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Truth, Lies and Work

Truth, Lies and Work

By: HubSpot Podcast Network
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 Truth, Lies & Work is the UK's #1 Management Podcast. Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, this award-winning podcast is where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, the show has reached #2 in the UK Business Podcast Charts and consistently ranks as a Top 10 trending business podcast globally. With a unique blend of evidence-based insight and lived experience, Leanne and Al simplify the science of people and culture to help leaders attract, engage, and retain great talent. Episodes drop twice a week. Tuesdays feature a global people and culture news round-up, a hot take from an emerging or established voice, and the world-famous Workplace Surgery—where Leanne answers real listener questions with practical advice. Thursdays dive deeper with expert guests from across the business and psychology worlds, sharing fresh perspectives and actionable strategies. Whether you're scaling a startup or leading a large team, Truth, Lies & Work delivers the tools, thinking, and inspiration to build thriving, toxic-free workplaces that prioritise well-being and drive sustainable growth. Also, the hosts are married—so expect unfiltered honesty, occasional banter, and a real-life lens on work and life.2022-2026 Economics Hygiene & Healthy Living Management Management & Leadership Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • 277. What REALLY happens when you let A.I. run your workday, with The Economist's Boss Class Host, Andrew Palmer

    277. What REALLY happens when you let A.I. run your workday, with The Economist's Boss Class Host, Andrew Palmer
    Feb 19 2026
    Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week we’re diving into how AI is actually landing in the workplace — and what that means for managers, employees and the future of work. Our guest is Andrew Palmer, host of Boss Class from The Economist and author of the Bartleby management column. In Season 3 of Boss Class, Andrew goes hands-on with AI — not just talking about it, but living with it, testing it and asking the questions leaders need to answer as the technology transforms jobs and organisations. This episode isn’t about hype. It’s about what AI is actually good at today, what it’s still terrible at, and how leaders should think about deploying it in ways that help people — not replace them. 🔥 What you’ll learn 1) AI isn’t coming. It’s here. Season 3 of Boss Class opens with Andrew trying generative AI tools in real work routines — even asking Claude to draft his management column — and discovering both the power and the weirdness that comes with using them. 2) AI reshapes roles, not just tasks Rather than automating jobs wholesale, the most immediate workplace impact of AI is changing how work gets done — augmenting roles, compressing coordination and expanding what managers are responsible for. 3) Imperfect AI still delivers value Some AI tools don’t get things right. But when used as thinking partners — critiquing ideas, suggesting alternatives, or helping leaders make sense of complexity — they make teams more productive and innovative. 4) Leaders need AI literacy, not just tech teams AI affects strategy, priorities and people decisions — not just coding and automation. The organisations that thrive aren’t those that wait for perfect tech, but those that integrate AI intelligently into leadership and workflows. 5) Human judgement still matters Far from making humans obsolete, AI highlights uniquely human strengths: judgment, nuance, people skills and context-aware decision-making. 🧠 Why this matters for work AI is not just a tool — it’s a workforce multiplier. Leaders who understand how to harness AI can reshape productivity, culture and the role of managers in their organisations. Those who don’t risk falling behind as workplace expectations shift rapidly. 🔗 Resources & links Season 3 of Boss Class asks crucial questions about responsibility, adoption and what we truly mean by progress — and this episode brings those questions directly into your workplace context. Listen to Boss Class from The Economist — Season 3 launched January 2026 and explores AI, management and the future of work:https://www.economist.com/audio/podcasts/boss-class Andrew Palmer’s work: search “Boss Class” on podcast platforms or visit The Economist’s podcast page:https://www.economist.com/audio/podcasts/boss-class 💬 Connect with the show Website: https://truthliesandwork.com Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork Hosts Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/ Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne/ 🧠 Mental health support UK & ROI – Samaritans Call 116 123 | http://www.samaritans.org UK – Mind Call 0300 123 3393 | https://www.mind.org.uk US – Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 | https://988lifeline.org Australia – Lifeline Call 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplineshttps://findahelpline.com
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    54 mins
  • 276. Is your career giving you the ick? PLUS! A.I. literacy for managers, finding hope and the verdict on NLP

