Surabhi Shenoy, an engineer by profession, shares her journey from being an engineer to starting her own tech company with her husband. They initially worked for various startups in the US and India, writing code and developing software. Over time, they gained experience in building products, managing investors, and marketing. Their company eventually started servicing clients and working with big companies like Intuit. After years of experience, they decided to start their own company, aiming to create bigger career paths and fulfill everyone's dreams.

Leadership, Mental Safety, and Simplicity

We discuss the concept of leadership and its impact on businesses. Surabhi expresses her belief that leadership has become overly complex and that people have become weaker due to the focus on leadership and mental safety. She argued that individuals should be self-sufficient and not rely on leadership for their success. We also discuss the importance of simplicity in management, suggesting that leaders should trust their team members and let them work independently.

Entrepreneurial Journeys and Leadership Lessons

Surabhi shares her journey from working in Tech Companies to running a health and wellness center, highlighting the challenges and lessons learned. She emphasized the importance of trusting her instincts and making decisions based on her knowledge of the business. Graham acknowledged the value of leadership and the balance between strategy and culture. Surabhi concluded by expressing the confidence and growth she experienced through these experiences.

Balancing Business and Personal Life

Surabhi shares her experiences of running two companies simultaneously and the lessons she learned from them. She highlights the importance of understanding one's role in a business, particularly as a founder, and the need for skill development to manage growth effectively. Surabhi also emphasizes the importance of conscious effort and skill building to avoid burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Skill Sets and Mindset in Business

We explore the importance of skill sets and mindset in business leadership and that different skill sets are required at different stages of business growth, from a small entrepreneurial team to a larger business. Surabhi shares her personal journey, starting her first company in 2002 and exiting her health and wellness business in 2012. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the value creation process and being clear about the business's purpose, whether it's a lifestyle business or one intended for growth and eventual sale. They also discussed the importance of maintaining a certain size and quality of work to avoid losing touch with clients and employees.

Emotional Intelligence in Effective Leadership

Surabhi emphasizes the need for emotional intelligence to understand and manage emotions, as well as the ability to communicate effectively with others. She also highlights the importance of having the right intention when giving feedback.

 Surabhi's Journey and Business Challenges

Surabhi shares her personal and professional journey, highlighting her experiences in building and growing various businesses with her husband. She discusses the challenges they faced, including the loss of her husband in an accident, and how she continued to lead the company. Surabhi emphasizes the importance of resilience, trust, and loyalty in overcoming these challenges. She also mentions the support she received from her team and clients during difficult times. The conversation concluded with Surabhi discussing her decision to exit the business after her husband's passing, opting for a 100% buyout for the best interest of everyone involved.

Building Resilient High-Value Businesses

Surabhi shares the importance of building a high-value business, emphasizing resilience and value creation for all stakeholders. Surabhi highlights the connection between a resilient leader and a resilient business, and the need for emotional intelligence, humility, hard work, and people skills in leadership.

You can join Surabhi's CEO Newsletter here >> CEO Newsletter

Surabhi's website is here >> Surabhi Shenoy

Connect on LinkedIn >> CEO Coach

In this episode, we sit down with the phenomenal Nikki Timms to explore her extraordinary journey from shaping HR teams to orchestrating gold-standard hospitality at the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games. With a wealth of experience working for Costa Coffee, Nikki led the teams responsible for serving world-class athletes at the Olympic Village and ensuring unforgettable experiences for spectators. Her story is one of leadership, resilience, and the power of a shared vision to achieve the impossible.

Key Talking Points:

Nikki’s HR Roots:

• How her expertise in HR laid the foundation for her success in team leadership.
• The challenges and rewards of building high-performing teams in the fast-paced world of retail.

The Olympic Call to Action:

• The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead hospitality teams at the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games.
• The excitement and magnitude of being part of such a historic event.

Leading with Purpose at the Olympics:

• Insights into the preparation: the rigorous planning, the training, and the mindset needed to serve on a global stage.
• Managing the dual demands of providing exceptional service to athletes and creating magical moments for spectators.
• How she inspired her teams to deliver under immense pressure.

Challenges on the World Stage:

• Navigating the logistical and emotional complexities of the Olympic Village.
• The importance of adaptability, communication, and maintaining morale in high-pressure environments.

Lessons in Leadership and Teamwork:

• What the Olympics taught Nikki about resilience, collaboration, and the pursuit of excellence.
• How those lessons translated back to her career and beyond.

