The Human Factor Podcast Episode 34: The Ingredients of Success with Maggie Alphonsi
The Human Factor PodcastShow Notes
As human beings – what do we set out to achieve every day? From a human psychology perspective we know that all humans want to have a productive day in a relative sense, need to have a feeling of achievement, attainment or a feeling of being appreciated. As we have said on a regular basis on the podcast – what needs to happen for a person to go home at the end of the day and say “I had a good day”.
Throughout our series – we have touched on this topic many times, but there is still much to learn. Many of us operate within a team structure. We discussed team dynamics with the wonderful Paul Gustard and how he aligns, connects and drives the performance of his teams. Damian Hughes very kindly shared his views on how a performance culture is created. But we want to dig deeper into something we believe to be absolutely fundamental and a question that persists – how is the overall climate created and sustained by leaders, but also by the team itself to ensure goals are met, standards are maintained and all parties feel they are operating in a equitable and inclusive environment?
The word culture has been front and centre over the last 3 years especially in a business context and culture is integral to achieving on a day to day basis. Climate however is different – climate describes what it “feels like” to be in that team, in that group/situation and how is that climate conducive to people achieving their goals? Its our view that building and sustaining standards requires a considerable effort, building a culture of continuous growth requires a commitment from everyone – so the question persists – how is that done, how is that achieved?
We will be exploring all this today with Maggie and tapping into her extensive experiences.
More from The Human Factor Podcast
In this episode, we speak with Claire Meadows from Mitie about the evolution from transactional excellence to intelligent service delivery, and how AI is reshaping processes, workforce design, skills, and the future of operational performance.
In this episode, we speak with Nicholas Toko about how Jungian psychology can help leaders better understand culture, resistance and organisational change.
In episode 76 of The Human Factor Podcast, we explore what it really takes to build talent from within and why internal talent development requires far more than a commitment to promoting from within. Many organisations say they believe in developing their people, but far fewer have the systems, leadership expectations, and organisational structures in place to make that belief a reality. In large, global growth organisations, internal talent development is a long-term strategic choice that can shape leadership continuity, cultural coherence, capability depth, and resilience in the face of constant change. Joining us is Cecilia Sandberg, Senior Vice President, HR at Atlas Copco Group. Together, we explore what it means to build from within in a decentralised, engineering led organisation with a significant global workforce and a strong growth trajectory. Throughout the conversation, we discuss how organisations can turn internal development from a philosophy into a disciplined system, what effective succession planning looks like in practice, and how leaders can be supported and held accountable for developing others. Cecilia also shares insights into the role of mentoring, mobility, structured development, and other reinforcement mechanisms, as well as how organisations can balance internal promotion with the need for fresh perspectives and diversity of thought. We also explore how organisations can measure whether their talent development model is actually working, the tension between long-term development and short-term business pressures, and where leaders should begin if they want to take internal talent development more seriously. If you're looking to strengthen your talent strategy, build stronger leadership pipelines, and create an organisation where people can grow from within, this episode offers valuable insights and practical takeaways. Keywords: Talent, Leadership, Development, Mentoring, Growth, Workforce, Progression
In episode 75 of The Human Factor Podcast, we explore how AI is transforming talent acquisition and what it takes to build hiring processes that are not only faster, but fairer and more human. Talent acquisition has faced significant pressure in recent years, with organisations navigating tight labour markets, changing candidate expectations, and increasing demands to hire more effectively. As AI moves from experimentation to becoming a core part of recruitment, leaders have an opportunity to rethink how they attract, assess, and engage talent. Joining us is Alan Walker, CEO of Udder. Together, we discuss how AI is reshaping every stage of the talent acquisition lifecycle, from sourcing and screening to candidate engagement and hiring decisions.
In this special anniversary episode, we celebrate 5 years of conversations by bringing together four guests who have each helped shape the discussion around work, leadership, wellbeing, and inclusion: Sue Yell, Gethin Nadin, Eric Tinch, and Dr Nancy Doyle.