The Innovation Show

In his 14-plus years as a strategic communications trainer, the biggest obstacle our guests comes across - one that connects directly to nervousness, stammering, rambling, and epic fail - is that most speakers and writers don't have a point. They typically have just a title, a theme, a topic, an idea, an assertion, a catchphrase, or even something much less. A point is something more. It's a contention you can propose, argue, defend, illustrate, and prove. When we have a point, our influence snaps into place. We communicate belief, conviction, and urgency. Our guest shows us how to identify a point, leverage it, stick to it, and sell it and how to train others to identify and successfully make their own points. In a world of information over abundance standing out becomes even more difficult, yet so many of us don't know how to make a point. As professional communications shifted from physical to virtual, he noticed firsthand both highly effective and utterly ruinous approaches to using video conference technology to communicate and make strong points. We welcome public speaking trainer and author of Get to the point, sharpen your message and make your words matter and friend of the show Joel Schwartzberg We discuss an overview of Get to the point and the takeaways from Joel's Harvard Business review article entitled "How to Elevate Your Presence in a Virtual Meeting" We discuss: How we often have what we think is a point, but it is often just: A topic A title A theme Uptalking Bias in communication Tips for panelists and MCs How we formulate a point and the "I believe that test" Virtual meetings in a digital world Elevating both your point and your presence Projecting your voice Proximity plays a part The HBR article is here: https://bit.ly/2TLkpvk Joel is here: https://www.joelschwartzberg.net/ Previous episode with Joel is here: https://bit.ly/2ZGRw7y

This episode aims to empower young women and give some tips to parents and mentors along the way. Recast yourself - Own your wins - Define your legacy - Leverage your success Written by Randy Patterson, the CEO of a multimillion-dollar startup, The Matriarch Rules provides you with guidelines that empower you to find personal success and growth in being the compassionate, powerful, and forward-thinking woman you are. Achieve success by becoming the change maker you were always meant to be. What is a matriarch? For one thing, you can tell she's in charge the second she walks into a room. She's bold, she's fierce, and she's got her own unique style. The matriarch isn't some crusty old lady dressed head-to-toe in black who sits at the head of the table barking demands at Sunday dinner. The modern matriarch is alive and vivacious. She's purposeful and deliberate about everything, from her career, to her home, to her family, to what she eats for lunch. She is not second guessing herself but moving herself and those she loves boldly into the future. The matriarch's vision for her career is as big as her love for her family, and she's paid her worth for work she's passionate about. The matriarch knows exactly what she wants the end game to be and she has the power to make it come to fruition. Simply put: she has her act together and you feel safer and more secure when you're in her presence. So, the question is, how does one become her? This episode answers that question and more. - Recast yourself - Own your wins - Define your legacy - Leverage your success.

Today's leaders are getting stuck at an ever-increasing rate as they reach outside their core capabilities in search of growth. After experiencing this himself, and observing countless other CEOs facing a similar battle, our guest decided to do something about it. Craig Lemasters leveraged his extensive leadership experience to develop a unique perspective around why this phenomenon keeps happening and what leaders can do to break free. His book guides readers through examples of some of the most common challenges preventing progress and teaches them how to intentionally tap into the vast knowledge and experience of others. More about Craig here: https://craiglemasters.com https://gxg.co/

There are plenty of leadership how-to books, filled with advice such as "Just do this to get ahead!" Lots of books tell you how to become a leader, this book tells you how to stay successful once you've reached a leadership role. This episode and today's book helps aspiring, early-stage, and experienced leaders alike answer a critical question: "How will I use my leadership power?" Being a good leader doesn't require being a bad person, and if you know what to look out for, you can keep your ego and hubris in check and become (and stay) a leader who is effective, successful, and good. We welcome Bill Treasurer, the author of: "The Leadership Killer: Reclaiming Humility in an Age of Arrogance." More about Bill here: https://www.giantleapconsulting.com/killer/

Kris Østergaard provides real-world advice and research-based information on how to grow innovation by employing new technologies, improving processes, and establishing a culture of creativity and forward momentum. Conventional business wisdom views innovation as the biggest advantage startups have over large, established organizations, often referred to as legacy organizations. This belief is false, especially when considering that 70% of all startups fail within 20 months of their first venture round. The truth is innovation initiatives of legacy organizations have far better chances of succeeding. Organizations with superior resources—money, customers, suppliers, data, employees, infrastructure—can overcome challenges from new entrepreneurial ventures: knowing how to leverage their underutilized advantage is key for achieving sustained, long-term innovation success. More about Kris here: https://krisoestergaard.com/ https://su.org/about/faculty/kris-ostergaard/

Our bonus guest is a neuroscientist and pioneer in the field of NeuroLeadership. She trained at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research and is a McKinsey consultant; she delivers brain-based leadership programs to Fortune 500 executives and organisations around the globe to transform how they think, innovate, and navigate change. Her book "The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier" has been translated into several languages and received many awards and that book was the focus of episode 86 of the Innovation show. Neuroscientist and author Friederike Fabritius shares how fear makes us think less effectively and changes both our physiology and our neurochemistry. We discuss: The Neuroscience of Fear The Neurochemistry of fear How our thinking is less effective How the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting us Concerns for the post Covid-19 world More about Friederike https://www.fabulous-brain.com/

