Episode #464 - Scaling High-Performance Teams with Psychological Safety and Cognitive Diversity – with Csaba Toth
Release Date: 03/19/2025
Episode #474 - Building an Aligned Business - with Megan Stachini
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we’re joined by Megan Stachini, the founder of Intrinsic, a business dedicated to helping entrepreneurs create fulfilling, values-driven businesses—without sacrificing their well-being or personal lives. Megan’s approach is all about authenticity and self-discovery, ensuring that business owners align their work with their core values to prevent burnout, build strong teams, and create sustainable success. She shares her insights on flexible work environments, balancing business and family, and why success should be measured by impact and contentment...
info_outline
Episode #473 - Habits & Strategies to Drive Great Team Engagement - with Paddy White
ScaleUp Radio
In this special Q&A episode, we welcome back Paddy White, founder of Virtual Diamond, to discuss the habits and strategies that drive great team engagement. Recorded as part of our monthly ScaleUp Club session, this episode features insightful discussions led by Granger, with audience participation bringing real-world challenges and experiences into the mix. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 🔹 Building a Strong Virtual Team Culture – The power of regular communication (weekly, monthly, and annual check-ins) and showing appreciation through personal gestures. 🔹 Creating Buy-in...
info_outline
Episode #472 - How Embracing Change Within Your Business Makes You A Better Leader - with Simon Phillips
ScaleUp Radio
On this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we’re diving deep into change management, leadership, and scaling impact with Simon Phillips—a seasoned expert in orchestrating change for both organisations and individuals. With 25+ years of experience, including time at Accenture and over two decades running his own consultancy, Simon has developed powerful frameworks like the Delta Model for Change and the LACE Way for Human-Centric Leadership. His mission? To develop a million changemakers—people who can support others in making positive transformations. What We Cover in This Episode: 🔹 The...
info_outline
Episode #471 - How A Business Can Benefit From Writing A Book - with Danielle Hutchinson
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we dive into the power of writing a book as an entrepreneur with Danielle Hutchinson, Chief Creative Officer at Authors on Mission. Authors on Mission is a done-for-you book writing service that helps business leaders and entrepreneurs turn their ideas into published books—without the hassle of writing themselves. With a team of over 30 core members, 750+ ghostwriters, and 50+ editors, they guarantee a seamless process, even promising Amazon bestseller status. Danielle shares how a book can serve as the ultimate business card, build credibility, and create a...
info_outline
Episode #470 - Growing People, Growing Business, Celebrating 100 Episodes Of ScaleUp Wisdom - with Granger Forson
ScaleUp Radio
Hey, I’m Granger Forson – find me at or connect with me on LinkedIn! In this special episode, we’re looking inward on my own business journey, from the days of engineering beer taps to embracing the power of continuous improvement. I’ll be sharing the highs and lows of ditching the corporate path in favour of scaling up my own adventure. You’ll hear my learning from 100 recoding’s of ScaleUp Radio podcast and growing my own business, and how nurturing a culture of experimentation built a strong foundation for BizSmart Gloucestershire. Listen in as I...
info_outline
Episode #469 - Grow A Mighty Business Rooted In Purpose And Impact - with Catherine Frankpitt
ScaleUp Radio
Hello, I’m Granger Forson – you can find me at or look me up on LinkedIn. In today’s episode, we shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurial journey of the remarkable Catherine Frankpitt, founder and Managing Director of Strike Communications. Catherine has built a “small but mighty” PR agency dedicated to “comms for good.” What does that mean? It’s her creative way of describing how she elevates charities and not-for-profits by telling their stories authentically and powerfully, ensuring that important causes reach the right audiences. From...
info_outline
Episode #468 - The Future of Collectibles Management with Elliot Riley-Walsh from Valart
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I speak with Elliot Riley-Walsh, founder and CEO of Valart, a platform revolutionising how collectors manage their prized assets. Launched in September 2023, Valart provides an agnostic solution for collectors to catalogue, value, and manage their collections—whether it's fine art, classic cars, trading cards, or even Lego! With AI-powered valuation tools, end-of-life planning, and NFT creation for provenance, Elliot and his team are creating a much-needed digital solution for collectors worldwide. What makes Valart’s growth strategy unique? Instead of...
