Business Excellence - TOP 5 Series

“If you can structure what you say to match how the brain is going to naturally process it. Suddenly, understanding of that communication goes up, which is the goal of communication.”  Rich Carr Top Five Tips For Cognitive Influence in Communication 1.   Align with Brain Processing 2.  Create Psychological Safety 3.  Engaging multiple senses 4.  Keeping it simple (KISS Principle) 5.  Encouraging active application  TIME STAMP SUMMARY 02:15 The importance of structuring communication to match how the brain naturally processes information. 08:10 He emphasizes that being in a positive mood, such as happiness or joy, makes the brain more receptive to new information. 15:24 He explains that effective communication should focus on no more than two key points to ensure retention. 20:01 The importance of creating a collaborative environment where participants feel safe to share their thoughts and make sense of the information.  Where to find Rich? Website             https://www.braincentricdesign.com LinkedIn            https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrknowledge/  Rich Carr Bio Rich Carr stands at the forefront of redefining cognitive brain training, with a distinguished background in Mass Media and Mass Communications, military service, and notable contributions as Paul Allen's Director of Digital Media. As a prolific writer and sought-after speaker, Carr seamlessly integrates various communication channels to achieve unparalleled market engagement. Check Rich out at his website: https://www.braincentricdesign.com and get social with Rich on YouTube and Linkedin! 

“The last thing that I'll say, and this is where I put a lot of pressure on myself as a founder, I put that same pressure on any founders listening, or if you sit in the sales or marketing seat, and it's this, you have to know, what are the pains and the barriers that your prospects are trying to overcome, what is it that they want to be educated on. And most importantly, what is it that you can teach? What is it that your audience wants to learn from you, and anyone, especially that's in B to B, if you can crack that nut, you can be really, really successful on LinkedIn.” Colin Hirdman Top Five Tips For Growing Your Network, Leads And Sales Through LinkedIn1.   Adopt the right philosophy 2.  Build the right audiences 3.  Activate your audience 4.  Implement a drip message campaign 5.  Leverage LinkedIn live streams TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:28 Being authentic and genuine, having an educational mindset, and being willing to experiment06:39 Generating organic content on LinkedIn is extremely important11:32 Connections on LinkedIn, the benefits of mutuals and when to cancel a connection request16:10 LinkedIn live streams are an important tool for continuing the relationships  Where to find Colin?Website               https://www.rainmakergrows.com/ LinkedIn               www.linkedin.com/in/colinhirdman  Colin Hirdman Bio Since starting my first company a week after graduating from college, I realized I have a passion for creativity, new ideas and the challenge that start-ups provide. Currently focused on Rainmaker (https://rainmakergrows.com) and helping founders, sales executives, business coaches, etc. grow their network, leads, and sales through LinkedIn.I also volunteer and sit on the board of the MN Blockchain Initiative(https://www.mnblockchain.org/).

“Good innovation happens iteratively, not with a splash and bang.”Nick Jain Top Five Tips For Innovating In Large Organizations1.      Focus on running small experiments and collecting data2.      Ensure your innovation efforts align with your organization's objectives3.      Create cross-functional teams4.      Create a culture and incentive structure that encourages innovation5.      Provide the right tools and technology to enable innovation. TIME STAMP SUMMARY02:18 Importance of a good approach vs a big risky initiative 06:26 Innovative efforts linked to the company’s core priorities and goals11:53 The 4G Framework of Incentives1640: Providing the right tools and technology is a crucial part in innovation Where to find Nick Website                          https://ideascale.com/ LinkedIn                         https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickjain/  Nick Jain Bio Nick Jain is the CEO of IdeaScale, the world’s largest innovation SaaS company. Known for his commitment to high-quality products, he has dramatically reduced software bugs and boosted customer satisfaction.Nick’s journey is one of resilience. Raised in India by a single grandmother, he excelled academically, graduating at the top of his class at Harvard Business School and summa cum laude from Dartmouth with a triple major in math, physics, and economics. His career includes leading companies in trucking, men's fashion and software, as well as working at top investment firms like Bain Capital.An evangelist for AI adoption, Nick championed the use of large language models at IdeaScale well before the AI hype cycle began. He pushed for generative AI technologies to be adopted by sales, product designers, and even software engineers, well before such adoption became mainstream.Outside of work, Nick enjoys poker, running, listening to battle rap, and traveling. He’s also an avid reader, currently tackling “Moby Dick” and the fantasy novel “Lyorn.”

