The World Class Leaders Show

083 : How to Foster a Culture of Innovation with Zack Weisfeld, VP & GM of Intel Ignite

Zack is the vice president and general manager of Intel Ignite based in Israel. Zack has also been behind several successful start-ups and was previously the general manager for Microsoft. As well as being a serial entrepreneur, Zack prides himself on being a corporate entrepreneur, helping large corporate companies innovate and be disruptive as a start-up would, and driving culture change through working with leaders and stakeholders within the company. He joins Andrea to talk about his approach, the critical relationship between innovation and culture and his thoughts on what it takes to be an inspirational and effective leader. KEY TAKEAWAYS Zack attributes some of his success to being in the right place at the right time. He had the right skill set and attitude just as the internet was starting to take off, he even began one of the first digital agencies! Companies can have start-up style values, such as a growth mindset and being disruptive, but it can be difficult for some roles within a large company to exercise them, ignite helps with that. Large tech companies must engage with start-ups, if they do not then they will quickly become irrelevant.  Ignite is described by its clients as a cofounder as a service, they are often more intimate with the team than even their own investors. There are a lot of opportunities in tech in this changing world, but this also means that there are many companies and services that will become irrelevant.  Culture is ingrained into organisations and the relationship between culture and innovation is critical. One of the ways to tap into this and drive change is to take people and teams away from their daily environment and work alongside and with start-ups. 2023 is a difficult time for all companies which presents a unique challenge for leaders, to continue to motivate their teams and also incentivise them to stay within the organisation. Challenging times also present opportunities, those who see these and seek them out drive growth and entrepreneurship. Experience can mean that people act on old information and intuition, we have to challenge these ideas and mindsets so we can build and create a different culture with innovative solutions. As a new founder and a leader too, you have to learn to really listen and build those skills.  BEST BITS “I’ve been a serial entrepreneur, but I’ve also been a corporate entrepreneur” “We will not be able to compete without that change, that energy, sitting out there in the forefront with these disruptors” “There’s no option for these large tech companies not to co-operate with start-ups” “I believe we are going to see a lot of companies go away because what they do is not needed anymore” “The relationship between innovation and culture is so critical”  “You’re in this tough environment where you have to manage the tough realities and on the other hand be super optimistic”  “I’m an entrepreneur I love challenges, I think that challenging times are opportunities” “Because of that experience, we sometimes make wrong decisions based on intuition that’s not relevant” VALUABLE RESOURCES Zack’s Book Recommendation: Give and Take by Adam Grant Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.    

082: The Peril of Bilateral Conversations

What's your appetite for team meetings? It seems an obvious question but I have seen many Team Leaders favour bilateral conversations rather than dealing with challenging conversations with the team. In this episode, I discuss these situations in more details. KEY TAKEAWAYS Personality and attitude play a part in how leaders like to communicate with members of their team, introverts in particular may avoid conducting large team meetings and have a preference for bilateral conversations Some leaders may also avoid team meetings as they don’t want to have an open conversation with everyone in their team. There may be members they suspect will bring up topics they would rather avoid. There is no collaboration element in one-to-one conversation it can also lend itself to gossip which is bad for morale and a waste of energy. Whole team meetings prevent silos from being created and sustained. If you only have one-to-ones, it can be difficult to keep everyone on your team on the same page and working in the same direction. BEST BITS “Many Leaders still prefer having a lot of 121 conversations, very bilateral and very few team meetings” “It becomes to some extent, to become a silo conversation because there is no way to have a broader view about the situation” “It might lead to gossip, to gossip and hearsay” VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.    