Want to avoid business disasters, whether minor mishaps, such as excessive team conflict, or major calamities like those that threaten bankruptcy or doom a promising career? Fortunately, behavioural economics studies show that such disasters stem from poor decisions because of our faulty mental patterns - what scholars call "cognitive biases" - and are preventable. Unfortunately, the typical advice for business leaders to "go with their guts" plays into these cognitive biases and leads to disastrous decisions that devastate the bottom line. By combining practical case studies with cutting-edge research, Never Go With Your Gut will help you make the best decisions and prevent these business disasters. Our guest is a leading expert on avoiding business disasters and draws on over 20 years of extensive consulting, coaching, and speaking experience to show how pioneering leaders and organisations - many of them his clients - avoid business disasters. You can find out more about Gleb here: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/

"No matter how good the chief innovation officer may be, no matter how creative and entrepreneurial an innovation team, they cannot successfully create new market growth for an organisation unless the leadership team is directly involved in their work, guiding them with their long term vision and strategy, helping them to create the right processes to move their ventures forward and protecting them from competition from the core Absent that high-level attention, those ventures might never get off the ground." - Mark Johnson We all know a visionary leader when we see one. They're bold and prophetic and at the same time pragmatic. They don't just promote change--they drive it, while inspiring and mobilising others to do the same. Visionaries like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos possess a host of innate qualities that make them extraordinary, but what truly sets them apart is their ability to turn vision into action. Our guest introduces a new way of thinking and managing, called "future-back," that enables any manager to become a practical visionary. Addressing the many barriers to change that exist in established organisations, he presents a systematic approach to overcoming them that includes: The principles and mind-set that allow leadership teams to look beyond typical short-term planning horizons A method for turning emerging challenges into the growth opportunities that can define an organisation's future A step-by-step approach for translating a vision into a strategic plan that teams can align around and commit to Ways to ensure that visionary thinking becomes a repeatable organisational capability We welcome Mark Johnson, founder of Innosight and author of "Lead from the Future Lead from the Future: How to Turn Visionary Thinking Into Breakthrough Growth" More about the book: https://www.innosight.com/insight/lead-from-the-future/ The HBR article referenced during the episode: https://hbr.org/2020/04/leaders-do-you-have-a-clear-vision-for-the-post-crisis-future

Today's guest in this bonus episode is an innovator in his field, a brain expert and bestselling author who is on the forefront of a new movement within medicine and related disciplines. We discuss strategies to deal with the Covid-19 crisis and our brain health during periods of high stress and anxiety. We discuss: 1. How fear impacts our decision making 2. Crushing ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) 3. Understanding different brain types 4. How to manage stress/comfort eating 5. How to influence children during a crisis More about Daniel here: https://www.amenclinics.com

There is a lot of hype, hand waving and ink being spilled about artificial intelligence (AI) in business. The amount of coverage of this topic in the trade press and on shareholder calls is evidence of a large change currently underway. It is both awesome and terrifying. What started as an inquiry into how executives can adopt AI to harness the best of human and machine capabilities turned into a much more profound rumination on the future of humanity and enterprise. It is a wake-up call for business leaders across all sectors of the economy. Not only should you implement AI regardless of your industry, but once you do, you should fight to stay true to your purpose, your ethical convictions, indeed your humanity, even as our organisations continue to evolve. While not holding any punches about the dangers posed by AI, today's guest uniquely surveys where technology is limited, and where the true opportunities lie amidst all the disruptive change that is currently underway. Weak Human + Machine + Better Process > Strong Human + Machine + Inferior Process More about John here: https://thehumachinebook.com

Everyone wants to create new products and services, find new customers and markets, stay ahead of the competition, and work smarter instead of harder. Yet with all the focus and attention on innovation, the term has become an overused buzzword rather than a real, tangible concept. If you want to seriously pursue innovation—you need to strip away the hype. Real innovators need to transcend the existing ideas, rules, and patterns to discover exciting new outcomes. They must step outside the best practice box and get their hands dirty. The spirit of a true innovator is rooted in wanting to do something that has never been done before, to solve problems that have never been solved, and to run through walls and leap over tall buildings to get there. In his book, our guest—the retired chairman and CEO of Cree, a company that fundamentally changed the way people experience light and drove the obsolescence of the Edison light bulb—explains that innovation is fundamentally about people and tells us how to develop a mindset of creativity, risk-taking, and hard work. We welcome author "The Innovator's Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible", Chuck Swoboda More about Chuck: https://www.innovatorsontap.com

Part 7 explores Dee Hock's latest years from age 75-92 and his thoughts on what comes next. This episode is my personal favourite. Dee shares: Competition and Cooperation Thoughts on the future The impact of future technologies Parting advice for us all Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation. He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us. It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock. http://www.deewhock.com/

Part 6 explores how Dee Hock created the conditions for Visa to emerge Dee shares: How such a complex organisation made and implemented decisions. Self policing entities The dispersion of innovations Why Dee left Visa at the pinnacle of success Restoring the 200 acres of wild land Those 3 questions The Sante Fe Institue The New Odyssey at 65 Writing his book Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation. He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us. It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock. http://www.deewhock.com/

