• Facilitation is not limited to those with the title of a facilitator; it is a mindset that can be adopted by managers to transition from micromanaging to leadership.
• Psychological safety, vulnerability, and authenticity are crucial in creating an environment where individuals feel comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and collaborating effectively.
• The role of a facilitator is to make the implicit explicit, promote vulnerability, and encourage a culture of curiosity and collaboration within the group.
• Facilitation plays a significant role in transforming organizational culture and leadership mindset, leading to improved team dynamics and better outcomes.
• The art of facilitation involves preparation, attunement to the needs of the group, and the ability to interpret silence and unspoken dynamics within the group.

• "I think every manager needs to learn how to facilitate at least a bit to step out of the micromanaging burden into leadership."
• "As a facilitator, the next step is to show them that there is a higher goal that brings them all together so that they're all on the same side."
• "When we reply to other people more with 'yes and,' we help the person to feel good about themselves because they feel seen."

In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor interviews Ty Wiggins, CEO and Executive Transition Practice Lead at Russell Reynolds Associates. They discuss the challenges and lessons of transitioning into the CEO role. Ty shares insights from his book, 'The New CEO,' which focuses on the importance of adapting leadership style, managing expectations, and building a strong executive team. They also discuss the impact of communication and culture on a CEO's effectiveness. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the need for curiosity, adaptability, and a focus on organizational culture in order to succeed as a CEO.

#CEOtransition, #leadershipstyle, #executiveteam, #communication, #culture, #organizationalculture

Takeaways: -Transitioning into the CEO role is a significant challenge that requires adapting leadership style and managing expectations. -Effective communication is crucial for a CEO, as their words and actions have a significant impact on the organization. -Building a strong executive team is essential for a CEO's success, and it requires creating an environment of collaboration and trust. -Understanding and shaping organizational culture is a key responsibility of a CEO, as it has a profound influence on the organization's performance.

Ty Wiggins is a leadership expert who is passionate about setting new CEOs up for success. As the lead of Russell Reynolds Associates’ CEO & Transitions Practice globally, he helps world-leading CEOs successfully onboard and transition into their role, to unlock business (and personal) success— faster. A trusted advisor, he guides new CEOs through their first 12-18 months in role, so they land well and perform quickly. Ty is one of one of only a handful of people globally with a PhD in leadership transitions. He harnesses his deep academic and consulting background to provide CEOs, boards, and senior leadership across industries with the skill and advice needed to enact transformational change.

// Connect with us:

► Contact us: https://www.smestrategy.net/contact ► Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/

// About SME STRATEGY CONSULTING:

SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster.

► Work with us: Are you looking for someone to facilitate your strategic planning process? https://www.smestrategy.net/strategic-planning-facilitator

If you prefer to get a video, subscribe on YouTube. : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrpk3rGUdg7qUQjiog/?sub_confirmation=1

About SME STRATEGY CONSULTING:

SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster.

Learn more at: https://www.smestrategy.net/strategic-planning-facilitator

Brad Sugars, president and founder of Action Coach Global, shares insights on business coaching, leadership, and business modeling. He discusses the importance of coaching, management, and leadership skills, as well as the evolution of business strategies. Brad emphasizes the significance of leverage, scalability, marketability, and opportunity in business strategy. He also highlights the differences in coaching for new businesses versus established businesses, and the value of external experience in achieving business results.

Official Bio: Brad is the Chairman and Founder of ActionCOACH, a multi-million-dollar franchise providing result-driven education and business solutions to entrepreneurs and executives in 70+ countries across the world. Since starting it in 1993, Brad has scaled up his venture into an award-winning global enterprise that coaches 15,000 businesses on a weekly basis, helping them grow, sustain, and succeed. With over 30 years of experience in the entrepreneurial space, Brad has established himself as one of the world’s leading business coaches. He has lent his professional expertise to 9+ companies as a CEO, besides building his personal brand as a renowned business guru, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. https://www.amazon.in/Pulling-Profits-Out-Hat-Company/dp/1732049726

https://www.actioncoach.com/ and https://bradsugars.com/

If you prefer to get a video, subscribe on YouTube. : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrpk3rGUdg7qUQjiog/?sub_confirmation=1

About SME STRATEGY CONSULTING:

SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster.