081: The Power of Conscious Leadership with Ravi Venkatesan, CEO of Cantaloupe

Ravi is the previous COO and current CEO of software company Cantaloupe and joins Andrea to talk about how to be a powerful CEO and lead an organisation. Ravi and Andrea discuss the flexibility needed around business models for companies to pivot, the biggest challenges international businesses face and why you must remain the eternal student to stay ahead in your career. Ravi also talks about how your leadership style directly impacts the effectiveness of your team and influences company culture and performance and how he personally inspires his team and unlocks potential. KEY TAKEAWAYS Ravi started in consulting for Accenture, which gave him access and experience with large corporate companies where he learnt about strategies and business models that work. It’s important to have a vision that inspires your team. Working internationally isn’t just about translating things, it’s about understanding and recognising cultural differences and adapting to them, tailoring the company and product to the country. Legalities and regulations in every country are vastly different, this is one of Cantaloupe's major challenges, particularly in regards to payments. They have to tailor their software and approaches in each country. Cantaloupe have pivoted to their consumer needs and preferences, they transformed their business model to be subscription based as this is how clients wanted to use their product, leading to higher client satisfaction as well as higher margin for them. Often smaller to medium-sized companies are quicker to adapt and pivot, while larger companies have to contend with the bureaucracy associated with change and also often attitudes that are resistant to it too. How we manage our inner state directly impacts those we lead and the relationships we build. To be an effective leader you need to consciously manage yourself to build your company culture and foster your team into making the right decisions. One of the key things Ravi focuses on is looking for opportunities for new talent and unlocking potential in existing team members. Too frequently leaders ignore people’s potential but if we can engage team members and inspire them, we can get so much more, for them and for the company. All companies have a collective consciousness made up of their employees, partners and clients. If leaders can tap into this consciousness and influence it, then it will also have an impact on performance as a whole. BEST BITS  “Sometimes you can have the best team in place but if it’s a failing business model it starts going downhill”  “It’s important to have a vision that inspires, people who work for a paycheck, you’re only getting compliance from them. If you want amazing results, then they need to be inspired” “It’s not just about translating language it’s about blending in with the culture, the business, the way of interacting, each country is so different”  “All that risk is covered on our side and that model has led to much more satisfaction with our customers”  “The larger an organisation the harder it is for them to accept a major change”  “How we manage our own inner state with reflect in that outer behaviour and our outer behaviour directly leads to the kind of trust somebody builds as a leader”  “Heart-based leadership isn’t very common” “Constantly upgrading talent and unlocking potential is something I spend a lot of time on” “You are showing the organisation that you are there for them rather than being like other CEOs” “Organisations have a consciousness, which is their collective consciousness of everybody who works there…if the impact I can have as a leader is to raise the level of consciousness of my organisation” VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

080: Transforming for Growth with Gian Luca Grondona, CHRO of Webuild

Gian Luca Grondona is the Chief HR, Organization & Systems Officer of Webuild Group a global player specialized in the construction of large, complex infrastructures. He joins Andrea in this episode. Andrea initially interviewed Gian Luca via LinkedIn but wanted to share this incredibly valuable conversation with his podcast audience too! Andrea and Gian Luca delve deep into the role and purpose of HR and people in the transformation of an organisation. They discuss how you can improve decision-making in large organisations, how to develop and retain knowledge internally as well as how to create engaged people and teams to generate and inspire success. KEY TAKEAWAYS  The biggest lesson Gian Luca has learnt in his time at various global corporations is to give trust and responsibility to people, to teach others and delegate. The construction industry has embedded risk. This is one of the challenges Webuild has to contend with and one of the reasons they are trying to centralise their risk management. Sustainability is something Webuild are passionate about and is working towards in all of its projects. People are an integral part of a business so of course, they have a huge impact when a company is going through a transformation and the success of this transformation is underpinned by the individuals and teams within the organisation. Transforming its bidding process, to engage all necessary departments and dividing responsibility accordingly has allowed WeBuild to increase its contract conversion by 50% Innovation can be tricky to inspire in industries such as construction but you can facilitate it within teams by first engaging your leaders. If you can inspire them and challenge their thinking then you can begin to change the culture within teams too.  A lean way to make innovation easy, is by investing in innovation in core functions of the business, where it will have the biggest impact. People development is essential and something all leaders should have at the top of their agenda. Anticipating the future needs of a team is a great way to create a plan for the development of your people. How you communicate is one of the biggest ways you can have an influence on and impact the engagement of your people. BEST BITS “Giving trust to people, you lose sometimes, but you win the majority of the time” “We have and will continue to transform this industry” “If we keep thinking with the eyes of the past we cannot make this change” “The thing I am most proud of is 11 of the people that were working with me have become Chief Human Resources Officers in companies” “The fact we are doing iconic work helps a lot with the engagement of people” LEARNING MOMENTS  02:18: Gian Luca’s Career Journey 05:20: Gian Luca’s Biggest Lesson Learnt 11:50 The Future & Aspirations of WeBuild 16:10 The Role of Sustainability at Webuild 18:40 The Impact of People in Transformation 21:57 How WeBuild Increased their Contract Conversion 28:00 Managing Knowledge and Expertise in a Large Corporate Company 31:00 Inspiring Innovation within a Construction Company 38:38 Putting your Own People on the Top of your Agenda 43:49 How can we Engage our People More?   VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

