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Igniting Momentum for Game-Changing Results

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A More Powerful Way To Shape Your Company’s Culture For Growth

How can culture remain your company’s competitive edge when you’re growing rapidly?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 124 TranscriptFind out by listening to “fan favorite” Episode 124. Even when there’s no time and you don’t have all the right people in place, there is a way to shape company culture without putting your business on hold. Scott and I share what we’ve learned from our experiences guiding leaders on this critical issue.

You’ll gain insights on

  • A practical framework for shaping company culture that enables everyone to focus on their “real work”
  • How a rapidly growing company found unexpected ways to increase the speed and quality of decisions
  • Three pieces of immediately useful advice for getting the perspectives you need to keep shaping your company’s culture as a competitive edge

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How to Spot Major Changes in Business Before They Happen

 Even in the midst of ambiguity, it is possible  to “see around corners” 

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 1678TranscriptFind out more by listening to fan-favorite Episode 168. Scott and I speak with Professor Rita Gunther McGrath, a world-renowned thought leader and a professor at Columbia Business School, where she directs the popular Leading Strategic Growth and Change program. She is widely recognized as a premier expert on leading innovation and growth during times of uncertainty.

She is also the author of many scholarly articles and best-selling books, the latest of which is Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen. (read more below about Dr. Rita Gunther McGrath).

You’ll gain insights on:

  • Why 10X shifts in the business landscape (known as inflection points) can seem sudden but are not
  • The key to distinguishing between real signals of a disruptive inflection point and “noise”
  • Three immediately useful ideas your leadership team can use to see around corners and position your organization and yourself for your next level of success

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Visual Thinking … And Why CEOs Should Care About It

What is a powerful way to create shared commitment to a vision?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 176 TranscriptFind out by listening to Episode 178. Scott and I speak with Todd Cherches, CEO and Cofounder of BigBlueGumball, a New York City-based consulting firm specializing in leadership development, public speaking, and executive coaching. He is also the author of VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life.

Todd is a three-time award-winning Adjunct Assistant Professor of leadership at the New York University School of Professional Studies, in the Division of Programs in Business, where he had been teaching his popular “Leadership and Team Building” graduate course in their Human Capital Management master’s program for the past 10 years. (read more about Todd Cherches below)

You’ll find out:

  • How thinking visually (“VisuaLeadership”) can help people transform visions into reality
  • Four approaches to visual thinking, and how to choose the best approach for your particular purpose
  • Three immediately actionable steps for leveraging the power of visual thinking

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Improvising Through Crisis: Employing Comedy To Make Messages Stick

How has the Second City Improvisation Theater been improvising through crises?
Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 176 TranscriptFind out by listening to Episode 176. Scott and I speak with returning guest Kelly Leonard, Executive Director Of Insights And Applied Improvisation at Second City Works, the business arm of the Second City Improvisation Theater.

His book, “Yes, And,” received rave reviews in Vanity Fair and The Washington Post. He co-leads a new partnership with Booth School at the University of Chicago that studies behavioral science through the lens of improvisation. (read more about Kelly below)

You’ll find out:

  • How The Second City has flexed its improvisational and comedy muscle to change its business model and increase resilience in the wake of multiple crises
  • Principles for appropriately using improvisation, humor, and comedy to navigate tough times
  • Three immediately actionable steps for employing improvisation and comedy to help messages get through and stick – even during a crisis

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Create New Opportunities Through Your Hidden Network

How can serving your existing network of connections lead to new opportunities?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 147 TranscriptFind out by listening on-the-go to Episode 147. In this popular episode, Scott and I revisit our conversation with returning guest and best-selling author David Burkus. His newest book, Friend of a Friend, offers readers a new perspective on how to grow their networks and build key connections — one based on the science of human behavior, not rote networking advice. 

David is an Associate Professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University, and also author the best-selling books The Myths of Creativity and Under New Management. In 2017, he was named as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50.  He is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and his work has been featured in Fast Company, Financial Times, Inc magazine, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and CBS This Morning. He has delivered keynotes to leaders of Fortune 500 companies and the future leaders of the United States Naval Academy. His TED talk has been viewed over 1.8 million times. (read more below)

Gain insights on:

  • Why some of the common wisdom about human networks is often “misguided advice”
  • Examples of the types of “hidden network” connections most likely to lead to new information and opportunities
  • Immediately actionable ideas for finding your own hidden network and building key connections

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Could the Gig Economy Make Your Office Obsolete?

