The Company Road Podcast

Send us a text“It's about awareness; it breaks my brain and it breaks my mind, how often people just blindly move into stuff without that self-awareness of what it is that they're trying to achieve.”Ben PrinslooIn this episode you’ll hear about:Prioritising organisational challenges: Identifying issues in the workplace and knowing what to solve first and what’s possible to solve firstLeading diversity/inclusion initiatives: Knowing where to start in championing diversity and recognising when genuine inclusivity is actually being achieved Transparency vs oversharing: Walking the line between openness and oversharing by knowing when information is purposeful and how to be tactful in your communication approachManaging customer experience in academia: How to identify the needs of your customer base (particularly in higher education) and balance engagement with Employee engagement & forced fun: Why the term ‘forced fun’ needs to be banished and the trick to motivating employees toward team initiativesKey linksPearson https://www.pearson.com/en-au/International Women’s Day https://www.internationalwomensday.com/D&I https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/glossary/diversity-and-inclusion-d-i-Forced Fun https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/is-forced-fun-actually-fun-5797796/About our guestBen Prinsloo is a passionate and strategic leader, primarily in customer experience and retention, having spent the last 7 years in the online education sector. Ben previously lead student engagement and retention at Pearson and Chisholm Online.Within his numerous roles, Ben has successfully delivered key initiatives for business enhancement, optimization, and expansion, as well as developed new operating models to demonstrate improved cross-functional collaboration and performance.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“I think we're at our least efficient when someone else is driving everything that we're doing. And that's a situation you can wind up in when you don't have the confidence to say, yes, I can actually do this.”Brendan DonoghueIn this episode you’ll hear about:Building influence as a design leader: The four things you must have in your tool kit to establish influence within an organisation that may otherwise undervalue your roleActively practicing risk-taking: Increasing your willingness to do things differently in order to stand out and have your voice heardMisalignment in organisations: Dealing with differing perceptions of direction & how to  engage in ‘courageous conversations’ with leadership to navigate differencesRelationship building for success: Knowing how, when and with whom to establish yourself relationally within a workplaceDriving lasting change: How to make change within big organisations through a strategy of small, but powerful stepsKey LinksKRAs https://www.smartsheet.com/content/key-result-areasThe Twits - Roald Dahl https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31456.The_TwitsWieden+ Kennedy https://www.wk.com/Geelong Cats https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geelong_Football_ClubThe Art of Innovation - Tim Brown https://www.amazon.com.au/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation-ebook/dp/B002PEP4EGUniSuper https://www.unisuper.com.auAbout our guestBrendan Donoghue (https://www.linkedin.com/in/btdonoghue/) is a Digital Executive, CX Thought Leader, Transformation Agent and ‘eternal optimist’. Brendan has worked at some of Australia’s biggest and most exciting organisations, with experience gained in telecommunications, superannuation and banking. He has built and led some of the largest design teams and transformational digital programs in the country, including at the likes of Telstra, NAB and currently UniSuper, as Head of Digital & Customer Experience, delivering complex and innovative customer-centred experiences across the board.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“Creativity is also definitely a superpower in one way or another, and sometimes you can control it, sometimes you can't.”Sarah MoteIn this episode, you’ll hear about:The role of design in the workplace: Why designers are essential to a functional and thriving teamProtecting creativity while ageing: How to maintain child-like creativity as you age and your career develops and prioritise approaching work and life through a creative lensInviting & navigating feedback: Knowing when is the right time to invite input and how to receive and respond to both positive and negative feedbackOrganisational transparency: The value of open-door cultures and how to cultivate transparency and collaboration in a historically individual minded organisationInnovative problem resolution: How to develop an agile, problem-solving mindset that allows you to unearth objective, creative solutionsKey LinksDieter Rams philosophy https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/dieter-rams-10-timeless-commandments-for-good-designADPList https://adplist.org/Mark Richardson https://www.monash.edu/mada/design/people/mark-richardsonSelby Coxon https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/selby-coxonSarah’s