The Independent Minds
On the Independent Minds, podcast, you will meet independent thought leaders and learn about the ideas they have developed to help employers and their employees address the challenges that organisations of any type or size, in any location have must address if they are to achieve their business objectives and attain sustainable growth. You will be able to read more about all of the independent minds thought leaders on the Work Place Learning Centre blog. The independent minds thought leaders will be based all over the world. Some will discuss a new way of doing, whilst others will be discussing...
Values, Culture, Strategy; How do they connect? – a conversation with David Cohen, the Contrarian Executive Management Consultant.
Values, Culture, Strategy – it’s how we do business.
David Cohen is known as the contrarian executive management consultant for his no-nonsense approach to helping organisations get better using values and culture to drive behaviours that will result in the successful implementation of a strategy.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds David and host Michael Millward discuss how values and cultures are formed and how organisations of all kinds can use them to improve employee engagement and performance.
Their conversation covers how
Values, culture, and strategy differ Managers and...Founders Who Finish – a conversation with author Dave Saunders
How to build a real business that makes money without burning through your life savings, or losing your mind
Dave Saunders is a successful serial entrepreneur who identified that many people believe you need external investment to set-up a business. The reality is he says that most businesses are boot-strapped by founders.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Dave explains to host Michael Millward the model he developed for successful entrepreneurship.
Their conversation covers
Dave’s history as a successful entrepreneur Why entrepreneurs do not generally need external fu...Turning Ideas into Businesses – a conversation with Anthony Lindsay Astor Business Centre
Systems and data are the catalysts of entrepreneurial success
Anthony Lindsay is the Wall Street banker who founded the Astor Business Centre in East London UK to help entrepreneurs create successful businesses.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Anthony explains to host Michael Millward what makes a successful entrepreneur and the data driven system that he uses to help them create scalable, sustainable, repeatable, franchiseable businesses.
Their conversation covers
Anthony’s history in entrepreneur support The importance of understanding the fundamentals of business. Balancing passion with logic in ru...Impact Driven Marketing – a conversation with author Rich Kozak
The focus of marketing activities needs to change
Rich Kozak has worked in marketing for almost fifty years. Now he is the founder and CEO of RichBrands, a company that helps individuals and businesses create clear brands that deliver increased impact.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Rich explains to host Michael Millward the seven steps that ensure a brand will impact people’s lives.
Their conversation covers
What a brand is The two questions that define what your brand is Define the impact you want your brand to...The Benefits of a Happy Workforce– a conversation with Lindsay Tsang PhD
Why leaders should focus on making their team members happy
Lindsay Tsang is a Toronto based organizational Psychologist, and the founder of Reset Barrie and Happy Hires. He is also the author of Live Free: Re-Write Your Story
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Lindsay explains to host Michael Millward the reasons why leaders should put more focus on making their team members happy, and the tools he has developed to help make that easier.
Gary and Michael discuss
How a worker’s experience of work is determined by...Ai Do Less Earn More – a conversation with Gary Dhanda Founder of Ai Twin and Tekmait
How to make Ai work so that your company can earn more
Gary Dhanda, is the founder of Tekmait and Ai Twin.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Gary explains to host Michael Millward the approach any organisation could take to ensure that they maximise the benefits of implementing Ai as a business tool.
Gary and Michael discuss
The history of Ai Absence of imagination in how Ai is used How to use Ai correctly The role of Ai within an organisation How to become an Ai first...Succession – a conversation withRich Ashton author of Growing Your Own
Growing Your Own leaders ensures the sustainability of your organisation.
Rich Ashton is an entrepreneur who rescued a company from bankruptcy and over more than thirty years developed Toms Mechanical into a successful business.
When Rich developed an interest in retiring, he started to look for ways in which he could exit that business. After investigating all the options, he decided that the people to continue his work were the people he had been working alongside. The problem was that those people knew how to work in the company, but they did not know how...