The Legacy of Paris 2024:

• How being part of such an iconic event shaped Nikki’s leadership journey.
• The lasting impact of the Olympics on her approach to building and inspiring teams.

Takeaways for Listeners:

• How to transfer leadership skills across industries and challenges.
• The importance of setting a gold standard for yourself and your team, no matter the circumstances.
• Nikki’s advice for staying grounded and focused when working under pressure.

Call to Action:

Feeling inspired by Nikki’s story? Reflect on how you can lead your team to achieve their own “Olympic moments.” What gold standard are you setting in your work and life?

Tune in to hear Nikki’s incredible journey and the lessons she’s learned about leadership, resilience, and delivering excellence on the world stage.

Sarah is a Group Product Manager at Booking.com managing 3 teams in the developer platform space within Car Rental. She has worked for a number of FTSE 100 companies as a Product Manager and earlier in her career as a Senior Consultant with a software house in the Automotive Finance sector. Sarah consistently transforms teams into high performing and highly motivated teams through simple techniques and is thoroughly passionate about continual improvement looking to drive change in all aspects of her life. Alongside her busy day job, she also runs a very successful Scout group in the leafy plains of Cheshire, having transformed it from a small group with declining numbers into a vibrant group with a large waiting list by applying the lessons of her professional life to her willing team of volunteers.

I’m delighted to welcome Jess Annison onto the show today.

Jess is a qualified coach with an accredited diploma in Transformational Coaching from the Animas Centre for Coaching.

As well as being a coach Jess is also an experienced Project Director and change leader. She has led award-winning teams and organisational change projects within a range of sectors, including the Civil Service, Higher and Further Education, Financial Services and Logistics sectors.

There have been some great highlights along the way (in particular five amazing years working to deliver the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and receiving the Order of Officer of the British Empire (OBE) from HM Queen as a result).

Today we explore the importance of Leading with Meaning.

You can find out more about Jess at https://www.jess-annison.com/

It can be tough out there at the moment. Our new world is taking incredible demands from us as leaders. In this episode we explore how you can increase your energy and vitality as a leader.

I'm delighted to be joined by Julia Suzuki who has mastered the art of being a highly successful entrepreneur whilst still being full of life and vitality.

You can find out more about Julia here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliasuzukiofficial

https://www.instagram.com/juliasuzuki

If you are interested in working with us, and want to find out about the exclusive leadership retreats we will be running in the South of France, contact me at [email protected]

In this episode we explore how to build teams with Dave Dayman. We explore insights into building elite teams and dig into insights from his new book Team Foundations - the building blocks of high performing teams.

You can find out more about Dave's approach and all about his book at www.teamfoundations.co.uk

If you want to find out more about Dave, you can connect with him on LinkedIn at Dave Dayman

The tables are turned in this podcast with me being interviewed by Wing Commander Philip Holdcroft on the fascinating subject of resilience.

We explore what resiliency actually is and how we can develop a resilient mindset. It's packed full of tips and hints to become more effective as a leader

In this podcast I'm joined by Dawn Browne.

With the hospitality sector under so much pressure and restrictions due to the COVID crisis we'll explore Dawn's leadership journey and how she is responding.

Dawn has had the privilege to lead people at work for over 20 years and is currently People & Talent Director for Fuller, Smith & Turner whose 4,000 team members run 500 pubs in the South of England.

Dawn is lucky enough to absolutely love her job, lives in Surrey with her two kids aged 13 and 10, and has found the last nine months the most challenging of her career so far…..

I'm delighted to share today's leadership podcast with Fraser Gault, founder of Gault Consulting. We explore what great leadership looks like in today's world.

Fraser is an outcome focused leader with 20 years experience working in different cultural environments, and in different parts of the world.

He possess a clear, strong track record on talent & leadership development, strategic business development, training delivery and workshop facilitation. 

Fraser on LinkedIn

Gault Consulting

Elliot Chmielinski is a young and dynamic individual working in the construction industry.   

He is currently part of the senior leadership team at Somfy UK, responsible for the commercial projects channel. 

Throughout his career to date he has learnt and developed several key principles which underpin his leadership style. 

He thrives off gaining new knowledge and creating a platform for individuals to develop and succeed.

Let's hear Elliot's leadership insights...

Connect with Elliot