Learn more at: https://www.smestrategy.net/strategic-planning-facilitator

In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership podcast, host Anthony Taylor sits down with Christopher Volk, an accomplished author and business veteran known for his expertise in wealth creation and financial strategy. Christopher, who has a storied career in commercial banking and leading multiple businesses, shares his journey from starting at a bank to taking companies public and engaging with giants like GE and Berkshire Hathaway. His book, "The Value Equation," serves as a cornerstone for the discussion, offering insights into the fundamental principles that drive business success.

Throughout the conversation, Christopher delves into the practicalities of taking a company public, the importance of leveraging other people's money (OPM), and how to balance shareholder's equity with debt to optimize business growth. He explains how understanding and managing six core financial variables can make a company more valuable and shares his belief in the universal virtues of free enterprise. He also touches on maintaining liquidity, making prudent long-term investments, and efficiently utilizing assets and capital to maximize returns. This episode is a treasure trove for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors looking to deepen their understanding of business finance and wealth creation.

Prefer to get video, subscribe on Youtube. : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrpk3rGUdg7qUQjiog/?sub_confirmation=1

About SME STRATEGY CONSULTING:

SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster.

For teams: We can facilitate your strategic planning offsite meeting and strategic plan creation. As well as support your strategic plan implementation.

For individuals leading strategy: Join our community of strategy leaders who have learned SME Strategy’s approach and tools for aligning teams, and driving strategic plans forward.

For more visit www.smestrategy.net/

In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership podcast, host Anthony Taylor converses with Brent Kedzierski, Shell's former Head of Learning Strategy and Innovation and current Chief Industrial Advocate at Human Works. Brent shares his extensive insights on human-centered industry, emphasizing the necessity for a strategic approach to leadership development and the evolution of the workplace in response to changing generational expectations.

Drawing from over two decades of experience, Brent discusses the critical differences between large multinationals like Shell and SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) in how they develop and support their workforce. He explains the need for a well-defined leadership pipeline and exposes the flaws in the prevalent practice of promoting technically proficient individuals to leadership roles. The conversation also covers the evolving expectations of Gen Z employees, the importance of psychological safety in the workplace, and the future of work design.

Connect with SME Strategy: www.smestrategy.net Connect with Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/

Work with a strategic planning facilitator on your next strategy offsite: https://www.smestrategy.net/strategic-planning-facilitator

Summary

Steve Dennis, president and founder of SageBerry Consulting, discusses the transformation of the retail industry in the digital age and the challenges faced by companies in adapting to change. He emphasizes the need for leaders to embrace a mindset of continuous transformation and make the necessary mindset shifts to drive success. Dennis also highlights the importance of imagination and creativity in business, as well as the need to think beyond traditional constraints and business models. He encourages leaders to take a portfolio approach to innovation and be willing to take calculated risks.

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor, keynote speaker, and bestselling author focused on growth, innovation, and the impact of digital disruption. Steve's groundbreaking book--"Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption"--is a perennial international bestseller, and his provocative ideas on the future of shopping and consumer behavior are regularly featured in the media, in his role as a Forbes senior contributor, and through the award winning Remarkable Retail podcast. His new book is "Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption" During a storied and diverse career as a C-suite executive at two Fortune 500 companies–and most recently as a consultant and member of several boards–Steve has worked with dozens of brands to catalyze and design their journey to remarkable results. As a sought-out keynote speaker, Steve has delivered inspiring talks on six continents, sharing his unique perspectives on what it takes to reignite customer growth in a world of constant change and shifting consumer preferences. Steve is President of SageBerry Consulting. Prior to founding SageBerry, he was the chief strategy officer for the Neiman Marcus Group, where he also led the company's customer insight, loyalty, and multichannel marketing efforts.

