Episodes

I once asked a Global Director for a famous coffee brand and - ‘What is the number one skill your company look for when recruiting great candidates'? His answer 'Curiosity'. I have since shared the film of this in my own speeches and for some it is a really significant insight. After a recent interview with Steven Morris and his colleagues on the 'Artistry of Engagement' he sent me a presentation on ‘Curiosity’ that sparked my imagination. As a thriving artist, writer, entrepreneur, author and c...

Over many years I have heard the name of David Whyte and how his work has impacted the many incredible leaders he works with. To me his work is legendary. As a poet he has created a readership & listenership in three normally mutually exclusive areas: the literate world of readings that most poets inhabit, the psychological & theological worlds of philosophical enquiry & the world of vocation, work & organizational leadership. An Associate Fellow at Said Business School at the University of Oxfo...

Do you believe in stepping up and doing things differently? My guest David Fox-Pitt has been inspiring people to embrace adventure, become more resourceful, build resilience and encourage a healthy attitude to fear and failure for over 30 years. During this show we will discuss his book, “Positiverosity, 7 Golden Principles” derived from his international expeditions training in the special forces and his experience in business. David’s company WildFox Events Ltd has raised over £40 million for ...

What are the top tips to build your dream business and why should you put a shark in your tank? Kevin Harrington has been a successful entrepreneur over the last 40 years. He is an Original Shark on the ABC hit, Emmy winning TV show, “Shark Tank.” The Inventor of the Infomercial, Co- Founder of the Electronic Retailers Association (ERA) and Co- Founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). Kevin has launched over 20 businesses that have grown to over $100 million in sales each, has been invol...

What could you achieve if you took every opportunity to go the extra mile? If you are a business owner or leader how could this philosophy if adopted within your business transform you results? My guest Shawn Anderson is a 6-time motivational author and inspiring keynote speaker. His “go the extra mile” philosophy and ability to produce winning results have been praised by leaders and media outlets around the world. He has built a million-dollar company, pedalled a bike 4,000 miles across the U....

How do you build a rockstar of a business and how do you invest in growing businesses without risk? On this show my guest is Jonathan Pfahl who set up the Rockstar Group in 2007. Since then he has grown it into the largest resource bank of business services for growing companies in the UK. It is also an active investment firm with a portfolio of over 40 companies privately invested in. Join us to find out from this highly successful entrepreneur the approach to building a great start up business...

Engagement is a great personal passion and helping leaders and managers to build engaging cultures and become more engaging is a prime focus for our business. Engagement impacts financial performance, staff retention, absenteeism, productivity and well being. I therefore love to talk to guests who can talk very practically about what they have done to build a really engaging culture. Shaun Bradley is the very engaging People Director at employee engagement company Perkbox and their approach to e...

How do you best lead people? One of my clients recently described people as an enigma. However, like the story of the enigma code, there is also a code that can help when it comes to people! This week’s interview sees host Chris Cooper discuss keys for leading and developing people. During the show he will be in deep discussion with employee engagement, leadership and team development expert John Jennings. Chris Cooper has over 25 years experience leading and developing UK and international lead...

Imagine you live on a beautiful 36 square mile island in the Caribbean. Your challenge as CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authortity is to ensure that your island has the facilities to attract the right holiday makers in the right volumes while balancing the needs of your golden asset the islands, their native populations as well as politicians and developers. My guest Greg Phillip is the man with that challenge for the stunning island of Nevis. A destination that attracts movie stars, wealthy business...

Have you considered whether you are self sabotaging your own business success? On this show, I will be talking to Emma-Jane Packe, Managing Director of the The Supper Club. The Supper Club is a membership club exclusively for fast-growth entrepreneurs and since 2003 has enabled thousands of founders and CEOs to realise their growth ambitions. Emma-Jane is an expert in entrepreneurship and developing successful teams. Her insight comes from working with and talking to hundreds of entrepreneurs an...

What does being an Ambassador for your city mean and what sort of roles are there in a City that can make a contribution? Jo Tallack started her retail career over 30 years ago & has previously worked for Debenhams, House of Fraser & Woolworths before joining Hammerson in 2000. Having held a number of varied roles within shopping centre operations, Jo relocated to Leicester as Deputy General Manager initially working with the development team in readiness for the launch of Highcross & became Gen...

Stop hiding behind your screens and engage with your prospects! This is the message of my guest John Blaskey. John is an expert at helping clients to generate millions of pounds through face to face marketing. Having hired John to help me with a strategy for a recent event I am excited about introducing you to a man with an enormous amount of experience and talent in the face to face marketing field. John is the go to expert for many global multinationals, national trade organisations, not-for-p...