White Night 2015 piece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L_0JUmWtYIInstantScripts https://www.instantscripts.com.au/Oliver Grabes (Head of Braun Design) https://minimalissimo.com/creators/oliver-grabes, https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-grabes-947aba5/About our guestSarah Mote (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmmote/) is a Senior Product Designer at Bendigo Bank and Lead Product Designer for InstantScripts, as well as a Mentor through Monash University, Melbourne University, Academy XI and more. She is a detail-oriented, award-winning designer, maker and ‘put-it-togetherer’, having worked internationally and within organisations such as NAB, MYOB and Oral-B Braun.Sarah is motivated by meaningful and emotive problems that create better futures, and ultimately works to shape and contribute to the design world and craft exceptional experiences through the pushing of creative boundaries.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“I think there are times to go in hard, be really forceful, drive change. If you can see a problem, you really need to state that and work towards driving that change.”Carly NeubauerIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Identifying and aligning your personal ‘why’: Gaining clarity on your personal purpose and motivational values, and ensuring alignment with an organisation's values.Organisational weak spots: Keys to spotting areas of weakness within a business and making steps toward change no matter the position you’re inAddressing toxic workplace behaviour: How to identify the root causes of toxicity and frustration in a workplace and manage the greater problems that may be evidencedBalancing commercial focus with culture: Maintaining a healthy, thriving culture without sacrificing business outcomesRecruitment & employee retention: Ways to manage turnover and associated costs and prioritise employee experience for retentionKey linksWIIN Global https://www.wiin.global/IMA https://www.incentivemarketing.org/Australian Loyalty Association https://australianloyaltyassociation.com/Elevate Loyalty https://www.elevateloyalty.com/About our guestCarly Neubauer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyneubauer/) is the Co-Founder and Director of Elevate Loyalty and Pay2Elevate, delivering digital payment technology solutions to the loyalty industry. Holding additional roles as Co-Founder of WiiN Global, Board member of IMA MEAPAC, Representative of the ALA, and 2024 host of Let’s Talk Loyalty podcast, Carly is actively engaged in the loyalty, incentives and payment industry locally and globally.To date Carly has developed and managed more than 30+ consumer and employee loyalty and incentive programs in the insurance, energy, retail and finance sectors. About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“I always thought that part of my job was to get fired, but for doing something I would be proud of. My job was to push the boundaries with a stick, and if I wasn't getting in trouble, I wasn't sure I'd be fulfilling that.”Max KalisIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Balancing provocation and irritation: Knowing how and when to challenge the status quo and use provocation to your advantage Breaking down intrapreneurship: What it means to be an intrapreneur and the positive and negative connotations the title carriesReframing challenges: Strategies for readjusting how you view and respond to perceived risks and challenges to extract value from every situationEvolving career stages: The importance of checking in with your own motivations, to realign your values with your work as you grow through time and your career Working with boundaries and risk-taking: How to fruitfully set, follow and push boundaries within innovation, and remain trusted by higher upsKey LinksMax’s Website: https://maxkalis.com/Llyod’s Banking Group: https://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/Design Strategy: https://www.toptal.com/designers/product-design/design-strategy-guideLSE: https://www.lse.ac.uk/Jack Teagarden’s A Hundred Years From Today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_TDW8PePGMAA Serenity Prayer: https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/articles/the-serenity-prayerIf– Poem by Rudyard Kipling: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if—Find a 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting: https://meetings.aa.org.au/near/If you require treatment, information or advice for alcohol and drug-related issues, contact DirectLine on 1800 888 236 or find a helpline here: https://findahelpline.com/au/topics/substance-useAbout our guestMax Kalis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxkalis-career-coach/) has 10 years experience working in strategy, culture & experience design. During this time he has mentored countless start ups, colleagues and clients. He is now employing experience design principles as a Career Coach and Playbook Creator to help athletes and other exceptional people to unlock progress, change and satisfaction in their careers.