The Company Road Podcast

Send us a text"I'm a big believer that innovation is not the result of some sort of inspired genius, right? It's not an innate talent but a process and a handful of repeatable activities that can be learned.”Jacob DuttonIn this episode, you’ll hear about:The democratisation of innovation: How individuals can practically learn innovation as a skill & readjust limiting mindsets to do soFostering entrepreneurial mindsets: Why developing entrepreneurial mindsets within your people is crucial in encouraging innovation Open vs closed innovation: Balancing forms of innovation & the secret method to employing both for optimal successIdentifying the need for change: Signs to look out for in knowing when and why it’s time for your organisation to enact change Staying motivated within failure: How you can remain energised and excited in the face of seemingly continual innovation failureKey LinksFuture Foundry https://www.future-foundry.io/Co-founder Katy https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-sephton-81451315/Holy Grail https://www.britannica.com/topic/GrailMuseum of Failure: https://museumoffailure.com/About our guest Jacob Dutton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobdutton/) is the Co-Founder & CEO of Future Foundry and the creator of the Velocity™ innovation method. He's spent almost two decades helping companies like Hilton, NBC, Walgreens, HSBC, and Microsoft accelerate, de-risk, and systematise the discovery of over one hundred breakthrough businesses, products, and services. His deep-rooted belief is that innovation is a learned skill, not an innate talent and that with the right people, processes and platforms - every corporation on the planet can innovate with more speed, focus and impact. 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. Support the showFor 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 company doesn't create the culture. If you hire great people, the culture will be created.”Christian SteinIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Brand strategy misconceptions: What is brand strategy, what is it not and how should it be approached to be valuable and effective?The paradigm of fear in professional life: Why so many professionals are held back from pursuing their full potential and how to adopt a mindset that allows for change and dissuades fearThe value of strategic thinking and incremental progress: How to clearly define a brand or organisations long-term goals and then approach the goals by seeking progress rather than perfectionRedefining business success: The importance of reframing the idea of success in an organisation and how to identify meaningful non-quantifiable objectives to retract sole focus from number targetsVital role of customer engagement: How to engage with customers in a genuine and meaningful way to receive the data you need to make informed and powerful decisionsKey LinksStone Owl https://stoneowlconsulting.com/ 180 Amsterdam https://www.180amsterdam.com/Sapiens book https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095Jerry Springer https://jerryspringertv.com/About our guest With over 25 years of global marketing communication experience, Christian (https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-stein-1430134/) specializes in developing transformative strategies for diverse brands and agencies across Western Europe, Russia, North America, China, Australia, and South Africa. His expertise spans B2C and B2B, encompassing luxury to mainstream sectors in areas such as cars, trucks, motorbikes, beer, spirits, luxury goods, technology, and financial services. Christian is known for building strong partnerships with C-suite stakeholders, using creative thinking to unlock opportunities and achieve business growth. His leadership has consistently led to impactful creative outcomes, driving business results and earning numerous awards.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. Support the showFor 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"Mistakes are as valuable as the finely crafted ideas. There's something tangible in them that could often be elevated and be the main idea."Alex NormantonIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Establishing strategic foundations for creativity: Grounding creative ideas in strategy to ensure a solid basis for the creative process and alignment to objectives, prior insights and the broader brief.Overcoming creative blocks: Strategies for maintaining optimal mental spaces, getting through blocks of creativity & balancing left and right brain functionalities.Being a design-led organisation: Why being design-led is significant and what centering design can do to convey brand values, create meaningful customer experiences and remain flexible and cutting-edge.Design for connection & communication: How design goes beyond aesthetics and its powerful role in communicating and connecting with customers.Democratisation of design: Ways to involve every part of the company in the design process and why it’s important to do so.Key LinksAlex's website https://www.alexnormanton.com/ Reckitt https://reckitt.com/DOPA https://www.thedopa.com/Saatchi & Saatchi https://www.saatchi.com.au/Clios https://clios.com/Cannes Lions https://www.canneslions.com/D&AD https://www.dandad.org/MassiveMusic https://www.massivemusic.com/About our guest Alex Normanton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexnormanton/) is Global Brand Experience Lead at Reckitt. In this role, Alex drives category growth by translating design into meaningful brand experiences and sustainable innovations.Prior to this, Alex worked for some of the world’s leading agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi and Design Bridge. He’s directed the likes of Sony Music, Johnnie Walker and Mercedes-Benz, and been recognised by a number of awards such as the Clios, Cannes Lions, D&AD and the One Show.A big advocate for the power of sonic branding, he believes that audio language should be considered by designers and marketers in the same way that visual and verbal language is. It’s no surprise then that he chose a podcast as the medium for his passion project, DOPA, which fuels conversations around creative wellness.