Episodes

Sales used to be a structured approach and the heart of the approach was questioning, fact finding, reflecting back and closing. But today customer behaviours and demands have changed. Customers don’t want to spend 40 minutes telling you about their problems and then listening to you while you tell them how you can help them. Customers are also much better-informed today. They research a lot more before they buy. They are more demanding and everyone wants the best value. Social media has also ch...

The expression go the extra mile. can be traced back to the New Testament injunction 'And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain' (Matthew 5:41). Today when we use this expression it generally means going above and beyond the call of duty or using your own efforts to reach beyond normal expectations. But going the extra mile also takes effort. It can mean stepping out of your comfort zone, it could mean giving a little more than you thought you could give and it could mean d...

Everyone agrees that the more diversity there is in politics the more innovative we will be and, the more likely we’ll address the needs and challenges of the diverse communities that are emerging in this Global Economy. But the lack of progress in the representation of some groups, such as African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and other minorities in many industries and in politics is particularly notable, especially in the United States and Europe. This episode celebrates minorities. We take a...

The digital transition has been going on now for over a decade and although we see it and live it every day we will not have made the transition to a fully digital life until the work flows and processes around new technology are modernized and adapted. This means that companies need to look at digital transition with a 360-degree view. They have to understand what digitalization means to sales, marketing, customer relationship management, recruiting and just about every process in their company...

Engineering continues to be a male dominated profession despite encouragement from women’s groups and the fact that the career has real prospects for women. It is one of the most diverse areas to work in. and the numerous engineering careers offer variety and opportunity. Engineers find new ways of doing things, develop creative solutions for modern problems and help create a better world. So why are the number of women in this field so low? The low number of women in engineering is often attrib...

Now there is no debate that your professional image is important. Normally, when we think of professional image, we think about meeting or seeing someone in person, although in today’s global marketplace we live in a world where contacts take place online. Images are built on social media and on professional online networks. There are many professional online networks where you can develop your professional image, but there is only one professional network that has 467 million members and that i...

Jobs, we need them and when you have one the golden rule has always been never quit a job before you have another job to go to!, but maybe this has now changed. Although this advice seems sensible, it is sometimes difficult to follow when you find yourself in a job or position that you really do not want to be in. Even if it is harder to get hired when you're unemployed, sometimes you reach a point where you can't force yourself to go a job you do not like. You sometimes find it hard to motivate...

What is the VUCA world?It is a global work environment which has volatility, uncertainty, change and ambiguity as a norm and only leaders who can continually transform will suceed.

Big data, it can, can bring big benefits such as targeted advertisements, smart cars and more. It is available in wearables, implantable devices and as artificial intelligence in normal household gadgets. But It can also lead to big privacy problems. We all generate thousands of data points every day about where we go, who we communicate with, what we buy, and when we do this it makes us vulnerable because we do not know where the data ends up. Because of issues like these there have been multip...

What is the VUCA world?It is a global work environment which has volatility, uncertainty, change and ambiguity as a norm and only leaders who can continually transform will suceed.

If you thought you just figured out the Millennials, just wait for the next generation of future leaders. Gen Z-ers are now influencing the world. They are the ones that grew up digitally connected; they’re accustomed to having data and content thrown at them all day and from all angles. As lifelong digital natives, they to have a special affinity for artificial intelligence, specifically because it mimics their natural tendency toward global mobile communication and engagement. In this episode,...

Years ago, if someone had told us that a social media site would be limited to 140 characters and still be successful, none of us would have believed them. But Twitter has accomplished this. With only 140 characters, they have made social media a contextual and personal experience. But why does work so well? Experts say it is because people can get a sense of who you are on Twitter or what your business is about. It reveals what type of things you are interested in; it will suggest things you ar...

It is critical to diligently watch and manage your online reputation in order to ensure business success and growth. It is also important to have a have a well-thought-out reputation development strategy in place for your business, but what does that mean? It means understanding your online presence, engaging your potential clients /customers and managing the entire customer process, including customer feedback. It is crucial to know what your customers/clients are saying about your business whi...

