293 episodes
- Editor's note: While we're on hiatus we're revisiting some of Rodney and Sam's favorite episodes of the show, starting with this one about RACIs, and how other accountability matrices promise certainty they can never deliver and other ways to start thinking about accountability at work.
Get all the links mentioned in this episode, and the full transcript here: https://www.theready.com/podcast/episodes/awwtr10-why-raci-doesnt-fix-decision-making-and-what-does?
--------------------------------
Ready to change your organization? Let's talk.
Get our newsletter: Sign up here.
Follow us:
LinkedIn
Instagram
------------------------------
Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios. - We've spent the last few months talking about organizations that are built to benefit from change. But change gets extra hard when people leave, especially when that person is your friend and a big part of what makes a job worth getting up for in the morning. It’s hard to balance being happy for someone moving on to their shiny new thing and still grieve the hole they leave behind. Well, the same goes for podcasts and we're a bit in our feels today: after three years behind the mic, Sam has decided it's time to move on to new adventures.
In this episode, Rodney and Sam throw a mini celebration for Sam's last episode as co-host: why now's the time, how the world of work has shifted during his run, a look back at a few of their favorite episodes, and what’s coming next for the show in 2027.
Get all the links mentioned in this episode, and the full transcript here: https://www.theready.com/podcast/episodes/awwtr-58-sam-spurlin-final-episode
--------------------------------
Ready to change your organization? Let's talk.
Get our newsletter: Sign up here.
Follow us:
LinkedIn
Instagram
--------------------------------
00:00 Intro + Check-In
04:08 Why now's the right moment for Sam to leave
08:55 Rodney and Sam's highlights from their years together
13:30 Rodney and Sam's all-time favorite episodes
17:28 Sam's parting thoughts and appreciation
20:30 How to stay in touch with Sam
22:52 Blooper reel
Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios. - In some organizations, the knowledge isn't in a wiki or a handbook…it’s trapped in people's heads and travels by hallway storytelling. A listener wants to know: how do you build a culture of knowledge sharing and async communication in a place where writing things down has never been the norm?
In this mini episode, Rodney and Sam dig into why the oral tradition persists. From the power dynamics of hoarding knowledge to the fear of having receipts for decisions that went sideways, they share examples of how to lower the cost of sharing until working in the open becomes the path of least resistance.
Get the links mentioned in this episode and a full transcript here: https://www.theready.com/podcast/episodes/aua-how-to-get-institutional-knowledge-out-of-peoples-heads
--------------------------------
Ready to change your organization? Let's talk.
Get our newsletter: Sign up here.
Follow us:
LinkedIn
Instagram
--------------------------------
Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios. - Organizations are absorbing more change than they were ever built for, and that change always comes with a lot of feelings. Whether it's a layoff, a reorg, a promotion, or handing off a project you built, we're constantly having to shed hopes and dreams and stability and start over. But most companies are built to avoid those feelings, not process them, so they just accumulate. Leaders skip straight to the "let's get excited about the future!" phase, everyone's feelings go underground, and teams get trapped in a game of pretend that grinds work to a halt.
In this episode, Rodney sits down with Molly Graham, founder of Glue Club and host of TED's WorkLife, to crack open the chestnut of identity, change, and grief at work. They explore the consequences that come with fusing who we are with what we do, the unintentional harm caused by leaders who pretend everything's fine when it's not, and why every big change needs a "funeral" before everyone can finally move forward.
Get all of Molly's links, references mentioned in this episode, and the full transcript here: https://www.theready.com/podcast/episodes/awwtr57-grief-identity-and-change-at-work-with-molly-graham
--------------------------------
Ready to change your organization? Let's talk.
Get our newsletter: Sign up here.
Follow us:
LinkedIn
Instagram
--------------------------------
00:00 Intro + Check-In: What's a risk you took everyone thought was a bad idea?
04:08 How to handle the pressure of a big new Lego
08:40 How your identity gets fused with your job
12:24 How identity shifts across career phases
15:18 How capitalism fuses your work and your life
20:00 The fear-driven meta-narrative around AI
23:17 How we should actually be talking about AI at work
33:06 Why we're so bad at handling feelings and grief at work
40:47 Moving leaders from "shit umbrella" to "shit filter"
44:16 Why grief doesn't care about your deadlines
47:47 What responsibility do companies have for worker wellbeing?
52:05 Why the worker-employer contract is breaking
Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios. - Every organization is postponing something painful they don’t want to face. The CEO’s strategy that’s stopped working, the layoffs that have become unavoidable, the promising prototype that’s not delivering results. But even when what has to be done is clear, nobody wants to be the one to be the one to do it.
In this episode, Rodney and Sam respond to a listener asking about how companies can get better at ripping off the Bandaid. They explore ways to put a clock on hard decisions, shrinking the impact of the rip, and share an example of how The Ready has approached their own hard choices.
Get the full transcript and resources mentioned in this episode here: https://www.theready.com/podcast/episodes/aua-how-to-make-the-hard-call-and-shut-something-down
--------------------------------
Ready to change your organization? Let's talk.
Get our newsletter: Sign up here.
Follow us:
LinkedIn
Instagram
--------------------------------
Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.
More Business podcasts
Trending Business podcasts
About At Work with The Ready
Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin have helped teams around the world adopt more modern ways of working and on At Work with The Ready they’re sharing the inside scoop with you, too. Whether you’re struggling with a carousel of ineffective meetings, annual strategy sessions that go nowhere, or decision-making churn that never ceases, they’ve seen it all and are here to help. In each episode, they'll break down common workplace challenges and show you the moves—both big and small—to start making real, lasting change. (Formerly “Brave New Work” with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans)
Podcast websiteListen to At Work with The Ready, Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app
- Stations and podcasts to bookmark
- Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Supports Carplay & Android Auto
- Many other app features
Get the free radio.net app
- Stations and podcasts to bookmark
- Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Supports Carplay & Android Auto
- Many other app features


At Work with The Ready
Scan code,
download the app,
start listening.
download the app,
start listening.






























