Modern work is overflowing with nonsense. Mandatory e-learning that teaches nothing, policies no one reads, collaboration that never happens, and metrics that drive the wrong behaviour.

In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones is joined by James Healy, applied behavioural scientist and author of BS at Work, to unpack why organisations get pulled into performative nonsense and how behavioural science helps us escape it.

James talks about the realities of human nature, why environment shapes behaviour, and why organisations keep adding more policies, processes and tech instead of removing what gets in the way. From the illusion of collaboration to the seduction of simple solutions, this is a grounded, funny and painfully accurate look at how modern work goes wrong and what to do instead.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why so much of modern work is BS
• The behavioural science behind human nature at work
• Why mandatory e-learning never changes behaviour
• The paradox of human behaviour and herd dynamics
• How metrics distort decisions and create perverse incentives
• Collaboration myths and why people do not collaborate
• Why organisations always add and never subtract
• Technology overload and the infinite workday
• Principles over policies
• Outcomes over activities
• The do less principle and why subtraction matters
• Challenging organisational norms and asking why

🎧 Keywords: Behavioural Science, BS at Work, Human Behaviour, Collaboration, Metrics, Organisational Culture, Decision Making, Leadership, Performance, Simplicity, Strategy Execution

📘 James’s Book: https://amzn.eu/d/a1XHcvV

📬 Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-healy-behaviour-boutique/

📬 Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones

🌐 Full Episodes: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategy-meets-reality

Send Mike a Message

👂 Enjoying the show?
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite platform — it helps more people find the podcast.

🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/

Most organisations overthink strategy and underdo it.

In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones sits down with Alex Smith, author of No Bullsh**t Strategy, to explore why strategy has drifted into a thinking exercise instead of a doing discipline.

Alex explains why the fundamentals of strategy are simple, why leaders obsess over the wrong things, and why the real work starts when you make a move your competitors cannot or will not copy. From diagnosing industry flaws to the value of sacrifice and contrarian thinking, this is a grounded conversation that cuts through jargon and brings strategy back to action.

🔍 In this episode:

• Only as better than best: why out-competing rarely works
• Sacrifice as the engine of real innovation
• Strategy as a doing discipline
• The macro vs micro problem in organisations
• Why language corrupts strategic thinking
• Why customer obsession kills good strategy
• Diagnosing industry problems, not customer problems
• Simple execution that people can actually act on

🎧 Keywords: Strategy, No Bulls**t Strategy, Competitive Advantage, Industry Diagnosis, Strategic Simplicity, Execution, Action, Contrarian Strategy, Leadership, Decision Making

📘 Alex’s Work: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-m-h-smith/

📬 Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones

🌐 Full episodes: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategy-meets-reality

Send Mike a Message

👂 Enjoying the show?
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite platform — it helps more people find the podcast.

🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/

In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones is joined by Julian Chender—organisational design expert, strategy advisor, and founder of 11A Collaborative—to explore how to make strategy work in the messy reality of organisational life.

Julian draws on years of experience helping purpose-driven organisations redesign themselves to stay viable. They unpack the challenges of structure, capabilities, and leadership transitions—revealing how real constraints can actually sharpen strategic execution when handled with clarity and care.

From trust and convergence to feedback loops and freedom within constraints, this is a practical conversation for leaders navigating change, collaboration, and complexity.

🔍 In this episode:

• What organisational design really means—and why it’s strategic
• Adapting capabilities when strategy shifts
• Freedom within constraints: the paradox of effective delivery
• Building trust, feedback, and convergence into your operating model
• How organisational structure shapes—and enables—impact

🎧 Keywords: Strategy, Organisational Design, Operating Models, Structure, Capabilities, Leadership, Execution, Collaboration, Purpose-Driven, Julian Chender

📘 Learn more about Julian’s work: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianchender

🌐 11A Collaborative: https://www.linkedin.com/company/11a-collaborative/

Send Mike a Message

👂 Enjoying the show?
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite platform — it helps more people find the podcast.

🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/