Head, Heart, Gut, Decision Making – a conversation with Eric Staples
There are three different ways that people make decisions
Eric Staples is the Director of Growth Strategy at Blue Dog, a Chicago based strategy and innovation consultancy.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Eric and host Michael Millward explore the different ways that drive individual and collective decision-making.
The three intelligence systems, Head, Heart, and Gut create a framework for interaction, collaboration and change management.
In their conversation Eric and Michael discuss
How each decision-making type makes decisions. How each decision-making type responds to stress The...Connecting Employee Succession Plans and Organisational Development – a conversation with Justin Abrams
How your people grow impact how your organization develops
Justin Abrams is the founder and CEO of Aryo Consulting Group(ACG) based in Boston, MA USA.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Justin and host Michael Millward explore the employee succession plans organisations have impact the development of those organisations.
They discuss the
Role of having the correct strategy Importance of making the correct hiring decisions Developing the correct skills Why senior roles change as organisations grow and what this can mean for the people in those roles...Enquiry Based Leadership – a conversation with Amber Johnson
It’s the questions you ask – not the answers you give
Amber Johnson is the founder of the Bright Threads Leadership Group, based in Chicago Illinois.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Amber helps host Michael Millward explore how the ideas of Appreciative Enquiry can be applied by leaders to improve the outcomes they achieve.
Amber starts by defining Appreciative Enquiry and explaining how this approach helps to bring different perspectives to a discussion.
As their conversation develops Michael and Amber discuss
The origins of workplace powe...Stillness and Leaders – a conversation with Markus Neukom
How can leaders use stillness to improve performance
Moving from Europe to North America gave Markus Neukom the opportunity to reflect on his career as an executive coach. He asked his clients what the most valuable aspect of working with him had been.
Their response was the sense of stillness that he created in meetings.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Markus explores with host Michael Millward what creating a sense of stillness means and how leaders can use stillness to enhance their work performance and work life balance.
Guru Inc – a conversation withauthor AJ Kumar
How to Build a Personality Driven Media Company
It was an old high school friend Neil Patel, the founder of Answer the Public, who introduced AJ Kumar to the world of blogging and online marketing. AJ took that introduction and created, by working with Kimberly Snyder, and others a blueprint for creating a personality driven media company.
AJ launched his own company, The Limitless Company, and published Guru Inc.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds AJ explains to host Michael Millward the connection between the reverence that his culture...
Bar Tips for Success in Sales – a conversation with author Neil Rogers
Working behind a bar taught Neil Rogers everything he needed to know about how to be successful in sales.
Neil Rogers gave up a successful corporate sales career to set-up Rogers Marketing and then he co-founded Positive Activity.
After a less than successful time in education Neil worked in the hospitality industry, mainly as a bar tender. His customers convinced him that he would make a good sales person. So, he returned to college and then embarked on a career in sales.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Neil...
The Solution Mindset – a conversation with author Nir Bashan
Learn how to master the art of problem-solving and creativity
The ability of a company to be creative in the way it solves problems has a direct impact on the level of success that company achieves. So why aren’t more companies and other organisations working harder at being more creative?
That is the question Nir Bashan, author of The Solution Mindset and Michael Millwarddiscuss in this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds.
Michael and Nir discuss
How creativity is part of our DNA yet as we get older, we los...How to Communicate Value – a conversation with Luke Jorgenson
The most effective way to sell is by communicating the value of your proposition to your potential customer.
Luke Jorgenson started his sales career in commission only door to door sales. If you don’t learn quickly how to sell, you don’t eat.
Luke did learn to sell and as a result he dined well. He also learnt how to deal with a lot of rejection and worked out how to recognise people who were most likely to buy.
Nowadays, Luke is a sales coach.
In this episode of the Abec...
How to Connect Employee Engagement and Employee Wellbeing – a conversation with Richard Ellis
Richard Ellis describes the connection between employee wellbeing and employee engagement
Richard Ellis is a New Zealand based corporate health coach who works with businesses of all kinds to impact their bottom-line profitability by connecting employee health and wellbeing to employee engagement.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Richard explains to host Michael Millward the work of a health coach.
