Curious Leadership with Dominic Monkhouse (Monkhouse & Company)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Curious Leadership with Dominic Monkhouse
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| 25 May 2021 | E145 | The Importance Of Employee Experience with Ben Whitter | 00:49:53 | |||||
What is your employee experience like? Would your employees write rave reviews about their experience working at your organisation? Today’s guest, Ben Whitter, is an employee experience expert and a bestselling author. He works with a number of global companies helping the CEOs fix their employee experience so that it's in keeping with their preferred customer experience and their brand. “We look at everything that's connected to people, society, culture, the organisation, leadership, technology, and we say, how is this driving people forward and helping them fulfil their potential?” Today, Ben talks about his mission, how he wants to see HR own the commercial metrics inside an organisation and step away from the typical HR metrics of recruitment and sickness absence. He wants HR to instead be responsible for innovation, profitability, customer satisfaction and productivity. “If you're developing and investing in your customer experience, you would expect to see some return with new business coming in, retaining clients or customers, new customers, new referrals. And it's the same for employee experience.” From where his research has taken him, to the best place for an organisation to start, to sharing a few tactical examples from the organisations he’s worked with, to his views on hybrid work and how that’ll affect employee experience when we start to return to the office, this is a fantastic conversation with Ben. We hope you learn as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 19 Mar 2024 | E291 | Building Resilient, Profitable Evergreen Companies with Purpose with Bo Burlingham | 00:46:15 | |||||
This week on The Melting Pot, we dive into the depths of business value, purpose, and profitability with none other than the inquisitive and insightful Bo Burlingham. As a journalist and the author of excellent books including Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top, and Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, Bo is no stranger to the keys to long-lasting business success. In this episode, Bo imparts wisdom gleaned from 40 years in business, shedding light on dynamic business models and discussing the principles vital for business resilience. He talks about protecting gross margins, the perils of debt, and the agility needed to adapt to industry changes. Bo also introduces us to the world of "evergreen companies" – organisations rejecting the short-termism of outside funding in favour of purpose-driven, employee-focused, and steady internal growth. This episode is a treasure trove of business acumen, discussing the qualities that make a company not just big, but genuinely great—impacting communities, forming personal connections with customers, and employing unique organisational strategies. Download and listen today!
On today’s podcast:
Follow Bo: Recommended reading: | |||||||
| 10 May 2022 | E194 | The Evolution of the Professional Services Sector with Ray D’Cruz | 00:37:11 | |||||
If you’re in the legal, accounting or professional services sector and you’re looking to harness the intelligence and creativity of your partners and employees through performance management, don’t miss Ray D’Cruz, CEO of Performance Leader, a consulting and software for professional services firms, on The Melting Pot. In this episode, Ray shares why firms should consider moving away from the annual performance review for partners and employees, to a more 360 review, incorporating client feedback and behavioural and project based feedback. He discusses why prioritising leadership is vital in remote or hybrid organisations, why purpose is more important than ever before, and how nudge tools can benefit everyone. So, if you’re wondering how to leverage performance and feedback software in your professional services firm, download and listen today. On today’s podcast:
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| 03 Jan 2023 | E228 | Rebroadcast: What it Takes to Become a Great CEO with Scott Keller | 00:51:27 | |||||
Having travelled to every country in the world, Scott Keller, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, New York Times best selling author of Beyond performance 2.0 and CEO Excellence, was looking for a new challenge. And he found it during lockdown. Along with his fellow authors, he sought to uncover what makes the best CEOs of this century the best. They combined extensive quantitative analysis with in-depth interviews with today’s top CEOs to understand what sets exceptional leaders apart. And they found the best CEOs have to master six core things to become great. Because, and Scott uses the analogy of Ashton Eaton, the greatest decathlete of all time here - no decathlete is the best 100 metre runner in the world or the best Javelin thrower, they have to not suck at anything, while being amazing at everything. In this episode of The Melting Pot, Scott shares the methodology they used to narrow down their list of CEOs from 7,800 to the 67 they interviewed, before discussing the six things they found were the core of every great CEO. On today’s podcast:
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| 28 May 2019 | E41 | From hacker to neuroscientist: how we make choices with Professor Moran Cerf | 00:46:03 | |||||
Today’s guest is Professor Moran Cerf, a neuroscientist and business professor at the Kellogg School of Management and the neuroscience program at Northwestern University. He holds a Ph.D in neuroscience from Caltech, an MA in Philosophy and a B.Sc in Physics from Tel-Aviv University. Moran has had a varied work history, prior to his academic career, he spent nearly a decade in industry, holding positions in computer security (as a hacker), pharmaceutical, telecom, fashion, software development, and innovations research. Now he’s interested in how we can use the brain to leverage better business opportunities. He is currently teaching MBA students how to change behaviour, how marketing works and how people think and make decisions. He is a firm believer that social engagements are more powerful than the addictive lure of drugs or our devices, and his goal is to make the world a more optimistic place. Listen to hear him talk on today’s podcast about:
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| 11 Apr 2023 | E242 | Dealing with Risk In A World of Uncertainty with Michele Wucker | 00:41:23 | |||||
Does everyone in your team look at risk in the same way? When we make decisions on whether to take a risk or not, we all have our biases. Our guest on The Melting Pot this week argues that diverse groups tend to make better decisions as they bring different perspectives. That’s why it’s really beneficial to look at the risk profile of everyone in the room to ensure that your team is looking at risks the right way and understands everyone’s perception of risk.
This week we learned from strategic advisor and best-selling author, Michele Wucker. Michele is famous for having coined the term Gray Rhino – a metaphor that made headlines around the world as a framework for the ignored warnings for the COVID-19 pandemic and has appeared in media in more than 70 countries and 35 languages and counting. It has sent tremors through global stock markets when Chinese officials warned of gray rhino financial risks. Central banks and securities regulators around the world use gray rhino theory, as do business strategists, boards of directors, business continuity and emergency management professionals, insurers, ESG specialists, and policymakers focused on everything from national security to climate change.
In this episode, Michele talks about her latest book, You Are What You Risk: The New Art and Science of Navigating an Uncertain World, about the perception of risk and how people feel about it. Also, she explains how you can ensure that your board, your advisory team or your executive team looks at risks the right way, understanding what those risks might be, and even the perception difference within the team, so that, as you assess how your business moves forward, you don't make the wrong decision. At the end of the episode, Michele shares her perspective on the recent collapse of several banks and how people chose to ignore the signs that led to it.
A great conversation with Michele. Make sure to download and listen to learn more from her.
On today’s podcast: What is risk?
Follow Michele Wucker:
Book recommendations:
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| 08 Oct 2021 | E164 | Finding a life rhythm with Nigel Bennett | 00:39:21 | |||||
Have you ever wanted to just put a pin in your life, upsticks and travel the world with your family before it’s too late? Well, that’s just what Nigel Bennett did. Nigel is an entrepreneur. Just not like any other entrepreneur we’ve had on the show. Where most people work hard, scaling up their business in order to sell it, Nigel, after taking mind altering drugs deep in the Amazon rainforest had an epiphany, and decided not to sell. That’s pretty much how this episode, re-broadcast from our archives, goes. It is just story after story of Nigel’s fascinating life. It doesn’t seem like he’s had any dull moments, and he hasn’t stopped for a second. Nigel is the founder and owner and International business development for Aqua-Guard's environmental response services and equipment business. Aqua-Guard specialises in marine oil spill response. He’s the author of "Take that Leap - Risking it all for what really matters"; the founder of TruBeach, an app and a mobile platform community for reporting coastline and ocean cleanliness, and he’s the co-founder of GiftAdd.com, an organisation that works to bring awareness to the actual gift of ADHD and dyslexia. This is a truly enlightening conversation, one we are sure you’re going to enjoy. On today’s podcast:
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| 31 Mar 2020 | E85 | Patty McCord: Queen of the Good Goodbye | 00:52:14 | |||||
You may not have heard of Patty McCord directly, but if you’re in HR or recruitment, you’ll have likely heard of her work. Patty was Chief Talent Officer at Netflix for 14 years and co-author (alongside Netflix CEO Reed Hastings) of the infamous Netflix culture deck. This document was one of the first slides on Slideshare and is probably one of the most viewed documents up there too. Patty has worked in many different tech companies in and around Silicon Valley, and today she is often in the media with interviews and articles, as well as speaking at CEO forums and business schools. But it is her work that she did during her time at Netflix that she is most well known for. While at Netflix she abolished performance reviews as well as challenged the need for policies. Patty firmly believes people come to work as fully formed adults with a desire to make an impact and be proud of what they do. “It starts with the idea that people are adults and that they're smart, right. And so what I mean by that is, people who have demonstrated the ability to make a commitment and follow through, I mean, that's sort of baseline 101 for adult behaviour.” In her chat with Dom, they cover some of the elements of the culture deck, A-players and how to hire them, how to hire and build teams, what the main job of a team leader or manager is, and how to exit staff from an organisation with dignity and fairness. On today’s podcast:
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| 02 Jun 2020 | E94 | Navigating High Uncertainty Environments with Rita McGrath | 00:43:02 | |||||
Are you wondering how your business is going to survive not just the remainder of the pandemic, but the looming recession too? Perhaps you’ve realised you need to rewrite your business strategy but you aren’t sure what you need to focus on? Then you’ve come to the right place. Rita McGrath is a best-selling author, a sought-after speaker, and a longtime professor at Columbia Business School. She’s one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth and is one of the most regularly published authors in the Harvard Business Review and a frequent speaker on business strategy. She’s the perfect guest to discuss how leaders can navigate these imminently choppy waters. In this episode of The Melting Pot, Rita, whose expertise lies at the intersection of strategy and innovation, discusses her incredibly useful model for rapid portfolio review and what she calls ‘discovery-driven growth’. I.e. how do you find things that you can drive revenue from, not just now, but in the future too. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 20 Oct 2020 | E114 | Overcoming Adversity And Learning To Think Differently with Alex Lewis | 00:47:44 | |||||
In November 2013, Alex Lewis was rushed to hospital with just 30 minutes to live. He was 33 years old. Leading up to his hospital admittance, he’d been suffering with a cold and a sore throat. Within hours of being admitted to hospital he was on full life support and was given less than 3% chance of survival. What had brought this otherwise healthy man to his knees? Strep A, Toxic Shock Syndrome, Septicaemia and Necrotising Fasciitis. In order to survive, Alex needed a quadruple amputation, extensive skin grafts and facial reconstruction surgery. With his life turned upside down, it was time for Alex to start living. “Everything that's gone on with losing my limbs and legs and arms, everything else, I think the biggest driving force is having the ability to help people like me, in a similar condition.” Alex is the ultimate motivational speaker because he hasn’t had an epiphany that he wants to share with the world, he’s had a near death experience. On top of that he’s had to overcome adversity in order to take on new challenges such as living day to day life, becoming an entrepreneur and hand cycling up mountains. In this extraordinary episode, Alex shares what it takes to go through something like this, what resilience really looks like and what we can learn from his experience. On today’s podcast:
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| 16 Jan 2024 | E282 | Defining A Startup Culture That Attracts And Repels with Robbie Vann-Adibé | 00:55:45 | |||||
Do you feel like you can never step away from the business? You've probably been told that as the leader, you should be involved in every decision and action to ensure success. But this approach only leads to burnout and limits the growth potential of your business, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and stuck. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Robbie Vann-Adibé, a seasoned entrepreneur and business leader with decades of experience in the startup world. Robbie started as a coder, learning the ropes from the ground up. His experience in the US, particularly on the West Coast, exposed him to the intricacies of building and scaling businesses. Through his involvement in companies like Illustra and Wineowners, he gained invaluable insights into the early stages of tech innovation and its impact on the market. In his conversation with Dominic, Robbie brings to light the challenges and triumphs of navigating the ever-evolving landscape of technology and business, showcasing the significance of timing and adaptation. In this episode, Robbie dives into building a strong team and effective delegation. He also emphasises the significance of finding technical and cultural fit when hiring new people and the importance of making oneself redundant as a manager by empowering the team to take over roles. He also discusses the ethical considerations in business and highlights the need for prioritising company values. If you’re a leader seeking to build a solid, cohesive team that will catapult your growth, don’t miss this fantastic conversation with Robbie. Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Robbie Vann-Adibé: Book recommendations:
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| 14 Nov 2023 | E273 | Revolutionising Customer Service By Creating Frictionless Experiences with Bill Price | 00:44:55 | |||||
Do you want to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing seamless experiences? Wondering how to achieve this result effortlessly? This week we had a discussion that you will find inspiring. Our guest? Best-selling author, Bill Price. Bill will be unveiling the ultimate solution to create a frictionless customer experience that fosters enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Best-selling author of The Best Service is No Service, and The Frictionless Organization, Bill Price is a renowned expert in customer experience and service. His journey to becoming a guru in this field began when he joined Amazon in 2006. At Amazon, Bill was relentless in his pursuit of creating a frictionless customer experience, focusing on removing any confusion or need for customers to contact the company. This philosophy led to a fourfold increase in revenue without hiring additional customer service staff. Bill's approach was centred around delivering on promises and constantly monitoring customer satisfaction through leading quality metrics. His work at Amazon and subsequent clients has helped businesses of all sizes simplify their operations and create more value for their customers. Bill's passion for putting customers first shines through in his storytelling and examples, making him a sought-after consultant and advocate for exceptional customer service.
Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Bill Price: The Best Service Is No Service
Book recommendations: | |||||||
| 03 Oct 2023 | E267 | Driven to Delight: Creating Exceptional Customer Experiences with Joseph Michelli | 00:46:03 | |||||
Do you want to create a customer-centric culture that prioritises exceptional customer experience? This week, we enjoyed learning from the internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organisational consultant Joseph Michelli. Joseph started his consultancy journey working for the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle. Since those early days in his career, he's worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Starbucks, Zappos, Mercedes Benz and Ritz Carlton. In this episode, Joseph shares some great stories about excellent customer service he has seen throughout his career and how leadership plays a pivotal role in prioritising a customer-centric culture. He dived into his work at Ritz Carlton, Mercedez Benz and Starbucks, all experiences from which he wrote fantastic books. If you want customer service to be at the heart of your strategy. Joseph explains what do you need to do. How to map out the customer journey, finding those high-value touch points.
An energising conversation. Download and listen to learn more.
On today's podcast:
Follow Joseph Michelli: Fish Throwing at Pike Place Fish Marketplace in Seattle
Book recommendations:
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| 29 Aug 2023 | E262 | Scaling Founders’ Leadership From Startup to Grown Up with Rachel Turner | 00:42:12 | |||||
Does this sound familiar? As a founder or CEO of a venture-backed startup, you've likely been told that you need to work harder and longer hours to scale your business. But despite your relentless efforts, you're still facing challenges and not seeing the desired results. The pain of pouring your heart and soul into your business, only to be met with roadblocks and frustrations, is all too real. It's time to break free from this ineffective action and discover the strategies that truly empower you to overcome scaling challenges and maximise your potential for success. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Rachel Turner, a seasoned founder coach with over two decades of immersion in the entrepreneurial realm. An early adopter of executive coaching since the '90s, Rachel's journey takes a unique path as she leans into applied psychology to optimise business success. Author of the Founder Survival Guide, she translates years of personal experiences and insights to help fellow founders overcome their own hurdles during the transition from startup to scale-up. Once an entrepreneur herself, Rachel's understanding of founder psychology is unparalleled, making her coaching approach as engaging as it is enlightening.
Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Rachel Turner:
Book recommendations: How to make friends and influence people
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| 26 Nov 2024 | E324 | From NFL to Venture Capitalist with Marques Colston | 00:51:51 | |||||
Summary In this conversation, Marques Colston, a former NFL player transitioned to leading the boardroom playbook, dives into the dynamic world of sports and business ventures. Marques discusses his innovative investments in the sports value chain, including sports medicine, technology, and fan engagement. The conversation covers Marque's insights on the socioeconomic impact around stadiums, the rising popularity of lacrosse, and his hands-on approach to parenting. He also opens up about coaching his son's football team and the importance of instilling resilience in his children. Marques also shares his football crossover strategy to finding sustainable and scalable investments, his philosophy on team dynamics, and the challenges athletes face when transitioning from professional sports. From founding Champion Venture Partners to raising a $100 million fund, Marques Colston's story is a testament to innovation and resilience. Takeaways
Chapters (00:00) From Football Field to Business Strategy with Marques Colston. (03:43) Run down of Marques Colston’s 10-year football career. (06:13) Introducing Champion Venture Partners, a fund that invests in sports companies. (07:00) Democratising private investments for average investors. (12:51) Humble beginnings and embracing challenges to strengthen growth. (14:37) Sports teach resilience and self-awareness through adversity. (16:59) Marques Colston’s career highlights include consistency. (20:04) Motivation as an internal standard. (21:50) Transitioning from professional football to next career. (23:36) Early career investments built skills and confidence for the next steps. (30:16) Evaluating scalability and sustainability of businesses. (35:37) Creating access to opportunities in alternative investments. (37:27) Changes to opportunities in the pandemic. (40:10) Taking football team experience into executive coaching. (45:12) Culture and leadership impact performance and rewards. (46:06) Quick fire questions with Marques Colston. (49:12) Book recommendations. About Marques Colston Marques Colston is a former NFL star now leading wins in the business field of venture capitalists. He is a Founding Partner at Champion Venture Partners, a fund dedicated to innovative investment opportunities that generate meaningful returns in the sports ecosystem. Marquesis humble about his outstanding 10 year career as a wide receiver for New Orleans Saints. He was the Saints all time leader in receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, and he played a key role in their super bowl victory in 2009. Since stepping off the field, he's seamlessly transitioned into the world of business applying the same Creating Separation mindset that defined his football career. Over the last 15+ years, he has become a trusted leader in business strategy, private equity, and sports business, driving sustainable growth for companies across various sectors. He's passionate about supporting athletes in navigating the shift from professional sports to business, creating a pathway and holding the door open for those coming up behind him. Marques wants to democratise investment capability, or the ability of people to invest in early-stage businesses. His current $100 million fund | |||||||
| 27 Aug 2024 | E312 | Making Dyslexia Your Entrepreneurial Superpower with Jamie Waller | 00:50:11 | |||||
Summary The conversation explores the topic of dyslexia and its connection to entrepreneurship. Jamie Waller, The dyslexic entrepreneur and advocate, shares his insights and experiences. He discusses the challenges faced by dyslexic individuals in the education system and society, as well as the unique strengths and traits they possess. The conversation also touches on the importance of changing the narrative around dyslexia and empowering individuals with dyslexia to pursue their goals. Waller emphasises the need for support and understanding, both in education and the business world. The conversation concludes with a discussion on Waller's upcoming adventures, including a trip to space. Jamie Waller, The Dyslexic Entrepreneur, discusses his plans to take a two-year trip around the world with his children and the challenges of balancing work and family life. He shares his experience as a serial entrepreneur and investor, highlighting the importance of curiosity and being open to new ideas. Waller also talks about his struggles with sleep due to ADHD and offers tips for managing sleep challenges. He emphasises the need for kindness in business and challenges the myth that you have to be ruthless to succeed. Waller recommends the books 'Good to Great' and 'Strength to Strength' for personal and professional development. Takeaways
Chapters (03:25) Exploring the Connection Between Dyslexia and Entrepreneurship (08:27) Changing the Narrative: Empowering Dyslexic Individuals (10:28) Unique Strengths of Dyslexic Thinkers (19:37) Supporting Dyslexic Individuals in Education and Business (25:45) Adventures and Challenges: Dyslexia and Personal Growth (31:26) Taking a Two-Year Trip Around the World (35:00) The Curiosity and Openness of an Entrepreneur (38:03) Managing Sleep Challenges with ADHD (46:55) The Importance of Kindness in Business (52:09) Planning for Life After Exit About Jamie Waller Jamie was born dyslexic, with ADHD, colour blind, poor and raised in Bethnal Green, East London. Jamie benefited from the supportive efforts of the Imps Motorcycle Display Team and the Prince’s Trust, both charities strive to improve the lives of underprivileged young people, and they remain dear to Jamie’s heart. Upon retiring from the Imps after eleven years of service at age sixteen, Jamie started his first business. Since then, he has launched and sold multiple businesses throughout the world demonstrating the limitless power of thinking differently as a dyslexic entrepreneur. Jamie is the Founder and past Chair of the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Network, sponsor of the | |||||||
| 15 Nov 2022 | E221 | Change Your Organisational DNA and Bring Back Innovation Into Your Business with Ben M. Bensaou | 01:11:53 | |||||
There’s no secret that, in today’s business climate, innovation is the only way companies can maintain an advantage over their competitors. No matter the field or industry you position yourself in, if you manage to create extra value for your company and the customers your company serves, you are almost undoubtedly destined for success. But, in order to achieve this holy grail and transform your organization into an innovating engine, you first need to learn to listen to your customers and your employees and understand the role they play in helping you identify real problems and the right solutions for those problems. Today’s guest on “The Melting Pot” is Ben M. Bensaou, professor and former Dean of Executive Education at INSEAD and business innovation thought leader. In his book, “Built to Innovate- Essential Practices to Wire Innovation Into Your Company's DNA”, Ben shares the proven system for building relentless innovation and culture that he discovered while researching companies from all over the world. We talk about all of his findings and the skills he thinks are required to create that perfect innovating culture, so make sure to download and listen to this fascinating episode!
In today’s episode:
Solutions for businesses that struggle with innovation Listen to your customer- they hold the key to discovering the weaknesses in your business Three skills you need to develop in order to create the perfect exchange of information between you and your clients (or potential clients) The importance of middle managers How to identify real problems that need solving Improve your ability to spot and develop good ideas for your business
Links:
Website - Built to Innovate Linkedin- Ben M. Bensaou Twitter- BenBensaou Blog- Built to Innovate by Ben M. Bensaou Biography & Publications- Ben M. Bensaou Ben’s book- Built to Innovate- Essential Practices to Wire Innovation Into Your Company's DNA
Follow Dominic:
Mentions:
We Solve- an inclusive community engagement platform for companies and organizations that Co-create sustainable and lasting solutions together.
Kordsa- develops reinforcement technologies for the tires of automobiles, airplanes, motorcycles, agricultural and industrial vehicles.
Fiskars- a Finnish group company; its products are related to the home, outdoor activities, interior decoration and table setting.
Allianz Insurance- the largest general insurer in the UK, offering a range of personal and commercial insurance solutions for their customers.
W.L Gore & Associates- an American multinational manufacturing company specializing in products derived from fluoropolymers; it is best known as the developer of waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex fabrics
Book recommendations:
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| 12 Mar 2024 | E290 | Redefining Business with Science and Openness: The Geek Way with Andrew McAfee | 00:48:22 | |||||
This week we're set for a riveting discussion with Andrew McAfee, a Principal Research Scientist at MIT and the ingenious author of The Geek Way. In this episode, Andrew and Dominic explore the realm of “geek companies" — organisations that defy the conventional corporate playbook through their technology-driven services and groundbreaking strategies. Andrew shared his unique perspective on why companies like Uber and Airbnb – while not traditional tech firms – epitomise the behaviours and characteristics of this new breed of business. He will explore the essential norms that set these companies apart—science, speed, ownership, and openness—and how these principles fuel high performance and break the shackles of hierarchy and deference that often hold back conventional organisations. During this insightful conversation, Dominic and Andrew dived into the birth of the agile movement, the fallacy of the "Liars’ Club," and the critical importance of autonomy and empowerment in nurturing a successful, forward-thinking workforce. Don’t miss this genuinely insightful episode where we blend the ingredients of business performance, corporate culture, and high-performing teams into a concoction that's bound to challenge your perceptions. Download and listen today!
On today’s podcast:
Follow Andrew: Recommended reading: | |||||||
| 04 Jun 2019 | E42 | FizzPopBANG: Creating an amazing brand by cultivating a brilliant culture with Carla Cringle and Imogen Pudduck. | 00:42:20 | |||||
Today’s guests are Carla Cringle and Imogen Pudduck, co-founders of FizzPopBANG Ltd. Their tagline, “making people whistle on their way to work,” says all you need to know about these two upbeat people. They met 15 years ago when they worked together at Red Bull as Head of Brand and Head of HR. Carla and Imogen realised that to have a truly amazing brand that consumers fall in love with, you need infectiously passionate and loyal people that drive that ethos forward. Today, a strong business “plan” is no longer good enough to drive success. They left Red Bull to share their collective knowledge and inject a little sparkle into the working lives of others. Together they created FizzPopBANG, a small but beautifully formed consultancy specialising in brand employee engagement. On today’s podcast:
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| 03 Mar 2020 | E81 | How to Use Talk Triggers with Jay Baer | 00:39:22 | |||||
If you’re trying to deliver remarkable customer experiences that will get customers talking, then you’re trying to create Talk Triggers. And that is exactly what this episode with Jay Baer, the founder of five multimillion-dollar companies, New York Times bestselling author of 6 books, public speaker, social media marketing and customer experience guru, is about. “Word of mouth influences 50% of all purchases, and it influences 91% of B2B purchases. And for major purchases, word of mouth is the number one decision-making criteria. Yet fewer than 1% of businesses have an actual word of mouth strategy.” In this episode, Dom chats to Jay about his most recent book, Talk Triggers. A talk trigger is defined in Jay’s book as an operational choice that is designed to create conversations - something that customers will go away and tell their friends and family about. So if you’re trying to figure out your business’ talk trigger, then this episode is for you. On today’s podcast:
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| 06 Apr 2021 | E138 | Improving Productivity By Creating A Network Of One Person Businesses with Andrew Holm & Julian Wilson | 01:27:53 | |||||
If you’re the owner of your business and you’re keen to improve productivity, or you want your business to run 200X better when you’re not there, why not get your employees to step up, not step back, from the challenge of running the business as efficiently as you do. Don’t miss Andrew Holm and Julian Wilson of Matt Black Systems on this week’s episode. Some of the challenges that they’ve solved are probably some of the challenges that your business is facing today. Andrew and Julian turned their business around by whittling the organisation down from 30 people to five over two years and dissolving the former hierarchical business model and creating a network of one person businesses. The result? Two employees now produce the same turnover each year as 30 people used to do. They spent £250m trying to improve productivity by implementing lean and then agile processes, but every time the consultants left, the business reverted back to how it operated before the change. So they decided to change some stupid rules, triggering an awakening in their employees, encouraging their employees to think for themselves: “On a roundabout, every car has a controlling mind in it. In a traffic light, there's only one controlling mind.” This episode is slightly longer than normal, but it’s worth it. Julian and Andrew explain, in detail, precisely the experiments they undertook to create their current business model. This is an absolutely fantastic conversation. On today’s podcast:
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| 10 Dec 2024 | E326 | The Happiness Index for a Thriving Workplace with Matt Phelan | 00:46:00 | |||||
Summary In this conversation, Matt Phelan, the co-founder of the Happiness Index and author of "The Business Case for Happiness" and "The Happiness Index, " shares valuable insight into measuring emotions in the workplace. Matt challenges the old business adage, "If you can measure it, you can manage it," emphasising that understanding and supporting employee happiness leads to better performance. Listen to this entrepreneur’s story, which led to pioneering the integration of happiness metrics in workplace culture. Highlighting Richard Branson's belief that employees come first, Matt introduces his data-driven approach to fostering workplace happiness and its significant impact on business outcomes. The episode explores the complex relationship between measuring and managing happiness and the importance of emotional well-being in the workplace. Matt also offers book recommendations and practical advice for enhancing happiness at work, making this a must-listen for any leader eager to disrupt the norm and prioritise employee satisfaction. Takeaways
Chapters (00:11) From digital agency to workplace happiness with Matt Phelan. (03:48) The Happiness Index V1 (05:54) Measure it and understand it better. (07:52) Changing the value prop. (09:23) Defining happiness as an understandable business metric. (13:26) Employee Net Promoter Score questions. (17:23) TED Talk - Super Chickens. (20:22) Solving different problems from client to client. (24:31) Are happier employees more productive? (27:01) Happy Hospitals vs. Unhappy Hospitals. (28:53) In The Office or Work From Home? (31:40) Building Relationships. (34:08) Quick Fire Questions with Matt Phelan. (39:18) Book recommendations. About Matt Phelan Matt Phelan is the co-founder of the Happiness Index, an organisation that aims to understand what makes people happy at work and how that relates to their work performance. He is a self-confessed proud geek and a supporter of decent people. Matt’s career started when he founded a digital marketing agency called 4Ps Marketing when he was 25 years old. After driving this agency to immense success, Matt and his partners sold the company and opted to double down their investment to go again. The Happiness Index is a SAAS platform that helps organisations measure their key employee engagement and happiness drivers. Follow Matt Phelan Website: https://mattphelan.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewphelan/ X: https://twitter.com/MatthewPhelan Happiness and Humans Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7h6wCWnjsgOIZSR6h0DKbq Book Recommendations Freedom To Be Happy: The Business Case For Happiness by Matt Phelan The Happiness Index by Matt Phelan | |||||||
| 08 Feb 2022 | E181 | How to Deliver Outstanding Customer Service with Jeff Toister | 00:46:58 | |||||
What do your customers say about you? What sort of customer experience do you deliver? Today’s guest, Jeff Toister, has quite literally written the book (well, four books) on service culture, and he’s here to discuss his latest book - The Service Culture Handbook. Jeff has trained over 1 million people in customer service. He has the number one training course on LinkedIn Learning, and he makes a living from being a public speaker and author on this very topic. So just how do you guarantee customer experience? What can you do to set your business apart from the competition? Don’t miss this fantastic conversation, and listen to the very end where Jeff shares a fantastic exercise for leaders to try - something they can do today to make a difference to the customer service in their organisation. On today’s podcast:
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| 15 Sep 2020 | E109 | How To Use Open Innovation In The Corporate World with Jonty Slater | 00:53:32 | |||||
What would you do if you’ve sold your company for enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life - sail the Caribbean? Or start over. Today’s guest, Jonty Slater, Manager Director at Blue Globe Innovation is in the latter camp. Jonty decided to create a business and to give back at the same time. Blue Globe Innovation is like no other company, it’s an organisation that solves amazingly complex technical challenges for companies, governments and NGOs. Blue Globe Innovation runs open innovation challenges around the world and in this incredibly insightful episode, Jonty shares with listeners a few of the challenges he’s recently been involved in, including the UK government's ventilator challenge and the Rwanda Lake Kivu challenge. While these challenges are exciting, you might be wondering how they’re applicable to your organisation. Well, here’s the thing - CEOs are often great at linear innovation, really good at running business as usual. But a lot of the time they’re struggling to have incremental innovation. And that’s precisely where Jonty’s team can help. Open innovation isn’t just for finding solutions to big pandemic problems, like COVID. It’s a process that can be applied to solve your current business problem. This is a fantastic conversation and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 04 May 2021 | E142 | The Future Of Flexible Working with Juggle Jobs Founder, Romanie Thomas | 00:49:59 | |||||
