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Chris Dean (Choice Energy) – Disrupting the Energy Spectrum

active CEO Podcast #13 Chris Dean Disrupting the Energy Spectrum

Posted on November 14, 2018April 22, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Chris Dean about how his team is transforming the energy sector, the puzzles the energy sector faces with electric cars, turning an empty asset into a power station and scaling a business at a rapid rate. We discuss reducing sick days, investing in your people, improving productivity in the workplace, and the value of role-modeling an active and healthy lifestyle.

Chris Dean

Chris is a young enthusiastic and tenacious CEO who loves to be at the cutting edge of service innovation. He is highly self-motivated, driven and passionate about leading teams, and disrupting the way we think and act.

Known for his ability to positively influence through his infectious leadership style, he has been a Director at Ludlowthomson in the UK, CEO of Sun Connect and is now the CEO of Choice Energy. He joined Choice Energy in 2015, not long after it was founded in 2013. In 2017 The Australian Financial Review recognised us as the 12th fastest growing company in Australia.

Chris is at the cutting edge of developing and leading high performing teams. He emphasises the importance of his teams health and wellness on the productivity and performance of Choice Energy. In his spare time he enjoys reading, spending time with his young family and participating in triathlons.

Chris talks about:

Deciding not to go to University straight out of school.
Realizing that he could hit his goals when helping other people achieve theirs.
Two of the fastest growing industries in world, aged care and renewable energy, and why he decided to venture down the renewable energy path.
The mental shift from running someone else’s business to setting up his own.
Employees treating their desk as their own business.
Partnerships and the flagship partnership with independent hardware group.
Finding energy efficiency and cost reduction for companies, both large and small.
The effect of electric vehicles in the future and the infrastructural change required.
By 2030 75% of cars will be electric and the current power grid is unable to handle it.
The shift from manufacturing jobs to other services and IT jobs
Scaling the business at a rapid rate and how to shift his leadership approach.
The effect of changing government on the renewable energy sector.
Turning a dormant asset into a power station.
Using the KISS Principle in Choice Energy solutions with clients.
How Say-Do and I-Do-I-Am behaviours are used in the culture of the business.
Beating the issue of sick days in the company.
Paying for self-development of employees.
Hiring based on sales ability versus mind set adaptability.
The importance of the soft-sell versus a hard-sell for Choice Energy.
Using the “marginal gains” approach, borrowed from Team Sky, in the business.
How he managed a drop in productivity when he wasn’t in the office.
The importance of being active and healthy, so that he can perform at his best.
Why he didn’t bring on any investors or take out any business loans.
Making interviews fun for both the interviewer and interviewee.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Ben and Craig talk about stimulating your creativity, intellect and memory through playing with puzzles on a regular basis. We can easily get absorbed in the daily requirements of work, and therefore neglect the importance of creativity and building our intellect.

Tweets

“We have got a roof sitting above us and we can put a power station on it that can create power, effectively for free, once the hardware has been paid for.” Gaining an insight into Chris Dean, CEO of Choice Energy, on the active CEO Podcast.

“If you don’t invest in yourself, does that make you a bad investment?” Chris Dean on continual self-development, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Chris Dean LinkedIn

Choice Energy www.choiceenergy.com.au

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

Craig Johns LinkedIn

Ben Gathercole LinkedIn

Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book link

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#12 – Kate Palmer (Sport Australia) – Changing the Game link
#11 – Tim Cosulich (Fratelli Cosulich Group) – Navigating the Global Family Business link
#10 – Dr Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien (Rising Tide Africa) – Magic Happens Outside the Comfort Zone link
#9 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #2 – Creating an Earthquake link
#8 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #1 – Your Strengths are What Energise You link
#7 – Trina Gordon (Boyden World Corporation) – Recruiting World Leaders link
#6 – Indiran Padayachee (RentCorp) – Winning Only Matters link
#5 – Suzie Hoitink (Clear Complexions) – Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One link
#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link

Walking the Talk

Posted on November 11, 2018May 9, 2020 by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

It is amazing at how often aspects of life come around in cycles. The walking meeting, which is now starting to make more traction in the business world, is no different.

In a recent active CEO Podcast interview with Sport Australia CEO, Kate Palmer, we talked about how she utilises walking meetings and the importance of encouraging her staff to do the same. Kate takes incorporating movement with meetings a step further by sitting on an exercise bike, which she recently placed in her office, and riding while on conference calls. She is also considering putting a second bike in her office, to encourage visitors to join her for a ride when having a face-to-face meeting.

Some of the world’s most influential people, such as Aristotle, Beethoven and Queen Elizabeth I, have used the tool to great effect. Now it is common for CEO’s and leaders of some of the world’s most high profile companies such as LinkedIn and Facebook to make walking meetings a daily habit.