“To discipline yourself is to manage yourself, and you only manage that which you don't trust. If you've ever been managed in a workplace scenario, you've made a mistake in the past, oversight has come down hard on you and gone look, based on your past performance, we can't give you as much rope as we did before, so what we're going to do is restrict you, and we're going to get productivity out of you by managing you. And if you've ever had that happen, you kind of understand it, but it is always unfair and it is always a misunderstanding.”Jaemin Frazer Top Five Tips For Upgrading From Self-discipline to self-permission 1. Accept that self-discipline is to manage yourself from a place of mistrust2. Learn how to rebuild trust with yourself3. Deal with your neediness4. Review all the games you are involved in5. Create winning avatars for each game you want to winTIME STAMP SUMMARY03:30 How self-discipline is often rooted in a fundamental mistrust of ourselves08:00 Examining past mistakes and misunderstandings is key to mending this vital relationship.15:00 Transformative power of internalizing validation and approval23:00 Channelling into an avatar allows you to know your purpose Where to find Jaemin?Website                           https://jaeminfrazer.com/ LinkedIn                          https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaeminfrazer  Jaemin Frazer BioJaemin is an award-winning life coach and author. He is the founder of The Insecurity Project and specializes in helping entrepreneurs, leaders, and business owners eradicate insecurity so they can show up to life unhindered by doubt, fear, and self-limiting beliefs. He is widely recognized as one of Australia's best personal development coaches and a leading voice globally on the subject of personal insecurity.Jaemin’s books include: ·  Unhindered - The Seven Essential Practices for Overcoming Insecurity, ·  Elegantly Simple Solutions to Complex People Problems, ·  Leverage – How to change the people you love for all the right reasons and get the relationships you deserve, and The One Minute Coach, based on the popular ‘One-minute coach’ radio segment heard by over 750,000 listeners daily. And the brand new “The Self-Permission Method. How to succeed in life without using self-discipline” Jaemin is a dynamic speaker who skilfully blends a lifetime of experience in leadership and coaching with his passion for human behavioural science and peak performance. His pragmatic and direct approach to vulnerable subjects about mental health and wellbeing are a breath of fresh air and his work is known for producing lasting results.   With over 15,000 coaching hours under his belt, he is able to draw from a deep and rich source of lived experience, helping ambitious people improve the quality of their life in the areas that matter most. -- 

“The key is finding ways that collaboration can benefit all parties and lead to greater sustainability impact than any one organization could achieve alone.“  The Top 5 Tips for Embedding Sustainability in Your Business Strategy1. Confidence 2. Commitment 3. Consistency 4. Courage5. Collaboration TIME STAMP SUMMARY01:07  Understanding the global issues that affect sustainability.06:39  Why maintaining frameworks is a major key.13:25  Taking accountability for your role in the damage.18:00  Community is important in achieving sustainability.  Where to find Lee?Website                        https://www.leestewart.com.au/ LinkedIn                       https://www.linkedin.com/in/leestewart/  Lee Stewart Bio I am one of the very few sustainability consultants who has over 20 years' experience including working for billion-dollar multinational companies. I am now on a mission to help others and support businesses to become a force for good whilst also being profitable. Below is my book preface on "Why I Wrote How to Build Sustainability into Your Business Strategy." Many individuals can go through their entire professional career without discovering their true purpose. After years of working, they may reflect on their accomplishments and question if it was all worthwhile. Did their work solely focus on increasing profits for their company by selling more products or services? What if they had found a way to leverage their expertise and knowledge to benefit society and the environment earlier in their career? By understanding your "why", you can harness a powerful tool that keeps you motivated and on track during challenging times. Personally, I have spent years refining my purpose, and it ultimately comes down to having a greater sense of meaning in my work. My purpose is twofold: to provide financial security for my family and to make a positive impact on the world. Despite many moments of doubt and uncertainty, where I questioned if my work was just greenwashing or focused on profits over sustainability, I have consistently strived to improve sustainability outcomes in every role I have held. Over time, my "why" has evolved, and now, as a father of three, I am more determined than ever to make a difference in the world. Understanding the bigger picture and the role I can play in creating a better future is a powerful driver that keeps me focused and motivated to succeed. Drawing from my own journey through the trials and triumphs of global corporate roles, this book, How to Build Sustainability into Your Business Strategy, is born from the bruises, frustrations, and burnout. It's more than a guidebook. It’s my obsession to help individuals seek deeper meaning in their careers and to enlighten businesses on the practical steps to seize the sustainability opportunity of our time.

