Corporate Unplugged

When Roberto Verganti first appeared on Corporate Unplugged, his episode quickly became one of the most listened to interviews on the show. Two years on, Roberto, Professor of Leadership and Innovation at Politecnico di Milano, currently founder and Director of The Garden-Center for Design and Leadership at Stockholm School of Economics, joins Vesna for another illuminating conversation, this time about meaning, purpose, innovation and real leadership. Why a reappearance? Because the subjects Roberto has been researching and writing about for the last couple of decades are more interesting and relevant today than ever before, and his ideas, insights and work need to be shared with an even wider audience. If companies and leaders want to make an impact, they need to provide meaning to their customers through their products and services. Companies should be thinking: ‘If they don't need what we do, it's our problem. It's not their problem.’ And the best leaders are the ones who have learned to say: ‘I don’t know, but I'm curious to know, and now we discover together’.If you missed Roberto’s first episode where he talks about why less is more, how to navigate in a world full of opportunities and why we need to understand social sustainability, do listen to it (link below). In this podcast:Why it’s human nature to find meaningThe importance of having a purposeHow to innovate your productThe power for leaders of saying ‘I don’t know’Why fear prevents learning and kills curiosityThe KPIs through which you measure purpose and meaningLinks:https://corporateunplugged.com/roberto-verganti/Overcrowded – Designing Meaningful Products in a World Awash with Ideas by Roberto VergantiThe Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes a really listenable podcast? Is it a great production value? A plethora of interesting guests? A personable host? Whatever it is, Kristoffer Triumf, host of popular Swedish podcast Värvet, has figured the podcast magic out. Kristoffer is a popular podcaster and host of Värvet, Sweden's favourite podcast. What makes the podcast so incredibly relatable is that he has very deep dialogues with a very diverse crowd of people - from filmmakers to artists to business leaders, Kristoffer has interviewed over 400 people so far, and counting. He originally set out to chat particularly with comedians, but has since broadened his horizons to a much wider audience, and he’s been richly rewarded for his diversification in guests - Värvet has had around 90 million downloads to date. Besides having a voice that you can’t help but be drawn to, he has also developed the art of really listening to what his guests are saying. He leaves time for them to truly reflect on his question before answering, meaning they can express what they want to express and he doesn’t interrupt them, nor does he cut them off short. In a sense, Kristoffer affords guests a sense of psychological safety, which is apparent in his dialogue with each and every person. Kristoffer also has a genuine interest in people - a trait that is very unusual nowadays, but something that needs to be encouraged in more people. Because with a genuine interest comes the ability to really connect with someone, and in turn allowing them space to express who they are, meaning we can learn a lot more from them. “I think it's always important to understand someone, to learn from people, to understand where they come from, you know, why do they do what they do?” In this podcast:The dream that led Kristoffer to becoming a podcast hostWhat life means to KristofferWhy we all have a duty to share our talentsHow he chooses his guests on his podcastWhy he thinks we need to listen moreWhat companies need to focus onHow not having a vision impacts all of usWhat the world needs most right now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you often find yourself wishing you were more persuasive? Would you love to know the secret to making great decisions? Do you want to do more good and work for a business that does good in the world? Then you want to listen to Zoë Chance, the persuasion expert. Zoë studies and teaches behavioral science to help great people become more influential. At Yale School of Management, she works with executives and has developed a popular MBA elective called Mastering Influence and Persuasion, aka "Doing Uncomfortable Things That Make You a Better Person." Her course ‘How To Make Behaviour Addictive’ is also heavily in demand.“The key insight that I’ve learned… is that the primary drivers of all of our decisions and all of our behaviours are unconscious.... we can't just reflect on those. We only perceive the conscious, rational processes of decision making. It's our gut first reactions that are actually very hard to change. And then, consciously, we look for reasons to be able to do those things that we already want to do.”What the world needs most right now, according to Zoë, is to be able to create a more democratic marketplace of ideas. "The way information is shared these days is so consolidated and hierarchical, we miss out on most of the knowledge that exists."In this podcast:Why some companies and brands are really good at connecting emotionally to peopleMastering influence and persuasionHow to connect authentically with another personZoë’s new book - the general topic of the book is influence for nice peopleWhy Zoë’s mission is to help smart, well intentioned people become more influentialHow we can transform more companies to be ‘humanity plus’ enginesWhy she believes education needs innovationClimate change should be the priority for every company right nowLinks:www.zoechance.