Studies are demonstrating that exercise, including walking, alters our brain by stimulating the growth of new brain cells, improving its plasticity and even protecting the brain from cognitive impairment.

rawpixel-274858-unsplash (1) — Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Your mind is no different to the muscles in your body. If you stress a muscle, it will become fatigued and therefore lead to a reduction in performance. You then rest or deploy recovery strategies, the muscle recovers and physiological processes occur which allow your performance to improve to a new level. The brain works in the same way when it is stimulated, with new brain cells forming and an increase in cognitive function occurring when you give it a rest, allowing you to think clearer and open up more creative ideas and solutions to come to fruition.

There are the health benefits of fresh air (depending on what location you are in), getting the body moving, and the mental relaxation that tends to occur when we are surrounded by nature and a change in scenery. Walking allows the brain to reduce lingering doubt and procrastination that tends to occur when remaining in a single location while completing work.

fancycrave-362910-unsplash — Photo by Fancycrave on Unsplash

It has also been shown that positive influences on our mental function and cognitive ability occur when our bodies are moving. Going for a walk has been noted to release beneficial hormones such as endorphins so we feel better and more alert, while also encouraging creativity and inspiration.

A 2017 Stanford University study found that walking encouraged divergent thinking. The increase in divergent thinking occurred no matter whether the exercise occurred prior to or during thinking through a question, problem or puzzle they faced. The activity of walking or other exercise triggers greater creativity, and therefore patterns of ideas that come to mind.

benjamin-davies-265095-unsplash — Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash

Anecdotal evidence has found that honest exchanges between people are more productive when walking than when people are sitting. It is believed that walking enables barriers are reduced between supervisors and subordinates, enhancing employee engagement. It is thought that walking side-by-side relates more to peer-to-peer, therefore removing some of the hierarchical barriers than can occur when sitting across from each other, when having discussions.

If you want to enhance the effectiveness of your walking meetings, try incorporating some fun and choosing a change in scenery, stick to small groups of two to four people, avoid going near cafes or food stands, and reduce the element of surprise by giving your colleagues some lead time on having a walking meeting.

Resources:

Clayton, R., Thomas, C., & Smothers, J. (2015). How to do Walking Meetings Right. Harvard Business Review, August 2015. link

Malleret, T., Maxwell, C. (2018). Enhance Decision Making and Problem Solving by Walking. Wharton Business School, Sep 2018. link

Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Give your ideas some legs: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40(4), 1142-1152.

Looking for More?

Keep up-to-date on the latest membership information, research and ideas by signing up the the NRGizer Newsletter. SIGN UP NOW

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles and podcasts:

Kate Palmer (Sport Australia) – Changing the Game

active CEO Podcast #12 Kate Palmer Changing the Game

Posted on November 5, 2018May 3, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:43 — 44.6MB) | Embed

On this episode of the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole talk with Kate Palmer about finding her dream job, where she combines her passion for sport, and desire to improve the health and wellbeing of a nation. We delve into her role of leading and catalysing the Australian sport industry to encourage more Australians to become more active, and shape the future of elite and grassroots sport.

We also discuss topics such as transformational change, reducing layers of compliance, the future of sport business structures, the new ‘move it’ campaign, and how she implements health and wellness into the team at Sport Australia.

Kate Palmer

Kate is one of the leading female CEO’s in the global sport industry. In January 2017, Kate took the reigns of the Australian Sports Commission, which has since been rebranded Sport Australia. She has a successful record in leading transformational organisation change, instilling good governance and providing excellent people management at organisations such as Netball Victoria and Netball Australia.

Growing up in regional Victoria, Australia in the town of Shepparton, Kate fell in love with sport playing netball, softball and was a keen waterskier. She studied a Honours Degree in Applied Science at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a Masters of Sport Management at Deakin University. In 2014, Kate was awarded the AIS Sports Performance Leadership Award. Her passion for sport extends to governance roles at the Australian Commonwealth Games Association, Victoria Institute of Sport, Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, International Netball Federation and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Known for her ability to engage a diverse audience, she values having different voices and opinions at the table. She knows that to influence a system you need to get inside it, be reasonable and don’t give up. As a leader she believes in working with people in a team, showing them a vision for the future and being truly authentic.