Women make up approximately 50% of the today’s workforce in many countries and 40% worldwide, although most of these positions are in not in management. When they are in management, they are normally below the middle management level and not at the executive level. The number of women in executive positions worldwide is less than 10%. If you look at the Fortune 500 companies, the numbers are even worse, accounting for approximately only 4.2%. So, what is happening? Are women not preparing themse...

It is important for companies to form collective values that can be shared and communicated to their employees and customers. Many companies do this, they have core values, but many companies fall short. Many companies identify core values that very often become part of their vision statement, but unless these values are really lived, they are worthless. They also must be lived and lead by example-from the top of the organization. Core values are what support the vision, shape the culture and dr...

Years ago, leadership development was made up of lectures and presentations, then came, the era of new development programs focused on “horizontal” development (competencies), but with very little time spent on “vertical” development (developmental stages). But today, leaders face new challenges and companies are asking themselves what kind of leadership development programs do we need today? Do we need collective development or individual development programs? Should they be horizontal of verti...

Great leaders have a solid understanding of how their emotions and actions affect the people around them, and this is called emotional intelligence. When leaders have emotional intelligence, they can discern the emotions of others while using information and thought to guide their own behaviour. Studies have shown that people with high emotional intelligent have greater job performance and demonstrate better leadership skills. But do you know how good your emotional intelligence is? Did you also...

The world was shocked when Equifax announced that 143 million people's Social Security numbers were compromised, and everyone asked how did this happen? But they are not the only ones to suffer a comprise in data security. Many other firms have had data breachs, even though we only hear about the big ones. In 2017, PwC interviewed 9,600 firms globally and found that 41% of them had experienced at least one security incident in the past year For many leaders and companies these figures should mak...

Family-owned or -controlled businesses account for an estimated 80% of companies worldwide and are the largest source of long-term employment in most countries. In the United States, they employ 60% of workers and create 78% of new jobs. Studies are showing that less and less members of the second generation are taking over their family businesses and when they do they face challenges. The leaders of family businesses acknowledge this and agree that succession can sometimes be difficult, but it ...

br Good and clear communication is a leadership fundamental. Leaders need good communication in order to manage all aspects of their positions and their businesses. br Good communication impacts all management transactions and poor communications is one of the biggest obstacles to maximizing success. br If you want to be an effective leader you need to learn to articulate in a clear and concise manner. You need to be compelling and you need to gain creditability. br The best leaders are first-ra...

Business leaders can learn quite a bit from creative industries. When we sit down and watch a film we generally do not think about how it all came together. We may look at the special effects, be in awe with the setting, fall in love with the actors and actresses, but we rarely think about what went on behind the scene. Films by design are a product of many minds and energies and are great examples of teamwork and good leadership. In addition, creativity and innovation are core components of any...

Data is valuable. Cloud computing and user-generated platforms based on data sharing is on the rise. The Internet of things is growing. New technical possibilities are emerging and all this means that the expectations on data anonymization, usage and control is in the legislative forefront. In the past, compliance requirements were largely driven by U.S.-based regulations, but that has changed and Europe is now driving many issues concerning the internet. They have been the drivers of the antitr...

The Millennials are now full force in the workforce. As Generation X begins to move into the Board Rooms and Baby Boomers begin to find new interests, the Millennials are emerging in management positions. They are setting new rules, bringing new ideas and bringing change to the way we do business. With an estimated 80 million Millennials in the USA and large percentages around the world, they are making up a large portion of the workforce. They are a major economic contributor and they are shapi...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing everything. It is not only changing the way we go about our personal lives but it is also it is changing the future of business. It’s predictive behaviors are forcasting trends for many companies, AI is taking over mundane tasks that waste time and money and it is supporting us in our decision making precesses by providing us with more and more data, while predicting future trends. But AI is also a little bit scary. We very often ask ourselves , What do a...