So what has poetry, music and art got to do with leadership and engagement? In this very unique interview including a live musical performance, I will be talking to Libby Wagner who is a poet, teacher, writer and speaker. A trusted advisor for presidents, CEOs and executive directors, and whose work has shaped the cultures of numerous Fortune 500 clients. Owen Ó Súilleabháin a singer and composer from Ireland who has collaborated with Riverdance composer Bill Whelan, violinist Nigel Kennedy, act...

Considering launching a big project? Feel slightly overwhelmed? In 2013, previous London Skolars Rugby director, Mark Croston, was one of the two founding members of World Dodgeball’s governing body, leading the incorporation process and development of the association as the Official World Governing Body, with recognition from the International Olympic Committee, Sport Accord/GAISF and each of the 68 member nations Government departments. So how did they go about achieving this, and what importa...

Ask yourself how many potential star employees walk away from your business after just 3 months? How many of your employees are unmotivated when they come to work? How does that affect the service your customers receive? I will be talking to friend of the Business Elevation show David Long Founder/CEO of MyEmployees, a firm that operates in the Top 1% Worldwide in the Employee Engagement and Recognition industry about how he recommends you build engagement. For 30 years his company have helped m...

There never seem to be enough hours in the day to take care of daily business and work towards your goals, let alone your life goals! The busier you are, the more you need a compass to keep you on track. You lead and manage others, but now it′s time to lead yourself! Robert Craven is one of the UK’s leading speakers on the subject of growing businesses. He is Google Partner’s go-to speaker for growing digital agencies. Adam Harris works with CEOs and senior managers providing training, coaching ...

Creating emotional connections with your brand is an essential part of many organizations marketing plans. Selecting brand ambassadors can be a powerful strategy but there are risks to getting it right. Jane Hansom is a marketeer with over 25 years experience of creating integrated global brand marketing campaigns across media channels from TV and print to digital and social media. She set up Sponge Marketing in 2005 to focus on delivering creative marketing, PR and brand entertainment experienc...

Do you lead or manage people? If so an essential part of your role will be to raise performance by releasing the full potential of your team. During this interview we are going to learn precisely how to do this. Peter Milligan is a professional speaker, business psychologist and highly experienced business coach with 25 years of international experience developing business leaders and teams. After moving from Australia to the UK in 2000, Peter became a director of Europe's largest executive coac...

Negotiation is an essential business skill; but do you really know how to do it really well? International keynote conference speaker, facilitator, MC and trainer, bestselling author Derek Arden has worked in 27 countries, with 5 business schools and has been a visiting lecturer at the Henley Business School for 12 years. His latest book ‘Win Win - How to get a winning result from persuasive negotiating’ has sold over 5000 copies in 14 countries. In 2016 Derek was voted the Number 1 speaker in t...

Connecting with others is an essential part of business and is an important element to success. Yet it can also be one of the hardest things to do! So what are the key connection mastery skills and how do we implement them? Judy Robinett is a business thought leader who has been profiled in The Street, Vogue, CBS, NBC, Forbes, The Washington Post & Bloomberg Businessweek, as well as author of “How to Be a Power Connector:The 5-50-150 Rule”. On this week’s show we will discuss how ‘How to Be a Po...

Ever feel more challenged dealing with your kids than you do by employees and clients at work? Being a parent can seem like a hard job when the world of work is also demanding. As parents we are constantly reminded about our behaviour and need for patience. Skills that are also valuable back into the work place! Also from our kids we are reminded of the value of creativity, energy, playfulness and enthusiasm. My guests this week com-bine fatherhood with busy work lives. Caspar Craven, is a highl...

It has often been said that you should follow your passion and then make a living out of it. However, there are also arguments that this isn't always wise! Having a regular job with a regular income may offer you and your family more security. The world is also littered with failed business stories. Do you stay or do you go for it? My guest Shirin Shabestari, grew up hiking Iran’s beautiful mountains with her dad as a young girl. She later moved abroad and did her studies and started a family bu...

Introverts aren't comfortable with traditional tactics like aggressively pushing a product or talking over a customer's objections. However, sales is a skill anyone can learn and master--and introverts are especially good at it once they learn how to leverage their natural strengths. Called “the real deal” by Forbes, Matthew Pollard, CSP, is an inter-nationally-recognized authority in differentiation, niche marketing, and sales systemization. His Rapid Growth strategies have resulted in five mul...

Effectively navigating change is today an essential skill for all leaders, employees and consultants. Gone are the days when employees can resist change. Instead we must embrace it, strategise and implement well. So how do we most effectively navigate it and what are the key pitfalls to be mindful of? Whether you are an internal employee or an external consultant, leading and managing change requires great consultancy skills to achieve success. During this show Chris Cooper will share from over ...