The Alame Podcast: Change Your Company (Dr. Fouad M. Alame)

An inspiring episode with Keith Goode who is the Vice President of Products and Services (ZeroedIn Technologies) - Workforce Intelligence. 

In this conversation we talk about the transformative potential of people analytics, emphasizing the challenges of data silos and the importance of using AI for predictive and prescriptive analytics in areas such as employee turnover, hiring, task allocation, and engagement evaluations.

Some of the takeaways:

• People analytics harnesses data and AI to provide transformative insights for HR and leadership in talent development and performance enhancement.
• Overcoming data challenges, especially in HR, requires breaking down silos and utilizing tools and features that facilitate the aggregation and correlation of diverse data sets.
• Predictive analytics, aided by explainable AI, enables organizations to identify flight risks among employees, offering insights into factors like tenure, promotions, demotions, and engagement.
• The strategic use of data and AI extends beyond predicting flight risks to areas such as task allocation (illustrated by the "backpack algorithm") and leveraging text analytics for a deeper understanding of employee engagement evaluations.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

Another inspiring episode with Amy Wong, leadership coach, keynote speaker and author. We talk about doing what we really want and makes us happy rather than doing what the society wants us to do. Some of the takeaways:

We end up being miserable despite of having good jobs because we did not listening to what our was telling us but rather we were listening more to what society was telling us.

- As humans, what we want is not a "thing" but the feeling state which we can reach once we get this "thing"

- The reason for midlife crisis is the fact that we've placed our inner judgment outside of ourselves and we have decided to trust the collective voice over our own heart.

These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

A very enriching episode with Steven Gaffney, a speaker, seminar leader, and author on communication and leadership. We talked about how to be unconditionally powerful. Some of the takeaways: The problem in organizations is lack of honest communication: it is not in what is being said but in what was not said! Fear is the main reason for people not sharing things “Conflict not faced, is conflict multiplied” - Jordan Peterson There are three types of mindsets of people in workplace: powerless, conditional and powerful Leaders should maintain their staff in the “powerful state”, so they can get things done Leaders can ask their team about their suggestions and opinion in order to get them engaged, which leads to giving them more power and confidence. What could we do as leaders to inspire the change in others Daily meetings emphasize alignment, collaboration and engagement. We should manage our emotions and channel them in a productive way. These and much more we covered in this exciting conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

A very special episode with Oleksandra Matviichuk, who is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist. The conversation delves into Oleksandra’s journey, driven by a commitment to justice and freedom in the context of Soviet-era Ukraine, detailing strategic shifts, global campaigns, and the impactful role of ordinary people in addressing human rights violations and releasing political prisoners. Some of the takeaways:

1- The vision for the mission is outlined, rooted in childhood aspirations of being a kind person, emphasizing a commitment to goodness and human rights over specific career goals.

2- Optimism, grounded in the belief that even in the face of adversity, maintaining the ability to feel joy is crucial for resilience and continued perseverance.

3- Collective action is emphasized, highlighting the impactful role of ordinary people from different countries in advancing human rights and justice causes.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with William Buist, a strategic mentor, speaker and author. We talk about how to create better workplaces. Some of the takeaways: One of the leaders’ struggles is developing their own skills and talent so that they can be the best individual leader Leaders should know what their team really needs: some need more experience, some need more knowledge. Leaders should know how much additional knowledge their people really need and do not give much knowledge as this might confuse them. Each team member should be ideally given the job which he enjoys, instead of forcing them to perform jobs that they do not like. It is better to be vulnerable, so that people will reach out for help instead of criticizing. These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

My guest for this episode, is Russell Eisenstat, an inspirational leader whose mission has been to develop leaders and organizations that put people at the center together with profit. We explored so many critical leadership topics like how to balance leadership focus between people and bottom line, how to engage the whole organization, how to earn trust, and how to develop a shared emotional resonant purpose.

In his very humble voice, Russ shared his reflections on his own successful leadership journey and offered advice to organizational leaders including young aspiring ones.

Russ is, Emeritus Executive Director and co-founder of the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership and Former President and co-Founder of TruePoint, a management consultancy firm. He served on the faculty of the Harvard Business School and spent five years at McKinsey & Company. He is a co-author of the Higher Ambition, a book that shows how great CEOs around the world create superior long term economic and social value and many articles in Harvard Business Review.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on  fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

In this inspiring conversation we talk about how to lead the new workplace, with Hamza Khan, a Keynote speaker, author and cofounder of SkillsCamp. Some of the takeaways:

• How the modern work place is different from the traditional workplace
• What is needed is more leadership and less managing
• What it takes to make the shift from being a boss to being a leader
• How you do one thing is how you do all things
• If you treat your employees well, they will treat you customers well
• We should believe that people are fundamentally good
• It is important to understand the disconnection between leaders and employees, and try to reconnect

These and much more were discussed in this beneficial conversation.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.  For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

My guest in this episode is one of my heroes Agility Group Chief Human Capital and Ex CEO of its Government and Defense Business, Ex Commander Toby Switzer. He built and developed one of the largest supply chain contracts, a multi billion organization which was responsible for feeding over one million meal a day. If you toured the warehouses managed under his leadership you would sense the impeccable organization and management and if you walked in the offices you could feel a sense of pride like no other.

In this very personal reflection, Toby shares his leadership philosophy and military influence, how he and the team build a great organization and culture focusing on people and delivering exceptional service and excellent bottom line performance.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

This episode is a part of series of solo cast episodes, where I talk about balancing career success with personal fulfillment, that requires self-awareness, reflection, and sustainable habits. Some of the key takeaways:

• Career and personal life need sustainable balance, not perfection.
• Daily reflection on what brings energy and fulfillment is key.
• Awareness of overworking triggers helps maintain work-life harmony.
• Both personal and professional lives should support and fuel each other.

These and much more in this episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

My guest for episode is Steve Dichter, a great leader I have always looked up to and I have had the privilege having as a mentor. He is the ex COO of Agility Global Integrated Logistics (GIL), worked for 20 years in McKinsey and co-founded its Change Management Center.

His insights and perspectives on organizational leadership and change are unique and for sure you wouldn’t find them in books as they are the fruits of deep reflections and real frontline leadership experience as senior executive and consultant. Beyond his deep insights on leadership and change, his openness to listen and his humility have always inspired me and his strength of character is something I learnt from so much.

In this inspiring and intimate conversation, we explored very critical and timely leadership topics:

The early leadership insights from his Harvard business education and Mckinsey consultancy journeys

How can you change your organization and team beyond telling them “just do it”?