Do you ever feel overwhelmed and powerless after watching the news? Does it make you feel sad about the world, without much hope for its future? The world is not as bad as the headlines would have you believe. Today's guest has spent the last ten years researching the damaging impact of the negativity bias in the news on our mental health and the health of our society, as well as investigating the impact of solutions-focused news. Her widely cited research has made her an influential figure within the movement for "Constructive Journalism". As a partner at The Constructive Journalism Project, she writes for established and emerging news platforms; speaks on panels with leading thinkers, academics and journalists; delivers workshops and training to journalists and regularly speaks at universities and media conferences around the world., we welcome author of "You are What You Read" Jodie Jackson We talk: How the information we consume informs our reality The psychological impact of negative news The opportunities of constructive journalism How we can all adjust our media diets More about Jodie here: https://jodiejackson.com

Part 5 explores how Dee Hock took on the challenge of Visa International, formerly known as Ibanco. Dee shares: How they rebranded Visa Globally Lessons from failure Leadership v Management How they pioneered, electronic point of sale terminals, electronic descriptive billing, magnetic stripe technology, debit cards, Visa travellers cheques, check guarantee system, global automated teller system, redundant data centres, and dozen of other innovations. Constantly pushing decentralisation of authority and functions. Dee's philosophy of study to understand control Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation. He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us. It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock. www.deewhock.com

Part 4 explores how Dee Hock took on the challenge of Visa International, formerly known as Ibanco. Dee shares: How different countries lacked trust his tactics to bring them together The beautiful concept of the Visa cufflinks More of his wonderful philosophies Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation. He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us. It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock. http://www.deewhock.com/

Dr. Tina Payne Bryson is the co-author (with Dan Siegel) of two New York Times Best Sellers—The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline—each of which has been translated into dozens of languages, as well as The Yes Brain and The Power of Showing Up and the forthcoming Bottom Line for Baby. She is the Founder and Executive Director of The Center for Connection, a multidisciplinary clinical practice in Southern California. Dr. Bryson keynotes conferences and conducts workshops for parents, educators, and clinicians all over the world, and she frequently consults with schools, businesses, and other organizations. An LCSW, Tina is a graduate of Baylor University with a Ph.D. from USC. The most important part of her bio, she says, is that she's a mom to her three boys. Tina joins us to explain how we can guide children through the Covid-19 pandemic. You can learn more about Dr. Bryson at TinaBryson.com.

Part 3 explores how Dee Hock "educed" an organisation using "chaordic" principles. He highlights how we brought so many diverse people and their organisations together to form Visa. He also shares some fascinating philosophies. Dee shares: His philosophies of leadership and management How we can arrange our time to be a good leader and even a follower How he found himself leading Visa, when only 3 years previously he was searching through bins as part of his role Internal models of reality His philosophy on what he calls the machine metaphor and how we live in such mechanical and command and control society The innovations that he led, including how his team built authorisation software for his vision of a digital world His team's agile working methods Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation. He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us. It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock. http://www.deewhock.com/

Part 2 explores how just as Dee Hock decided to "retire on the job" by giving up on his desire to make an impact on the business world, a series of events gave him the opportunity to create a chaordic organisation that would eventually become Visa. This episode includes the principles, that were the foundation of Visa: How Dee Hock used human ingenuity to empower those around him The challenges he and the team overcame The definition of Chaordic The definition of Educe Onion peeling the definitions of what made up the exchange of value Abstract: 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation. He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us. It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock. http://www.deewhock.com/

Across the western world more and more people are slowing down. Slower is better: better work, better productivity, better exercise, better sex, better food. Almost everyone complains about the hectic pace of their lives. These days, our culture teaches that faster is better. But in the race to keep up, everything suffers - our work, diet and health, our relationships and sex lives. International bestselling author Carl Honoré uncovers a movement that challenges the cult of speed. In this entertaining and hands-on investigation, he takes us on a tour of the emerging Slow movement: from a Tantric sex workshop in London to a meditation room for Tokyo executives, from a SuperSlow exercise studio in New York, to Italy, the home of the Slow Food, Slow Cities and Slow Sex movements. There has never been a better time to embrace the healing power of living slow. More about Carl here: http://www.carlhonore.com

Part One of a multi-part miniseries on the life and philosophies of Visa founder and CEO Emeritus Dee Hock. This will run in parallel to the show, which will run as usual. 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation. He is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision which has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us. It is such an immense honour to welcome the founder and CEO Emeritus of Visa and author of the pioneering work "The Birth of the Chaordic Age" and its updated version "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization", Dee Hock. http://www.deewhock.com/

Unprecedented access to infinite solutions has led us to realise that having all the answers is not the answer. From innovation teams to creativity experts to crowdsourcing, we've turned from one source to another, spending endless cycles pursuing piecemeal solutions to each challenge we face. What if your organisation had an effective and systematic approach to deal with any problem? To find better solutions, you need to first ask better questions. The questions you ask determine which solutions you'll see and which will remain hidden. More about Stephen here: https://stephenshapiro.com/invisible-solutions/

Imagine what you could do with the time you spend writing emails every day. Complexity is killing companies' ability to innovate and adapt, and simplicity is fast becoming the competitive advantage of our time. Our guest today helps leaders and their teams move beyond the feelings of frustration and futility that come with so much unproductive work in today's corporate world to create a corporate culture where valuable, essential, meaningful work is the norm. By learning how to eliminate redundancies, communicate with clarity, and make simplification a habit, individuals and companies can begin to recognise which activities are time-sucks and which create lasting value. Simplification is a skill that's available to us all, yet very few leaders use it. Simplification is the right thing to do--for our customers, for our company, and for each other. Operating with simplification as our core business model will make it easier to be respectful of each other's time. Simplification drives culture, and culture in turn drives employee engagement, customer relations, and overall productivity. More about Lisa here: https://futurethink.com/

