Operational Excellence — Business Advancement

The CEO’s Role in Navigating the “Gray Zone” of Innovation [Episode 90]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:47 — 24.7MB) | Embed

How can you lead through the ambiguity of innovation – even faster and more effectively?

Find out by downloading and listening- on-the-go to Episode 90. While most CEOs are not “hands-on” innovators, there are still a number of defining decisions CEOs make that can greatly impact innovation outcomes. In this episode, Scott and I bring out these issues, share our stories, and provide proven ideas for guiding your company through the “gray zone”

You’ll gain insights on:

What “the gray zone of innovation” is, and how the CEO can set the stage for reducing it
The conflicting needs that are always behind the ambiguity of innovation
Three immediately useful ideas for creating an environment for navigating the innovation gray zone

PeopleShock − The Path to Profits When Customers Rule [Episode 64]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:00 — 27.6MB) | Embed

What is the ultimate competitive advantage in the digital age?

Find out by listening on-the-go to Episode 64, as we speak with Tema Frank, Chief Instigator at Frank Reactions. She is a customer experience, digital marketing, and usability testing pioneer who put up her first website in 1995, and founded the world’s first omni-channel customer service testing firm, Web Mystery Shoppers, in 2001.

Tema is also a best selling author. Her second book, People Shock, The Path to Profits When Customers Rule will be published in May, 2016.

You’ll find out about:

How the “Amazon Effect”is causing customer expectations to rise
Less obvious changes to look for that can signal customer dissatisfaction
Three ideas for creating a strong competitive foundation in the digital age

The Keys to Building More Powerful Collaboration [Episode 61]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:58 — 29.4MB) | Embed

What’s more powerful than collaboration for creating dynamic outcomes?

Find out by listening on-the-go to Episode 61. We speak with returning guest Judith E. Glaser, CEO of Benchmark Communications, Inc., Chairman and Co-Founder of the CreatingWe® Institute, and the world’s leading authority on Conversational Intelligence^®.

Judith is the award winning author of the best selling books CreatingWE^® and Conversational Intelligence^®: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results. (see bio below).

You’ll find out about:

Why co-creation is even more powerful than collaboration
Stories that exemplify using conversational intelligence to move beyond collaboration to co-creation
Three pieces of actionable advice for taking your organization to a place of more powerful collaboration, and beyond

Using Outsourcing to Stay Relevant to Your Customers [Episode 55]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:00 — 27.6MB) | Embed

Are your outsourcing strategies helping you maximize your customer relationships?

Listen as we speak with with returning guest Jim Blasingame, “The Small Business Advocate”, about the nuances of deciding what, when and how to outsource functions to increase your focus, and relevance to your customers.

Jim is author of the best-selling book The Age of the Customer^®—Prepare for the Moment of Relevance, and is also the creator and award-winning host of the nationally syndicated weekday radio program, The Small Business Advocate Show^® with Jim Blasingame. [Read more about Jim below]

You’ll find out about:

How outsourcing has evolved from its origins as a cost-cutting tactic to a strategic practice fully integrated into today’s marketplace
The two faces of outsourcing and what it takes to lead them for the greatest strategic and financial advantage
Three actionable tips for increasing the effectiveness of your outsourcing strategies for maximum benefit to you and your customers

Why CEOs Need To Be Engaged In Cybersecurity [Episode 28]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:57 — 26.7MB) | Embed

What must you do to maximize your company’s cybersecurity?

Listen on-the-go as we discuss the CEO’s role in mitigating cyber-attacks with Mahesh Muchhala, Founder and Chair of Datamotion Inc.

Since 1999, Datamotion has provided secure data delivery technology (such as email and forms encryption), and has enabled organizations of all sizes to reduce the cost and complexity of delivering electronic information to employees, customers and partners in a secure and compliant way. an award-winning provider of information security services to millions of users worldwide in companies of every size.

We discuss:

Common misconceptions about cybersecurity
The critical role of the CEO, C-Suite, and Board in maximizing cybersecurity
Three critical steps to reduce the risk of hackers, data-thieves and other cyber-threats