What are the five hats of organizational leadership that you need to keep in mind while taking your people to higher places?

These and much more, we covered in this episode. Dive deep and be ready to be inspired!

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on  fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

An inspiring special episode (solo cast) on reflection of the passing 2023 year. Some of the takeaways:

• The most powerful lessons that can help us as leaders to transform our teams & work are not extracted from books, consultants, or coaches. The most powerful lessons are those we learn from our experiences, or better said, from reflecting on our experiences.

• The end of the year is a golden time to look back and reflect, not as leaders, but as a team on how we performed in the passing year.

Some of the powerful questions that a leader may ask and share with his team:

• What were the biggest progress/wins we made this year?
• What were the biggest obstacles we faced this year?
• What was a powerful practice or habit that helped us this year? How can we leverage it more?

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

A special episode with Gül Sönmez, CEO and founder of Purposeful Vibes, in which we talked about self care, wellbeing and mindfulness at the workplace. Here are some of key takeaways:

- Leaders can take care of their people by becoming more aware of how they are doing mentally, physically and emotionally

- It take very simple practices to drive change in the wellbeing of the people

- In just the last 2 years there has been increase cases of burnouts and mental health issues in the workplace

- While starting an initiative at work can be led by the leaders, to overcome some deeper challenges and make the solutions become habit, one needs help

- Seek people who have mastered the area you seek help with, not just experts (who might not have lived/applied what they teach)

- Simple practices like mind dump, gratitude, meditation, walking can make a huge difference in the well being of the people

These and much more we covered in this inspiring talk.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.

For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Randy Roberts, who is an executive and career life coach. We highlight the significance of aligning one's career choices with personal desires and periodically reassessing goals. Some of the key takeaways:

• Prioritize personal fulfillment by staying connected with your true desires in your career.
• Balance personal values with professional opportunities to avoid drifting in the corporate world.
• Trust and listen to your inner voice, which becomes clearer by following curiosity and excitement.
• Leaders should lead by example, prioritize personal growth, and engage in open conversations to make informed career decisions.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

72. Leadership - Influence of Emotions in the Workplace - Jack Craven

An inspiring episode with Jack Craven, who is an author and executive coach. We talk about the critical importance of acknowledging and managing emotions in the workplace, offering practical strategies for cultivating a mindset of aliveness and fostering a culture of vulnerability and connection. and some of the key takeaways:

• Leaders must acknowledge and manage emotions to foster a culture of openness and effectiveness.
• Embracing vulnerability allows teams to connect deeply and perform at higher levels.
• Simple exercises like naming emotions and locating them in the body can release tension and foster clarity.
• Cultivating an "aliveness mindset" involves anchoring oneself with personal traits and daily practices that promote connection and growth.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

In this episode, we sat with Mr. Essa Al Saleh, CEO Agitero and ex CEO Agility Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) and we talked about his journey leading Agility GIL from 2007 to start 2020. He led the expansion of the company through 40+ acquisitions then led their integration and transformation to become one leading organization with great culture focused on continuous year over year improvement and people.

One of the leaders I truly admire, I had the privilege working under Essa's GIL leadership. I remember one day I approached him with a challenge I had during his tenure as GIL CEO. He sat and listened, listened and listened, took notes and promised that he will follow up and help. But honestly the moment I walked out of that door I felt it doesn’t matter if he would follow up or not, what really mattered to me was that he truly listened and was fully present and through this, I felt his support.

In this interview with him though, we focused on organizational leadership and what it really takes to succeed leading a large global organization. In his very humble and sincere way, Essa shares reflections on his journey how he managed to lead such big organization at a young age, the challenges along the way and what it took to get GIL to the company he stepped down from its leadership earlier this year.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

An inspiring conversation with Liz Kislik, a management consultant, executive coach and TEDx speaker.

We talk about how some leaders fuel conflict while others resolve them by driving more collaboration.

Some of the takeaways:

- Making people share about themselves create common ground which is key to collaboration.

- Differences are enriching as long as we have some common grounds.

- We need to connect people on a deeper level not just on the surface through common values.

- Being curious and interested in the people we lead helps us get to know what's needed to create collaboration. 

These and much more were discussed in this conversation.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

What does it take to make your people own the goals and feel excited to achieve them? The answer is by engaging them with the goals. I explain in more detail in this new condensed episode which is part of the whiteboard series where I share insights about leading people from my experience developing thousands leaders managers and frontliners. I would love to hear your feedback and/or if you have an inquiry about how you can accelerate the developing and/or engagement of your people by writing me on email: fouadmalame@gmail.com.

My guest in this new episode is Lawrence (Larry) Miller, is the author of eleven books, and has forty years of experience consulting with major corporations. Several of his courses on management and leadership on Udemy are best selling courses in their category. He has worked to improve the performance of organizations and the skills of their leaders creating change in the culture of more than a hundred companies. We talked about leaders being the system engineers and creating a culture of unity.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

In this episode I share the purpose of this podcast and who is targeted for. I also share my background and a challenging experience I had which made reconsider what I am doing in life and to dedicate big part of my career in the corporate world on organizational development and transformation through people.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

In this episode Adam Klein, managing partner at New Venture West, shares insights on coaching and leadership development, emphasizing the importance of leaders staying resilient, grounded, and intrinsically motivated to inspire and engage their teams effectively amidst an increasingly complex and rapidly changing environment. . Some of the key takeaways:

• Leaders must stay resilient and grounded to effectively navigate a rapidly changing environment.
• Intrinsic motivation and inspiration are crucial for leaders to inspire their teams.
• Effective leadership involves empowering team members and fostering strong relationships.
• Continuous learning and seeking support are key to successful leadership development.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring conversation in the shape of questions and answers with Jaykaran S., learning and development professional. We talk about how to inspire people based on my book "Inspire Your People".  Some reflections and insights from the conversation: - Leadership is all about people, inspiring and motivating people to become the very best version of themselves.  - The essence of leadership is helping your people reach their full potential and helping your team maximize their gifts. - What makes you effective as a leader is not the title you hold, rather it’s demonstrating an unrelenting focus on helping others succeed in their collective efforts.  - One of the hallmark traits of great leaders is that they can see greatness in others when they can’t see it in themselves. These and much more we covered in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.  For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring conversation with Irene Riad, an executive coach and founder of Sightset. We talk about how leaders can develop inner capacity and use setbacks to inspire others. Some of the takeaways: - Great leaders don't waste crises and use them for self reflection and transformation. The greatest leaders use the wisdom of their setbacks to transform the direction of their careers and life towards their highest purpose. - The greatest leaders use the wisdom of their setbacks to transform the direction of their careers and life towards their highest purpose. - Coaching and mentors help us get perspectives on life and ourselves by asking deep questions - Instead of running away from our challenges and crisis, seeing them as energy and using them to make bigger impact These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