It is always a pleasure to welcome friend of the Innovation Show Scott D. Anthony. In his new book, he proposes a practical and sustainable approach to one of the greatest challenges facing leaders today: transforming your business in the face of imminent disruption. Dual Transformation shows us how a company can come out of a market shift stronger and more profitable, because the threat of disruption is also the greatest opportunity a leadership team will ever face. Disruptive change opens a window of opportunity to create massive new markets. It is the moment when a market also-ran can become a market leader. It is the moment when business legacies are created. That moment starts with the core dual transformation framework: Transformation A: Repositioning today's business to maximise its resilience, such as how Adobe boldly shifted from selling packaged software to providing software as a service. Transformation B: Creating a new growth engine, such as how Amazon became the world's largest provider of cloud computing services. Capabilities link: Fighting unfairly by taking advantage of difficult-to-replicate assets without succumbing to the "sucking sound of the core." Scott with his co-authors Clark Gilbert, and Mark Johnson address the characteristics leaders must embrace: courage, clarity, curiosity, and conviction. Without them, dual transformation efforts can flounder. We discuss: Kodak, Nokia, Xerox, Netflix and Microsoft. Scott pays homage to the late and great Clayton Christensen and we discuss what skills we all need to ride the gale of creative destruction. More about Scott here: https://www.innosight.com/team_bio/anthony-scott-d/

Today's guest invites us to focus our attention on a theme central to the development of all companies and professionals: customer service, or rather, the overall experience we offer customers. We live in the era of experience, and against a growing number of chatbots and automated systems, we paradoxically expect businesses to invest more and more in human traits such as listening, willingness, and values. So, what has customer service become today? What path should you take if you work in direct contact with the audience but do not want to be engulfed by the tsunami of technology? How should companies get ready for this if they do not want to be caught unawares? Serve with Style raises vital questions for every market player. It offers a specific path to help develop methods of organisation and professional skills which are becoming increasingly priceless in today's business world and will be essential tomorrow. More about Carlo here: www.carlopignataro.com

7 out of 10 new products cannot deliver on expectations. Our guest's book aims to reverse that statistic. In the tradition of his global bestseller Business Model Generation, this practical guide contains a library of hands-on techniques for rapidly testing new business ideas. Testing Business Ideas explains how systematically testing business ideas dramatically reduces the risk and increases the likelihood of success for any new venture or business project. It builds on the internationally popular Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas by integrating Assumptions mapping and other powerful lean startup-style experiments. Testing Business Ideas uses an engaging 4-colour format to: Increase the success of any venture and decrease the risk of wasting time, money, and resources on bad ideas Close the knowledge gap between strategy and experimentation/validation. Identify and test your key business assumptions with the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas. The book features practical tips for making major decisions that are not based on intuition and guesses. Testing Business Ideas shows leaders how to encourage an experimentation mindset within their organisation and make experimentation a continuous, repeatable process. More about Alex here: http://alexosterwalder.com/

This is an extended excerpt from the upcoming multi-part series on Dee Hock and the founding of the world's first trillion dollar business VISA. Dee is notoriously private and he has given the Innovation Show the privilege of interviewing him in a multi-part series. 52 years ago, our guest foresaw and implemented the foundations for the world's first trillion dollar organisation. Back then, Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organisation slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel. Today, according to the Visa 2019 annual report, payments and cash volume for the year was a staggering $11.6 trillion dollars, transactions processed on Visa's networks totalled $138.3 trillion dollars and the year saw some 3.4 billion Visa cards in operation. Our guest is the man who imagined this reality, who had a once-deemed-impossible vision 52 years ago, a vision that has become a concrete reality today. He is a man who has a different view on what the next 50 years can deliver, but that vision will require a radical shift in mindset for every single one of us. This excerpt is of Dee Hock recounting the story of the conversation that enabled VISA. Dee worked for a man named Maxwell Carlson. Dee describes Mr Carlson as the best listener he had every met and Dee states "Let there be no doubt about it! If Maxwell Carlson had been a lesser human being,Visa would never have come to be."

Amazon, Netflix, Google, and Uber all have one thing in common: They have built empires on making every interaction effortless for customers. In today's high-speed, customer-empowered world, speed and efficiency with which business transactions are made determine ultimate success or failure. In 2016, $4.6 trillion of merchandise was left in abandoned e-commerce shopping carts. Every year, the U.S. economy loses $3 trillion dollars in productivity due to excess bureaucracy. Red tape and over-complicated licenses have contributed to China's GDP exceeding India's by $82 trillion over the span of just three decades. If you're a business leader, these statistics should give you nightmares Today's episode dips into a groundbreaking guide which makes the case that every business can gain a competitive edge by reducing the points of friction that impede smooth business exchanges. We will explore how to identify roadblocks, alter them for the benefit of both business and customer, create positive, lasting change, how to build friction awareness into your corporate culture, and how to build employee engagement at the same time you are increasing sales and customer loyalty. We welcome author of FRICTION: The Untapped Force That Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage, Roger Dooley, welcome to the show