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"Recovery is a program of action. It's about action. It's not about thinking your way out of a problem or wishing yourself better. It's about doing stuff.”Olly LynchIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Olly’s personal journey with addiction: How he found himself at a career high yet in deep alcohol and drug addiction & the personal and professional impacts that came with it.Finding your space in new roles: The challenge of joining a new organisation and how to establish yourself as a powerful and valuable presence who is comfortable questioning the status quo.Ego and self-esteem: How ego and low-self-esteem can feed into addiction, but also influence/mask the way people present themselves in a work context.Stagnation in large organisations: The common issue of stagnant thinking and competitiveness within large organisations, and the need to break free from it to foster creativity and innovation.Applying recovery principles in work: How principles from addiction recovery, such as self-reflection, honesty, and taking action, can be applied effectively in a work context to drive improvement and change.Key LinksIf you require treatment, information or advice for alcohol and drug-related issues, contact DirectLine on 1800 888 236.Find a 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting: https://meetings.aa.org.au/near/Omnico https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnico-group/TravelPort https://www.travelport.com/Lucid App (Now Imprint) https://imprintapp.com/Avante Marketing https://avante.marketing/Find a Helpline: https://findahelpline.com/au/topics/substance-useAbout our guestOlly Lynch (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollylynch/) is a marketing leader, Fractional CMO and consultant with over 12 years of experience, working across B2B and B2C brands in agencies, client side and as an independent consultant. He’s worked alongside some of the biggest brands in the world including IBM,Thomson Reuters, Motorola, Fujitsu, CA and Interflora and is the founder of Avante Marketing.He is driven by the belief that we only control two things in life: mindset and effort. “There is very little that cannot be achieved with positivity, hard work and an iron will.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"Your success is only limited by your own ambition... It's very much about autonomy, mastery, and purpose beyond the backlog."Andrew BroughtonIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Balancing business metrics and social impact: The challenge of but need for aligning social impact measures with business metrics to demonstrate the value of socially focussed projects.Finding intrinsic value in your work: How to find alignment between your work’s outcomes and impact with your own personal goals and aspirations.The role of design in problem-solving: How intrapreneurs can garner influence in the workplace and influence outcomes by focusing on problem-solving and delivering tangible results.The art of storytelling: Recognising storytelling as a pivotal business skill for designers to elucidate complex ideas, quantify metrics and convey design’s value… and how to step up your own storytelling capability.Handling Curveballs and Side Agendas: How to consider and handle unexpected inputs and side agendas from various sources and repurpose them to the benefit of your project.Key links:WorkSafe https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/Strategic Design https://today.design/approach/strategic-design/Accenture https://www.accenture.com/Power of 10 model http://www.placemakingchicago.com/about/power.aspIdeo Design Thinking https://designthinking.ideo.com/About our guestAndrew Broughton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anmbroughton/) is a Strategic Designer and Senior Manager of the Innovation Center at WorkSafe Victoria, managing the innovation portfolio, design practice and governance across a team of strategic, service and experience designers.He has worked as a design consultant with a portfolio of international clients, and created impacts for many people, clients and projects in social innovation and strategic design. His current mission is to leverage design from a civic perspective, empowering and enriching our community in every possible way. About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"The future of the creative industry will be thousands, hundreds of thousands of solopreneurs and micro businesses living in this sort of ecosystem that will come together around projects."David WebsterIn this episode you’ll hear about:The evolution of work models: Exploring the evolving nature of work models, particularly in the creative industry & the need for a shift towards more flexible, decentralised approaches.Distributed talent: The value of assembling distributed teams of subject matter experts from around the world tailored to specific needs rather than hiring full-time employees.Mindset and adaptability: How to adapt your mindset to suit the changing landscape of work and embrace experimentation on a daily basis.Changing client-agency relationships: How the talent-driven vs customer-driven approach can rebalance this relationship, with clients needing to