In this episode we talk about what if success if not the answer and what does it mean for leadership and the workplace, sharing this inspiring message of seeking success AND fulfillment with Bessi Graham, who is a writer and podcaster. Here are some of the takeaways from this conversation: - Asking ourselves the question, how would life look like if I was living my version of success? - Having a CLEAR vision of success is key. Success is so personal. - Being intentional makes a big difference whether while leading a meeting, our people or our life.  - Having a clarity about our vision and values and being aligned with that are the foundation especially if we are leading people.  These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

In this inspiring conversation with Mickael Drouard co-founder of Fabric, we talked about how leaders can unleash the power of their people and companies. Some of the topics we are explored:
- Driving collaboration being critical in the new era we live in
- Meetings as the best shots to drive teamwork and collaboration
- Leaders could delegate facilitating meeting to others to develop future leaders and drive more engagement
- The need to develop, beyond the individuals, the organizational system including collaboration
This and much more we covered in this episode! 

My guest in this new episode is Stefano Aversa,  AlixPartners Managing Director, EMEA Chairman and Vice-Chairman globally. A leading expert with 35 years of operational and financial turnarounds, and implementation of large-scale performance improvement programs.

I got very inspired from this conversation and I am sure you will too, a masterclass in leading during turnarounds, crisis and even in normal times.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

A solo cast episode where I talk about transforming a draining career by boosting energy, nurturing relationships, focusing on impactful tasks, and aligning with personal passion and purpose. Some of the key takeaways:

• Prioritize Energy: Start your day by investing in physical and mental energy to set a positive tone for work.
• Nurture Relationships: Build meaningful connections at work to enhance fulfillment and open new opportunities.
• Focus on High-Impact Tasks: Identify and prioritize important but non-urgent tasks that can drive success.
• Align with Passion: Reflect on your strengths and purpose to ensure your work aligns with what truly motivates you.

These and more in this solo cast episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

In this episode, we talked about the challenge of aligning the organization with customers' needs and how top leadership would benefit from tapping into the frontline to access customer insights. We discussed also the challenge of change and how to approach it from people's perspective including the possibilities available today to do so virtually. Like always we closed the conversation with personal reflections on learning, success habits and purpose! I enjoyed this conversation a lot and I hope you will too!

Please don't forget to rate the podcast and subscribe to it if you haven't done so.

For any inquiry about how you can accelerate change and the development and/or engagement of your people, connect with me on my email: fouadmalame@gmail.com. 

My guest in this episode is Richard Jolly. He is Adjunct Professor at London Business School and Director of the organizational consulting firm, Stokes & Jolly Consulting Limited. In this fascinating talk, we explored many leadership topics including organizations being socio-technical systems, how confident organizations make it to success, how strategy work changed, the importance of engaging people, the current status of executive education and corporate learning, and much more. A masterclass in organizational leadership and development with many inspiring stories and examples!

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on  fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

My guest in this episode is Bretton Putter, CEO of CultureGene and author of Own Your Culture and Culture Decks Decoded. In this inspiring conversation we talked about the power of culture especially during challenging times, what does it take to create great culture, how to develop such culture during crisis and virtual work and many practical applications for leaders. 

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

Some insights from this episode:

- Culture create both stability and #agility in times of #crisis

- Investing time to #connect on a #human level is key to drive #positiveculture and this we could do as leaders by creating psychological safety

- #zoomfatigue is the result of over relying on #synchronous communication instead of leveraging the power of #asynchronous

- Hiring people who are aligned with your culture and #values saves you endless struggles trying to force unfit candidates into your company

- #virtualwork requires more attention to and clearer: values and culture including communication, processes and tools.

- #leaders should give culture as much attention as a business unit because it is the invisible force that drives behavior and performance

- "#culture and #strategy meet for breakfast, then have lunch, then at dinner they beat the competition!"

Hope you will find inspiration and practical insights in this episode. Please leave a rating or comment as feedback on this episode or overall about the podcast! I would love to hear from you!

My guest for this episode is Hussein Wehbeh, the CEO of Fetchr, a tech enable transportation company. 

One of the most energizing conversations I have had on the power of positive leadership and leading by example by a leader who lives his message. Hussein's positive energy is indeed infectious and his views on the power of people and customer centricity are inspiring. 

We talked about importance of leaders being a role model for the company values, finding and nurturing the hidden talents, solving challenges by engaging people and appreciating the positive everywhere. We also discussed how leaders should give negative feedback privately, lead by inspiration instead of fear, have empathy and much more. Be ready to be inspired, I know I was!

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on  fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

An inspiring episode with Tim Creasey, Chief Innovation Officer at Prosci and best selling author. We talk about challenges in leading the work place. some of the takeaways:

- One of the challenges all of us individually and teams and organizations face is where do we put our energy and effort when it comes to trying to bring about the changes that we have in front of us.

- We have to see how employees are impacted by a certain change

- The role of having a shared workplace

- Answers have an expiration date. Questions can last a lifetime.

These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

In this episode, we had a great discussion with Harvard Professor Dr. Heidi Gardner, author of the Washington Post bestselling book "Smart Collaboration". Dr. Gardner’s passion about collaboration is contagious and her extensive research not only proves scientifically the impact of smart collaboration on business results but also gives clarity on how to maximize the talents and behavior tendencies of your team and people during challenging times and beyond. What is the difference between “feel good” collaboration and smart collaboration and how could you, as an organizational leader, drive smarter collaboration in your workplace to maximize your people impact and your organizational performance? Through examples and stories, you will get many insights on these and more! Feel free to check, Dr. Gardner’s Research and Advisory firm Gardener & Co on https://www.gardnerandco.co/ and the smart collaboration accelerator tool on https://smartcollaborationaccelerator.com/ Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

An inspiring episode (solo cast) where I will be talking about the fundamentals of leadership, emphasizing the importance of vision, values, and habits in leading oneself effectively, while also introducing the interconnected levels of leadership: leading self, leading individuals, leading teams, and leading for transformation. Some of the key takeaways:

• Vision is a Leader's North Star: Clearly defined personal visions, unique to each leader, serve as powerful motivators, pulling individuals towards their goals.
• Values Shape Decision-Making: Leaders must articulate and uphold a set of values, as clarity in values simplifies decision-making processes and guides actions.
• Habits Define Leadership Consistency: Empowering habits, consistently practiced, distinguish leaders by providing a foundation for continuous improvement and resilience.
• Purpose Fuels Leadership: A leader's purpose or mission adds meaning, serving as a driving force that propels them through challenges and encourages perseverance.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

My guest in this episode is Richard Jolly. He is Adjunct Professor at London Business School and Director of the organizational consulting firm, Stokes & Jolly Consulting Limited. In this fascinating talk, we explored many leadership topics including organizations being socio-technical systems, how confident organizations make it to success, how strategy work changed, the importance of engaging people, the current status of executive education and corporate learning, and much more. A masterclass in organizational leadership and development with many inspiring stories and examples!