079: How to Talk in Organizations to Create Commitment

Are you happy with the way people talk and communicate in your organisation? In this episode, Andrea talks about how communication is directly linked to commitment and how the language you and your team impacts the results you see, revealing the do’s and don’t’s of communication if you want to see effective results. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many individuals struggle to take responsibility and be fully committed in work today. There’s a strong connection between the way we communicate with one another at work and the results we achieve. It’s comfortable to talk about the past, it doesn’t have expectations or usually any actions either. To create effective results we need to be in the present and look to the future. When people start talking about the past, stop them and change the conversation. This will allow you to create commitment-generating conversation instead. You need to use specific and direct language and communication to create success.   BEST BITS “The way people talk in organisations is so critical, it’s so important” “When people start talking about the past, they get really comfortable about talking about the past” “Start talking in a way that generates commitment” “Committed language is what really produces a different level of results” “A past-driven conversation usually involves a lot of words” LEARNING MOMENTS 01:49: Are we underrating the way we talk in our organisations?03:10: The problem with talking about the past05:00: Creating commitment-generating communication 06:00: The differences between wishful thinking and committed language VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform! Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website    If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30. ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.

078: How to Stop the Fear of Decision Making in Your Team

Andrea has witnessed many organisations struggling with decision making and, in this episode, offers great insight into why this is and more importantly, what you can do to stop this happening to yourself, your team and your organisation and continue to lead effectively. KEY TAKEAWAYS Even team members who appear to be engaged can struggle with making decisions The uncertainty of the world, particularly economically adds complexity to decision making and this can impact individuals' confidence, even those who are experienced. It’s easy to make decisions when you are in your comfort zone but disruption and innovation never comes from comfort, you have to learn to make tough decisions. To eliminate the fear of decisions you need to eliminate blame culture If you put off making decisions, you still have to make them eventually but instead under more pressure and stress. Build a culture of openness, transparency and where people feel they can speak up and make mistakes, and then people will make fast and innovative decisions. Are there ways you can reduce the pressure your team is feeling from you? If you can reduce the pressure you are giving, your team will feel more at ease with making decisions BEST BITS “They participate, but when it’s time to make decisions, they step back” “It’s easy to make a decision in your comfort zone” “Think about the culture you build, there could be something there” “Culture and pressure have an important role in the ability of people to make decisions”  LEARNING MOMENTS  01:20: Why Team Members Are Struggling to Make Decisions02:20: Staying Within Your Comfort Zone03:01: Fear Stops Decisions05:58: Are we helping our leaders operate in tough conditions? 06:55: The Two Ways to Stop The Fear of Decision Making VALUABLE RESOURCES Like the show? Make sure to leave a review on your favourite podcast platform! For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website and connect with him on LinkedIn ABOUT THE HOST My name is Andrea Petrone. I’m a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.      

077: How to Think Systematically in Silos-Driven Organizations

Organizations are unlearning how to think systematically. They face higher complexity than in the past but - instead of trying to make sense of their problems in terms of wholes - they split them down into parts. This is how they reinforce unconsciously silos over unity. They look at one problem without understanding the wider relationships of each part. In episode 077 of my podcast, 'The World Class Leaders Show,' I discuss about the ways organizations are learning to think as a system.    By listening to this podcast episode, you will learn more about: (02:12) The Problem With Silos-Driven Organizations (03:35) Iceberg Model of Michael Goodman (05:36) How Can You Apply the Iceberg Model in Your Organization? (09:04) Thinking Systematically     Let me know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone or via email at Andrea@andreapetrone.com.   Like my show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform.   For more information on my work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website at https://www.andreapetrone.com.   If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/blog. Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30.   Read the article related to this podcast: https://www.andreapetrone.com/how-to-think-systematically-in-silos-driven-organizations/