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The idea that the smallest innovation can cause the biggest disruption doesn’t just apply to products and things, it applies to people too, says Whitney Johnson, the world renowned expert on disruptive innovation and personal disruption. This is a person with 1.7 million LinkedIn followers, the one who was selected as a Top Voice in 2018, so she knows a thing or two about disruptive innovation. But Whitney hasn’t always been so influential. The best selling author and frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School’s Corporate Education began her career working on Wall Street as a secretary. Quickly realising she wasn’t going to make the money she needed, she began to take night courses and was able to transition from being a secretary to an investment banker. “For people who worked on Wall Street, like that just does not happen, that divide is so wide. And so for me, that was kind of a disruptive moment.”Today, Whitney is recognised as being one of the world's most influential management thinkers and is best known for her work on driving corporate invention through personal disruption. She's the author of the books ‘Disrupt Yourself’ and ‘Build an A-Team’. She’s developed her own framework and diagnostics to dig deep into the important question of how executives can both create and destroy value. “When we're willing to become a silly little thing, we can maybe not take over the world, but we can certainly take over our world... We know from the theory of disruption that when you pursue a disruptive course, your odds of success are six times higher and your revenue opportunity is 20 times greater.”In this podcast:Where Whitney’s ideas about disruption first came fromLearn, leap, repeatWhy organisations need to encourage their individual employees to be disruptiveLearning outstrips money as a motivatorLearning makes the individual happy and benefits the organisationAmateurs compete and professionals createWhy the world needs more love and prayersLinks:Traeger GrillsBuild an A-TeamDisrupt YourselfDisrupt Yourself podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would you do if you were misdiagnosed with an autoimmune disease as a teenager, subsequently spending 10 years undergoing major surgeries, having 3 organs removed and over 40 hospitalisations, and then once in remission find yourself sabotaged, sexually abused and harassed early in your career in Silicon Valley? Some people might shy away from the spotlight after all this, but Robin Farmanfarmaian is not most people. Far from it. Robin is a professional speaker, entrepreneur and angel investor working with cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence software, device and pharma companies poised to impact 100 million patients. She’s currently the CEO and co-founder of ArO, a dynamic vision correction company. In her role as keynote speaker she covers multiple topics and has written and published two books - “The Patient as CEO: How Technology Empowers the Healthcare Consumer” and "The Thought Leader Formula: Strategically Leverage Your Expertise to Drive Business & Career Goals".Why has she chosen to target diseases that affect over 100 million people? Because Robin is a giver, and she believes in paying it back by paying it forward. “Diseases or disorders like sleep apnea, cancer, autoimmune disease, infectious disease, and things like that all have more than 100 million patients worldwide. So I picked that number because it really tackles the biggest problems in healthcare in terms of which diseases are the most prevalent.”Listen to this incredibly giving, inspirational woman share how she overcame personal and professional adversities to create the life and career that she has today. Learn about the exciting, cutting edge medical companies Robin is involved with, as well as her advice for companies on how to keep employees engaged and why businesses need to invest in their people. In this podcast:The raison d’etre for Robin’s life missionHow medical technologies have already changed healthcareWhy happy employees make happy customersInvest in your employeesBusinesses need to focus on innovation and incorporate the latest technologyWhy you need to start your thought leadership journey while you’re still in high schoolThe four things the world needs most right nowLinks:The Patient as CEO: How Technology Empowers the Healthcare ConsumerThe Thought Leader Formula: Strategically Leverage Your Expertise to Drive Business & Career GoalsBrainCheck appScribe MediaAdam Grant - TED talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if you knew that mastering the art of public speaking was easy? That you could transform your business, your career and your life by getting to grips with this one skill? That you could find yourself a member of a global community with a hub (and a welcoming home) in every city around the world?Well, that’s just what Eric Edmeades is on a mission to do. Eric is an author, serial entrepreneur and international business speaker. He has logged thousands of hours on stage, even sharing it with the likes of Tony Robbins, Richard Branson and Bill Clinton. Eric’s been involved in a variety of businesses ranging from mobile computing to Hollywood special effects, and now he has turned his attention to his latest project, creating a global movement called Speaker Nation.