Kate talks about:

Her memories of sport as a young child.
Growing up in rural Victoria, in Shepparton.
The benefits of meetings in motion and walking meetings.
Sport providing the health of local communities.
Ensuring young children learn the basic movement fundamentals.
What inspired her to become a sport administrator.
Taking the reigns as CEO of Sport Australia.
Transitioning from being a CEO of employees to leading a whole industry.
The relationship between the Minister of Sport, the Office of Sport and Sport Australia.
Reducing layers of compliance and keeping it simple.
Why it is important for sport organisations to consider and adapt to new business models in the future.
Ensuring sport organisations have the structures and capability to be sustainable in the future.
Health and wellness of athletes, and how they transition into the ‘real world’ after life in sport.
Changing the lives of people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Can we look at different ways of working in the sport industry as an administrator, coach or high performance management.
The significance of the ‘move it’ and ‘find our 30’ campaigns.
Changing the balance and ensuring that she reads, exercises and eats a healthy breakfast.
The Hugh Palmer scholarship and the “corporate handbag”.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Ben and I talk about the importance of self-regulation and why it is such an important element of emotional intelligence. We talk about being aware of your emotions, how to manage and express them at the right time. Self-regulation is also about the ability to remain calm, consider all the possibilities and have a clear head.

Tweets

“I am quite a practical person, pragmatic, and I can see things, I like to change things, and I like to fix things.” Gaining an insight into Kate Palmer, the CEO of Sport Australia, on the active CEO Podcast.

“Take responsibility and make a decision. If you fail or if you make a mistake we fix it, we will fix it together.” Kate Palmer on giving responsibility to employees, on the active CEO Podcast.

“I don’t think sports can look at us and say, you give us 80 to 90% of our revenue, and that’s a lot of money, but we are not prepared to improve our business.” Kate Palmer on investing in sport for the future, with the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Kate Palmer LinkedIn
Sport Australia www.sportaus.gov.au
Find Your 30 website
Netball Australia www.netball.com.au
Netball Victoria www.vic.netball.com.au
ASADA www.asada.gov.au
Australian Commonwealth Games Association website
Victoria Institute of Sport www.vis.org.au
International Netball Federation website
Melbourne Cricket Ground website
Deakin University www.deakin.edu.au
RMIT University www.rmit.edu.au
Sportspeople Recruitment www.sportspeoplerecruitment.com
www.nrg2perform.com
craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#11 – Tim Cosulich (Fratelli Cosulich Group) – Navigating the Global Family Business link
#10 – Dr Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien (Rising Tide Africa) – Magic Happens Outside the Comfort Zone link
#9 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #2 – Creating an Earthquake link
#8 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #1 – Your Strengths are What Energise You link
#7 – Trina Gordon (Boyden World Corporation) – Recruiting World Leaders link
#6 – Indiran Padayachee (RentCorp) – Winning Only Matters link
#5 – Suzie Hoitink (Clear Complexions) – Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One link
#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link

How Curious Are You?

Posted on November 4, 2018May 9, 2020 by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

Every CEO and leader faces a period of time where the company is moving along smoothly, but the team feel is a bit flat and lacking enthusiasm. It is important that you create an environment where there are constant sparks of energy in the workplace and that is where curiosity becomes invaluable.

Before we delve into ways you can enhance curiosity, here are some example questions that you can ask yourself or your team every day:

What is the one service, product, project, idea or topic you are curious about today?
What is the one thing you thought about today that you want to know more about?
How does that work?
Why do we keep finding ourselves in the same position?
What would happen if we changed one thing?
How can we make it simpler?
If I were the end consumer, would I find it easy to use?

jonas-verstuyft-352713-unsplash — Photo by Jonas Verstuyft on Unsplash

How Curious Are You?

The easiest way to influence your employees and team members, is to model the behaviours you desire. If you are always quick to answer or lack asking questions, you are showcasing a leader who lacks curiosity. For you to succeed as a leader you need to showcase your inner curiosity, as we all know we don’t have all the answers and solutions, as good questions will lead to even more questions.

People tend to shy away from asking questions due to a fear of being judged unintelligent, indecisive and somewhat incompetent. Many leaders fall into the trap of thinking they are supposed to know and provide all the answers. Recognising what we don’t know and cant do, sends a powerful message to those around us and may even motivate them to explore and learn more. Remember, there is always time for questions, as you may ask the one question that prevents the company or team from failing.

Try asking your employees and team members questions such as:

How can I make your job easier?
If you were leading the company, what is the one thing you would change?
Tell me one thing that will allow our consumers and clients to enjoy a greater experience?

The answers to these types of questions will inform you how to approach what changes are required and how to prioritise them. We need to find solutions to the gaps in our knowledge and also continue to identify what other questions still require answers.

Employees will be quick to read between the lines when you don’t know the answer. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge when you don’t know the answer, as this emphasizes the value of continuing to learn and explore.