076: Massimo Calvelli, CEO of ATP Tour on Staying Focused During Change

How do you stay focused on your new journey, take control of your future and be the business leader you strive to become? For episode 076 of my podcast, ‘The World Class Leaders Show,’ I invited Massimo Calvelli, CEO of ATP Tour ( Association of Tennis Professionals) and former professional tennis player. Massimo Calvelli began serving as ATP CEO in January 2020. The highly experienced Italian has been instrumental in driving a new strategic plan for the ATP that delivers some of the most radical reforms since the organization’s inception. Prior to ATP, Calvelli was employed by Nike, where he oversaw all aspects of global tennis sports marketing and led negotiations with many of the sport's global icons. By listening to this podcast episode, you will learn more about:   (02:50) Massimo’s Transition From Tennis to the Business World (05:00) Adapting to Change during the Pandemic (09:45) ATP Tour and its future (16:34) Important Aspect of Being an Effective CEO (20:01) Challenges as a CEO of an Organization (25:20) Formula of Changing Mindset in a Fast-Changing Environment (31:58) Similarities of Athletes and Business Leaders' Life (37:05) Mindset Element   Links: Website: https://www.atptour.com/en/players/massimo-calvelli/c372/overview LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/massimo-calvelli/?originalSubdomain=uk   Mentioned: The Memoirs of Adrian by Marguerite Yourcenar The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius    Let me know your thoughts, or share your comments via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone or via email at Andrea@andreapetrone.com.   Like my show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform.   For more information on my work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website at https://www.andreapetrone.com.   If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30     Read the article related to this podcast: https://www.andreapetrone.com/massimo-calvelli-ceo-of-atp-tour-on-staying-focused-during-change/

075: How to Ask People to Change Their Behaviours

How do you ask people to change their behaviors?   In my experience, leaders often give feedback to people without being specific. They tend to say things like: "I want you to be less arrogant," or "I want you to have a more entrepreneurial spirit," and so on—without backing up their statements with any solid evidence of what they mean by those words. For this episode of ‘The World Class Leaders Show,’ I will share specific tips and actions on giving feedback to people and their wrong behavior. And hopefully, it can give you ideas on how to use these specific feedback tips in order to make positive changes in their behavior.   By listening to this podcast episode, you will learn more about: (01:53) Underestimating the Importance of Giving Clear Feedback (03:04) When It Comes to Behaviors, Specificity Is Important (04:33) How to Share Specific Feedback on Behavior? (05:14) Why Specificity Is Critical in Giving Feedback? (06:46) Why Leaders Need to Give Specific Feedback   Links: Let me know your thoughts, or share your comments via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone, or via email at Andrea@andreapetrone.com. Like my show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform. For more information on my work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website at https://www.andreapetrone.com If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30   Read the article related to this podcast: https://www.andreapetrone.com/how-to-ask-people-to-change-their-behaviours/

074: How to Succeed in a Male-Dominated Industry as a CEO With Verona Frankish

Some of the world’s most powerful businesswomen are quitting. Last week, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, announced she is leaving the company to start a new chapter and follow her passion. Likewise, Meta's chief business officer Marne Levine is stepping down after 13 years with the company in order to “recharge and prioritize some quality time with family” before beginning her “next professional chapter.”  As a huge sponsor of women sitting at the top table, I feel that gender equality might become just a wishful thinking. Something good only for corporate branding and PR stunt. For episode 070 of my podcast, ‘The World Class Leaders Show’, I invited Verona Frankish CEO of Yopa, an award-winning estate agency in the UK backed by some of the biggest names in the property industry, to discuss how a female CEO can thrive in a male-dominated industry. She also demonstrates that leading a purpose-driven organization isn’t only a case of setting goals and making tough decisions, but also of building trust with your team and customers.    By listening to this podcast episode, you will learn more about: (02:22) The Benefit of Having Careers in Different Industry ( 04:52) Things Every First-time CEO Should Hear (10:52 ) What Is Yopa & Its Future (17:48) Challenges CEO Faced in Leading Organization (26:56) How To Operate Better as a Team  (28:37) How To Succed as a Mother And A Leader  (30:41) A Female Ceo’s Tips to Success in a Male-dominated Industry (34:35) Misconceptions About CEOs (38:05) Verona’s Big Learning in Her Career (34:35) Things She Wish She Done Differently (34:35) Learning Source That Shaped Her Life and Career   Links: Website: https://www.yopa.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronafrankish Twitter: Verona Frankish (@Verona_F)   Mentioned: The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters The Infinite Game - Simon Sinek The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett   Let me know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone, or via email at Andrea@andreapetrone.com. Like my show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform. For more information on my work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website at https://www.andreapetrone.com If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/blog Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30   Read the article related to this podcast: