Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Tish Baldez, a leading expert in management consulting, has worked with small and mid-sized consultancies and 20,000 professionals worldwide. She shares the trajectory of her career from an independent consultant to a managing partner and leader at P31 Consulting LLC, a training program for professionals in management consulting, life science, IT consulting, finance, banking and more, and how they became a 100% referral-only business. The Foundations of the P31 Training Program Tish introduced the foundations for consulting skills program about a year and a half ago, which enables small businesses hiring new analysts, consultants, and engagement managers without formal structure training on how to do consulting or work in a consultative way. The program focuses on providing foundational skills, storyboarding, and teaching how to synthesize data and communicate it meaningfully for clients. The program is currently running multiple sessions a year in the US, UK, and Latin America. The P31 Academy offer to help scale up and accelerate the learning curve of consultants, allowing them to be more effective and successful. Storyboard Presentations for Consultants Tish also trains 30-40% of their people on how to storyboard presentations in the traditional consulting way, teaching the principles of how it works and why it works. They also have a special version for scientists, medical professionals, and people working within Life Sciences or data science organizations, helping them become business fluent. This program helps them understand what they're presenting and translate it into language that is meaningful for their audience, making it easier for them to make decisions and take actions based on the presentations. The Foundation for Consulting Skills Program The foundation for consulting skills is a 100-day experience that combines online, self-directed, and self-paced learning in addition to a combination of in-person and virtual-led instruction with expert consultants. The program includes a three-day intensive, where participants work independently for a few weeks, then come together for a three-day intensive in different locations in the UK and the United States. The remaining weeks involve small group exercises and one-on-one coaching and group coaching sessions. The focus is on major transformational bills, such as skill development, practical application, and theory. The program ends with a celebration of completion. One unique aspect of the program is the incorporation of neuroscience, which is intentional about engaging the brain and getting synapses going to ensure learning sticks and becomes habitual. The program also uses brain exercises to activate both the left and right side of the brain. The program is fun, engaging and conducive to adult learning, with participants finding it challenging but ultimately gaining the necessary skills. Breaking Down the Consulting Skills Program The program typically has 20 participants, with four coaches in the room, two of whom serve as facilitators. Each pod is assigned to a coach, who ensures that the participants receive individual coaching and feedback. This approach helps maintain a one-to-five ratio, ensuring individual coaching and that participants feel comfortable participating without feeling overwhelmed. The program begins with framing the problem, teaching the hypothesis-based problem-solving model, breaking down analysis and synthesis into separate pieces. Storyboarding is introduced, with the principles and reasons behind its effectiveness, as well as articles and papers that have been studied and proven effective. The program also emphasizes content and messaging, with key messages supported by evidence. The final presentation is a case-based course that covers various industries, including science, data science, finance, and accounting. The purpose of the case-based training is to provide a good foundation upon which the participants can apply their...

In this episode of Unleashed, Michael Rubenstein discusses the importance of organizational culture in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Michael's expertise is broader than organizational culture; he offers a bird's eye view of an organization to help move it to the next phase in their evolution which includes: Strategy, M&A, Value Creation, People and Culture, etc. It’s all about moving an organization to the next phase in their evolution and includes: Strategy, M&A, Value Creation, People and Culture, etc. He believes that culture is the key to a successful integration and that it often goes unnoticed. He suggests that when assessing a company's culture, it is essential to identify the culture elements of the current company and the target company, and identify any gaps. Key Points in Assessing Company Culture To do this, Michael recommends conducting self-assessments and assessments of both companies, as well as conducting interviews with stakeholders such as leadership, employees, customers, and suppliers. These interviews can help identify critical issues that could be problematic or could be beneficial. A culture diagnostic is a process that involves asking open-ended questions about how decisions are made within a company. This can include whether the organization is meritocratic, where instructions come from the top, or more empowered, where people have more autonomy in their roles. It is also important to consider whether the decision-making process is customer-driven, or operationally driven. Unpacking Elements of Company Culture Michael states that culture is a complex concept that encompasses behaviors, norms, and rituals. Behaviors involve people working together, collaborating, hiding information, and doing things for the greater good or their own benefit. Norms are standards that hold individuals accountable for values, self-integrity, and communication within an organization. Rituals are important and often involve stories and networking opportunities. The Benefits an Organizational Diagnostic An organizational diagnostic can help identify gaps in culture, which can be useful in assessing the current state of the organization and the target acquisition company. A visual representation of the organizational diagnostic can help identify gaps and areas for improvement. For example, if the company being acquired is more advanced than the current one in terms of collaboration, it can help probe and identify areas for improvement. Michael explains that a case study can help assess the impact of a mismatch between cultures and the success of a merger. In a successful merger, culture was a key factor, as the acquiring company focused on taking the best people, processes, and models from both organizations. However, in a failed merger, the acquiring company ignored the value of the best people and processes, leading to a loss of billions of dollars in acquisition costs. The Importance of Culture in Organizations Michael discusses the importance of culture in organizations. He suggests assessing gaps, identifying positive aspects, and assessing alignment. He emphasizes the need to create a sense of unity and use language that is meaningful. Rubenstein also suggests soliciting input from stakeholders about creating a future state and creating a cultural strategic weapon. Culture is crucial as it is unique and cannot be duplicated by competitors. He suggests using a culture lens to frame people processes and tools, and building initiatives around this. Michael's practice is a boutique advisory firm that focuses on culture across various industries. He believes that culture can either facilitate or kill any other initiative, whether it's about strategy, change management, or continuous improvement. In conclusion, culture is a crucial aspect of any organization, and it can be a powerful tool for fostering harmony and success. By addressing cultural gaps and fostering a culture of alignment, organizations can create a...

Lisa Carlin, founder of Future Builders Group, discusses her experience in consulting and the need for a more passive income stream. She has over 50 strategy execution projects and programs that focus on business strategy, project management, and change management. Lisa believes that achieving scale in these areas requires changing the focus of the business and execution messages to what is important to the culture. In this episode, Lisa talks about developing and running a membership community. Building a Subscription Business The TurboCharge Hub membership offers a platform for functional experts to learn how to develop and execute strategies. The group is currently launching its own website called TurboChargers.com, and she meets with members twice a month on Zoom. One of the biggest lessons learned from her experience is the importance of understanding the client's pain points and tailoring their solutions accordingly. As people join, Lisa learns about their ideal customer profile and their biggest pain points, which allows her to provide key messages to the market. Lisa also shares her lessons learned from her own experiences, such as being clear on the ideal customer profile and understanding the key message. By learning from her clients and focusing on their needs, she hopes to help others build their own successful memberships. Key Steps in Recruiting Members for a Subscription Business Lisa shares how she built a following, which included learning more about building a strong brand, and reaching out to B2C and B2B communities. She started doing podcasts, signing up for conferences, and having a lead generation machine set up on LinkedIn. This has been effective in growing her LinkedIn profile and inquiries. She met with people she knew would sign up. The next phase of people signing up was people who heard her on a podcast or at a conference. The audience is mostly business leaders, CEOs of medium to large organizations, and entrepreneurs with a strong innovation flair. Lisa has also learned to hone her writing skills and set up a newsletter. The community now consists of 7300 people, mostly CEOs of medium to large organizations and entrepreneurs. Working with a Podcast Agency Lisa discusses their experience with a podcast agency and the results she has received from it. She shares information on fees and services, which involves developing a podcast profile and reaching out to potential clients. The agency also offered the opportunity to choose the podcasts she wanted to produce and post them on LinkedIn as native content and as YouTube clips for their YouTube channel. She also mentions that she has not considered offering a special discount code for listeners of the podcasts, but she is interested in taking on affiliates to distribute their software. She is also interested in partnering with consultants to help spread the message that understanding culture is essential for success. The Benefits of the Digital Funnel Lisa shares her experience with the digital funnel and the benefits it provides. She has a cohort of about 40 subscribers, some of whom are clients and colleagues, and some are paying members. She uses Tekmatixs software, based on a system called Lead connector, which includes an education platform. The platform allows users to sign up for a newsletter, access a lead magnet, or resource, and eventually become paying members where they can access the modules, master classes, and playbooks of frameworks. The system also includes access to Tekmatixs, which is an affiliate link for those interested in trying the system. Group coaching sessions are also available for users to take and participate live. Lisa also shares her experience with email marketing and conversion rates. Working with a Podcast Agency Lisa discusses their experience with a podcast agency and the results she has received from it. She shares information on fees and services, which involves developing a podcast profile and...

