Curious Leadership with Dominic Monkhouse

This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Gene Browne, founder of The City Bin Co. Gene has led this company to be a five-time winner of the ‘Deloitte Best Managed Company’ in Ireland, as well as a two-time National Winner of the European Business Awards - Customer Focus Category for 2013 and 2017.In this episode, Gene walks us through his journey from founding his business, how he scaled up, what tools he used, and how important Rockefeller Habits have been to him, how he then did a reverse takeover and cultural transformation of a business in the Middle East.  Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast: The beginning and rise of City Bin Co. Delivering great service, no matter the industryStarting in the waste management industry in the 90s VS today Building a culture around serviceThe secret to getting outstanding NPS scores Follow Gene Browne:WebsiteLinkedIn Book recommendations: Scaling Up by Verne HarnishGood Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard RumeltThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review  

Have you ever felt that you were wasting your time in a meeting? When we ask clients this question, all hands go up. Yet, everybody seems clear on what a good meeting looks like. Why is this? Our guest on The Melting Pot this week brings some light to this. This week we learned from Mamie K Stewart, host of The Modern Manager podcast, author of Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings and Founder of Meeteor, a training firm focused on improving the productivity of meetings. In this insightful conversation, Mamie tells us why she decided to write a book about meetings and gives us some tips on how to run great meetings in person and virtually. She also discusses how meetings are a reflection of your culture and your team dynamics, and what questions you should ask yourself before setting up a meeting.Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast: Why write a book about meetingsAre your meetings reflecting your culture?What to ask yourself before setting up a meetingHow to bring clarity to meetingsUsing tech during meetings  Follow Mamie K. Stewart:WebsiteLinkedInDelegation QuizThe Modern Manager PodcastMomentum book Book recommendations:Getting things done by David AllenEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

Do you really understand how taxes work in your country? Our guest this week believes that 80% to 90% of people pay taxes and complain about the rich not paying. But, why do the rich don’t pay taxes? Our guest says it’s because smart entrepreneurs and wealthy people understand the laws.  What people don’t realise is that tax law is primarily a series of incentives for entrepreneurs and investors. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Tom Wheelwright, the CEO and founder of Wealth Ability, a network of CPA firms in the US and Canada. He’s spent 25 years buying, building, and selling CPA accounting, whilst travelling the world with Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, giving financial education to entrepreneurs and investors. In this episode, Tom tells us about the difference between CPAs and entrepreneurs and how rare entrepreneurial CPAs are. He’s also a Rich Dad advisor and shares the story of how he met Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and how they ended up teaching the fundamentals of business to entrepreneurs all over the world. Drawing from his latest book The Win-Win Wealth Strategy, he talks about what are the seven investments the government will pay you to make.A fascinating conversation. Download and listen today. On today’s podcast: Is it a moral duty to pay taxes?How do taxes really work?The seven investments governments will pay you to makeThe power of playing CashflowBecoming financially independent Follow Tom Wheelwright:WebsiteLinkedInThe Win-Win Health Strategy bookPodcast Book recommendations:Who Not How by Dan SullivanThe Innovation Ultimatum by Steve BrownRich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert KiyosakiHappy Money by Ken HondaEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

Does your organisation suffer from onboarding debt? It’s the difference between what people should understand and what they actually understand about how to succeed in their role. This debt manifests itself through low retention, poor cultures and frustrated leaders. But it doesn't need to be this way. In his new book, Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the point where they are effective, faster, Brad Giles gives a simple step-by-step process that leaders can use to significantly increase the effectiveness of new hires and existing teams. And this week, we got the chance to learn more from him on a new episode of The Melting Pot. Brad is a business coach based in Perth, Australia, and this week he joined us to talk about how to get new employees to deliver faster, how to get clear on expectations, and the impact that will have. Often, there are structural reasons that lead companies to do onboarding inadequately. There's a big gap that remains unmeasured, which is what is the difference between what people should know and what they actually know. Onboarding isn't something that should be left to HR. It should be done by the hiring manager and the team. Brad also talks about managerial fit and expectations, the technical skills that people need to learn and the things that culturally define the business that new hires need to pick up on. Don’t miss this fantastic conversation. Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast: The difference between a job scorecard and a role scorecardThe 90-day onboarding planWhat is onboarding debtWho owns onboarding in a businessHow to build a robust onboarding process Follow Brad Giles:WebsiteLinkedInBook Book Recommendations:Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Movie)Small Giants by Bo BurlinghamEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