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on  fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

So excited to be sharing this special episode as the first one in the new season after this long break. In this episode, I reflect on my journey launching the podcast and the inspiring guests I had on my shows including special highlights from my conversations with them. You definitely don't want to miss this one! Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level. 

In this inspiring conversation we talk about how to make your vision a reality, with Jake Jacobs, a business consultant, cofounder of SkillsCamp, and author of "Real Time Strategic Change". Some of the takeaways: The power of setting visions and making them reality is not only on papers and walls but it is connecting to people’s minds and hearts, and moving towards them every single day. The idea of “future perfect thinking” technique, and using it in our present situations. This will accelerate the pace of change. A vision should be grounded to reality but not restricted to it. Thinking and acting as if the future is now. Let’s understand the reality and let’s set up a vision to all members of the team. We have to develop action plans to reach our visions. We start to change the culture, and subsequently the system, the structure and the processes in the present, to be aligned with the future. These and much more were discussed in this inspiring conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.  For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

In this inspiring conversation with my guest Jake Jacobs, Founder and CEO Jake Jacobs Consulting, we talked about how you can drive change faster easier and better. Key topics included:

- How involving people is key to driving change whether we leading a 5 people team or 100,000 people organization.
- Being curious and asking people to share more will help us a leaders get more insights about challenges and opportunities
- It is possible to have 1000s of people in designing or implementing change when we use the right approach
- Learning is a critical skills for leaders not by just reading but also by reflecting and observing
These insights and much more advanced lessons on driving change faster easier and better! 

Like always we closed the conversation with personal reflections on learning, success habits and purpose! I enjoyed this conversation a lot and I hope you will too!

Please don't forget to rate the podcast and subscribe to it if you haven't done so.

For any inquiry about how you can accelerate change and the development and/or engagement of your people, connect with me on my email: fouadmalame@gmail.com.

An inspiring episode about how leaders can use storytelling and its positive impact on employees and the workplace. I got so much energy and insights from this conversation with my guest with Mark Carpenter, author of "Master Storytelling". Some of what we discussed during this conversation:

- How stories are the best way to engage people and help them understand what we are conveying as leaders

- How with just little bit of practice we get better at storytelling with times

- Making the lesson (not us- the leaders) the hero of the story

- How stories are great vehicle to ensure what is written on wall get acted on in the hall

And many other insights! I hope you will find this conversation valuable and inspires you to use more storytelling in the workplace. It makes a big difference! Stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.

For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

A special episode - an interview with me (Fouad Alame) by Helena Arjuna Suter, who is a leadership, innovation, change and transformation catalyst, and host of “Where Boundaries Dissolve” Podcast. 

We talk about my journey in the corporate sector and how I changed my job to the one which I meant to be doing, and consequently how I changed my life. Some of the takeaways: 

• Ideally, everyone should be doing something which is in alignment with their with their purpose. 
• Companies do help their people to change and improve, but initially the desire for change should be there at the individual level.
• Making people part of the transformation journey is so so crucial and the companies.
• Every leader is advised to initiate dialogues with their teams, to engage them and take their feedback.
• Leaders should not be scared from having dialogues with their teams.

These and much more in this special episode. 

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. 

My guest for this episode is Patrick Simone, Founder and CEO of Adesso Digital an organization which help companies transform the capabilities and performance of their commercial teams to thrive in the new normal. Together we discussed how many leaders and companies are able to adapt to the new realities leverage social media and virtual tools. I hope this episode motivates you to maximize the use of the unique opportunities available today to accelerate your team performance. For help around this, you can reach out to Patrick on patrick@adessodigital.ch and to me on Fouadmalame@gmail.com.

If you haven't subscribe, please do and like always I would really appreciate the feedback by rating the podcast and maybe leaving a comment to my email as per above.

An inspiring episode with Jonathan Bennett, who is a strategic advisor, executive and board Coach and Former B Corp Founder and CEO. We talk about leadership challenges, including driving execution, driving ownership among the team and changing peoples’ behavior in the workplace. Some of the key takeaways:

• How to avoid being disappointed or frustrated by lack of ownership or low quality work.
• How to accelerate creating agreements in your team and at your workplace.
• Empowering your people to do their best work and love doing it.
• Managing the emotional rollercoaster of leaving your team or business behind and moving on.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

This episode explores the essentials of leadership, focusing on the power of influence, self-awareness, and the importance of learning from diverse perspectives, as shared by Jesse Hernandez, a leadership expert and host of the "Learnings and Missteps" podcast. Some of the key takeaways:

• Influence is key in leadership and can be more powerful than formal authority.
• Self-awareness is critical for personal growth and effective leadership.
• Continuous learning and embracing diverse perspectives lead to better decision-making.
• Leaders should focus on building relationships and understanding their team to drive success.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Daniel Marcos, an entrepreneur and leadership coach. We discusses the importance of clear strategy, efficient teams, cash flow, and focus when scaling businesses, emphasizing the need for leaders to choose what they want and prioritize accordingly.

Here are the some takeaways:

1. Clear Strategy: A straightforward, shared strategy is crucial.

2. Efficient Teams: Place the right people in the right roles for effective execution.

3. Cash Flow: Treat cash like oxygen for business survival.

4. Focus: Prioritize a few crucial initiatives over many.

5. Continuous Learning: Seek external expertise for growth and problem-solving.

These and much more in this special episode. 

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. 