Show Notes: Jeremy Greenberg discusses the AI-powered audience simulator built by the Avenue Group. The tool allows users to provide a set of custom instructions for different audience segments, like research or interviews. It allows users to ask questions of qualitative and quantitative nature, and within minutes, results from simulated respondents are obtained. The tool mirrors the sentiment of collective segments and audiences, similar to chats or LLMs on a one-on-one basis. This tool is useful for collecting the opinions of celebrities, for example, Steve Jobs, highlighting the immense power of LLMs in capturing the distributions of the underlying population. Creating an Audience Jeremy discusses the process of updating the front end and the first section of the tool. He states the importance of setting this to create an audience, which is the global population interested in a specific topic, such as Americans drinking Coca Cola. This audience is then used to create sub-segments within the audience, each with its own criteria. For example, if the audience is comprised of decision-makers who decide on software for small businesses, they can segment them into different countries. The Creation of Segments The second section of the tool allows for the creation of segments. These segments can be categorized by industry, such as executives responsible for sourcing and procuring uniform rental services. For example, if the audience is comprised of executives in the food service industry, they can create a segment with one trait, such as "work in the food industry." The third section allows for the addition of more traits, such as "work in the food service industry," to further narrow down the audience. This allows for more targeted and targeted marketing efforts. An Example of Segmentation Jeremy uses the example of the janitorial services industry to identify the three segments. They create a review section that outlines the different traits and elements that comprise each segment, with a sample for each and a percentage base of the total. The group is asked questions about their current use of uniforms and key buying criteria. Jeremy recommends starting broad and going deeper with research, such as asking about the company, title, years in the industry, demographic information, and other relevant details. Open-ended questions can be added to gauge the industry's knowledge and understanding. For example, asking about the company's history and the number of vendors they work with could provide valuable insights. Quantitative questions can also be added to gauge the wallet fragmentation and the primary vendor's satisfaction level. For example, asking about the number of vendors they have for uniform rental services could provide insight into the distribution of the wallet. Additionally, asking about the top three criteria for selecting a vendor can help determine the industry's competitiveness. The Inspiration for Building the Tool The inspiration for building the tool came from research in academia. He cites a podcast called "Me, Myself, and AI" where they talked about research they’d done and hypothesis tested on price sensitivity related to income and brand value, which demonstrated that AI can understand these factors. They also wanted to understand the distributions of different responses, mirroring the reality of the world. To achieve this, they worked with an advisor and member of a research team at the Wharton School. This allowed them to learn how to use the tool in more advanced and creative ways. The tool is currently being developed and is in the process of being bolted up with all its features and capabilities. Analyzing Responses from Segments Jeremy talks about the process of creating a tool for analyzing responses from different segments. He discusses the importance of creating a sequence of events within the tool, such as creating 60 different personas and interviewing each one individually. The tool...

Show Notes: In this discussion, Professor Bryan Caplan discusses the science and ethics of housing regulations and the argument for housing deregulation, which he believes benefits everyone across the political spectrum, including lower costs and more equity. Barriers to Radical Housing Deregulation Bryan believes that to achieve radical housing deregulation, it would require convincing a large audience of people that it is a good idea. He explains that most people don't see the connection between letting people build and low prices, and there is a hypersensitivity to the harms a building can cause. The conversation also explores issues of environmental regulations and renewable power, and opposing forces lobbying to keep current housing regulations in place, such as community activists and the construction industry. Housing Developers and Zoning Laws The discussion turns to various types of regulation and barriers faced by developers, including zoning laws, which are often used to separate industry from commercial and residential areas. He talks about the expression “the zoning tax”, used by economists. Bryan believes that abolishing these regulations would be the best solution, and that, unfortunately, there is a slippery slope in allowing owners to preemptively stop someone from using their property as they want, it stymies action of any kind, and it can lead to laws that are overreaching and, most often, unnecessary. He talks about the law of nuisance and the burden of making a lawful complaint should be the responsibility of the complainer and not of the court to mitigate potential complaints in advance. Historical Preservation and Housing Regulations He discusses the issue of historical preservation regulations, which may not necessarily lead to the demolition of historic buildings. Market forces play a role in preserving historic buildings, as people often value them and don't want to tear them down. However, if there is a significant difference between the value of renting office space in historic buildings and the extra value from turning them into residential spaces, the market is spoken. He mentions that every historic building was built on the rubble of a previous, more historic building. Bryan states what he believes is the best, most easy solution to this problem. He also offers an example of why the motivation to preserve many historic buildings is quite ironic. Environmental Building Regulations Bryan addresses the environmental regulations that new builders face when building new buildings. He believes that current environmental protection laws are counterproductive, as they prevent developers from building in areas with favorable climates and reducing carbon emissions. Instead, he suggests making it easier to build in areas with good conditions, such as Southern California, where the weather is good and housing units can be built for millions of people. He talks about the importance of privatizing government land, particularly in the US, and suggests that developers should focus on what people want to pay for rather than environmental philosophy. He also discusses the lack of research on building codes and standards, which are often focused on land use regulations and safety regulations. He believes that the free market can ensure quality products, and explains how licensing, certification, and insurance companies play a role. Accessibility Requirements in Housing Regulations The conversation turns to accessibility requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bryan suggests a voluntary system where developers can target specific markets for ADA accessible buildings. He also discusses the challenges of building skyscrapers and density regulations in the United States. He argues that while technology has allowed for the construction of tall buildings, getting government permissions to build them is difficult, especially in desirable areas. He suggests that if skyscrapers could be...

