In this concise "6 questions in 7 minutes" interview, Professor Pete Alexander talks with Nic Marks, a statistician‑turned happiness expert and founder of Friday Pulse. Marks explains his dual background in statistics and psychotherapy, and how he uses data to improve employee experience. He highlights the importance of workplace culture, stating that "culture eats strategy for breakfast," and urges leaders to be reflective, facilitative, and open to surprise. He shares a practical brainstorming tip—boosting mood at the start of sessions with treats—and recounts a first‑job anecdote that underscores the need for clear role expectations. Marks also recommends fellow statistician David Spiegelhalter for his clear communication of risk. The episode ends with contact details for Marks' website and Friday Pulse, which offers a free three‑month trial.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
I'm Nick Marks. I am a statistician by trade, but I also qualified as a psychotherapist, which gives me an odd mix of hard analytical skills and soft people ones. I'm a happiness expert, and I run a business called Friday Pulse, which measures and improves employee experience.
Nick, it's so great to have you on the show. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
Well, I work in the happiness industry, so what can't be good about that? I mean, I try and ground it in data, and I used to work with governments. I did a TED Talk on my previous work with governments, and now I work with businesses, and I'm always about trying to create positive change. So that gives me energy, and I really like it when I'm useful.
Oh, and the energy component around happiness is just— I can just feel it in your voice. So I love that. Question number 3: I have a book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
I think I would take a leaf out of Peter Drucker's book and say that culture eats strategy for breakfast. And I think that business leaders really need to think about their culture, how they create a positive, productive culture. And because whatever else they've got, what other genius ideas they've got, if they haven't got their people on board, they're not going to execute it.
That's really insightful. Thank you for that. Question number 4: other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
So I think that great leaders are reflective. I think that they listen to other people. They notice what goes on for themselves. So really, I think leadership is a learning process. It's a two-way two-way street with the people that you lead and with yourself. So yeah, you need to set vision, you need to try and get enthusiastic and other people on board, but to do that you need to be sensitive to what's going on for them, sensitive for what's going on in the business. So if I was to summarize, I'd say it's about being facilitative, it's about working with the energy of other people around you, drawing out the best of them, being open to to what they're saying, being open to being surprised. I mean, people can surprise you. They can come up with better ideas than you. I remember one of my first leadership roles, I employed a guy and I was making a statistical idea and he started to give his ideas and I thought, no, no, no, that's not the way I want it done. And then he said to me, well, didn't you employ me to make it better? And I thought, yeah, okay, you've got a point here. And I think that learning, that humbleness to do that, but still you have to make decisions sometimes. So it's not just being everyone's friend, but facilitating it, leading, being open to being surprised.
And it's, you know, what you were describing there is a classic mistake I've seen in brainstorming as well. When you're trying to get ideas up on the board and people start criticizing those ideas and it just kills the brainstorming right off the bat.
Yeah. You need people in a great positive mood when you brainstorm. So my tip with brainstorming is, is, uh, is give the treats at the beginning, not the end. As in, just get people going at the beginning, you know. Don't save it for the end and say it's a reward. Give it at the beginning, get everyone in a good mood.
I love it. That's a great idea. Question number 5: What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
Well, look, I'm a statistician, so I, I'm not sure he's really a business leader, but he is Professor of Risk at Cambridge University He's called David Spiegelhalter, which I'm not sure I say right, but he just communicates statistics in really easy-to-understand ways. He's very brilliant about things like COVID-19 going on now. What are the real risks involved? You know, it's probably less than driving a motorcycle 200 miles. You know, how do we trade off risks? He's an expert in probability. He's also just funny as a man. He's often used on the BBC in London. So I thought I'd take one of my statistical heroes and give them to you.
Oh, I love that referral. I'll reach out to him. Thank you so much. And our final question, question number 6: please tell me about your first job.
So my first job, like many people, was working, uh, well, we call them a pub in Britain, you know. It's like exactly what you expect. There's a small bar and there's local people there. And I was maybe 18, 18 and a half, and I was trying to save up some money and I did a couple of shifts and I said to the guy, I said, have you got more work? You know, because I fancied more pub work. He said, oh yeah, I've got more work. Yeah, come in tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock. And I had to clean out the toilets, the men's toilets the next morning. And so you have to be careful what you ask for because I didn't specify I wanted more bar work, but I was cleaning these toilets. So I think if you want to work Be clear what you want, otherwise you get yourself into problems.
Oh my goodness, great story and a real lesson learned for your first job. I love it. Nick, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find you?
Yeah, so I have my own website which is nickmarks.org, no K in Nick, and my company is called Friday Pulse, fridaypulse.com, and we are a tool for helping organizations measure and improve employee experience, and right now we're free for 3 months for any organization.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, or iTunes and search for the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
