Info

OutsideVoices with Mark Bidwell

In OutsideVoices Mark Bidwell talks to remarkable and compelling leaders from the worlds of business, exploration, arts, sports, and academia. In these conversations he explores topics of fundamental importance to many of us today, both in work and in life, topics ranging from leadership and performance to creativity and growth. OutsideVoices has a clear purpose: to bring fresh and diverse perspectives that help listeners navigate the world we live in.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
OutsideVoices with Mark Bidwell
2023
May
March
February


2022
February


2021
December
November
October
September
July
June
April
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March


2018
November
June
May
March
February


2017
October
September
August
June
May
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: September, 2020
Sep 29, 2020

In this episode, writer, speaker, and intrapreneur, Gib Bulloch, joins us to discuss his book, The Intrapreneur: Confessions of a Corporate Insurgent. He spent 20 years at Accenture where he started Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP), a buinsess unit set up to leverage that business’s expertise and experience in service of global development organizations.Gib now works as a consultant specializing in intrapreneurship, social enterprise, and cross-sectoral partnerships. He is also a noted public speaker and has contributed to The Huffington Post, Businessweek, and The Stanford Social Innovation Review.

What Is Covered

  • Why CEOs and leaders need to make changes in organisational processes and to cultural norms to reflect the changing needs of the workforce of tomorrow
  • How best practices from the world’s most admired companies can be used to deliver impact via the work of global development organizations
  • Why if people “want to think out of the box" they need to get out of the box to apply their skills; a different context as a way of seeing things they would not otherwise see in their normal daily routines

Key Takeaways and Learnings

  • How organisational cultures, norms, and middle management (the “corporate immune system”) conspire invisibly to stop innovation in its tracks
  • The power of bottom-up change; Gib’s call to action for millennials to push for change within their organizations both individually and collectively
  • The possibilities of “not for loss” business models that are cost neutral to shareholders and have measurable business benefits

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode

Sep 22, 2020

My guest in this episode is Benedict Allen, an English explorer, environmentalist, film-maker and author of a number of books, including “Mad White Giant”, “Into The Crocodile Nest” and “Hunting the Gugu.” Benedict has become famous for his immersive style of exploration, by disconnecting from technology and diving into the lives and cultures of indigenous communities, from whom he learns survival skills in challenging and often hostile environments. He has recorded six TV series for the BBC, both traveling solo and with camera crews, enabling armchair travelers to enjoy his remarkable adventures. In 2010, he was elected a Trustee of Royal Geographic Society.

Read the full article HERE.

What Was Covered:

  • How to rely on traditional communities to fulfill our needs in what are often challenging environments
  • When change is good and when it is dangerous, and why individualism is regarded as a threat in many traditional cultures
  • The power of nurturing a resilience mindset, planning and mitigating risks both on remote expeditions and in day to day life

Key Takeaways and Learnings:

  • It is crucial to foster a sense of community and connection, and to be deeply in tune with those around us so as to overcome challenges, whether in the natural world or in business environments
  • The seeming lack of progress and innovation in traditional communities has resulted in durability, continuity and a perfect balance with the natural environment, which is what many of us are seeking in the fast-paced world we inhabit
  • The practice of disconnecting and seeking different perspectives may be a key survival skill for modern societies

Links and Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Sep 15, 2020

My guest in this episode is Robert Swan, a world renowned polar explorer, environmental leader, public speaker and the first man in history to walk to both the North and South Poles. He is currently an advocate for the protection of Antarctica and renewable energy. Robert is also the founder of 2041, a company which is dedicated to the preservation of the Antarctic and the author with Gil Reavill of Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness.

Read the article HERE.

What Was Covered:

  • What decision-making strategies can increase the chances of success in high risk undertakings such as polar expeditions
  • The importance for leaders to be flexible and ensure they remain relevant
  • The power of deep listening and understanding different perspectives

Key Learnings and Takeaways:

  • Why diversity of skills and strict division of labour in a team is key to achieving goals in hostile environments
  • Keeping promises as a crucial leadership trait and a powerful motivator
  • How to quickly turn failure into success with deep thinking and support

Links And Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Sep 8, 2020

Diversity in all its forms is key to solving many of the most significant challenges we face today, and if we fail to address these challenges, future generations will inherit the consequences. Preserving cultural and intellectual diversity is the purpose of the Cultural Sanctuaries Foundation, and enables us to take advantage of useful wisdom hiding in plain sight. Learn more in this interview with the founders, photographer and National Geographic Society Fellow Chris Rainier and former Linklaters partner Olivia McKendrick.

What was covered: 

  • Photography as a powerful tool to bring about social and political change that affects climate, global business and economy
  • What are Cultural Sanctuaries and what is their role in preservation of nature and cultural diversity
  • The values and perspectives of traditional societies that are precious for maintaining the diversity and sustainability on global level 

Key Takeaways and Learnings:

  • Why protecting traditional cultures is key to conservation of land and how it impacts climate change
  • How traditional societies are thinking about the world in very long-term time horizons, and the place of wisdom and experience in their value system
  • A different way to look at the nature of transactions that indigenous cultures can offer to the world of business today

Read the full article HERE. 

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Sep 1, 2020

Dr. Andy Walshe is a globally recognised leader and expert in the field of elite human performance. He has spent more than 20 years researching ways to “Hack Performance” in sport, culture, military and business to create a deeper understanding of the “Human Potential Construct”. Andy’s ultimate vision is a world where we have established a known recipe for elite performance and thus can equip some of our greatest minds with the tools they need to succeed and improve the world. Andy’s elite performance programs are designed to make accessible, and to democratise these tools, and understandable to all regardless of industry, vocation or passion.

Andy led High Performance Program for Red Bull from 2009 to 2017, and worked with hundreds of international athletes and business leaders to develop and implement elite performance models. In 2012 he lead the performance plan for Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking jump to Earth from the stratosphere. In 2017 he co-founded The Liminal Collective, which helps create, plan, organize and execute against some of humanity's greatest opportunities, ranging from space flight and deep sea exploration to reimagining the future of national security and elite sport.

In this episode, Andy and Mark sit down to discuss the intricacies of human potential and how certain qualities of elite performers resonate across sectors, industries and arenas; how companies can evolve to enable more talented employees to excel and his project Human 2.0 which looks at how new technologies especially in the arena of Artificial Intelligence encourage us to explore our own potential at a much higher level.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

1