Dr Max Mckeown delivers concise advice on how to move from original insights to new ideas, and from new ideas to valuable real-world innovation. You'll learn how to increase creativity, understand the psychology of thinking differently, encourage collaboration, co-create with customers, overcome indifference, create an idea-hungry culture, rid yourself of creativity zombies and get to innovation paradise. Drawing on over 30 years of the author's research and experience, this honest, straight-to-the-point playbook can be dipped into or read cover to cover, giving you important reminders and guidance in how to make new ideas useful. Are you ready to change the world? More about Max here: https://maxmckeown.com/

Charles Handy is one a giant of contemporary thought. His books on management – including "Understanding Organisations" and "Gods of Management" – have changed the way we view business. His work on broader issues and trends – such as "Beyond Certainty" – has changed the way we view society. In "The Second Curve", he builds on a life's work to glimpse into the future and see what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. He looks at current trends in capitalism and asks whether it is a sustainable system. He explores the dangers of a society built on credit. He challenges the myth that remorseless growth is essential. He even asks whether we should rethink our roles in life – as students, parents, workers and voters – and what the aims of an ideal society of the future should be. Provocative and thoughtful as ever, he sets out the questions we all need to ask ourselves – and points us toward some answers. I was fortunate to spend an evening with Charles in his home in London. He is an incredible man with an intriguing view of things. This was a memorable moment for me as I met a personal hero. We discuss: Disruption Efficiency v Effectiveness Management v Leadership Purpose Shamrock Organisations The Doughnut Projects Communities in Organisations Education Parenting and so much more

Today's episode introduces New hope for those suffering from conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, addictions, PTSD, ADHD and more. Though incidence of these conditions is skyrocketing, for the past four decades standard treatment hasn't much changed, and success rates in treating them have barely improved, either. Meanwhile, the stigma of the "mental illness" label―damaging and devastating on its own―can often prevent sufferers from getting the help they need. Today's guest is an innovator in his field, a Brain specialist and bestselling author on the forefront of a new movement within medicine and related disciplines that aims to change all that. Today, we will draw on the latest findings of neuroscience to challenge an outdated psychiatric paradigm. It will help us all take control and improve the health of our own brains, minimising or reversing conditions that may prevent us from living a full and emotionally healthy life. The End of Mental Illness will help us discover: Why labelling someone as having a "mental illness" is not only inaccurate but harmful Why standard treatment may not have helped you or a loved one―and why diagnosing and treating you based on your symptoms alone so often misses the true cause of those symptoms and results in poor outcomes At least 100 simple things you can do yourself to heal your brain and prevent or reverse the problems that are making you feel sad, mad, or bad How to identify your "brain type" and what you can do to optimise your particular type Where to find the kind of health provider who understands and uses the new paradigm of brain health It is a great pleasure to welcome Dr. Daniel Amen, multiple bestselling author, changemaker and author of "The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience Is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, and More". More about Daniel here http://danielamenmd.com/ and his free 6-week brain course is available here: https://endofmentalillness.com/brainhealthchallenge/

It is known as the bible for startups and the best investment a startup can make. A startup without customers is like a day without oxygen, and the Startup Owners Manual helps founders get it right and shows you how to get, keep, and grow customers, literally every step of the way. This manual walks entrepreneurs step-by-step through the proven, world-renowned Customer Development process for getting startups right the first time. The Customer Development process was developed by a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur-turned-educator and based on his eight valley startups, four of which IPO'ed. He joined with serial entrepreneur Bob Dorf to build the Startup Owner s Manual as a sequel to his first book, which sparked the Lean Startup movement. The Startup Owners Manual lays out the best practices, lessons and tips that have swept the startup world, offering a wealth of proven advice and information for entrepreneurs of all stripes. We also discuss innovation within larger, established organisations. The manual: Guides startups of all types in their search for a scalable, profitable business model Explains the 9 deadly sins startups commit most often and helps you to avoid them Incorporates the business model canvas as the starting point for any startup Provides separate paths and advice for physical versus web/mobile products Explains how to test and iterate your companys road to product/market fit Details strategies and tactics for how to get, keep and grow customers Teaches a new math for startups -- metrics that matter Includes detailed checklists at every step of the process and provides hundreds of ideas, watch-outs and how tos for founders and innovators I am delighted to welcome the pioneer of the Lean Startup movement, the legendary Steve Blank

'ZEST' equates to zing, enthusiasm, energy, gusto, eagerness, zeal and fervour. It also suggests a tang, a sharpness. It's the opposite of bland. Today's book called ZEST is not just a book on personal development. There are an awful lot of those. Zest is a catalyst, a spark that ignites your remembering of what makes you, in a word, you. It drives you to rethink, rejuvenate and reinvent. It also contains a touch of the revolutions. Have you, as a grown-up, fallen into the trap of becoming a Groan-up? You know you should try to make the best of things, but oftentimes you don't know what your "best" is anymore. It's strange. You used to know. What happened? Was it the years of social conformity? There is a whole beige generation out there - a generation that has lost its identity and forgotten who they once were - buried under the crushing, stifling facades of adulthood. If only there was a way to unearth your passions, recover the zest for life you once had. Maybe there is. Zest is a wake-up call for you to explore the formative moments that define your life. It challenges you to believe that your best days are still ahead, to search your soul, to shake things up and bask in the warmth of glorious individuality. Today's episode will help us: Explore the pivotal, defining moments in your life Examine both the good and bad experiences that define you Reconnect to the essence of who you are Embrace your quirks, qualities and peculiarities Determine to be the person you always wanted to be Zest is your permission to play, your licence to wreak the right kind of havoc. It's not about pretending to be someone you're not, it's about squeezing every drop out of who you already are. We welcome, the Author of Zest: How to Squeeze the Max out of Life, Andy Cope

