Podcast

Intro

Hello Marcus and welcome to another episode of @MadeInMayflowerMedia.

Today, you have kindly agreed to be out wonderful guest. You have had a really exciting career, from flying in the Royal Air Force to working with big companies and teams all over the world to help them think better.

You're an expert in something called Red Team Thinking which helps people challenge ideas, spot problems before they happen, critically think and make better decisions.

We believe that you help leaders and teams see things they might miss, and today, you're kindly here to help us think more clearly, ask bigger questions, and become better problem-solvers. We are keen to learn more about becoming confident critical thinkers. 

Let’s get started.

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Q1. Hi Marcus - it is great that you are here with us. Thank you for being here. I’d like to know what was your job in the Royal Air Force — and what was it like flying in it?

 

Q2. Taking the last question further, what’s one thing you learned in the RAF that still helps you today?

 

Q3. What is “Red Team Thinking”? It sounds a bit like a superhero team. Are you a real life SuperHero then?

 

Q4. Why is it important to challenge ideas — even if they seem like the best ones?

 

Q5. We learn about how to ask good questions. That’s what we are learning to do with our podcasts. What kind of questions do you ask when you’re trying to help someone make a big decision?

 

Q6. Can young people learn to be better thinkers too? What’s one way to practise that and how would we know that we were getting good at being better thinkers?

 

Q7. Was it ok to ask questions when you served in the military and if so - how what were the best topics to ask questions on? 

 

Q8. Hi Marcus - what do you do when people don’t agree in a team — how do you help them work together?

 

Q9. We sometimes talk about being brave in school. What does bravery mean to you — outside the RAF and in every day life? What top tips do you have for us becoming braver in life?

 

Q10. How does listening carefully help us solve problems better?

 

Q11. What advice would you give to someone our age who wants to be a leader one day and have you ever created a pupil leadership team? Perhaps we could be part of your global team of critical thinkers? 

 

Q12. If you could teach one thing in every school in the world, what would it be?

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Outro

Hi Marcus. We are sorry that that is all our time up now. 

A huge thank you to Marcus Dimbleby for joining us today. We’ve learned that being a great thinker isn’t just about knowing the answers — it’s about asking better questions, listening closely, and being brave enough to challenge ideas. Whether it’s in the RAF or in a classroom, what matters is how we think — and how we work together.

Thanks for listening — and remember to stay curious, ask big questions, and never stop thinking differently (and Marcus, we want to be part of your pupil leadership team). If you have any other ideas for how we change the world with critical thinking - remember us, because, Together we can….

Bio

MARCUS DIMBLEBY

Managing Director (Effective Direction)

Marcus is a former military red teamer and fighter controller, retiring from the RAF in 2013. He served tours with the Royal Marines, Royal Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, with whom he deployed to Iraq in 2003. He also worked closely with the Cabinet Office during the 2012 Olympics. After leaving the RAF, Marcus moved into business, initially working for a global consultancy, before moving on to lead major business transformations, and becoming Head of Agile at Lloyds bank. 

Topic: Enabling Agility with Applied Critical Thinking (ACT)

Current profile on LinkedIn

About me? Let’s keep it simple…
I’m people-focused, passionate, persistent and pragmatic. I have a strong moral compass and live by 3 rules:
1. Always do the right thing
2. If you’re going to do something, do it right
3. Have fun.
That’s it.
Let’s connect and discuss how we can make a difference.

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