If, over the course of the last year, you’ve come to enjoy working from home and don’t want to have to revert to the daily commute into the office. Or if you’re scaling a business and wondering how you can attract the right level of skill and experience without having to hire someone full time. Then don’t miss Romanie Thomas, an experienced headhunter, founder and CEO of Juggle Jobs, a platform connecting businesses with high-quality professionals on a flexible basis. Founded in 2017, Juggle Jobs is for people who have more to offer scaling businesses than simply their skills and experience. They understand and appreciate the need to be flexible and are prepared to roll their sleeves up and muck in, helping out where necessary. Romanie, an experienced headhunter, realised while there are plenty of platforms for low level, entry positions, there aren’t many offering these sorts of flexible opportunities to mid to high level roles. Seeing a gap in the market, she created a platform to help women who don't want to work full time, get access to great jobs. Very quickly, she realised that this wasn't a gender issue, this was a matching skills to jobs and helping people facilitate a portfolio career issue. In today’s episode, she talks about the implications of remote first versus office culture versus hybrid. What might that look like? What's the best? What's the worst? What's the best of the worst? And she shares what it's like to be a digital nomad. Where she's been and where she's worked from, and what lessons she's learned along the way. This is a fantastic conversation with a fantastic founder. On today’s podcast:
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| 21 Nov 2023 | E274 | Leveraging Lean Principles for Go-To-Market Success with Matthew May & Pablo Dominguez | 00:43:23 | |||||
In a world where growth and innovation are the lifeblood of businesses, two seasoned experts unveil a secret weapon for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Matthew May and Pablo Dominguez shatter the perception that lean principles are solely for startups and scale-ups. Brace yourself for a mind-bending twist as they reveal how lean thinking can revolutionise go-to-market strategies for companies of any size. Matthew May and Pablo Dominguez are the authors of the book What a Unicorn Knows: How Leading Entrepreneurs Use Lean Principles to Drive Sustainable Growth. Matthew works for Insight Partners, a private equity VC firm in New York, where he runs the Lean Scale Up program, helping scale-ups remove obstacles to growth. With a background in strategy and a decade of experience with Toyota, Matthew brings a unique perspective to the application of lean principles. Pablo, also with Insight Partners, supports their advisory teams and has a strong focus on sales effectiveness. With over five years of experience working with portfolio companies, Pablo brings valuable insights to the table. Together, they offer practical examples and templates in their book to help businesses of all sizes drive consistent growth and innovation through lean thinking. Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Matthew May and Pablo Dominguez: Book recommendations: Just Because (Chidlren’s book) Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review | |||||||
| 05 Jan 2021 | E125 | How To Drive Innovation Inside Your Organisation with Pete Newell | 01:07:43 | |||||
Are you wondering how your business can innovate better? Are you confusing methodologies and activities with the process of actually keeping and creating a pipeline of innovation? Then don’t miss this hugely insightful episode all about innovation, with the internationally recognised innovation expert, Pete Newell. Pete finished his 32-year military career with a 3-year tour running the US Army’s skunkworks - or in layman’s terms, he was the Director of the US Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF). He had a remit to go and find problems and solve them, using commercial technology to solve a battlefield problem. Out of the 300 problems he was tasked with solving, he found resolutions for 20 of them. An incredible hit rate. When he realised he couldn’t stay in that role indefinitely, Pete retired from the military to found BMNT, an innovation consultancy and early-stage technology incubator that helps solve some of the hardest real-world problems in US national security, state and local governments, and beyond. Pete is also founder and co-author, with Lean Startup founder Steve Blank, of Hacking for Defense (H4D)®, an academic programme originally taught at Stanford University. “[This is] the only class they take in their academic career that allows them to use everything they use in university or network they build to work on a real problem with real people to give them real experience that leads to real jobs.” So to find out what the fundamental things are inside an organisation that you need to do to drive innovation in your business, don’t miss this fantastic conversation. On today’s podcast:
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| 20 Nov 2018 | E17 | Using the Net Promoter System to Create a Gold-Class Customer Contact Center: Meet Fionán Mc Donnell | 00:47:33 | |||||
Today I’m talking to a soft-spoken Irishman, Fionán Mc Donnell, who is the NSW New Business Manager at Macquarie Telecom Group. This episode is the first part of a Macquarie Telecom Group masterclass on how to achieve the best Net Promoter System score (a concept developed by Fred Reichheld). On today’s podcast:
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| 06 Aug 2019 | E51 | Developing corporate emotional intelligence with Gareth Chick | 00:38:32 | |||||
This week’s guest on The Melting Pot is Gareth Chick, a former CFO, CEO and chairman of both public and private companies. An executive coach for FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 CEOs, and now founder and managing partner of Collaborative Equity. After 40 years in the corporate world, Gareth has poured his extensive knowledge into two books and carved out his dream career at Collaborative Equity, as he is an acknowledged expert on corporate cultures and corporate psychology. Today Gareth shares with us how he got into business at the tender age of 12, because it was his dream to be out the front of a grocer’s shop serving customers. At 16, psychometric testing told him he should go into accounting, so he did, and never looked back. A CFO at 24 and CFO for a PLC subsidiary at 28, Gareth is the first to admit he was incredibly successful, very driven, but also controlling and arrogant. It took a leadership course he didn’t want to attend to make him change his ways. It didn’t just change his attitude towards work—it changed his life entirely. On today’s podcast:
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| 03 Feb 2021 | 2020 Summit Special Re-Empowering Teams, with Brendan Hall | 00:24:31 | |||||
In this episode- Decision making against disasters - Growth mindset - Choosing to grow is even more challenging with a team - Lead by example Re Empowering the team "This is where I had to step up as a leader, the first time I'd had to deal with something like this, and you know we'd done a bunch of psychometric tests before the race.... you know they'd said your good at dealing with crisis" – he jokes – "But you never really know until you're there right?!" He noticed that, as the leader, his emotions were really impacting on those of the team. When he portrayed his struggles negatively to the daily huddle, he noticed the day's morale followed suit. That is until one of them pointed out the team's attitude. The jolt forced them to "get their act together". Growth mindsetBrendan had a jolt realisation that his team member was absolutely right. They had to stop feeling sorry for themselves. Overcoming a disaster isn't about the good decisions, bad decisions, or karma, or fate - it's about what you do with it. Many companies and teams have a lot in common, Brendan's race was against identical boats, but what separates them is their ability to handle disasters. "We don't learn from our experience on its own, we learn from reflecting on our experiences. It's a deliberate practice".
Acting in this way is difficult when you need to learn from your own disaster - it's even worse when you have other people's opinions, egos and input to consider. No one wants to feel blamed. But the best teams have to sit down and learn together. It's not about shared trauma its about the openness to constructive communication. Brendan remembers the excellent advice of "we need to make a promise to each other, that we will only learn the hard lessons once". Blame | |||||||
| 29 Mar 2022 | E188 | How to Set Up your Business to be Acquired with Robert Belgrave | 00:40:25 | |||||
If you’re thinking of selling your business, or you’re wanting to create value to make your business more attractive to potential acquirers, then don’t miss Robert Belgrave, CEO EMEA for Pax8 and co-founder of Ecologi, on this week’s The Melting Pot. Having founded Wirehive in 2012, with a vision to create the sort of business they themselves wanted to be a part of, Wirehive was subsequently acquired by Pax8 in 2021. So how can you replicate their success and set up your business for a future sale? To make it attractive to potential buyers? In this latest episode, Rob shares how they set Wirehive up to be acquired - the specific decisions they made to enable success, how they chose who they wanted to acquire them, how they triggered the process without a formal advisor to help them, and what (if anything) he might have done differently. If this all sounds like something you’re going through or are about to go through, download and listen today. On today’s podcast:
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| 14 Mar 2023 | E238 | Building a Better and More Efficient Onboarding Process with Brad Giles | 00:39:46 | |||||
Does your organisation suffer from onboarding debt? It’s the difference between what people should understand and what they actually understand about how to succeed in their role. This debt manifests itself through low retention, poor cultures and frustrated leaders. But it doesn't need to be this way. In his new book, Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the point where they are effective, faster, Brad Giles gives a simple step-by-step process that leaders can use to significantly increase the effectiveness of new hires and existing teams. And this week, we got the chance to learn more from him on a new episode of The Melting Pot. Brad is a business coach based in Perth, Australia, and this week he joined us to talk about how to get new employees to deliver faster, how to get clear on expectations, and the impact that will have. Often, there are structural reasons that lead companies to do onboarding inadequately. There's a big gap that remains unmeasured, which is what is the difference between what people should know and what they actually know. Onboarding isn't something that should be left to HR. It should be done by the hiring manager and the team. Brad also talks about managerial fit and expectations, the technical skills that people need to learn and the things that culturally define the business that new hires need to pick up on.
Don’t miss this fantastic conversation. Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Brad Giles:
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| 11 Feb 2020 | E78 | The Secrets Of The Mega Deal with Jamal Reimer | 00:40:35 | |||||
By day, this week’s guest on The Melting Pot, Jamal Reimer, works for Oracle as an enterprise SaaS rep, helping pharma R&D squeeze every drop of value from their clinical data. By night (and at weekends), he coaches the CEOs of late stage startups land mega deals that will change the course of their business’s growth. It’s not Jamal’s work at Oracle that Dom talks to him about today - although they touch on it briefly as it explains why he’s so well placed to coach CEOs: “I'm an intentional individual contributor. I've been selling for almost 20 years, and I've made the choice that I love what I do. I love being in the field, in the foxhole, doing the work with the customer through hard times and great times. And it's never appealed to me to go into management ... but I certainly work with executives on both sides, at the table every day.” It’s what he does in his spare time that Dom discusses. Because in his spare time Jamal coaches CEOs and individual sellers, helping them change their mindset and put in place a structure in their organisations which allows their businesses to land their first mega deal - the deals that will change the trajectory of their business's growth. So if you’re a CEO wondering how to get away from the run rate and make mega deals that will transform the growth of your organisation, then this conversation is definitely one you want to listen to. On today’s podcast:
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| 26 Mar 2024 | E292 | Customer Service Excellence And High Performance: The Macquarie Way with Joseph Michelli | 00:44:07 | |||||
This week we're diving deep into customer experience, leadership, and the relentless pursuit of excellence with a returning guest, Joseph Michelli. He is an organisational consultant extraordinaire and the author behind Customer Magic – The Macquarie Way, his new book out on Kindle today in the UK. Joseph shares his insights on the non-negotiable personality traits for success in technology careers, the inherent service gene, the grit to work hard, and the strategic vision to see beyond immediate gratification. He will unpack the fascinating story of Macquarie Technology Group and their bold move from outsourcing to onshoring, hiring savvy university students part-time, and creating a formidable talent pool. Macquarie’s contrarian approach has positioned them exceptionally well in the tech world. Joseph will their clever transition from legacy systems to dominating the cloud business, their diverse revenue streams, and their winning philosophy which intertwines top-tier customer service with solid profitability. A deeply insightful episode with Joseph. He never disappoints. Download and listen today to enjoy the full conversation! On today’s podcast:
Follow Joseph: Customer Magic – The Macquarie Way Recommended reading: Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review | |||||||
| 17 Sep 2024 | E314 | The Power of Customer-Centric OKRs with Josh Seiden & Jeff Gothelf | 00:46:39 | |||||
Summary Josh Seiden & Jeff Gothelf join Dominic Monkhouse to talk about one of his favourite growth tools - OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) The discussion dives deep into the world of OKRs, highlighting their critical role in goal-setting and driving organisational alignment. The guests introduce their latest book, Who Does What By How Much?, which offers a fresh, customer-focused take on OKRs. They stress the importance of shifting from output-driven goals to outcome-based objectives that are tightly aligned with customer needs and behaviours. A key theme of the conversation is the delicate balance between Business as Usual (BAU) activities and the implementation of OKRs. This episode explores how OKRs should not only complement existing operations but also help steer an organisation’s strategy. They discuss the ideal timeframe for setting corporate OKRs, with an emphasis on quarterly check-ins and measurable key results that track progress throughout the year. The conversation also addresses practical challenges, such as fostering collaboration across teams and securing leadership buy-in, both of which are essential for successful OKR implementation. The speakers advise organisations to start small, gradually expand OKR adoption, and invest time and effort into their OKR process while still keeping an eye on BAU performance. In addition to their insights on OKRs, the guests share personal book recommendations and reflect on their own definitions of success, rounding out a rich discussion that not only offers practical advice but also broader perspectives on achieving meaningful outcomes in today's customer-driven world. Takeaways
Chapters (03:13) The Power of Customer-Centric OKRs (07:19) Balancing BAU and OKRs (13:53) The Role of Strategy in OKR Implementation (25:15) Setting the Timeframe for Corporate OKRs (30:40) Setting Quarterly Check-ins and Measurable Key Results (32:14) Prioritising Customer-Centric Goals for Changing Customer Behavior (41:40) Challenges of Collaboration and the Role of Leadership Buy-in (47:00) Starting Small and Gradually Expanding OKR Implementation (49:16) Allocating Time and Effort to OKRs while Maintaining Business as Usual Metrics (56:01) Continuous Learning and Personal Growth for Success About Josh Seiden Josh Seiden has been creating great technology products for more than 20 years. A UX design leader, Josh has worked in hardware and software, consumer and enterprise, mobile, web, and desktop. He was a Principal at Neo and,... | |||||||
| 08 Sep 2020 | E108 | The Power of Staying Curious with Michael Bungay Stanier | 00:43:20 | |||||
If you want to improve the managers in your business, says Michael Bungay Stanier, do more coaching. You might think coaching equals being soft, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. “When I'm asked to talk about my philosophy of coaching I've got two words, and the words are Fierce Love.” Michael wrote the book on coaching, literally. The Coaching Habit is the biggest book on coaching this century. He is the go-to guy for anything coaching related - his 7 questions format has revolutionised coaching, and while we don’t necessarily talk about those today, they do feature. In this enlightening episode all about coaching, Michael, who’s also founder of Box of Crayons - a learning and development company helping organisations shift from advice-driven to curiosity-led, talks about his latest book - The Advice Trap. This conversation is full of fantastic insights from Michael on how to be a better coach, how to be a better leader, and how to encourage coaching inside your organisation. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 26 Mar 2019 | E32 | Experimenting with Energy: A Conversation with Chris Baréz-Brown | 00:41:54 | |||||
Chris Baréz-Brown is the Founder of Upping Your Elvis, trainer, speaker, and author of such books as “Wake Up” and “Shine”. In his work, Chris helps people find and channel their energy by helping them understand what it is and how to increase it, and how to deploy it in a useful way. Chris works with diverse types of businesses to break down dysfunctions, and inefficiencies, to help bring more humanity into the workplace. Chris emphasises the importance of creating friendships at work, which builds trust and makes work more enjoyable. He also recently launched the social enterprise Talk it Out, which encourages people to achieve better well being. Tune in to get a better understanding of how to harness your own energy to create a more positive work and life experience. On today’s podcast:
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| 02 Feb 2021 | E129 | In Conversation With The Lean Startup Legend, Steve Blank | 00:55:20 | |||||
Today’s guest needs no introduction. Essentially, if you run a startup and you haven’t heard of Steve Blank, can you even call yourself an entrepreneur? Steve is the ultimate serial entrepreneur, retiring in 1999 with eight high technology startups under his belt. He coined the term ‘customer development’, codifying what that was in the inaugural start up book, The Four Steps to the Epiphany - the start up book that kickstarted the lean startup revolution. He then went on to teach a course at Stanford based on what he had codified around startups and what makes the successful ones successful. And one of the guys on his course was a chap called Eric Ries, who you might have heard of for writing a book called The Lean Startup. Then he found himself on the front cover of Harvard Business Review with his book and that, as they say, is history. Steve went on to change the way the world thinks about startups. This is truly a fascinating conversation, we talk about what the job of the CEO is, what customer development is, why innovation is so hard and why established businesses hit a plateau. On today’s podcast:
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| 31 Dec 2024 | E329 | Challenging the Traditional Sales Approach with the UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer, Benjamin Dennehy | 00:58:49 | |||||