An inspiring episode where we discuss scaling and leading startups for accelerated growth with Bartosz Skwarczek, CEO of G2A, who shares insights on building a successful, bootstrapped global marketplace for digital entertainment, emphasizing the importance of defining company culture, hiring and retaining top talent, and maintaining continuous growth and improvement. Some of the key takeaways:

• Leadership and Culture: Establishing and maintaining a strong, authentic culture is essential for long-term business success.
• Talent Acquisition: Hiring and retaining the best talent requires bravery, strategic vision, and an alignment with the company's values and goals.
• Continuous Development: Investing in employee training and personal development is crucial for sustaining growth and innovation.
• Adaptability and Growth Mindset: Emphasize a growth mindset and constantly seek improvement to avoid stagnation and maintain competitive edge.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with David Carter, chairman and founder at Entelechy Academy Limited. We talk about creating character-based workplaces to improve performance and inspire employees. Some of the takeaways:

1. Character development is essential for improving workplace skills and productivity.

2. Traditional training methods often focus on theory rather than practical application.

3. Building character qualities like discipline and kindness can have a profound impact on work and personal life.

4. A character-based workplace can lead to sustainable high performance and employee engagement.

These and much more were discussed in this conversation.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

My guest is Rommel Saber, the retired ex President of Expeditors for Europe, Middle East Aftrica and Indian Suburbs. Starting as an intern, becoming a branch manager than rising all the way to the top. His success building and leading such huge region to success is very impressive but what’s even more impressive is his belief in and drive for the power of people and positive culture. You can feel the passion for people throughout his talk. A true masterclass in organizational leadership. We talked about success, culture, (level 5) leadership, alignment, taking care of people, his advice to young leaders and legacy to leave behind.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on  fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

An inspiring episode with Patrick Simone, who is an author, speaker and sales trainer. The conversation discusses the importance of driving collaboration across different departments, focusing on commercial alignment, and how involving various teams in setting goals, defining target customers, and pricing can enhance collaboration and achieve successful commercial development. Some of the takeaways:

1. Alignment on strategy and goals among different departments is crucial for successful collaboration in the commercial sector.

2. Involving frontline staff in the commercial approach provides valuable insights and improves customer understanding.

3. Collaboration in setting target customers and pricing can generate creative ideas and make offers more attractive to customers.

4. Including various teams in strategy discussions leads to a unified picture and a common message to the outside world.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

Another inspiring episode in which we shared insights with Heenle Turner, vice president of ALL IN Company, talking about attracting, hiring and retaining 5 star employees. Some of the key takeaways from our live conversation:

- How having 5 star employees makes the job of leadership easier

- 5 star employees are not just skillset but also mindset (e.g. being proactive, passionate, team player, focused on results)

- Asking questions about situations where the potential employee exhibited the right values and behaviors

- Being comfortable with silence during the interviews can give you space to see how the potential hires behave and think

- Retaining 5 star employees requires creating an environment where there is excitement, challenge, celebration, sense of belonging and continuous development

These and more were covered during the episode. 

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.

For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch/fouadmalame@gmail.com

My guest in this episode is Nandu Nandkishore ex Global CEO Nestlé Nutrition. Broadcasted live on LinkedIn and Facebook (please excuse the audio quality), we explored in this inspiring conversation what does it take to lead in challenging times and how can leaders make the most out crisis. Nandu shares so many deep insights from his top leadership experience including how leading during COVID requires creativity to leverage the crisis for success and how remote working and remote leadership is here to stay which requires from every leader to adapt to new way of leading and communicating.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

Insights/direct quotes from this episode:

“Never waste a failure.. It is too precious to be wasted by complaining.”

“Consciously nurturing diversity and psychological safety” 

“Stay true to your values, never compromise them” 

“Spend more time discussing ideas and less talking about people and events”

These are just some of many wise reflections from Nandu. I hope you will find inspiration and motivation in this episode and if you do so, check Nandu’s inspiring YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0vLXNK5dRzocNjXbMVdECA

PS Apologies in advance for the challenging audio quality which was caused by the live broadcast.

Great conversation with Nancy Murphy about how leaders can truly drive change and influence their organizations. Some of the takeaways:

• Empathy is one of the best tools to influence and instead of resisting, trying to see the world through others eyes and having compassion could help drive change faster
• People resistance to change could be used creatively to make it happen. It is an energy which should be channeled in the right way.
• Organizations need to nurture intrapreneurs which are the hidden soldiers who can make change happen.
• For a change to be a success, we need to move away from thinking that making a big announcement would make it happen. We need to be committed to the vision of it but flexible to the approach to make it happen.
• We don't need a title to lead. We can influence and drive positive change wherever we are in the organization.

These and many more we covered in this episode. We hope you will find valuable. For any inquiries, please contact Fouad@alame.ch

I was so much inspired and energized from this conversation. We talked about how companies can make their products and services customer centric by being employee centric. We discussed how the future of work is already here and where technology cannot replace being human. We also talked about the importance of dealing with emotions and caring for people. Like always we closed the conversation with personal reflections on learning, success habits and purpose! I enjoyed this conversation a lot and I hope you will too!

Please don't forget to rate the podcast and subscribe to it if you haven't done so.

For any inquiry about how you can accelerate change and the development and/or engagement of your people, connect with me on my email: fouadmalame@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.

 

What does it take to influence people through stories? Are there commonalities between leadership, sales and branding storytelling? What can we learn from them to make bigger impact and get people take action? This is the topic of this new episode  was featured live on LinkedIn with my 2 guests: Jack Vincent creator of the SCORE sales method and Patrick Simone, Founder and CEO of Adesso Digital Marketing. 

Please don't forget to rate the podcast and subscribe to it if you haven't done so.

For any inquiry about how you can accelerate change and the development and engagement of your people, connect with me on my email: fouadmalame@gmail.com.

An inspiring episode with Sam Adeyemi, who is an author, executive coach for senior executives and founder and CEO of Sam Adeyemi GLC, Inc. The episode explores the importance of understanding and appreciating generational differences in leadership, emphasizing the need for empathy, respect, and inclusive leadership to empower individuals to lead effectively in today's diverse workplaces. Some of the key takeaways:

• Leadership is inclusive: Recognize that everyone has the capacity to lead, fostering a culture where all individuals are empowered to contribute their unique strengths.
• Empathy and respect are essential: Building strong relationships and understanding different perspectives are crucial for effective leadership across generations.
• Continuous learning is key: Leaders must prioritize self-improvement and seek feedback to continuously develop their leadership skills.
• Authenticity breeds trust: Transparency, honesty, and genuine care for others are fundamental qualities that inspire trust and loyalty in leadership.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Jon Darbyshire, Entrepreneur, product designer, and investor. We talk about how to build and lead an Inspiring workplace.   Here are some the key takeaways from this conversation: - Hiring great people is one of the surest ways to build a great company - Creating alignment starts with sharing relentlessly the goals and strategy of the organization on a regular basis - These kind of leadership communication requires engaging people and getting real questions from everyone in the organizationListening first hand from customers about how the product is helping them motivates employees especially those who don't have direct contact with customers - Organizing the yearly customer event where they share their experience and challenges leads to increased business in the subsequent months despite no selling happens during those events. These and much more we covered in this exciting conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

My guest for this episode is Michael Beer, a true leadership guru with 40 years of experience helping senior executives transform their companies into high performing, people-centric businesses. He is Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the author or co-author of eleven books the latest being Fit to Compete published earlier this year which we discussed in this interview. He is also the chairman of TruePoint, a management consulting firm and the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership, both of which he cofounded. In this inspiring conversation, Mike shares a very interesting and powerful process through which leaders can engage and transform their organizations. We explored organizational dysfunctions and how leaders can overcome them through the Strategic Fitness Process a very proven approach which can transform strategy development process and its execution. Mike's passion and ability to explain organizational challenges and how to overcome them is inspiring. 

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

In this episode, Wayne England, a senior executive with around 40 years of experience, shares insights on leadership, discussing key lessons from his career, the importance of inquisitiveness, adaptability, and balancing firmness with approachability, as well as strategies for leading change and creating high-performing organizations. Some of the key takeaways:

• Emphasize the importance of inquisitiveness and adaptability to drive personal and professional growth.
• Balance humility and firmness to effectively lead and engage diverse teams.
• Clearly define and communicate the vision and purpose behind change initiatives to ensure alignment and commitment.
• Foster a high-performing organization by setting clear goals, using the right tools, and maintaining disciplined execution.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode (solo cast) where I will continue to talk about the foundations of leadership, emphasizing the importance of hiring individuals with aligned values and character, considering behavior tendencies, and creating a balanced team. Some of the key takeaways:

• Character and Values in Hiring: Prioritizing hiring based on aligned character and values, considering them as crucial as skills and experience.
• Behavior Tendencies: Stressing the need for a diverse mix of behavior tendencies in a team to create balance and a sustainable work environment.
• Tailoring Roles to Strengths: Highlighting the importance of recognizing and leveraging employees' strengths, providing an example of how adjusting roles can enhance performance.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

My guest in this episode is one of my heroes Agility Group Chief Human Capital and Ex CEO of its Government and Defense Business, Ex Commander Toby Switzer. He built and developed one of the largest supply chain contracts, a multi billion organization which was responsible for feeding over one million meal a day. If you toured the warehouses managed under his leadership you would sense the impeccable organization and management and if you walked in the offices you could feel a sense of pride like no other.

In this very personal reflection, Toby shares his leadership philosophy and military influence, how he and the team build a great organization and culture focusing on people and delivering exceptional service and excellent bottom line performance.

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall. Feel free to reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level.

We talk about how leaders can drive and accelerate collaboration in their teams and organizations, with Harvard Professor Dr. Heidi Gardner, author of the Washington Post bestselling book "Smart Collaboration". Some of the takeaways:

​To apply smarter collaboration we need deep expertise who are exited, passionate and educated in our area.

​We need to find people who have complementary basis of expertise

​All successful entrepreneurs are actually heading platforms which contain qualified, passionate and ambitious people who are supporting them.

​Dr. Gardner Introduces a tool under “Smart Collaboration” to measure how we identify problems, and how teams can interact to approach that problems.

These and much more were discussed in this beneficial conversation.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.  For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

In this inspiring conversation with my guest Rashad Sinokrot, CEO GCC Services, we talked about how you to lead for engagement and during turnaround situations. Many takeaways from our discussion, including:

- Transparency and honesty are key to build great culture and organization

- Avoiding politics at all cost

- Communicate, communicate, communicate (beyond emails!)

- Sharing the vision and be clear on the values

- Being an example as leader is key

- Hiring smart people (smarter than you who can and will challenge you)

- Persistence always pays off

- Being kind but assertive too

Like always we closed the conversation with personal reflections on learning, success habits and purpose! I enjoyed this conversation a lot and I hope you will too!

Please don't forget to rate the podcast and subscribe to it if you haven't done so.

For any inquiry about how you can accelerate change and the development and/or engagement of your people, connect with me on my email: fouadmalame@gmail.com.

A very special episode with Ken Schmidt who is one of the business world’s most demanded executive advisors and speakers. It explores how Harley-Davidson's former CEO, Richard Teerlink, revitalized the iconic brand through bold leadership and strategic innovation. Some of the key takeaways:




​Effective leadership can drive sustainability and innovation in a company.

• ​Successful turnarounds often involve integrating eco-friendly practices and updating the company’s image.
• ​Strategic focus on new market opportunities and customer engagement is crucial for revitalization.
• ​Visionary leadership can significantly impact the revival of established brands.
• 





These and much more in this special episode.




Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch







This is the start of a new series where I lead from my upcoming book Inspire Your People. The human spirit is more important than numbers, this the topic of this episode where I comment on the importance of taking care of people.

Connect with us on fouadmalame@gmail.com

An inspiring episode with Helen Fanucci, a senior commercial leader, sales leader and author of "Love your Team". We talk about leading, accelerating and optimizing sales teams. Some of the takeaways:

- The first and foremost challenge is the ability to retain top talent. 

- Leaders should supports their team, reduce the sales friction, and maybe take away some processes that aren't necessary. 

- Building trust and relationship with team members is important, because if leaders don't have that, it's hard to actually lead the team. 

These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. 

For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

I am so energized and inspired from this conversation with Advisor, Educator, and Executive Coach; David Nour, CEO The Nour Group Inc. He is the author of more than 10 books on creating high performing organizations and achieving success through relationship economics and one of the best authorities in this field. Here are some of the topics we covered together:

- The power of strategic relationships is not only for business but also professional and personal

- Some of the very best opportunities we get as individuals as well as organizations come from our relationships

- The key is to be intentional in developing these relationships for the long term

- Relationships accelerate growth because both parties share common values

- The future belongs to the ones who are curious and continuously developing themselves

- Dedicate some time every week to learn and develop even in areas not directly related to your scope of work

- Work life blending is a better approach then work life balance!

- Be interested in having your message remembered instead of being remembered

And many more insights from this conversation. Check it out!

