What's Next! with Tiffani Bova

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week I speak with Frans Johannson, author, entrepreneur, and the CEO of The Medici Group. Frans has inspired readers worldwide with his ideas on leadership and success, innovation, and diversity. His debut book The Medici Effect has been called "one of the most insightful books on managing innovation." THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… Anyone looking to find ways to stimulate innovation. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… There are two main themes rising around the world today: Innovation and Diversity and Inclusion. That is not by accident. If you are able to combine concepts, perspectives, and people from different backgrounds, from different industries and fields, and from different cultures you can uncover new innovative ideas. Don't get caught in the "we've always done it this way" trap or try to mimic another business model (the "Uber of X" or the AirBnB of Y"). Use your talents and ambition to try something new. Keep producing. Put out another product if the first one fails. Keep going. WHAT'S NEXT FOR DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND INNOVATION? Companies are starting to understand the value of diversity to their bottom line. It is no longer a 'nice to have.' Having an (internal) representation of your diverse customer base in your own organization is imperative if you want to understand the wants and needs of the customers you aspire to serve. WHAT I LOVE MOST… In order to innovate, you need the best people – period. You will need those people to work together, collaborate regardless of race, gender, religion or Running time: 37:22 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Frans on social: Personal website The Medici Group Twitter

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week, I have Liz Wiseman on the podcast. Liz is the author of New York Times bestseller Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools, and Wall Street Journal bestseller Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work. Liz is also the CEO of The Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development firm and in 2017 she was #35 on the Thinkers50 list. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone looking to improve their leadership skills and build better teams. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… There are leaders who are "Diminishers," while others are "Mulitpliers". These 'Diminishers' tend to get less than half of people's intelligence or capability; whereas, these 'Multipliers' get all of it. But that's not all, there are also "Accidental Diminishers" - these are really well-meaning people trying to be good bosses but yet having a diminishing effect on those around them. WHAT I LOVE MOST… Being aware of the kind of leader you are will help you improve the way you communicate, manage and inspire those around you to do their best work. A PIECE OF ADVICE FOR LEADERS… Allow diverse styles of thinking and personalities the space to thrive. Pay attention to who is quiet and who has an overpowering personality. Give those who need time to think, and process information the opportunity to speak as those who are quick on their feet. It's the multiple styles of contributing and leading that creates a great team, innovative ideas, and a healthy work environment. Running time: 37:20 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Liz on social: Website Twitter LinkedIn

Guest Bill Macaitis shares insights on boosting business performance through customer value. Emphasizing understanding customer recommendations and touchpoints, he stresses the importance of aligning all teams towards a shared goal. Highlighting the interplay between sales and marketing roles, the discussion focuses on improving teamwork, analyzing NPS feedback, and building a scalable marketing engine for effective growth strategies.

Alex Osterwalder, a strategy and innovation expert, dives into growth innovation for businesses. He emphasizes the importance of seeing the big picture, reinventing business models, and fostering innovation for long-term success. By creating a mini-Silicon Valley within existing companies, growth innovation can thrive and drive significant progress.

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week, I have Tendayi Viki on the podcast. He's an academic, the co-designer of Pearson's Product Lifecycle, which won the Best Innovation Program 2015 at the corporate Entrepreneur Awards in New York, and is on the shortlist for the Thinkers 50 Innovation Award. He's also a contributing writer for Forbes and is the author of The Corporate Startup: How Established Companies Can Create Successful Innovation Ecosystems. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… bigger companies who want to act like a startup. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… to act small, companies must first think about their innovation ambition. The first step is to create an innovation thesis and understand your minimum viable ecosystem – maybe that means conducting a small workshop instead of jumping straight into a 2-day event. Second, become clear about key trends. Ask, who do we want to innovate for? Then, run through problems and challenges that could make life easier for your customer. Throughout the process, always measure everything against this question: Is this aligned with our innovation thesis? As Tendayi says, "Figure out whether or not you have the right solution and then figure out whether or not you have the right business model." WHAT I LOVE MOST… A reoccurring theme has swept over the podcast: embrace non-traditional diversity. Make sure the middle management, legal, and the MBAs are involved; build teams with diverse thinking styles; and get out of the ordinary environment to be creative. Diverse teams create creative tension and avoid internal silos – all good things. A PIECE OF ADVICE… create a business model canvas. This is an excellent strategy for visual learners (me!) to see what's written down and think through the idea. What is the business model canvas? It's chart paper on the wall that walks you through customer segments and value proposition. Write one idea for each section on a post-it note and decide whether that idea is based on knowledge or an assumption. Put a big red X through every assumption you don't have evidence for. Then, build up lean startup techniques to turn your assumptions into knowledge. That's how you act small but still keep the customer top of mind. Running time: 34:40 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Tendayi on social: Website LinkedIn Twitter

Nir Eyal, author of Hooked, discusses creating habit-forming products. He emphasizes the four steps of habits: trigger, action, reward, and investment. Repeat customers are about exposure with an exciting user experience that understands customer wants. Understanding emotional triggers is key to engaging with customers.

