The Melting Pot with Dominic Monkhouse

Do you really understand how taxes work in your country? Our guest this week believes that 80% to 90% of people pay taxes and complain about the rich not paying. But, why do the rich don’t pay taxes? Our guest says it’s because smart entrepreneurs and wealthy people understand the laws.  What people don’t realise is that tax law is primarily a series of incentives for entrepreneurs and investors. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Tom Wheelwright, the CEO and founder of Wealth Ability, a network of CPA firms in the US and Canada. He’s spent 25 years buying, building, and selling CPA accounting, whilst travelling the world with Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, giving financial education to entrepreneurs and investors. In this episode, Tom tells us about the difference between CPAs and entrepreneurs and how rare entrepreneurial CPAs are. He’s also a Rich Dad advisor and shares the story of how he met Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and how they ended up teaching the fundamentals of business to entrepreneurs all over the world. Drawing from his latest book The Win-Win Wealth Strategy, he talks about what are the seven investments the government will pay you to make.A fascinating conversation. Download and listen today. On today’s podcast: Is it a moral duty to pay taxes?How do taxes really work?The seven investments governments will pay you to makeThe power of playing CashflowBecoming financially independent Follow Tom Wheelwright:WebsiteLinkedInThe Win-Win Health Strategy bookPodcast Book recommendations:Who Not How by Dan SullivanThe Innovation Ultimatum by Steve BrownRich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert KiyosakiHappy Money by Ken HondaEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

Does your organisation suffer from onboarding debt? It’s the difference between what people should understand and what they actually understand about how to succeed in their role. This debt manifests itself through low retention, poor cultures and frustrated leaders. But it doesn't need to be this way. In his new book, Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the point where they are effective, faster, Brad Giles gives a simple step-by-step process that leaders can use to significantly increase the effectiveness of new hires and existing teams. And this week, we got the chance to learn more from him on a new episode of The Melting Pot. Brad is a business coach based in Perth, Australia, and this week he joined us to talk about how to get new employees to deliver faster, how to get clear on expectations, and the impact that will have. Often, there are structural reasons that lead companies to do onboarding inadequately. There's a big gap that remains unmeasured, which is what is the difference between what people should know and what they actually know. Onboarding isn't something that should be left to HR. It should be done by the hiring manager and the team. Brad also talks about managerial fit and expectations, the technical skills that people need to learn and the things that culturally define the business that new hires need to pick up on. Don’t miss this fantastic conversation. Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast: The difference between a job scorecard and a role scorecardThe 90-day onboarding planWhat is onboarding debtWho owns onboarding in a businessHow to build a robust onboarding process Follow Brad Giles:WebsiteLinkedInBook Book Recommendations:Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Movie)Small Giants by Bo BurlinghamEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

 How do you want people to feel when they buy from you? How do you want people to feel when your sales team shows up? What fears might they have that stop them from staying with you or buying from you? As a marketer, if you really want to stand out from competitors and emotionally connect with your customers, these are important questions to answer.  This week on The Melting Pot we learned from Anthony Butler, author of Primal Storytelling and founder of the Marketing Agency Can-Do Ideas. From Helena, Montana, Anthony talks about his journey of discovery. He was a linguist and served in the army, but his story really kicks off when he gets fired by one of his marketing agency clients, who told him that his work hadn’t made any difference in the business. That was a turning point in his career. In this episode, we find out why.  In this conversation, Anthony shares his Primal Storytelling methodology and how he helps clients drive emotion in their marketing. We find out what questions you need to ask yourself to better connect with your audience. He also guides us through his process to map sales to marketing and what type of content and messages we need to deliver at each stage.  A fantastic conversation, make sure to download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast:  The impact of emotions on marketingThe Primal Storytelling content systemHow to make your brand stand out from competitorsMapping the sales process to marketingUnderstanding your audience's cultural background Follow Anthony Butler: WebsiteLinkedInPrimal Storytelling bookPrimal Storytelling podcastYouTube  Book Recommendations: The War of Art by Steven PressfieldExpert Secrets by Russell BrunsonEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

What are the differences and similarities between regular businesses and family businesses? Can family businesses be as successful? Our guest on The Melting Pot this week argues that family businesses can prove to be successful in the long run, as long as they focus on fostering the next generation of leaders while preserving the legacy. Jonathan Goldhill is a business coach, having been in the field since 2003. He is passionate about family businesses and his book, Disruptive Successor, is a guide for family business owners wanting to drive growth in their businesses. He has a deep understanding of the complexities of multigenerational family businesses, and is well-versed in the challenges of transitioning between generations. After exploring his passion for family businesses, Jonathan Goldhill discovered the unique challenges of transitioning from one generation to the next. He witnessed first-hand what it took for his father and uncle to join the family business, and how the tension of preservation and growth could be difficult to balance. Regular businesses and family businesses have different time horizons when it comes to making profit. In family businesses, success is usually determined by maximising family value, not shareholder value. Jonathan concluded that a crucial factor to success was to ensure that the older generation was encouraged to transition out of the business, whilst the younger generation was given the opportunity to grow it. Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast:  The differences and similarities between family and non-family businessesFamily before business Generational transitions within family businessesThe unique dynamics of multigenerational family businessesMeasuring performance in a family business Follow Jonathan Goldhill: Disruptive Successor BookWebsiteDisruptive Successor ShowLinkedInTwitterInstagram Book recommendations:Jack Welch Straight From The GutPatrick Lencioni’s books Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

