Inspiring Future Leaders

About the Episode

On this episode of the podcast, our host, Kellie Lucas, talks with Susie Robinson, author of the book Transform to Outperform.

This is a fascinating masterclass on how great teams work together and achieve levels of super power, achievements and impact. Take a listen to the episode, read the book and develop your super powers and those around you!

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts!

About Susie

Susie Robinson is CEO of Transform2Outperform. She helps clients deploy HR solutions and leadership development which unlock breakthrough performance. During a 30-year international, corporate career culminating in Executive HR leadership with DHL Supply Chain, she worked closely with thought leaders in the field of HR and Organisation Development. She has led successful large-scale transformation and world-class HR functions. Her passion lies in developing leadership potential through expertise in transformation, personal and leadership development. Her mission is the creation of better working lives by detoxifying and re-energising the workplace and converting good leaders into great, dynamic leaders who are committed to delivering an outstanding leadership experience for their people and extraordinary results.

How to connect with Susie and their initiatives

LinkedIn: ⁠Susie Robinson

Website: Transform2Outperform

Buy the book here!

About the Episode

On this episode of the podcast, our host, Kellie Lucas, talks with Bryan Hochstein, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Alabama.

As one would expect when talking to an academic, the conversation was philosophical, enlightening and thought-provoking. Areas of conversation were leadership styles between Sales and Customer Success and the utopian dream of balance in business and prevailing markets.

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts!

About Bryan

Bryan W. Hochstein (Ph.D. Florida State University) is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Alabama. Prior to his current role, Dr. Hochstein (Dr. H) was a sales executive with Time Warner Media. Dr. H is considered an academic thought leader on customer success management, as such he regularly facilitates academic/industry discussions via thought leadership forums, industry conferences, and research interviews. 

Dr. H’s research on sales, sales management, and customer success management appears in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, Marketing Letters, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, and other leading outlets. 

From a teaching perspective, Dr. H teaches in and leads the University of Alabama’s Master-level Sales Leadership program. In addition, Dr. H facilitates doctoral seminars, undergraduate principles of marketing, and professional development courses. Dr. H is a co-author of  the textbook “Marketing Strategy,” 8th Edition (Cengage Publishing), which focuses on bringing together strategies to manage disruption and evolving market approaches in ways that improve firm financial performance outcomes. 

Dr. H and his family reside in Northport, Alabama, where they enjoy community, church, and university service opportunities.

How to connect with Bryan and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Bryan Hochstein

About the Episode

On this episode of the podcast, our host, Kellie Lucas, talks with Molly Henson, Head of Customer Success at Edurio.

Topics discussed were the education sector, courage and bravery, the tangible and intangible components of leadership and the art of looking inwards in order to impact and elevate others outwardly.

The latter, of course, feeding into our own mantra of Their Success = Your Success : the power of unlocking potential in others, which then also unlocks potential in yourself because you thrive and elevate and develop as you're elevating others. A common theme on this podcast.

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts!

About Molly

I am now the Head of Customer Success for Edurio, a stakeholder survey and strategic feedback tool within the education sector that aims to help improve the quality of education provision provided. Formally Head of Success and Head of Support at The Key Support Services and CRB Cunninghams respectively, I am hoping to bring knowledge of the education sector to the role and support Edurio in its next phases. Watch this space!

Insanely passionate about the education sector and the opportunities EdTech has to really influence and guide educators to give our next generations the very best starts in life, I am also a volunteer for the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. My career started in the charity sector, working to combat loneliness and isolation for veterans of our armed forces. It was at that point that I realised that I had a deep rooted inclination for socially conscious/responsible businesses that deliver great things to society.

I absolutely love building teams that learn from and guide each other, and aligning customer experiences with employee experiences.  My career to date has been very much focused on these things and I think there is a world of untapped opportunity for us all to build working environments with people at the genuine core of what we do, and I simply hope to be able to support that belief everywhere I go.

Interesting fact that makes people frown/laugh – my future career choice is to be a funeral director… because I believe there would be no greater honour than the opportunity to  make the worst time in someone’s life feel effortless and even maybe pleasant in some ways.

How to connect with Molly and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Molly Henson

About the Episode

This week, our host, Kellie Lucas, talks with People expert, Luke O'Mahoney, from SapienX - culture enablement consultancy.

Unsurprisingly, this was an incredible discussion between two passionate advocates for People Success and people-first cultures. The takeaways below are a small sample of the full episode. Take a listen and let us know what your key takeaways are!

On his personal definition of leadership: to ensure I am a positive force and a positive energy for the people that I interact with.

On the topic of what makes a leader: leadership has to start with showing up for others; you can’t lead others without leading yourself first.

On the difference between management and leadership: empathy bridges the gap between management and leadership. Many managers just haven’t tapped into empathy yet…

All of which ultimately feeds into our own mantra of Their Success = Your Success : the power of unlocking potential in others, which then also unlocks potential in yourself because you thrive and elevate and develop as you're elevating others.