People tend to like leaders more when they ask questions. It helps build trust, develops more meaningful relationships and leads to more creative outcomes. Asking questions about ideas leads to people thinking more deeply, approach it from another viewpoint and continue striving for an answer to the challenge puzzles we are faced with.

raj-eiamworakul-603747-unsplash — Photo by Raj Eiamworakul on Unsplash

Explore, Broaden and Learn

Do you provide your employees and team members the time and opportunities to explore their interests, other roles or just play? Allowing them to broaden their horizons and perspectives can lead to greater productivity, efficiency and performance. As Gail Jackson once said, “It’s better to train and have them leave than not to train and have them stay.”

When a company faces challenging circumstances, they tend to focus on KPI’s, results and the dreaded HR restructure. They shrink the capacity and capability of the company to identify what the root of the cause is and what solutions will allow them to re-right the ship.

Stimulating a mindset where learning leads to performance outcomes, allows employees to be better problem-solvers, acquire more diverse skillsets and produce better work. Redefine your work environment by focusing on goals that improve competence, acquire new skills and develop mastery. Those who focus on learning versus performance goals tend to be more successful and have greater levels of motivation.

Questioning is only as beneficial as the support and reward that are provided. Develop intervention’s that stimulate and accelerate curiosity, such as invention sessions, creativity walls, internal TEDx type workshops or question of the day. Seeking diverse solutions and answers will allow your employees to interact and communicate more effectively. Be curious about your employees work and the way teams do their business.

ben-white-197668-unsplash — Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Hire the Curious Ones

Look for people who possess the intellectual curiosity to explore, collaborate with others and ask great questions. The curious ones tend to perform better than specialists who stick to themselves and block out the noise. If you want to unearth a real gem then hire people who possess both the empathy to listen thoughtfully and challenge themselves by looking at approaches, decisions or puzzles from a different persons perspective.

When interviewing potential employees it is valuable to discover whether they talk about the success and support of other people when discussing projects, whether successful or not. It is important to understand whether they enjoy collaborating and do they see the benefits of partnering with people, teams or other companies with projects in the future.

Does the potential employee:

ask questions about other areas of the company?
show fascination in learning news ideas, identifying what they don’t know and going beyond their comfort zone?
listen, read and watch topics and interests outside of their specialisation and industry?
seem a bit quirky, on another planet, awkward or different from the rest of the pack?

cristina-gottardi-617328-unsplash — Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash

Start With Why

Each day ask a few ‘why’s’ about the work you and your team are doing. Think about how you will utilise the answers to enhance your work and challenge the status quo.

Looking for More?

Keep up-to-date on the latest membership information, research and ideas by signing up the the NRGizer Newsletter. SIGN UP NOW

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles and podcasts:

Tim Cosulich (Fratelli Cosulich Group) – Navigating the Global Family Business

active CEO Podcast #11 Tim Cosulich Navigating the Global Family Business

Posted on October 29, 2018April 22, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:31 — 39.8MB) | Embed

Tim Cosulich active CEO — Tim Cosulich – CEO Fratelli Cosulich

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Tim Cosulich, a very humble, young and disciplined leader. We discuss leading Fratelli Cosulich, a family business full of tradition; adapting your leadership style in different countries and being aware of the cultural environment you are working in; and being “in the office” mentally.

We delve into life outside of the office, which includes giving back to the hospital that saved his young sister from life-threatening brain cancer; coaching disabled children for the Special Olympics; transitioning from water polo to triathlon; inspiring his team through health and wellness; and working with triathlon legend, Jurgen Zack.

Tim Cosulich

Tim Cosulich is a 6^th generation CEO of the family business Fratelli Cosulich. Born in New York, raised in Genoa and now based in Singapore, Tim started his career working as a general manager for APM Terminals, then as a Manager at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in London and Madrid, and the Moller Maersk Group in the Netherlands.

He is a passionate learner starting out with a Bachelors with honors in Business, Economics, Finance at Universita Degli Studi di Genova. Tim also completed an MBA Business from INSEAD; the High Performance Leadership, Organisational Leadership, Executive Education at IMD Business School; International Directors Program (Business, Corporate Governance) at INSEAD; Finance, Economics, Portfolio Management at CFA Institute; and an International Business Strategy Course at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

This very proud Italian is not only a very organised and compassionate leader, he is also a top age group triathlete competing in long distance triathlon events around the world including the holy grail, IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

Tim talks about:

Leading a team with multiple cultures, timezones and industries.
Finding out what motivates the team.
Making sure that he is physically present with his people.
The advantages and disadvantages of leading a family owned business.
Being demanding in relation to performance, but not developing insecurity in our people.
How living in Asia has changed his leadership style.
Defining high performance as a CEO.
Ensuring that you make sure that you have everyone performing at their best.
The need to be ‘In the office’ mentally and not elsewhere.
Why passion is so important for the Fratelli Cosulich business.
Why in 161 years of the business, Fratelli Cosulich has never distributed dividends.
Life as a professional athlete before going into triathlon
Sport is a good way to integrate into new cultures when moving to new cities.
Dealing with Tim’s little sister being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Making it look like it would be impossible to complete an IRONMAN triathlon in under 12 hours.
Tim’s journey to qualify and compete at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships
Similarities between a high performance athlete and a high performance CEO
The importance of being a coach and his athlete-coach relationship with Jurgen Zack.
Visiting a shipyard from the south of Japan.
Giving every employee a $50 allowance to spend on sport related activities
Volunteering as a running coach for disabled kids who are involved in the Special Olympics
Why his father has had the greatest impact on your career.

Tweets

“I was told by my father that if I wanted to join the business at some time, they would be happy to consider it but I would never become a multi-millionaire or have a Ferrari or a private yacht.” Listen to the active CEO Podcast as Tim Cosulich explains becoming part of the family business.

“How well you are able to motivate your people, because people are motivated by different things and types of jobs.” Listen to Tim Cosulich on the active CEO Podcast

“Why am I here, I am never going to do it again.” Learn more Tim Cosulich’s first IRONMAN triathlon on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Tim Cosulich LinkedIn

Fratelli Cosulich www.cosulich.it

Jurgen Zack Z-Coaching Phuket website

IRONMAN www.ironman.com

Special Olympics website

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

Craig Johns LinkedIn

Ben Gathercole LinkedIn

Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching http://www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book

www.nrg2perform.com/portfolio/book

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#10 – Dr Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien (Rising Tide Africa) – Magic Happens Outside the Comfort Zone link
#9 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #2 – Creating an Earthquake link
#8 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #1 – Your Strengths are What Energise You link
#7 – Trina Gordon (Boyden World Corporation) – Recruiting World Leaders link
#6 – Indiran Padayachee (RentCorp) – Winning Only Matters link
#5 – Suzie Hoitink (Clear Complexions) – Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One link
#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link

Why Curiosity is so Important

Posted on October 27, 2018May 9, 2020 by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

Curiosity leads to breakthrough discoveries and remarkable inventions. So why do we see companies stifling curiosity in the workplace?

It is normal for humans to seek new information and experiences. By cultivating curiosity and the promotion of exploring novel possibilities throughout a company, employees will think deeper and more rationally about decisions.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

If we step back in time, when we were a child, we had an insatiable need to explore and understand the world around us. We were not afraid to challenge the status quo by asking lots of questions, tasting things we probably shouldn’t or doing something for the first time, without the worry of whether we were wrong or offending anyone.

As we grew older we become more self-conscious, try to appear more confident and show that we know what we are doing. By the time we arrive as adults, our curiosity is quite suppressed as fear of being judged and not living up to other people’s expectations creeps in.

The future belongs to the curious. The ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it and turn it inside out.”

UNKNOWN

Curiosity leads to creativity and innovation, which is important for you and your company to adapt to uncertain market conditions and external pressures. It creates an environment that inspires employees to improve their collaborative relationships, trust and more respect of their leader.

Leaders can fall into the trap of thinking that curiosity will increase risk and inefficiency. They stumble with the conundrum faced between the now and the future. How do we meet budget, sales targets, membership numbers and deadlines, when we know that we need to allow time where employees have the freedom to create new products, services, processes and business lines?

“Curiosity, especially intellectual inquisitiveness, is what separates the truly alive with those who are merely going through the motions.

TOM ROBBINS

Finding the balance of exploration versus efficiency is an important component of a leader. Employees, who are under pressure to complete tasks quickly, tend to avoid asking questions about how they can improve their output and enhance the possible outcomes. When we question the status quo, we may not always produce useful information or solutions, but we also may prevent a decision being made that is catastrophic for your role and your company.

We perform better when we are curious because we view the tough situations more creatively. High performing employees, who are curious, seek more information from their colleagues, which helps improve the work that they do. They perform better because information is openly shared and they listen more carefully. New ideas are created, job satisfaction is improved, motivation increases and innovation flourishes as curiosity leads to a high performance environment.

“Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward opening up new doors and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity leads us down new paths.

WALT DISNEY

The power of solving problems together and looking at suitable alternatives, brings teams closer together. It allows employees to step into another employees shoes, look at it from another perspective and allows them to work together in a more effective manner.

In the next active CEO article we will look at ways in which leaders can enhance curiosity in their workplace.

Looking for More?