Why are we obsessed with the thing as we want - only to be bored when we get them? Why is addiction perfectly logical to an addict? Why does love change so quickly from passion to indifference? Why are some people, die-hard liberals and others hardcore conservatives? Why are we always hopeful for solutions even in the darkest times—and so good at figuring them out? The answer is found in a single chemical in your brain: dopamine. Dopamine ensured the survival of early man. Thousands of years later, it is the source of our most basic behavioUrs and cultural ideas—and progress itself. Dopamine is the chemical of desire that always asks for more—more stuff, more stimulation, more surprises. In pursuit of these things, it is undeterred by emotion, fear, or morality. We welcome the author of "The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity—and will Determine the Fate of the Human Race." Daniel Z. Lieberman More about Daniel here: http://www.danielzlieberman.com/

Today's guest argues that it was cooking that caused the extraordinary transformation of our ancestors from apelike beings to Homo erectus. At the heart of this episode lies an explosive new idea: the habit of eating cooked rather than raw food permitted the digestive tract to shrink and the human brain to grow, helped structure human society, and created the male-female division of labour. As our ancestors adapted to using fire, humans emerged as "the cooking apes". Covering everything from food-labelling to sexual division of labour to raw-food faddists, Catching Fire offers a startlingly original argument about how we came to be the social, intelligent, and sexual species we are today. A fundamental question that every culture answers in a different way, but only science can truly decide and one today's guest deeply explore is What made us human? Our guest's work proposes a new answer. He is a true changemaker, driven by curiosity and believes the transformative moment that gave rise to the genus Homo, one of the great transitions in the history of life, stemmed from the control of fire and the advent of cooked meals. Fire was our first technology. Cooking increased the value of our food. It changed our bodies, our brains, our use of time, and our social lives. It made us into consumers of external energy and thereby created an organism with a new relationship to nature, dependent on fuel.

The way we work is broken. It takes forever to get anything done. Meetings and emails are incessant. Bureaucracy stifles talent and creativity. Is this really the best we can do? Aaron Dignan teaches companies how to eliminate red tape, tap into collective intelligence, and rethink long-held traditions that no longer make sense. In "Brave New Work", he shows you how to revolutionise the way you, your team, and your company works forever. Have fewer but better meetings Create a culture of honesty, transparency, and trust Cut down on rules to be more efficient Be more agile and adaptive Reignite passion and energy throughout your organisation We welcome Aaron Dignan the author of "Brave New Work, Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?" More about Aaron here: https://www.bravenewwork.com

This episode offers practical guidance for teams and organisations who are serious about success in the modern economy. With so much riding on innovation, creativity, and spark, it is essential to attract and retain quality talent—but what good does this talent do if no one is able to speak their mind? The traditional culture of "fitting in" and "going along" spells doom in the knowledge economy. Success requires a continuous influx of new ideas, new challenges, and critical thought, and the interpersonal climate must not suppress, silence, ridicule or intimidate. Not every idea is good, and yes there are stupid questions, and yes dissent can slow things down, but talking through these things is an essential part of the creative process. People must be allowed to voice half-finished thoughts, ask questions from left field, and brainstorm out loud; it creates a culture in which a minor flub or momentary lapse is no big deal, and where actual mistakes are owned and corrected, and where the next left-field idea could be the next big thing. Today we explore a culture of psychological safety and provide a blueprint for bringing it to life. We explore the link between psychological safety and high performance Create a culture where it's "safe" to express ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes nurture the level of engagement and candour required in today's knowledge economy How can we fertilise creativity, clarify goals, achieve accountability, redefine leadership, and much more. Psychological safety helps bring about this most critical transformation. We welcome the author The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth and the mother of the concept of Psychological safety, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Amy C. Edmondson More about Amy here: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451

Today's episode offers a bit of perspective and a lot of insight for anyone seeking long-term success. Success in business is spelled M-O-R-E: better results, faster growth, more revenue, greater efficiency. Do more. Make more. Achieve more. And do it now. Eventually, ambition turns to stress, then to frenzy, then to emptiness as once-ambitious workers endlessly trudge the hamster wheel chasing the next promotion. While top-level performance is the holy grail of business at all levels, there is another, much better way to achieve it: slow down. Yes, you read that right--S-L-O-W. This is your permission to jump off of the hamster wheel. Slowing down is not a luxury, it is a necessity. A frenetic brain simply doesn't perform at optimal levels. By maintaining a snail's pace, you actually achieve better results--at rocket speed--because you're firing on all cylinders. You'll think of new things, approach old problems from new perspectives, and breathe a breath of fresh air into everything you do. This episode shows you how to achieve this state of steady, sustainable fire, and how to get further by crawling than you ever did while attempting to fly. Learn how slowing down can lead to better, faster results Achieve optimal performance thought patterns Enhance your creativity and effectiveness Build energy, revenue, and good health in a self-sustaining way You know you're capable of more, but the stress is eating away at your body, your brain, and your soul. Relax, take a deep breath, and buckle down. Clear your mind, and then put it to work. Stop juggling and start doing. Master Your Mind shows you how to supercharge your trajectory by taking it S-L-O-W. More about Roger here: https://freedompersonaldevelopment.com

