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PEOPLE, BRAND & SYSTEMS

PEOPLE, BRAND & SYSTEMS

Written by: Lindy Taylor
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Explore the intersection of people, brand, and systems in this thought-provoking podcast hosted by Lindy Taylor. Each episode dives into the real stories, strategies, and structures that drive thriving businesses—from cultivating culture and leadership, to building authentic brands and designing systems that scale. Whether you're a founder, team leader, or creative thinker, this is your space to rethink how business works from the inside out.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by our interviewees in our videos and podcasts are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the companies or organisations they represent.

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Episodes
  • Part 2: Why Your Results Are Not Random: Turning Culture into an Equation w/Jon Dario (AIM)

    Part 2: Why Your Results Are Not Random: Turning Culture into an Equation w/Jon Dario (AIM)
    Mar 16 2026

    Jon Dario shares the “gravity-like law” of team performance- actions + external influences = results- plus how to close execution gaps without micromanaging.

    If you could turn culture into an equation, could you finally manage results with consistency?

    In Part 2, Jon Dario introduces his gravity-like law of team performance and the simple equation that underpins execution: actions + external influences = results. From there, he breaks down how managers close the “intended vs actual” gap, how to increase follow-up without becoming a micromanager, and why the right environment (respect + safety + team standards) is non-negotiable for AIM to work.​


    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
    • The “gravity-like law” equation: actions + external influences = results.​
    • A practical example of external influences (customers) and why it’s not a valid excuse.​
    • Closing the execution gap: intended vs actual actions/results, and how to manage it well.​
    • The Regina story: why follow-up frequency shapes behaviour and standards.​
    • “White belt mentality”: how leaders earn real authority by staying teachable.​
    • The Tudometer: a simple tool to talk about attitude without making it personal.​
    • The 3 F’s of execution: focus, follow-up, feedback.​


    EPISODE 2 CHAPTERS

    0:03 – Episode 2 intro + quick recap prompt​

    00:27 – Gravity-like law: actions + external influences = results​

    2:15 – The “external influences” trap + retail example​

    3:12 – Monitoring the gap without micromanaging​

    5:58 – Fix it vs teach it vs redesign the system​

    7:00 – How often should you follow up?​

    9:57 – Regina story: frequency of follow-up creates execution​

    11:00 – White belt mentality (learn every day)​

    13:31 – The “right environment” for AIM​

    15:24 – Resolving team conflict: define results + remove intention assumptions​

    17:16 – Common language + routines​

    19:05 – Tudometer tool for attitude + psychological safety​

    23:24 – Rubber band habit: praise every team member daily​

    25:07 – The 3 F’s: focus, follow-up, feedback​

    27:30 – Where to buy the book + contact Jon​

    29:12 – Outro​


    ABOUT JON DARIO

    Jon Dario has retail leadership experience spanning thirty years plus across multiple types of retail environments-including department stores, specialty stores, and financial services. He earned his marketing degree from Penn State University. Dario, who previously wrote The Retail Management Formula: A Navigational Guide to Consistently Effective Retail Management, lives in Warren, New Jersey, with his wife and two teenage boys. He is soon to publish AIM.

    • Book: AIM : How Managers Get Radically Reliable Results - available via Amazon/Audible/Kindle (via amazon.com).​


    CONNECT WITH JON DARIO

    • Jon Dario: johndario.com (book + services + contact).​


    CONNECT WITH YOUR HOST — LINDY TAYLOR

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindy-taylor-renewable-energy-sustainability-5th-discipline

    Website: https://the5thdiscipline.com


    ABOUT THE 5TH DISCIPLINE PODCAST

    The 5th Discipline Podcast explores everything to do with people, culture, and systems in the climate change and sustainability space. Hosted by Lindy Taylor, each episode brings together global leaders, HR professionals, and change-makers to share the insights and strategies that build thriving, future-fit organisations.

    • Subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if this conversation resonated with you, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts — it helps more people find the show.​


    KEYWORDS

    actions plus external influences equals results, leadership execution, management follow-up cadence, micromanagement vs management, team performance equation, focus follow-up feedback, Tudometer.
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    28 mins
  • Part 1: Why Your Results Are Not Random: Turning Culture into an Equation w/Jon Dario (AIM)

    Part 1: Why Your Results Are Not Random: Turning Culture into an Equation w/Jon Dario (AIM)
    Mar 9 2026

    Jon Dario explains why radically reliable results come from culture + execution: leadership balance, disengagement signals, weekly progress meetings, and recognition that actually sticks.


    What if your team’s results aren’t random - just the outcome of a culture you can intentionally build?

    In Episode 1 of this conversation, Lindy Taylor speaks with Jon Dario (Founder/Director, Retail Management Formula; CEO; author of AIM: Action Item Management / How Managers Get Radically Reliable Results) about the leadership behaviours that create repeatable performance - without burnout or micromanagement.​

    You’ll hear Jon’s core idea: sustainable results don’t come from flashy “home runs,” they come from consistent execution - and that execution is shaped by how managers build trust, set expectations, and run the cadence of communication.​

    *** If Part 1 helped, listen to Part 2 for Jon’s “gravity-like law” equation, the Regina story on follow-up frequency, the Tudometer tool, and the 3 F’s (focus, follow-up, feedback).


    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
    • What “radically reliable results” look like on a normal Tuesday (and why incremental improvement wins).​
    • Jon’s Leadership Balance Model: creating confidence and challenge at the same time.​
    • How to spot disengagement (complacency vs stress/fear) and what to say in a real conversation.​
    • Weekly progress meetings: why the employee should own the agenda, and how this builds openness.​
    • Recognition that works: why specific feedback matters, plus the handwritten thank-you note story.​


    EPISODE 1 CHAPTERS

    00:00 – Intro: Jon Dario + AIM (Action Item Management)​

    00:34 – Welcome Jon + his career journey (Macy’s, GAP, banking, CEO)​

    02:57 – What AIM is really about: execution and repeatable success​

    05:10 – Why Jon wrote the book + publishing details (March 24)​

    06:09 – “Radically reliable” results vs occasional home runs​

    08:13 – Leadership Balance Model (confidence + challenge)​

    10:10 – Signs of disengagement and how leaders respond​

    13:49 – Weekly progress meetings that build trust (employee-owned agenda)​

    16:19 – Recognition: specific positive feedback + thank-you note story​

    18:37 – Pause + transition to Part 2​


    ABOUT JON DARIO

    Jon Dario has retail leadership experience spanning thirty years plus across multiple types of retail environments-including department stores, specialty stores, and financial services. He earned his marketing degree from Penn State University. Dario, who previously wrote The Retail Management Formula: A Navigational Guide to Consistently Effective Retail Management, lives in Warren, New Jersey, with his wife and two teenage boys. He is soon to publish AIM.

    • Book: AIM : How Managers Get Radically Reliable Results - available via Amazon/Audible/Kindle (via amazon.com).​


    CONNECT WITH JON DARIO

    • Jon Dario: johndario.com (book + services + contact).​


    CONNECT WITH YOUR HOST — LINDY TAYLOR

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindy-taylor-renewable-energy-sustainability-5th-discipline

    Website: https://the5thdiscipline.com


    ABOUT THE 5TH DISCIPLINE PODCAST

    The 5th Discipline Podcast explores everything to do with people, culture, and systems in the climate change and sustainability space. Hosted by Lindy Taylor, each episode brings together global leaders, HR professionals, and change-makers to share the insights and strategies that build thriving, future-fit organisations.

    • Subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if this conversation resonated with you, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts — it helps more people find the show.​


    KEYWORDS

    action item management, AIM, radically reliable results, leadership balance model, employee engagement, weekly check-ins, management system, recognition, feedback, team performance, execution culture.​
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    19 mins
  • Beyond Borders: The Human Side of Culturally Diverse Teams w/Bernard Asnong