    276. Is your career giving you the ick? PLUS! A.I. literacy for managers, finding hope and the verdict on NLP
    Feb 17 2026
    Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week we explore career motivation, generative AI for leaders and the psychology of meaningful work. Plus we put Neuro-Linguistic Programming under the microscope and answer career questions from future business psychologists. 🔥 Stories covered 1. The rise of the “career comedown”motivation, engagement and the future of work. Have you ever hit a major career milestone and felt underwhelmed? Leanne introduces the term career comedown, coined by Stefanie Sword-Williams. It describes the emotional slump that can follow promotions, pay rises and career success. Many professionals report feeling bored, stuck or disconnected once they reach the goals they worked towards. The research suggests three paths forward: • Stick — reshape your current role • Twist — change direction or reinvent your career • Tap out — reduce how much work defines your identity Source: https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/real-life/is-your-career-giving-you-the-ick/ Stefanie Sword-Williams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanieswordwilliams/ 2. Generative AI becomes a leadership skill These stories matter for leaders, founders and managers navigating Google has launched a Generative AI Leader certification, signalling that AI literacy is becoming a core leadership capability. The programme helps business leaders understand generative AI, identify opportunities and adopt AI responsibly. Leaders who lack AI literacy risk making strategic decisions without the full picture. Learn more: https://cloud.google.com/learn/certification/generative-ai-leader 3. Hope is the emotion that creates meaning at work New psychological research shows hope may be more important than happiness for creating a meaningful life. Across six studies with more than 2,300 participants, researchers found hope strongly predicts meaning, motivation and wellbeing. Seeing progress, believing change is possible and having a future direction all boost engagement at work. For leaders, clarity, visible progress and realistic optimism matter more than constant positivity. 🧠 Truth or Lie: Does NLP actually work? This week we explore Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). While NLP training can boost confidence and communication skills, strong scientific evidence for its broader claims is limited. Many techniques overlap with established psychology, but NLP itself is not considered a robust evidence-based approach. 💬 Workplace Surgery – Special edition This week’s questions come from The Business Psycho, a new platform launching for students and early-career professionals in business psychology. We discuss: • Breaking into business psychology • The real people problems inside organisations • Mistakes leaders make when trying to fix culture • Future trends in workplace psychology Follow The Business Psychohttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-psycho/https://www.instagram.com/thebusinesspsycho.official Connect with Truth, Lies & Work Website: https://truthliesandwork.com Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork Hosts Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/ Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne 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 helplineshttps://findahelpline.com 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
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    55 mins
  • 275. Why your 13th hire is like puberty (and what to do about it), with Steve Kemish

    275. Why your 13th hire is like puberty (and what to do about it), with Steve Kemish
    Feb 12 2026
    What happens when a small, tight-knit team suddenly starts to grow fast? This week on Truth, Lies & Work, we’re joined by Steve Kemish to talk about the most uncomfortable phase of company growth. The moment when your business moves from a handful of people to a real organisation. Steve calls it the puberty of a company and if you have ever scaled a team, you will know exactly what he means. Steve has grown a marketing agency from a small team into a business approaching 50 people. In this conversation, he shares what leaders rarely talk about when growth accelerates. The identity crisis, the culture wobble, the communication breakdowns and the leadership shifts that suddenly become unavoidable. This episode is packed with practical advice for founders, leaders and managers navigating rapid growth. Key Takeaways Why growth changes everythingMany founders assume growth is purely positive. In reality, scaling introduces new complexity overnight. Communication becomes harder. Informal processes stop working. Leaders who once knew everything now have to learn to let go. The “puberty phase” of organisationsSteve explains why the jump from around 13 to 20 employees is a major turning point. This is when businesses must move from instinct and intuition to structure and systems. Without that shift, chaos quickly follows. The leadership identity shiftThe skills that help you start a business are not the same skills needed to scale one. Founders must evolve from doers into leaders, from decision-makers into decision-enablers. Culture under pressureGrowth puts pressure on culture. New hires bring fresh perspectives, expectations and habits. Leaders must become intentional about culture rather than relying on “how things have always been.” Communication becomes the biggest challengeAs teams grow, assumptions and informal conversations stop working. Leaders must learn to communicate clearly, consistently and at scale. Why this episode matters If you are hiring quickly, planning to scale or feeling the growing pains of expansion, this conversation offers a roadmap for navigating one of the most challenging phases of leadership. Connect with Steve Kemish LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skemish/ Website: http://www.intermedia-global.com Connect with the show Follow Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/al-elliott/Follow Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/ Email: hello@truthliesandwork.comWebsite: https://truthliesandwork.com Mental health resources UK: https://www.mind.org.uk UK Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org US: https://988lifeline.org International: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network – the audio destination for business professionals.
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    54 mins
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