Let's talk Transformation..‪.‬ Suzie Lewis

"context is key, we must take this opportunity to look to "SHTEM" and integrate the humanities into science and take all voices into account"
A brilliant conversation with Jayshree about the importance of science and the role of business in bringing science to a more diverse population. We discuss how to bring more diversity to STEM, and continue to build more powerful communities for innovation and solving world problems more effectively. We dive in and out of the contents of her two books in the Heart of Science series to look at the different contexts and realities of the state of science and STEM.
Science and the art of storytelling are intertwined – solving critical problems requires meaningful engagement, critical thinking, empathetic listening, collaborative and effective communication and diversity of thought. If we were to mix science and storytelling more intentionally it would attract a more diverse population.
STEM subjects focus on certainty and a quest for answers and seek to analyse, while humanities focus on dealing with uncertainty and a focus on questions, and can help us synthesise. We must navigate with clarity, inclusivity, action and responsibility and have a plan: sustainable innovation calls on us to change our models of leadership and business and consider the legacy perspective, invoking more collaboration, trust and alignment.
Jayshree shares her experience, thought leadership and vision both from her career in science and business, and her continuing advocacy for diversity in STEM.
The main insights you'll get from this episode are :
-       For someone with an interest in research, experimentation, and human impact, as well as a passion for the context of science, 3M provides the requisite ingredients of a culture of empowerment, an emphasis on collaboration and the context of improving lives.
-       Science is invisible, underappreciated, and taken for granted - people don’t realise the impact it has on their lives; a positive perception of science is required to avoid a negative impact on society.
-       Social science research is also necessary to understand people and shape an advocacy strategy for science, i.e. communication with a relatable context (in the form of storytelling).
-       Science and the art of storytelling are intertwined – solving critical problems requires meaningful engagement, critical thinking, empathetic listening, collaborative and effective communication and diversity of thought. 
-       There has been little progress in terms of diversity in STEM and it is time to reengineer the notions around engineering to prevent the negative consequences if we fail to attract more girls to science.
-       ‘STEAM’ (shattering stereotypes, telling the whole-sum story of science, exposure and environment, allies and advocates, metrics and measures) cleaning will hopefully help girls see themselves as scientists.
-       STEM is only possible thanks to Sponsors, Teachers, Enthusiasts and Mentors and diverse VOICES - Volunteering, Organising, Inspiring, Championing, Engaging - intentionally amplify ideas and take the initiative.
-       3M runs initiatives to promote diversity in STEM by encouraging education through programmes and funding, creating equity in communities and economic equity for underrepresented...

"An ideal environment for learning provides a transformational experience, builds strong bonds and unlocks potential with very few resources..."

Jon and I discuss everything from history in high school to hacker communities. We discuss the shift of perspective you can get from going to check your assumptions of what skills are and how they are done. We also discuss the future of developer skills, and how building powerful communities to ensure impact can help. A 'democratisation' of access to developer skills and intentionally developing the system for them to be successful through education, awareness, communities and learning contents is key to growing these communities.

Jon shares his own story of how he came to be involved in Major League Hacking and his mission to empower hackers, create a different and more visible system to access developer skills and build a sustainable business to serve this community.

"Workplace systems are powerful but I am not powerless..."

Jenny and I discuss the leadership paradigms of today's world, and the untapped leadership potential held in underrepresented leaders in today's systems. How can we unleash this potential ? How can we bring more diverse voices to the decision making tables to shift stereotypes and increase innovation ?

There is no step-by-step model for leadership - we must embrace messiness, care about it and understand it. Context is key, and contextual agility is a skill that underrepresented leaders have honed more intentionally. How can we constantly leverage all the resources we have when pitching project ideas, and building workplace culture ? How can we lead from our zone of untapped capacity ?

Owning our own power and building a model where we can bring different perspectives to the table - a model of care and collaboration, which will not be easy as it is counter to current metrics and reward systems, is key for unlocking potential.

Jenny shares her story, experience and insights from her own career, and from working with leaders around the globe.

"Question everything, get curious, every learner should be a seeker of truth.."
Ferose and I discuss learning in the digital age, what it means for humans and for technology, and for this evolving partnership of digital and human.
To remain relevant in today’s world, we must be lifelong learners. Every learner should question everything, and not simply accept what we are told and what we have heard previously. The search for truth leads to growth and deepened understanding of what we don't know. In a complex world, this is key to growing new relationships, creating new systems and evolving with new technology.

We also discuss the advent of ChatGPT and what it may mean for education and learning, and how we can partner with this technology moving forward. What if AI is one day sentient and can empathise ? Technologists understand what is behind the tools with vast intellectual and financial resources being invested to make everything possible, but the biggest challenge remains ethics around AI and keeping pace with AI development.

Ferose shares his insights, research and pulls on his different, interconnected experiences to give us an holistic view on this vast question of learning in the digital age.
Find out more about Ferose here : https://ferosevr.com

"you are everyone you've ever met and you learn something from every encounter however brief..."

A fun conversation with John about the power of lived experiences, sharing stories and understanding different perspectives around the Human side of business and indeed of life.

How can we make life better for our customers ? how can we create more human centred practices in organisations ? how can we use the experience of everyone to better the Human experience ?

We delve into the myths and realities of the Human experience and discuss the enablers and behaviours. Organisations nowadays are full of humans who aren’t allowed to act in a human way because there are too many barriers; Repressing natural human behaviour removes freedom and results in a lack of common sense; a lack of humanity; and a waste of time (and potentially money) – we should look at the human experience from the customer angle given that what’s good for customers is good for business.

John shares his insight, stories, thoughts and inspiration from working with businesses large and small.

"We must own disruption and our "unknown unknowns" in order to be able to adapt sustainably"

A great conversation with Brant about dealing with uncertainty and how to make your organisation disruption proof. We discuss how organisations can be more Resilient, Aware and Dynamic to deal with the uncertainty of today's world. Today market risk is higher and more volatile - can we attract customers’ attention? Can we provide value? Can we retain customers?

We face ‘unknown unknowns’ yet businesses are traditionally wired for ‘knowing, so how do we adapt our leadership to be more 'disruptive' and give permission for experimentation on a larger scale ? How can companies scale the behavioural and cultural change needed to create this adaptability and become RAD organisations ?

Brant shares his experience, insights and research from working with organisations big and small across the globe.