Do you believe in the power of building a happy workplace to grow your business? We definitely do, and this week we bring proof. This week’s guest is an expert in creating joy at work, no matter how many days a week you’re in the office. If you need some inspiration to build trust in your team and set the foundations for a happy culture, this is a must-listen for you. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from a long-time friend, Henry Stewart,  founder, and Chief Happiness Officer of Happy, a company that helps organisations create happy workplaces. Henry and Dominic met many years ago when their organisations were competing for the Unisys Service Excellence Awards. Happy is the second happiest company in the UK or Best Place to Work, as measured by the Great Places to Work organisation, and number 15 in Europe. Henry has an innovative approach to running a business and was part of the British pilot for 4-day work weeks. Then, he decided to continue on that path, which resulted in 40% year-over-year revenue growth and increased productivity. He also implemented a salary transparency system, made the staff set his salary, and decided not to make any decisions, after which his employees took ownership of raising prices during the pandemic, which ultimately saved the company. Henry is now exploring Employee Ownership Trust and is happily living out his 4-day work week. Download and listen to this fantastic conversation today. On today’s podcast: The impact of a four-day week at HappyImplementing salary transparency in HappyShould your staff decide your salary?How to maintain productivity with a four-day weekCan a CEO make no decisions? Follow Henry Stewart: Happy WebsiteLinkedInTwitterBook Book Recommendations: Maverick by Ricardo SemlerMultipliers by Liz WisemanReinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review

What if you had to radically transform your business, change the culture, improve the percentage of A-players, drive staff engagement, and roll out a purpose and core values, all without raising salaries or changing the team? Well, that’s what our guests this week have done in their organisation. And all whilst improving the education delivery and striving to change the lives of the children in their schools. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Hazel Pulley and Jonathan Smart, CEO and Deputy CEO at Excelsior MAT, a multi-academy trust, currently with six primary schools in innercity Birmingham in their portfolio. ExcelsiorMAT is one of the teams that we’ve worked with at Monkhouse & Company, and we’re deeply proud of their amazing transformation over the past few years. Hence why we wanted them to join us on the show to share with us the keys to their incredible success.  In this episode, we hear from Hazel and Jonathan about their journey applying the Scaling Up framework and how it radically transformed their organisation. They also dived into how they managed to change the business without raising salaries or changing the team. This episode is a true testament to great leadership, making the right decisions and building an amazing culture.  A fascinating and exciting episode, download and listen to learn more! On today’s podcast:  What is a Multi Academy TrustCan Scaling Up be applied in Education?Changing lives through teachingCultivating existing talentThe importance of happiness at work Follow Hazel and Jonathan: ExcelsiorMAT websiteJonathan Smart LinkedInHazel Pulley LinkedInExcelsiorMAT TwitterExcelsiorMaT LinkedIn Book Recommendations: Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Trusted Leader by David HorsagerLincoln on leadership by Donald T. PhillipsBelonging by Owen Eastwood Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review

What comes to mind when you think about innovation? Creating something new from nothing. But does the word innovation push people away from doing it, thinking they don’t have the skills? Our guest on the podcast thinks so, and that’s why he uses the word reinvention instead. And that, reinventing, is exactly what he did with his own career after retiring from professional rugby. Today, we hear about his fascinating journey.This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from the author of Undisruptible, and host of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen. Formerly a professional rugby player, Aidan now works as an Executive Coach and Innovation Consultant.In this episode, Aidan talked about his journey as a rugby player and how he shifted from that to a career in innovation, and became a podcast host and innovation consultant. He also explored the cultural differences between some of the teams he played with, and he dived into the Butterfly metaphor that he uses in his book Unsdisruptable to explain the life cycle and how it applies to businesses. Make sure to download and listen to this fascinating episode day. On today’s podcast: Writing UndisruptableThe cultural difference between rugby teamsThe Butterfly metaphorFrom professional rugby to innovationThe impact of self-talk on mental health Follow Aidan McCullen: LinkedInBookBlogPodcast – The Innovation ShowBook recommendationsThe Heart of Business by Hubert JolyThe Biology of Belief by Bruce H. LiptonChange Your Paradigm, Change Your Life by Bob ProctorHow Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton ChristensenWhy Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert M. SapolskiThe Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru EmotoBuilt from broken by Scott H. HoganEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