 How do you want people to feel when they buy from you? How do you want people to feel when your sales team shows up? What fears might they have that stop them from staying with you or buying from you? As a marketer, if you really want to stand out from competitors and emotionally connect with your customers, these are important questions to answer.  This week on The Melting Pot we learned from Anthony Butler, author of Primal Storytelling and founder of the Marketing Agency Can-Do Ideas. From Helena, Montana, Anthony talks about his journey of discovery. He was a linguist and served in the army, but his story really kicks off when he gets fired by one of his marketing agency clients, who told him that his work hadn’t made any difference in the business. That was a turning point in his career. In this episode, we find out why.  In this conversation, Anthony shares his Primal Storytelling methodology and how he helps clients drive emotion in their marketing. We find out what questions you need to ask yourself to better connect with your audience. He also guides us through his process to map sales to marketing and what type of content and messages we need to deliver at each stage.  A fantastic conversation, make sure to download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast:  The impact of emotions on marketingThe Primal Storytelling content systemHow to make your brand stand out from competitorsMapping the sales process to marketingUnderstanding your audience's cultural background Follow Anthony Butler: WebsiteLinkedInPrimal Storytelling bookPrimal Storytelling podcastYouTube  Book Recommendations: The War of Art by Steven PressfieldExpert Secrets by Russell BrunsonEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

What are the differences and similarities between regular businesses and family businesses? Can family businesses be as successful? Our guest on The Melting Pot this week argues that family businesses can prove to be successful in the long run, as long as they focus on fostering the next generation of leaders while preserving the legacy. Jonathan Goldhill is a business coach, having been in the field since 2003. He is passionate about family businesses and his book, Disruptive Successor, is a guide for family business owners wanting to drive growth in their businesses. He has a deep understanding of the complexities of multigenerational family businesses, and is well-versed in the challenges of transitioning between generations. After exploring his passion for family businesses, Jonathan Goldhill discovered the unique challenges of transitioning from one generation to the next. He witnessed first-hand what it took for his father and uncle to join the family business, and how the tension of preservation and growth could be difficult to balance. Regular businesses and family businesses have different time horizons when it comes to making profit. In family businesses, success is usually determined by maximising family value, not shareholder value. Jonathan concluded that a crucial factor to success was to ensure that the older generation was encouraged to transition out of the business, whilst the younger generation was given the opportunity to grow it. Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast:  The differences and similarities between family and non-family businessesFamily before business Generational transitions within family businessesThe unique dynamics of multigenerational family businessesMeasuring performance in a family business Follow Jonathan Goldhill: Disruptive Successor BookWebsiteDisruptive Successor ShowLinkedInTwitterInstagram Book recommendations:Jack Welch Straight From The GutPatrick Lencioni’s books Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

Do you believe in the power of building a happy workplace to grow your business? We definitely do, and this week we bring proof. This week’s guest is an expert in creating joy at work, no matter how many days a week you’re in the office. If you need some inspiration to build trust in your team and set the foundations for a happy culture, this is a must-listen for you. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from a long-time friend, Henry Stewart,  founder, and Chief Happiness Officer of Happy, a company that helps organisations create happy workplaces. Henry and Dominic met many years ago when their organisations were competing for the Unisys Service Excellence Awards. Happy is the second happiest company in the UK or Best Place to Work, as measured by the Great Places to Work organisation, and number 15 in Europe. Henry has an innovative approach to running a business and was part of the British pilot for 4-day work weeks. Then, he decided to continue on that path, which resulted in 40% year-over-year revenue growth and increased productivity. He also implemented a salary transparency system, made the staff set his salary, and decided not to make any decisions, after which his employees took ownership of raising prices during the pandemic, which ultimately saved the company. Henry is now exploring Employee Ownership Trust and is happily living out his 4-day work week. Download and listen to this fantastic conversation today. On today’s podcast: The impact of a four-day week at HappyImplementing salary transparency in HappyShould your staff decide your salary?How to maintain productivity with a four-day weekCan a CEO make no decisions? Follow Henry Stewart: Happy WebsiteLinkedInTwitterBook Book Recommendations: Maverick by Ricardo SemlerMultipliers by Liz WisemanReinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review

