What were the biggest business themes of the year? In this episode I look back over the past 12 months to see how work, life and business responded to change and the environmental crisis. New technologies like RPA offered lots of opportunities but came with a warning – look after your people, their mental health, their work life balance and the company culture you offer them.
Lots to dig into there – so please enjoy this reflective episode, my review of the year…
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My guest this month is a leading tech player, change agent and one of the first people to break the disability glass ceiling to become an executive and a leader. David Dame is head of accessibility at Microsoft – born with cerebral palsy his parents were advised to put him in an institution. Luckily they didn’t listen and their tough love has helped shape the leader he is today.
David’s strengths are extensive and his experience of living in an environment that doesn’t meet his needs has made him a powerful advocate for many groups, including those outside his immediate experience of disability; like the elderly, those with hidden disabilities and stressed mental health. What’s brilliant for us, is that in his role at Microsoft David is in a position to do something about it.
Listen in as we talk about the invisible tax people with a disability must pay as they struggle to use technology, how leadership needs to change to accommodate the needs of the post-covid workforce and the issues around caring for today’s valuable knowledge workers.
You can find our more about Dave on his website here which includes a link to his Ted Talk.
Anyone who is buying anything needs a straight talking champion – especially in the hype-filled world of technology – and that is exactly what Jon Reed and the team at Diginomica are to thousands of readers.
I was so pleased to catch up with Jon for some great chat around SAP Business ByDesign and the importance of a modern take on ERP technology for today’s post-covid business. Find out what Jon thinks is top of the “over-hyped” index and what Intelligent should really mean when it comes to today’s smart technology.
“Progress is something we can’t take for granted, we have to work towards it everyday and not expect technology to just deliver.” If this speaks to you then click play and listen in – it’s a real treat!
Read it for yourself Diginomica – Business Insights for the Digital Enterprise.
Start when you’re happy! That’s the powerful mental health message from this month’s podcast guest Matt Champion. Matt is an SAP mindfulness coach and wants people to feel comfortable bringing new skills – like mindful moments – into the workplace to help deal with stress. As globally we all continues to wrestle with issues around the return to work, there has never been a better time to chat mindfulness with Matt.
If you’d like to find out more about the SAP mindfulness practice or if you would like to explore setting up something mindful in your own company then here are some links you might find useful.
www.sap.com/mindfulness
www.championofyou.com
https://insighttimer.com/en-gb
https://www.headspace.com/
With many boards now asking for ESG reports and investors examining company track records, now is the time to get your environmental, social and governance activities on point.
Janice also happens to be a cracking guest, a former stand up comedian, she takes what life throws at her, even though these days that’s more likely to be a pencil sharpener than a pint of lager…
]]>Do we need new ways of thinking about business technology?
With the next 30 years set to bring about massive change, this episode of the podcast goes “Beyond ERP” with Chris Gabriel. Chris is the head of IT at Sapphire Systems but in reality he is much more than this. He is a visionary and a futurist – imagining how we can use technology to do exciting things – today.
Chris talks to me about technology which not only makes people’s lives better, but which is already available, consumable and with innovation built in. No business too small – so press play and let’s go.
Keep on top of the Beyond ERP presentations from Sapphire by visiting this page to sign up for the next masterclass.
Hello! Our podcast this month celebrates one of our best customers – the successful British company Aspen Pumps. Aspen won the coveted Queen’s Award three times in recognition of its ongoing and notable growth in overseas markets. And it was no accident, Aspen set out with big plans and needed the technology to support that growth.
Step forward Jonathan Phillips who took the big decisions to select SAP Business ByDesign. He liked it so much he went on to implement it at least 7 times for Aspen companies all over the world.
No wonder I wanted to talk to him about his journey (watch out for news of a new role!) He spoke to me amidst the usual family chaos we have all had to contend with over the past few months so please bear with the occasional background noise!
Do you have the gift of the gab? If not don’t worry – you can still succeed in the cut throat world of sales, make useful connections and help people with your products.
In this episode I’ve discovered that natural extroverts don’t necessarily have the edge over their more reticent counterparts when it comes to business. Introverts make great sales people and networkers – they just have to think a bit harder about how to do it.
That’s the subject of our podcast – What gives Introverts the Edge with Matthew Pollard. He reminds us that story is at the heart of good sales and that fostering good relationships is something everyone has a shot at. Do give it a listen and pick up some valuable tips!
Get more from Matthew here www.introvertsedge.com
In a world dominated by data, today we’re talking about things you can’t put in a spreadsheet – namely company culture – what it is and how to shift it.
For those who think it’s a soft topic I have news. Company culture is now measured by investors, it’s a key factor in attracting talent and it wins the best clients.
Every company has one, but it’s not always healthy. That’s why I’m talking to Kirsty Bashforth who wrote her book Culture Shift – a step by step guide, for anyone looking to bring about healthy and lasting change. She is experienced in working with companies who want to change and her 24 years at BP didn’t hurt, when she was tasked with organising cultural change in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.
There’s a link to her book here
Culture Shift – a practical guide to managing organisational culture
Now – without further ado here’s Kirsty and 25 minutes of conversation anyone running a company can not afford to ignore.
If you enjoyed this episode you might like to listen to Andrew Sherman talking about the Crisis in Employee Engagement.
Here’s some good news for recruiters – there’s a huge pool of talent out there, qualified, experienced and ready to take a bite out of the jobs market. Who you say?
This months the podcast is all about women returners – super qualified women who are seeking to return to work after a career break and ready to make their second act even more powerful than their first.
Their champion is Lisa Unwin, a big 4 management consultant who found herself stuck (briefly) after kids, now determined to tackle the issue.
Lisa talks to me about this waste of talent as well as the tragedy brewing around home schooling and the power of becoming a Linkedin influencer.
You can find Lisa on Linkedin or at the Reignite Academy
Enjoy.
P.S. If you admire talented women then you can catch up with our own women in tech founders here.