Keep up-to-date on the latest membership information, research and ideas by signing up the the NRGizer Newsletter. SIGN UP NOW

Are you looking for more insights and ideas? Then read the following inspiring and thought-provoking articles and podcasts:

Dr Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien (Rising Tide Africa) – Magic Happens Outside the Comfort Zone

active CEO Podcast #10 Ndidi Nnoli Edozien Magic Happens Outside the Comfort Zone

Posted on October 23, 2018April 22, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:18 — 58.0MB) | Embed

PCB Vol 10- Dr. Ndidi Nnoli — Dr. Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien – Founder & President Growing Businesses Foundation

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Dr. Ndidi Nnoli Edozien, a remarkable lady who has provided direction, hope, inspiration and a gift to thousands of female and youth entrepreneurs, from rural areas in Nigeria and across Africa. Ndidi has worked with many of the world’s largest multinationals such as Shell, ExxonMobil and Unilever. We discuss her journey from lending to leading, why it is important to invest in the poor, the magic of vulnerability, how every moment is enough, connecting with your inner gut, embracing failure, understanding people who are unhappy, and embracing failure.

Dr. Ndidi Nnoli Edozien

Dr. Ndidi Nnoli Edozien is the founder and President of Growing Businesses Foundation, since 1999, and the President of Rising Tide Africa. Born in Karlsruhe, Germany to a Nigerian father and German mother. She found her purpose in life to be a catalyst for social change through focusing on social entrepreneurship, corporate sustainability and responsibility (CSR), and is a leading advocate on Bottom of the Pyramid empowerment.

Her education includes attending the United World College and a PhD from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in the area of “ownership and management structures”. She is an Alumnus of Wharton Business School, and has also completed executive programmes at INSEAD and Cambridge Judge Business School.

She speaks with passion, pride and humility as she delivers powerful, inspiring and emotionally connecting words of wisdom to encourage the next generation to be bold and make a difference in their life and the community around them.

Ndidi talks about:

The contrast between Germany and Nigeria and how that influenced her upbringing.
How one can harness the huge potential in Lagos, and how the world sees the huge potential and economic power.
United World College’s focus on transforming the world, transforming the space with which you live, and being an ambassador for your country and your people.
Considering the other side and how much richer that makes your perspective
What inspired Ndidi to start Growing Businesses Foundation.
Building sustainable economies around big businesses.
How Growing Businesses Foundation program contributed 4% of Unilever’s revenues.
Providing a paradigm shift in the way that big business looks at their social responsibility.
The incredible ripple effect of micro-financing women and youth
Rural telephone project
Less than 20% of the Nigerian population are formally employed.
The purpose of Rising Tide Africa.
Guiding businesses to succeed and even to exit at the appropriate time.
Learning to be satisfied with little victories.
Why successful people tend to have a humble and quiet confidence that keeps them going.
Embracing failure and what happens when you don’t deal with it.
“You must never be willing to die for anything. You must be willing to give it your best shot. If it fails, you must walk away from it like you never even cared.”
How she responded to a potential investor saying “I think you have made a bad career move”.
How the Wharton Business School Advanced Management Program opened up peoples vulnerabilities so intensely, allowing them to grow from their ability to be humble and honest.
The discipline of creating time for you is one of the things we neglect the most and need the most.
How she responds to people who are unhappy and not all right.
There is no job or anything that is more important than our personal wellbeing.
Her love of working with interns.
Why her two daughters have had the greatest impact on her career.

Tweets

“It taught me that poverty wasn’t so much the lack of financial capital, but was the lack of dignity and self-confidence”. Listen to Ndidi Nnoli Edozien on the active CEO Podcast

“Don’t give charity to the poor, the poorest people who need ‘help’, look at them as potential, economic potential and socioeconomic potential, and invest.” Listen to the active CEO Podcast as Ndidi Nnoli Edozien explains how she empowers 100,000’s of women.

“Create a movement where everyone decides to do their little bit, that’s where transformation really happens.” Learn more amazing business tips with Ndidi Nnoli Edozien on the active CEO Podcast

“Love what you do. When you are able and willing to do it even when no one is looking or no one will pay you for it, you gain an inner strength and momentum to sustain and it gives you the ability to tap into that inner intuitive knowing. To be great at business its actually not the thinking or the feeling, it is the knowing.” On being an entrepreneur with Ndidi Nnoli Edozien on the active CEO Podcast

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Growing Businesses Foundation link