How do you find enough qualified people to deliver on the revenue opportunities that your business comes across? This is a problem that might be familiar to many professional services organisations, particularly within the cloud space. Our guest this week Neil Marley, came across that challenge whilst he was working at New Signature. Neil is the Managing Director at Qualyfi. He's also former UK MD and EMEA lead at New Signature, an IT Services Management company that grew from 8 to 300 people in the UK and twice won the prestigious Microsoft UK Partner of the Year award (2014, 2019), before being acquired by Cognizant in 2020. We know Neil since 2017 when New Signature started coaching with us. During the course of our time working together, they grew from about ten people to 350. From a revenue perspective that’s around 48% compound annual growth rate.  There are two things that Neil is excited about. The first is helping people build an exciting new technology career, regardless of their background or previous opportunities; the second is building long-term partnerships with growth organisations, offering services to help fuel their growth. He has now taken his experience doing that to make Qualyfi a positive force for the world. In this episode, he shares his journey working in public cloud technologies with Microsoft, moving from working in a big organisation to a small team, and he and his small team managed to become one of the leading partners for Microsoft. He also talked about the challenges the business faced along the way, the secrets to New Signature’s success and the impact coaching had on the team dynamics. Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast: A journey of growth in MicrosoftLeading a successful partnership with MicrosoftNew Signature and Winning Microsoft UK Partner of the YearThe importance of business coachingQualyfi and placing new cloud tech talent Follow Neil MarleyQualify websiteLinkedIn Book recommendations: Radical Candor by Kim ScottWhat got you here won't get you there by Marshall GoldsmithCEO Excellence by Scott KellerAwaken The Giant Within by Anthony Robbins Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review

Hiring top talent –the right talent– is crucial to growing a business. Yet, so many companies get their recruitment process wrong. Clarity on what an A-Player looks like, and transparency with candidates in the process are just some of the missing elements that our guest this week noticed in many companies after falling into the world of recruitment. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Ross Lauder, founder and CEO at Single Focus Talent. Before becoming the talented headhunter he is today, Ross was a tech sales manager, working for big firms like Dell and Hubspot. Today, he recruits salespeople across Europe and North America. In this episode, we wanted to learn more from him about sales, and how the role of a salesperson has changed over time. Ross also shared his approach to recruitment and how he’s helping candidates in their careers. Also, what are people thinking about returning to the office, remote and hybrid work, and what's happening in the labour market. Is the tech world awash with talented people after the big tech layoffs? A great conversation. Make sure to download and listen today! On today’s podcast: How the sales process has changed over the yearsMoving from sales to recruitmentA transparent and honest approach to recruitmentWhat's going on in the current labour marketRemote or office? What candidates prefer Follow Ross Lauder: WebsiteSingle Focus Talent podcastGlobal Tech Leaders podcastLinkedInRoss on YouTube Book Recommendations: Brain Hacks by Keith BarryUnlimited Power by Anthony RobbinsAwaken The Giant Within by Anthony RobbinsThink And Grow Rich by Napoleon HillRich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review

Building trust is at the heart of a high-performing team and a great culture. Sometimes, that trust comes from allowing vulnerability and honesty into the room and acknowledging our flaws, as well as our geniuses. Our guest this week is a huge advocate of using that vulnerability to strengthen the relationships in leadership teams.On this week's episode of The Melting Pot, we learned from Ronan Harrington, an expert in the neuroscience of resilience. After receiving a Master in Public Policy from Balliol College, Oxford University, Ronan then became one of the youngest executives in the City of London, as Director of Futures and Strategy at RPC. At the age of 24, he authored a report on the world of 2030 and how the British Government should respond.In this fascinating episode, Ronan shared his views on what it takes to develop a great business culture, how allowing vulnerability can help build trust in teams, and how power can impact cultural change in an organisation. He also talked about his experience working with Extinction Rebellion and how ethical power plays work in politics and business. Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast:Developing a conscious cultureHow competing commitments affect cultureBuilding trust through vulnerabilityWorking for Extinction RebellionDefining resilience and dealing with burnout Follow Ronan:WebsiteLinkedInTwitterYouTube Book recommendations15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer and Diana ChapmanFortitude by Bruce DaisleySmalls things like these by Claire KeeganFoster by Claire Keegan Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review

The definition of value creation is giving something valuable to receive something else that’s more valuable to you. In today’s fast-paced economy, every business owner should strive to make his company as valuable as he can, and optimize wherever possible to provide value.Isn't it all about profit? It may be true for large company stockholders, but it is less true for small business owners. A major corporation's stockholder may be exclusively concerned with earnings. It's part of their investment portfolio, and its sole purpose is to increase their wealth. However, a small company would be more interested in communicating a mission and vision that attracts the world, creating a product or service that adds value to both customers and shareholders, and creating value through optimizing processes and finance. Some investors have advanced to impact investing because they seek more than just profits from their investments. As a result, B-corporations are becoming increasingly common. Impact investment and B-corporations seek to maximize financial returns while also providing a public benefit and creating long-term value.Today, on the Melting Pot, we are joined by Patrick E. Donohue, an expert in valuation, business angel, and financial advisor for entrepreneurs. He started his adventure at a very young age when he showed interest in stock shares and making money at only 10 years old. His passion lies in helping small businesses grow in a way that generates value and has a lasting impact on the community. He firmly believes that business owners shape the world by providing solutions to the complexities of human life. In his book “Breakout Valuation”, he breaks down complex financial concepts and shares them in plain easy English. His aim is for every leader to be able to understand financial intelligence and apply it in actionable plans to drive sustainable growth. In today’s episode:Business Valuation For BeginnersHow to Define a Sustainable Level of GrowthInsights from “Breakout Valuation”Business Design That Drives ValueEvery Business Has A Special Talent That Makes It More InvestableWhat Patrick E. Donohue WishesHe’d KnownEarlier Links: WebsiteLinkedInTwitterBook Book Recommendations: Aiden McCullen - UndisruptableMike Michalowicz -Profit FirstGreg Crabtree – Simple Numbers 2.0Patrick E. Donohue – Breakout ValuationRyan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman – The Dialy StoicAnthony De Mello – AwarenessJames Nestor - Breath