Today we are re-sharing one of our most controversial episodes so far, with the man who's been called the UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer, Benjamin Dennehy. Benjamin joins Dominic as they discuss the art of selling and the common misconceptions about sales. This is truly a sixty-minute conversation that will change how you look at sales! Benjamin explores the importance of self-confidence, being in control, and understanding the motivations behind prospects' questions. He emphasises the need for salespeople to focus on having meaningful conversations and helping prospects discover their needs rather than pushing products or services. He also highlights the importance of hiring and training salespeople effectively and challenges the traditional sales approach of show up, throw up, and hope for the best. In this conversation, the UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer shares his unconventional approach to sales and prospecting. He emphasises the importance of getting prospects emotional and focuses on the purpose of a prospecting call. He also discusses the need for consultative selling and the importance of asking probing questions. The conversation covers topics such as the future of cold calling, the myth of 'people buy people,' and the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship. Takeaways
Timestamps (04:00) Book Recommendations and the Misconception of Sales Books (07:19) Why the UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer is Hated (09:08) The Problem with Traditional Sales Approaches (23:19) The Art of Asking and Answering Questions in Sales (28:44) Creating Comfort and Lowering Walls in Sales Conversations (31:25) Getting Prospects Emotional: The Purpose of a Prospecting Call (33:44) Consultative Selling: Asking Probing Questions and Understanding Pain Points (35:42) The Future of Cold Calling and the Rise of AI (39:03) The Myth of 'People Buy People' (45:49) The Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship (50:40) Mastering a Methodology: Continuous Improvement in Sales (51:33) Critical Thinking, Communication, and Emotional Control in Sales (59:51) Knowing When to Quit and When to Persevere in Business About Benjamin Dennehy He’s been called the UK’s most hated sales trainer and the GOAT of cold-calling; Benjamin Dennehy is an engaging and entertaining trainer and speaker. He will shake up your thinking about your role and function in sales with humour, insight and psychology. Benjamin is The UK’s Most Hated Sales Trainer, but why? Marketing of course. He made it up. There is no international body that measures hostility towards sales... | |||||||
| 18 Dec 2018 | E21 | Helping Businesses Get Proper Funding: Meet Stephen Sacks | 00:35:02 | |||||
Today I’m talking to Stephen Sacks, the author of Reboot your Business, a step-by-step guide to reinventing your business for maximum growth. Stephen’s book includes a fantastic section on how to apply for grants. It also offers plenty of actionable tips on how to fund your business from free cash. Remember that allowing a third party to come in and help you rethink your funding methods can be very helpful. On today’s podcast:
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| 02 Aug 2022 | E206 | How to Design a Conducive Culture for the Modern Workplace with Gustavo Razzetti | 00:48:45 | |||||
How can you help your team to do the best work of their lives? By building a conducive culture that allows them to thrive. Gustavo Razzetti is a sought-after speaker, culture consultant, and author of three books. He realised that most companies don’t lack ideas, resources, or talent, but rather an advantageous culture. And so he created Fearless Culture, a workplace culture consulting firm, to help organisations become purpose-driven, agile, and innovative. He’s also the creator of the Culture Design Canvas, a culture mapping tool used by consultants, coaches, and organisations worldwide. On this episode of The Melting Pot, Gustavo discusses the book he wrote during the pandemic, Remote Not Distant, which takes the concept of deliberately designing a culture and applying it to a new normal hybrid workplace. Because how do you design a culture that helps everyone thrive when not everybody is office based? Download and listen to find out. Book recommendations: Insight: The Power Of Self-Awareness In A Self-Deluded World - Tasha Eurich On today’s podcast:
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| 19 Apr 2022 | E191 | What it Takes to Become a Great CEO with Scott Keller | 00:51:27 | |||||
Having travelled to every country in the world, Scott Keller, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, New York Times best selling author of Beyond performance 2.0 and CEO Excellence, was looking for a new challenge. And he found it during lockdown. Along with his fellow authors, he sought to uncover what makes the best CEOs of this century the best. They combined extensive quantitative analysis with in-depth interviews with today’s top CEOs to understand what sets exceptional leaders apart. And they found the best CEOs have to master six core things to become great. Because, and Scott uses the analogy of Ashton Eaton, the greatest decathlete of all time here - no decathlete is the best 100 metre runner in the world or the best Javelin thrower, they have to not suck at anything, while being amazing at everything. In this episode of The Melting Pot, Scott shares the methodology they used to narrow down their list of CEOs from 7,800 to the 67 they interviewed, before discussing the six things they found were the core of every great CEO. On today’s podcast:
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| 25 Aug 2020 | E106 | How To Be Radically Candid with Kim Scott | 00:49:24 | |||||
How do you give difficult, impactful feedback in your workplace without offending anyone or being misconstrued? “Pause, right now, and think about that moment in your career when someone told you something that stung a bit at the time, but stood you in good stead for the next 10 years. That is radical candour.” If you just do one thing this week, listen to Kim Scott, co-creator of an executive education company and workplace comedy series based on her best-selling book Radical Candor - Be A Kick Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. Kim led AdSense, YouTube, and Doubleclick teams at Google and then joined Apple University to develop and teach “Managing at Apple.” She’s also been a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and several other tech companies. Kim knows what she’s talking about. In this latest episode she talks about why it’s so difficult to be frank with people, how to be better at being candid, where you should start and more importantly, how to be radically candid in today’s workplace - i.e. how to give feedback when you’re not face to face. “If you're doing it right, if you're doing routine radical candour maintenance, it's more like brushing and flossing. It's not a root canal, it’s a two minute conversation.” This is one podcast episode you don’t want to miss. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did! On today’s podcast:
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| 14 Dec 2021 | E174 | The Habit of Excellence with Lieutenant Colonel Langley Sharp MBE | 00:45:02 | |||||
The British Army is renowned for its outstanding leadership, and command and control. But what do they know about psychological safety? These are just a few of the many topics that come up in the conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Langley Sharp MBE, who heads up the Centre for Army Leadership. This is a unit that has, over the last five years, codified what leadership means in the British Army, and how to develop leaders within the Army. What are some of the principles of leadership in the Army? What is the difference between being a peacetime leader and a wartime leader? And what does training for adversity look like? From how you train people to make the right decisions to how the army has codified its leadership, this is a fantastic conversation with a first class leader. And if you think it’s not relevant to the world of business, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Langley has also written a fantastic book called The Habit Of Excellence, where he says: “Leadership, good leadership, effective leadership, that social relationship, that interpersonal relationship has to be nurtured every single day 24/7/365 to enable you to deliver effectively under pressure.” This is a really insightful conversation with Langley, we really enjoyed it. We’re sure you will too. On today’s podcast:
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| 10 Apr 2021 | 2020 Summit Special: An Honest Account of Success and Failure with Jim Bowes | 00:20:52 | |||||
Decline At the original point of writing his presentation, Jim had been struck by the sudden realisation that he was “a man in decline’”. In a whirlwind of 00’s nostalgia, he re-examines with the audience, his thought process. Following his then-recent device, Jim was staying at his mum’s, and having been compared to decreasingly attractive celebrities, he was forced to do some soul searching. He decided that many things were to blame… mainly crisps. Confidence Looking at his bags of belongings, he decided he heeded to re-find his confidence.“So that I could achieve the things I wanted to achieve- confidence is a feeling of assurance, particularly self-assurance. It means that you can do things that you otherwise might not. We are here today, in a way, to get extra confidence.” But Jim decided that to ‘scale his life up, fast’ he wasn’t going to need extra confidence but “blind confidence”. Following a few literal car-crashes “in this period of experimenting with blind confidence”, he decided there might be something to it. The common features of blind confidence, Jim declares are “Little knowledge”, “Decisions” and “Thought” he refers to The Dice Man by George Cockcroft in a string of life decisions he put to a toss of a coin. Shame or Success “I’m the kinda guy who likes to say yes. I got married at 19, and at 27, I remortgaged my house to open a vintage clothing shop and many other things”. This brought Jim to a rather disastrous role on a rather extreme military-based reality TV programme. A mortifying mess caught on camera. Which he asserts, drew him to the conclusion that to build confidence you need to build a tolerance to shame. “You need to build your shame confidence in the open as you confess to it”, jokes Jim as he examines old webchat confessions with the audience. Blind confidence puts you in situations where you are guaranteed either shame or success “if you learn to accept shame, then you’ll be successful”.
Recommended reading The Dice Man by George Cockcroft You can also find this episode on our Youtube | |||||||
| 14 Apr 2020 | E87 | Developing Your Entrepreneurial Business with Daniel Priestley | 00:45:50 | |||||
Are you an entrepreneur looking to scale up your business? Or perhaps you’re still figuring out your company’s purpose. Then you need to listen to Daniel Priestley, showman, visionary, speaker, and author. Daniel’s willed a number of multi-million-pound businesses into existence from nothing, written four best-selling business books and is the co-founder of Dent Global, an incubator for startups run by people with business experience under their belts. “The one thing that stood out to me is that very few of them [entrepreneurs] are 22-year-olds. Most entrepreneurs have been in their industry as an employee for 15 years before they then get the confidence and the skills and the connections to start a company. Most entrepreneurs are around 40 when they start, and most people who achieve an exit are typically in their early 50s.” So if you’re someone who has an idea, knowledge and network to create a business and want to create a better life for yourself, Daniel is the guy you want to go and see. In this podcast, Dominic and Daniel discuss the inspiration for Dent Global, the type of people who might want to join the entrepreneur accelerator programme, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and an easy hack for finding a purpose for your business. On today’s podcast:
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| 16 Apr 2019 | E35 | Meet Danielle Chiel: Changing Lives One Hand-Knitted Garment at a Time | 00:27:02 | |||||
Today’s guest is Danielle Chiel, an Australian entrepreneur who founded KOCO (Knit One Change One). Danielle, through KOCO, is seeking to change lives one hand-knitted garment at a time. She currently employs 200 Indian ladies from various villages in India, to hand-knit garments for her; but her dream is to expand the business and employ 10,000 women. KOCO hand-knits garments for global fashion brands - they produce fashions and homewares that customers love, by working with women in the rural villages in the south of Tamil Nadu. At the same time as giving these ladies employment, KOCO provides them with an education and all the training they need, in order to become world-class handknitters. On today’s podcast learn:
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| 15 Mar 2022 | E186 | How to Maximise Sales Growth in a Post-Pandemic World with Aaron Ross | 00:46:36 | |||||
How can you maximise sales growth while minimising the workload and stress on both you and your executive teams? This is what Aaron Ross, dad of 10 kids, co-author of From Impossible To Inevitable and author of Predictable Revenue, is currently advising revenue executives about. In this latest episode of The Melting Pot, Aaron shares what’s changed in the world of work since he wrote Predictable Revenue back in 2011. Because the world has moved on a lot since then - what implications are there now for both sales and executives as a result of the pandemic? If you’re finding that your outbound sales are broadening out, and you’re wondering how to create predictable, scalable revenue, then don’t miss the world's foremost expert on outbound sales development chat about what works for him. Because juggling 10 kids, being on numerous SaaS boards and being an author is a serious skill to master. On today’s podcast:
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| 12 Jun 2024 | E301 | The Importance of Founder CEO Succession with Evgeny Shadchnev | 00:45:49 | |||||
300 episodes on Dominic's catching up with guest #1 Evgeny Shadchnev, Executive Coach and Founder & ex-CEO of Makers Academy, to talk about that all-important decision: Do you stay on as founder CEO, or do you go and what happens next? Evgeny's new book "Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition" is out now Summary The conversation explores the topic of startup CEO succession and the importance of founders considering stepping down from their roles. The premise of Evgeny's new book is that founder-CEO succession is often the best thing for both the founder and the company. The conversation covers various aspects of CEO succession, including the need for founders to assess their fit for the role as the company grows, the different options for transitioning from CEO to another role in the company, and the challenges and benefits of employees setting their own salaries. The conversation also highlights the importance of having a clear understanding of the CEO's role and the need for open and early conversations about succession. The conversation explores the motivations and challenges of CEO succession in startups. It delves into the personal satisfaction derived from helping others and the shift in motivation when transitioning from a B2C to a B2B business model. The importance of open and early conversations about succession planning is emphasised, as well as the role of the board and the time required for a smooth transition. The conversation also touches on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business operations and the need for adaptability. Keywords startup, CEO succession, founder, leadership transitions, stepping down, role fit, options, employee salaries, CEO role, open conversation, CEO succession, motivations, challenges, B2C to B2B, open conversations, board, transition, COVID-19 Takeaways
Sound Bites
Chapters (02:55) Assessing Fit for the CEO Role as the Company | |||||||
| 28 Jul 2020 | E102 | Why Pricing Is Not Primarily About Price with Hermann Simon | 00:50:45 | |||||
If you have a fear of pricing, or if you’re worried that if you put your prices up you’ll lose customers, then you need to listen to the Pricing Man, Hermann Simon, author of over 35 books on the subjects of profit and pricing. “Pricing is about value, or more precisely, the value perceived by the customers. If the customer perceives a high value, he or she is willing to pay a high price. If the perceived value is lower, you have to offer the product at a lower price.” Hermann Simon has lived two lives: in the first he was a boy on a farm in the Eifel region of Germany. In the second he is the Founder and Honorary Chairman of Simon-Kucher & Partners, a global consultancy with over 1500 employees. He’s an expert in strategy, marketing and pricing and he’s the only German in the “Thinkers50 Hall of Fame” of the most important management thinkers in the world. “No company has ever failed from making a profit. Most companies are revenue driven, market share driven, sales driven and only about one quarter are truly profit-oriented.” This is an incredibly insightful podcast about the importance of pricing and the need to understand the complexity of price, as well as looking at new pricing techniques. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 01 Sep 2020 | E107 | Taking Charge By Letting Go with L. David Marquet | 00:41:50 | |||||
“The journey of leadership is a journey to irrelevance. It has to be. Otherwise you're just a do-er, you're an individual contributor like everybody else.” The problem with military command is that when you say ‘jump’, your subordinates are supposed to say ‘how high?’, regardless of the danger or the stupidity of the order. L. David Marquet realised there was something fundamentally wrong with this form of blind leadership when he took command of the USS Santa Fe, the US Navy’s submarine with the worst morale out of all its ships. David didn’t know his way around this submarine, he wasn’t trained on it, but he was still expected to command it. He realised that the only way to take control and quite literally turn the ship around, was to adopt a radical approach to leadership. He decided to empower his subordinates as they knew far more about their day to day roles than he did - he told them to take ownership of their decisions. He needed the ship to manage itself. His revolutionary approach to leadership went against everything he’d been taught, but it worked. In the three years under David’s command, the Santa Fe rose from the bottom of the ranks to being the number one ship in the US navy. In this latest episode, David shares his story, how he had to park his ego in order to succeed and how he relinquished control in order to take command. This is a truly fascinating conversation with actionable insights. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. “I used to be a control freak. Well actually, I'm still wired to be a control freak. But I'm trying to get over it.” On today’s podcast:
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| 17 Oct 2023 | E269 | Rethinking People Ops & Transforming Employee Experience with Jessica Zwaan | 00:47:08 | |||||
Fully remote work isn’t for everyone. For instance, some people get their energy from having a community at work, whilst others get it from elsewhere. Some can deal with the ambiguity that comes with working remotely, and others struggle with it. Our guest this week believes that working remotely is not just a decision over having an office or not, but an operating system. And that means that you need to curate every aspect of your people operations. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Jessica Zwaan, author of Amazon Best Selling, Built for People, and founder of Being People consultancy. She’s also the Chief Operating Officer at Whereby, a calm and user-friendly video call solution that integrates directly into your platform using our API or SDK. In this episode, Jessica joined us to discuss the importance of cultural responsibility and effective performance evaluation within organisations. She delved into the different spectrums of responsibility at different levels, emphasising the crucial role of HR leaders in driving strategic success. She also explores the challenges of traditional HR practices and shares the innovative strategies they’re implemented at Whereby to encourage the team to book holidays in advance.
Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow [Guest Name]:
Book recommendations:
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| 30 Apr 2024 | E297 | The Strategic Problem of Change with Martin Reeves | 00:45:15 | |||||
Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, delves into the nuanced world of strategy, addressing its complexities in both personal and business spheres. In an engaging discussion, he highlights the scarcity of truly exceptional strategies and underscores the necessity of evaluating success progressively over time. Through his conversation with Dominic Monkhouse, Reeves elaborates on CEOs' critical role in executing strategies and the hurdles involved in preserving an innovative culture as organisations expand. He sheds light on why keeping strategies confidential can be beneficial, the adaptability required in strategic planning, and the risks posed by complacency and an inward focus. This podcast highlights the vital role of imagination and creativity in spurring innovation and fostering organisational change. They dissect the challenges associated with implementing transformative ideas, emphasising the need to move beyond conventional procedures and navigate internal politics effectively. The power of storytelling and the ability to mobilise enthusiasm for new ideas are discussed as pivotal tools in driving change. The conversation touches on the importance of framing the right questions, the paradox of hierarchy and innovation, and the need for depoliticisation and depth of debate in business. Martin shares insights from his book 'The Imagination Machine' and recommends other books on innovation and strategy. On today’s podcast:
Follow Martin: Your strategy needs a strategy Recommended reading: Co-Intelligence: Living and working with AI 22 Oct 2019 | E62 | Watertight Marketing - How to Not Waste Money on Marketing with Bryony Thomas | 00:38:00 | | ||||
Dominic’s aim for The Melting Pot is to enable other businesses to optimise their business performance, to help them scale up. And so this week’s guest, Bryony Thomas, marketing guru, author and developer of marketing methodology - Watertight Marketing, is the authority on how to grow your business through marketing. Having worked in marketing since 1997, Bryony has not only garnered a wealth of experience in the industry, but she’s written the book on it. “Nobody needs more marketing ideas, they need fewer on which to truly focus. And one of the things that Watertight really does is get people to prioritise and focus in on the one thing to be doing right now.” Having watched so many businesses waste money on marketing and finding that she was repeating herself constantly, Bryony decided to put her extensive marketing knowledge down on paper. And so it’s this book and the fundamentals of marketing that Dominic discusses with Bryony in this episode. So if you’re keen to stop wasting time and money on ineffectual marketing, stop what you’re doing and tune in. It will be the best decision you made today. On today’s podcast:
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| 12 Nov 2024 | E322 | Revenue is Vanity, Profit is Sanity and Cash is King: Lessons with Alan Miltz | 00:46:57 | |||||
Summary In this conversation, Alan Miltz, a renowned financial analysis and business strategy expert, shares insights into scaling up a business and improving its cash flow. He dives deep into the intricacies of financial management, from optimising cash flow and managing working capital to the fine art of pricing strategy. Alan keeps the conversation simple, outlining how small 1% changes in one day can revolutionise a company's financial health. He offers his understanding of The Magic Number 200 and practical tools for improving cash flow and sustaining growth, even in challenging economic climates. Finally, Alan provides some excellent book recommendations for anyone looking to find hidden value in their business segments. Takeaways
Chapters (00:00) Discussing Cash Flow, The Power of One and More With Alan Miltz (05:13) Cash Flow Is Crucial In The Current Economy (9:58) Seven Levers and Four Chapters In Business (13:53) Management Team Responsibilities (17:08) Cash Flow Burn (20:42) Relationship of Price vs. Volume to Cash Flow and Profit (25:37) Identifying Profit Segments Using Cash Flow Ladder (34:12) Magic Number of 200 (38:58) Cash Flow Story Software Tool (41:02) Book Recommendations for Improving Business About Alan Miltz Alan Miltz has dedicated his life to helping business leaders and everyone in their team love the numbers. Revenue is vanity, Profit is sanity and Cash is king (or queen) are usually his opening words. Alan is a co-author of Verne Harnish’s global best-selling book Scaling Up (having written the financial component of the book). Alan believes that running a business is like managing a sports team: Everyone needs to know the score. Every business wants to scale up its profit, cash, and value. The Power of One, developed by Alan and the team at Cash Flow Story, is your company’s code. How many 1% or 1-day changes do you need to make to achieve your desired financial results? Everything Alan has developed has had one common theme – to make the complex simple. As a founder of Inmatrix (known as Optimist software) in 1998, which is now the global standard for over 500 banks in more than 90 countries. More recently co-founded Cash Flow Story allowing non-financial individuals to easily analyse and improve business Profit, Cash & Value. This has helped 1000’s of businesses to scale 2xProfit, 3xCash and 10xBusiness Value. Alan has been voted best speaker in Australia for TEC (the world’s largest CEO forum) and continues to speak at many CEO conferences globally, including the CEO syndicate in Australia, Entrepreneurs Organisation, and YPO. He also sits on the boards of 15 well-recognised companies globally. Follow Alan Miltz Mentioned in this episode: Get Mind Your F**king Business | |||||||
| 04 Feb 2025 | E332 | Turning a 75% win rate into 86%: Leadership strategies with James Kerr | 00:58:15 | |||||
James Kerr is a writer, coach, and consultant who specialises in leadership, culture and mindset in high-performing teams. His global bestseller, 'Legacy' has been described by The Daily Telegraph as “the modern version of Vince Lombardi’s guides to coaching”, saying that "for those searching for genuine keys to team culture, it is manna from heaven". James has worked with Tier One Special Forces, the English Premier League, international cricket, Formula One, America’s Cup, Major League Baseball, and Olympic pathways. He has guest lectured at Westpoint Military Academy, Sandhurst and Eton College and written for the BBC, Independent, Times and Guardian. His corporate clients have included Google, Spotify, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Co, Adidas, and Arc'teryx. In this frank discussion, Dominic explores the synergy between individual leadership and collective vision, and the critical role of cultural evolution in maintaining relevance and potency. James shares how the iconic “Sweeping the Shed” mantra, revolutionised team culture at the All Blacks, and how these principles can be applied beyond the rugby field into business and everyday life. Discover The Role of Values in Sustainable Success: By embracing values such as humility, responsibility, and respect, the All Blacks created a foundation for long-term success, demonstrating that values-driven cultures outperform talent-driven ones. The Power of Rituals and Symbols: The enduring significance of the Haka demonstrates how rituals and symbols can reinforce identity, unity, and purpose within a team. Leadership Across Domains: The principles of leadership and cultural excellence are universal and can be applied across diverse fields, demonstrated by James’ work in sports, military, and business. Neuroscience and Leadership: The interplay between neuroscience and performance underpins how understanding the brain's responses to fear and confidence can inspire leaders to strike a balance between challenges and support, fostering growth and accountability. Book recommendations: Viktor Frankl - Man's Search For Meaning Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Coyle - The Culture Code James' book Legacy is out now. Dominic’s book Mind Your F**king Business is out now. | |||||||
| 19 Oct 2021 | E166 | How Metronomics can Help Grow your Business with Shannon Byrne Susko | 01:02:54 | |||||
If you’re wondering if there’s a silver bullet to help you grow your company and get you there with speed, ease and confidence, then don’t miss Shannon Byrne Susko discussing her latest book, Metronomics, in this episode. Shannon is a CEO and leadership team coach, bestselling business author, speaker, serial entrepreneur, and corporate director. She has distilled her extensive knowledge gained over 25 years at the helm of various companies, and coaching clients, into her new book Metronomics, a definitive How To guide to take your CEO and leadership team on a very prescriptive journey. Metronomics is the silver bullet your organisation has been looking for. Shannon’s book takes you on a journey, it guides you to where you want to go, asks what’s the goal, and shows you why the one thing people need to do - define purpose, core values and their culture - is the one thing they never want to do. In this episode, Shannon discusses her 3HAG system, why she wrote Metronomics, how Metronomics will help high performing teams win their business Olympics, why businesses need a playbook, the Coach Cascade System, and why key function flow map (KFFM) is essential to business growth. Enjoyed the show? Leave Us A Review. Follow Us and be the first to listen to a new episode each week on your favourite platform. On today’s podcast:
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| 29 Sep 2020 | E111 | How To Be More Pirate with Sam Conniff and Alex Barker | 00:45:06 | |||||
What did Steve Jobs and Blackbeard have in common? According to Sam Conniff, they were both pirates. Why would Sam know this? Because he wrote the bestselling book - Be More Pirate in 2018, and was amazed when it inspired a global movement. From Tate & Lyle to Mercedes Benz, financiers to farmers, CEOs to students, some of the biggest brands around the world, including our very own NHS, have taken heed of Sam’s message, created a pirate crew and rewritten the existing rules. Because that is what being a pirate is all about:
“It's now more of a global social movement and a method and a way of creating change within organisations.” The network that has grown up around Sam’s book recognises that too many of the rules, norms and conventions that uphold our systems and business models no longer serve people and planet; we need to create new ones. “Being more pirate is a shift in your mindset; a willingness to think differently, to challenge and be challenged, and to stop asking for permission to do what you know is right.” In this episode, Sam and newly appointed Right Hand Pirate, Alex Barker, share the 5 Rs framework which helps mutineers become more pirate. As well as that, Alex talks about how she takes this framework and uses it to run workshops and helps people who are searching for change. On today’s podcast:
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| 08 Dec 2020 | E121 | The Smarter Way To Job Search with Sam Franklin | 00:40:34 | |||||
If you struggle with recruitment, either as a recruiter or a job hunter, then don’t miss this week’s episode with Sam Franklin. Sam is co-founder and CEO of Otta, the recruitment company helping job seekers find roles at the world’s most innovative companies. Formerly a consultant at McKinsey, and then Interim Head of People at Nested.com, Sam cut his teeth working on the pressing problems of this fast growing startup. At Nested, he formed the Business Operations team and led the Recruitment, HR and People Operations teams. It was in this latter role that he realised how soul-destroying the recruitment process was for many applicants. So he set up Otta with two other co-founders with the aim to be the number one platform for job seekers looking for jobs in tech firms in London. They went niche because, simply, that is what they’re passionate about. This is a fantastic story about how to solve recruitment from the candidates’ perspective and how to potentially drive good behaviour from employers so they get the best people applying for their jobs. Don’t miss this great conversation, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 23 Apr 2019 | E36 | Behind the Scenes of in the Night Garden Live with Creator Andy Fletcher | 00:39:40 | |||||
Today we talk to Andy Fletcher, a chartered accountant with a MBA from London Business School, who is also responsible for making spectacular family theatre events happen in unique spaces. With an eclectic business path behind him, Andy shares his career to date and how he came to be responsible for In the Night Garden Live (amongst others). In the Night Garden Live was his first production with partner Andy Collier, and it has toured the UK in its own inflatable theatre since 2009. Now in its 10th year, In the Night Garden Live is considered one of the UK’s favourite family events and with audience figures standing at well over 1 million, as well as a whopping 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 12,844 parents’ reviews, no other show holds a torch to this one. Join us on today’s podcast to hear Andy talking about:
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| 28 Jun 2022 | E201 | How to Change Brains, Minds and Culture with David McRaney | 01:00:24 | |||||
How can you change someone’s mind? Don’t miss David McRaney, a science journalist fascinated with brains, minds, and culture, explain all in this podcast. In this episode, David, author of three books, discusses his latest book ‘How Minds Change’. He lifts the lid on how people who believe in flat Earth come to believe in flat Earth; how people who are anti vaxxers come to have that as their belief system; as well as explain the Dunning Kruger effect. Why are these insights relevant to the modern workplace? Because the results of these studies have far reaching implications, including how you hold your management team meetings, your all hands meeting, how you hire, how you might want to hire to avoid bias, as well as overcome the heuristics that are in place that make you make snap decisions on people. This is a fantastic episode, we’re sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 28 Jan 2025 | 2025 trailer - new season launches 4th February! | 00:00:45 | |||||
A message from Dom about some exciting changes coming to the podcast from next week. | |||||||
| 02 Jul 2019 | E46 | Jenny Kitchen: How To Create a Great Environment for Your Employees | 00:29:33 | |||||
On today’s podcast we talk with Jenny Kitchen, MD of Yoyo Design, a company specialising in designing digital solutions so that every brand can tell its own story and create a genuine user engagement. Jenny was crowned Young Business Person of the Year for 2016 at the RTW Business Awards, as one of the top 30 under 30 women in Digital by The Drum, young business leader of the year and recognized by BIMA as one of the Hot 100 in digital for the past 3 years—all for her incredible achievement growing Yoyo. But since winning, she hasn’t sat back on her laurels, instead she has channeled her energy into growing the business further, making sure all Yoyo clients are happy, but more importantly, making sure that the team she has created and molded are motivated, inspired, driven and delivering work that is considered and beautifully presented. On today’s podcast:
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| 16 May 2023 | E247 | Understanding Why We Do What We Do with Dr Helena Boschi | 00:42:53 | |||||
Why do we do the things we do? How did COVID truly affect our behaviour? Will our ability to empathise and connect with others ever fully recover? In a world of constant change and uncertainty, Dr Helena Boschi, a psychologist specialised in applied neuroscience, offers insight into how our brains are wired to react and cope and helps us make some sense of why we do what we do. In this episode, Dr Helena Boschi discusses why we do what we do, which is also the title of her book. She also talked about feedback, why we are doing it, and what the real impact is. She gives some interesting tips on how to do it, how it works, and how the brain absorbs the feedback we give people. We also learned about the entrepreneur’s brain and what drives them, the effect of COVID on our empathy and much more.
Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Dr Helena Boschi:
Book recommendations: One of the things that Helena recommends to the listeners is to read as much as they can and talk to everybody, “because everybody has got something to teach us”.