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week's awesome guest is Dan Pink, the author of six books, including When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Thinkers50 named Dan as one of the Top 15 Business Thinkers in the World, and his TED talk The Puzzle of Motivation is one of the 10 most-watched TED talks of all time. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone looking to improve their likelihood of success in both their personal and professional lives. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Did you know that a book about timing decisions didn't exist until Dan Pink wrote it in early 2018? When you think about it, we make multiple "when" decisions in our life: When should I exercise during the day? When should I start a product? When should I quit a project? When should I quit my job? Dan's diligent research into the foundation behind our "when" decisions led him to discover that people mostly disregard the question of when and instead focus on what and who and how. WHAT I LOVE MOST… Breaks are more important than you think. We need to start thinking about breaks as part of our performance not a deviation from performance. Dan's research showed him that professionals are the ones who take breaks, and the amateurs are the ones who don't. A break might look like a 10-minute walk outside, a nap, or a trip to your company's meditation room. No matter what — your performance will improve. IF YOU WANT TO STEP UP YOUR GAME… Be more conscious of how the forces of time and timing are affecting how you behave. Running time: 37:44 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Dan on social: Twitter Facebook

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week's guest is Roger Martin. Roger is the former Dean of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, has been named "The Most Influential Business Thinker" by Thinkers50, and he advises CEOs worldwide. Roger is the author of ten books, including Creating Great Choices, a follow-up to his 2007 best-seller The Opposable Mind. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… someone with a different style of thinking. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… is the play between strategy and making choices. Roger's unique perspective combines strategy and making choices. Roger believes the two ideas are interconnected because, simply put, you cannot make choices if you don't have a strategy. And you can't have a strategy without making choices. Roger opines that strategy is what you do, whereas choices put you in the position to behave. Just like every organization has a strategy, so does every person, and strategy comes with a choice. Roger believes that execution happens because of choices made somewhere in the hierarchy. Roger says the "gap between strategy and execution [is] the setting of the direction." Past guests have said time and again that everything starts at the top— and Roger is no different. WHAT I LOVE MOST… integrative thinking. Creating solutions is about taking what's not good enough and creating something better, rather than compromising. IF YOU WANT TO APPROACH THINGS DIFFERENTLY…. follow Gandhi. This may not be what you were expecting, but the adage "Be the change" could not be more appropriate. Don't tell people what you're going to do. You actually have to do it. Roger advises, "Don't be a smarty pants." I couldn't agree more. Running time: 29:43 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Roger on social: Website Twitter

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. I'm honored to have Arianna Huffington as this week's guest. Arianna is an author, mother, and businesswoman, most notably known as the co-founder and former Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post. Most recently, Arianna has written Thrive and The Sleep Revolution. But what you may not know about Arianna is that she has a Master's Degree in Economics from Cambridge and was a candidate for California governor. She's been named one of the Most Influential Women in Media and one of the Most Powerful Women in Business. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… those hesitant about the future. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… We're at a very interesting time in history – one that is currently being shaped in new ways every day. The next 20 years won't look anything like today. But of course, 20 years ago doesn't look anything like today either. We cannot predict what the future holds, but as Arianna says, we're at an inflection point. Careers are no longer linear. Passion and purpose have stronger meanings than ever before, and change is happening faster than humans can keep up. Arianna is concerned about our addiction to devices because data shows it makes us less empathetic. More and more people are ditching devices for real connection, which means putting phones away for dinners and seeing friends in person instead of over a video call. Arianna calls this "thrive mode." WHAT I LOVE MOST… As I've gotten older, I've realized that giving back and reflecting on my life is more important than I ever thought. In a tech-consumed world, Arianna warns that we need balance. The interconnectedness we appear to have doesn't hold weight compared to investing in relationships. Giving back and providing value is what gives us a full life. IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR… find your Thrive Tribe. Find the people who support you and want to see you grow but also know how important real relationships are. They'll keep you accountable. Running time: 29:43 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Arianna on social: Twitter LinkedIn Thrive Global

Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist at Canva, shares his social media strategies on the podcast. He emphasizes the need for thoughtful posts, taking risks, and being authentic online. While Tiffani Bova opts for caution, Guy believes in error correction and experimentation on social media. The discussion highlights the importance of high-quality content and standing out in the digital realm.