The Culture Builders

TheCultureBuilders
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(Formerly known as Bank of Me) A mix of interviews, advice, articles and stories that look at how we create high performing teams and strong cultures within our organisations

  1. FEB 6

    The Culture Builders - Working in ways that make us 'fit to retire'

    What does it take to lose 40kg while navigating the high-pressure world of civil engineering? In this episode, Lee Piper, a senior leader at Costain, joins us to share his incredible journey from burnout to reclaiming his health. Lee candidly discusses the physical and emotional toll of site life, from the camaraderie of late-night team sessions in Cornwall to the isolation of living in away from home. As well as the specific "trigger" that led him to prioritise his well-being in the run up to retirement. This conversation is a must-listen for any leader feeling the weight of their role as they approach the later stages of a career. Lee and Chris unpack the concept of being "fit to retire," moving beyond financial planning to focus on physical and mental longevity. From hitting a 15,000-step daily goal to navigating social pressures around alcohol, Lee offers practical, lived-in advice on how to tune out the external noise and invest in your own "Bank of Me".

    37 min

  2. 10/10/2025

    Change Maker Episode 10 - Abida Lalani

    Join us for an insightful conversation with Abida Lalani, Strategy and Transformation Director. Having worked with Jane Sparrow for several years, the two of them sit down and discuss her wealth of experience in navigating and leading significant change. Abida brings a grounded and practical perspective to the often complex world of transformation. In this episode, Abida takes us on a journey through her career, from her early experiences in financial services during the financial crisis to her most recent and current roles driving changes. She candidly recounts her personal evolution in embracing change, moving from initial resistance to actively seeking out its challenges and rewards. Sharing key lessons learned along the way, highlighting the crucial role of communication and storytelling, and the importance of understanding the human element in successful transformations. Jane and Abida recount their experiences of guiding  people through a change, share their practical insights into coaching people as leaders and talk about just how to foster a clear vision, and adapt with agility in the face of evolving circumstances. This is a must-listen for anyone involved in leading or experiencing change, offering valuable takeaways on mindset, strategy, and the power of human connection in shaping the future.

    26 min

  3. 07/28/2025

    The Culture Builders - Helping Talent through the 50s Dip

    Chris has recently been speaking to a number of experts on the subject of the 50-60 year sprint for professionals in business. Following on from his conversion with Joanna Lockwood, he has reconnected with regular TCB Podcast contributor Steve Butler - author of a number of books, the most relevant of which covers exactly this topic - The Midlife Review. They highlight the new obstacles that arise in the 50-60 phase, such as family requirements, health and one's own commitment to a career that may well have peaked.  Steve and Chris also cover how important it is to give those in this phase space to air the needs that stem from the changes - the role of the employer to step into the conversation about changing needs, and how they can best support the person. But, in counterpoint to this,  the discussion also covers the phenomenon of  “ accidental managers” within many organisations, who have not been given the tools or development to manage such a complex scenario. This an area of interest for you? If so, we highly recommend you to grab a copy of The Midlife Review, which details the conversation about what employees want out of the second half of their career, and how to help them achieve it.

    36 min

  4. 06/30/2025

    The Culture Builders - Getting People Across the 50-60 chasm

    Using his own recent experience of hitting the '50s doldrums' Chris has reached out to two experts in the area of managing age diversity to seek their thoughts and advice on how organisations can properly support their senior talent as it passes through a very complex decade of life.   First up is one of Chris' LinkedIn heroes - Joanne Lockwood - a highly respected expert and thought leader on inclusion and belonging. As a transgender woman in her early 60s, Joanne embodies the essence of transformative change, bringing authenticity and lived experience to her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion.    With Chris on a quest to survive and thrive in the next phase of life, talking to Joanne is both of personal benefit to him and to anyone who is either going through the same life journey and/or is part of the support process within organisations.    Joanne is candid, funny and insightful. It's a must-listen for many of us.

    46 min

  5. 05/22/2025

    The Culture Builders - Guiding Leaders Through the New Wellbeing Maze

    Chris recently spoke at a HR Network conference in Scotland - sharing the outputs from our research around the future trends for leaders, and the impact of the unintended consequences that the many wellbeing, inclusion, care and support initiatives are having on managers and leaders. With so much now to contend with, and a rightful focus on employees living sustainable lives, we've pushed so much into the role of a people manager. Grace Orr, Director of People for CommuniCorp UK, joined Chris on the stage, to bring to life the situation, with examples, stories and actions that demonstrate how she, and her team, are meeting this new challenge. Grace literally built the culture for her organisation from scratch, and, as she says, when it comes to people: "her name is above the door." Her input underscores the key messages that Chris shared - the headlines of the content from The Culture Builders' next business book - The Guide. Due out in Summer 2025, the book brings the situation to life, and shares the five most fundamental elements that leaders can focus on to prepare themselves to manage in this new paradigm. They've teamed back up to record this podcast - capturing the essence of the keynote from the conference, and giving more people a chance to hear the content, the stories and the thinking from the upcoming book.

    46 min

  6. 12/29/2024

    The Culture Builders - The Cost, and Solution to the Wellbeing Revolution

    At the end of 2024, Jane and Chris - co-founders of The Culture Builders - took time to reflect on the seismic shift that's taken place over the last ten years. Many organisations have successfully built employee care and wellbeing programmes that encourage people to bring their whole selves to the business, and provide them with a wealth of support options to tackle issues of health, stress, inclusion and life events.   We wholly support this, and long may it continue. However, we are also seeing how these new, high levels of employee care and support are impacting those expected to enact them. Managers and leaders. They are groaning under the weight of the increased responsibilities, and many feel they simply do not have the time, knowledge or experience to cope successfully.   In this podcast, the hosts bring this topic to life, looking at the impacts, but also the solutions to ensure people can stay 'In the Black' and manage their wellbeing and work as teams to use the support on offer to create understanding and activity that supports everyone. There's no simple answer, but there are plenty of simple steps - hear more about The Bank of Me.

    22 min

  7. 09/18/2024

    Change Maker Episode Nine - Andrew Moultrie

    In this episode, Jane and Andrew talk about the impact of taking care of yourself, using your support network, and leading with trust, openness and clarity during transformation. They reflect on the lessons learnt throughout the years and discuss the importance of taking people with you on a journey of discovery and belief.  With a diverse career working with organisations such as Nike and PepsiCo before joining the BBC 11 years ago, Andrew has experienced change at many levels from restructuring, growth transitions and efficiency based changes.  He and Jane share stories and experiences from throughout their careers, discuss the journey from middle manager to CEO and the importance of nourishing yourself properly - for your health and sanity! Andrew also shares his advice to his 20 year old self, his biggest learning from his career, and the one thing he believes people should lead with.

    28 min

  8. 08/12/2024

    Change Maker Episode Eight - Steve Thorn

    For episode eight of our Change Maker podcast series Jane Sparrow and Steve Thorn are sharing their tips and advice for navigating and leading change.  Talking intentionality around tone, language used and managing pace - for yourself and those around you - Steve and Jane draw on their shared experiences and leave you with a whole host of tools and tips to guide you on your change journey too.  They discuss the need for a flexible mindset vs a fixed one, the importance of having a network of change agents, and the different responses people have to change and how to approach them.  Packed with advice, this is not one to be missed.

    34 min
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About

(Formerly known as Bank of Me) A mix of interviews, advice, articles and stories that look at how we create high performing teams and strong cultures within our organisations

Information

  • Creator
    TheCultureBuilders
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    89
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Culture Builders