Biz Bytes

As outlined in our previous episode, productivity is one of three key levers in generating business success so it’s vital we take it seriously.

One of the driving factors of sub-par productivity is waste. Waste can be found in both doing or spending too much – inefficiencies and duplication; or not doing enough – untapped or underutilised potential.

• TIMWOOD Model: A productivity model identifying waste in organizations, crucial for business success.
• Five Key Areas: Combines TIMWOOD and DOWNTIME into five areas to evaluate performance and identify improvements.
• High-Level Questions: Provides questions to assess transport, inventory, defects, skills, and overprocessing in your organization.
• Unique Solutions: Emphasizes that solutions are specific to each organization, with future blogs to discuss examples.

Optimise Costs, Revenue, and Efficiency to drive positive change that sticks.

In today's episode we focusing on three key areas.

First, the core business levers: managing costs, growing revenue, and improving efficiency.

Second, digital transformation: it’s not just about new tech, but how it can reduce costs, increase revenue, and boost efficiency.

Lastly, strategic considerations for tech projects: we’ll look at metrics, motives, and mindset.

Let’s get started!

Digital transformation can open many doors – giving you an exciting pathway towards innovation, growth, customer and staff fulfilment, and that sought-after competitive edge. But like most things in business and life, risks lurk in the background.

Don’t let this put you off continuing to develop and adapt though – when you have a robust digital roadmap in place you mitigate the potential risks before jumping in.

Do you find yourself in a state of decision paralysis because you feel you don't have all the data you need?

Did you consider that by the time you have all the data, it might be too late?

Especially if the data is coming from the wrong sources. 

Consider this: have you got enough data to make a decision you can live with.

In this episode, I speak with Bruno Pešec about why speed of decision making is often more important than quality and why indecision is still a decision.

About the guest

Bruno Pešec helps business leaders innovate profitably. He is the rare innovator who can claim that he's worked on a regulation-defying freight train and an award-winning board game. In addition to his corporate experience with brands like DNV, DNB, and Kongsberg Group, Bruno runs a community of entrepreneurs of several thousand members. He is currently undertaking a doctorate in organisational change, with a specific focus on the issues with innovation in large enterprises.

The last 18 months have been notable for their volatility.

Opinions have become currency, not always based on fact. 

We've seen that we're not that great at predicting the future and, as a result, are never fully prepared - that just makes things more uncertain and leads to more opinions.

How can you separate fact from opinion?

First, remember that you control your perceptions and the energy that you bring to a situation.

Then,  remember that everyone sees things differently.

Finally, ask yourself this: What are you prepared to do to prove that your opinion is wrong?

In today's episode, I chat with Marcel Daane about how to stay sane in a volatile world



About my guest
Marcel Daane is an award-winning executive coach and author of two book who operates out of Singapore. He specializes in helping professionals maximize their way of being in how they connect with themselves and others for more effective leadership and performance using a combination of Neuroscience, Mindfulness, and Somatic Awareness.

Marcel's books include HeadStrong Performance - coverhing how to improve mental performance under pressure - and Five Energies of Horrible Bosses, which is a book about how to use Energy Projection to improve connectedness with others

When Joe Santana ran a recent survey on AI tools, 63% of HR professionals who responded thought that introduction of AI would make the organisation more balanced.

But will it?

Or could AI make a company less diverse if it’s not delivered correctly?

In this episode, I talk with Joe about the potential impact of AI on diversity, equity, and inclusion. We discuss how it could affect an organisation’s ability to secure and retain the best talent in the world and consider how it could create a system that is infinitely a gamble. 



About the guest
Joe Santana is Chairman of the CDO PowerCircle, an association of diversity, equity, and inclusion leaders serving well-known companies that collectively generate close to three-quarters of a trillion dollars and employ close to a million people around the globe.

Joe is also the host of the ERG PowerTalk podcast, which you'll find at https://linktr.ee/Joesan58

As an entrepreneur, you know what it takes to get things done: finding a need and filling it, building a business from the ground up to do so. Unfortunately, for many entrepreneurs, their work becomes their life. When people talk about work-life balance you nod along and agree that it’s important, but then turn around and throw yourself back in. You might dream of a 3-month walk-about, or of climbing that mountain, but how on earth are you going to fit that in when there’s always another fire to put out, another emergency that needs to be resolved.

In this episode I talk with Michael Nelson, Author of Goals That Matter – The Deceptively Simple System to Achieve Every Dream, about how to avoid looking back on your life thinking “I wish I had spent more time doing…"

Michael is an entrepreneur, author, ultra-marathoner, and real estate investor. Having created a system to achieve his goals, Michael started sharing it with clients and friends who found a great deal of success with their goals. Having led hundreds of people through his goal-setting system, he decided to write a book to share it even further. Michael’s book is a must-read for every person who desires to take their life to the next level.

Despite what we'll tell you, technology isn't the fastest-changing industry.

That honour goes to Cyber Security.

As we see new advances in technology we also need to keep up with protecting and securing the devices and systems we use. While the cyber security industry has been able to adapt as they go, the universities have also joined the fight and are now training the next wave of cyber security specialists.

Through this course, students learn how to put themselves in the shoes of the attacker, and the customer. Because you can't guarantee an attack will never happen, you just need to make it as difficult as possible to be successful.

In today's episode, I catch up with Sam Glanfield to find out why she chose a major in Cyber Security, what the course covers, and what the future might hold.

About the Guest

Sam is a 3rd-year university student studying towards a Bachelor of Engineering with a major in Cyber Security. When she's not learning how to identify and manage cyber threats, Sam is putting everything into practice as part of Kiwirail's cyber security team.

Heard of Low Code or No Code?

A No-Code development platform provides the ability to create application software through a graphical user interface instead of traditional hand-coded computer programming.

Used properly, it gives companies the freedom to try things out without the cost.

Even though it is perfect for prototyping, No-Code still carries some risks.

In this episode, I head back to Denmark to talk with Kasper Pederson and find out more.

About the guest:
Kasper, Founder of Tempus Serva, manages and implements custom-tailored systems for external customers. With a vision to Democratise Digitalisation, Kasper has the view that no climb is too steep as he takes No-Code to new heights.

What do the All Blacks, prenuptials and onboarding new clients all have in common?

Culture.

Businesses that want to start a successful relationship with a new client need to set expectations at the start.

It doesn't hurt to approach it like a prenuptial agreement.

And that's where the All Blacks bring inspiration. While they have a strong strategy. They also have a values-based culture that dictates no one is bigger than the team.

In today's episode, I talk with Scott Anderson, possibly Omaha's biggest rugby fan about the value of onboarding, how to avoid making mistakes, and why you need to be prepared to walk away. We do talk a bit of rugby too.

About the guest:

Scott Anderson is the founder and CEO of Double Dare, an executive coaching and consulting practice that dares entrepreneurs and executives to fully live their unique talent, passion and purpose. In his spare time, he's also a big rugby fan.