“You can love somebody without having to live with them.” Evelyn Leite Top Five Tips For Strengthening Your Family Relationships 1. Recognizing the importance of respect and dignity. 2. Acknowledging issues, feelings and attitudes 3. Unconditional love and the perimeters around it. 4. Traditions and rituals 5. Frustration vs. Hostility and the way to empathize  TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:02 The critical importance of preserving mutual respect and dignity 03:50 Highlighting empathy's crucial role in facilitating family communication and understanding. 13:24 The impact of generational belief systems and the need to maintain a constructive, open-minded approach within the family. 16:20 Keep doing your best, and set an example  Where to find Evelyn? Website                       https://evelynleite.com/ Facebook                   https://www.facebook.com/LivingWithSolutions  Evelyn Leite Bio Evelyn Leite, MHR, LPC, is an author and speaker who shares her heart-wrenching, real-life experiences with humour. She loves to relate funny stories, paired with memories about family addictions and mental health, to lead women to Jesus. She is highly regarded for her expert knowledge in healing trauma, understanding relationship dynamics, improving communication, and overcoming addictions. She uses her more than 35 years of professional experience as a relationships and addiction therapist to bring truth, redemption, love, acceptance, and hope to any story. 

“Your life depends on your focus. If you can't really sit down and focus, you know your results will suffer.” Christo Hall Top Five Mindset Tips From Professional Surfing and How to Apply Them To Succeed in Business 1. Working with your inner critique. Your biggest competitor in business is usually yourself. 2. How to get a deeper level of focus and why it's so important. 3. Professional surfing routines to prepare for any business event, meeting or presentation. 4. Flipping positive thinking and imagining you've failed to reduce nerves for important events. 5. The importance of prioritising triggers, not outcomes.  TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:22 Acknowledge the inner critic, give it a name and don’t fight it. 05:44 Eliminate distractions and use techniques to maintain deep focus 09:10 Develop pre-meeting routines to get into the right mindset 13:23 Visualize potential losses to help manage nerves 17:54 Identify the key actions that drive the desired outcomes and focus on those  Where to find Christo? Website                              https://www.basicbananas.com/ LinkedIn                             https://au.linkedin.com/in/christohall  Christo Hall Bio Christo is co-founder of Basic Bananas, Australia’s leading marketing mentoring organization for business owners. Christo is regularly featured in a range of media for his creative marketing and business ideas including: The Today Show (Channel Nine live TV), a regular on radio including 2UE and 2GB radio, Virgin Inflight Entertainment, TEDx and many more. He is the author of his book ‘Beyond the Break’ and co-author of 2 number one international bestselling marketing books ‘Perception’ and ‘Bananas About Marketing’. He has presented on business stages all around the globe. Christo has developed a reputation for being a highly sought after business mentor having assisted to add millions in additional revenue to his client’s bottom line. He has a sixth sense for business and a unique ability to go from big picture visions to the finest of details. Christo was a professional surfer for 9 years competing on the international circuit and won the Australian Masters National Surfing title in 2022. 