Having travelled to every country in the world, Scott Keller, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, New York Times best selling author of Beyond performance 2.0 and CEO Excellence, was looking for a new challenge. And he found it during lockdown. Along with his fellow authors, he sought to uncover what makes the best CEOs of this century the best. They combined extensive quantitative analysis with in-depth interviews with today’s top CEOs to understand what sets exceptional leaders apart.And they found the best CEOs have to master six core things to become great. Because, and Scott uses the analogy of Ashton Eaton, the greatest decathlete of all time here - no decathlete is the best 100 metre runner in the world or the best Javelin thrower, they have to not suck at anything, while being amazing at everything.In this episode of The Melting Pot, Scott shares the methodology they used to narrow down their list of CEOs from 7,800 to the 67 they interviewed, before discussing the six things they found were the core of every great CEO. On today’s podcast:Why we need to own our goalsHow hard it is being CEOGreat CEOs have humilityThe decathlete analogyThe six core elements of the CEO roleThe link between mindset and CEO excellenceLinks:Book - CEO ExcellenceTwitter – @Linked_nameLinkedIn – Scott KellerWebsite – McKinsey & Company

If your business is struggling to innovate, or is in fact resisting innovation all together, then don’t miss Anthony Rose, founder and CEO of SeedLegals on this week’s episode of The Melting Pot. Who better to learn from about how to incorporate, raise funds and grow your business, than the founder of the startup that one in six of all early-stage startups in the UK are using in their funding rounds. Widely known as “The man behind BBC iPlayer”, Anthony ran the iPlayer and other BBC services from 2007 to 2010, taking the iPlayer from pre-launch to a major success story. In this episode, Anthony talks about the jobs that only the CEO should do, including the CEO’s role in innovation, building company culture, getting to product market fit, and why, when you’ve got product market fit, the most important job of a CEO is to then manage culture. This is a truly insightful episode and a must listen for all leaders of startups looking to grow and build their companies. Book recommendations:The Mom Test - Rob FitzpatrickHistory of Western Philosophy - Bertrand RussellOn today’s podcast:Making lawyers redundantThe CEO’s role in innovationHow to innovateWhy CEOs are responsible for cultureLinks:Twitter – @anthonyroseLinkedIn – Anthony RoseWebsite – SeedLegals

Hard decisions are part of every aspect of our human life. In business, these are what shape the future of a company and what define its success if done right. We often praise the hiring process in a company, as it constitutes a decision based on precise forecasting and analysis. However, we often brush off the equally important decision of letting someone go, as we generally believe it should be done as easily as this: take a  subjective decision, have an end-of-contract meeting, and empty a desk. What we don’t realize is that letting go of an employee should be subject to the same amount of well-thought analysis, as it is as strategic for the company as hiring. Today, on the Melting Pot, we are joined by Annie Duke, an ex-professional poker player and author of two books called “Thinking in bets” and “Quit”. The first makes a parallel between poker and business and covers ways in which we could bring the critical decision-making process from gambling into our entrepreneurial adventure. The second book is a gem that helps us know when to call it quits. More specifically, it helps decision-makers discover the neuroscience behind firing people, and how to do it right. She proposes a precise methodology to know when an employee is not a good fit anymore, and how to let them understand that it is time for them to quit. After earning the title of “The Duchess of Poker”, she now focuses on cognitive-behavioural decision authorship and coaches businesses in making the right decisions in their environment. Listen and download this fascinating episode in which Annie shares the journey that got her into coaching decision-makers and interesting concepts such as loss aversion, and aspects of the human cognitive bias that can affect our forecasting.  In today’s episode: The way our mind works when it comes to quitting thingsThe loss aversion bias in decision makingSpecificity vs. Sensitivity in decision makingThe ‘Thinking in Bets’ book and playing pokerThe role of luck in success Links: Annie Duke's WebsiteQUIT - The Power Of Knowing When To Walk AwayAnnie's Other BooksYoutube ChannelLinkedinTwitter Book recommendations: Phillip E.Tetlock and Dan Gardner- Super ForecastingBrian Christian and Tom Griffiths- Algorithms to Live ByAlex Sangha- The Modern ThinkerMichael J. Mauboussin- The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and InvestingDaniel Kahneman- Thinking Fast and SlowRichard H. Thaler- NudgeKaty Milkman- How to change Enjoyed the show? Leave Us a Review