In particular, she truly enjoys the work of these authors:
Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review | |||||||
| 16 Jul 2019 | E48 | Growing and Scaling a Creative Business with Andrew Dobbie | 00:34:57 | |||||
Today’s guest is the founder and Managing Director of creative brand agency, MadeBrave® and Executive Chairman of content production agency, Campfire®, Andrew Dobbie. A designer and photographer originally, Andrew is on a mission to inspire creativity in everyone, believing that branding and marketing don’t need to be confusing and has set up two agencies to help businesses bring their best ideas to life. MadeBrave® was founded seven years ago and now sees an annual turnover of £4m. Starting with just him, it quickly grew and saw him handing over design responsibility to a better designer very early on. The agency then grew faster and within a year he had six employers. As MadeBrave® entered their second year they were bringing in one new employee a month, and within two years he had 16 employees. So how did Andrew go from freelance design to being the CEO of two agencies? On today’s podcast:
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| 28 May 2024 | E300 | Challenging the Traditional Sales Approach with the UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer, Benjamin Dennehy | 00:58:04 | |||||
The 300th Episode! In this landmark episode of MYFB, Dominic Monkhouse talks with the man who's been called the UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer, Benjamin Dennehy, to discuss the art of selling and the common misconceptions about sales. This podcast is sixty-minutes that will change how you see sales. Benjamin explores the importance of self-confidence, being in control, and understanding the motivations behind prospects' questions. He emphasises the need for salespeople to focus on having meaningful conversations and helping prospects discover their needs rather than pushing products or services. He also highlights the importance of hiring and training salespeople effectively and challenges the traditional sales approach of show up, throw up, and hope for the best. In this conversation, the UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer shares his unconventional approach to sales and prospecting. He emphasises the importance of getting prospects emotional and focuses on the purpose of a prospecting call. He also discusses the need for consultative selling and the importance of asking probing questions. The conversation covers topics such as the future of cold calling, the myth of 'people buy people,' and the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship. Chapters (04:00) Book Recommendations and the Misconception of Sales Books (07:19) Why the UK's Most Hated Sales Trainer is Hated (09:08) The Problem with Traditional Sales Approaches (23:19) The Art of Asking and Answering Questions in Sales (28:44) Creating Comfort and Lowering Walls in Sales Conversations (31:25) Getting Prospects Emotional: The Purpose of a Prospecting Call (33:44) Consultative Selling: Asking Probing Questions and Understanding Pain Points (35:42) The Future of Cold Calling and the Rise of AI (39:03) The Myth of 'People Buy People' (45:49) The Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship (50:40) Mastering a Methodology: Continuous Improvement in Sales (51:33) Critical Thinking, Communication, and Emotional Control in Sales (59:51) Knowing When to Quit and When to Persevere in Business Mentioned in this episode: Get Mind Your F**king Business | |||||||
| 29 Oct 2024 | E320 | How to Win the War on Talent & Get Through Any Crisis with Jade Green | 00:44:09 | |||||
Summary In this conversation, Jade Green discusses sustainable business growth through effective recruitment strategies. She emphasises the importance of understanding client needs, creating attractive job descriptions, and nurturing new hires. The discussion also covers the significance of company culture, purpose, and values in attracting and retaining top talent. Jade shares insights on the war for talent, interviewing techniques, and the ideal recruitment process, along with recommended readings for further understanding of these concepts. Takeaways
Chapters (00:00) Introduction to Sustainable Business Growth (02:53) The War for Talent (05:47) Understanding Client Needs in Recruitment (09:04) The Importance of Job Descriptions (11:55) Recruitment Challenges and Solutions (15:08) Interviewing Techniques for Success (18:01) Creating an Attractive Employer Brand (20:54) Executive Recruitment Strategies (24:10) The Ideal Recruitment Process (26:54) Nurturing New Hires (30:03) Defining Purpose, Mission, and Values (32:57) The Role of Culture in Recruitment (36:10) Recommended Reading for Recruitment Success About Jade Green As a transformational teacher, best selling author, global speaker, and adventurer, Jade has built an international reputation as a hard-charging, rule-breaking, serial entrepreneur and high performance coach. As a certified trainer and facilitator for Mindvalley and The Genius Group (Entrepreneur Resorts/Entrepreneurs Institute/GeniusU), Jade combines world class content and methodologies with two decades of experience building businesses. Among other accolades, she has been honoured as one of StartUp Daily's Top 50 Women Entrepreneurs Under 40, received two Bronze International Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and her Search Firm, Velocity Consulting, was the very first business to receive investment from The Entourage Growth Fund. Follow Jade Green Mentioned in this episode: Get Mind Your F**king Business | |||||||
| 05 Nov 2024 | E321 | Mastering the Art of Business Exits with Nick Bradley | 00:47:49 | |||||
Summary In this conversation, Nick Bradley - world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert - shares his insights on private equity, business exits, and the common myths and mistakes entrepreneurs make when preparing to sell their businesses. He emphasises the importance of leadership, understanding the dynamics of private equity, and the need for businesses to focus on growth and valuation strategies. Nick also discusses the impact of customer concentration on business value and the transition from being a business owner to an investor. Throughout the conversation, he highlights the significance of personal growth, defining success, and the role of culture in scaling businesses. Finally, Nick offers book recommendations that can aid entrepreneurs on their journey. Takeaways
Chapters (00:00) The Importance of Recording Interviews (02:57) Navigating Private Equity and Exits (05:56) Common Myths and Mistakes in Exiting Businesses (08:53) The Role of Leadership in Business Growth (12:00) Understanding Private Equity Dynamics (15:06) Valuation and Growth Strategies for Businesses (18:03) The Impact of Customer Concentration on Value (21:01) Preparing for a Successful Exit (24:04) The Transition from Business Owner to Investor (27:00) The Evolution of Business Owners (29:56) The Role of Culture in Scaling Businesses (32:50) Defining Success and Personal Growth (35:52) The Next Act After Exiting a Business (38:59) Book Recommendations for Entrepreneurs (42:07) Quickfire Questions with Nick Bradley Mentioned in this episode: Get Mind Your F**king Business | |||||||
| 13 Oct 2020 | E113 | Amplifying Your Content with Beck Power | 00:35:06 | |||||
If you have bucket loads of content that you regularly share with your audience across your social media platforms, but it’s not getting any traction, or if you don’t have content and you need some, then you need Beck Power. Beck is the queen of repurposing existing content to keep you front of mind for your audience. Today’s conversation isn’t about how to be globally strategic with an author, this is a tactical how-to conversation with somebody who enables others. So if you’re wondering how, in the age of content is king, you can possibly create enough content to feed the beast AND still run your business, then Beck has the answers you've been seeking. Beck is a leading content marketer and the founder of the Amp Content Academy, the HQ for making more relevant, consistent content and leveraging it into opportunities and clients. Her podcast “Amplify Content” and her content marketing agency help coaches, speakers and authors create and spread more powerful content across social media, grow their audiences and connect with their ideal clients. So if you’re wondering how to take your first steps to build your brand and your authority. How to turn yourself into a key person of influence in your industry. If you’re curious what the minimum viable product you need is. How you can get started with a podcast or at the very least, how you can get yourself on someone else’s podcast, and how to take that content and amplify it, then this is the conversation for you. On today’s podcast:
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| 14 Jan 2020 | E74 | [Rebroadcast] Shannon Byrne Susko - The Accidental CEO Turned Reluctant Bestselling Novelist | 00:49:20 | |||||
Shannon Byrne Susko isn’t just a CEO, she’s a serial entrepreneur, business coach, keynote speaker and the reluctant author of two best selling books. Recognised and named as one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 in 2000, Shannon co-founded, served as CEO and led the sale of two SaaS companies in less than 6 years, before turning her hand to business coaching in 2011. That’s quite an achievement for someone who comes from, what she describes as, a pretty traditional household where dad worked, mom stayed at home and she was expected to go to university and then get married. “You know, I was like, that's not happening, I have things to do. I didn't know I was going to do these things. But I definitely knew like, no, I don't think so.” Looking back she realises that: “I didn't have a problem being a woman CEO. The problem is the old school thinking about women being CEOs. I didn't even think about it... tech was probably the most accepting industry of a woman CEO at that time, because we're all a bunch of geeks and geeks accept geeks, they didn't care.” In this hugely insightful episode, Shannon tells the incredible story of her rise to the top. Of her time as CEO, how she grew and sold two businesses in less than 6 years, of how she got Verne Harnish to help her get her company to a good place. As well as why she needed a mentor when she was running the show, why she’s transitioned into a business, leadership and CEO coach and more importantly, why she wrote two bestselling books that she never wanted to write. On today’s podcast:
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| 27 Dec 2022 | E227 | Rebroadcast: The Jobs Only the CEO Should Do with Anthony Rose | 00:56:01 | |||||
If your business is struggling to innovate, or is in fact resisting innovation all together, then don’t miss Anthony Rose, founder and CEO of SeedLegals on this week’s episode of The Melting Pot. Who better to learn from about how to incorporate, raise funds and grow your business, than the founder of the startup that one in six of all early-stage startups in the UK are using in their funding rounds. Widely known as “The man behind BBC iPlayer”, Anthony ran the iPlayer and other BBC services from 2007 to 2010, taking the iPlayer from pre-launch to a major success story. In this episode, Anthony talks about the jobs that only the CEO should do, including the CEO’s role in innovation, building company culture, getting to product market fit, and why, when you’ve got product market fit, the most important job of a CEO is to then manage culture. This is a truly insightful episode and a must listen for all leaders of startups looking to grow and build their companies. Book recommendations: The Mom Test - Rob Fitzpatrick History of Western Philosophy - Bertrand Russell On today’s podcast:
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| 23 Jan 2024 | E283 | Why 60% of Sales Evaporate and How to Stop It with Matt Dixon | 01:19:20 | |||||
Is your sales team performing at their best? Do your sales managers have the right skills for the role? Are you following the best approach when hiring new salespeople? If your answer to any if these questions is no, or even hesitation, this episode of The Melting Pot should be a compulsory listen for you today. This week we have the immense pleasure of listening to and learning from Matt Dixon, one of the world’s leading experts on sales, customer service and customer experience. Matt is also the founding partner of DCM Insights. With a background in research, he brings a distinctive approach to understanding customer buying behaviours and the strategies top salespeople employ to meet evolving needs. Matt's extensive tenure at corporate executive board and his bestselling book The Challenger Sale firmly establish him as a leading figure in sales expertise. His unique persona as a "sales anthropologist" offers valuable insights into the scientific and psychological aspects of successful selling, making him a highly sought-after thought leader in the industry. In this episode, Matt dives into the best approaches to getting top talent in your sales team and the difference between a great salesperson and a great sales manager. He also shares why coaching is for him the most important trait of a sales manager. Then, he gives his own view on paying your salespeople commission, how to help your buyer overcome their ‘fear of messing out’, challenging the status quo and making the right decision.
If you are running a business, or you are in sales – even if you're not in sales and you run a company – or if you're frustrated and you want things in your business to run differently, this episode is for you.
Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
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| 21 May 2019 | E40 | Discover the Power of Culture With the Cultural Strategist, Aga Bajer | 00:40:40 | |||||
Today’s guest is Aga Bajer, better known as the Culture Strategist. She helps companies cultivate a better culture in order to bring their vision to life. Aga does this through working with organisations and teams that want to keep evolving to remain at the top of their game. She helps senior leadership teams and individual leaders to cultivate a culture that fuels great work, drives achievement of mission-critical goals and enables positive change. Her overall mission is to help organisations harness the power of culture, to create a world where people love showing up to work. On today’s podcast:
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| 14 Jan 2025 | E331 | Winning Strategies from Sports to Business with Ben Hunt-Davis | 00:37:19 | |||||
In this conversation, Ben Hunt-Davis shares insight into what drives and empowers an Olympic gold-winning team. A Former Olympic rower turned successful entrepreneur, Ben is the author of the acclaimed book Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? Tune in for invaluable insights from Ben’s illustrious rowing career, recounting the journey from consistently finishing at the bottom to clinching Olympic gold. Discover the transformative power of team alignment and purpose, the crucial role of feedback and trust, and the non-negotiable importance of shared goals—whether in sports or business. This episode delves into the details of team dynamics, the impact of clear communication, and the courage to embrace discomfort for the sake of improvement. Tune in, and let’s make your business unstoppable! Takeaways
Timestamps (00:00) Title with Ben Hunt-Davis. (01:05) Coining A Phrase. (03:10) Uni Drop Out To Full-Time Athlete. (08:01) How Clear Expectations Lead To Gold. (11:27) Helping A Team Get Clarity and Purpose. (13:52) Team Dynamics. (17:44) Constructive Conflict. (19:09) Improving Focus and Learning. (22:34) Helping Others Improve With Uncomfortable Truths. (25:19) Difficult Real-Life Scenarios. (27:02) Quick Fire Questions. (32:58) People a bit better inspire relatable progress. (33:54) Dad advises but feels unqualified for career guidance. About Ben Hunt-Davis Ben is an experienced performance coach, facilitator and world-class keynote speaker. Ben has spent the last 20+ years specialising in translating his Olympic-winning strategies into everyday business success. Specifically focusing on leadership and team development, Ben has designed and run training courses, conferences and events for more than 100 different organisations. Ben and executive coach Harriet Beveridge published the best-selling book Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? in 2011. Their real-world application of Ben’s rowing crew’s strategies, habits, and mindset is world-renowned. The performance principles underpinning their story still shape the philosophy of our business today. Ben is an expert in galvanising executive teams and organisations behind a shared ‘Crazy Goal’. Ben consistently leads and inspires teams to deliver exceptional results. He is a three-time Team GB staff member at the Summer Olympics and chair of organising committees for two international rowing events in the UK. Follow Ben Hunt-Davis Website: https://willitmaketheboatgofaster.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benhuntdavis?originalSubdomain=uk Books by Ben Hunt-Davis Will It Make The Boat Go Faster Book Recommendations James Holland books - https://griffonmerlin.com/ Mentioned in this episode: Get Mind Your... | |||||||
| 02 May 2023 | E245 | How to Thrive as a Smart and Creative Individual with Eric Maisel | 00:46:23 | |||||
This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Eric Maisel, creativity coach and trainer of creativity coaches. He writes the ‘Rethinking The Mental Health’ blog for Psychology Today, which has more than three million views, and he’s the lead editor for the Ethics International Press Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry series. Eric is also the author of more than 50 books covering the areas of creativity, life, purpose, meaning, and mental health. Once upon a time, in a world filled with rules and orthodoxies, Eric discovered the power of self-forgiveness, purpose, and creativity. Growing up in a neighbourhood where the aftermath of World War II still lingered, he was instilled with the idea of being a resistance fighter against societal norms at a young age. This spirit of opposition led him to question the status quo and seek out his own life purposes. He faced the challenges of being a smart individual in a society that often sought to silence voices like his. Through this struggle, Eric learned the importance of embracing one's individuality and passions. Over time, he developed into a creativity coach, guiding artists and entrepreneurs on their journeys to self-discovery and success. In this episode, Eric talks about one of his books, Redesign Your Mind, and cognitive therapy, and how it works on your thoughts. In his book, Eric proposes a methodology for changing your thoughts or replacing them with something else. He also about entrepreneurs and how he coaches them, as well as artists, who he thinks share many things but are also very different. He shares some tips about how to get in flow, his thoughts about burnout, and how to live a better life and lower your anxiety.
Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Eric Maisel:
Book recommendations: Eric has always felt that he is in the existential tradition, a specific philosophical and literary tradition. If you have lost your understanding of that, or have never encountered it, he recommends that you read the books by Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Camus, Orwell, and Kafka.