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. Support the showFor 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"So I just thought, no. I don't accept the narrative around sobriety. I don't accept that drinkers are boring. I don't accept that people can't have fun without alcohol. I just don't accept any of these things."Faye LawrenceIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Faye’s journey to sobriety: Faye details her personal story from heavy-drinker to alcohol-free, including the barriers she faced, her turning point and the differences in her life since sobriety.Workplace drinking culture and breaking the stigma of sobriety: Why a culture of alcohol is so prevalent within business and what we can do to establish a healthier, more inclusive social work cultureTechniques for sobriety: Key strategies for trying to work toward and navigate sobriety, including the all-or-nothing approach, getting curious about one's experiences with alcohol, focusing on gains, and regulating the nervous system.Developing a growth mindset: How to become comfortable with discomfort, learn the power of the pause and take control over the decisions you make to see personal growth and self-discovery in your lifeUnlocking productivity: Tips to step into greater levels of productivity and satisfaction at work rooted in understanding yourself and having power over your actions and decision-makingKey linksEpisode 14 with Olly Lynch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtS9FcQCpZo&t=2872sUntoxicated: https://www.untoxicated.com.au/South by Southwest: https://www.sxsw.com/Faye’s TedX Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJadFi0uJNAHuberman Lab podcast: https://www.hubermanlab.com/podcastMirror Group Newspapers: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mirror-Group-NewspapersCharles Bukowski: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_BukowskiYumi Steins podcast w/Faye: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ladies-we-need-to-talk/sober-sex/102870152About our guest Having been a heavy but high functioning drinker since her teens, Faye Lawrence (https://www.linkedin.com/in/faye-lawrence-aus/) wound up in inpatient detox in 2017 after realising the party wasn’t any fun anymore. Determined not to let her sobriety ruin her social life she founded Untoxicated, now Australia’s largest alcohol-free social community.She is a TEDx + SXSW speaker and has featured widely across media with a mission to normalise living with less or no alcohol in a culture that reveres it. Since her ADHD diagnosis in 2022, she’s been telling anyone who’ll listen about the strong link between ADHD and all types of addiction.She’s proud to serve on the SMART Recovery Board and is a trained facilitator. And in true ADHD ‘portfolio career’ style, she also has extensive experience in marketing, communications, and engagement, predominantly in for purpose organisations.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.Support the showFor 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“It's easier to develop a business plan to literally sell shit than it is to develop a framework to implement new ideas, like a scientist.”Dr. Agustin ChevezIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Rethinking workplace design: Top strategies and recommendations for shifting workplaces to increase productivity, employee engagement and loyalty & how the perception of workplaces is evolvingAI and the future of work: How AI will impact work, for good and for bad, in the coming years & how you can be best prepared within your roleEfficiency vs purpose: Balancing the pursuit of efficiency at the cost of purpose and knowing how and when to value bothGamification for purpose: Implementing gamification to inject meaning and engagement into standard workplace routineShifting metrics in the modern workplace: Why businesses need to rethink standard measures of success and employee experience to align with more relevant outcomes & authentically boost employee and customer experience Key linksDr Agustin Chez’s TedX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMUjCFw-CtMThe Pilgrims Guide to the Workplace https://www.achevez.com/the-pilgrim-s-guide-to-the-workplaceGitlab https://about.gitlab.com/Forrest Gump running https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=187trX0mo1oLearning from Las Vegas book https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262720069/learning-from-las-vegas/About our guestAs an Architect and researcher, Dr Agustin Chevez (https://www.linkedin.com/in/agustin-chevez) has dedicated his career to understanding the notion of work and uncovering environments that best support our working lives. Agustin’s interest in the relationship between people, space and technology saw him pursue a PhD on the evolution of workplace architecture as a consequence of technology development. His work has been presented at various international forums and publications. As a sought-after speaker, Agustin has delivered international keynotes and is a TEDx speaker. He has also contributed to workplace strategies in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. In his latest publication, The Pilgrim’s Guide to the Workplace, Agustin revisits our assumptions about the way we use space to host the ever-evolving notion of work.  Agustin is the Workplace Research Lead at the Centre for the New Workforce at Swinburne University and an Honorary Fellow at the Centre for Workplace Leadership at the University of Melbourne.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.  Support the showFor 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“At the end of the day, it's about what is the goal or purpose both these people in the room are in for? If that is not aligned, everything else won’t make sense.”Ishani NigamIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Taking your first step in change and careers: Avoiding overwhelm & knowing how to take action to make change in your life, work and build the future you desireBuilding functional & fruitful teams: How to structure and manage a team for success & mitigating the common barriers that get in the wayHandling curveballs within business: Being prepared for change ahead of change and the right mindset to take advantage of unexpected circumstancesVulnerability in the workplace: Understanding the boundaries between work and personal life and how much vulnerability to bring into your work life and whenGen Z in business: How the next generation can make it work for themselves and how businesses can make it work for themKey linksMyGigsters https://www.mygigsters.com.au/Benjemen Elengovan https://newstateofmind.com.au/benjemen-elengovan-gig-worker-start-up-founder/ThincLab Initiative by Uni of Adelaide https://www.adelaide.edu.au/thinclab/My First Step Ever podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFnNw24cE1CuAj7DMjBEDDwMy First Step Ever Instagram https://www.instagram.com/myfirststepever_in/About our guestIshani Nigam (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishaninigam), originally from Mumbai, India, is