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Unscripted musings on business life, leadership, creativity, transformation and all the myriad of other work-life events that get in the way of a good night's sleep. The Squid of Despair is a conceptual summation of what can go wrong, and often does, with mind-mapping or other creative techniques. Born out of an idea for a book back in 2010, David and Peter have now made this mythical beast rise once again, phoenix like (from under the ocean waves, so a bit soggy probably), to explore all ma ...
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In which DAS shares some personal experiences around losing your mojo and both Peter and DAS share some (possibly) new words with their listeners on descriptions of the human condition. It is all about recognition of entering the state of languishment, finding an antidote to this state, and presenting ideas to re-connect and recover. There is a dis…
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Shockingly there are 3 people in this podcast – DAS and Peter welcome their first ever guest, Donna Cooper – Services Leader and Untra-Marathon runner. DAS kicks it all off by introducing a brand-new word (to Peter anyway) – Sisu: A Finnish word variously translated as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardine…
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In which David (aka DAS) and Peter (aka The Lazy Project Manager and now also aka Pedro) explore the value and purpose of evolving a personal brand Along with stories of branding successes the dynamic duo (think the Ant and Dec of the business world) consider how anyone can invest in their own brand and what this can offer to them in their business…
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Where DAS assumes complete control of the podcast topics for 2024 (not precisely a coup but Peter is assuming a subservient role...) Exploring Balance in Leadership DAS and Peter reflect on the 'old school' style of command and direct leadership and the more relevant and appropriate blended leadership model that is both expected and needed in the m…
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This week, we're tackling a topic that's increasingly relevant in today's world Peter feels: The danger of uninformed opinions. Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance – Plato. Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes – Voltaire. But that is only Plato’s and Voltaire’s opinion of course, the que…
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Incorporating the now famous 'lost episode of Squid' when a technical issue caused a significant loss to DAS and Peter but the subject of this episode is resilience and they are committed to therefore being 'resilient' about it all. Resilient - (of a person or animal) able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions The dynamic duo ex…
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An episode spoken with a soft voice but with a strong message in which DAS argues that the quietest voice in the room can, in fact, be the loudest (which initially confuses Peter a lot) Can a quiet voice be a powerful voice? Can you mistake such quiet for weakness or mistake seniority? Is it possible to balance the loud and the quiet? Many question…
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Perhaps the #1 topic out there at the moment - the rapid (or so it seems) rise of artificial intelligence with technology like ChatGPT and Synthesia and MS Co-Pilot and Bing (and more) had to be discussed by the hosts eventually, and here it is. Joining DAS and Peter is a non-person who still contributes to this episode with some thoughts of value …
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In this episode DAS has a proposition: He would like to suggest that we experience time as a variable, not a constant. Interesting start, he continues: That you think our experience of time changes depending on the context, when we're happy time flies, when we're not enjoying ourselves, time seems to drag. And there's lots of phrases about this, yo…
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Peter gets sneaky and challenges DAS to talk about a subject that DAS promised to write about in Peter’s new book (2,500 words due by mid-June) Change Adoption is not Change Management – but the two go hand in hand – DAS and Peter explore the differences and ponder the art of making ‘adoption’ a reality in business transformation DAS suggests that …
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Is hope just a vague, passive, woolly idea or is it something much more? DAS takes Peter on a journey re-evaluating the idea of hope as a strong and positive thing that can be very personal but sometime become a collective showing at difficult times "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.…
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Peter reminisces about featuring in Glamour Magazine (with Brad Pitt) and DAS considers taking out a subscription On a more serious note the podcasting duo worry that they shouldn't even be speaking or sharing their thoughts due to that little beast of the imposter syndrome Looking at the five syndrome types: 1. The perfectionist 2. The natural gen…
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DAS and Peter have been thinking, and discussing, everything 'global' - especially relating to business, but also the scientific world, which seems to have got the 'global' thing generally sorted Peter peaks early with an internet statement and boasting about speaking at CERN DAS keeps the conversation on track (mostly) exploring thoughts of cultur…
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A light hearted (and short) look at back a the first year of the Squid Introductions - Compliments - Insults - and BanterBy David Ayling-Smith and Peter Taylor
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Squid #9 - Competition - Does the Winner Take it All?
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30:49
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A festive edition of this beloved (by at least three people) podcast Exploring competition - at a business level - at team level - and at a personal level Understanding why Peter needs a photo of DAS and why DAS should never be put in charge of an Awards ceremony Includes the Bonus of the annual 'SODA's' - Squid of Despair Awards Happy Holidays!…
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Squid #8 - Optimism - The Argument For and Against
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Optimism is an attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavour, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favorable, and desirable. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled with water to the halfway point: an optimist is said to see the glass as half full, while a pessimist sees …
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Squid #7 - Thinking Inside and Outside the Box
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We heard from our listener Mike B – thank you for your kind comments We kicked off with a Terry Pratchett quote 'I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it' Then moved on to three key questions: 1) should we get in the box right first 2) best way to think outside the…
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Squid #6 - Strategy and the road to Successful Transformation
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About 2,500 years ago, Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu, wrote “The Art of War.” In it, he said: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Tactics and strategy should always complement each other, and are two sides of the same coin. Saying yes to the right things and no to t…
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There is no Squid in the Room – all such ‘squids’ have been addressed head on and dealt with like the mature professionals that we are, but you can learn the best place to find squid on Paxos. This episode is all about teams: A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh …
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Squid #4 - The Use of Fun in the Workplace
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Exploring the complex world of fun and what makes people laugh Its appropriate, and inappropriate, use in the workplace And how it can be incredibly bonding in many situations but how it can be used in a negative and 'bullying' manner in others Peter and DAS share some of their 'fun' stories from the past and Peter declares himself as DAS's 'spirit…
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Squid #3 - The Art of Expectation Management
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Beginning with the necessary addressing of the 'Squid in the Room' Exploring why the Tooth Fairy is a great example of expectation management (or it can be) All happiness is dictated by the reality compared with expectation - deep thoughts examined And why the key to a happy relationship is - under promise and over deliver (works for partners appar…
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Exploring the problem of 'DSAS' - Difficult Second Album Syndrome Considering what is the 'Squid of the Day' How formulating a really great question is critical to problem resolution and change Seeing the world differently The power of the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and the power of silence And considering De Bono and the six thinking hats (no…
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Squid #1 - The History of the Squid of Despair
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Meet David, DAS and Peter - the two podcast presenters Learn more about cephalopods than you ever thought that you wanted to Understand the ancient origins of 'The Squid of Despair' as we explore the world of creativity and fun in business (and life) And discover the value of 'Talk like a Pirate Day' (Monday 19th September 2022) whilst also having …
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Squid, any of more than 300 species of 10-armed cephalopods can be found in both coastal and oceanic waters. Squids have elongated tubular bodies and short compact heads. Two of the 10 arms have developed into long slender tentacles with expanded ends and four rows of suckers with toothed, horny rings. The body of most squids is strengthened by a f…
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