Today's episode offers innovators, entrepreneurs creatives and marketing professionals a non-tech guide to artificial intelligence and machine learning —twin technologies that stand poised to revolutionise the way we exist in business and life. The future is here, and we are in the thick of it; AI and ML are already in our lives every day, whether we know it or not. The technology continues to evolve and grow, but the capabilities that make these tools world-changing for marketers are already here—whether we use them or not. Today we will touch on how we can take advantage of AI's unparalleled and rapidly expanding power. We will look at How we can use AI and ML in ways that speak to the human spirit? How to we translate cold technological innovation into creative tools that forge deep human connections? Written by a team of experts at the intersection of neuroscience, technology, and marketing the book we will discuss today is a must have for anyone looking at where innovation, marketing, branding and creativity is going next. We welcome the author of AI for Marketing and Product Innovation: Powerful New Tools for Predicting Trends, Connecting with Customers, and Closing Sales, Dr A.K. Pradeep

It is rare today for employees to stay with one organisation for the long tenures that were the norm before the Great Recession. In fact, "job hopping" is the new norm, especially for Millennials. So how can you create a culture where will stay or return? This episode shares how to leverage this fact rather than fear it. By engendering a lifetime of loyalty from former employees, leaders can see them return in the form of customers, partners, clients, advocates, contractors, and even returning employees. This episode is a pragmatic answer to the outdated corporate mindset around employee turnover. Instead, it shifts the focus to creating lifetime loyalty from your alumni who will bring back business again and again. We welcome the author of "The Boomerang Principle: Inspire Lifetime Loyalty from Your Employees" Lee Caraher "They're dead to me." "I'm not going to spend all this time training them just to have them leave." "They're job-hoppers who don't know a good thing when they see it." "I'm on a constant training revolving door—as soon as someone's trained up, they're out, and I have to start all over again." "Why am I wasting my time? It'll be faster if I do the work myself." These are sentiments you have heard many times from entrepreneurs, CEOs, managers, and supervisors when discussing those who are known as "Job Hoppers". We discuss: Intergenerational Teams, organisations, and workplaces Millennials, Gen X, Y, Z and Boomers Purpose and Vision The Boomerang Principle How to leverage top talent How to leave well How to create an alumni of past employees More about Lee here: http://leecaraher.com/

"A common trend we see is that experts in a field can become dogmatic and close-minded over time and they simply lose some of the intellectual curiosity that they had at the outset of their careers. And because they fail to question certain assumptions that they've made historically they aren't listening to those new voices." - Michael Roberto Today's episode is an exploration of the creative process and how organisations can clear the way for innovation. In many organisations, creative individuals face stubborn resistance to new ideas. Managers and executives often reject innovation and unconventional approaches due to misplaced allegiance to the status quo. Questioning established practices or challenging prevailing sentiments is frequently met with stiff resistance. In this climate of stifled creativity and inflexible adherence to conventional wisdom, potentially game-changing ideas are dismissed outright. Senior leaders claim to value creativity, yet often lack the knowledge to provide a creative framework. More on Mike here: https://www.professormichaelroberto.com

This episode touches on a pioneering account that sets out to understand the structure of the human brain – the place where mind meets matter. Until recently, the left hemisphere of our brain has been seen as the 'rational' side, the superior partner to the right. But is this distinction true? Drawing on a vast body of experimental research, our guest argues that while our left brain makes for a wonderful servant, it is a very poor master. As he shows, it is the right side, which is the more reliable and insightful. Without it, our world would be mechanistic – stripped of depth, colour, and value. We welcome the author of The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, Iain McGilchrist Iain's website: http://iainmcgilchrist.com/ The RSA animation Iain refers to: RSA Youtube Jordan Peterson and Iain having a chat: https://youtu.be/ea4mEnsTv6Q

"The highest success in any kind of activity - from child rearing and education to business and governance to ecosystems regeneration and spiritual practice - comes from seeing every person as unique and capable of participating in the evolution of systems and programmes" - Carol Sanford" Peer Review is the Foundation for Measuring Employee Performance. But does it help employees realise their full potential? Does feedback improve a company's bottom line? No More Feedback is book one in our guest's new Toxic Practice book series.The book disrupts commonly held beliefs to reveal the following: Why feedback undermines employee development The impact feedback has on our 3 core human capabilities The alternative that leads to self-regulating employees Utilising examples from her decades of work, learn the flaws in the feedback trap and build conditions for employees to flourish for long-term success. We welcome Carol Sanford, the author of No More Feedback: Cultivate Consciousness at Work.

"Artificial Intelligence: How 50 Successful Companies Used AI and Machine Learning to Solve Problems in Practice" is a fascinating look into how companies use AI and machine learning to solve problems The rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence has expanded beyond research labs and computer science departments and made its way into the mainstream business environment. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are cited as the most important modern business trends to drive success. AI is used in areas ranging from banking and finance to social media and marketing. This technology continues to provide innovative solutions to businesses of all sizes, sectors and industries. Understand some key terminology accessibly Expand your knowledge of recent AI advancements in technology Gain insight into the future of AI and its increasing role in business and industry Realise some threats and opportunities that AI brings to industry, society and humanity More about Bernard here: https://www.bernardmarr.com