Rising Tide Africa link

Ndidi LinkedIn link

Ndidi Wikipedia link

Ndidi Interview Wharton Business School video

Wharton Business School www.wharton.upenn.edu/

INSEAD link

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University link

Cambridge Judge Business School link

Unilever www.unilever.com

Shell www.shell.com

Exxon Mobil www.exxonmobil.com

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

www.linkedin.com/in/ceo-corporate-wellness-perform

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book

www.nrg2perform.com/portfolio/book

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#9 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #2 – Creating an Earthquake link
#8 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #1 – Your Strengths are What Energise You link
#7 – Trina Gordon (Boyden World Corporation) – Recruiting World Leaders link
#6 – Indiran Padayachee (RentCorp) – Winning Only Matters link
#5 – Suzie Hoitink (Clear Complexions) – Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One link
#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link

active CEO Podcast #9 Mike DeNoma Creating an Earthquake

Posted on October 15, 2018April 22, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Mike DeNoma, delving into being the CEO of KBZ Bank, 20,000 staff with no job descriptions, being the first country in the world to have loving-kindness as the number one value of a company, rewarding managerial competence, and spending a lot of time in meetings with translation. Mike DeNoma then gives us an exhilarating insight into taking up Ironman, Ultra-running and other extremely challenging endurance events at the age of 50; why getting married and having a family has had the greatest impact on his life; and preparing for his latest challenge the Moab 238 Mile Ultra-marathon event, which he has 88 Miles left to complete, as this episode goes live to the Podcast world.

Mike DeNoma

This is part 2 of the active CEO Podcast interview with global leader, Mike DeNoma. Mike has held senior executive roles across the globe, including managing multinational teams across North America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Over the past 20 years he has led large teams in the emerging markets banking sector with CEO and Leadership roles in CitiBank Singapore, Taiwan’s Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank Singapore, and his current role at KBZ Bank in Myanmar. Awarded Global Retail Banker of the Year in 2008, he has also held senior roles in well-respected companies such as GLH Hotels, PepsiCo, Proctor and Gamble, and Asia Foods Limited. It is a highly entertaining, thought-provoking and insightful chat. Enjoy listening to the show.

If you missed Episode 8 – Mike DeNoma (Part #1) Your Strengths Are What Energise You, please click here

Mike talks about:

Myanmar being closed off to the world for 50 years
Casualties of Myanmar being closed off are that is they didn’t build any institutions and a dismantled a superb education system
Arriving at KBZ Bank where not one of the 20,000 employees had a job description, an objective or a personal performance review.
The value of loving-kindness.
Why these people and this company are worth fighting for.
Rewarding managerial competence rather than linguistic competence.
If you do the right things in the wrong order you will fail.
Why the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children is important to Mike.
Taking up physical endurance challenges at 50 years old,
Why Mike found something that there was no way on earth I could finish.
The first conversation with Brendon Downey, and Endurance Coach from New Zealand.
Wanting to do something to show that you can be a beginner and be terrible, but if you are willing to be a beginner and struggle through it you can achieve a lot.
Why Ironman wasn’t enough and giving ultra-running a crack.
Riding in Death Valley for over 48 hours with no sleep, hallucinations and loss of motor control in his hands.
Prepping for the Moab 238 mile ultra-run in October 2018.
Life is short and then you die.
Using meditation every day and why it helps you to become a better executive.
CEO’s aren’t allowed to have a bad day, that’s just how it is.
Why getting married and having a family had the greatest impact on his life.

Tweets

Mike DeNoma takes us on an inspiring journey into leading 20,000 staff at KBZ Bank in Myanmar. You can listen here

“There is a 100% non-cynical desire to learn. They really do want to learn if you were to teach them”. Listen to Mike DeNoma on the active CEO Podcast

“These people and this company are worth fighting for”. Taking leadership to a whole new level with Mike DeNoma on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-denoma-a155635/

www.moab200.com/

http://www.kbzbank.com

http://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com

http://www.pepsico.com

https://us.pg.com

http://www.sc.com

http://www.ironman.com

https://singaporemarathon.com

http://www.wharton.upenn.edu

http://www.citibank.com

http://www.ctbcbank.com

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

www.linkedin.com/in/ceo-corporate-wellness-perform

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book

www.nrg2perform.com/portfolio/book

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#8 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #1 – Your Strengths are What Energise You link
#7 – Trina Gordon (Boyden World Corporation) – Recruiting World Leaders link
#6 – Indiran Padayachee (RentCorp) – Winning Only Matters link
#5 – Suzie Hoitink (Clear Complexions) – Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One link
#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link

How Much Do You Care?

Posted on October 11, 2018May 9, 2020 by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

How you serve your customers before during and after a purchase or interaction is an incredibly important asset for you as an employee and the company you work for. Meeting the customer’s expectations is a result of providing the right service and delivering great customer service. Excellent customer service involves creating a positive bond with your customer that may lead to a long-term relationship, so every interaction must count.