Show Notes: Maria Isabel Rios discusses the importance of making a firm work for you, rather than working for your firm. She emphasizes that firm leaders often immerse themselves in their firm in service to growing the firm to make it successful. Maria Isabel suggests that a better way to be a firm leader is to make your firm work for you. This involves finding ways to evaluate your firm, add value to your life, and bring success into the picture. A Formula to Make Your Firm Work for You A formula for making a firm work for you includes identifying key areas of importance in your personal life, and looking at your consulting firm's purpose, values, and intentions. Then, you can look at how these elements can intersect. The formula should be tailored to your needs and preferences, and should be specific to your goals. For example, if you want to spend one weekend day with family, zero work, every week for the next 52 weeks, this can be a more specific goal. Another example is a firm leader setting their goals for financial success, which can be a specific percentage of their income that goes into their retirement account. By making these personal intentions specific, you can create a formula that works for you and your firm. Personal Intentions and the Intersection with Work Maria Isabel discusses the importance of identifying personal intentions and focusing on what brings joy to oneself then move on to the intersection with a firm. She describes five models of intention for firms and how this intersects with personal goals. Maria Isabel gives examples of firm leaders intentions and what they want in their personal and professional life, and how they make both work. She suggests that, by focusing on these models, individuals can better understand their intentions and make decisions that align with their goals and objectives. Maria Isabel explains how the different models work in both professional and personal life. Shifts and Growth in Business Models Maria Isabel talks about the concept of a shift in business model. She shares examples of clients who are overworked and need help to reduce their hours and focus on a healthier lifestyle. She emphasizes that independent consultants often have an embedded model in mind, which often involves working long hours for high profits and success. However, when clients feel burnt out, they may need to consider the happiness the firm life brings to the firm leader. To make a shift, Maria Isabel suggests that clients should consider their personal intentions and work backwards to determine how to achieve this. This could involve taking larger projects or creating more sustainability in their pipeline. Additionally, they should strategically shift the model of how they deliver to reduce the firm leader's role in delivery. Maria Isabel also touches on other aspects of the firm's role, such as building a reputation as a thought leader or creating an online course to generate revenue. By planning ahead and aligning activities to achieve these goals, clients can create a sustainable firm that can deliver on their desired lifestyle. Maria Isabel emphasizes the importance of being intentional about what they want and not automatically taking on more projects and hours each week. Timestamps: 08:07: Prioritizing personal intentions and defining firm goals for the next 3-5 years 15:55: Building a business model for impact vs. financial gain 23:32: Scaling consulting firms sustainably, prioritizing firm leader's well-being 30:35: Planning and intentionality for consulting firms Links: https://www.davidafields.com/mondaylive Website: https://www.davidafields.com/blog Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Show Notes: Lindsay McGregor discusses her firm's focus on building high-performing organizations. She explains that the highest performing organizations motivate people in a specific way, unlocking play, purpose, and potential for the problem they're solving. The firm trains leaders to be inspirational and consults with organizations on designing their operating models. She shares a story about how the firm explained the deeper concepts of play at work and how implementing these concepts of play was worth millions of dollars to the fund's portfolio managers every year. Play is often seen as something we do during our hobbies, but when we feel engaged by what we're solving, we perform at our best. Utilizing Play Concepts for Growth Management Lindsay talks about the tools used to facilitate the play process and shares a sample engagement with a client who was the founder of a tech company that had scaled rapidly and the former processes no longer worked. Lindsay shares examples of the challenges faced in managing a team due to the rapid growth of the organization, including issues of talent retention, burnout, and AI adoption. To address these issues, Lindsay’s firm found three simple, easy-to-implement routines: goal checks, health checks, and skill checks. She shares a story that demonstrates the benefit of problem-solving activities. She explores each routine and explains that, by focusing on these strategies, companies can ensure their teams are equipped to handle the demands of their rapidly growing environment and maintain a competitive edge. Outcome-related Goals, Process-related Goals, and Idea-related Goals The conversation moves to outcome-related, idea-related, and process-related goals in a company. Lindsay emphasizes the importance of tracking process metrics and idea metrics to track how many ideas or experiments are being run. Aggressive goals can lead to increased effort, but it's crucial to manage experimentation and work smarter instead. For example, a tech company's recruiter had to fill double the number of jobs in the coming quarter than she normally does. By breaking down her goal into six categories, AI helped her create five sub-goals that focused on working smarter, not harder. This allowed her and her leader to focus on creatively adapting their approach. Team Alignment, Strategy, and Outcome Goals In some organizations, having a senior leader join the goal meetings and challenges can be powerful, as it allows senior leaders to help block the team and identify blockers that are outside of their control. This creates a sense of understanding and cooperation between the team and the executive. The quarterly health process and skill check are essential for ensuring the right goals are set and the team has the necessary skills to accomplish them. Motivation in the workforce is a key factor in achieving success. A study found that people who learn valuable skills on the job and have good work-life balance are more motivated. However, many find learning new skills difficult, as it is often seen as a big training or time-consuming process. Lindsay talks about the problem of skills gaps and how to deal with this issue. Lindsay also mentions the benefits of remote work culture, which can be great but requires more intentional skill building and offers a few approaches to team skill building. Vega Factor Certification for Consultants The discussion revolves around the firm's resources and tools for consultants to access, such as goal checks, health checks, and skill checks. One of their current offerings is a platform called Factor, which enables consultants to run goal checks, health checks, and skills checks. They train and certify consultants to do these checks with their organizations. The certification and training process for using the platform is a six-part learning session that goes deep into how to conduct these checks. The platform is designed to help consultants and leaders retain top...

Dr. Ron Razmi discusses his book, AI Doctor: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, which focuses on the applications of AI in various areas of healthcare. Ron talks about AI as a foundational technology that uses statistical methods to analyze data and understand its meaning. It can be applied to various areas, such as coding and documentation, and can create algorithms to analyze heartbeats and detect abnormal rhythms. AI Use in Diagnostics In diagnostics, AI can be helpful in analyzing clean structured data, such as radiology files from CAT scans or MRIs. AI can be trained to identify bleeding or abnormalities on these scans, but it must be trained on specific abnormalities. Currently, AI excels in radiology due to the digitized and structured data, but it's not as effective in narrative formats. Ron states that AI's applications in healthcare are vast and deep, and while it's still in its early stages, it has the potential to revolutionize various sectors, including healthcare. AI Tools in Radiology and Triage AI is increasingly being used in various fields, including radiology, dermatology, and sound AI. In radiology, AI tools are helping radiologists identify potential issues that might have been missed in traditional workflows. There are applications that read CAT scans for bleeding and stroke in acute settings, allowing radiologists to quickly identify and treat stroke patients. This helps in regaining function and ensuring patient recovery. AI can also aid in triage, prioritizing tasks based on urgency. AI in Dermatology In dermatology, AI applications can help diagnose skin lesions. Additionally, sonar technology can be used to monitor people's activity and detect falls. This passive data collection method allows AI to analyze the signals and take action, reducing the need for manual data entry and manual data input. This technology is particularly effective for elderly individuals who may not want to be monitored with cameras, as 50% of falls occur in the bathroom. This technology is particularly useful for those who prefer to stay home but still need constant monitoring, such as those in assisted or independent living facilities. AI in Cardiology In cardiology, AI tools can help read EKGs, which are crucial for diagnosing heart conditions. Historically, algorithms have been used to read EKGs, but they were often basic and inaccurate. AI has shown great promise in finding abnormalities on single lead data collection, as it can discern the rhythm of an EKG from a live core or smartphone application. This field-based data collection could significantly reduce the simple analytic and downstream work needed by clinicians in the medical staff. AI in Therapeutics AI takes action in therapeutics, such as providing assistance to patients with mental health issues. AI chatbots can interact with patients who need help and provide frontline assistance until they see a mental health professional. Generative AI has improved natural language processing capabilities, which has been a problem area for AI in healthcare due to the heavy use of medical jargon in doctor's notes. This will allow for more efficient interactions with healthcare consumers and better guidance in their care. However, there is still much work to be done in this promising area. Technology and Medication Adherence in Healthcare The conversation turns to medication adherence, which is a significant problem in healthcare. Long-term studies show that people who have had a heart attack are more likely to stay compliant with their medications, with the refill rate for statins being the highest documented rate. However, most people do not follow their prescription advice. Technology is part of the solution to this problem. AI technology can potentially analyze data and interact with patients at the appropriate moment to ensure they are aware of the needs, issues, and dates of medication use or the lack of, which is crucial in...