    Beyond Borders: The Human Side of Culturally Diverse Teams w/Bernard Asnong
    Mar 2 2026
    What does it really take to lead across 77 nationalities, 7 countries, and 160 years of organisational history — and still keep your humanity intact?In this episode of the 5th Discipline Podcast, Lindy Taylor sits down with Bernard Asnong: international speaker, moderator, Global HR Business Partner at TÜV SÜD, and author of Be Awesome, Be Global. Bernard's journey from barefoot beginnings in Zimbabwe and Zambia to corporate leadership in Madrid is not just a career story — it's a masterclass in cultural intelligence, adaptive leadership, and what it truly means to listen.With over 30,000 employees across 77 nationalities at TÜV SÜD, Bernard has tested every leadership theory in the real world. What he shares in this conversation is hard-won, practical, and immediately applicable — whether you manage a team of 5 or 5,000.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODEThe two formative experiences from Bernard's early life that shaped how he sees people and culture at workWhy fun and humanity unlock diversity better than any formal policy or training programmeHow living across 7 countries redefined his understanding of great leadership (hint: it has nothing to do with being right)The crucial difference between being kind and being nice — and why confusing them is failing your teamHow to adapt your leadership style across cultures: practical advice on The Culture Map by Erin Meyer and DISC profilingWhy one-off diversity and culture workshops rarely work, and what continuous cultural engagement actually looks likeThe warning signs of psychological safety breakdown that leaders must not ignoreHow to keep culture alive in remote and hybrid global teams after COVID changed everythingCross-border team building strategies that work without flying everyone to the same cityBernard's personal mental wellness rituals: gym discipline, vinyl records, mentorship, and a nightly self-gratitude practiceThe one Swahili word — sikiliza — that Bernard says is the most important daily habit for any leader who wants to grow their cultural intelligenceHow active listening can shift unconscious bias and transform relationships over timeEPISODE CHAPTERS00:00 — Introduction and welcome00:51 — Be Awesome, Be Global: Bernard's book and journey from Zimbabwe to Madrid03:02 — Barefoot to global: the pig farm and Dilly's Thriller moment07:42 — Living in 7 countries: what great leadership really means09:03 — Kind vs nice: why tough feedback is the most generous thing a leader can give10:15 — The Culture Map, DISC, and adapting style across cultures13:15 — Why one-off training fails: what continuous cultural engagement looks like14:37 — Psychological safety and mental wellness: warning signs leaders must not miss17:18 — Global citizens vs HQ vs regions: navigating matrix organisations19:22 — Remote work and hybrid teams: keeping culture alive post-COVID21:15 — Cross-border team building that actually works23:17 — Bernard's personal wellness rituals for global HR leaders27:18 — Sikiliza: the one daily habit that grows cultural intelligence28:50 — Active listening, unconscious bias, and transforming relationshipsABOUT BERNARD ASNONGBernard Asnong is an international speaker, moderator, trainer, and Global HR Business Partner at TÜV SÜD — a 160-year-old global testing, inspection, and certification company with over 30,000 employees across 77 nationalities. Having lived and worked in seven countries across three continents, Bernard brings a uniquely lived perspective to cross-cultural leadership and people strategy. He is also the author of Be Awesome, Be Global, an honest and unpolished account of his journey from Zimbabwe to the global stage.RESOURCES MENTIONEDBe Awesome, Be Global by Bernard Asnong — available on AmazonThe Culture Map by Erin Meyer — essential reading for leaders of globally distributed teamsDISC Profiling — for understanding team dynamics, personalities, and leadership stylesCONNECT WITH BERNARD ASNONGLinkedIn: Search "Bernard Asnong" on LinkedInBook: Search "Be Awesome Be Global Bernard Asnong" on AmazonCONNECT WITH TÜVSÜDWebsite: https://www.tuvsud.comLinkedIn: Search TÜV SÜD on LinkedInCONNECT WITH YOUR HOST — LINDY TAYLORLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindy-taylor-renewable-energy-sustainability-5th-disciplineWebsite: https://the5thdiscipline.comABOUT THE 5TH DISCIPLINE PODCASTThe 5th Discipline Podcast explores everything to do with people, culture, and systems in the climate change and sustainability space. Hosted by Lindy Taylor, each episode brings together global leaders, HR professionals, and change-makers to share the insights and strategies that build thriving, future-fit organisations.Subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if this conversation resonated with you, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts — it helps more people find the show.KEYWORDSglobal leadership, cultural intelligence, cross-cultural management, diversity and inclusion, leadership ...
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    33 mins
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