They discuss how the medical health care industry is focused on treating acute illnesses, the social care system on chronic conditions once they have taken hold, and health coaches...
Attention, Intention, Recognition – a conversation with Katie O'Malley
Katie O’Malley explains the A.I.R. Coaching Framework
Katie O'Malley is the founder and principal coach at Chicago based (en)Courage Coaching.
As a coach Katie essentially listens for a living. Effective listening requires us to give our full attention to someone else. A task more difficult than many think.
But it is a skill that can be learnt by applying the A.I.R coaching framework that Katie has created.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Katie explains to host Michael Millward the different el...
Business Fulfilled by Amazon – a conversation with entrepreneur Neil Twa
Build an e-commerce business on Amazon with Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA)
One night Neil Twa decided he needed to buy a product he had seen on a TV. But instead of being a consumer he decided to be a producer and create an improved version of that product. He then had to get his product in front of customers and eventually to them. The answer was a listing on Amazon and fulfilment by Amazon (FBA).
Now Neil is an entrepreneur with a stable of brands and products that are all sold and orders fulfilled by A...
Compliance, Culture and Consistency – a conversation with Janneh Wright
Understanding the three factors that create efficient and effective organisations
Janneh Wright is the founder and CEO of Primus Business Management,a provider of back office support to not-for-profit and mission led organisations.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Janneh discusses with host Michael Millward the three factors that determine how effective and efficient an organisation will be.
They discuss how
Compliance is not just a legal issue. It can be applied to every aspect and of an organisation’s operations. The importance of communicating the rules and re...Always On Penetration Testing – a conversation with Jacob O'Brien of Hakware.com
A single point in time penetration test is just that, but the hackers are working 24/7
Jacob O’Brien is the founder and CEO of Hakware.com a provider of AI-Powered Cybersecurity & Penetration testing.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Jacob discusses with host Michael Millward how many businesses underestimate the internet security risks that they face, and how they fail to prepare for the inevitability of an attack and how they will recover from that attack.
They discuss how
Every device with an internet connection is at risk of...Five Pillars of Emotional Intelligence – a conversation with Daniel Tolson
The 100,000,000 Dollar secret ingredient of success in business is understanding how to use emotional intelligence.
Daniel Tolson is known as the voice whisperer because of the way he uses voice analysis to help leaders and potential leaders to understand their natural leadership styles. The key to success as a leader is says Daniel, understanding your own emotional intelligence.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Daniel explains to host Michael Millward what emotional intelligence is and explore with him the five pillars of emotional intelligence.
Self-Awareness Self-Regulation Self-Motivation Empathy Social Regulation<...AI for Employee Engagement – a conversation with Derek Crager, practicalai.app
Using AI to enhance human relationships at work, not to replace the human.
Before setting up Practical AI. App Derek Crager had worked at Amazon where he developed the leadership development programme that achieved the highest employee ratings in company history.
Aged fifty Derek received confirmation that he lives with ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism, yet he has developed technological applications at Practical AI that successfully put the human first.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Derek and host Michael Millward explore how AI can enhance employee engagement.
...
Don't Be An IT Fashion Victim – a conversation with Digital Expert Roberto Capodieci
When enthusiasm for buying the latest technology is based on what others are doing the purchase is often a cost instead of an investment.
Roberto Capodieci was a childhood IT protégé who set-up his first IT company at the age of 14. Nowadays he is a consultant specialising in decentralized systems architecture, and digital transformation strategy.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Roberto describes to host Michael Millward the mistakes companies make when considering investments in IT. Amongst these many mistakes he highlights, selecting vendors who do not fully understand what th...
Vision Goal Plan System – a conversation about success with Jake Smolarek
Jake Smolarek explains the approach that helped him launch and build several successful business and not-for-profit organizations
Jake Smolarek arrived in the UK from Poland with £150 in his pocket, and promptly spent a quarter of it on a bus ticket to Abergavenny.
