ICT Podcast

Relationship management is commonly used in the context of managing relationships with your enterprise customers or clients. But did you know that if you become a truly relationship-centric organization, it is far easier to become customer-centric?

In this episode, Maureen and I discuss business relationship management, the role, the function, and how it can add value to your organization's goals.

In this episode, we are talking about:

• The difference between BRM and CRM
• Why are BRM practices important in an organization?
• Product owner versus BRM.
• Where do PM, PMO, BA, CM, and BRM fit?
• How does BRM work beyond IT organization?
• What are the signs that an organization needs BRM?
• The business case for BRM function?
• How has this evolved post-pandemic?
• Importance of relationship-centered organization.

Maureen Jesuthasan is a Senior Manager at West Monroe, a U.S.-based management consulting firm focused on industry, technology, and business transformation. She is an experienced strategist and decision-maker with a proven record of optimizing IT services while significantly reducing cost and increasing operational efficiency. As part of this process, she creates business specifications for enhancements through Business Relationship Management (BRM), Lean, and Lean Six Sigma capabilities.

She has a bachelor's degree from Berry College and possesses advanced certifications in Business Relationship Management, Change Management, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, and ITIL. She is one of 10 individuals who has earned Master of Business Relationship (MBRM) certification. She is a recognized thought leader in building relationship-centered organizations and has presented at conferences and TEDx events on this topic.

She is also working with a team sponsored by the Business Relationship Management Institute to develop a methodology that highlights how positive relationships can inspire value.

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today's world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon

You may have realized that our ability to achieve goals and lead a fulfilling life is often influenced by how we feel about ourselves. Which, in turn, largely depends on our self-awareness and the information we consume daily.

So, in the world of social media and selfies, how do you stay in control? How do you handle information overload, stay assertive without being adamant? And how do you increase self-awareness?

To talk about that, I have Shobha Nihalani on the podcast this week.

In this episode, we are talking about:

• What prompted you to write about the reboot, reflect, and revive?
• What's wrong with wanting to improve after comparing on social media?
• Difference between positive self-dialogue and a negative one.
• How positive self-dialogue looks like?
• How does it affect self-esteem?
• How does self-esteem help in progress?
• Information overload affects self-esteem and internal dialogue.
• Tips for handling information overload.
• How to stay assertive but not adamant?
• Things one can do to increase self-esteem, self-awareness.
• The connection between work from home and self-awareness.

Shobha has been a writer for over 25 years; she has lived in countries in Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe, currently resides in Hong Kong with her family. She has worked as a freelance journalist and later started her first book. Author of 8 novels and two non-fiction books, she took a slight detour in her career path to become a life coach last year.

This change came about when she began to research and write her 11th book. Reboot Reflect Revive: Self-Esteem in a Selfie World shares inspiring stories, latest studies, and interviews that share insights related to self-esteem. She believes that our ability to achieve goals and lead a fulfilling life is often influenced by how we feel about ourselves.

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today's world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon

Office politics is such an interesting subject that people want to talk about it. But very few want to participate in it.

How often have you experienced that good ideas and projects that make perfect sense don't go through, only because of office politics?

So in this episode, Niven and I discuss why office politics is important and how to approach it with a positive mindset.

In this episode we are talking about:

• Office politics, what is it and how does it come in the way of innovation?
• How does it impact the end results?
• The reason behind office politics.
• If you believe in a particular idea, how do you approach office politics?
• Even if you do everything right, you might be missing something.
• What's wrong with thinking about promotion?
• What went wrong with Blockbuster? (It's not about Netflix story) 
• A spectrum of office politics and why it is important?
• How do you identify the type of political environment around you?
• What are the skills one needs to develop to sustain and thrive? 
• Minefields to watch out for.

Niven Postma has had a wide and varied career across multiple organizations and sectors, in South Africa and internationally, including being CEO of the Businesswomen’s Association (BWA), CEO of NOAH (Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity), Head of External Strategy, and then Head of the SARB Academy at the South African Reserve Bank and Head of Leadership and Culture for the Standard Bank Group (the largest bank by assets in Africa). 
 
She is a Harvard Business Review contributor, the author of the acclaimed book “If you don’t do politics, politics will do you – A guide to navigating office politics ethically and successfully”, a global strategy and culture consultant, and an expert lecturer and facilitator on women’s leadership development programs. She is also the Chairman of the Board of Cotlands, an NGO that does cutting-edge work in the Early Childhood Development space in South Africa and beyond. 

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today's world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

Crisis brings chaos, and chaos reshuffles the deck.  And that can sometimes change things permanently.

With the Covid crisis, many things would change forever, and some would come back to where they were before. But before it happens, there will be a phase, a phase of transformation and transition.

And this is when we all have to be much more careful and alert because decisions made during this transition phase will impact our new setup. The new status quo, if you will.