“One of the greatest gifts that I ever gave myself was overcoming both my fear and my lack of confidence around communication. I changed my life by overcoming my nervousness and working to cultivate skills and learning how to engage an audience and communicate effectively.”Learning to conquer his fear around public speaking inspired Eric to help others overcome their anxieties. He had already triumphed in the wellness world with his Wildfit programme, helping over 15,000 clients in 130 countries around the world change how they feel about food. Now he is determined to help others who are struggling to get their words out or struggling to create the kind of influence they want. He already runs The Speaking Academy, an outstanding and highly effective 5-day presentation skills training program, but Speaker Nation is a movement that will create an international community for aspiring and professional speakers who share in a common vision of a better future, that will make them better.In this podcast:The Speaker Nation launch in AmsterdamWhy overcoming his fear of public speaking was the best giftThe responsibility of enabling effective communicationYour democratic right to speakThe global dream for Speaker NationThe connection to Mindvalley and WildfitWhy leadership needs to focus on the peopleWhy we are living in the best possible timeLinks:SpeakernationMindvalleyWild FitThe Speaking Academy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reynir Indahl isn’t just a man who talks the talk, he is a man who walks the walk. Having had a wobble as he turned 40, questioning what he was doing and what impact he was having on the world, Reynir, much to his family and friends confusion, turned his back on his successful career in finance in order to focus on being a solution to the world’s most significant challenges. Drawing on his Harvard education, Reynir founded Summa Equity in 2016, a purpose-driven, Nordic private equity firm managing €1.4 billion, to invest in companies looking to solve global challenges.“The world is developing rapidly. This poses new social and environmental challenges. By investing in companies that actively work to solve these challenges, creating a prosperous society for everyone, Summa is part of the solution.”This isn’t Reynir’s first time on Corporate Unplugged, he originally sat down with Vesna in 2018 to discuss Summa Equity and the work it was doing, and now feels like the right time to catch up with Reynir again, to see how far he’s come and hear what he’s learned over the last few years. When Reynir first ventured into impact investing, he was concerned with the effect that the financial system was having on the world around us, and how companies are increasingly affecting environmental issues. But then he realised that everyone is feeling its effects - social inequality is on the increase, for example, and this concerned him because he didn’t know if he was part of the solution or part of the problem. So he took steps to rectify this. Which has subsequently led him to where he is today.  “These challenges create immense opportunities in the financial system. And investors can be a big force for driving that change. So I decided to leave private equity and started to work with with philanthropy and impact investing.”We hope you enjoy this podcast as much as we did. In this podcast:Why Reynir credits the financial crisis as the transformational point in his lifeHow Summa Equity creates valueHow Summa Equity chooses and works with the companies they invest inWhy Reynir’s passion is problem solvingHow his kids are helping him see the world differentlyWhy companies need to unleash the creativity in their organisationsWhat Private Equity 4.0 isLinks:https://corporateunplugged.com/reynir-indahl/Albert Hirschman - Exit, Voice, Loyalty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan Broman, along with his brother, founded Fotografiska as a meeting place to inspire a more conscious world, using photography - portrait, fashion, nature and documentary photography, for example, to initiate conversations. Not just conversations about the here and now, but what the photos represent and the world around us. The renovated former Customs House, built in 1906 in the heart of Stockholm, is home to Fotografiska, now considered one of Scandinavia’s most important and powerful artistic magnets. Since opening almost ten years ago, Fotografiska has hosted some of the biggest names in photography from Annie Leibovitz to Gus Van Sant to Martin Parr. But Fotografiska is anything but a regular museum or art gallery. At its core it is a dedicated hub of human interaction, a creative space that nurtures thoughts and discussion and encourages the exchanging of ideas. As Jan says, “What we have become is more like a place where conversation can take place. And it can be inspired by what we do in the exhibition spaces, but it could also be inspired by what we do with the food, and helping people to get a bit more conscious.”Because Fotografiska’s vision is to inspire a more conscious world, Jan and his brother are keen to share their values of inspiration, inclusion, innovation, sustainability and relevance not just with their partners, but with the people who come to meet there. To make its accessibility even greater and to make more impactful places for photography around the world, Fotografiska is very soon expanding to New York, and London not long after that.