Leadership development is not about studying leadership, but about practising leadership in an intentional way, in a culture and environment that enables learning.For over 20 years, Cameron Herold has been the mastermind behind hundreds of companies’ exponential growth and his passion for coaching and mentoring others earned him the reputation of THE CEO Whisperer.His career in business coaching started with College Pro Painters, a house painting franchise he joined at the age of 21. This franchise turned out to be the perfect breeding ground for an entire generation of entrepreneurs and businesses.By the age of 35, Cameron built his first two 100 Million Dollar companies and in just six years of being the COO for 1-800-GOT-JUNK? he transformed it into one of the most successful new business ventures of the last decade, with a spectacular growth from $2 Million to $106 Million in revenue.In 2016 he founded the COO Alliancewith one simple goal in mind: to provide COOs with the same professional development and growth opportunities CEOs have enjoyed for many years.In this episode, Cameron shares how he discovered his passion for mentoring leaders, his beginnings in the College Pro Painters franchise, and the strategies that CEOs should use to achieve alignment in their organisations.We also dive in and talk about his 5 books, a truly powerful resource on leadership and growth solutions for companies. In today’s episode:Where it all started- The College Pro Painters franchiseNurturing tomorrow’s business leadersBuild real teams and achieve company alignment1-800-GOT-JUNK?What’s the difference between a CEO and a COOCameron’s fabulous booksLiving the nomad life  Links:Website - cameronherold.comInstagram- @cameron_herold_cooallianceLinkedin - Cameron HeroldFacebook - Cameron HeroldPodcast - Second in CommandYoutube - COO AllianceCameron Herold - Published booksCameron's solution to breeding high-performance leaders -  Invest In Your LeadersCameron and his wife’s travel channel -  @EverWanderTravel

According to important voices in the economics sphere, inflation is back and here to stay. For companies, this “new normal” means that the world in which they do business has fundamentally changed. Their main priority now is to discover and apply new strategies that can ensure their survival. Hermann Simon is a renowned speaker, founder and honorary chairman of the world’s number-one pricing consultancy, Simon-Kucher & Partners.His impressive background and expertise in strategy and marketing recommend him as one of the world's most influential management thinkers and an invaluable source of knowledge on topics such as globalization, profit orientation, corporate strategy, world market leadership and pricing.Hermann is also an acclaimed author with multiple bestsellers like Confessions of the Pricing Man and Hidden Champions of the Twenty-First Century, published and translated into over 25 languages. Hermann joins me again in this new episode of The Melting Pot and shares some insights into his new book, Beating Inflation. This guide comes as a solution to the current economic inflation, exacerbated by the worldwide pandemic and the war between Ukraine and Russia. We debate on increased costs and pricing, how often should companies increase their prices so they don’t put too much strain on their clients and how to prepare their sales teams to combat inflation. Download and listen! This is a conversation you don’t want to miss! In today’s episode: Hermann’s new book, Beating Inflation: An Agile, Concrete and Effective Corporate GuideWhat is inflation and how to deal with itHow often should companies raise pricesIncreasing prices as a consultancy businessReducing cost by offshoringHow should leaders prepare their sales teams to tackle inflationManaging the leaky bucket Links: Website - Hermann SimonLinkedin- Hermann SimonTwitter-@HermannSimonFacebook- Hermann SimonYoutube-Hermann SimonHermann Simon- Book catalogueLinks to a list of articles and interviews with HermannHermann’s latest book-Beating Inflation- An Agile, Concrete and Effective Corporate Guide Book recommendations: Hermann Simon- Hidden Champions in the Chinese Century: Ascent and TransformationHermann Simon- True Profit!: No Company Ever Went Broke Turning a ProfitHermann Simon- Beating Inflation- An Agile, Concrete and Effective Corporate GuideWalt Bogdanich- When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting FirmHermann Simon- Many Worlds, One Life: A Remarkable Journey from Farmhouse to the Global StagePhilip Baechtold- My Great Right Enjoyed the show?Leave Us A Review