What if you had to radically transform your business, change the culture, improve the percentage of A-players, drive staff engagement, and roll out a purpose and core values, all without raising salaries or changing the team? Well, that’s what our guests this week have done in their organisation. And all whilst improving the education delivery and striving to change the lives of the children in their schools. This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Hazel Pulley and Jonathan Smart, CEO and Deputy CEO at Excelsior MAT, a multi-academy trust, currently with six primary schools in innercity Birmingham in their portfolio. ExcelsiorMAT is one of the teams that we’ve worked with at Monkhouse & Company, and we’re deeply proud of their amazing transformation over the past few years. Hence why we wanted them to join us on the show to share with us the keys to their incredible success.  In this episode, we hear from Hazel and Jonathan about their journey applying the Scaling Up framework and how it radically transformed their organisation. They also dived into how they managed to change the business without raising salaries or changing the team. This episode is a true testament to great leadership, making the right decisions and building an amazing culture.  A fascinating and exciting episode, download and listen to learn more! On today’s podcast:  What is a Multi Academy TrustCan Scaling Up be applied in Education?Changing lives through teachingCultivating existing talentThe importance of happiness at work Follow Hazel and Jonathan: ExcelsiorMAT websiteJonathan Smart LinkedInHazel Pulley LinkedInExcelsiorMAT TwitterExcelsiorMaT LinkedIn Book Recommendations: Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Trusted Leader by David HorsagerLincoln on leadership by Donald T. PhillipsBelonging by Owen Eastwood Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review

What comes to mind when you think about innovation? Creating something new from nothing. But does the word innovation push people away from doing it, thinking they don’t have the skills? Our guest on the podcast thinks so, and that’s why he uses the word reinvention instead. And that, reinventing, is exactly what he did with his own career after retiring from professional rugby. Today, we hear about his fascinating journey.This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from the author of Undisruptible, and host of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen. Formerly a professional rugby player, Aidan now works as an Executive Coach and Innovation Consultant.In this episode, Aidan talked about his journey as a rugby player and how he shifted from that to a career in innovation, and became a podcast host and innovation consultant. He also explored the cultural differences between some of the teams he played with, and he dived into the Butterfly metaphor that he uses in his book Unsdisruptable to explain the life cycle and how it applies to businesses. Make sure to download and listen to this fascinating episode day. On today’s podcast: Writing UndisruptableThe cultural difference between rugby teamsThe Butterfly metaphorFrom professional rugby to innovationThe impact of self-talk on mental health Follow Aidan McCullen: LinkedInBookBlogPodcast – The Innovation ShowBook recommendationsThe Heart of Business by Hubert JolyThe Biology of Belief by Bruce H. LiptonChange Your Paradigm, Change Your Life by Bob ProctorHow Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton ChristensenWhy Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert M. SapolskiThe Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru EmotoBuilt from broken by Scott H. HoganEnjoyed the show? Leave a Review 

How do you find enough qualified people to deliver on the revenue opportunities that your business comes across? This is a problem that might be familiar to many professional services organisations, particularly within the cloud space. Our guest this week Neil Marley, came across that challenge whilst he was working at New Signature. Neil is the Managing Director at Qualyfi. He's also former UK MD and EMEA lead at New Signature, an IT Services Management company that grew from 8 to 300 people in the UK and twice won the prestigious Microsoft UK Partner of the Year award (2014, 2019), before being acquired by Cognizant in 2020. We know Neil since 2017 when New Signature started coaching with us. During the course of our time working together, they grew from about ten people to 350. From a revenue perspective that’s around 48% compound annual growth rate.  There are two things that Neil is excited about. The first is helping people build an exciting new technology career, regardless of their background or previous opportunities; the second is building long-term partnerships with growth organisations, offering services to help fuel their growth. He has now taken his experience doing that to make Qualyfi a positive force for the world. In this episode, he shares his journey working in public cloud technologies with Microsoft, moving from working in a big organisation to a small team, and he and his small team managed to become one of the leading partners for Microsoft. He also talked about the challenges the business faced along the way, the secrets to New Signature’s success and the impact coaching had on the team dynamics. Download and listen to learn more. On today’s podcast: A journey of growth in MicrosoftLeading a successful partnership with MicrosoftNew Signature and Winning Microsoft UK Partner of the YearThe importance of business coachingQualyfi and placing new cloud tech talent Follow Neil MarleyQualify websiteLinkedIn Book recommendations: Radical Candor by Kim ScottWhat got you here won't get you there by Marshall GoldsmithCEO Excellence by Scott KellerAwaken The Giant Within by Anthony Robbins Enjoyed the show? Leave a Review