“We see people meeting, meeting their friends, meeting family and loved ones. All kinds of meetings take place here. Fotografiska is more and more becoming a familiar sort of a place for conversations.”In this podcast:The importance of creating a space for meeting and talkingThe value of talkingWhy Fotografiska isn’t just relevant in Sweden, but around the worldHow to be more consciousHow photography can raise awareness of global issuesThe benefits of getting older   If you run a company you have to be able to fight and changeWhy the world needs more empathy right nowLinks:www.fotografiska.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If, like us, you are captivated by the inspiring actions of a select few individuals who are devoted to save the planet, then you want to listen to this podcast with Ulf Stenerhag, the Swedish entrepreneur who doesn’t believe passion is driving him in his quest to bring about change for the future generations, but a sense of compassion and responsibility.Because that is the kind of man Ulf is: understated, not a self publicist. In fact, for his latest venture, Wayout, they haven’t actually launched it yet publicly, because they’re too busy just getting on with, well, getting on with it. His company hopes to empower people by way of job opportunities, resolve issues of scarcity of water, and reducing or eliminating plastic consumption.“We are, let's say hard, hard working people, working more on deploying, rather than to shout about it. And there is also a reason for that, we want to make sure that everything works out fine before we go very, very public.”But Ulf shouldn’t fear failure. This is a guy who is the CEO of Thurne Teknik, a Nordic Tech Trade company with many years of experience in leading international and industrial sales organisation. A man who has built up significant experience creating value-based corporate cultures in challenging global business environments. The founder of Not For Sale Ale, a company built for social impact and a beer where 100% of profits is invested in the fight against modern slavery. No, Ulf is a one man war on creating change, and his ‘just get on with it’ attitude is inspirational. “If you want to do important things in this life, first start, then continue.”In this podcast:Why a lack of courage stymies activityWhy people separate their agenda in their professional life from their personal lifeWhat we can learn from the world’s smallest petrol stationHow to build company cultureWhy the most important thing for companies is to figure out their purposeThe importance of letting employees explore their own personal valuesWhy the world needs leadership, hope and bravery most right nowIf you want to do important things in this life, first start, then continue. Links:Tool - value onlineNGO - The Hunger ProjectWayout Website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If we want to change the world, instead of fighting against the system from the outside, how about taking a leaf out of Maria Cristina Papetti’s life book, and try to change the world from the inside?“Being an activist, that is not easy, because you need a lot of energy, a lot of passion. But from the outside, always fighting all the time against something, that is easy. It’s what you can do when you are inside the system, that some would say, is more challenging.”And Maria Cristina embodies the passionate purpose that the company she works for, exists to fulfill. Enel, a global Italian utility company believes that ‘sustainability will not develop without continuous innovation and for us innovation is meaningless unless it is oriented towards sustainability.’Enel couldn’t have chosen a better person to be their Head of Sustainability Projects and Practice Sharing, because Maria Cristina is not just dedicated to her work - what she does is so much more than just a job, you see, Maria Cristina’s desire to change the world through sustainability and innovation is a part of who she is. “I'm always asking myself, even nowadays, what kind of woman you would like to be in your future… for young professionals entering this world, be curious about people, about the world, about friends, about what is all around you. This is really important, if you get that, if you make a deep dive into everything, because you need to catch and to understand what can be done.”In this podcast:How to bring about change through sustainability and innovationThe importance of embedding sustainability into business and creating a new cultureHow a utility company can better the world we are living inWhy we all have a purposeInnovation can make your business more sustainableOpen powerWhy young professionals need to be curiousIt is important that you live the life you are here to liveThere is no Planet BLinks:EnelBarefoot CollegeSolar energy, the Barefoot College and Enel in AfricaThe sun reaches inside homes in Bahia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.