A company’s success is measured by the happiness of its employees, and that goes for any industry we can think of. This sounds like basic knowledge, but increasing happiness in the workplace is one of the most overlooked and at the same time essential changes a company can make in order to be more successful. Often times even simple acknowledgements like a handshake or a hello at the beginning of the day can really impact an employee’s level of engagement and create a positive workplace culture.Today, on The Melting Pot, we are joined by Tom Peters, a business management pioneer and co-author of “In Search Of Excellence”, the book that, to this day, is recognized as one of the most influential books about business practices. Through this work, Tom’s ultimate goal was to motivate business owners and entrepreneurs to focus more on their employees and the way their happiness directly affects productivity and to discover their products through the eyes of their customers.Twenty books and forty years later, Tom is still one of the leading management thinkers, preaching about the importance of human connection and creating business excellence through work culture.Listen and download this fascinating episode in which Tom shares the story behind his well-known bestseller, the legacy that leaders should really focus on leaving behind and his views on women as business leaders, remote leadership and building excellent culture in this “work from home” era. In today’s episode: 40 years of “In Search Of Excellence”- the book that changed the way the world does businessWhy businesses need more women leadersA leader's job is to grow peopleRemote leadership and building excellent culture and business in the “work from home” eraTom’s latest book, “The Compact Guide To Excellence” Links: Website - Tom Peters.comLinkedin- Tom PetersTwitter-@tom_petersYoutube- Tom PetersBlog- tompeters!Biography- Tom PetersPublications-Tom Peters- books and articlesTom’s latest book- Tom Peters' Compact Guide to Excellence  How Human Connection Can Lead A Business To Excellence With Tom Peters, Co-author Of “In Search Of Excellence” Tom Peters is a well-renowned business management pioneer and co-author of “In Search of Excellence”, the book that even 40 years after its publication is still considered to be the book that changed the way the world does business. But as he himself declares, this is just one of the numerous ventures in his life and career. Tom attended Cornell University where he received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree and later on, earned an MBA and a PhD in Organizational Behaviourfrom the Stanford Graduate School of business. During the war in Vietnam, he served in the U.S. Navy, making two deployments as a Navy Seabee and also participated in an exchange program between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy (UK) which led to him serving as a midshipman on the HMS Tiger (a battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy during the 1910s). While working forMcKinsey & Company, he was inspired to develop different practices for business management that support the idea that productivity can be achieved through people that work for the company, and that businesses should not focus only on financial data. “I've spent my life trying to tell leaders to stand in the door in the morning and smile and say, glad to see you (but) the notion that the outcome in your organisation would be more affected by saying “good morning” than it would be by a business plan that could only be understood by Nobel laureates in mathematics, it just doesn't feel right to the business person. My little one-liner, one pager is business is people serving people, serving people. Leaders serving frontline employees, serving customers. It's all about that simple chain. That's the beginning, the middle, and the end.” 40 years of “In search of excellence”- the book that changed the way the world does business Almost 40 years after its original publication, “In Search of Excellence” remains a widely read classic and an influential book for leaders and managers. When Tom Peters and Robert Waterman were asked to do research on “culture” (or, as Tom translates it, “the way we do things around here”), they had the opportunity to meet John Young, the President of Hewlett Packard, one of the young companies that at the time was literally transforming the world. There, he got introduced to MBWA (management by wandering around) a style of business that offers managers the opportunity to connect directly with employees and collect information, deal with suggestions or complaints, and generally keep track of the organisation and increase productivity. “That hour in Hewlett Packard, in retrospect obviously, I wouldn't have a sense of it at the time, changed my life more than anything. What I learned from MBWA is that leadership is an intimate act. It is about human interaction, whether it's the founder of the company, uh, or whomever and the 26-year-old engineer. Today, we call it culture, but it’s actually the humanity of the organization.” But, four decades later, Tom thinks that companies still have a hard time realising the importance of employees and how their happiness unequivocally affects productivity. “I find it as hard to sell today as it was years and years ago. People still wanna work on that hard stuff. They still wanna get the plan right. You know, my favourite quote of all is a general Omar Bradley quote: “Amateurs talk about strategy, professionals talk about logistics”. You can have the world's greatest strategy, but when you land on Omaha Beach on D-Day, unless the bullets are there to meet the guns, you know, all that other crap is immaterial.” A leader's legacy is to develop people Tom Peters remains to this day focused on putting people first and believes that training leaders to stay in intimate touch with the front-liners who do the real work is the best thing anyone can do for their company. “The role of a leader is to develop people. The leader is not supposed to be the best engineer. The leader is supposed to be the person who takes that group of 15 engineers and allows them to flourish and learn.”And most importantly, as Tom says, the true measure of a leader’s legacy is not the amount of money he collected in his career, but the number of people whose lives he managed to transform and improve while they were under his command. “I did a lot of running around and speaking and I used PowerPoint slides. And my favourite one of all the millions had a tombstone on it, and on the tombstone said “$26,423,892 and 8 cents. Joe's net worth at the close of the market on the day he died”. And my comment is nobody's ever had a tombstone with their net worth on it.” Why businesses need more women leaders The stereotype that the business world is a male-dominated industry still exists. Companies need to renounce these old gender bias practices and realise that the perspective a woman brings into a business can breed creativity and innovative ideas that can push that organisation forward. Everything, from the way they evolved over time to the basic human characteristics that they possess, makes women better candidates to create and develop communities. There are even numerous studies that claim women are significantly “better-measured leaders than men”, says Tom, and the reticence regarding women's leadership is just another consequence of the fact that “we're still living in a boys' world.” Remote leadership and building excellent culture and business in the “work from home” era Despite his former beliefs, after these two years of Covid restrictions, Tom  is now convinced that there is as much humanity and interaction in a remote environment as there is in a normal in-office attendance. “I still believe in the value of getting together, it’s not a matter of one or the other, but I really believe that you can have an intimate, caring, people-centric organization where 98% of what you do is done remotely.” It was also during that Covid period that Tom developed the “Covid 19 Seven Leadership Commandments” which summarised, reveal “the only thing that matters in the end”, which is “helping people grow, thrive and have better lives” because ultimately “the right thing to do is also the profitable thing to do”. “ The Compact Guide To Excellence” When asked about the book he prefers out of the 20 he’s written so far, Tom admits that the latest always becomes his favourite. But he feels that “The Compact Guide To Excellence”, co-written with Nancy Green, is really the first one of his books he’s fallen in love with. “I've been writing about and talking about design and the power of design for 25 years, but the power of this book is its look, feel, taste, touch, and smell as much as it is the words that are inside.” Book recommendations:Stephen Trzeciak, Anthony Mazzarelli- Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence That Caring Makes a Difference Nicole Perlroth- This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends  Enjoyed the show?Leave Us A Review