Show Notes: The Benefits of Somatics Divya Agarwal, founder of Vivekam, explains what somatics is and what the benefits are. Somatics is a term used to describe ​body-based techniques that can be used with the body to build more body/mind awareness, manage emotions, and respond more effectively. ​T​hese practices involve using ​techniques such as breathing, generating heat, and visualization practices to sense oneself better and improve self-awareness. These practices can help individuals feel more connected to their emotions and be present in various situations, such as negotiations or job evaluations. Mindful presence, which has been emphasized in mainstream literature and coaching, is another way to be present. However, there is a growing trend towards using “embodiment” (the quality of being/feeling the body) as a way to enter presence. Some simply techniques to build embodiment involved breathing exercises, visualization exercises, and body scans. Divya explains that somatics works at the nervous system level. Over time, these practices rewire the body and teach the nervous system to respond differently, making it easier to come into presence and calmness. Building Embodiment with Somatics Divya discusses the difference between exercise and somatics. She touches on the concept of embodiment, or being embodied, in relation to exercise. She believes that being in the body allows us to be more present and feel emotions such as anger, joy, anxiety, and fear and to manage those emotions. Divya states that the more we are embodied, the more we can be aware of emotions (since they show up as sensations in the body), and then choose how we respond with those emotions. Body-based techniques like breathing and visualization can help manage these emotions. The science behind starts with some basics of the brain and nervous system. To keep it simply, understand three areas: the amygdala​ (base of brain, often called "the reptilian brain"), the sympathetic nervous system, and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system responds to reactive stimuli and triggers the amygdala into action (fight, flight, or freeze), while the parasympathetic nervous system allows us to be calm and relaxed. The goal of body-based techniques is to help us be in the parasympathetic mode more effectively and more easily. The Parasympathetic Nervous System and Heart Variability Rate Divya talks about the importance of the parasympathetic nervous system in maintaining a healthy balance and resilience. She mentions heart rate variability, which is a biomarker that reflects the variations in the amount of time between your heartbeats. The more variation your heart has, the higher your HRV. Higher heart rate variability indicates that the heart can have and manage different intervals of time. ​Those in the medical field will discuss how high HRV is good and indicates that there is balance in the nervous system between Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous system response. In short, high HRV is an indicator of someone's capacity to have higher resilience​. The nervous system is connected to our whole body as a response mechanism to our outside world. Practices to Improve the Parasympathetic Nervous System Divya introduces three practices to build embodiment. The first practice involves rubbing hands together, focusing on the lower belly and noticing breath. The second practice is box breathing, which involves inhaling for a count of four, retaining the inhale, exhaling for your own count of four, and retaining at the “bottom of the exhale.” Over time, as one develops the capacity for expanded breathing, you may increase this to 4 in / 6 out, 6 in/ 8 out etc. She encourages reflection on what may be noticed during these practices. Divya states that it helps people remember their physical container around the mind and brings awareness of a deeper breath. She also mentions that shallow breathing, which involves inhaling...

Kathy Hines, former Chief Marketing Officer at brands like Dickies and Vice President at brands like North Face and Kipling ,shares her experiences. She started her career in career management consulting at Bain and later went on to Nike, where she gained foundational experience in lifestyle and sports marketing. At Kipling, she led marketing strategy and E-commerce. She then led marketing and strategy for the North Face in Europe. After a four-year stint in VF Europe, she returned to the US and took on the role of global chief marketing officer for Dickies in Texas, where she was also responsible for licensing. Her experience at VF has given her a broad range of skills and experiences. Developing a Professional Marketing Plan Using a sports and lifestyles brand as an example, Kathy shares her process for developing a professional marketing plan. She begins by identifying the brand's aligned corporate strategy and working closely with the leadership team to understand financials and operational opportunities. The team then collectively develops long-term objectives, such as being the leader in performance and lifestyle apparel across key markets. For example, strategic choices include improving gross to net profits, targeting specific geographies, such as the UK, China, and the US, or focusing on elevating iconic products to consumers. The latter approach allows the brand to ensure it is the best in the world at that product. The marketing strategy should align with these strategic objectives and align with the brand foundations, which include the purpose of the brand, brand values, and brand personality. The Importance of Brand Foundations The brand foundations are essential for the marketing team to align on who they are and why they exist. These foundations include the brand purpose, the brand values, which define the brand, and the brand personality, which guides the direction of the brand in terms of the brand and design guidelines which are visual manifestations of the brand, while the tone document informs global communications, PR, and social media. The marketing plan should also include a clear vision for the brand, a clear mission statement, and a clear communication strategy. By focusing on these areas, the marketing team can create a comprehensive and effective marketing plan that aligns with the brand's long-term objectives and strategic choices. Examples of Brand Purpose and Its Place in the Marketing Plan Kathy shares several examples of brand purposes, including Kipling's brand purpose of making happy, and Napapijri’s brand purpose of Unlimit the Future. These examples demonstrate the power of brand purpose in shaping a company's identity and strategy. A marketing plan can be a singular page or a series of sub-chapters, with the brand purpose at the top. The purpose is the pinnacle of the brand, defining its values, personnel, and personality. Sub-chapters can include marketing-related details and strategic choices to align the brand foundations with corporate strategy. If the brand purpose is a one-page manifestation, subsequent pages can further explore the brand purpose, values, personality, and how these factors inform communications in PR, social media, and ecommerce. These drill-downs are crucial for ensuring alignment with the brand's overall vision and strategy. Segmentation in Marketing Kathy discusses the importance of segmentation in marketing, stating that while it is important to understand a brand's core consumer base, it is also crucial to consider the potential of the audience and the growth of that audience. For example, if a brand is rooted in an extreme sport, and the core consumer is an extreme athlete, branching out from there to less extreme athletes who do not compete, or a consumer who is inspired by the sport can help unlock and grow the brand by connecting the core consumer to concentric circles that ripple out from the center. Price Strategies in Marketing Price strategy...

