The Illusion of Progress: Paul Sweeney on Magnetic Nonsense, Culture, and Critical Thinking

16/09/2025 59 min Temporada 1 Episodio 26

Listen "The Illusion of Progress: Paul Sweeney on Magnetic Nonsense, Culture, and Critical Thinking"

Episode Synopsis

Most nonsense in organisations isn’t malicious—it’s magnetic.In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones is joined by Paul Sweeney—author of Magnetic Nonsense: A Short History of Bullshit at Work—to unpack the rituals, myths, and illusions that derail progress inside organisations.They dive into the dangers of detached leadership, the myth of heroic CEOs, and why so many change programmes fail before they begin. From performance theatre and wellbeing platitudes to the real impact of meetings, Paul exposes how nonsense embeds itself in culture—and what it takes to replace it with something better.🔍 In this episode:Why magnetic nonsense is so attractive—and so hard to spotThe gap between executive fantasy and frontline realityHow buzzwords and best practices become blockersThe illusion of change and the truth about transformationWhat critical thinking really looks like in leadershipThe importance of autonomy and design that fits reality🎧 Keywords: Critical Thinking, Leadership, Culture, Organisational Nonsense, Change, Strategy Execution, Transformation, Autonomy, Corporate Myths📘 Learn more about Paul’s book: Magnetic Nonsense 📬 Connect with Paul: Paul Sweeney on LinkedInSend 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/

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