When it comes to leadership, we normally think of one person that is in charge of holding the reins and steering the direction of a company. While it might seem counterintuitive to our traditional view regarding authority, oftentimes equally sharing power and influence can have more benefits than we can imagine.Robert Chapman, co-founder of Firebrand joins today’s episode of The Melting Pot and shares how Firebrand became an incontestable leader of the Accelerated Learning market, with 21 years of continued growth and performance even while going through three major recessions and a world pandemic.We talk about the unconventional way he and his business partner Stefano Capaldo shared the responsibilities of leading the company as co-CEOs, the sales and marketing strategies they’ve improved and adapted for Firebrand and how they transformed Verne Harnish’s book, “Scaling up” into the perfect blueprint for scaling their company. This is a fascinating episode packed full of insights, so make sure to download and listen. In today’s episode: 21 years of successful business in an unconventional co-leadershipDelivering high-quality training at twice the speed of traditional methodsLeading a business through four recessionsThe Firebrand version of scaling up and the one thing that ensured its successSales and Marketing strategies they learned at Onyx and implemented in FirebrandSelling to BPP 21 years of successful business in an unconventional co-leadership, with Robert Chapman, co-founder of Firebrand Firebrand Training was co-founded by Stefano Capaldo and Robert Chapman and for the last 21 years has been a leader in the Accelerated Learning market. Even though conventional wisdom says two heads are better than one, co-partnership in the business world is often looked at as the odd one out. So how did Robert and Stefano build a successful company under such unconventional leadership?Like all relationships, being co-leaders requires trust, constant communication and a very clear understanding of the role each CEO has.“I was in charge of business development, sales, marketing, go-to-market strategy, he was in charge of delivering, hence the cook it, catch it tactic. If I got the fish, I threw it over the fence and I just trusted Stefano to go and make sure a great meal conjures up.”Delivering high-quality training at twice the speed of traditional methods Since its inception in 2001, Firebrand has grown at an incredible rate, from a start-up to a £ 20 million business. A testament to the value they offer through their unique Accelerated Learning methodology is their applicants' high rate of success in getting their IT and project management certification.“That puts a huge amount of pressure on us,” says Robert. “We gotta do a great job. We can't hide if the instructor's done a poor job of delivering that knowledge.”Leading a business through four recessions In regards to their leadership strategy, they’ve certainly made the right decisions, because successfully navigating a company through 4 major recessions including a global pandemic is not something everyone can do.“We took some really difficult decisions. We did make some people redundant, we asked staff to take pay cuts. But by the end of 2020, we'd navigated those waters pretty well and in a really strong position financially and paid back all the staff that had pay cuts.”“I do genuinely get really emotional because so many people went the extra mile during those periods and they genuinely didn't complain.” The Firebrand version of scaling up and the one thing that ensured its success When Brett Raynes, CEO of Cloud Direct and Robert’s good friend told him to read “Scaling up” written by Verne Harnish he didn’t imagine that this recommendation would become the blueprint for scaling Firebrand. “I vividly remember him saying, I've just read this book called “Scaling up”. You should read it. I read it and then I said to Stef, you should read this because I think this is the answer to the problem we've got.”So they tried everything in that book, and whatever stuck became the Firebrand version of scaling up. And from that trial and error strategy, there was one thing that became the determinant factor for their success.“I'd say it's the meeting rhythm and getting the cadence of a business and forcing the business to meet,” says Robert. “ If you do just that one thing, I'd be amazed if your business doesn't fly.Sales and Marketing strategies Robert learned at Onyx and implemented in Firebrand There are three key factors that Robert claims to have worked for them and transformed Firebrand into an incontestable leader in the Market. “Define your product, have great people, have great processes.” If you manage to be disciplined and keep these three elements going and “build on brand memory in such a way that people recognize the thing, but don't get confused” then your path to success is almost guaranteed. Deciding to sell For Robert and Stefano, 2022 was the year of the great leap. After leading their business for two decades, it came time for them to sell. “We planned it for years. You know, we didn't sort of wake up last  November when BPP approached us and went, oh yeah, that's a great idea. We'll do that. We've been building up to it, again, off the back of scaling up. So it wasn't an overnight decision. (...) I’m 56 and when you think about it, you have to exit a business”, says Robert about Firebrand being recently acquired by BPP.But they never forgot to take into consideration their staff and the years they’ve dedicated to Firebrand. “I'm absolutely delighted that we've exited to BPP. It’s so much about it that’s right and the thing that’s most right it’s that it’s great for the staff of Fiber. That’s the thing I’m most proud of. So it wasn’t kind of, the money’s good but we don’t like the guy we’re selling to, which would have been a huge compromise.”  Links: Linkedin-Robert ChapmanWebsite- Firebrand TrainingLinkedin- Firebrand TrainingTwitter- @BeAFirebrand Book recommendations:Verne Harnish- Scaling upAndrew Griffiths- Someone Has To Be The Most Expensive, Why Not Make It You?Jim Collins- Turning The FlywheelGeoffrey Moore- Crossing The ChasmRichard Shotton- The Choice Factory: How 25 Behavioural Biases Influence the Products We Decide to BuyAndy Maslen- Write to Sell: The Ultimate Guide to Great CopywritingConversion Rate Experts- Making Websites Win: Apply the Customer-Centric Methodology That Has Doubled the Sales of Many Leading Websites Enjoyed the show?Leave Us A Review