An inspiring episode (solo cast) where I will be talking about the transformative power of consistency in leadership and personal development, learning how small consistent actions lead to significant impact over time and emphasizing the compound effect, effective leadership habits, and the importance of setting standards for a higher-performing workplace. Some of the key takeaways:

• Transformative Consistency: Small, consistent habits lead to profound personal transformations.
• Compound Impact: Consistent efforts compound over time, creating significant growth and impact.
• Leadership Habits: Regular practices, like team meetings, are crucial for effective leadership.
• Setting Standards: Adhering to standards, such as regular one-on-one meetings, contributes to a higher-performing workplace.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Jane Hanson, who is a communication coach and broadcast host. We talk about how leaders or any one can have more influence on others using communication skills. Some of the takeaways:

1: Clarity of message is essential for effective communication, including defining the main message and adding context and storytelling.

2: Body language, including eye contact, leaning in, and using gestures, plays a crucial role in reinforcing your message.

3: Pausing during your speech is brave and enhances the importance of your message while making your audience listen more attentively.

4: Upright posture conveys confidence and belief in what you're saying, contributing to effective communication.

These and much more were discussed in this conversation.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

We talk about how leaders can drive and accelerate collaboration in their teams and organizations, with Harvard Professor Dr. Heidi Gardner, author of the Washington Post bestselling book "Smart Collaboration". Some of the takeaways:

• To apply smarter collaboration we need deep expertise who are exited, passionate and educated in our area.
• We need to find people who have complementary basis of expertise
• All successful entrepreneurs are actually heading platforms which contain qualified, passionate and ambitious people who are supporting them.
• Dr. Gardner Introduces a tool under “Smart Collaboration” to measure how we identify problems, and how teams can interact to approach that problems.

These and much more were discussed in this beneficial conversation.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.  For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring special episode (solo cast) where I will be sharing some practices which would help leaders engage their team early on this year (2024), and ensuring to have great start. Some of the takeaways:

1. External Validation: Emphasize external appreciation to showcase the team's impact through customer feedback or senior leadership recognition.
2. Learn and Apply: Capture lessons from the past year comprehensively, ensuring the team actively learns and applies insights to enhance performance.
3. Future Implications: Reflect on past lessons to proactively address challenges and make improvements, focusing on implications for the current year.
4. Inclusive Goal Setting: Involve the team in setting and agreeing on vision, goals, and behaviors for the year, fostering a sense of shared ownership and commitment.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

My guest for this episode is Anders Bjerregaard, Director and Partner of the consultancy firm Beecon (formerly Execution Excellence) who shared a lot of interesting insights on why strategy implementation fails. Anders offered some tips on what could leaders do to ensure that strategy is implemented including insights on the importance of dialogue, curiosity, vulnerability, and the roles that culture and structure play in increasing the odd of success. Like always we closed the conversation with personal reflections on learning, success habits and purpose! I enjoyed this conversation a lot and I hope you will too!

Like always, I would love to hear your feedback and if you have an inquiry about how you can accelerate change and the development and/or engagement of your people by writing me on my email: fouadmalame@gmail.com

You can connect with Anders through on this email: bje@beecon.dk

 

An inspiring conversation with Mr. Andy Alsop, CEO of "The Receptionist". In this episode, we talked about employee supremacy and the power of trust. Some of the takeaways:

People are the most valuable asset. Caring for people pays off in terms of culture, motivation and results. Trust get created through action not speeches. Empowerment happens when we trust people taking action on critical things, whether they fail or succeed in the process. 

An unlimited employee vacation policy actually made some people take only few days off, which made the company implement a minimum 2 weeks off time AND travel budget to encourage people to take time off and travel! 

We need to ensure that leaders get feedback from their people so we can develop ourselves as leaders and organizations.

These and many more we covered in this episode; ensure to check the whole conversation, and I hope you will find valuable. 

For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Dr. Amin Sanaia DSL, who is a culture builder, people strategist and author. In this conversation we talk about how to develop ourselves and to develop leaders within our organisations. Here are some of my key takeaways: - Leadership is about impacting and serving others and it starts with leading ourselves including taking control of our self talk and daily habits. - Take some time every day to set ourselves up for a good day is key to influence our environment in a positive way - Reflecting and learning every day is the mindset of true leaders as they seek to get better daily.  These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Sam Rosen, who is the co- founder and CEO of Deskpass, helping teams adopt hybrid work. We talk about working virtually and remotely, and some of the key takeaways:

• How to build a great culture without having a physical space
• The importance of human connections for remote and hybrid teams
• Simple practices to drive teamwork in a virtual workplace
• How remote work is as important as a salary raise

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Maria Morukian, who is an author, coach and leadership facilitator. We talk about diversity and inclusion. Some of the takeaways:

1. Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers are important catalysts for change in organizations, but the responsibility for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) should be shared across the entire leadership team.

2. DEI is not just a corporate buzzword; it's essential for organizations to thrive in an increasingly diverse world.

3. Equity is a vital component of DEI, ensuring that everyone has opportunities for advancement and recognition.

4. Demographics are changing rapidly, and younger generations have different expectations for workplace culture and diversity.

5. Mitigating biases and fostering diversity requires conscious awareness, continuous learning, and a commitment to asking the right questions at all levels of leadership.

These and much more were discussed in this conversation.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Professor Anand Nyshadham from the University of Michigan and co-founder of Good Business Lab.  The episode discusses the transformative impact of investing in people's skills and well-being in the workplace. The discussion also underscores the dual benefit of improving workplace conditions: increasing productivity and reducing turnover, thereby benefiting both employees and employers alike. Some of the key takeaways: Investing in soft skills like teamwork and communication can significantly boost productivity in the workplace. Scientifically-backed interventions in employee development can lead to measurable increases in productivity and morale. Positive changes in workplace culture and employee well-being have cascading effects, benefiting entire teams and organizations. Effective investments in people not only enhance productivity but also contribute to long-term profitability and sustainability for businesses. These and much more in this special episode. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

What does it take to create a great engaging workplace? It all starts with having clear mission, vision and values. These are the foundation of great organization and team. This is what I explain in more detail in this new episode which is part of a new series where I share insights about leading people from my experience developing thousands leaders managers and frontliners. I would love to hear your feedback and/or if you have an inquiry about how you can accelerate the developing and/or engagement of your people by writing me on email: fouadmalame@gmail.com.

This episode was supposed to be the pre-call before the interview however it was so fascinating and natural that few minutes into the conversation realized that this should be the podcast itself. 

David is one of those rare leaders who are self aware and passionate about people and contribution. He shares how he started his journey in the corporate world and how as a leader he always sought to make himself redundant so his people don't need him. 