About Luke

Luke is passionate about creating environments where individuals, teams, and organisations thrive.

His personal mission is to contribute to a world where every individual from any background has access to resource, opportunities, and support to become the best version of themselves that they want to be.

Having spent over a decade in Talent and People Ops within both corporate and start-up environments, Luke created SapienX to help organisations become intentional about the environment and experience they are providing for their people.

He developed the PEOPLE Culture source code model, which is the foundation of his cultural enablement work with organisations, teams, and leaders.

Infinitely curious, Luke also hosts the Human Potential Multiplied podcast where he speaks with leaders from business, entrepreneurship, sport, technology, and anyone who is doing extraordinary things to push the limits of human potential.

Husband and father, Luke's drive comes from building a better world where his own family can thrive now and in the future.

Luke pushes the limits of his own human potential through his work, but also his passion for endurance sport and long distance triathlon.

How to connect with Luke and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Luke O'Mahoney

LinkedIn: SapienX (company page)

About the Episode

Continuing with the IWD2022 theme of Break the Bias, this week our host Kellie Lucas chats with Lucy Illidge who is breaking the bias of what it means to be professional in the workplace. A self-confessed and defined "girly-girl", Lucy is determined to be her authentic self in all areas of her life and provide the space for others to do so as well.

This is a lovely episode to listen to, not just for the discussion around authenticity, the definition of professional and the importance of defining and embodying your team values. Lucy has a melodic way of talking which is delightful and mesmerising to listen to. We promise you'll have a whimsical smile on your face, the whole way through.

Take a listen to Lucy and Kellie and let us know your thoughts. Also, that Matt Myszkowski gets everywhere!

About Lucy

Lucy is an experienced leader, having worked in start-ups, scale ups and now a multinational corporation. She has a passion for Commercial Strategy, finding efficiencies and building processes that enable businesses to scale effectively.

Lucy is currently the Head of Customer Experience Operations for EMEIA, responsible for Strategy & Operations, the Voice of Customer Program and Best Practice & Enablement at Cision. She manages teams based in France, Germany and the U.K. and enjoys working closely with international colleagues, gaining an appreciation for different cultures and working styles.

Based in London, Lucy is immersed in an exciting CX landscape and enjoys expanding her network with other GTM professionals.

How to connect with Lucy and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Lucy Illidge

About the Episode

In the week that we celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the extraordinary inspiration and impact she had on the world, we are revisting the International Women's Day (IWD) 2022 theme of Break the Bias.

Queen Elizabeth certainly made her contribution to breaking the bias and in this episode we explore, in a panel format, how every one of us can also contribute and make a difference to our fellow humans.

International Women's Day falls on March 8th, each year, and heralds in a them for the entirety of that coming year. For 2022, the theme is Break the Bias.

At Move the World, we endeavour to highlight the theme at the beginning of the year with a panel discussion of that year's theme. We also aim to remind everyone during the year so that focus is maintained and this is why we, at Inspiring Future Leaders are sharing the recording of that panel discussion is this special episode of the podcast.

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts on the topics discussed, insights shared and what you are pledging to contribute to Break the Bias.

About The Panel

Nana-Efua Lawson : Managing Director and Principal Psychologist at Castlegate International

Renata Kashiwaya Pinheiro : VP Customer Success 

David Selorm Atsu : Associate at Credit Suisse

How to connect with the Panel and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Nana-Efua Lawson

LinkedIn: Renata Kashiwaya Pinheiro

LinkedIn: David Selorm Atsu

Donate to Move the World

About the Episode

For our first anniversary episode - yes! We launched the Inspiring Future Leaders podcast a year ago today! - we spoke to the humble and inspiring Maranda Dziekonski.

We talked about the qualities of a great leader; one who elevates and supports others to shine their brightest. We talked about how find the environment and those leaders who will support you to shine your brightest.

We also both "went a bit Matt" (listen to the podcast along with episode 19 - IYKYK) and enjoyed a few laughs.

Many thanks to Maranda for sharing as openly, humbly and as vulnerably as she does whenever she shares her journey with the world.

With leaders like her around, we'll all soon being doing better business for global good.

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts on the topics discussed and insights shared.

About Maranda

Maranda Dziekonski is the Chief Customer Officer at Swiftly. Maranda has over 20 years of experience both working in and building world-class operations. She has extensive experience building and scaling teams in early and mid-stage startups and has been part of 3 companies with successful exits (one unicorn).

Her specialties are Leadership/Management Coaching, Customer Success (B2B, B2C, B2B2C), Renewals Management, Implementations, Customer/Tech Support, Contact Centers (Inbound/Outbound), Sales, and various other teams in operations.

Maranda has been honored by various organizations as a Top 50 Customer Success Influencer 2022 and 2021, Top 25 Customer Success Influencer 2021, Top 100 Customer Success Strategist in 2017 & 2018. Maranda sits on numerous boards and is on the advisory board for the University of San Francisco's Customer Success and Insight's MBA Program. In her spare time, Maranda hosts a Podcast called From There to Here that focuses on personal and professional journeys.