Show Notes: Dimitris Samouris discusses the development of a tool called Junior, an SaaS tool built on large language models and speech to text models. It leverages AI to help process primary research workstreams, particularly in the due diligence process, especially for primary interviews. How Junior Works - A SaaS Tool to Clean Transcripts Junior helps automate a significant portion of the administrative tasks associated with research execution, allowing users to focus more on the big picture answer rather than the execution side of things. The tool provides a highly accurate transcript of each call, including the name, segment, company, customer size, date and time of the interview, call status, and review status. The call tracker is a knowledge repository that displays the names, segments, job title, company, customer size, country, date and time of the interview, call status, and review status. The call screen is a customizable project management tool for running the call workstream. Junior has three parts: a call drawer, which has three parts: verbatim transcript, clean transcript, and audio file backup. The first step is to chunking the verbatim transcript into relevant question and answer pairs, then cleaning those pairs for colloquialisms and repetition interruptions. This process typically strips out about half of the text in the verbatim transcript, making it more digestible. The Benefits of Using Junior - Workflow Tools for Consultants Junior allows users to create a clean transcript of a call and then convert it into a call summary. The tool has two components: a stats box that extracts every numerical data point referenced in the call and stores it in one place for review after the call, and a set of key takeaways that are AI-generated summaries of the key points of the call. The tool leverages information from the beginning of a project, such as a scope document or interview guide, to help guide the summary. The tool also offers workflow tools specifically designed for the consulting industry to help get to the slide output faster. One of the main features is Ctrl. F. This feature helps users find relevant quotes and questions related to the topic, such as contract structure, pricing, implementation, and renewal processes. This feature is particularly useful for human consultants who may struggle to trace quotes due to sanitization or paraphrasing issues. An AI native spreadsheet table automates data input for questions that need to be tracked systematically across research or used in market models. It allows users to set up questions and track transcripts, with the source information attached for verification. The data is exportable into Excel for further analysis. Junior also has a chatbot that handles transcripts for consulting and investment research use cases. It produces structured answers with evidence attached to each argument, providing a comprehensive data access and customization tool. Pricing and Signup for Junior The presentation also touches on the pricing and signup process for clients, including six of the top 10 consulting firms, boutiques, and private equity funds. The pricing is $100 per transcript, which typically gets billed back to the client as part of the research expenditure along with the extra networks used to source calls. Overall, the presentation emphasizes the importance of auditability and traceability when using Gen AI tools in procurement research. Junior saves time on analysis and synthesis for clients who are already paying for interviews on big alpha sites or GLG. The tool is priced at an extra 100 dollars per interview, but it can be refunded back to the client. The signup process involves reaching out to the company, who spin up a new instance for each user due to data security concerns. The platform can be set up within a day of reaching out. Timestamps: 01:02 Using AI to automate due diligence process, including transcription and summarization of calls. 05:53...

In this episode of Unleashed, Ran Harpaz, founder of Lettuce, discusses the importance of an automated tax and accounting system for businesses and that Lettuce is entirely focused on independent consultants. Independent consultants who make over $100,000 per year often overpay their taxes by $10,000 or more. Lettuce is a FinTech software company that helps these professionals incorporate their business into the right S corporation with the IRS, open a business bank account, run bookkeeping, run accounting, predict and file taxes, all done automatically through software. The company offers two levels: Pro (300 dollars a month) and Premium (700 dollars a month). The service includes accounting, bookkeeping, tax preparation, and tax preparation. Tax Strategies for the Independent Consultants Ran explains how many independent consultants are often double taxed as sole proprietors due to the IRS's coordination on annual tax returns. He offers an example to demonstrate how this works. Ran also discusses the concept of an S Corp and its implications for tax calculations. He mentions that Lettuce exists as a software solution that does this daily on every dollar, as income fluctuates throughout the year. This automated solution monitors every payment, calculates and withholds the right amount automatically, and keeps the balance to the IRS constantly close to zero. The S Corp also offers more advanced tax strategies, such as retirement matching, qualified business income deductions, and better healthcare premium payments. Once an S Corp is established, it can unlock all the tax strategies typically available to corporations. The tax system and everything around it are well optimized for corporations, and larger organizations have a finance department, FEMA, and tax experts. While the savings on Social Security and Medicare may be capped, other benefits like retirement and healthcare premium payments open up once an S Corp is established. Using Retirement Plans as a Tax Strategy Ran discusses the advantages of using retirement plans as a tax strategy for individuals, particularly those with limited liability companies (LLCs). They mention that having an SEP IRA or a defined benefit plan can provide tax-free income, but it also comes with higher limits. The speaker emphasizes that this becomes a multivariable optimization problem, as individuals may want to save more through retirement, allocate more to Social Security, optimize for salary distribution, maximize expenses, and consider factors like business use of home and mileage. He suggests that these tax strategies should be solved by software products rather than human efforts. He explains that Lettuce is a replacement for QuickBooks accounting bookkeeping packages. Instead of having multiple software solutions, Lettuce provides a single solution that includes incorporating LLCs, making S corp elections, running books, opening a dedicated bank account, and managing payroll processing. How Lettuce Offers Tax Accounting Solutions Ran also mentions that Lettuce can handle payroll for individuals who hire employees. They focus on serving businesses of one owner, as they are the essence of the business. The free business bank account is provided by TransPecos Bank, a Texas bank, FDIC insured, and provides the infrastructure for keeping money safe.The company is offering accounting and bookkeeping software that helps with automating quarterly taxes, which are a requirement for people. The software handles complex tasks such as forecasting, withholding the right amount, filing, and payment. It also handles complex transactions like multiple jurisdictions or income from Canada. The company has partnered with a CPA company to serve their specific market segment, offering additional services when needed. This includes offshore investments and rollovers from past investments. The company is also working on rolling out an AI accountant to answer customers' questions 24/7. They are...

