Truth, Lies and Work

What do you do when a brilliant, Oxford- or Cambridge-educated graduate walks into your office, chronically late, completely uncommitted to the business, but undeniably sharp? If you’re Mike Harle, you don’t fire them—you tell them to follow their heart and join the circus. This week, we sit down for an exclusive, world-first public interview with Mike Harle, the former UK Chief Marketing Officer of Shell. In a legendary two-minute conversation around the year 2000, Mike looked past the corporate KPI metrics of a young, nervous junior executive named Jimmy Carr and gave him the ultimate piece of career advice: Do give up your day job. In this episode, Mike shares the fascinating backstory behind one of comedy’s most famous career pivots, why he turned down an exclusive UK deal with a struggling new startup called Red Bull, and what it truly means to manage potential over performance. 🎧 What We Cover in This Episode: The "Event" That Changed British Comedy: The real story behind Mike's office chat with a 24-year-old Jimmy Carr, who was torn between a high-octane job offer at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and performing stand-up in local pubs. The Fine Line Between Managing and Leading: Why management is about resources and objectives, but true leadership is about helping people find deep, individual meaning in their work. Managing Vulnerability and Breaking Corporate Boundaries: How personal tragedy and a shared love for the entertainment world fostered an unconventional mentorship between a top-tier CMO and a junior exec. Saying Yes to Jimmy, Saying No to Red Bull: Mike openly shares his corporate "bad decision"—turning down exclusive UK distribution rights for Red Bull back when the energy drink category didn't even exist. Life Beyond the Corner Office: Mike's incredible pivot from Shell executive to serving as a Church of England priest for 10 years, supporting asylum seekers, and starting a fresh career lecturing in the Czech Republic. "If you can't take a chance at 24 or 25 on your future, you're sunk. My job wasn't just to manage a pipeline; it was to do the best by a human being." — Mike Harle 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠ – Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠ – Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠ – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat⁠ Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠ UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk⁠ US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠ Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠ Global helplines: ⁠https://findahelpline.com⁠ Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

Why Are Middle Managers Being Set Up to Fail? (And How to Fix It) with Kristien Turner Are middle managers facing an absolute existential crisis? According to today’s guest, the answer is a resounding, 100% yes. In this episode of Truth, Lies and Work, Al and Leanne sit down with Kristien Turner, founder and CEO of TK Talent Group, who works with global brands across the Americas and Europe to solve the modern talent crisis. Together, they pull back the curtain on why middle managers are drowning under the weight of AI disruption, corporate layoffs, and a severe lack of actual leadership training. If you are a middle manager who feels like they are drowning, or an executive wondering why engagement numbers are plummeting, this episode offers a raw, practical roadmap to reclaiming control of your career and leadership strategy. 🔥 Key Takeaways From This Episode The "Sally" Problem: Companies consistently reward top-performing individual contributors by promoting them into management without giving them a toolkit, a coach, or proper support mechanisms. The AI Illusion: Many organizations are cutting headcount assuming AI can fully replace human roles, failing to realize that technology cannot navigate tricky performance reviews, handle workforce drama, or look a struggling employee in the eye. The 8x8 Structural Trap: Middle managers are stuck acting as an emotional buffer for massive teams (sometimes up to 64 people deep) while running on an empty battery themselves. The Gen Z Shift: A massive shift is occurring where younger generations do not aspire to traditional corporate management roles and prefer gig or portfolio careers, paving the way for a severe leadership skills gap by 2030. The Power of Volunteering: How stepping outside your day job to give back can radically boost your mental health, redefine your core purpose, and expand your executive network. 🎒 Your 3-Step "Kit Bag" Strategy to Protect Your Career If you’re a manager struggling to stay afloat right now, Kristien outlines three immediate actions you must take this week: Have the Honest Conversation: Be vulnerable with your senior leader. Show them what is broken, present the data on why it isn't working, and ask for support. Give your organization one last chance to show up for you. Stop Trying to Be Everyone's Everything: You are not a workplace therapist, a buffer, or a corporate savior. Share the load by implementing peer mentoring programs and opening up communication access to the senior leadership layer above you. Build Your Kit Bag Now: Don't wait for a corporate restructuring call. Keep your CV polished, optimize your LinkedIn profile, and get out to in-person networking events to build real-world connections. 🔗 Connect with Kristien Turner & TK Talent Group Website: https://tktalentgroup.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristienturner/ 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🧠 Mental Health Support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