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| 28 Dec 2021 | E175 | Rebroadcast: Why Branding Is Sex and Creating Irrational Loyalty with Deb Gabor | 00:54:05 | |||||
What’s your business aim? To achieve growth? To create a winning corporate culture? Deb Gabor, keynote speaker and bestselling author is on a mission to inspire 1 million brands to create irrational loyalty. Yes, that’s also the name of her latest book, Irrational Loyalty, but the premise behind it should strike a chord with anyone who owns a business - not least because the subtitle is - Building a Brand That Thrives In Turbulent Times. And times don’t get much more turbulent than the ones we are currently living through. The irrepressible Deb was born to brand and excels at her craft. With Dell as one of her core customers, Deb knows her stuff and is compelled to share her ‘grow or die’ mindset with other entrepreneurially spirited leaders. At the heart of this episode is the need for businesses to understand their core customer as a person, and (in Deb’s own words), understanding what your customer needs to do to get laid and if you can achieve that, you’ll get their irrational loyalty and growth for your business. “Irrational loyalty is that condition where people are so indelibly bonded to a brand that they feel like they were cheating on it if they were to choose a competitor or an alternative… I'm in the business of creating those conditions, which can sustain brands for the long term, make them grow profitably, rapidly, and in a highly focused way.” On today’s podcast:
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| 15 Dec 2020 | E122 | The Issue of Sales with Justin Roff-Marsh | 01:08:30 | |||||
“If your business isn't growing without sales, it may not be a sales problem, it may be a design problem with your product or a problem with your delivery.” Are you struggling to make sales? In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Justin Roff-Marsh, sales contrarian, CEO and founder of Ballistix, an LA-based international management consultancy specialising in Sales Process Engineering. Justin will be in the UK, speaking with us, on 27th January, and to whet your appetite and to get you excited he’s coming over, he’s back on the podcast. In this episode, he’s talking about lifetime value and customer acquisition cost, LTV to CAC; about how you re-engineer that into the number of salespeople you need, and how you then measure the success of that sales team so that you can make sure that it works, and then scale the hell out of it. Justin also shares his thoughts on managers versus supervisors and the importance of supervisors, and the mindset that CEOs and businesses might have around incrementalism versus aggressive business growth. Finally, Justin expands on his view that companies shouldn't use revenue as a performance indicator. This is a fascinating conversation, there’s so much great content, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. To find out more, download and listen to this latest episode of #themeltingpot, or come and see Justin, in person, on the 27th January - more information to follow. On today’s podcast:
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| 13 Jul 2021 | E152 | How to Thrive in a Disruptive World with Gerry Valentine | 00:49:45 | |||||
If you’re struggling with resilience, if you or your business is going through change, then don’t miss public speaker, executive coach, business advisor, and founder of Vision Executive Coaching, Gerry Valentine, on this week’s The Melting Pot. Gerry has written a great book called The Thriving Mindset, a book that is part autobiography and part tool set design and delivery. Gerry grew up as a gay man in Brooklyn in the 1970s, and the adversity of his upbringing gave him the resilience he needed to succeed in the corporate world. And succeed he did. Today we talk about how the chances of him being where he is today were about 6% - a sad statistic that is as true in 2021 as it was in 1970. Gerry is a very humble man with a thriving mindset - a term he uses to teach others how to cope with uncertainty and change. Gerry also talks about why we get fearful, and how we can learn to not run away from the problem, how to take fear, look it in the eye and work out what could be on the other side of this disruption, and how to have the mindset to push through. This is a really interesting conversation with some of the most diverse book suggestions of recent guests. A truly fantastic conversation with Gerry, we really enjoyed it. We’re sure you will too. On today’s podcast:
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| 22 Dec 2020 | E123 | The Similarities Between Being In A Rock Band And Heading Up A Startup with Brian Coburn | 00:35:12 | |||||
When was the last time you met somebody who’d spent 30 years in the same company? Meet Brian Coburn. Brian started at Stagecoach as a 16 year old trainee and went on to be their Chief Technology Officer. Today, Brian is CEO of payment orchestration service for e-commerce enterprises, Bridge. With that information alone there are so many questions to be asked: how do you go from being the trainee to the CTO? What changes do you have to make along the way? What jobs do you get that allow you to go from 16 year old trainee to Chief Technology Officer at a multi billion pound turnover global business like Stagecoach? Did we mention Brian has done all of this without ever going to university? So what does the school of hard knocks look like? What does it teach you along the way? One of the most fascinating parts of the conversation is where Brian explains that his business inspiration at Stagecoach and now, at Bridge, come from being in a rock band in his youth. This is a really fantastic conversation with some great insights from Brian. We really enjoyed talking to him. We’re sure you will too. On today’s podcast:
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| 31 Oct 2023 | E271 | From Disillusioned To Visionary: The Founder's Journey with Scott Ritzheimer | 00:52:18 | |||||
Have you ever achieved some success and hired people, only to realise that managing people is not for you? Have you become a disillusioned leader? Being a founder is a wild ride - full of exhilarating highs and crushing lows. After starting a "ridiculous number" of businesses himself, Scott Ritzheimer discovered the secret entrepreneur map with seven stages that nearly every founder goes through: from dissatisfied employee to startup entrepreneur, to reluctant manager, and all the way through to becoming a visionary leader. Scott has been in the trenches and emerged with critical lessons learned that he is keen to share. In a short period of time, Scott has launched over 22,000 businesses and, whilst doing that he has seen over and over again how the patterns of failure and success repeat themselves. But when leaders get through that challenging journey, they can become visionary founders again. In his book, The Founder’s Evolution, Scott dives into the seven stages that every founder goes through and educates you how to take your leadership skills to the next level, to conquer the journey – and you can get it for FREE (see link below).
Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Scott Ritzheimer: The Secrets of a High-Demand Coach Get your FREE copy of The Founder’s Evolution
Scott’s book recommendations:
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| 06 Feb 2024 | E285 | Pets, Startups, and Smarter Care: Building The Product People Want with Pavel Gertsberg | 00:42:12 | |||||
This week on The Melting Pot we learned from the CEO of Fluffy, Pavel Gertsberg. In this episode, Pavel offers us an inside look at the transformation of Fluffy from its roots as a pet insurance company to a comprehensive pet health business that's reimagining support for pet owners. With the rise of pet ownership, particularly after the pandemic, Pavel discusses the fresh challenges that new pet parents face and how Fluffy aims to ease the stress that accompanies caring for our four-legged companions. He'll share how Fluffy’s digital vet clinic and subscription model aim to revolutionise the industry by providing cost-efficient, accessible, in-house pet care. Drawing from his rich background in startups and revenue acceleration, Pavel cautions against the siren call of growth hacking in the early stages. Instead, he advocates for founders to get their hands dirty to find the elusive product-market fit before scaling. How can we develop products that resonate with our customers emotionally? Pavel will help us find the answer using the example of Airbnb’s approach. During this conversation, Dominic and Pavel will also discuss their views on the unpredictable nature of B2C businesses, the strategic advantages the UK presents for B2B enterprises, and the complexities of globalisation for financial firms. Download and listen today!
On today’s podcast:
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| 31 May 2022 | E197 | Why Redesigning your Business Structure will Help you Scale with Lex Sisney | 00:49:48 | |||||
Are you a mid to late ‘nail it’ stage business, trying to scale your company? Then you don’t want to miss Lex Sisney, business coach and author of Organizational Physics, on this week’s episode of The Melting Pot. Organizational Physics might be an odd title for a book, but it’s memorable, and it explains the repeatable systems that all organisations have difficulties with. But more importantly, it teaches readers how to overcome their issues by redesigning their organisation’s structure. Rather than thinking in terms of hierarchy, or thinking about your business’ org chart, Lex advises clients to think about things that need to be done in the short term and things that need to be done in the long term. Because there are things that have to be effective, and things that have to be efficient to scale a business. So, if you’re looking for guidance about how to scale your business, or you need a new way to look at your organisational design, then this is a conversation you’ll want to listen to. Book recommendations
On today’s podcast:
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| 07 May 2019 | E38 | Neal Gandhi: On Breaking Moulds and Championing Collaboration | 00:37:48 | |||||
Today’s guest is Neal Gandhi, CEO of Panoply, a world-class creative technology group. Configured as a lean, fluid and ego-aside family of complementary tech-focused companies, Panoply collaborates with brave organisations, both at home and abroad, to ensure their participation in tomorrow—and beyond. For Neal, collaboration is key to success. It is one of the tenets of Panoply—their team is collaborative to the core. Panoply assembles the right experts from across the group of companies to solve complex business problems. It help clients challenge assumptions, adapt to change, and activate technology-led innovation that ultimately drives positive and practical outcomes. Panoply champions autonomy and individuality in its companies, whilst remaining tightly bound by their shared approach at the end of the day. Join us today as Neal talks about:
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| 13 Aug 2019 | E52 | Cutting through the marketing bullsh*t with Sander Arts | 00:37:09 | |||||
Today’s guest on The Melting Pot is Dutch-born Sander Arts. His list of titles is as long as your arm—Consultant, Strategic Advisor, Board Member, Author, Fractional CMO, Business Development, Strategic Alliances, Lecturer. Sander is a global award-winning CMO, strategic advisor, entrepreneur, and lecturer who has extensive experience increasing revenue and meaningfully reaching technical audiences that have been historically considered not to care about marketing—mainly hardware and software engineers. As the founder of his own strategic marketing consultancy, Orange Tulip, LLC, in Silicon Valley, Sander is renowned for his Dutch directness and his “no-bullsht” approach, as well as his ability to build global high-performing teams and generate results that matter. This dynamic, creative senior executive is clearly the ideal person to write a book called Cut the Bullsht Marketing. On today’s podcast:
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| 24 Sep 2019 | E58 | The Journey to Midlife Awakening with Sue Hollis | 00:45:48 | |||||
If you’ve ever wondered if this is all there is, then you need to listen to this week’s podcast with Sue Hollis, the 60 year old who, having built the multi million dollar company TravelEdge, stepped down as CEO when she had a ‘midlife awakening’, and rode a motorbike around North America for 4 months. Sue is not just an inspirational leader and adventurepreneur, she’s an example to us all that when you think you’ve achieved all there is to achieve, you can still strike out in a new direction. Let her be your motivator and guide and empower you on your own journey. When Dom spoke to Sue it was 4am in Washington state and she was about to go and race superbikes around the Ridge in Seattle. That might be where she is now, but she started out in a very different place - as a corporate heavy hitter with British Airways and Qantas, before braving the wild world of entrepreneurship and starting her own business, TravelEdge. And it’s TravelEdge that Sue talks about today and how it led her to explore a different kind of life - the one she’s living currently. On today’s podcast:
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| 11 Jul 2023 | E255 | Theory of Constraints: Maximising Performance and Profitability with Dr Alan Barnard | 00:47:11 | |||||
Do you know what your main constraint is? What’s holding your business performance back? Our guest this week is an optimisation expert, and he’ll explain how to use the theory of constraints to double net profit without doubling sales, in a conversation that explores the power of identifying and managing constraints to achieve optimal business performance. This week we learned from Dr Alan Barnard. Alan is a thinker who wears many hats; a researcher, strategic advisor, app developer, and author who resides in the heart of Las Vegas. But what stands out about Alan is his lifelong love for learning and his unique speciality in the Theory of Constraints it's no surprise he's a driving force at Goldrat Research Labs, co-founded with the respected Dr Eli Goldrat. Alan's journey has seen him propel significant improvements in company performance, taking the likes of Cisco Systems, ABB, and Random House Publishing to new heights. A true advocate for system optimisation, Alan isn’t one to shy away from a challenge—instead, he thrives through finding unorthodox solutions to complex problems, truly demonstrating his ability to help businesses optimise and maximise their potential. In this episode, Alan talks about how constraints can hinder and possibly fortify your business performance. He says that management attention is probably the only constraint in fast-growing, successful businesses. So, how do you apply it to the right things? Finally, he dives deep into the nuances of system optimization for maximising performance and profitability.
Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Dr Alan Barnard:
Book recommendations :
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| 24 Dec 2019 | E71 | Scaling Up and Creating Culture with Dominic Monkhouse | 00:41:25 | |||||
Today we are turning the spotlight on… Dom himself. A couple of months ago Dom interviewed Carla and Imogen from FizzPopBANG - The Culture Consultancy on The Melting Pot and in turn, they kindly invited Dom to be a guest on their PopCAST. This episode is that episode. Now the interviewer has become the interviewee and it’s about time - Dom rarely talks about his background on the podcasts, focusing instead on the achievements and the expertise of the guests who feature on The Melting Pot podcast. So it’s a refreshing change to get a behind the scenes look at how Dom came to be fronting The Melting Pot podcast, and what his career journey to date has been like. In essence, Dom is a certified Scaling Up Coach with effective tools and techniques to help propel companies forward. He took Rackspace to £30 million in five years, and then at Peer 1, he took the business from nothing to £30 million in five years, and globally £19 million to £200 million. He works with tech businesses helping them scale up. These are businesses that typically have somewhere between £10 and £100 million. They have an ambitious CEO who wants to scale, but has sailed into choppy waters. “I guess nobody rings me if everything's going completely smoothly, so for one reason or another, the wheels are starting to wobble or something's not quite right. And they get in touch and if there's some chemistry then I get to help.” Dom’s secret to scaling up? It’s always about the people and always about the culture. We hope you find this podcast insightful, and that you enjoy listening to it as much as Dom did making it. On today’s podcast:
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| 27 Oct 2020 | E115 | Making Business More Human with Hilary Corna | 00:57:17 | |||||
Do you know what your company’s nine touch points are? The things that are the most important to your clients? Could you say, off the top of your head, what is most important to your customers pre-sale, during the sales process and after sale? Do you even have touch points that are so remarkable that people continue to talk about you long after the engagement? Meet Hilary Corna, author, speaker and CEO of coaching consulting business, Corna Partners. Hilary is on a mission to humanise business. She works predominantly with SMB to help them design uniquely human custom experiences to enable them to grow. “I’m humanising their customer experience, from end to end point, really focused on this new world that we live in. It's an intersection of work, humanity and culture. And as the world is becoming more human, more aware, more conscious, more open minded, we're allowed to show more of our sides of our identity.” Hilary says that every business has nine touch points that are important to the customer, not to the company, to the customer. It’s your job as the leader of the company, to identify those nine touch points and make them wow your customers. This is a really insightful conversation with a truly effervescent person. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 08 Aug 2023 | E259 | Exploring A Bold Approach To Value-Based Pricing with Blair Enns | 00:44:15 | |||||
In the world of professional services, how you approach sales and how you price your products or services can make or break your business. Our guest this week has seen how shifting from a price buyer to a value buyer mindset has a massive impact on the success of a business. This week we’re learning from Blair Enns, the founder of Win Without Pitching. Blair is known for his impactful insights on pricing strategies and value-based selling in professional services, whose journey began 21 years ago. He perceived creative professionals as people working in advertising or design, a mindset that gradually transformed with the shifting dynamics of the creative firm market. He realised that creativity was more than that; it was the ability to see, bring a novel perspective to a problem, and propel entrepreneurs towards their vision. He now guides them through the process of selling, not as a predatory act, but as a path of facilitating and helping clients buy. Blair's path was not without its challenges. He grappled with the balance between selling as an expert versus a vendor, and the different outcomes each role could produce. While being an expert provided more power and leverage, being a vendor resulted in reduced impact, lower margins, and a higher cost of sale. Recognising the importance of vision and selling, Blair began to view these roles as the foundations of leadership, a perspective that helped him let go, take risks, and say no in order to scale his business. Embracing these lessons, Blair is now inspiring others to do the same, helping them navigate their own journeys in the world of professional services. Download and listen to learn more.