“If you're solely dependent on Google organic search, then you're going to be missing out in the next couple of years.” Barb Davis Top Five Tips for SEO1. Refresh old blog content2. Optimize/use free Google Business Listing3. Expand your digital footprint4. Optimize page titles and descriptions5. Use Google Search Console to find opportunities TIME STAMP SUMARRY 01:05  Rearrange your website, but avoid changing the URL05:50 The perks of Google Business Listing 10:25  Content forward backlinking 16:30  Using Google Search Console Where to find Barb?Website                           https://compassdigitalstrategies.com LinkedIn                          https://www.linkedin.com/in/barb-davids/  Barb Davids Bio Barb Davids, founder of Compass Digital Strategies, has over 25 years of experience in digital marketing. She's helped ambitious business owners achieve 256% more organic traffic and 51% more sales. When not working, Barb enjoys running with her dog, Stone.  

 “We've got to set expectations with the employee. And when we say a word like expectations in that way, it feels like, Oh, we've got to be the school principal. We've got to tell you the rules, because if you don't follow the rules that I'm going to reprimand you. So, people don't really like when they say, Oh, you've got to set expectations. But really, all it is communicating how you want the person to operate. How do you want this deliverable? How do you want them to be?”  Cecilia Gorman Top Five Tips For Giving Feedback 1.  Consistent, Productive One-on-Ones 2. Setting Expectations with Employees 3. Understanding the Receivers of Feedback 4. Putting the Topic in the Ring 5. Preparing for Feedback Conversations  TIME STAMP SUMMARY 01:13 Importance of one-on-one for building trust and rapport 04:22 Determining when to document expectations vs keeping them verbal 10:18 Enabling open discussion of issues and feedback 15:20 Preparation is key  Where to find Cecilia Website                          https://ceciliagorman.com/ LinkedIn                         https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliagorman  Cecilia Gorman Bio Cecilia Gorman is an advertising industry veteran, spending the bulk of her career at Y&R Advertising where she was VP, Creative Services. She led In-house Creative Operations at Oakley and was head of HR and Training as VP, Organizational Leadership at Innocean USA, the agency of record for Hyundai Motor America. She owns Creative Talent Partners, a training consultancy focused on new and struggling managers and the teams they lead. She co-founded a female-focused training program, Empowership, and is the creator of Manager Boot Camp, a 4-module digital course for managers of all levels. It's been her mission to inspire, educate, and motivate managers toward their greatest potential. Past clients include Sempra Energy, San Diego Gas & Electric, Texas Christian University, Easterseals, GGallaudet Univeristy, American Business Bank, and ASICS. 

"When it comes to securing public funds to elevate your business to the next level, a lot of people really don't understand what being strategic means at all. And so, one of the pitfalls we see with people who are unsuccessful with grants is that they were never really a good fit for that grant to start with, or they weren't ready. They didn't have their evidence in place. They started writing the grant a couple of days before it was due. So, we say you really want to be strategic.”  Kim Yabsley Top Five Tips For Using Grants As A Growth Strategy For Your Business1.      Develop a strategic approach to grants2.      Be Grant – Ready3.      Stay Informed and proactive4.      Craft a compelling grant application5.      Be flexible and Persistent  TIME STAMP SUMMARY01:19 You have to be ready for the application06:10 Knowing the difference between the types of available grants11:03 The importance of a unique pitch13:50 Adapting is extremely important Where to find Kim?Website                     https://www.growology.com.au/ LinkedIn                    https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-yabsley-29a64311/  Kim Yabsley Bio Kim Yabsley is a renowned Funding Acquisition Specialist with a rich history in writing strategy and submissions for the government environment. With experience in both public and private sectors, she has worked as a communication specialist. An international author and speaker, Kim's expertise extends to supporting small to medium businesses in various areas, including recovery from natural disasters, commercialising innovation, providing strategic advisory services, securing public funding, and scaling businesses. As the go-to girl for understanding how to find, submit and win grants, Kim's unique approach helps businesses shape their strategy to secure grant funding, enabling growth.