Better Under Pressure

Duro Oye is the Founder & CEO of 20/20 Change - a multi-award-winning social enterprise leading the way to a more diverse and inclusive workforce in the UK. It empowers young black professionals to flourish in the workplace. 

Duro designed the award-winning ‘I AM CHANGE’ 10-week programme which focuses on developing young people’s self-awareness, vision, persistence, and dignity. He’s also a qualified mindset coach with a degree in Graphics and Advertising, a diploma in Documentary Filmmaking and is a fellow at the Acumen Academy.  All this after - and probably as a result of – almost a decade of criminality - between the ages of 12 and 21.  

Duro is a passionate storyteller and uses documentary film to enable marginalised youth to frame their own narrative. Since producing his first independent film in 2013, he has gone on to produce the documentary films ‘County lines: Teenage Drug Runners’ for the BBC & two seasons of ‘Gangland’ for Channel 5.  
In our conversation, Duro describes

-       The exact moment when he turned his back on crime.
-       Why he felt it necessary to support Manchester United
-       And how he turns difficult conversations into a game

 

Outline:
00:00 Intro
03:00 What does pressure mean to you?
04:42 When was the first time you felt pressure?
06:12 How did that pressure occur to you, was it cognitive or physical?
08:50 How did you turn your pressure into a tool?
14:35 Can you describe a time when you held yourself strong faced with extreme pressure? 
18:06 Insight 1: Lesson learned
19:48 The ability to turn your experiences into something positive, and pay it forward 
24:30 When was the moment you decided to turn things around? 
32:08 If you try something, you might as well go all in
34:38 Compartmentalising your skills and re-administering them to other parts of your life
36:48 Insight 2: Lesson learned
40:32 Outro

Chloe Cameron is Chief People Officer for the Pax8 EMEA region. Previously, she’s worked in global corporations and small start-ups and occupied various leadership roles across marketing, business operations and most recently people. She came into a career in tech via a History degree from the University of Cambridge.

As Chief People Officer for the Pax8 EMEA region, her role is to ensure the company keeps humans at the heart of its growth. Chloe is responsible for developing the vision and strategy to maintain and scale an inclusive, high-performance culture built on servant leadership, psychological safety and genuine community.

She sees her mission as nothing short of empowering every Pax8er to engage in the best work of their lives.

In 2021 she received the CompTIA Advancing Women in Technology Leadership Award.

In our conversation, Chloe shares what she means by taking rest seriously, loudly and proudly, and what pressure looks like in moments of both scarcity and abundance and confesses she is a recovering rescuer. 

She also shares an experience of how the pressure of a single episode rang in her ears for months after!

 

Outline:
00:00 Intro
02:14 How do you experience pressure?
04:00 Has enduring the moment helped you understand it better?
05:29 When do you remember first experiencing pressure?
08:05 How would you describe the difference between pressure VS nerves? 
10:55 How have you experienced pressure during the growth in your career?
14:52 What shifts did you have to make in your own leadership?
18:55 In a larger enterprise, how does pressure show up for you now?
23:29 Can you share an example of when the pressure has tipped over? 
26:44 Highlight 1: Lessons learned
28:11 What would be your advice on managing pressure in others?
30:52 How do you make sure you operate at your best?
33:24 How to remain properly “selfish.”
36:58 As a CPO, what do you do when you see unhelpful pressure leaking in your team?
39:55 Highlight 2: Lessons learned
42:56 The routines with your team that have made a significant impact on pressure
44:30 What is the biggest pressure at this moment for your organisation? 
48:44 How do you create a joyful atmosphere as a leader, although the pressure
50:12 Leaders’ responsibilities during uncertain times
53:53 What 2 things would you pay forward to others wanting to be better under pressure?
58:20 Outro

Abi Stephens is a renowned TV Sports Presenter who has been track-side, pitch-side and ring-side the world over, hosting major sporting tournaments, including the Olympics and World Cups, for the likes of Discovery, BT Sport and ITV.

When she’s off camera, Abi is a Leadership Performance coach drawing on her rich experience performing live under pressure to help leaders in sport and business elevate their impact and influence, particularly under the spotlight.

Whether interviewing high-profile athletes or coaching business executives, Abi manages to draw out their most compelling stories so that they and the world learn and benefit from their experiences. An athlete herself, Abi has completed 6 marathons, including the prestigious Boston marathon. 

In our conversation, Abi shares how she’s learnt to be present in pressure and to let go, when she decided to stop listening to the voice that said she needed a thicker skin, and how she found a source of professional strength through personal trauma.