Half a lifetime later Jake is a successful entrepreneur who now helps other entrepreneurs to build successful businesses.
His Vision, Goal, Plan System (Vision GPS) approach contains everything anyone needs to be successful at work and life.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Jake and h...
Successful Off-Site Meetings – a conversation with Aaron Christy, CEO Indy Roof and Restoration.
Discover how one entrepreneur ensures that his annual off-site planning and training meeting is successful for his business and his team
Aaron Christy is the founder and CEO of the Indianapolis based roofing company Indy Roof and Restoration.
For many people the prospect of being ‘invited’ by their manager to attend an off-site meeting is less than appealing. But Aaron Christy has a team who look forward to their annual off-site meeting.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Aaron explains to host Michael Millward the format that he uses to c...
Compassion in Business – a conversation with author Bruno Cignacco
Discover how the principles of compassion can be applied in a business environment to create a more productive and profitable business.
Bruno Cignacco is a university lecturer, and a thought leader on human oriented enterprise.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Bruno describes to host Michael Millward the catalyst for his interest in compassion at work, and the research which resulted in the publication of his book, The Art of Compassionate Business.
Bruno explains how by prioritising relationships over policies businesses can create more effective and productive relationships with...
Entering The BBC Dragons' Den – a conversation with social entrepreneur John McClarey
You may have seen the BBC1 TV show Dragons’ Den, but what is it like to enter the Den and pitch for investment? Social entrepreneur John McClarey recalls his experience.
John McClarey is the founder and Managing Director of Business Fives which provides sports activities as corporate events and in the process raises money for charity.
One of the first episodes of The Independent Minds featured John explaining how on the five-a-side pitch your job title doesn’t matter, it’s all about the team.
Ahead of tonight's edition of the long-running BBC progra...
Promoting STEM careers – a conversation with author Carrie Goetz
Technology companies around the world face a skills shortage, so how should the way IT careers are promoted to school pupils and college students change?
Carrie Goetz has enjoyed her career in tech and understands the range of opportunities the industry offers, as well the problems that tech employers face in recruiting all ages of education leavers.
Nowadays Carrie is the Principal/CTO, at StrategITcom, Carrie is also an Amazon best-selling author of
Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers Featuring Careers for Women, Trades, and Vets in Tech and Data Centers. Polly Packet's Precious...Making Money Mean Something – a conversation with Bessie Graham
Doing good business does not have to involve creating a negative impact on employees, customers, suppliers, society, or environment.
Bessie Graham is a co-founder of Benefit Capital, and a strategic advisor to C-suite leaders in midsize businesses and large non-profits across the globe. She is a former advisor to the Australian Federal Government and the Obama Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Program.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Bessie and host Michael Millward discuss how changes in the way people work demands that employers of all kinds adopt a more purposeful approach to...
Experience Based Team Building – a conversation with Daniel O'Sullivan Team building expert
Experience based team building brings remote workers together
Daniel O’Sullivan is the founder of Team Building Experiences.co.uk which does what its name suggests, providing team building experiences for every size and type of company.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Daniel and host Michael Millward discuss how changes in the way people work and socialise is changing how teams form and build at work.
Their conversation covers
How smaller businesses are seeing the value of experience-based team building activities. Changing work patterns can create isolated an...I know Someone Who Can – a conversation with I Know A Guy host Anthony Markey
Exploring some of the benefits of sharing knowledge and building connections by being a guest on a podcast.
Anthony Markey helps businesses to find money they didn’t know they qualified for and then connects those businesses with the right people who can ensure they use it well. He is also the host of the I Know a Guy podcast, on which he showcases interesting people who are experts in their field.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Anthony and host Michael Millward discuss how being a guest on a podcast ca...
Ethical Persuasion and Ethic Marketing – a conversation with Thomas Trautmann
Exploring the role of ethics in marketing.
Dr. Thomas Trautmannis the founder of Happy Brains a neuro marketing consultancy. He is also the author of several books on ethical marketing, ethical persuasion and human relationships
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Thomas describes to host Michael Millward how he used ethical marketing techniques to grow his motor cycle tour business by 400%.