treat talent well to attract the best professionals.Intrapreneurship vs Entrepreneurship: Weighing up the challenges and benefits of both pathways and how to effectively maximise your experience in both.Key links:David’s Ted Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/david_webster_building_a_more_human_centric_organisational_cultureBBDO https://bbdo.com/BBH https://www.bartleboglehegarty.com/Michael Baulk https://www.brandnewworld.ch/brand-new-salon/creative-minds/27742/michael-baulk.html Procter & Gamble https://anz.pg.com/Sir John Hegarty https://www.businessofcreativity.com/john-hegarty/Rishard Tobaccowala https://rishadtobaccowala.com/About our guestDavid Webster (https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-webster-aba90219/) is the CEO and Co-founder of The Carrot Collective. With almost 20 years experience in marketing and advertising, David has been at the forefront of some of the most innovative work in Asia for brands such as Nike, Netflix, Uber, Google and Samsung among others. He's won over 140 creative and effectiveness awards in his career and helped lead his previous agency to win AdAge International Agency of the Year in 2018.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“Instead of asking what the individual has to do or what I think they should do, I think it's more so what cultural shift within an organisation has to take place for individuals to eventually be their fullest selves.”Killian PoolmansIn this episode you’ll hear about:Digital strategies for inclusivity and engagement: Killian’s unique approach for creative inclusive and productive online team spaces.Facilitating change as an outsider: How to effectively facilitate change by coming into an organisation as a co-designer rather than an outsider.Challenges of implementing change: The blockers and barriers that organisations face when transitioning to change, and tips to overcome them.Creating longevity in change initiatives: Strategies for ensuring the lasting impact of change initiatives, including ongoing measurement and support.Balancing perspectives and identities: Acknowledging the value of diverse perspectives and lived experiences within organisations and making space for all voices.Key links:PINKHAMMER https://pinkhammer.space/Pippi Longstocking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippi_LongstockingTrojan House https://www.britannica.com/topic/Trojan-horseLufthansa https://www.lufthansagroup.com/en/home.htmlRutgers https://rutgers.international/PwC https://www.pwc.com.au/About our guestKillian Poolmans (https://www.linkedin.com/in/killian-poolmans/) is the Founder of PINKHAMMER, which facilitates interactive training programs that boost creativity and inclusion with organisations.With a background in engineering and systems design, Killian has worked with over 500 teams from startups to global organisations across Berlin, Melbourne and Singapore, to enhance their innovation capabilities and help them embrace inclusivity in their product development.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“Change is by nature, inherently disruptive, and it often stresses people out. How can we move it from a source of distress to a source of eustress?”Friska WiryaIn this episode you’ll hear about:Change management in organisations: The need for organisations to embrace change as a permanent function and strategies to nurture employees through disruption.Transitioning from invisibility to influence: How individuals can move from feeling invisible within their organisations to becoming influential.Playfulness and innovation: The role of playfulness in inspiring innovation and approaching corporate challenges with creativity.The role of personal branding: Why defining one’s personal values and projecting them authentically through a clear personal brand is importantSustained motivation and resilience: Personal strategies for maintaining motivation in the face of ongoing change and long-term goalsKey links:Fresh by Friska https://www.freshbyfriska.com/Friska’s new book: The Future Fit Organisationhttps://www.freshbyfriska.com/learning/p/the-future-fit-organisation-1Friska’s TedX Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ63SGtxGwUMBB https://www.mbbgroup.com.au/Yammer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YammerBig Four https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bigfour.aspRocky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioE_O7Lm0I4 About our guestFriska Wirya (https://www.linkedin.com/in/friska/) is a Top 50 Change Management Thought Leader, most known for her work with large corporates - a US$170m cost saving for the biggest gold miner in the Southern Hemisphere, executing the digital response to COVID for Australia's number 1 university, and partnering with the largest engineering company on earth to win the race to net zero.She is now the powerhouse behind Fresh by Friska, a change management consulting, coaching, facilitation and training service, and was selected by Meta as part of the Top 100 Consultants and Thought Leaders of the world.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.  For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/