychopath who throws toys out o...
Why Nothing Ever Changes At Work
Ever sat in a meeting where the same problem gets rehashed for the nth time, only for nothing to change? Welcome to the world of organisational inertia—where analysis paralysis, over-collaboration, and a pathological fear of
Why Performance Reviews Make Companies Worse (And What Actually Works)...
Performance management systems: the corporate treadmill to nowhere. Organisations preach the gospel of improvement, then build systems so convoluted they’d make Kafka weep. Ratings are political, feedback is a weapon, and calibration meetings r...
Everything at Work Is Really About Status
Ever wondered why your team’s brilliant technical expert turns into a bumbling fool the second they’re promoted? Or why your boss would rather launch a doomed rocket than admit a mistake? Welcome to the brutal, biological truth: status i...
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Why You’re Doing Everyone Else’s Job (And How It Creeps Up on You)
Ever noticed how the most capable managers end up drowning in work that isn’t theirs? This episode of A Job Done Well dives into the maddening cycle of overworked employees who absorb tasks like a sponge—only to realise they’ve become ...
The Way You’re Solving Problems Is Probably Wrong
Let’s be honest: most managers don’t know how to solve problems. They spend their days firefighting issues they don’t understand, slapping on plasters, and praying the next disaster waits until they are on holiday. Enter Ed Wells, C...
When You Don’t Agree With The Message (But Still Have To Deliver It)
Ever been stuck delivering a message at work that makes you froth at the mouth like a rabid dog? Welcome to the club. This week on A Job Done Well, Jimmy and James tackle one of the most soul-crushing tasks a manager faces: deliveri...
How to Deal With a Bad Boss
Bad bosses: the office equivalent of a microwave with a broken timer. It either leaves your career frozen in the middle or burns it to a crisp, and you’re never quite sure which setting it’s on today. In this episode of A Job Done Well...
Stuck in the Middle: Why Managers Burn Out
Welcome to another episode of A Job Done Well, where Jimmy and James dissect the brutal reality of middle management—a role where you’re accountable for everything and in control of nothing. This week, they expose the absurdity of bein...
The Job You're Never Fully Prepared For: Managing People
Managing people is the corporate equivalent of being handed a live grenade with the pin already pulled. You’re promoted because you’re brilliant at your day job—only to discover that managing humans requires a completely different skill set, on...
Why Your Tech-First Transformation Is a Waste of Money – With Paul Howley
This week, Jimmy and James are joined by Paul Howley—a former radio astronomer turned corporate transformation expert—to dismantle the myth that technology is the answer to all organisational change. Here’s the truth: it’s not. With 36 years of...
100 Episodes In: The Hard Truths About Management
After a hundred episodes of dissecting corporate nonsense, Jimmy and James finally admit what you already knew: the system is rigged, your boss matters more than your paycheck, and no one cares about your career as much as you do. This isn’t a ...
Fitting In: Is the Corporate Mask Exhausting You?
Fitting in at work isn’t just about wearing the right shirt or laughing at the boss’s jokes—it’s about survival. Or at least, that’s how it feels. This week on A Job Done Well, James and Jimmy are joined by Gestalt psychotherapist Dawn...
Your System Is the Problem (Here Is How You Fix It) - With John Seddon
Welcome to the 100th episode of A Job Done Well—where we celebrate the art of calling out corporate nonsense and replacing it with something that actually works. This week, we’re joined by John Seddon, a management thinker so influential he’s g...
You Don’t Have a Time Problem—You Have a ‘Saying Yes’ Problem
You don’t need better time management.You need to stop agreeing to things you shouldn’t be doing. Saying no isn’t about being difficult—it’s about protecting your priorities, your sanity, and, ironically, your relationships. In ...
Corporate Noise: How to Keep Calm When Everyone’s Shouting
Work is noisy. Not just the hum of open-plan offices or the ping of endless emails, but the soul-sapping, productivity-killing corporate noise—the meetings that should have been emails, the politics that should have been resolved, and the repor...
Values at Work: Are They Just Corporate Wallpaper?
This week, Jimmy and James welcome back Dr. Jackie Le Fèvre—aka “Dr. Values”—to dissect the messy, often hypocritical world of organisational and team values. Spoiler: those shiny plaques in the foyer? Probably bollocks. But don’t despair—this ...
Risk Management: Why You Hate It and How to Make It Useful
Risk management—it’s the corporate equivalent of eating your greens. You know it’s good for you, but sometimes you’d rather scoop your eyeballs out with a teaspoon than sit through another risk workshop. Yet, as this episode of A Job Done W...
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Understand Your Values: Are You Clashing With the Machine?
Ever felt like you’re swimming against the tide at work, but can’t quite put your finger on why? Or maybe you’ve said “yes” to something only to regret it later, wondering why you ignored that gut feeling? Welcome to the world of values—...
Hybrid Working: How to Make It Work Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Team)
Welcome to A Job Done Well, the podcast for managers who want to improve their performance—and enjoy their jobs. Hosted by Jimmy Barber and James Lawther, this episode tackles hybrid working, a topic that’s causing headaches, heartburn...
Mastering Decisions: The Manager's Essential Skill
In this week’s episode, we discuss effective decision-making. It is the cornerstone of good management, and makes up 80-90% of a manager’s role. While pressure and incomplete information are constants, improving this skill is the fastest route ...
Is Conflict Our Greatest Natural Resource?
This episode introduces special guest Charles Irvine, who proposes a provocative idea: Conflict is our greatest natural resource.Key Discussion PointsThe Problem with Denial: Jimmy, James and Charles discuss how much time, ...