On today’s podcast:
Follow Blair Enns:
Book recommendations: The Boutique. How to start, scale and sale a professional services firm Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors
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| 09 Apr 2024 | E294 | Navigating Transformations in the Digital Age: Big Bet Leadership with John Rossman | 00:48:53 | |||||
Today we have a very special episode for you. It’s the first of our newly branded Mind Your F**king Business podcast. If you are a leader struggling to steer your company through the complexities of transformation in the digital age, our guest this week will bring you the answers. John Rossman, former Amazon executive, and best-selling author, joined Dominic Monkhouse for a truly enlightening conversation. Not just content with shaping Amazon's strategies, John co-authored Big Bet Leadership, a crucial playbook for leaders navigating the uncharted waters of major transformations. In a riveting conversation, John dismantles the intricacies of innovative leadership, discussing everything from the dangers of "zombie projects" to finding your company's "fish hook in the eye." With insights drawn from his extensive background and expertise, John maps out the terrain of high-stakes decision-making with the precision and acumen that only a seasoned expert can offer. Whether you're at the helm of an enterprise or simply intrigued by the mechanics of successful strategic changes, this episode will equip you with the insights to set your compass towards triumph in a hyper-digital landscape. Download and listen today! On today’s podcast:
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| 22 Aug 2023 | E261 | The Keys To A Successful Digital Transformation with David Rogers | 00:39:39 | |||||
In the digital era, achieving successful transformation is not just important—it's essential. For business leaders and executives, the challenge lies in approaching this change strategically and efficiently. Fortunately, they can navigate this by adopting an iterative approach to organisational change, concentrating on relevant business problems, and nurturing a culture of experimentation and validation. Add in the elements of continuous learning and execution, and you have a comprehensive strategy for digital transformation. This week, our guest David Rogers guides us through a framework to help you tackle these challenges. David is an author, faculty at Columbia Business School, and an advisor to senior business leaders. Over the years, he developed a passion for helping companies navigate the complexities of the digital age. It was observing the struggles of organisations clinging to their pre-digital identities that sparked David's interest. Seeing a clear dividing line between companies born before and after the internet era, he recognised the blind spots that often held them back. He realised that these companies were stuck in their ways, and their assumptions about their business were outdated. He encourages organisations to get better at shutting things down, accepting change, and moving forward. While many established companies were struggling with the rapid pace of digital transformation, there was a significant minority who were succeeding. This prompted David to delve deeper, discovering that successful companies followed a specific pattern. Rather than viewing digital transformation as a threat, these companies created a shared vision unique to their firm, addressing their particular needs and challenges in the digital age. Today, David focuses on helping companies navigate this complex process. His optimistic outlook and belief in the power of change are inspiring, showing the world that digital transformation may be daunting but far from impossible. Download and listen to learn more.
On today's podcast:
Follow David Rogers: The Digital Transformation Roadmap
Book recommendations: Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review
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| 21 Jan 2020 | E75 | Getting the Most When You Sell Your Life’s Work | 00:36:29 | |||||
If you’re looking to sell your business, then you will be wanting to get the most out of what is effectively the sale of your life’s worth. But how do you do that? You’ll probably need to draw on the expertise of financial advisors, and today’s guest, Daniel Havercroft is MD of Oakley Advisory, one of Europe’s leading independent corporate finance firms. Daniel is focused mainly on origination and execution of M&A and fundraising mandates, and has considerable experience helping companies that operate in hosting, colocation and digital media/online sub-sectors. Having completed over 20 transactions in his time with Oakley, helping shareholders sell businesses, companies acquire competitors and private equity investing in new opportunities, Daniel is incredibly well-placed to talk all things selling a business. When it comes to selling your business you want to drive your company’s valuation, and be able to look at your business from the eyes of the potential purchaser rather than through the eyes of the people running the business. Because in order to extract maximum value from the sale, you will probably need to change some aspects of your business. And Daniel shares with us what those changes should be. This is a fantastic conversation with Daniel, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 31 Dec 2019 | E72 | The Ten Point Plan for Scaling Any Business with Dom Monkhouse | 01:09:42 | |||||
This episode was originally broadcast by Startup Grind Bournemouth (UK) as an interactive and intimate fireside chat with experienced technology business leader Dominic Monkhouse of Foundry Media. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because this is a chat with our very own illustrious leader, Dom. In this interview Andrew Walker, a founder at Click Tools now turned angel investor and mentor in the startup community in Bournemouth, talks to Dom about how he gained his business experience and the work he did with two UK technology businesses (Rackspace and Peer 1) in order to scale them to over £25 million within 5 years. Dom talks the audience through his ten point plan for scaling any business, giving away lots of nuggets and actionable takeaways, sharing his career journey along the way. On today’s podcast:
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| 16 Mar 2021 | E135 | The CEO Test With Adam Bryant & Kevin Sharer | 00:54:33 | |||||
Do we really need another book on leadership? Well, when it’s been written by two global heavy hitters - Adam Bryant and Kevin Sharer, yes we do. Adam was a 30 year journalist and editor at the New York Times where he did a weekly column called From The Corner Office, where he chatted to CEOs about the transferable skills that they've learned, not so much about their industry or their business, but about what lessons life had taught them that were transferable and that they could share. Kevin is the former CEO of Amgen, the world's largest biotech company. He was an extremely successful CEO who went on to teach strategy at Harvard Business School. What these guys have done isn’t write just another book on leadership, no, what, what they’ve done is put together a book - The CEO Test, which is, if you want to be the best as a leader, top of your game, not the table stakes, then these are the seven hardest things that the best leaders in the world managed to get good at. Can you develop a simple strategy? Easy to say hard to do. Can you build a culture? Can you build teams that are true teams, not just a collection of individuals. Can you lead transformation? Can you learn to listen? Can you handle a crisis? And can you master the inner game of leadership? This is a really great conversation about what Kevin and Adam think are the hardest of these tests. We also discuss which are their own personal kryptonite, and then we get some fantastic book recommendations. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 14 May 2019 | E39 | John Housego: The Importance of Employee Ownership for Business Success | 00:45:46 | |||||
Today’s guest on The Melting Pot is John Housego, a proud Cornishman now living in Scotland. John’s background is in engineering and he spent 22 years with W L Gore & Associates. During his time with the company he discovered a passion for developing employee ownership more widely as a business model for the health and welfare of the staff, but also because of the benefits it can bring to company resilience and performance. For John, personal growth at work for all members of the team is incredibly important, as is the culture within that organisation. Throughout his time as a leader with W L Gore & Associates, he learned to become more self-aware, understood how his actions affect others and also found ways to build stronger teams through effective learning and appreciation for EQ. On today’s podcast:
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| 19 Jan 2021 | E127 | The Importance of Vision, Systems & People with Chris Croft | 01:03:51 | |||||
Chris Croft is a writer, a keynote speaker and a bit of a guru on Linkedin Learning, with 34 video courses on subjects including Project Management, Time Management, Process Improvement, Assertiveness, Negotiating, and Happiness, with 20,000 views a day and over 11 million views in total. His Project Management Simplified course is thought to be the most viewed project management course in the world. He also teaches leadership. And he’s currently teaching other people how to be trainers. “So I'm teaching them how to be self-employed, how to write a training course, how to sell a training course and how to deliver a really good training course. And just generally sort of how to be me, only better is what I think of it.” Today we chat to Chris about the differences between management and leadership, and what the key elements are of those jobs, why they're different, and how delegation is absolutely critical, but why some people find it so difficult and what you need to do to master delegation. “I think delegating is probably the most important skill. And I think most bosses are bad at delegating. To delegate something important is really hard. And I absolutely think that the world divides into the good and the bad delegators.” This is a really insightful conversation with Chris, we hope you get as much out of it as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 29 Jun 2021 | E150 | Reimagining High Fashion Through Tech with Rod Banner | 00:50:43 | |||||
If you’re pondering what to do when you exit your current business, or you’re thinking of a retirement project, let serial entrepreneur and self taught technologist, Rod Banner, inspire you in your next steps. Having spent years helping businesses become world dominating brands through sharp advertising, today his focus is on the architecture of business. As CEO of 3LA, he leads a collective of brains that help technology firms become more agile and relevant. Rod founded 3LA having sold his hugely successful advertising agency, Banner - the biggest and most respected B2B agency in Europe, to WPP. He's also the founder at JoyTech.org, a project that explores how to stop tech companies marketing us into madness but, instead, bring more joy to the world. But that’s not what Rod discusses in this latest episode of The Melting Pot. Today, Rod ruminates on what he would have done differently if he’d had his time again. How he’d be more deliberate about creating a plural life. Because that’s what he’s living. For example, during lockdown he became involved in a project reimagining high fashion and technology, trying to link high fashion to consumers through tech, and what that might look like - because tech is truly where Rod’s heart lies. This is an incredibly fascinating, wide ranging conversation, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. On today’s podcast:
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| 22 Oct 2024 | E319 | From Know-It-Alls to Learn-It-Alls with Dan Pontefract | 00:54:10 | |||||
Summary In this conversation, Dan Pontefract discusses his journey as a leadership strategist, focusing on the importance of emotional intelligence, culture change, and the impact of nurturing curiosity within organisations. He shares insights from his experience at TELUS, where he helped transform the corporate culture and introduced innovative programs like the TELUS MBA. The discussion emphasises the need for a unified leadership philosophy and the significance of treating employees with kindness and respect to foster a thriving workplace. In this conversation, Dominic Monkhouse reflects on the evolution of corporate culture and leadership, emphasising the importance of emotional intelligence, collaboration, and a unified purpose within organisations. He discusses the identity crises faced by companies like Starbucks and Wells Fargo, highlighting the need for leaders to foster a culture of learning and development. Dominic also shares insights from his books and recent readings, advocating for a more human-centric approach to leadership and work-life dynamics. Takeaways
Chapters (00:00) Building Bridges: The Journey Begins (03:14) Leadership Strategies: Transforming Organizations (05:54) Culture Change: Lessons from TELUS (09:11) The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership (11:52) Learned Helplessness: A Barrier to Growth (14:47) Nurturing Curiosity: The Key to Engagement (18:07) Creating a Unified Culture: The TELUS Leadership Philosophy (20:53) Measuring Success: Engagement and Performance Metrics (27:04) Reflecting on Leadership and Culture (29:00) The Identity Crisis of Corporations (31:22) The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership (33:42) Collaboration and Constructive Conflict (35:59) The Shift from Know-it-alls to Learn-it-alls (39:54) The Role of Leaders in Team Development (40:50) Exploring the Books of Dominic Monkhouse (44:30) Navigating Work-Life Dynamics (46:51) Recent Reads and Inspirations (49:39) Quickfire Questions and Insights About Dan Pontefract Dan is an award-winning author, leadership strategist, culture change expert, and renowned keynote speaker. His books and keynotes are a great starting point for transforming your team or corporate culture into a competitive advantage. His five books include WORK-LIFE BLOOM, LEAD. CARE. WIN., OPEN TO THINK, THE PURPOSE EFFECT, and FLAT ARMY. WORK-LIFE BLOOM won the 2024 Axiom Business Book Gold Medal in the Leadership Category and is one of the Thinkers50 Top New Management Books for 2024. LEAD. CARE. WIN. won the 2022 Nautilus Book Awards Silver Medal in the Leadership/Business category. It was a short-list finalist for the 2021 getAbstract International Book of the Year. OPEN TO THINK won the 2019 getAbstract International Book of the Year and the 2019 Axiom Business Book Silver Medal winner in the Leadership Category. Dan has presented at four different TED events and also writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Previously as Chief Envisioner and Chief Learning... | |||||||
| 29 Nov 2022 | E223 | How Human Connection Can Help A Business Achieve Excellence With Tom Peters, Co-author Of “In Search Of Excellence” | 00:56:36 | |||||
A company’s success is measured by the happiness of its employees, and that goes for any industry we can think of. This sounds like basic knowledge, but increasing happiness in the workplace is one of the most overlooked and at the same time essential changes a company can make in order to be more successful. Often times even simple acknowledgements like a handshake or a hello at the beginning of the day can really impact an employee’s level of engagement and create a positive workplace culture. Today, on The Melting Pot, we are joined by Tom Peters, a business management pioneer and co-author of “In Search Of Excellence”, the book that, to this day, is recognized as one of the most influential books about business practices. Through this work, Tom’s ultimate goal was to motivate business owners and entrepreneurs to focus more on their employees and the way their happiness directly affects productivity and to discover their products through the eyes of their customers. Twenty books and forty years later, Tom is still one of the leading management thinkers, preaching about the importance of human connection and creating business excellence through work culture. Listen and download this fascinating episode in which Tom shares the story behind his well-known bestseller, the legacy that leaders should really focus on leaving behind and his views on women as business leaders, remote leadership and building excellent culture in this “work from home” era.
In today’s episode:
40 years of “In Search Of Excellence”- the book that changed the way the world does business Why businesses need more women leaders A leader's job is to grow people Remote leadership and building excellent culture and business in the “work from home” era Tom’s latest book, “The Compact Guide To Excellence”
Links:
Website - Tom Peters.com Linkedin- Tom Peters Twitter-@tom_peters Youtube- Tom Peters Blog- tompeters! Biography- Tom Peters Publications-Tom Peters- books and articles Tom’s latest book- Tom Peters' Compact Guide to Excellence
How Human Connection Can Lead A Business To Excellence With Tom Peters, Co-author Of “In Search Of Excellence”
Tom Peters is a well-renowned business management pioneer and co-author of “In Search of Excellence”, the book that even 40 years after its publication is still considered to be the book that changed the way the world does business. But as he himself declares, this is just one of the numerous ventures in his life and career.
Tom attended Cornell University where he received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree and later on, earned an MBA and a PhD in Organizational Behaviourfrom the Stanford Graduate School of business. During the war in Vietnam, he served in the U.S. Navy, making two deployments as a Navy Seabee and also participated in an exchange program between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy (UK) which led to him serving as a midshipman on the HMS Tiger (a battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy during the 1910s).
While working forMcKinsey & Company, he was inspired to develop different practices for business management that support the idea that... | |||||||
| 16 Feb 2021 | E131 | Learning How To Speak Publicly with Joel Weldon | 00:58:08 | |||||
How is it possible that somebody who (in his own words) literally couldn’t lead a silent prayer, become a Hall of Fame speaker and a speech coach to Verne Harnish, author of Scaling Up and Rockefeller Habits? In today’s episode we speak with Joel Weldon about how and why he became Verne’s speaking coach, because Verne has been public speaking for decades, so why would he now need someone to help him with speaking publicly? But that’s a story he saves until the end of the podcast. Plus, the episode isn’t about Verne, it’s about Joel, a man who brings life to the phrase: find a job you love and never work another day in your life. Joel is 80 and still working full time. He shares some of his backstory: how he thought he would never be the kid that would go on to speak in public. He didn't go to college, he didn't think he was smart enough. He was a former construction worker who was too shy to speak in public and too shy to sell, until he had his transformational awakening. This is a really fantastic conversation, much of which you can put to work today or tomorrow or whenever you listen to this podcast. There are so many takeaways that can change your business in big and small ways. As Joel so succinctly said: “Let me give you 22 words. If you had to take everything that I've learned about communicating, speaking, and put it in one sentence, here it is - speak to your audience about what they need, in an organised way they can follow and get yourself out of the way.” For more gems like this, download and listen to this week’s episode. On today’s podcast:
Love Joel's work? He has been kind enough to offer subscribers a fantastic 50% discount on his Ultimate Speaking System!
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