Their conversation covers
A definition of neuro-marketing and ethical persuasion. How human beings make decisions Why human connection is important in decision making The role of ration...Growing a Brand Organically – a conversation with marketer Jeanne Omlor
To maximise profits, you need to have a strategy that makes you stand out as an ideal supplier.
Jeanne Omlor is a solo parent at home, and a team player in business. Faced with the challenges of raising a child alone she searched for ways to make a secure income. Learning how to grow a brand organically opened opportunities for her to sell a service that helps her clients make lots of money.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Jeanne describes how she realised that conventional ways of marketing were not...
Avoiding Distractions – a conversation with Steve Puri founder of TheSukha.co
It is amazing what you can achieve if you can avoid the distractions of modern life
Steve Puri, had a career in the entertainment industry with DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox, before becoming an entrepreneur and setting-up a series of technology businesses. The latest is TheSukha.co.
TheSukha.co is an APP that helps people achieve more by removing the constant distractions of modern life.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Steve describes to host Michael Millward the inspiration for TheSukha.co happened on an Alaskan Airways flight from...
Let's Make Sick Kids Happy – a conversation with Peter Samuelson
Film producer Peter Samuelson recounts the story behind the founding and growth of The Starlight Children’s Foundation, and the First Star charity.
When Hollywood film producer Peter Samuelson received a telephone call from his cousin, the actress Emma Samms he did not expect to be setting up The Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Even if you have never heard the name, you will know what Starlight does. It is the charity that makes the dreams of seriously sick children come true.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Peter recounts that...
Selling Embarrassing Services – a conversation with Dr Matee Rajput
Hair transplant specialist Dr Matee Rajput explains how he built a successful hair transplant business by normalising a medical treatment that many people did not want to admit they had had.
Dr Matee Rajput is a specialist in hair transplant and the creator of the MinSim FUE™ technique, and founder of a chain of hair transplant clinics.
He was training to be a neuro surgeon when a random request to help another doctor perform a hair transplant led to a fascination with the impact hair restoration had on patients.
In this episode of th...
Protecting Your Brand – a conversation with Anita Mar from Trademark Angel
How to protect the commercial value of your brand.
Anita Mar is a trademark agent and the founder of Trademark Angel, a company that helps entrepreneurs and businesses around the world to protect their intellectual property including their brand names.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Anita explains to host Michael Millward what a brand is, the commercial advantages of having a recognisable brand and the process of registering a brand name or trade mark. She also explains some of the limits on trademark protection.
Anita describes the Abeceder...
Energetic Leadership – a conversation with author Gitte Madelaire
Leading in a way that makes people feel led.
Gitte Madelaire had a successful corporate career, who is now a board member, futurist and author of Energetic Leadership a book in which she proposes that as the world changes at an increasingly rapid pace the world also needs a different form of leadership.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Gitte explains to host Michael Millward what she thinks that approach to leadership should be.
Their discussion covers
·The psychological aspects of work and life that limit how we a...Understanding Conversion Rate Optimisation – a conversation with Matt Stafford
How to build, grow, and scale a web shop by converting more visitors into customers.
Matt Stafford is the founder of Build Grow Scale, a company that helps entrepreneurs to create web shops like Anso Belts that people want to buy from.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Matt and host Michael Millward explore how anyone can establish a web shop that converts more visitors in to customers.
During their conversation Matt and Michael discuss how to:
Convert the 97percent of visitors who do not buy into customers...Using Data to Build a Business – a conversation with Anwin Mbah
What can how successful businesses deal with data and money teach us about building a business?
Anwin Mbah is a strategic profit advisor for time-strapped CEOs, and the founder of Wealth Fluency which helps small business owners to boost profits by eliminating the hassle of endless spreadsheets and analytics.
In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Anwin and host Michael Millward explore what makes successful business people different from those who just get by.
They discuss how different attitudes to money and how successful people focus on wealth accumulation whereas...