Keywords

retail, digital transformation, leadership, mindset shifts, innovation, disruption

Takeaways

The retail industry has been greatly impacted by digital technology and faces challenges in adapting to the changing landscape.

Leaders need to embrace a mindset of continuous transformation and be willing to make the necessary mindset shifts to drive success.

Imagination and creativity are crucial in business, and leaders should think beyond traditional constraints and business models.

A portfolio approach to innovation, combining incremental improvements and game-changing ideas, can help companies stay competitive.

Leaders must be willing to take calculated risks and be open to exploring new opportunities.

Titles

Taking a Portfolio Approach to Innovation

The Importance of Mindset Shifts in Leadership

Sound Bites

"If the world has changed so much, why have you changed so little?"

"Safe is risky."

"Destruction is a means for creation."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:44 The Impact of Digital Technology on Retail

04:11 The Need for Mindset Shifts in Leadership

08:43 Unleashing Imagination and Creativity in Business

10:07 Taking a Portfolio Approach to Innovation

12:05 Embracing Calculated Risks and New Opportunities

21:14 Conclusion and Call to Action

Projjal Ghatak (JJ) is the CEO and co-founder of Onloop, a company focused on rethinking how goals and feedback are handled within organizations using AI-powered technology. JJ has extensive experience in leadership and management roles, including as the former head of strategy and international business development at Uber. He holds an MBA from Stanford and is passionate about leveraging technology to enhance workplace productivity. JJ enjoys following Tiger Woods and is an active angel investor, driven by a desire to make complex processes more insightful and engaging.

In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership podcast, Anthony Taylor hosts Projjal Ghatak, fondly known as JJ, the CEO and co-founder of Onloop. They delve into the importance of delivering feedback in a manner that fosters growth, collaboration, and curiosity rather than judgment. With JJ's extensive background in leadership roles and his innovative approach at Onloop, he shares insightful perspectives on enhancing organizational performance through AI-driven feedback mechanisms.

JJ elaborates on his philosophy of minimizing friction in goal alignment and feedback processes. Drawing analogies from sports coaching, he emphasizes the necessity of capturing regular observations and converting them into actionable insights through generative AI. The conversation further delves into Onloop’s proprietary framework for collaborative team development, which aims to demystify and simplify the manager’s role, making it more engaging and efficient. By comparing the fitness industry's motivational tactics, JJ advocates for making workplace productivity practices equally appealing and beneficial.

• Curiosity over Judgment: Approaching feedback with curiosity rather than judgment leads to more constructive and less confrontational interactions.
• Hierarchical Needs of Team Members: JJ discusses a five-tiered hierarchical approach to managing team productivity, focusing first on motivation and clear goal setting.
• Insights Through Generative AI: The use of generative AI in Onloop’s platform helps transform unstructured observations into specific, actionable feedback.
• Effective Feedback Delivery: Constructive feedback, when direct, kind, and specific, helps individuals recognize their superpowers and identify areas for improvement.
• Cultural Transformation: Shifting the narrative from "performance management" to "cultural transformation" enhances receptivity and engagement within teams.

1. "Are you approaching things with curiosity? Are you approaching things with judgment? When you start approaching things with curiosity, there is a much greater probability that you will end up being helpful."
2. "We try to make the process of goal alignment and feedback as fun as possible."
3. "Every team member has five hierarchical needs, and it's every manager's job to manage those five needs hierarchically."
4. "If people don't want to do something, start off at a negative, then no matter how positive things are, it takes a hurdle."
5. "Give managers a simple way to think about how they drive high performance in their teams."

• Projjal Ghatak on LinkedIn

• Onloop Website

• Anthony Taylor on LinkedIn

refer to get video, subscribe on Youtube. : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrpk3rGUdg7qUQjiog/?sub_confirmation=1

About SME STRATEGY CONSULTING:

SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster.