What Next?

Latest Episodes:

Fireside chat: Rethinking Work Jul 19, 2025

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On a special crossover episode between Career Lab and What Next, Renetta McCann joins Rishad Tobaccowala to explore the monumental shifts redefining where, when, and why we work. Drawing from insights in Rishad’s new book, Re-Thinking Work, they unpack the five forces reshaping the future of employment—from generational mindset shifts and the rise of AI to the gig economy and the lasting effects of the pandemic. Together, they dive into how "unbundled and distributed work" is evolving into a competitive advantage, enabling greater flexibility and unlocking global talent in today’s ever-changing landscape.

#Leadership #FutureOfWork #Business

The Six Worker Archetypes Jul 12, 2025

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James Root, Senior Partner at Bain & Company and author of "The Archetype Effect" on the need to de-average talent management systems. A former adman, his six worker archetypes, Giver, Operator, Artisan, Explorer, Striver, and Pioneer, each based on a different set of motivating priorities, provide a deeper insight into the real needs of the workforce. He argues that leaders need to understand individual motivations and align them with job roles to get the best from their individuals and their teams in terms of productivity, engagement and business results.

#Business #Productivity #Workforce

Curation is the New Creation: Memories and Storytelling in the Digital Age Jun 28, 2025

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Haleh Shoa, founder of Picturli, on intentional digital preservation of memories, both for the individual but also in Business. The former advertising executive who has led global brands such as Apple, Infinity, Nissan and Ritz Carlton through the analogue to digital transition, including spearheading transformation at Ogilvy LA, argues that digital asset management can curate a corporate legacy. Blending storytelling strategy and digital hygiene, she says, can help to preserve what matters most.

#Business #Photography #Content

The Business of Creativity and the Expression of Self Jun 21, 2025

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Sir John Hegarty on the philosophical heart of creativity. The founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty and a legend in advertising who now advises startups, argues that the expression of self is the key to creativity. In his series of courses, The Business of Creativity, he explains the need to understand the two different types of creativity: pure and applied. He urges leaders to forget the data and feed their curiosity, doing whatever it takes to make the creative self the source of innovation. As AI’s ‘remarkable’ technology democratizes opportunity, he says that leaders and young entrepreneurs must embrace it as a collaborator, but never lose sight of the superpower of the creative human.

#Creativity #AI #Business #Techonology

Growth and Ownership: Two Sides of the Same Coin Jun 07, 2025

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Mike Maynard, CEO of the Napier Group on the benefits and challenges of employee ownership, the importance of focus in a competitive market and why to invest in employee growth. An engineer turned marketing man, he argues the need to continually upgrade ourselves and develop our teams, finding a sense of ownership, both in our company and our work. Results do matter, he says, but we need to think much more clearly about how best to measure them.

#Marketing #Business

Advertising and The Flow State May 31, 2025

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Bill Harvey, Emmy-winning media researcher on the three levels of consciousness in the workplace: emergency oversimplification procedure (EOP), observer state, and flow state. An advertising veteran from the Mad Men era, his innovations in advertising, including the passive people meter and set top box data have made him a legend. Now, after decades of consulting for more than 70 of the top 100 advertisers, his non-profit Human Effectiveness Institute which optimizes decision making and has been used by the US, Army and Navy and 34 universities, focuses on the importance of introspection and understanding one's motivations to pursue our passions. His insights have led to more effective advertising, but just as importantly, how to be a more effective human being.

#Business #HumanIntelligence #Advertising

Curated Observations of the Accelerating Present May 24, 2025

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Rohit Bhargava, founder of the Non Obvious Company and IdeaPress Publishing, on augmented creativity, the human mode, and accelerated learning. Adjunct professor at Georgetown University with a background in marketing and advertising at Ogilvy and Leo Burnett, he argues the significance of live events, media literacy, and the role of the curator in the stories we tell in branding. Technology advancements and storytelling, he says are interlinked, but the future will always depend on the greatest storytellers, and in particular, those who find the non-obvious stories to tell.

#Advertising #Business #Technology

The Acceleration Imperative in The Enigma Economy May 17, 2025

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Michael Tchong, pioneer in digital marketing and consumer behaviour and Adjunct Professor of Innovation at the University of San Francisco on uber trend spotting in a world of AI driven innovation, acceleration imperative and time compression. A trusted authority on market-disrupting trends, he predicts the extinction of digital marketing with the rise of AI-powered disruptors, and the influence of the control enthusiast as consumers demand instant gratification and superior services. He says success in business will be driven by human innovation and human insight in the AI-driven economy with the rise of service marketing where consumers dictate the terms.#Business #AI #Innovation

The Art of Win:Win May 10, 2025

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Dr. Angela Jackson, CEO of Future Forward Strategies and author of "Win Win Workplace," on the importance of centering employee voices, aligning business success with employee well-being, and building diversity, equity and inclusion into pathways to advancement. The Harvard lecturer who advises organizations on innovation and human capital strategies has been featured in Forbes Wall Street Journal, BBC and the Economist, and argues that companies with strong employee engagement have higher share prices and revenue. Those that invest in talent internally and adapt to new generational workforce expectations, she says, are those with the Win:Win mindset. #business #leadership #innovation

How to Grow People in Business Apr 26, 2025

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Nick Colucci, former chief operating officer of Publicis North America on his 40-year career in healthcare advertising and recent induction into the Hall of Fame. Having built Publicis Health into the industry's largest health focused agency network as CEO and chairman, Nick shares the top three take outs of his extraordinary career: the importance of self-management over time-management; the significance of feedback as a gift; and the impact of being a multiplier rather than a divider in leadership. His approach to mentoring focusses on the value of discipline and feedback on personal and professional growth. When we grow people around us, he argues, we grow their skills, we grow teams, we grow companies and we grow business.#Grow #Business #Upskill

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