There’s no secret that, in today’s business climate, innovation is the only way companies can maintain an advantage over their competitors. No matter the field or industry you position yourself in, if you manage to create extra value for your company and the customers your company serves, you are almost undoubtedly destined for success.But, in order to achieve this holy grail and transform your organization into an innovating engine, you first need to learn to listen to your customers and your employees and understand the role they play in helping you identify real problems and the right solutions for those problems.Today’s guest on “The Melting Pot” is Ben M. Bensaou, professor and former Dean of Executive Education at INSEAD and business innovation thought leader. In his book, “Built to Innovate- Essential Practices to Wire Innovation Into Your Company's DNA”, Ben shares the proven system for building relentless innovation and culture that he discovered while researching companies from all over the world. We talk about all of his findings and the skills he thinks are required to create that perfect innovating culture, so make sure to download and listen to this fascinating episode! In today’s episode: Solutions for businesses that struggle with innovationListen to your customer- they hold the key to discovering the weaknesses in your businessThree skills you need to develop in order to create the perfect exchange of information between you and your clients (or potential clients)The importance of middle managersHow to identify real problems that need solvingImprove your ability to spot and develop good ideas for your business Links: Website - Built to InnovateLinkedin- Ben M. BensaouTwitter- BenBensaouBlog- Built to Innovate by Ben M. BensaouBiography & Publications- Ben M. BensaouBen’s book- Built to Innovate- Essential Practices to Wire Innovation Into Your Company's DNA Follow Dominic: WebsiteLinkedinYoutubeBlog Mentions: We Solve- an inclusive community engagement platform for companies and organizations that Co-create sustainable and lasting solutions together. Kordsa- develops reinforcement technologies for the tires of automobiles, airplanes, motorcycles, agricultural and industrial vehicles. Fiskars- a Finnish group company; its products are related to the home, outdoor activities, interior decoration and table setting. Allianz Insurance- the largest general insurer in the UK, offering a range of personal and commercial insurance solutions for their customers. W.L Gore & Associates- an American multinational manufacturing company specializing in products derived from fluoropolymers; it is best known as the developer of waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex fabrics Book recommendations: Aidan McCullen- Undisruptable Sumantra Ghoshal-The Individualized Corporation

Like most good ideas, the idea for Hoxby, the purpose-led organisation that exists to create a happier, more fulfilled society through a world of work without bias, came to co-founders Alex Hirst and Lizzie Penny, in the pub. Fed up with, and burned out from the traditional way of working, they decided it simply wasn’t what they wanted. So they decided to take matters into their own hands. Fast forward a decade and Alex and Lizzie not only changed the way they work, but they’ve also changed the way their community works too. A community made up of more than 1,000 handpicked, talented and diverse freelancers who work remotely in 30 countries around the world. Alex and Lizzie have recently published a book, Workstyle, about how workstyle is better for wellbeing, improves productivity, and can reshape inclusion for the benefit of society. And in this episode of The Melting Pot, they share why they’re so passionate about autonomy at work, what Hoxby is, the conditions necessary to foster workstyle, and how to create connections remotely. Book recommendationsNatives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire - AkalaRebel Ideas: The Power of Diversity - Matthew SyedLessons in Chemistry - Bonnie GarmusHow The Future Works - Brian ElliottOn today’s podcast:What is Hoxby?Wellbeing, productivity & societyThe three conditions needed to foster workstyle How to implement Workstyle in your organisationHow to create connection remotelyLinks:Book - Workstyle RevolutionTwitter – @ah_hirst, @Lizzie_Penny, @WeAreHoxbyLinkedIn – Alex Hirst, Lizzie PennyWebsite – https://hoxby.com/, Workstyle Revolution