Leadership Matters

In this episode of Leadership Matters, we sit down with Sean Blakely, Partner at PwC Korea, leadership advisor, and business consultant with extensive experience helping organizations navigate growth, cultural complexity, and leadership challenges. Sean has built a unique career bridging international business and Korean markets, developing expertise in leadership, strategy, and cross-cultural collaboration. Throughout our conversation, he shares valuable lessons on authenticity, resilience, career development, and why success is often the result of consistent execution rather than a perfectly mapped-out plan. With a refreshing blend of honesty, humility, and practical wisdom, Sean discusses the power of listening, embracing failure as part of growth, and how introverts can become exceptional leaders. Whether you're an aspiring leader, business professional, or entrepreneur, this episode is packed with insights to help you build a more meaningful career and lead with greater impact. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In this episode of Leadership Matters, host Steven Parker engages in a thought-provoking conversation with the Author of "Lead like Julius Caesar" and leadership coach Paul Vanderbroeck. With an impressive background in HR and leadership training, Paul shares his journey from corporate life to coaching, shedding light on the importance of self-awareness and effective communication in leadership roles. Throughout the episode, Paul emphasizes the significance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in modern organizations. He argues that embracing diverse perspectives not only fosters a more inclusive environment but also enhances organizational productivity. As Paul eloquently puts it, "Diversity should bring new ideas, new values, new thoughts. It shouldn’t just detract from what is going on." The discussion also delves into Paul's book, "Lead like Julius Caesar", where he draws parallels between historical leadership practices and contemporary challenges. By examining the life of Julius Caesar, Paul highlights the importance of strategic decision-making and the necessity of feedback in leadership. He warns that a lack of self-awareness can lead to significant pitfalls, as demonstrated by Caesar's eventual downfall. Listeners will find valuable insights on how to develop their leadership style, the role of emotional intelligence, and the need for leaders to actively seek diverse feedback. Paul’s advice is clear: "You need to take an active role as a leader to get feedback." This proactive approach is essential for anyone looking to enhance their leadership capabilities. As the conversation unfolds, Paul shares practical advice for aspiring leaders, encouraging them to focus on their strengths while also being mindful of their weaknesses. He reminds us that the journey of leadership is not just about achieving results but also about building meaningful relationships and fostering a collaborative environment. In a world where leadership is often lonely, this episode serves as a reminder of the importance of connection, communication, and continuous learning. Tune in to Leadership Matters for an enlightening discussion that will inspire you to lead with purpose and authenticity. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Steve Parker hosts Leadership Matters podcast featuring Niven Huang, Managing Director of KPMG Sustainability Consulting in Taiwan. Niven Huang shares his journey starting from his birthplace in Hualien, where environmental concerns shaped his early career. He describes how Taiwan's serious environmental issues in 1985, particularly municipal solid waste management, influenced his career path in chemical engineering and environmental studies. Huang explains his transition from environmental engineering to sustainability advocacy when he joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in 1997. He highlights how global environmental treaties and protocols, particularly the 1992 Rio Summit and 1997 Kyoto Protocol, influenced his career shift from being a 'carbon dioxide creator' to becoming a climate action advocate. The discussion covers Huang's role in promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices in Taiwan. He emphasizes how he translated key documents like the GHG protocol into Mandarin Chinese in 2003 and facilitated major companies like TSMC in sustainability practices. Huang discusses the evolution of social enterprise and its importance in addressing societal challenges. He describes how KPMG has been working to build an ecosystem supporting social enterprises, including developing impact measurement methodologies and facilitating partnerships between traditional businesses and social enterprises. The conversation concludes with Huang's perspective on current challenges facing Taiwan, including aging society and low birth rates, and how social entrepreneurs can contribute to solving these issues. He emphasizes that everyone should be part of the solution, noting that currently only 20% of people see themselves as solution providers. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In this episode we interview Mike Weinberg. Mike is a best selling author and sales trainer and is the truth teller when it comes to sales. His specialties are sales management and new business development, and his passion is helping sellers and sales teams win more New Sales! He’s become one of the most trusted and sought after sales experts and has led workshops and consulted on five continents. He was the #1 salesperson in three organizations and has authored four #1 Amazon bestsellers – New Sales. Simplified., Sales Management. Simplified., Sales Truth., and his latest book, The First-Time Manager: Sales achieved bestseller status in three categories and is being praised by executives as Mike’s best book and a practical roadmap and essential playbook for both new and experienced sales managers. Mike’s blunt, funny, tell-it-like-it-is style, and his ability to share simple, practical, powerful, and easy-to-implement concepts made him a natural guest for Leadership Matters. He works with companies in all industries ranging in size from a few million to many billions of dollars. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

What is Culture. How to communicate and build teams. The Art of Listening. How to be authentic and still be an effective leader. Coach, Facilitator, and founder of Culture Cuppa Victoria Rennoldson answers these and many other questions in a wide ranging discussion on Leadership Matters in this episode. Victoria Rennoldson is communication coach, certified cultural intelligence trainer, and the CEO the aforementioned founder of Culture Cuppa. She helps current and future global leaders to elevate and amplify their communication for the next step in their international career, by developing speaking clarity, confidence, connection and agility to handle challenging conversations. Victoria supports multicultural teams with her training to build trust and collaboration with cultural intelligence, growing themselves, their teams and their organisations globally. She is based in London, the UK, and works virtually and in-person with individuals and teams all over the world. Victoria is a keynote speaker and the host of the top-ranked podcast, Cultural Communication Confidence. You can find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson/ -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Moon Yiu is the Founder of digital consulting company DigitSense and a serial entrepreneur. Passionate and driven but with a very healthy self awareness Moon talks about authenticity, being outgoing when you are an introvert, following your passion practically, doing business with integrity, and leading when others know more than you do. She also shares how you can transform a regular job offer into a consulting contract. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In this month’s Leadership Matters Steven Parker talks to Peter Kurz - “Mr. Taiwan” – a long time foreign resident of Taiwan with over 40 years in banking and finance and a genuine media personality in his own right. Peter shares his insights on working in Taiwan, when to invest in the stock market, Social Media and the necessity to hunt out accurate information, and how an aging population may be one of our best, but perhaps wasted, resources. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In this episode of Leadership Matters Steven Parker interviews Raoul Kubitschek - the Taiwan Head of Danish Offshore Wind company NIRAS. Raoul has been involved in renewal energy in Taiwan from its very beginning and has seen the growth, opportunities, and the issues from the inside. He shares with Steven about the need for networking, taking opportunities when they are presented, being flexible in your mind set, and keeping ahead of the trend. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In this month’s Leadership Matters Steven Parker talks with David Kelly - the Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore. Born in Manchester but having lived in Asia and with degrees from both UK and Singaporean Universities - David is a true global citizen and has a unique perspective on international management. Listen to David share about mentoring, life-long learning and how we achieve more when we support others. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

TA Wu is the Managing Director of Springpool Glass – Taiwan’s largest glass recycling company and dedicated to developing sustainable and Circular Economy. Building on the foundation his Father built he has taken Springpool Glass from a recycling company to a major international luxury brand focused on circular materials. He is a graduate of Cambridge University, an Eisenhower Scholar, and life-long devotee of continuous learning. In this episode of Leadership Matters TA talks to Steven Parker about getting the vision right, building “doing good” into the DNA of the company, and how success is easily measured if you get these two things in place. A true Taiwan entrepreneur and visionary. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn