Andrew Copson’s Post

Very good podcast series called the 'The Long History of...Ignorance' by Rory Stewart is now available on BBC Sounds and is presently being broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio 4. Link to the opening below. To a degree it revolves around the Latin saying of "ipse se nihil scire id unum sciat" which means "I know that I know nothing" or "For I was conscious that I knew practically nothing..." and comes from Plato's accounts of Socrates. I generally only post on Manchester and IP matters, so with that hat on the one thing I dread in my job is being surprised, particularly in contentious matters. I think the starting part of not being surprised is maybe accepting we do not know everything and then assessing a situation from there. Where I have been surprised in the past is when one made presumptions or assumptions based on an over egged sense of one's knowledge. As Mr Stewart implies knowledge and ignorance are different sides of the same coin and as I progresses in my profession at least its wise to recognise that and I hope I become a better attorney. As the prefix to this first episode states the series explores the idea that understanding ignorance is as important as acquiring knowledge. P.S I neither studied Latin nor Philosophy at either school or University so I am happy to be corrected on my lack of knowledge or ignorance of both subjects.

For everyone interested in the meaning and impact of trust, this groundbreaking series is just inspiring, enlightening and thoughtful. A must listen if you are a leader, manager, influencer, individual contributor, student- in fact, relevant to everyone. Highly recommend……👏🏻👍🏻👏🏻👍🏻👏🏻👍🏻👏🏻 Bonus: If you’re a LinkedIn learner you can also watch Rachel Botsman’s course “why trust matters”

We have been incredibly lucky to hear from Rachel Botsman on the topic of ‘Trust’ as part of the Education and Training Foundation Preparing for CEO programme delivered in collaboration with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. I now find myself referring back to her words in so many of my conversations with Chairs, CEOs and senior teams at FE Colleges. It’s easy to be frustrated thinking about whether you can trust someone. As Rachel says, the more important question is ‘trust to do what??’ When you can articulate what it is you are trusting someone to do, it’s so much easier to navigate towards a trusting relationship. #trust #colleges #leadership

💫 On the benefits of ignorance😯 If you are looking for an inspiring podcast to listen to this summer, I wholeheartedly recommend Rory Stewart's "The Long History of Ignorance", available on BBC Sounds website: https://lnkd.in/drnCs6WU Rory Stewart is a writer, academic, politician and diplomat. In the podcast he shares his own experiences, interviews many interesting people (you can see the long list of his guests on the podcast's website) and dips into literature. All in order "to make a radical case for embracing ignorance". He shows that ignorance is not the opposite of knowledge but that it supplements knowledge. After listening to this podcast I have a very different understanding of ignorance. It is a state worth cultivating because it raises our awareness, boosts our creativity and sparks our curiosity. And I think ignorance is very useful for litigator's work. It allows us to brainstorm ideas, to go beyond our thinking routines, to open our minds to new arguments and new ways of approaching the legal problem. Of course, we need the moments of knowledge: "This is how this argument must be run in this case, how the law and facts will be presented". Otherwise we would never start drafting our submissions! But cultivating and managing our ignorance is a great superpower to have...

Key Strategies for Meaningful Debates by Rob Borbidge | Budge Podcast Discover effective tips for engaging in civil political discussions to bridge the gap between opposing views. Explore the importance of keeping discussions respectful and how political theater differs from the reality of parliamentary agreement. Find out how to foster a productive exchange of ideas and build friendships across party lines. #CivilPoliticalDiscussions #ProductiveDebates #BridgingTheGap #RespectfulDialogue #PoliticalTheater #ParliamentaryAgreement #BuildingFriendships #OpposingViews #ExchangeOfIdeas #MeaningfulDebates

🎙️ Just had the chance to listen to Part 1 of The Quiet Professional podcast series on #PoliceCulture, featuring Katherine Hancock from the Edmonton Police Service. As someone who will be joining the discussion in the near future, here are a few thoughts on this initial conversation: 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗯-𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?: No group is ever entirely homogeneous—there will always be sub-groups, and with them, sub-cultures. In #policing, the majority of research has naturally focused on front-line officers. They are, after all, the ones most likely to interact with the public. But even among patrol officers, there's no single, shared ideology. Past studies have identified various 'patrol officer typologies,' highlighting the diversity of thought within the ranks. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀: The fact that police officers often don't consider civilians in their day-to-day work underscores the in-group mentality within law enforcement—you're either one of us, or you're not. This is reflected in the lack of training and career development opportunities available to civilians. Civilians often operate in the shadows of the hierarchical structure, sharing similar #OrganizationalStressors as their uniform counterparts. Author David Bayley refers to this stressor as the "Character of Management"—being led by senior officers with outdated #leadership approaches. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: It’s no surprise that #change is one of the largest stressors affecting civilians in policing. Change, while inevitable, usually comes as a reaction to external crises rather than as a carefully planned initiative. What really matters is how that change is managed. Unfortunately, effective #ChangeManagement isn't a default skill among police leaders. It’s a critical capability, like leadership, that requires intentional development and training. 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: One of the most impactful changes police organizations can implement is the establishment of systems rooted in organizational (or procedural) justice. Research shows that when cops experience higher levels of #ProceduralJustice themselves, they are more likely to reflect that behaviour in their interactions with the public, thereby enhancing #trust in the institution of policing. I’ve written about this in the past for Blue Line Magazine 👉 https://lnkd.in/g6SNqrSE 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝗿𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻: Nathan rightly points out that the public often expects police officers to be perfect—to be more than human. When risk-taking is consistently met with punitive repercussions, people naturally retreat, leading to the pervasive "#CYA" mindset in policing. It’s essential to distinguish between well-intentioned mistakes and misconduct to create a culture where learning and growth are possible. Looking forward to continuing this conversation in Part 2 of the series. Stay tuned!

So, while you're out there debating the merits of various political candidates, don't forget to also debate the merits of your own goals! After all, your future is just as important as the future of the country. This short clip was taken from our full episode, which you can listen to here https://lnkd.in/gZb94Keb

This is one of my favourite podcasts. My understanding of the media and working with them has gone through the roof listening to this. This particular episode is outstanding and anyone who is interested in the media, politics, managing reputation etc should have a listen. Extremely Frank discussion. https://lnkd.in/eJc_s4zE

So, while you're out there debating the merits of various political candidates, don't forget to also debate the merits of your own goals! After all, your future is just as important as the future of the country. This short clip was taken from our full episode, which you can listen to here https://lnkd.in/gZb94Keb