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The Better Work Project Podcast, hosted each month by SoftEd’s David Mantica and Andy Cooper explores the changing world of work and offers interviews and insights from thought leaders in the industry and loads of helpful advice. This month we’re joined by Jill Callinan and Michelle Broadbent as they share their experience and insights into the world of women in tech.

To date, the podcast has tackled a number of topics with hosts Andy and David leveraging their international work experience to discuss, debate and enlighten listeners on the new ways of working that are popping up all over the world as well as looking at new ways of dealing with old challenges.

So far, the podcast has tackled:

Radical Candour: We drive continuous improvement by learning. The best learning happens when we embrace the discomfort that comes from direct and honest feedback. When delivered in a supportive and meaningful way, honesty can promote professional and personal growth, but it is not easy.  This podcast digs into how you can build trust so you can have tough conversations that are constructive.

Performing under pressure: The impact that VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) is having on work is enormous. It can be difficult to be productive in stressful situations like the one we are finding ourselves in right now dealing with the effects of COVID-19. The team share some tips, techniques and ideas for managing uncertainty and bringing calmness into situations that feel chaotic.

Adaptive Leadership Part 1 and Part 2: We invite internationally recognised thought leader Pat Reed to the podcast to discuss how the role of leadership is changing and the skills leaders will need to adapt and respond to change, solve complex problems, enable teams to experiment and create lasting change.

Cognitive Diversity: Getting to the best possible solution for a problem when there are hundreds of options requires a team of people who all think differently and can draw on their unique experiences. Cognitive diversity increases the collective intelligence of teams and fosters growth, learning and innovation. Andy and David discuss why introducing diversity of thought is so important but why it's so hard to do.

Key Business (Performance) Indicators (KBIs): We made it a family affair or as David called it, "Mantica Squared" when we invited Nuclear Chemist and PMP holder, Paul Mantica to join us on the podcast. Paul and Andy go back and forth on the pros and cons of KBIs and their use while David complained about their lack of value in forward-thinking analysis which was richly contradicted. A lot of great insights into how we can use metrics to drive better business performance and continuous improvement.

To keep up to date with all of the latest insights on new ways of working, make sure you keep an eye on our website and our social channels for all of our newest releases.