Somewhere along the way, we got distracted. As much as we multitask, love our devices and feel like we're in control, deep down we know that something is off. Shortened attention spans, declines in critical thinking, lack of sleep, self-doubt, and decreased creativity are just some effects coming to light in an age of digital distraction. It's time to reclaim our lives. It's time to take control. Lifescale is a journey of self-discovery and growth. It's about getting back into balance and remastering our destinies. Author Brian Solis knows first-hand. He struggled with distraction and all of its ill-effects. To get his life back, he developed a set of techniques, exercises, and thought experiments designed to tame the chaos, and positively and productively navigate our day-to-day lives. Instead of falling victim to the never-ending cycle of newsfeeds, Likes, addictive apps, and boredom scrolling (aka the endless scroll), we can learn to manage our time and inspire our own lives to bring meaning back—without sacrificing the benefits that our devices bring us. This episode is shorter than usual because our guest has just started a new business, you can find Brian Solis here: www.briansolis.com

If approximately 70 percent of all businesses are family businesses, and two out of three don't survive to the next generation, what can you do to make sure your business will survive and thrive? Today's episode comes clean with much-needed info on nitty-gritty issues, such as entitlement, letting employees (even family members) go when they just aren't working out, compensation, including: Your kids in the business (when to bring them in, help them move up, and prep them to take over), Shareholder agreements Selecting the next leader Deciding whether to keep the business or sell it Exit strategies for outgoing leaders Money matters Succession planning Communication Conflict resolution Establishing an effective board Transitioning to the next generation. We can apply the numerous ideas and tips in this engaging guide to address any business situation, family or otherwise. We welcome Henry Hutcheson, the author of 'Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business: Ensuring Success from One Generation to the Next'. More about Henry here: https://www.familybusinessusa.com/

Our guest today presents a practical approach to ensure that your employees perform at their highest possible levels. It's not about increasing salaries, offering huge bonuses, or investing in the latest employee engagement tools. The real answer is simpler, deeper, and longer-lasting: getting your people to love where they work. He takes us step by step through the process of building a lasting emotional connection between your staff and your company. His proven strategy is founded on five key principles: collaboration, optimism, values, respect, and performance. Fuse them together, and your company will be the envy of your industry. This groundbreaking guide provides everything you need to create an environment where people have a strong sense of belonging, a place where people finally feel like they're part of something big, where employees want to work collaboratively and creatively, where your staff and your company grow together. Bridge the engagement gap by ensuring that every member of your team spends their entire work day in great company. We welcome Louis Carter, the author of In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance By Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace. More about Louis here: https://louiscarter.com/articles-by-louis-carter/

Nearly all scientists who study the biology of aging agree that we will someday be able to substantially slow down the aging process. Today's guest is perhaps the most bullish of all such researchers and believes that the key biomedical technology required to eliminate aging-derived debilitation and death - is now within reach. In his book, he and his research assistant Michael Rae describe the details of this biotechnology. They explain that the aging of the human body, just like the aging of man-made machines, results from an accumulation of various types of damage. As with man-made machines, this damage can periodically be repaired, leading to the indefinite extension of the machine's fully functional lifetime, just as is routinely done with classic cars. We already know what types of damage accumulate in the human body, and we are moving rapidly toward the comprehensive development of technologies to remove that damage. By demystifying aging and its postponement for the nonspecialist reader, our guest systematically dismantles the fatalist presumption that aging will forever defeat the efforts of medical science. We welcome the author of Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime Dr Aubrey de Grey. We discuss: The Sens Mission to end age The challenges of changing the age paradigm Decoupling aging from age-related diseases The 7 common age-related diseases The 7 solutions to those diseases The impact of immortality of society More about Aubrey and Sens here: https://www.sens.org

This episode focuses on the business story of Walt Disney and the company he built. Combining a unique blend of entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, and a relentless drive to bring out the best in his teams, Walt Disney created one of the most successful ventures in business history. Outlining the specific processes of the company, our guest provides us with the tools we need to embrace our own entrepreneurial leadership style, to lead effectively, to be more innovative, and to build a successful organisation. Through the lens of Disney, we hear about the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. Beginning with a general introduction to the concepts relevant to the entrepreneurial organisation today, we examine how Disney built his empire and how the company remains an industry leader. We touch on the Entrepreneurial Leadership Instrument, which measures one's style in leading entrepreneurial ventures. ' Entrepreneurship the Disney Way' brings entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership to life through the compelling story of one of the most recognisable businessmen and companies of our time. We cover the early years of Walt Disney and the amazing challenges he overcame to build a lasting business. We welcome the author of Entrepreneurship the Disney Way Mike Goldsby. More about Mike here: https://elprofile.com/

Do you want more from work than just a paycheque or a title? Are you ready to manifest a work life rooted in joy, purpose, and contentment? Career expert Kourtney Whitehead will guide you on a self-discovery journey to bridge the gap between your spiritual life and your work and help you bring intention and satisfaction to your professional life. In Working Whole, she shares eight principles that will free you to be inspired and joyful in your life and work callings. She advises that when we commit to living our beliefs in these eight core areas (humility, surrender, discipline, gratitude, connection, love, power and patience), we can work authentically and live fulfilled. Drawn from her long career as a recruiter, counsellor and coach and her work with everyone from new hires to seasoned executives in transition to high-achievers preparing for retirement, Kourtney shares tips and tools for handling the expectations, choices, conflicts, challenges and opportunities we face in our work life. She leads you through a transformative experience to become more creative, energised, observant, accepting of change and open-hearted. We welcome Kourtney Whitehead, author of Working Whole: How to Unite Your spiritual beliefs and your work to Live Fulfilled.