Control is comforting, but often a trap. In this episode, Michael Negendahl joins Mike Jones to explore why so much strategy and safety work is performative, how leaders confuse the perception of control with real progress, and why diagnosing problems comes before declaring solutions. From risk management to distributed intelligence, this is a candid look at leading in complexity.

Innovation is often misunderstood—as a buzzword, a campaign, or a flashy showcase of creativity. But real innovation is about solving the right problems.

In this episode, Paul Frobisher—engineer, innovator, and founder of Strategic Innovation—joins Mike Jones to explore why so many organisations mismanage innovation. They unpack how poor problem definition, disconnected strategy, and emotional resistance undermine progress—and why frameworks like TRIZ and IDEF0 help bring discipline and clarity. From hydrogen futures to innovation ecosystems, this is a grounded conversation on what it takes to innovate with intent in an uncertain world.

You can’t plan your way through uncertainty—but you can orient through it.

In this episode, strategist and former Marine Mark McGrath joins Mike Jones to explore how leaders can use John Boyd’s thinking to stay adaptive in a fast-moving world. They unpack the power of orientation, the illusion of prediction, and how small changes ripple through complex systems. From Wall Street to military lessons, this is a grounded conversation about strategy, learning, and the hidden forces that shape organisational survival.

Strategy isn’t just a plan—it’s a practice.
In this episode, Leanne Sobel joins Mike Jones to explore how design reshapes strategy from a static product into a dynamic, participatory process. They unpack the power of reflection, feedback, and stakeholder sensemaking—and why design thinking, done right, isn’t fluff—it’s strategic rigour in action.