info_outline
Episode #467 - From Corporate Life to Culinary Entrepreneurship – Suki Pantal’s Journey with Suki’s Curries and Spices
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we delve into the inspiring entrepreneurial journey of Suki Pantal, the founder of Suki’s Curries and Spices. Suki transitioned from a corporate career to building a thriving food-based business, turning her passion for Indian cuisine into a multi-faceted venture. What started as an Instagram page during the COVID-19 lockdown has since expanded into cookbooks, online cooking classes, food festival demonstrations, and social media content creation. Suki even made a notable appearance on Jamie Oliver’s TV show, The Great Cookbook Challenge, which helped...
info_outline
Episode #466 - Kindness as The Default In Cybersecurity - with Steve Mason Nova of Blue Technologies
ScaleUp Radio
I’m Granger Forson and you can find me at or on LinkedIn. On this episode, I talk with Steve Mason, the visionary behind Nova Blue Technologies, a remote-first cybersecurity company that grew from a solo startup during the lockdown to a 14-strong international team. Steve shares how a “kindness is the default” ethos permeates Nova Blue’s culture, creating an atmosphere of trust, flexibility, and empowerment. Fueled by his GCHQ and defense industry background, Steve’s focus on proactively configuring systems – rather than just alerting – sets Nova Blue’s managed...
info_outline
Episode #465 - From Military-Grade Security to SME Cyber Protection - with Peter Rucinski
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I sit down with Peter Rucinski, co-founder of Assure Technical, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and how his company has evolved to provide cybersecurity solutions for SMEs. Originally focused on high-value military and infrastructure projects, Assure Technical pivoted in 2016 to serve small and medium-sized enterprises, helping them navigate the increasingly complex world of cybersecurity. Today, they offer services like Cyber Essentials certification, penetration testing, and security audits to businesses that may not have dedicated security expertise...
info_outlineIn this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we explore the invisible forces that drive team success with Csaba Toth, the founder of ICQ Global. Csaba is an expert in psychological safety, cognitive diversity, and motivational drivers—three key factors that can make or break a scaling business.
ICQ Global operates in over 50 countries, with a network of more than 100 licensed partners, and is taught in 60 universities worldwide. The company focuses on measuring and optimising team dynamics to improve collaboration, innovation, and long-term performance.
Throughout our conversation, Csaba shares how businesses can build high-performing teams by fostering psychological safety, embracing cognitive diversity, and understanding the motivational drivers that fuel engagement.
Key Insights from This Episode:
🔹 Psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams – It’s not just about trust; it’s about ensuring people feel safe to take risks, challenge ideas, and contribute without fear of punishment.
🔹 Cognitive diversity acts like a team’s immune system – When teams embrace different ways of thinking rather than just surrounding themselves with like-minded individuals, they make better decisions and drive greater innovation.
🔹 Intrinsic motivation (Motivation 3.0) is the key to long-term performance – Traditional reward systems often fail to drive creativity and engagement. Understanding what truly motivates individuals can unlock a team’s full potential.
We also discuss the scaling challenges that come with building a strong team culture, the risks of taking on investors without strategic alignment, and how leaders can balance passion with clear, practical communication.
Make sure you don’t miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts.
For now, continue listening for the full story from Csaba.
Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.
If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:
https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin
You can get in touch with Kevin here:
Kevin's Latest Book Is Available!
Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.
More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/
Csaba can be found here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/csabatothinterculturaldisc/
Resources:
Uncommon Sense In Unusual Times by Csaba Toth - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uncommon-Sense-Unusual-Times-Csaba/dp/1951503082
Adam Grant - https://adamgrant.net/
Amy Edmondson - https://amycedmondson.com/
Daniel Pink - https://www.danpink.com/