This is the final article of a four-part series focusing on conflict resolution, technology, measurement, understanding consumers, having goals and reviewing regularly. If you missed the first three articles you can click on the following links. Part #1 Have You Ever Misread a Customers Emotional State, Part #2 Going the Extra Mile, and Part #3 Mastery of Persuasion.

Conflict resolution

Conflict is inevitable in business. If it is ignored or mismanaged, conflict can have a negative effect on your company or organization. When conflict is managed and resolved effectively it can positively impact customer loyalty, retention and brand awareness. Conflict can be resolved through allowing customers to talk; use empathy to show you understand their feelings or frustrations; convey empathy with a soft tone; work to solve their problems effectively; redirect rather than react to customers problems; own up to your own mistakes immediately; focus their attention on constructive solutions; carefully use verbal softeners such as possibly, likely, occasionally and perhaps rather than always or never; isolate confrontational conversations away from employees or other customers; find a point of agreeance with the customer; wait for silence and then summarize their point and work with them to find a solution; if the customer is not ready for a productive conversation then create some time for them to calm down; have an end point when customers refuse to act constructively; and thank your customer. Managing customers’ expectations, and avoiding arguments, disputes and other forms of conflict are important for building a healthy business.

“When I think about great service, it’s about how you take every interaction you have with the customer and use that as a way to improve their perception of your organization.”

JON HERSTEIN

Technology vs People

It has become commonplace for companies to invest in automated customer service technology, to meet an ever increasing workload and become more efficient. Technology might reduce customer service direct costs by replacing humans, but what is the indirect cost to the company when the technology isn’t able to quickly and easily resolve conflict and issues, and customers leave? The human element, if trained well, can reduce the time to resolution, provide a human touch, show empathy and add value to the consumer. It is important to determine whether human error is more harmful than technology that isn’t flexible or reliable. If technology is going to be implemented, then it needs to reduce the amount of interaction time with customers and provide a clear resolution.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

Measuring

Remember the reason why you are reporting is not to generate reports and graphs, but to provide the best service to your customers. It’s not about the quantity of data, rather the quality of it. Realise that what gets measured gets managed, so ensure that you only select data that provides information that is relevant to improving your service to the customers. Your metrics should be meaningful and relate back to a company goal; moveable so your company can have impact; authentic so you can tell the true story; numbers need to be contextualized; and consistent so you can monitor and understand trends and insights. It is important to present useful reports that focus on long-term trends, keep it simple so it is easy to understand what needs to be improved, and look for correlations that tell a bigger story.

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you’ll do things differently.”

WARREN BUFFETT

Understanding Your Consumers

More than 95% of unhappy customers don’t complain, although more than 90% will leave and never return (1^st Finance Training Services). Greater than 95% of customers, will tell people about the bad experiences they had with your company (Zendesk). Upwards of 85% of people are influenced by online reviews of products and services, when making buying decisions (Zendesk). Over 70% of the time people blame a bad customer service experience on having to explain to multiple people (Zendesk). 86% of people will pay up to 25% more for a better customer service experience (RightNow). More than 70% of consumers will fall in love with a brand when they experience friendly customer service personnel (RightNow).

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

MAYA ANGELOU

What Are Your Goal’s

Being clear about your customer service goals allows you to regularly review and check whether you are on target to improve. First, you need to know what success will look like. Second, create specific and measurable customer services goals that are easily identifiable. Third, connect your customer service goals to the company goals. Fourth, create a plan taking into consideration that the difference between a tactic and a goal is action. Fifth, publicise and track your performance rather than placing them on the shelves to collect dust. Sixth, review often, by separating your goal timeframes into weekly, monthly and quarterly checkpoints. Finally, celebrate the milestones you achieve, on a regular basis with your team.

“Ask your customers to be a part of the solution, and don’t view them as part of the problem.”

ALAN WEISS

Review

A regular review of your customer strategy and approach is important, especially when you have changing products, services and most importantly people. It needs to be a company wide review of customer service as everyone is a face for the company and will be involved with customers, clients and suppliers. Check that issues are being resolved, complaints being handled effectively, customer retention being monitored and staff are being effectively trained. Make sure that your goals are agile, changeable and adaptable so that you can choose a new path if they aren’t moving your customer service forward and in the right direction.

“Do what you do so well they will want to see it again, and bring their friends.”

WALT DISNEY

This was the fourth and final part of the 4-part series on customer service. If you missed the first three parts, then you can click on the following links: Part #1 Have You Ever Misread a Customers Emotional State, Part #2 Going the Extra Mile, and Part #3 Mastery of Persuasion.

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