The Responsible Edge Podcast

Charlie Martin, Host

The Responsible Edge is a podcast exploring the realities of responsible business through honest conversations with leaders and founders on how organisations grow, compete, and act responsibly. Sponsored by truMRK, the mark of trusted communications.

  1. JAN 31

    When Ethical Agencies Choose to Work Inside Flawed Systems

    Should agencies be held responsible for the harm caused by their clients? In this episode of The Responsible Edge, we examine one of the most difficult questions facing consultancies and creative agencies today. As scrutiny around greenwashing, ethics, and accountability intensifies, neutrality is no longer an easy defence. Becky Holland, founder and CEO of BH&P, has spent her career inside marketing, consultancy, and behaviour change. She works with organisations in energy, finance, and technology, sectors where impact is complex and rarely clean. Her view is grounded, pragmatic, and shaped by lived experience. “There’s a lot of damage that can be done by good people working inside bad systems,” Becky says. This conversation explores: - Whether agencies can ever be morally neutral - How to interrogate the brief behind the brief - Why refusing work is sometimes easier than doing it responsibly - The limits of standards, certifications, and absolutes - What real accountability in consultancy could look like Becky argues that most organisations operate in grey areas, and that walking away does not always reduce harm. Instead, responsibility lies in rigour, judgement, and an honest assessment of impact. This episode is essential viewing for anyone working in consulting, marketing, strategy, or sustainability who is grappling with where responsibility truly sits. #ResponsibleEdge #EthicalConsulting #AgencyAccountability #BehaviourChange #PurposeAndProfit

    37 min
  2. JAN 27

    Why doing less is one of leadership’s hardest skills

    Many organisations are busy without being effective. Projects multiply, initiatives overlap, and leaders spend increasing time maintaining activity rather than deciding what should stop. In this episode of The Responsible Edge, John reflects on why motion is often mistaken for progress, and why responsible leadership requires restraint as much as ambition. Drawing on a career that spans military service, non-profit leadership, global corporate work, and the founding of Anthropy, John explains why middling projects are harder to end than failing ones, how emotional attachment distorts decision-making, and why organisations rarely apply clear endpoints to internal initiatives. The conversation explores purpose not as a slogan, but as a practical filter for decisions. John describes how clarity of purpose can simplify choices, reduce distraction, and allow authority to be delegated without constant escalation. The episode also addresses the wider context leaders operate within. Short-term reporting cycles, constant media noise, and social distraction make focus harder to sustain. John argues that courage and maturity are now more valuable leadership traits than speed or visibility. The discussion closes with a grounded note of optimism, drawn from John’s work with emerging leaders who are already practising a quieter, more deliberate form of leadership. #ResponsibleLeadership #PurposeInBusiness #LongTermThinking #OrganisationalFocus #EthicalLeadership

    43 min
  3. 12/31/2025

    The Hidden Costs of Urban Sprawl

    Urban sprawl is often framed as a practical response to growth. Land is cheaper. Housing can be delivered quickly. Political resistance appears lower. But the long-term consequences are rarely counted. In this episode of The Responsible Edge, architect and urban designer Alec Tzannes reflects on why cities continue to expand outward, despite decades of evidence that this approach fragments communities and accelerates environmental damage. Drawing on more than forty years of practice, he argues that sprawl is not only a planning failure but a cultural one. Tzannes traces his thinking back to the 1970s, when early environmental research challenged the assumption that growth could continue without limit. He explains why much modern development, including poorly designed density, lost public trust, and how this legacy still shapes resistance to urban living today. Central to the discussion is a deceptively simple idea. “The first principle of sustainability is make it beautiful.” For Tzannes, buildings and neighbourhoods that people love are more likely to endure, reducing the need for demolition, rebuilding, and further land consumption. The conversation explores real-world examples of dense neighbourhoods that work, the political incentives that favour sprawl, and why containing the urban footprint may be one of the most urgent responsibilities facing cities. This is a measured discussion about systems, culture, and the long view. It asks not how cities can grow faster, but how they can grow better. #UrbanSprawl #SustainableCities #UrbanDesign #SystemsThinking #ResponsibleBusiness

    31 min

About

The Responsible Edge is a podcast exploring the realities of responsible business through honest conversations with leaders and founders on how organisations grow, compete, and act responsibly. Sponsored by truMRK, the mark of trusted communications.