When you don’t know the answer to a problem at work, what is your immediate reflex? Do you search for a quick answer from an AI chatbot, or do you pick up the phone to ask a colleague? In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we dive deep into the hidden cultural cost of digital convenience. While artificial intelligence is incredible for cutting through administrative noise and streamlining corporate tasks, it is quietly automating away the most critical asset your business has: human connection. Our guest today is Sean O'Shea, the brilliant mind behind Craft Your Culture and Locon. Sean spent a fascinating decade working at Microsoft, sandwiched perfectly between the leadership of Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella. He witnessed firsthand how a radical shift in corporate mindset and the intentional removal of rigid, performance-stifling systems could skyrocket a company's share price from $30 to over $540. Now, through his data-driven work at Locon, Sean is on a mission to measure the "relationship gap" between team members. He breaks down the phenomenon of "messy moments"—those vulnerable, slightly awkward, but entirely essential human interactions that act as the true engine for workplace psychological safety, team learning, and high performance. If you are a business leader, founder, or manager trying to navigate remote-first challenges, return-to-office mandates, or AI integration, this conversation will completely change how you design your team interactions tomorrow morning. Key Takeaways From the Episode The Trap of the Frictionless Workplace: AI onboarding bots and agents are fast, non-judgmental, and always available. However, by relying on them exclusively, employees bypass the vulnerable moments of asking a peer for help—the exact moments where corporate trust is built. The High Cost of the "Relationship Gap": High performance isn’t just an aggregate of individual talent. It is directly limited by how well your people actually know each other. Loneliness and disconnection don't just hurt morale; they actively cost businesses billable hours. The 3 Pillars of Accelerated Trust: How do you build genuine, bulletproof workplace relationships when everyone is short on time? Sean reveals the three non-negotiable ingredients: vulnerability, shared emotionally significant experiences, and active, empathetic listening. Overcoming the "Eye of Sauron" Management Style: Reflecting on his time under Steve Ballmer's mid-year review process, Sean highlights how defensive corporate cultures destroy innovation. True leadership requires getting your ego out of the way and letting your team collaborate without you always being in the loop. The 6 Pillars of Team Effectiveness: Sean breaks down the core framework measured by Locon: psychological safety, accountability, connection, learning, clarity, and adaptability. Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Cold Open: Are chatbots silently killing your team's natural human connection? 01:15 – Meet Sean O'Shea: The mission to turn people potential into business performance. 04:20 – What is a "messy moment" and why are modern teams hiding from healthy conflict? 07:30 – The 3 critical elements needed to fast-track real human relationships at work. 10:45 – The AI paradox: Why a small business champion is incredibly worried about the rise of perfect tech. 15:10 – Designing connection: How leaders can architect micro-moments of collaboration instead of boring, packed agendas. 23:15 – The Train Experiment: The fascinating behavioral science proving we are terrible at predicting social interactions. 30:30 – Lessons from Microsoft: The real story behind Satya Nadella's growth mindset revolution. 39:45 – Quantifying wasted time: The data showing how many hours your team loses each month by not collaborating. 45:10 – The story of Locon: Using six-week experimental sprints to give teams true agency over their culture. Connect with Our Guest To learn more about Sean's work, access his data diagnostics, or follow his daily insights on corporate culture, use the links below: Craft Your Culture Website: www.craftyourculture.co.uk Locon Website: www.locon.co.uk Sean O'Shea LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshea7/ About Truth, Lies & Work Truth, Lies & Work is the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Hosted by Al Elliott and Leanne Elliott, a chartered occupational psychologist, we are here to help you simplify the science of work, boost employee engagement, and build high-performing teams. Truth, Lies & Work is a proud part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the ultimate audio destination for business professionals. 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com