Truth, Lies and Work

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: [email protected]: 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.

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture.

This week we’re asking: how prepared are workplaces for real life transitions, what happens when AI becomes your colleague, and does your name secretly shape your career?

🔥 Stories covered


Matrescence: the workplace transition nobody plans for
Leanne introduces a word we should all know: matrescence. Similar to adolescence, it describes the emotional, psychological and identity shift that happens when someone becomes a mother.

This is one of the most significant transitions in a woman’s career, yet it’s rarely reflected in performance systems, leadership pathways or job design. The question for organisations is simple: instead of asking people to return unchanged, how can we support them to grow forward?

Follow the research: https://www.instagram.com/microrosie/

Follow Rose on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-soffel/

2. The AI that called its owner while he was sleeping
A developer created an AI agent that can run a computer, read emails, organise files and complete work independently. Then things escalated. Users began connecting their agents together through a platform called MoltBook, a social network for AI agents to share ideas and improve each other.

If AI can do eight hours of work in minutes, what does productivity mean? And what happens when the AI isn’t the company’s tool, but your personal one?

Read more:https://openclaw.ai/https://www.moltbook.com/

3. The biggest workplace problem in 2026 isn’t pay or burnout. It’s managers.
A new SHRM report based on thousands of HR leaders and employees found ineffective leadership has overtaken pay and workload as the top workplace concern.

In organisations rated ineffective, job satisfaction falls to 44%. In effective workplaces it rises to 91%, and more than half of employees in poorly led organisations expect to leave within a year.

Leadership development is now the top priority for HR leaders, with economic uncertainty and AI adoption adding pressure. The message is clear: workplaces don’t fail because people don’t care. They fail because leadership systems don’t support people properly.

Read the report: https://www.webpronews.com/boss-bottleneck-why-leadership-tops-2026-workplace-woes/

🔥 Truth or LieDoes your name influence your career?

Nominative determinism suggests people are drawn to jobs that match their names. Early research hinted at a small effect, but larger modern studies found the link disappears when you control for demographics and chance.

Verdict: Lie. Your brain loves coincidences, but your career is not written in your name.

💬 Workplace Surgery
This week we tackle:
• Why personality tools like DiSC remain popular despite weak evidence
• Whether small businesses should hire younger workers
• How to stand out when starting a career in occupational psychology

🎧 Coming up Thursday
We’re joined by Steve Kemish to talk about the “puberty of organisations” and what happens when teams grow fast.

💬 Connect with the show
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans – 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – 988 https://988lifeline.org
Australia: Lifeline – 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global: https://findahelpline.com

Why do so many change initiatives, town halls and big launches create excitement and then fade with no real behaviour change?

In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, Al and Leanne speak with Lindsey Caplan, a former Hollywood screenwriter turned organisational psychologist, about why leaders struggle to influence groups at work and what actually works instead.

Lindsey shares the MOVED Model, a practical framework for driving engagement, influencing behaviour and communicating change in a way that sticks. If you lead teams, present ideas, manage projects or drive transformation, this episode explains why information alone never creates change and what does.

What you’ll learn

Why most workplace change fails
Many organisations fall into the transmission trap: the belief that more information leads to better results. More slides, more frameworks and more meetings rarely change behaviour. Real change happens when people feel involved, motivated and emotionally connected.

Informing vs influencing at work
Influencing one person is very different from influencing a group. Leaders often assume employees are already motivated and aligned, but many are neutral, cautious or distracted. Real change begins with a better question: What do we need people to do differently? Not: What do we need to tell them?

The MOVED Model explained
Lindsey’s framework maps how leaders try to influence behaviour using two key dimensions. Push vs Pull: is change being done to people or with people? Generic vs Personalised: is the message broad or relevant to individuals? These create four outcomes: compliance, awareness, entertainment and engagement. Most organisations aim for engagement but accidentally design for compliance.

What Taylor Swift can teach leaders
Great performers design experiences that involve their audience. Leaders can do the same by giving people a role in the change, creating curiosity with a central question, sharing emotion as well as expertise and showing why the change matters to employees. The message is simple: perform with people, not at people.

Practical leadership takeaways
Decide the behaviour you want before designing the message. Pull people into change instead of pushing information at them. Stop saying “I’m excited about this change” and explain why employees should be.