Salah Zalatimo, former Chief Digital Officer at Forbes, discusses the history of magazines and digital transformation. Magazines have been around for a while, with many well-known brands being founded around 100 years ago. Technological innovations have enabled new businesses to launch, such as the Direct to Consumer (DTC) boom and the cheaper printing costs around the turn of the last century. A Short History of the Magazine Industry Salah talks about the background of Forbes, which was launched around the Great Depression, and goes on to why the magazine industry was much like VC Investing today, and how it changed with the advent of the internet. The tension between maintaining journalistic integrity and separation was a challenge. However, the internet revolutionized the way magazines operated, leading to many magazines going out of business in the past 20 years. Integration with the Digital Media Space Salah started his career in 2001, drawn to the digital media space after experiencing the first broadband connection and discovering Napster and music. When he arrived at Forbes, he found it to be one of the few companies that successfully adapted to these new business models. Forbes had more traffic and audience than any other magazine and competed with some of the largest information and news websites in the world. He joined Forbes in 2016 and discovered that their adaptation to the new business model was kind of outside their capabilities. Forbes adopted a new business model in 2016 when they acquired True Slant, a platform that allowed writers to write articles and receive a revenue share on the content. This aligned the incentives of all stakeholders in the content creation process, with writers and publishers trying to generate more revenue and being paid based on the success of the content. Forbes adapted this business model to their own newsroom, increasing their content production and SEO significantly. How Forbes Maintained Zero Liability The Google algorithm, which was maturing at the time, was a link-sharing system, making it difficult to lose a lead in SEO. Forbes was one of the first companies to dramatically increase their content production and SEO, leaving everyone behind. This led to a virtuous cycle where writers had their own social media accounts and audiences, which added to putting Forbes ahead of the curve in terms of adaptation. However, content production still operated as a newsroom, and digital transformation was needed to adapt the business model. Salah explains why tension arose between traditional journalists and freelance journalists and how Forbes maintained zero liability for user-generated content.. Problems Facing The Digital Media Business Model The digital media business model is facing a number of problems, including misaligned incentives and the need for a more efficient business model. Digital advertising is the primary way to monetize the media today, and traditional newsrooms focus on journalistic excellence and fact-checking. Salah explains how Forbes addressed this issue which incentivized writers to optimize their content for new distribution channels like Google and Facebook. This led to a dramatic change in the way Forbes worked and enabled them to grow. Challenges Managing Freelance Writers The newsroom faced challenges in managing freelance writers and managing quotas, which created stress. As a technologist, it was clear to Salah that many of these tasks could be simplified, automated, and made more consistent and flexible. To improve processes and outcomes, the company looked at the publishing platform as an opportunity. WordPress, the most widely used platform, is meant for smaller publications, and it couldn’t handle the volume of Forbes. By aligning incentives and improving processes, Forbes was able to grow and thrive in a time when other digital media companies were either losing money or going sideways. How Forbes’ Platform Was Improved To improve the...

Show Notes: In this discussion, Will Bachman interviews Henry Oliver, author of the forthcoming book Second Act about late bloomers. Oliver has a background in English literature and marketing. He worked for an MP and later in employment marketing. Defining a Late Bloomer Henry’s interest in late bloomers came from his work in employment marketing, and during his research, he found a wealth of talent in an older demographic. During the course of his research, he found that cognitive ability is the number one predictor of job performance regardless of age. A late bloomer is someone who is no longer expected to achieve anything significant. However, Henry states that many people start a successful career late in life. Henry’s book is structured as a series of short biographical sketches that illustrate themes such as the right people, networks, influence, being at the right place, the right time, and meandering career paths that many high profile leaders, including Margaret Thatcher, are prime examples of the late bloomer. The Focus on the Book His decision to focus more on the biographical sketch approach was influenced by his background as an A talent and employment brand consultant. He believes that the book should be focused on more than just the social science approach, as it allows him to explore the complexity of life. The concept of inefficient preparation, as discussed by Henry, is a concept that has been gaining attention in recent years, especially with the emergence of AI. He talks about the meandering career path of Calvin Coolidge. He explains that many people are considering how to prepare for different careers. However, he emphasized that this approach is not necessarily always the best career strategy, as it can lead to inefficient outcomes. One example of this is Dwight Eisenhower, who was a young soldier during World War One and was kept in America to train on tanks. Despite the shrinking army and the lack of pay at the end of the war, Eisenhower continued to study military strategy and find mentors, which eventually paid off with the advent of World War Two. Henry mentions that many people have a meandering inefficiency in their careers, and if they can find a way to switch into a more challenging job, it can pay off well. This combination of a wait-and-see approach and serious planning can help individuals make the most of their time and achieve their career goals. How to Make Networking Work Henry talks about the problem of focusing on building a network and why it’s important to find the person with the right influence for whatever it is you want to do right now. He shares an example of this with the story of Margaret Thatcher’s leadership election in the conservative party. Henry discusses the importance of corporate culture in shaping one's career trajectory, and how the culture helps or hinders how you work. He cites studies of young men sent to the Second World War. The study found that a more ambitious, fast-paced environment with strong leadership and opportunities for development can lead to better performance. He also talks about the detrimental effects of a toxic environment. The discussion turns to putting yourself in the right place in today’s work environment. The most fundamental piece of research that Henry found is about hot streaks, where people produce their best work over a long period of time.The study found that people have an explorer phase, where they try out different ideas and move around the world. This is followed by the exploit period when they take action to take steps connected to their primary interest. In today's world, there are no universally-accepted answers to what constitutes an "exploit phase." It depends on the individual's career goals and the circumstances they are in. Steve Jobs, for example, was an example of someone who dropped out of various fields to pursue what eventually became Apple. The Importance of Exploration and Perseverance in Career The book...

Show Notes Craig Callé talks about third party risk management (TPRM), with an emphasis on cybersecurity. TPRM is a subset of Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC), which aims to help organizations achieve their objectives, address uncertainties, and act with integrity. TPRM is crucial as over half of all data breaches occur through insecure third parties. Companies need to understand their third party relationships and monitor them more carefully, which requires a variety of tools and processes. Craig explains that TPRM can cover a variety of risks, including cybersecurity, but also financial viability, compliance with privacy, sanctions and other regulations, reputation management, supply chain issues, and alignment of ESG and sustainability objectives. Defining GRC and Third Parties Craig explains that GRC is a broad category that includes TPRM, but also enterprise risk management (ERM), business continuity or operational resilience, policy management, controls compliance, privacy and ESG. ERM typically includes a risk register, which compiles all the potential threats that can affect a company, and it is crucial to building a more predictable and measurable system to achieve its objectives at the lowest possible risk. He mentions that the term “third parties” should include not just vendors and suppliers, but also often overlooked entities such as outsourced service providers, software as a service (SaaS) apps, cloud hosts, contractors, ecosystem partners, technology partners, and financial counterparties. GRC Frameworks He mentions that a lot of the governance aspect of GRC work involves picking a suitable framework and building a program around it. For example, in cybersecurity, a popular standards body would be NIST, and he mentions a few others that give leaders a roadmap apropos to achieving high standards of operation. Organizational Relationships The head of GRC is responsible for ensuring that the organization operates within its control frameworks. For example, in a Fortune 500 company, the executive responsible for GRC might report to a Chief Risk Officer, if there is one, with a dotted line to the board audit and risk committee. Since many TPRM programs have an exclusive focus of cybersecurity risk, the head of TPRM often reports to the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Third Party Risk Management Responsibilities The head of third party risk management is responsible for several processes, such as onboarding new third parties, periodic audits, ongoing real-time monitoring, reporting functions, and investigating and dealing with incidents and responses. However, the responsibilities depend on the organization’s level of maturity and the complexity of the process. Craig offers a few examples to clarify the complexities that have to be taken into consideration, including the fact that risk management processes can be seen as blockers, and additionally, offers a tip on how to overcome this issue. Software for Third Party Risk Management Craig talks about the importance of selecting the right software for clients, highlighting the pros and cons of a best of breed approach versus a multi-module suite. Craig mentions examples of TPRM workflow automation platforms, including ProcessUnity, MetricStream, ServiceNow, LogicGate, BitSight, and many others. These platforms facilitate questionnaires and other assessments issuance, response review, routing of issues to specific people or groups within an organization, risk scoring and reporting to stakeholders. Cyber risk ratings, which have been around for over 10 years, are now a natural complement to workflow platforms. Ratings provide objective data that help triage the community of third parties by quantifying vulnerability to data breaches. They provide easy-to-digest results that don’t require an IT certification to understand, based on FICO-like scores or letter grades. He explains that companies may want to share data across modules, although...