In this episode, Thimon and I are talking about this transition, how it might look like, what should you be doing as a business and as an individual?

In this episode, we talk about:

• How might a post-covid comeback look like?
• What characterizes the post-covid world?
• Several things haven't been done during the last year and more. How does that change now?
• How have individuals and businesses managed expenses, and what it means now?
• Digital acceleration as well ad deceleration.
• How long will this post-covid transformation take?
• The best way businesses can manage multiple teams across geographies.
• Mental health repercussions post-covid.
• The reason behind the "great resignation" prediction.
• How can you control PTSD/S and PTG?
• If you are a people manager, what should you do in the next three months?
• What should you do in the next three months if you are an individual, solopreneur, working professional?
• Why shouldn't you work from home post-covid?

Thimon de Jong is the founder of WHETSTON / strategic foresight; a think tank specialized in future human behavior & societal change and the implications for leadership & business strategy. He is a sought-after global (virtual) keynote presenter and leadership trainer. His clients include Morgan Stanley, Vodafone, IKEA, and Nike.

Thimon also lectures at the social psychology department of Utrecht University, where he teaches master students how academic research can be practically applied to improve business strategy. He has a master's degree in Cultural Studies with a minor in International Business Studies. He is a former insight & strategy director at TrendsActive, a researcher at FreedomLab Future Studies, and editor-in-chief of RELOAD Magazine.

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today's world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon

When people do what makes them come alive, they deliver their best work. But the question is, how do you know what makes someone tick. How can you see and feel what others see and feel?

This is when you need empathy. Now empathy is not just being in someone else's shoes.
It's more than that. And today, Eksteen and I are going deeper into this subject.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What is "Exponentially Me" all about?
• How does "doing what you love" fit in a corporate environment?
• Why do leaders miss seeing other's emotions?
• How do we appreciate other's preferences and working styles?
• Importance of diversity.
• What stops us from recognizing other's pain and emotions?
• How does that impact communication?
• Three levels of empathy.
• How do you enhance your abilities on these three levels?
• Does everyone have all three levels of empathy?
• How do these abilities grow at different stages and change over time? 
• The best way you can develop three levels of empathy.

Eksteen De Waal (MBA) is an international speaker, writer, author, thinker, and leadership consultant.

With over 30 years of professional experience, Eksteen has a deep passion for team development and believes that compassion is at the heart of all truly successful organizations. He founded Exponentially Me, which focuses on corporate wellness by building resilience and empowering individuals to be their true selves in any corporate environment. These programs help people connect and discover the organization's heart that fans the flames of true engagement.

He is a firm believer that performance follows passion. When people do what makes them come alive, they deliver their best work. His talks are delivered with a sense of compassion, inspiring people to bring their authentic selves to any situation they face. Through his own contrasting life experiences, Eksteen has embraced his uniqueness to live an exponentially joyful and flourishing life!

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today's world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon

What is the difference between user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX)? People often use these terms interchangeably and conflate. And that results in poor or sometimes terrible customer experience.

I have Carsten Ley talking about what makes CX better and what breaks it for worse in this podcast episode.

In this episode, we talk about:

1. What's the difference between CX (customer experience) and UX (user experience)?
2. Problem with tech companies and CX.
3. Why do things go wrong in CX? Where are the usual gaps?
4. Companies have had systems for quite some time; why are there still issues?
5. The misconception of having a system.
6. The interplay between departments and its impact.
7. How and why are banks still ancient companies?
8. How do you handle an angry customer?
9. What people often ignore about CX?
10. How complicated systems and processes are contributing to poor CX?
11. How can companies fix CX problems and make them better?
12. What can you as an individual do to make CX better?
13. How do you stay positive and help customers?

Carsten is an entrepreneur, enabler & project lead in experience management, OKRs, project & change management. After his 20+ year career in Banking, Consulting, Project & Customer Experience Management for companies like Deloitte, VW, Rolls-Royce, and Lazada in Europe, Latin America & South East Asia, he founded Asia PMO in 2018.

His consulting firm is focused on getting clients fast and efficient into implementing company objectives, customer/ employee experience actions, and projects to foster a result- and team-oriented environment to excel in today's accelerated world.

Besides helping 30+ clients sustainably implement Experience Management & OKRs, he is an internationally accomplished keynote speaker, trainer & Coach. He was recently elected in the top 150 CX global thought leaders.

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today's world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon

In most organizations, innovation as a practice doesn't have the same level of legitimacy as other teams and practices have. And part of the reason is institutional blindness.

Unfortunately, institutional blindness is a real thing. As soon as a new employee joins the organization, they get too focused on their KPI, and they start to lose one of the most important aspects in innovation, context.

So in this episode, I am talking with Neil Sequeira about innovation in large organizations.