 

Outline:
00:00 Intro
02:38 When do you remember experiencing pressure for the first time?
05:45 Was performance pressure something you were trained for?
08:49: How did you go on that journey of turning pressure into healthy pressure?
12:33: Staying present in pressure
15:25: When do you feel that pressure is becoming unhelpful, what is the first sign?
20:03: What do you do, in a moment of pressure, that gets you back in control?
25:30: Owning our responses in pressure moments: we can boss it!
26:59: Highlight 1: Lessons learnt 
30:22: Dreading your dream job and taking ownership of it
32:58: Going from overspeaking as opposed to just listening in the We.
35:42: How has this helped you with personal pressure?
47:11: If you could pay forward, what would you offer to someone who wants to be better under pressure?
51:05: How rehearsing your thoughts out loud helps to release pressure.
52:26: Highlight 2: Lessons learnt
53:17: Outro

Rob Bullock is Executive Producer at Left Bank Pictures, one of the UK’s leading independent drama production companies, where he’s headed the production of a slate of premium drama productions for Amazon, HBO, Sky, and YouTube. He’s currently in production for two new returning dramas on Netflix.

Before joining Left Bank, Rob produced the multiple award-winning show, The Night Manager, for BBC/AMC. He began his career as a graduate trainee at Granada TV, where he later became a producer in the comedy department. After completing an MBA at London Business School, he went on to produce a string of prime-time dramas, including the much-loved Monarch of the Glen series for BBC, Wild at Heart, and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher for ITV.  He is the proud father of three teenagers who keep him in line. 

During our conversation, Rob shares his strategy for managing the pressure of tough conversations, the importance of connecting with positive people, what he does to protect himself from absorbing other people’s fear, and what he learned from a near-death experience.

 

Outline:
00:00 Intro
02:08 When can you remember experiencing pressure?
08:37 Positive VS negative pressure
20:06 Recognising the signs of pressure 
24:25 Highlight 1: Lessons learned 
25:29 How do you handle pressure in your work
31:10 How do you lead when people are losing faith?
34:14 The balance between the honesty of the situation and pressure
37:55 The ability to compartmentalise different parts of yourself
39:11 Highlight 2: Lessons learnt
40:56 How do you give yourself an outlet from pressure?
45:10 What’s your preparation technique for managing pressure?
57:50 Outro

Louise Moore is the Managing Director of Michael Joseph, one of Penguin Random House’s biggest commercial publishing lists, specialising in women’s fiction, crime, thriller, cookery, memoir, and lifestyle books. She made her way up the editorial ladder, starting as a PA, and joined the division as an editorial director in 1997, before being made publishing director in 2001. She’s been MD for over 15 years. 

Now, Louise leads a talented publishing team that delivers the best commercial fiction and non-fiction. Her authors include household favourites like Jamie Oliver, Nadiya Hussain, Dawn French, Jojo Moyes, and many others. She is also an External Governor at the University of the Arts in London. Last year, she was Head Judge on Channel 4’s Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver to find and publish untapped cooking talent.

In our conversation, Louise talks about how the fear of judgment impacted her physically, the journey she is on regarding her emotions and is, in her words, “still trying to crack,” and the value of locking herself in the loo for five minutes.

 

Outline:
00:00 Intro
02:16 How do you experience pressure?
09:09 What is your competitive spirit led by?
13:00 At what point did pressure start feeling different to you?
20:17 Highlight 1: Lessons learnt 
22:06 What is the worst pressure you have ever experienced?
28:36 How do you deal with the extra pressures post-Covid?
30:30 What would you have done differently on your bad day?
39:32 Highlight 2: Lessons learnt
40:40 2 things that you would pass forward to others on how to handle pressure
45:16 Outro

 

Julie Harris has over 30 years of experience working with both B2B and B2C content and tech platform organisations. As an accomplished media, marketplace, and subscription business specialist, Julie has led multi-discipline teams, has a wealth of international experience, including living and working in Asia and positively thrives in high-pressure complex environments, particularly in private equity-owned businesses.

Her executive roles include Global CEO of WGSN Group, the world’s leading fashion and retail trend forecasting company, as well as Immediate Media and Upper Street Events. Currently, Julie is CEO of Comparison Technologies, a private equity-backed comparison and customer acquisition platform business. Julie has built a strong reputation as a strategic and cultural transformation expert, exceeding revenue and profit targets, successfully integrating acquisitions, as well as driving significant shareholder value. She’s also been a Non-Executive Director on the board of Which? the consumer champion since 2015.

During our conversation, she shares the importance of punctuating the start and end of her week, the three questions she asks her team to stay connected during moments of pressure, and what she learned when she lost both her parents within three days of each other.

 

Outline:
00:00 Intro 
02:30 When do you remember first experiencing pressure?
06:29 How do you transform negative pressure into positive pressure?
8:50 How do you recognise the feeling of pressure?
12:21 Instructing yourself 
20:07 Highlight 1: Lesson learnt
21:10 As a CEO do you find it hard, to be honest about your pressure?
30:10 Highlight 2: Lesson learnt
31:01 What do you think that you’ve put up with for too long?
32:48 Paying forward 2 pieces of advice on how to be better under pressure
36:35 Keeping the right amount of pressure to keep you moving forward
42:55 Outro