The Human Loop Podcast

Ben Stocken
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Management

The Human Loop explores what happens at the intersection of human performance and emerging technology. Each episode unpacks how modern leaders can operate at their best while AI transforms the way we work. Powered by Atherio | Lead with Clarity

  1. How to Lead When You Don't Have All the Answers: Natalie Arendale

    1 day ago

    How to Lead When You Don't Have All the Answers: Natalie Arendale

    Natalie Arendale, MBA, Enterprise Payments & Commercial Leader with 10+ years scaling fintech businesses across APAC and London, takes on a live Decision Sprint and draws the Strategy Card. She gets into what leading a team she'd never met through a global pandemic taught her about intentional leadership, why silence is the worst move when a competitor makes a move in market, and how to keep high-performance sales teams steady when they've already read the threat before you have. Plus, we break down her Decision Sprint score, strengths, watch outs, and leadership archetype in real time — and she tops the leaderboard at 68%. More from Natalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliearendale/ Powered by Atherio, real-time leadership wisdom for every manager — https://www.getatherio.com Connect with your host Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

    35 min
  2. Unmanaged Complexity Kills Businesses Faster Than Lack of Ambition: Ollie Whiting

    17 Jun

    Unmanaged Complexity Kills Businesses Faster Than Lack of Ambition: Ollie Whiting

    Ollie Whiting, Group CEO of La Fosse , a £200 million staffing and consulting business, takes on a live Decision Sprint and draws the People Card. He also gets into what he's learned about leadership over the last five years, why employee ownership changes everything, the role of a meeting chair in surfacing real opinions, and why indecision is more dangerous than a wrong call. Plus, we break down his Decision Sprint score, strengths, watch outs, and leadership archetype in real time. More from Oli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverwhiting/ Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

    36 min
  3. Why Great Culture Always Starts at the Top: Phil Hobden

    10 Jun

    Why Great Culture Always Starts at the Top: Phil Hobden

    What Would You Do If You Knew Someone Was Crossing a Line? Phil Hobden, Head of Advocacy at Sage, takes on a live AI-powered leadership challenge — and draws the Trust Card. The scenario: a respected, visible colleague is crossing a line. A public recognition event is five days away. Do you say something? When? How? His answer unpacks difficult conversations, when to escalate, and why staying silent is always a choice. Phil also gets into what he looks for before joining any business, why culture beats product every time, and why a room full of yes-people is one of the biggest red flags in any organisation. More from Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhobden/?originalSubdomain=uk Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

    24 min
  4. Indecision Is Worse Than Being Wrong: Saeed Bor

    3 Jun

    Indecision Is Worse Than Being Wrong: Saeed Bor

    What happens when a leader discovers someone is crossing a line and has five days before they're publicly recognized for their work? In this episode of The Human Loop Podcast, Saeed Bor, founder of Embedded Ops and 15-year recruitment veteran, takes on a live Decision Sprint that tests his values, speed, and leadership instincts under pressure. Plus, Saeed shares a real-world example of a leader handling a line-crossing moment with speed and conviction, and we unpack what it means to lead as a Catalyst. If you're building teams, managing change, or navigating tough calls as a founder or operator, this episode is packed with honest insights you can apply today. Chapters 00:00 Meet Saeed — Embedded Ops & 15 Years in Recruitment 03:37 The Lonely Founder Myth 05:00 Building Your Network as a Business Strategy 06:27 Why Human Connection Still Wins in an AI World 09:12 Getting Buy-In: Understanding What People Actually Want 11:30 Everyone's Selfish — And That's Okay 14:10 The Decision Sprint Begins 18:23 The Trust Card: Someone's Crossing a Line 19:16 Saeed's Answer — Values, Speed & Accountability 23:00 Can a Line Ever Be Un-Crossed? 25:27 A Real-World Example of Leaders Acting Fast 27:44 What If You're the Outside Consultant? 29:59 Indecision Is Worse Than a Wrong Decision 31:33 The Score Reveal & Leaderboard 32:00 Breaking Down the Scorecard 34:37 The Catalyst Archetype — What It Means to Lead This Way Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