Show Notes: In this conversation with Will Bachman, Ivan Oransky, a co-founder of Retraction Watch, shares his experience as a medical journalist and with Retraction Watch. Ivan explains that his friend and co-founder, Adam Marcus had uncovered a massive story about scientific fraud in Western Massachusetts, where an anesthesiologist had made up all clinical data. Adam, who was managing editor of an publication called Anesthesiology News got the scoop on the story, and Ivan, who was impressed with the story, suggested they start a blog about retraction notices, it turned out there were far more happening than previously thought. 13 and a half years later, Retraction Watch is still going strong and has a large audience. Adam and Ivan are volunteers but have four staff two of whom run a database of retractions that was recently acquired by CrossRef, a nonprofit that tracks scientific data and papers. The other two staff continue to contribute to the journalism work they started 13 and a half years ago, while Ivan and Adam still supervisor edit and direct it. How to Evaluate an Article Ivan shares his advice on how to evaluate an article in a medical journal or any published article. He emphasizes the importance of showing one's work and examining the evidence used to reach a conclusion. He explains that, when looking at articles, it is crucial to consider the original sources, citations, and the journal's track record of quality. He also emphasizes the importance of humility in making claims and not making pronouncements about things he or she doesn't know anything about. He also warns against trusting credentials to suggest expertise, as it can be misleading, Ivan shares the example of a time when he was asked to peer review papers about COVID-19, simply because he had co-authored a letter about retractions of work. However, he is not an expert on the subject. Ivan believes that an expert should only be asked to peer review papers that they believe are likely to hold up or should not be published. Leading Causes of Retraction Ivan explains that factors that commonly lead to a retraction. Two-thirds of retractions are for misconduct. This number is consistent across various works and he goes on to explain that there are several definitions of misconduct to take into consideration, including fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism. About 20 percent of the time, it’s due to a what’s known as honest error, and Ivan offers a few examples. The deeper cause is the requirement that researchers must publish in certain places to get a job in academia, tenure, promotion, and prizes. This drives people to do all sorts of things, and while this drives most people to work harder and try to work more efficiently, others may take a different approach. In fact, Ivan states that 2 percent of researchers admit to committing misconduct. The Replication Crisis Ivan talks about the replication crisis, which has been a topic of interest in the social sciences and hard sciences. When Retraction Watch was first launched, there were about 400 retractions from journals a year. Last year, there were more than 10,000, a big increase despite the rising number of papers published. The root cause of this issue is the same problem: replications are not new research or findings and should be cherished and prized, but they are not. Big journals don't like to publish replications, so they don't reward new research. To get into a big journal, researchers need to publish new research, which is simple behavioral incentive economics. The discussion turns to incentives for people to write about scientific misconduct and fraud. Ivan states that, while there is more incentive not to write retractions, he cites a page on Retraction Watch that has dozens of stories from people committed to revealing issues with research, including well-known figures. These individuals face legal risks, such as lawsuits, and are usually not paid for this work. The...

Show Notes: Melanie Espeland, a TEDx speaker and executive coach with 17 years of experience in strategy, operations, and coaching, she’s former McKinsey, and in this episode, she discusses the importance of executive presence and how to achieve it. Communication in Executive Presence In this workshop, Melanie explains that executive presence is important because it provides access to insider discussions, meetings, events, and happy hours. Access is crucial for success, and influence is essential for those with a purpose or vision. Executive presence allows for a balance and integration of power, authority, respect, trust, warmth, and likability. Melanie also discusses the concept of compassionate authority, which she sees as a combination of power, authority, respect, trust, warmth, and comfort with the people you are speaking with. This external communication and ability to share thoughts and feelings are key to achieving executive presence. By understanding the value of executive presence and its impact on success, individuals can better navigate their roles and achieve their goals. Melanie explains that executive presence is a complex concept that varies across different personalities and people. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for expressing presence, as there are different ways of expressing it. Steve Jobs and Michelle Obama are examples of individuals with different styles, each with their own unique qualities. However, there are common threads or levers in executive presence that can help individuals build their personal and professional style that aligns with their strengths and personality. Building Executive Presence A structured approach to building executive presence consists of two pillars: the literal (physical, tangible) and the figurative (mental, emotional). Under each pillar, there are three common threads or levers: voice, body, and appearance. Voice refers to the speaker's voice, verbal communication, body language, posture, and physical presence. Body language, posture, and physical presence are also crucial. Application is the first impression, and it is important to consider how our appearance may impact our professional image and relationships. By understanding these common threads and levers, individuals can develop a unique and authentic executive presence style that aligns with their strengths and personality. The figurative pillar of executive presence is relevant for mid to senior level professionals as they move up the ladder. Authenticity, confidence, and vision are important for connecting with others and understanding one's strengths, weaknesses, wants, intentions, and motivations. Authenticity is crucial for connecting with others and making them feel comfortable. Confidence is different, as it involves feeling confident in oneself and being clear on one's goals. Vision is crucial for building an executive presence, especially as you get more senior. Effective Communication for a Large Audience To communicate effectively in large audiences, it is essential to understand media skills, such as how to talk to the media and communicate ideas consistently and coherently. As you become more senior, you will be thrown into meetings and need to control what people leave with. These six common threads or levers of executive presence can be divided into two pillars. By measuring up in these areas, you can identify areas where you have more opportunity. Exercises can be done together to practice these skills at home, starting with voice and body exercises. By focusing on these areas, you can develop new skills and improve your executive presence. How to Improve Verbal Communication Melanie discusses the importance of voice and body verbal and nonverbal communication in executive presence. One technique that often surprises people is tongue placement exercises. She believes that the body is an instrument that needs to be controlled, rather than controlled by it. They encourage...

Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Alex Brueckmann discusses the concept of strategy and its importance in business. Alex states that strategy is defined as a set of integrated choices made to win in a chosen marketplace. It is not just about playing the game, but about creating value that convinces or influences customers to buy from the company. A good strategy should be cohesive and integrated, making sense together, and Alex explains what defines a good strategy. Defining Key Factors in a Strategy When discussing a strategy, it is important to understand what the company does, for whom, what they offer, and who their customer is. This information can help businesses define their niche, mission, and goals. The next piece of information should be a clear description of what the business will look like in the next few years. The end state of the business and the strategy cycle should be defined, with what will be achieved by implementing the strategy and what actions will be taken. By knowing what you do, for whom, what you work toward, and the few choices that make 80% of the impact, businesses can focus their resources on the most important aspects of their strategy. Helping Companies Develop a Strategy Alex talks about the process of helping companies develop their strategy. He begins by helping clients understand their playing field, recent past changes and challenges, and aligning them with what the reality looks like. He discusses future changes and challenges, dissecting them into opportunities and defining target markets and clients. Alex helps clients understand what they need to do to make clients choose them over competitors in various industries. He also introduces the framework of the nine elements of organizational identity, which is an integrated approach to understanding every aspect of an entity. This includes customer experience, who the company is as a company, and the impact they want to have by providing a service to the world. The Nine Elements of Organizational Identity Alex talks about the frameworks he uses to help clients develop a strategy, including the nine elements of organizational identity and how he has defined key factors into the inner circle, the middle circle, and the outer circle. The Inner Circle Business Strategy He talks about the inner circle of a business and what it involves, including impact, mission, and principles. Impact is the change you want to create, based on your purpose and reason to exist as an organization. Mission is what an organization aims to do, and principles are the underlying values and behavioral guidelines.He explains how each element works and what the difference between impact and mission is. Iimpact is the change you want to create, while mission is what an organization aims to do. For example, a vehicle company's mission is to produce vehicles and sell them to a specific target group. However, the impact they create is deeper than their business definition. For example, producing affordable vehicles can be a game changer for families in third world countries, and having your own vehicle can also be a game changer depending on the security situation. The Middle Circle Business Strategy The middle circle is your business strategy, which includes a vision, choices made, and measurable goals. SMART goals are specific, measurable, and timed, but they lack specificity and, instead, hope that passion will carry them forward. To create a cohesive business strategy, it is essential to have a clear vision, intermediate goals, and visual representations, such as a strategy map. This helps ensure that the story you are telling with your strategy is cohesive and effective. The Outer Circle Business Strategy Alex discusses the outer circle, which includes management system capabilities and targets. This outer circle is likened to a scaffolding that prevents a business from breaking down again. However, without enabling everyone in the business to...

Show Notes: Karen Friedenberg discusses a project she worked on to design an Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence for a Fortune 500 medical supply company. The challenge was that the organization was initially looking to leverage robotics process automation (RPA) technology to automate repetitive and manual processes. This led to the development of Intelligent Automation, also known as hyper automation. Defining the Meaning of Intelligent Automation The first step in this project was defining Intelligent Automation and defining its meaning. The client wanted to develop a center of excellence to coordinate efforts across the company to take advantage of new technology and benefits quickly and in a coordinated way. The center of excellence would serve various needs and be a resource for the organization. Karen explains that the first step was to identify the pockets within the organization where people were learning about robotics, process automation, AI, and chatbots. She then interviewed stakeholders to understand their strategic imperatives and goals, and a key understanding was to let business lead the way, not the technology. The second step focused on developing the structure of the Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence (COE), its interaction with other teams, and the roles and competencies of the COE team. The COE team would be responsible for staying on top of the evolving technologies and coordinating efforts to leverage project management and program management capabilities in a coordinated way. One of the great things about new technology is putting it in the hands of the business and users, allowing them to solve problems themselves. However, there were challenges, opportunities, and fear to address, such as change management and fear of the business starting to do this. For example, IT was beginning to fear redundancy in many of their roles. As a solution to these challenges, it was necessary for the COE team to identify their mission, roles, and responsibilities. The Center of Excellence Explained The Center of Excellence (COE) is a team that works to identify and prioritize automation candidates in business units. Karen talks about the knockout criteria they use to assess if a process is an automation candidate and if it can be done within existing systems. The COE then uses a box prioritization matrix to assess the impact and effort of each candidate. If it is easier and less risky, it may be a candidate for a citizen developer role. Governance is also a key aspect of the COE's role. The COE's role involves oversight and sharing best practices. They train and certify citizen developers to use new technology and processes, ensuring proper controls are in place. The SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle) is a model that aims to maintain flexibility and speed while ensuring proper controls. People submit requests through various methods, such as email, phone, or using shared systems like Leisha shared through SharePoint and Microsoft tools. The COE's role is to ensure that the process is secure and efficient, while also ensuring that the right controls are in place to prevent unauthorized changes to code. Discussion on the Design Phase of a Project Karen explains that they are still in the design phase and it has not been fully executed yet. The vision was to analyze incoming requests and determine who gets help. The team is divided into a business lead and an IT lead who would work with business analysts to assess the project's feasibility. The group provide different levels of support, such as a half-hour conversation or a three-month project with a business analyst and consultants.The first step is to train the business unit citizen developer and to provide regular reviews to the client. The team would also provide additional technical, business process, and change management assistance. The goal is to help the client team navigate their blockers and be a centralized source for sharing...

Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, the panel discussion focuses on the pros and cons of becoming an adjunct professor. The panelists discuss the motivations behind teaching courses as an adjunct professor, how to get hired, whether to teach in traditional MBA programs or other certificate or degree programs, the amount of work involved, typical pay, relationship building opportunities, project opportunities, and ancillary benefits such as access to datasets or research services. The discussion kicks off with Adam Braff, a data analytics executive/advisor, shares his reasons for teaching, stating that the best reasons to teach are not practical instrumental reasons but more passion and love for teaching and believes it is a creative act. Mary Kate Scott follows Adam. She teaches at the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business in the MBA program, and Keck School of Medicine, focusing on healthcare. She has taught the business of healthcare, innovation and health care, new business models in health care, entrepreneurship and health care, and medical device business models. Mary Kate also shares her background with Procter and Gamble and later joined McKinsey for two years to become a better professor. She found she loved the position and stayed there for seven years, but she states that she found the joy of teaching to be both inspirational and fun. She enjoys the level of engagement and interaction in her classes. Sven Beiker teaches Strategy Making in an MBA program at Stanford Business School, and also at a university in Sweden about AI and product development. He discusses his experience teaching at Stanford and their passion for teaching. He began his teaching career at Stanford which led from a position as an automotive program manager. He also enjoys working with younger people, finding it intellectually stimulating. He has also found the position to be an asset in branding, and has found that it helps in terms of being considered as a keynote speaker from Stanford Business School. Mohannad Gomaa shares his experience teaching at US Navy PostGraduate School, which was motivated by a contract with a colleague and his subject matter expertise. He designed and delivered the curriculum. He has also taught in consulting colleges, and recently, he was authorized by the Association of Supply Chain Management to teach supply chain certifications, including the CSCP certified supply chain professional certification. This allows him to associate with a reputable knowledge body and meet with stakeholders interested in his work. He has also signed an agreement to be a consulting partner for the ACM, which will allow him to explore more opportunities across industries. He believes teaching is a passion that can generate revenue beyond the passion. An adjunct professor at the University of Copenhagen shares her passion for teaching consulting and adds to her reputation for expertise in her field, but she finds teaching fun and energizing. How to Secure a Position as an Adjunct Professor The conversation also touches on how to get started as an adjunct professor. To do this, one should be flexible about the institution they want to teach in and focus on the dimensions that are necessary to their field. Many schools have executive MBA programs and masters of leadership programs and other programs that are growing and need teachers who can teach their specific subject matter area and create and pitch syllabuses. To reach out to the right people in these institutions, one should reach out to the Academic Director of different degree programs. This person will be responsible for the substantive side of these programs and can help with informational interviews. For example, if one wants to teach in New York City, one could reach out to HR or the dean of the school. Mary Kate discusses the benefits of adjunct teaching, including the joy of publications, networking, and credibility. She suggests...