Resources and links
Take the MOVED Model quiz: https://www.gatheringeffect.com/quiz
Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseycaplan/

Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Connect with the hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans – 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – 988 https://988lifeline.org
Australia: Lifeline – 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global support: https://findahelpline.com

A LinkedIn Live conversation on money confidence, risk and the future of careers

Over the last few years, work has quietly shifted from ambition to survival.

Rising living costs, economic uncertainty, layoffs and AI have changed how people make career decisions. Instead of taking risks or pursuing meaningful work, many are staying put not because they want to, but because it feels safer to stay. The media has called this the Big Stay or job-hugging.

Why these two perspectives together

Louise and Ruth operate at different, but deeply connected, points in the system.


Louise works at the earliest stage, where money beliefs, habits and confidence are formed in childhood and adolescence.


Ruth works at the adult decision-making stage, where financial confidence shapes career risk-taking, leadership progression, entrepreneurship and long-term wellbeing.

Together, they offer an end-to-end view of how money confidence shapes working lives.


Why money confidence often matters more than income when it comes to career choices


How financial insecurity quietly shapes promotions, leadership ambition and risk-taking


Why people from less affluent backgrounds are less likely to take career risks, even when highly capable


How early money beliefs follow people into adulthood and the workplace


Why financial wellbeing is the most neglected pillar of workplace wellbeing


What leaders and organisations can do to reduce fear-driven decision-making without being intrusive

What you’ll learn in this episode

This conversation reframes financial literacy not as budgeting or products, but as freedom, confidence and optionality.

Money confidence influences:


Who feels able to negotiate, speak up or take risks


Who progresses into leadership roles


Who starts businesses or new ventures


Who opts out, plays safe or stays stuck

Why this matters for leaders and organisations

For leaders concerned about engagement, retention, wellbeing, DEI and social mobility, this episode highlights a hidden but powerful driver of workplace behaviour.

About our guests

Louise Hill
Co-founder of GoHenry, a financial education platform helping children and young people build money confidence from an early age.
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-hill-5197614/
🔗 GoHenry: https://www.gohenry.com

Ruth Handcock
CEO of Octopus Money, supporting adults and employees to make confident financial decisions about work, life and the future.
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-handcock-obe-71b3656/
🔗 Octopus Money: https://octopusmoney.com

🎧 Who this episode is for


Leaders and managers worried about engagement, retention and risk-aversion


HR and People teams focused on wellbeing, DEI and social mobility


Parents thinking about the long-term impact of money conversations at home


Employees feeling cautious, stuck or unable to take career risks


Founders and policymakers interested in innovation and economic participation

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work


Website: https://truthliesandwork.com


Email: [email protected]


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Connect with the hosts


Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/


Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support

If this conversation brings anything up for you:


UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org


US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org


Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au


Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

What happens when two art students fall in love, start freelancing together, and accidentally build one of the UK's happiest creative brand agencies?

In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we're joined by Gemma Ruse and Xavier Shariff, the husband-and-wife co-founders of Studio Zag, a 60-person agency that designs and builds experiential installations for brands all over the world.

STUDIO XAG: https://studioxag.com/

Gemma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-ruse-646979a

Xavier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-sheriff-49091132

Ellie Glason PR: https://ellieglasonpr.com/

They met at 20 in a house share at Central Saint Martins. They've been together for over 20 years, running Studio Zag together for 16 of those. They've clad a 35-metre boombox onto Diesel's Carnaby Street facade, become a certified B Corp, and built a business where people regularly say: "This is and will always be the best place I've ever worked."

This isn't a story about having it all figured out. It's about trusting your gut, knowing when enough is enough, and building culture through brilliant work — not ping pong tables.

What you'll learn in this episode

Why they never planned to work together (and why it works anyway)

How complementary skills matter more than identical visions

Why "disagree in the room, commit outside the room" is their partnership rule

The difference between forced fun and authentic culture

Why they don't want to grow from 60 to 600 people (and what that says about sustainable business)

How trust your gut feeling actually works as a leadership strategy

Why great work IS culture (and how they keep that red thread of attention to detail at scale)

What it means when people say your agency is, "the best place you've ever worked"

Gemma and Xavier are brutally honest about the realities of building a creative business with your life partner: the complementary strengths, the stubborn moments, and why sometimes the best business advice is to ask yourself: "What does this feel like in my stomach?"


💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work


Website: ⁠https://truthliesandwork.com⁠


Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠


LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work⁠


Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork⁠


Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/⁠


Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/⁠

🧠 Mental health support

If this conversation brings anything up for you or someone you care about:


UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠


US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠


Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠


Elsewhere: ⁠https://findahelpline.com