    31 min

  5. 27 May

    The 48-hour Leadership Rule for Solving Problems Fast: Zac & Jack

    What happens when a founder is forced to make a high-stakes leadership decision in real time? In this episode of The Human Loop Podcast, Zach and Jack from We Have A Meeting take on a live leadership challenge designed to test strategic thinking, communication, and decision-making under pressure. The conversation dives into: Why motivation goes beyond money Building high-performing teams through ownership The “48-hour rule” for solving problems fast How founders stay calm when competitors make aggressive moves Why asking better questions creates stronger leaders Plus, Jack is put through a live “Decision Sprint” and scored on his leadership response in real time. If you’re a founder, leader, operator, or building a team, this episode is packed with practical leadership insights you can apply immediately. Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Intro & Meet the Founders 00:00:49 Leadership Lessons Learned in 5 Years 00:02:49 Working Apart as Co-Founders 00:04:38 The Leadership Decision Sprint Begins 00:07:25 The Competitor Crisis Scenario 00:08:57 Jack’s Live Leadership Response 00:13:40 Staying Calm Under Pressure 00:14:17 Real Story: Competitor Bought Their Brand Search Term 00:16:46 The Power of the “Pre-Mortem” 00:18:31 The “One Big Thing” Leadership System 00:19:14 The 48-Hour Rule Explained 00:22:21 The 3 Questions Every Employee Must Answer 00:24:21 Leadership Score Revealed 00:25:41 Where the Leadership Response Fell Short 00:27:24 Communication vs Clarity in Leadership 00:28:30 Final Thoughts & Future Challenge Check out "We Have a Meeting" with Zac & Jack: https://www.wehaveameeting.com Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager -https://www.getatherio.com Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

    29 min

  6. 13 May

    AI Adoption Is Actually a Leadership Problem: Weekly Loop

    This week on The Human Loop, I'll be sharing key insights from my day at Aibl Live, a leadership and AI event in London attended by CEOs, founders, and business leaders across the UK. What started as a conversation about AI quickly became a conversation about leadership, culture, trust, and the future of work. I break down the “three cliffs” preventing businesses from seeing real ROI from AI adoption: strategic clarity, divisional alignment, and individual capability. Plus, insights from leaders at WPP, Ipsos, and The Happiness Index on change fatigue, psychological safety, middle management, and why junior talent may be most at risk in the AI decade. Check out Aibl here - https://live.aiblmedia.com/e/london26 Chapters Chapters 00:01:41 Why AI conversations are really about leadership 00:03:25 The “Three Cliffs” of AI adoption 00:03:54 Cliff #1: Strategic clarity & leadership alignment 00:04:47 Cliff #2: Divisional alignment & ROI 00:05:38 Cliff #3: Individual capability vs tool access 00:07:59 The hidden inequality risk in AI adoption 00:08:26 Change fatigue and leadership in modern business 00:09:14 Why morale and disengagement are rising 00:09:41 Young people reporting the lowest workplace happiness 00:10:08 The junior talent crisis AI may create 00:10:31 Ben’s roundtable: Building a culture that can handle the truth 00:13:14 Five key leadership takeaways from the event 00:16:33 What the winning companies of the AI decade will do differently 00:17:31 Final thoughts & outro Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

    18 min

  7. 6 May

    AI, Leadership, and the Missing Leadership Link: Weekly Loop

    This week I answer some quick-fire questions on AI, the knowing–doing gap, and why businesses are investing heavily in leadership development but still struggling to see real results. I cover the $366B spent on people each year, why most learning doesn’t translate into performance, and what really happens when it’s time to apply it in the real world. I also share thoughts on how AI is starting to support leaders with real-time insights and what responsible use of that data actually looks like. If you're thinking about the future of leadership and performance, this is a good one to dive into. Chapters Chapters 00:00:10 The $366B Learning Problem 00:02:09 The Knowing–Doing Gap 00:04:30 Fixing It with Real-Time Coaching 00:06:56 Why Managers Aren’t Measured Properly 00:09:33 What Customers Actually Experience 00:11:50 Real Results & Growth Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

    14 min

  8. 29 Apr

    My Favourite Ai Insights: The Human Loop Podcast

    In this week’s episode, we unpack some of the best moments from recent shows, exploring what it really means to keep the human in the loop in an AI-driven world. From rethinking how businesses measure value (time vs revenue), to the growing gap in leadership support, we highlight the conversations that matter most right now. We also dive into how AI is reshaping roles, not replacing them, and why adaptability is becoming the most important skill in modern work. Chapters Chapters 00:00:30 Time vs revenue thinking 00:02:00 The leadership support gap 00:02:40 Building Atherio 00:04:10 Values and cultural fit 00:05:50 AI in recruitment 00:07:20 The rise of AI 00:08:20 Keeping the human element 00:09:00 Saving time with automation 00:10:20 How jobs are evolving 00:11:00 The power of reflection 00:11:30 Why culture matters 00:13:30 When AI goes wrong Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken

    15 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Human Loop explores what happens at the intersection of human performance and emerging technology. Each episode unpacks how modern leaders can operate at their best while AI transforms the way we work. Powered by Atherio | Lead with Clarity

Information

  • Creator
    Ben Stocken
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ben Stocken
  • Show Website
    The Human Loop Podcast