a dynamic individual who passionately believes in seizing life's opportunities and nurturing one's inner calling. After completing her bachelor's degree, she ventured into the worlds of advertising, production, and project management before pursuing a master's degree at Unimelb in Melbourne, Australia.Ishani's journey has been marked by both challenges and moments of inspiration. Her determination led her to create the "My First Step Ever" podcast, where she empowers young people to embrace conviction and cultivate action-oriented mindsets.In addition to her podcasting endeavours, Ishani serves as a content creator and community outreach officer at MyGigsters, a leading FinTech start-up in Australia, dedicated to helping self-employed individuals achieve financial security.Outside her professional life, Ishani is a trained Bollywood dancer and choreographer who has graced the stage with her performances. She's an avid adventurer, embracing activities like hiking and extreme sports, while also indulging in her love for dark chocolate. Ishani's diverse interests and commitment to personal growth make her a proud youth empowerment advocate.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, Support the showFor 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“Being technology agnostic is crucial. Don't assume that your playbook from one business will magically work at a different one. There's no one-size-fits-all approach.”Charlie CarpinteriIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Technology agnosticism: How to remain agnostic and flexible in making tech decisions based on specific circumstances and contextsChallenges in tech adoption: Highlighting common challenges faced in adopting new organisational technology and how to manage them for smooth transitionDigging change tunnels: Why it’s can be necessary to invest time in digging ‘tunnels’ to allow for big change initiatives to be successfully implemented Adopting a tech-friendly mindset: Strategies for building organisational culture that is open, excited and on-the-front of technological change and innovationHuman-AI collaboration: Confronting key fears about AI and how humans can pave a safe, beneficial collaborative path forwardKey linksRolling Labs https://rollinglabs.com/RedFlex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redflex_HoldingsSwinburne https://www.swinburne.edu.au/Industry Based Learning https://www.swinburne.edu.au/study/courses/units/Industry-Based-Learning-HEA30005/localTesla https://www.tesla.com/en_auAbout our guestCharlie Carpinteri (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ccarpinteri/) has over 20 years of experience as a leader, an entrepreneur and a passionate technologist, which require creativity, collaboration, and lateral thinking. A strong and transparent communicator, data and insight decision making and driven by delivering an exceptional customer experience, Charlie enjoys working closely with customers to understand their perspectives and leverage a combination of existing and emerging technologies to meet their digital requirements.Throughout Charlie’s career, he has worked with a combination of start-up, medium and large corporates and organisations, and has been known to challenge traditional processes and ways of thinking; actively driving cultural and technological advancements using innovative methods and tools. As a highly effective business leader, Charlie is adept at engaging and influencing across all levels of an organisation; working with customers, technology partners and cross-departmental teams to recommend and advise on best-practice solution delivery.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. Support the showFor 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“When you're looking at innovation and especially experimentation, the goal is to effectively fail. You really want to be able to push for failure for your ideas because it's the ones that don't fail that are the ones that you want to be able to push through.”Tash ReidyIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Establishing a culture of experimentation: Strategies to foster experimentation in the workplace and seeing invaluable innovative outcomes as a resultSetting up innovation processes: Working examples of how to effectively set up innovation practices, the role of leadership in making this happen & the importance of storytelling to convey the value of innovationThe customer vs business centric approach: Knowing how and when to prioritise business issues vs going all in on putting the customer firstFormulating a meaningful and impactful business vision: How to align diverse perspectives on corporate values and recognise and combat the interpretive nature of company visionPersonal attitudes for success: Tips to build trust, respect and positive reputation among co-workers and higher ups and increase opportunities while maintaining agencyKey linksFunny Business Pod http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/funny-business/id1508669714PEXA https://www.pexa.com.au/Exponentially https://www.exponentially.com/Mike Dyson Podcast Episode  https://youtu.be/zvlPDZaZqvwJane Curtain Podcast Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O9zQyvsmvg&t=2258sAlberto Savoia https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertosavoiaThe Right IT book https://www.amazon.com.au/Right-Many-Ideas-Yours-Succeeds/dp/0062884654Leslie Barry https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliebarry/Pawel Huryn https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawel-huryn/Dan Olsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/danolsen98/About our guestNatasha (Tash) Reidy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-reidy/) is an energetic innovation leader. Having executed over 200 experiments and saving over $7 million by stopping ideas, Natasha's love language is definitely experimentation!With a laser focus on solving customer problems, she looks for opportunities to enhance customers' experience by uncovering the things they love - and the things they don't. One of her favourite sayings is 'customers don't care about your business problems, they care about their problems' and sets about instilling customer empathy all along the innovation funnel to idea delivery - taking numerous teams on the journey.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 sSupport the showFor 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“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.  Support the showFor 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.  Support the showFor weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/