In this episode, we talk about:

1. What is the business side of innovation?
2. Why is it important to have a high-level view of your organization?
3. Institutional blindness.
4. Problem with KPI in innovation.
5. Organization design not being supportive of innovative thinking.
6. The biggest challenge in innovating in a large company.
7. Should you have a separate innovation team?
8. The problem of not being heard.
9. Is it possible to make innovation legitimate?
10. How to tackle this challenge?

Neil is a connector, a joiner of dots - people, ideas, and things - to create and deliver value.  While he is a chartered accountant by trade, his curious nature led him to various advisory, legal, software, hospitality, facilities management, and cash services industries before spending the last decade in the Australian telecommunications industry.

Neil loves the first-hand experience of the joys, challenges, and heartbreak of creating and bringing ideas to life.  But most of all, he loves to create platforms and opportunities to help other people find their authentic voices.

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today’s world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon

We all have heard about storytelling and we also know how they help in asserting certain values or to make a point.

But how do you take people on a journey when something hasn't happened yet? Well, the answer may be future stories.

I am chatting with Mike Wittenstein to understand more and learn, why future stories are more powerful?

In this episode, we talk about:

• Is storytelling just a fad or something else?
• How do you differentiate a future story and one from the past?
• The practicality of future stories.
• Prototyping the future: What is it and why is it important?
• How do you prototype strategy?
• Who in the organization must be driving future stories?
• Designing service versus designing experience.
• Keeping bean-counters at bay.
• Clarity in communication for future stories.
• How do sci-fi movies fit in this?
• How do you encapsulate bigger organizational culture with only a few stories?
• Tips to practice future storytelling.

Mike Wittenstein is a seasoned expert who consults and advises clients on strategy, change, experience design, and story. Mike works with leaders in specialty retail and other industries on how to fine-tune their business models and customer experience strategies as they face uncertain futures.

Mike founded his company, Storyminers in 2002. And since that time, he and his team have served more than 800 organizations, from Fortune 100 sized companies to start-ups, providing them with game-changing yet practical ideas.

Whether on-stage or online, Mike's thought-provoking presentations prepare working professionals to take early advantage of what's coming next.

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today’s world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon

Content creation doesn't make someone a thought leader. And talking about some cool technology or ideas doesn't make someone an innovator. I strongly believe that technology is not innovation, and innovation is not all about technology.

Innovation is a very different ball game. It doesn't start with technology. It starts with you. Your purpose, your strengths, and the change you want to make in fellow human's lives.

So, in today's episode, I have Saleema Vellani joining me from Washington DC.

In this episode, we talk about:

• About the overlap between innovation and entrepreneurship.
• What is hybridpreneur?
• Why is the technology associated with innovation than real innovation?
• What is your definition of innovation?
• What does innovation have to do with connecting dots?
• Associative thinking and innovation.
• Why you must start with "what" and not with "why?"
• Future-proofing capabilities.

Saleema is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, an adjunct professor, and the author of Innovation Starts With “I”. At the age of 21, Saleema co-founded and launched Brazil’s top-rated language school to finance an orphanage and social development programs. Shortly after, she co-founded and ran a leading online translation agency in Italy to help companies expand their digital presence globally. For over 12 years, Saleema has led 100+ international organizations, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies to their next stage of growth and innovation.

Currently, Saleema is the Founder and CEO of Ripple Impact, which is an accelerator and community that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses and platforms. She also consults as an innovation strategist to the World Bank, teaches Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins University, and is a frequent guest lecturer at business schools.

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today’s world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon

Most startups these days are rather too focused on which technology they use. How cool their AI system is and how deep their neural network is. The word "Agile" is thrown around like confetti in every possible discussion, and many of them do not really follow it in the right spirit.

In this episode, I am talking with Anuj Sahni about this, joining from Aukland, New Zealand.

In this episode, we talk about:

• In today's environment, why do some startups succeed and others don't?
• Why shouldn't you focus on technology? What's the alternative?
• What is economic value for customers?
• What can you do as a small business if you have missed some of the critical steps earlier?
• Using Agile versus agility.
• A few leading indicators of problems and/or success of your startup.

Anuj is the founder of PICWA.io and is passionate about startups that make a positive impact. He helps startups take off successfully with his product-driven approach to tech and has worked with multiple high-growth startups in Israel, Australia, and the USA over the past 7 years. He has 2 patents under his belt and is a keen podcaster (WayForward.tv).

ABOUT
ICT Podcast is all about innovation, communication, and technology – a few key areas that are super important in today’s world. If you want to know what it takes to be a better innovator, better communicator, and leverage technology to make this world a better place, please subscribe. Every week, I bring new perspectives, ideas, tips, and techniques so that you can improve all these aspects of your life.

WEB: https://www.anandtamboli.com
LINKEDIN: https://www.anandtamboli.com/linkedin
YOUTUBE: https://www.anandtamboli.com/youtube
BOOKS: https://www.anandtamboli.com/amazon