He talks about how he escaped the corporate world to build his own company and how it grew from 7 to 120 employees and as it did he lost control of it which led to a negative culture. But the most fascinating thing is how he took time off and went back to rebuilt the company again building its values of gratitude, growth, contribution. This and much more inspirational examples you will find in this new episode. 

Like always, I would appreciate any feedback you have about this episode or the podcast overall leave a rating or comment as feedback on this episode or overall about the podcast! I would love to hear from you!

Also, whether you are a leaders of 5 or 5000 people, if you have any challenges driving the development of the capabilities, culture, alignment, engagement or collaboration of your people or simply have challenges implementing strategy or driving change at scale, I am offering a free 30 minutes strategy session. In this session you would get insights which you can apply right away to take your people and organization to the next level. You can reach out to me on fouadmalame@gmail.com. 

An inspiring episode with Marsha Acker, who is a principal at TeamCatapult, leadership and team coach and author. We talk about how leaders can use some facilitation techniques or strategies in order to involve, engage people and create more. Some of the takeaways: - In many places leaders are the ones who step forward and make a move and provide alternate ideas, however, we need of the people to be making moves.  - It makes big difference when leaders involve people  - Facilitation becomes a way of building skills for leaders that give people something to do other than just talking to them or giving presentations. - One of the things that facilitation does is that it helps you think about designing environments where others can thrive.  These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring and motivating episode with Carl Magnus Norden, who is a senior entrepreneur and co-founder of Decade Energy - Stockholm, Sweden. We talk about leadership and especially leading start-ups. Some of the key takeaways:

• Resilience is Key: Navigating startup challenges and diverse industries requires adaptability and a resilient mindset.
• Purpose-Driven Teams: Building a motivated and unified team around a clear purpose is essential for long-term success.
• Celebrate Progress: Staying motivated involves acknowledging daily wins and focusing on problem-solving as part of the journey to success.
• User Engagement: Actively engaging with end-users ensures products are relevant and meet real-world needs, enhancing satisfaction and impact.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An exciting conversation with Donna Dahl, an empowerment coach, inspirational speaker and self-development books writer. We talk about how to be empowered and empower others at work. Here are some of the key takeaways:

- To empower others we have to be empowered ourselves

- Keys to self empowerment is having direction/vision for our life, reading and learning and/or having a mentor we look up to

- Health is a key area we can control which leads to self empowerment

- Investing in our energy early in the day has a positive effect of how days unfold

- To empower others we need to give them space to express their voice and own their decisions

- Some example questions leaders can ask to empower their direct report:

- In your opinion, how are we (as a team/department/company) doing?

- How am I (as a leader) doing?

- How are you doing?

- Where would you like to be in 3-5 years from now?

These and much more we covered in this exciting conversation.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.

For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode about how leaders can inspire and mobilize their people to transform and improve in their areas of work, with Ian Ziskin, President of EXec EXel Group LLC. Lots of takeaways from our talk including:

- The power of truth as key to improve and change things

- The importance of talent and complementary skills to drive change and transformation

- Changing before we have to otherwise it might too late

- Vulnerability is key to be able to get people connected and moved

- Finding a void/problem and solving it within your workplace/environment is fulfilling and can open lots of opportunities for professional and personal growth (also known as change your company or change your company! :))

- Reflect on your work and assess if it's really meaningful to you and fulfilling. If not, you might want to explore new paths.

These and much more we covered in our conversation!

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.

PS. Apologies in advance for the voice quality on this episode which was recorded live on LinkedIn which affected the sound.

For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Maurice E. J. Leon, who is a mastermind executive coach. The conversation explores the importance of personal growth and self-awareness in leadership, emphasizing the need to address internal challenges before seeking external change, illustrated through anecdotes of personal and professional transformations. Some of the takeaways:

1. Leaders should recognize the importance of self-awareness and personal growth before seeking external change.

2. The lesson of starting before feeling ready underscores the idea that improvement comes after taking action.

3. Creating leaders who are resilient and strong from the inside out requires addressing personal issues and fostering internal strength.

4. Encouraging individuals to embrace change involves understanding that external shifts may not resolve internal challenges, necessitating self-reflection and growth.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring conversations with Paul ter Wal LLM CSP, founder and CEO of Team Andre. We talk about how leaders can accelerate values alignment and engagement.

Some reflections and insights from our conversation:

Reframing how look at our people from "Human Resources" to "Human Beings" empowers us to fulfill their needs and create a great engaging workplace.

With a clear set of values, we can have a higher performing workplace. The key is to make people own these values not just publishing them on walls.

Leaders' key question should be "how can I help you?" This drives ownership and engagement.

An interesting conversation with Projjal Ghatak, CEO of Onloop - WEF Tech Pioneer 2022. In this conversation we talk about leading the new workplace. Some of the takeaways:

• What are the things that companies need to consider when they are leading people in a hybrid environment, i.e. virtual and live. 
• One of the things that we realize really matter in working virtually is that people are having fun. Teams that have fun together, laugh together, they will stay together 
• Happiness is a big part of motivation 
• Importance and positive effect of celebration and recognition among teams
• Mixing having fun and educating the teams during meetings inspires and motivates them right away. 

These and much more were discussed in this conversation. Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Richard Newman, founder and CEO of UK Body Talk. In this episode, we talk about how anyone can transform his ability to influence others. Some of the takeaways:

- Importance of virtual communication

- The influence of body language in communication

- How to master non-verbal communication

- How leading people means lifting them up

- The importance of self-awareness to inspire others

These and much more we covered in our conversation!

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond.

For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch

An inspiring episode with Rasmus Holst who is the CEO of Annamas 365. We discussed the company's rapid scaling, emphasizing human success, accountability, and cross-team collaboration for creating a healthy workplace culture. Some of the key takeaways:

• Prioritizing human success: Redefining HR paradigms, focusing on customer success, personal growth, and fostering engagement.
• Strategic global expansion: Leveraging partnerships instead of physical presence for efficient scaling, particularly within the Microsoft ecosystem.
• Cultivating accountability and collaboration: Leadership fosters a healthy workplace culture by empowering decision-making, fostering accountability, and encouraging cross-team collaboration, fostering innovation and autonomy.
• Continuous feedback and engagement: Regular check-ins and weekly engagement surveys facilitate open communication, ensuring alignment, and adapting to evolving employee needs and preferences.

These and much more in this special episode.

Until the next episode, stay INSPIRED and make the biggest difference in your area of responsibility and beyond. For any inquiries, please contact fouad@alame.ch