Leadership Beyond Borders

Globalization is very often thought of as a new phenomenon, but it isn't. It is simply the contact between diverse individuals and it actually began when prehistoric wandering tribes settled and integrated themselves into more stable tribal environments. Digitalization- what is that? It will be a tremendous opportunity for society: over the years to come, it will be one of the strongest drivers for growth, jobs, and well-being. But it is a little scary. You toss in the span of generations working today, diversity, integration and everything else and we conclude we are living in a rapidly changing world. These changes can also be overwhelming for the individual, for society as a whole and for business. But we must grasp these opportunities with both hands and welcome. This speaker integrates her own philosophy not only into her private life but helps companies recognize how important shifting values and social changes are in leading successful businesses.

We're used to thinking of start-ups as primarily high-tech innovation companies and geographically located in Silicon Valley, but that has changed. First, start-ups have gone global with Hubs popping up from Tel Aviv to Toronto and from Berlin to Shanghai. Also, start-ups are not just about tech, but about local businesses. Harvard research has shown that there are four shifts taking place with start-ups and VC: Expansion, Globalization, Urbanization, and a Winner-Take-All Pattern trend. But these are trends among VC and tech oriented businesses. There is another trend with more and more local entrepreneurs starting small businesses. But start-ups have challenges, with 50% of small businesses not even surviving the first 4 years and with VC backed businesses the success rate ranges only from 5-25%. But regardless of location or size, the principles for success remain the same. This episode talks about how to Increase success rate of start-ups.

In ancient times the ability to memorize was a considered a magical skill --sometimes even thought of as mystical and it was essential to the passing down of stories, legends, history, and taboos and laws. It was used as a basis for social and economic development. Today, the Internet seems to be making memorization irrelevant. What we don't remember, we look up. Many schools have also generally abandoned requiring students to memorize poems, famous speeches, math tables, and all sorts of academic material that used to be ingrained in the curriculum. The question is -Is technology making us mentally lazy and if so how does that affect us in our business and private lives?' Memorization is a discipline of the mind and our guest on this episode believes we should exercise our memory more than we do. Our guest also believes that not only should we exercise our memory but he helps people learn how to do this.

With the lifting restrictions on cannabis, many say that the current "green rush" will actually have even more impact on the economy than the reintroduction of alcohol in the 30's. But it is not that easy to grasp the entrepreneurial reins that are needed to make it in this industry. Restricted licenses, regulations and new technologies in an industry that is really in its infancy, makes it exciting but also very demanding and great leadership plays an important role. But it is not only about great leadership, it is also about social responsibility. In new industries, that are just forming, leaders have to be the ones to set the standards. Setting the standards means leading the way in innovation, and creating what the future vision of the industry should be. In this episode, we talk with one of the most innovative and socially responsible companies in the cultivation, manufacturing and marketing of medical cannabis.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing everything. It is merging our personal lives with our business lives as devices learn more about us and location-based intelligence always knows where we are and what we are doing. We see AI used in internet searches, customer targeting applications, performance evaluations and it is rapidly changing many industries and the future of work. But AI is not new. In 1956, the term artificial intelligence was used at a conference at Dartmouth College, but not until 1997, when IBM's Deep Blue became the first computer to beat a human at chess did it become a popular term. Now, 20 years later, AI is still in its infancy, even though we have voice-detection technology, suggestive searches, and autonomous cars. The question is where is AI headed? Many companies are competing to be the first to unveil the next level of AI do we really understand its capabilities? This episode takes a lot at AI from a very practical point of view.

Digitalization is happening at all levels of the economy and it is impacting small and medium size businesses (SMB's) as much it impacts enterprise companies. The challenge is that SMB's do not always have the same digital resources or knowledge that large enterprises have. For this reason, it is hard for SMB's to keep up with the various types of digital media available resulting in a lack of web presence that may hinder being found when customers are ready to buy. SIINDA, The Search and Information Industry Association of Europe, conducted a Digital Landscape Survey which took a look at the digital presence of SMB's across Europe and the United Arab Emirates. The study which was in cooperation with Silktide ,UK and partnered with Mono Solutions, Denmark, for the UAE, gives us insights into where SMB's need to improve their presence and what they need to do to increase customer engagement. In this episode, we take a look at the results.

There is no place in the world where digital marketing is changing and advancing so fast as in the Middle East and African (MEA). In preparation for our LOCALCOMM SIINDA event, to be held at Google Headquarters, March 6 & 7 in Dubai, we are talking today with a MEA digital expert. . According to the latest telecom Intelligence reports, Mobile phone usage is skyrocketing in the MEA and the region is expected to account for the second-largest mobile phone population of any region in the world, with an over 200% penetration. And this mobile phone growth, which is mostly smart phones, along with smart city initiatives is driving digital advertising and location based advertising opportunities in MEA. A recent report by PwC, on the state of the media and entertainment industry, forecasts the spend on internet advertising in the MEA will grow from ca. $707 million in 2013 to $2.46 billion in 2018. In this episode, we talk about the opportunities and the changing MEA digital landscape.

Traditional marketers and business owners think that the word 'digital' in digital marketing is simplistically taken to mean 'our website' or 'our Facebook page' and this thinking limits the scope and opportunity that digital marketing brings. The use of the Internet, digital media and other new technologies support 'new age marketing' but it has also given rise to a number of labels created by professionals and marketers. These labels drive us to believe digital marketing about media, devices, data and technology, but it's really about the people we want to reach, relationships and the engagement we accomplish with them. The terms digital marketing, Internet marketing, e-marketing, web marketing and other terms should help us focus on the end goal which is the development of relationships. Understanding what digital marketing is, the importance of digital marketing and its importance to the future of marketing is critical for any business and this episode discusses just this.

Privacy is dead, right? Facebook knows everything about us, LinkedIn has our entire careers documented and consumer behaviour shows, that people just don't care about privacy, no matter how much they complain about it.

Research shows that most U.S. adults — 60 percent —claim they care about privacy but will barely lift a finger in an effort to preserve it.

Regulations such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation that went into effect in May of this year will to go worldwide.

Why are governments taking control of our privacy, is it because we have none anymore?

But, the train has already left the station, hasn’t it? We already live in a digital world, so how can we control what is already out there?

Will the implementation of new rules and regulations make data non-accessible?

How can we keep advancing and use new technologies such as AI if we cannot use personal data?

These questions and more are the questions confronting us today and we will talk about in this episode.

We were shocked when Equifax announced that 143 million Social Security numbers were compromised. Amazon and Walmart have had customer passwords leaked online. These are only the big breaches that we hear about, but there are many more. A 2017 PwC survey interviewed more than 9,600 IT executives globally and found that 41% had experienced at least one security incident in the past year. Of those, 37% reported financial losses as a result. The challenge is that hackers are getting more and more sophisticated, and it is not just about technology, it is about social engineering. Cyber-security must be deeply embedded in every aspect of business from product development, customer relations, to HR. Understanding how to develop a cyber-security awareness program is not only essential for big companies but for every company. In this episode, we not only talk about why it is important but how to do it.