How can your business make the most of the evolving “Gig Economy”?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 164 TranscriptDownload and listen-on-the-go to Episode 164. Scott and I speak with Diane Mulcahy, an expert on the changing work environment and author of The Gig Economy. She created the first course in the country on the Gig Economy and teaches it in the MBA program at Babson College. The course gained immediate traction and was named by Forbes as one of the Top Ten Most Innovate Business School Courses in the country.  (see more about Diane below)

You’ll gain insights about:

  • How Gig Work can be used to creatively respond to the turbulent business environment
  • The key to integrating Gig Work into your existing workforce and processes
  • Three immediately useful ideas for benefitting from the Gig Economy

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How CEOs Can Use LinkedIn To Strengthen Business Relationships

 What is the underused potential of LinkedIn for CEOs? 

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 159 TranscriptFind out by downloading and listening- on-the-go to Episode 159. Scott and I speak with Sid Vaidya, MBA. He is a commercial banking professional with over 10 years of experience working with middle-market businesses on growth and efficiency strategies. Prior to that he helped run a family food business.

Sid is an active networker and dedicates time to the business and social community. This includes running a networking event called Switch. (see more about Sid below)

You’ll gain insights on:

  • The underused potential of LinkedIn for CEOs and C-Suite execs
  • How to go from superficial connection to creating a valuable relationship
  • Three immediately useful tips for growing relationships using LinkedIn

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How Stories Can Launch Epic Transformation

What do villains, victims and heroes have to do with your vision?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 151 TranscriptFind out by listening on-the-go to Episode 151.  Scott and I speak with Greg Stone, president of Stone Communications. His newest book is Branding with Powerful Stories: The Villains, Victims and Heroes Model.

Greg has provided media and presentation skills consulting for corporate clients such as Fidelity, IBM, and 3M; as well as for governors, mayors and four spokespeople facing interviews on “60 Minutes.” A three-time Emmy nominee, Greg worked as a writer at Time Inc. in New York, and as a TV reporter in Minneapolis, Boston, and on PBS. (read more about Greg below)

You’ll gain insights on:

  • Busting the most common myth CEOs hold about executive storytelling
  • The keys to creating a story that builds commitment to epic transformation
  • Three immediately useful ideas for crafting engaging stories that lead to action

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What is the Future of Trust in the Digital Age?

What ethical issues do we all need to revisit as digital technology evolves to build trust in the digital age?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 145 TranscriptDownload and listen-on-the-go to Episode 145. Scott and I have a thought-provoking conversation about ethics with returning guest and futurist Jim Blasingame, based upon his newest award-winning book, The 3rd Ingredient: The Journey of Analog Ethics into the World of Digital Fear and Greed.  We discuss what’s behind the generalized anxiety about privacy, cyber-breaches and more. What will it take to increase digital trust in the digital age under these circumstances?

Jim is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost experts on small business and entrepreneurship. He is the creator and award-winning host of the nationally syndicated weekday radio program, The Small Business Advocate Show® with Jim Blasingame. In addition to The 3rd Ingredient, Jim is the author of three other award-winning books, including The Age of the Customer.  He has also been a syndicated columnist since 1999.  [Read more about Jim below]

You’ll find out about:

  • The “unprecedented 10,000-year shift” prompting the need to look at ethical issues in new ways
  • The difference between human “analog ethics” and “digital ethics” – and why it matters
  • Immediately useful ideas for increasing trust as digital technology evolves

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How Virtual Offices Are Transforming the 21st Century Workplace

Could the virtual office movement be a game-changer for your company?

Read Growth Igniters Radio Episode 140 TranscriptFind out by listening on-the-go to Episode 140.  Our guest is Frank Cottle, CEO of Alliance Virtual Offices and Chairman of the Alliance Business Centers Network. He is a recognized expert on flexible working, the virtual office movement and “third place” working. Prior to creating the Alliance brand, Frank successfully operated his own portfolio of business centers in multiple locations across North America.  (see more about Frank below).

You’ll gain insights on:

  • A new definition and value proposition for today’s virtual office
  • How successful companies of all sizes are using virtual offices to attract and retain top global talent
  • Immediately useful ideas for deciding which roles and functions could fit best with virtual offices

About Frank Cottle

Frank Cottle is CEO of Alliance Virtual Offices and Chairman of the Alliance Business Centers Network. He is a recognized expert on flexible working, the virtual office movement and “third place” Working. Prior to creating the Alliance brand, Frank successfully operated his own portfolio of business centers in multiple locations across North America.

Frank has spent nearly 30 years delivering business services that are finely tuned to the workplace needs of startups, entrepreneurs, and growing SMBs. Over the years he has worked with tens of thousands of business owners and, coupled with a unique global management perspective, has become the go-to authority on flexible and remote work.

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