A SEAT at THE TABLE: Helping business leaders grow their influence

We’ve talked a lot about leadership from the point of view of managing our teams.   What we don’t address as often is executive burnout.   And yet especially in recent years, executives have faced excruciatingly stressful situations.   So what can leadership do to help them reduce the stress and position themselves for greater success? Today I’m speaking with Michael King, an executive coach who h...

Amazon tends to be the elephant in the ecommerce room.   The platform has massive amounts traffic - which attracts a huge number of sellers to its marketplace, but being able to drive sales on Amazon is getting increasingly difficult - and expensive. So is there a way to succeed on Amazon - without breaking the bank? Today I’m speaking with Laura Meyer, founder and CEO of Envision Horizons, a lead...

If you’re tech geek like me you not only want to  learn about what’s new, but you also want to get feedback and opinions from tech insiders about which new apps, software and devices are worth using. But where can you find a community of tech experts who discuss everything from from computers to space exploration - and whose opinions you can trust? Today, I’m talking with Lisa Laporte, CEO of TWiT...

If you are like most people you are probably at least a little confused at where the markets might be heading. Commodities prices seem to have a mind of their own.  Inflation is surging, even though consumer demand continues to weaken. After years of talking, central banks are now actually starting to raise interest rates.  Despite what looks like a recession, many economists are saying that thing...

One of the biggest challenges leaders face when managing multicultural organisations is getting everyone on the team to be engaged and to participate.   Typically, one or two people do most of the talking, while many others sit quietly on the sidelines. But just because someone is hesitant to speak up in meetings, doesn’t mean that they don’t have ideas or insights to share.   So how do we help ou...

Every company talks about the importance of innovation and investment in innovation continues to grow.   However many companies are finding that the time and money invested is not giving them the pay back that they had hoped for. But Is it possible to structure your initiatives so that you can drive better return on investment?   And if so, what would that look like? Today I’m talking with Dan Tom...

When we think of innovation we usually think of startups - certainly not large corporations. Typically people think that if they want to be more creative or innovative then they have to leave the corporate world and either become an entrepreneur or at least look for a job with a newer and smaller company. But the idea that startups are the right environment to cultivate innovation might be more my...

It seems like everything about the way we used to run our companies is changing these days. It’s not just remote working or employee resignations or digitization - companies are also realising that their entire corporate structure might no longer serve them as well as it used to. With this in mind, what might the new organisational best practices look like? And how can leadership determine which c...

Ecommerce has moved logistics from the backroom to the boardroom. But it’s not only ecommerce - a growing range of businesses are looking for ways to optimise deliveries - whether it’s to consumers or to other businesses - even within their own locations. But how can businesses compete in the face of shortages of drivers, rising fuel costs and increased pressure to meet sustainability standards? T...

If digital marketing is part of your business then you’ve probably noticed that it’s gotten a lot more expensive.   Customer acquisition costs have gotten so high that it’s been driving digital brands to open physical stores - which is now seen as the less expensive way to attract new customers. Is it just that the price per click is higher - or has the performance or conversion as it is called -...

We often hear about people who’ve turned a hobby or an interest, or as its now often referred to ‘a passion’ into a profitable business. But what does it take to actually achieve this?  And is there a business model or a road map that people who have succeeded in doing this have followed? Today I’m sitting down with Cody Bramlett, who founded Science Natural Supplements and built it into a multi-m...

There’s a lot of focus these days on the number of people who are quitting their jobs.    Many companies feel that they don’t need to worry about those people that are still working for them. However, not everyone has the option of leaving their jobs, but that doesn’t mean that they are happy, enthusiastic or engaged in their work.   But why suddenly are so many people dissatisfied? And what don’t...

The outdoor sports sector has experienced explosive growth over the past decade - with both traditional sports markets and emerging markets getting on board.  But what’s next for outdoor sports?  Where could brands find the next growth opportunities?  And in a market dominated by a handful of power brands, will we be likely to see new brands coming in - and succeeding? Today I’m speaking with Dana...

If you’re a SaaS software developer or start up that’s looking to scale or sell to enterprise customers, then this episode is for you. If you aren’t working in the tech sector - this episode is also for you. It’s my pleasure to welcome Girish Redekar to A Seat at The Table.  Girish founded - and exited - RecruiterBox, a SaaS platform that helps HR departments manage recruitment applications.   Gir...

It’s not often that words like marketing, creativity and digitalisation come up in the same sentence. However digital transformation is working to take marketing and make it more of a science than an art. But can we really automate creativity?  And do we risk losing the human touch as we push for greater automation? To learn more about how digital transformation is changing, shaping and maybe even...

Energy is an integralpart of everyone’s life and business, but few people outside of the sector really spend much time thinking about it. We just sort of take it for granted. However, there’s been heighten concern about the environmental impact of carbon gases prompting governments and companies to focus on reducing CO2 emissions. Even for those people for whom Climate Change has not been top of m...

Most companies are talking about trying to be more sustainable and the importance of giving back to society, but when it comes down to 'walking the talk' in their day-to-day business operations, often time's the train veers off the tracks. One company has been making this a core part of their business for over two decades - a business with operations in more than 30 countries. That...

For most companies simply trying to develop a successful business strategy while facing constantly shifting market conditions is challenging enough - without having to think about their corporate culture. But if culture isn’t a luxury that only a handful of powerful companies can indulge in, then what about it is so important?  How can rethinking our corporate culture be that game-changer that act...

All eyes are on retail now that stores are finally reopening. But will people go back to making at least some of their purchases in stores now?  And what is likely to make that in-store experience so great for them that people want to keep coming back? Even people who never liked shopping are - at least for now - enthusiastic about visiting shops.  This could be a big moment for retail to score so...

Everyone talks about the need to be more authentic.  But what does that really mean?  And how can leaders be more authentic while still being professional? According to Bert Ohnemueller, 2022 is the year of the whole heart.  And that includes taking a more heart-centred approach to what we do - including leadership. In this episode, Bert talks about: - What a value-based business might look like -...

If you’re like most people you don’t think about the used car market very often.  Only when you might want to sell your car and buy a new one does this market come across your radar. However although we might not see, it used cars are a huge market, and at present, a very lucrative one too! So not surprisingly, it’s seen advancements in digitization that is helping facilitate buying and selling, a...

Today it seems like everyone is talking about downsizing.  People are really taking the saying ‘less is more’ to heart. In a reversal of a decades long trend where it seemed as if even too much wasn’t enough, now a growing number of people are looking to get rid of all those things that they don’t they need. One area where this has become evident is in housing.  The old days where people wanted to...

If you’ve ever looked a bit enviously at those brands who customers are so loyal that they’ll pay a premium for their products, endure long waits for access and can’t be persuaded to switch brands - regardless of the offer - and if you’ve wondered how you might be able add some of that ‘secret sauce’ to your business - then this is the podcast episode for you! What do companies like Apple, Harley...

One of the great things about technology is that it has leveled the playing field, giving even small businesses access tools that used to be only available to the big players. Despite that fact technology is more accessible than ever before, it seems that many companies - particularly small to medium sized suppliers - are still not taking advantage of it. It turns out that most SME’s look at digit...

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the pandemic its that even the best employees can struggle to keep up with both personal and work requirements. Companies have started to address things like child care, mental health and financial pressures facing their employees.  Many have been expanding the support they provide employees from more flexible hours to education benefits and other initiative...