How to connect with Maranda and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Maranda Dziekonski

Podcast: From There to Here

About the Episode

Our host, Kellie Lucas, had a fantastic conversation with Matt Myszkowski for this episode of the Inspiring Future Leaders podcast.

Matt is a well-respected leader in Customer Success, who delivers his leadership authentically, vulnerably and openly. He lends his voice and support to many initiatives which aim to highlight and shine a spotlight on creating a world where everyone has access to the same opportunities.

If you follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter already, then you will know that he talks about diversity, equality and inclusion as well as depression, mental well-being and football!

As always, with Matt, the conversation is lyrical, inspiring and all too short. We'll definitely be inviting him back for more conversations in the near future. If you have any questions or suggested topics/themes for the next time, please let us know and we'll add them to the list.

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts on the topics discussed and insights shared.

About Matt

Matt currently holds the role of Vice President, Customer Experience for EMEIA at Cision which incorporates Customer Success, Customer Support, Onboarding & Training and CX Operations. Matt joined Cision in 2020 from SAP where he held the role of Vice President, Customer Success EMEA for three years leading a team of approximately 100 CSMs. Prior to his time at SAP, Matt created the inaugural Customer Success function at UK SaaS “scale-up” Rant & Rave (acquired by Upland Software), who provide customer experience solutions for the retail, utilities and financial sectors specifically. Matt spent over 5 years at CAD & data management SaaS company Autodesk where he helped mature, grow and scale their customer success organisation, leading a team of CSMs across EMEA and APAC.

Matt has worked in several leadership roles in customer success, account management, customer support and pre-sales for the likes of Thomson Reuters, Dun & Bradstreet and Iron Mountain.

Obsessed with customer experience, Matt enjoys correlating the significant value it brings businesses through the connection of technology, education, data analytics and clear objectives aligned to his customers' desired outcomes.

Matt has his own blog and podcast series at www.customersuccessmatters.com

How to connect with Matt and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Matt Myszkowski

Twitter: Matt Myszkowski (CSMatt)

Website: Customer Success Matters

About the Episode

This week's guest is Fran Beckley, Head of People at SourceBreaker. This is a new role for Fran, having been Head of Customer Success since the early days of the company's journey.

Given that we talk a lot about people and culture, it seems appropriate that we have a Head of People on the podcast. It's even more exciting for us as Fran's background is Customer Success and we have a firm belief that CS has a lot to give the business world, in terms of people, partnerships and relationships. As every business is created by and for people, people feel like a good place to start to make sure you're maximising growth and value for all.

Listen to the episode for Fran's thoughts on:

- what is a leader and leadership

- what she learned from other episodes of the Inspiring Future Leaders podcast!

- the importance of values and how to embed them in the every day

- Personal Development Plans (PDPs); Fran provides a micro masterclass on how to create a people-led approach to PDPs and may even have persuaded our host that they are not so bad, after all. Listen to the episode for the full discussion!

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts on the topics discussed and insights shared.

About Fran

Fran Beckley has recently made the move to become Head of People at SourceBreaker, after returning from maternity leave. When she joined SourceBreaker, an AI driven recruitment technology platform, in 2016, she was the 4th employee and took on the task of building out the Customer Success division. The company has grown quickly and is now approaching 80 heads, so the newly created Head of People role is an amazing next challenge.

Fran is passionate about personal and organisational growth, recruiting and developing talent, and making the working environment the best it can be.

How to connect with Fran and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Fran Beckley

About the Episode

This week's episode packs a real punch as our host, Kellie Lucas, speaks with Nabeeda Bakali about all things leadership, culture and creating space for quieter voices!

Nabeeda and Kellie have pretty similar views on a LOT of topics and if you listen carefully, you'll even hear Kellie snort with recognition as Nabeeda talks through yet another aligned perspective - we're not going to point out exactly where this happens but let us know if you spot it!

Topics covered include:

- approaching an interview process much like you would a new relationships; ask pertinent questions to find out more about your intended partner but understand that you're not really going to understand how much of a fit you are... until you live together for a while! There's also no shame in ending the relationship, if it's not what you thought it was going to be or what was promised. You'll be doing both parties a favour.

- listening to your team and ensuring they know that they've been heard; aka closing the feedback loop

- introversion vs. extraversion at work; the power and impact of including both!

- transparency and authenticity in the workplace (including the controversial topic of salary transparency)

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts on the topics discussed and insights shared.

About Nabeeda

Nabeeda Bakali currently works as a Customer Success Manager. Her goal is to use her experiences and knowledge to help others grow personally and professionally. You can join her on this journey through following Grow with Nabeeda on YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

How to connect with Nabeeda and their initiatives

LinkedIn: Nabeeda Bakali

YouTube: Grow with Nabeeda