Subject Matter

How does it feel when someone appears in your inbox asking for yet ANOTHER favour? These people constantly drain your energy by ruthlessly taking. On the other hand, people who can't help but be helpful leave you with a very different feeling. This is the difference between seeding relationships and leeching relationships. On today's episode, we talk about why seeders always win over the long-term, and techniques you can use to build a more giving organisation.

Similarity allows you to relate to others, yet uniqueness allows you to shine. What most people miss? It's when leaders pair both together that their company thrives. We're learning from the PayPal mafia who used similarity and uniqueness to dominate their market, and from Byron Slosar, Founder & CEO of HIVE Diversity, who is using these two core principles to take the diversity & inclusion industry by storm.

Our first Whatifstory—A fictional story asking "What if history turned out differently?"—was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man In The Arena" quote that has impacted leaders for over a century. We asked: "What if there actually WAS a man in the arena?" What follows is that gladiator's story...

Strategy is cyclical. You can only make progress by understanding where you've come from. If you're a leader building a brand for yourself, reflection is critical. On today's episode, Ben shares 3 striking lessons that came out of his annual review—on identity, uniqueness and purpose—that directly applies to ambitious leaders like you.

There is a difference between brands who miss with their messaging, and brands who empathise with the time. Comparing two case studies of Gillette and Nike showcases how marketing is often not just what you say, but how you frame it...

How did one humble company overcome adversity to become one of the top live streaming platforms in the world? Twitch created a new language that wasn't built for a country, but for a culture. The culture of the Internet. Today's business leaders are confronted with a fast-growing digital language too. You need to understand how to turn communication from offline to online, or you'll be left in the dust, trailing behind other more relevant firms.

How did Europe's most powerful man feel understood? By portraying himself authentically. Napoleon Bonaparte built a powerful brand by showcasing his authentic self. Similarly, for leaders to create a brand that lasts, it needs to be authentic. This can be done in the messages you share, the stories you tell, or as we'll learn, even the paintings you commission...

Andrew Carnegie was one of the world's wealthiest men... with a severe problem in employee wellbeing. If he was around today, his workforce may well have revolted! Today one business leader, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, is dangerously close to following in his footsteps. What does the King of customer experience have to learn from Carnegie's leadership? And can he avoid making the same mistakes?

Empathetic communication starts by identifying your story's subtlety. The best way to do this is recruiting the help of a sounding board. Today we're learning from superstar soprano Renée Fleming whose success was achieved thanks to her voice coach for 16 years. And it turns out opera has more in common with business than you might think...

If impostor syndrome is the feeling that we're not worthy of our success, the antidote is awareness. This feeling of being a fraud is all too common, and on this episode we explore how to prevent it from holding you back as a business leader by looking at Dr. Valerie Young, who has created a programme taken by over 80,000 people to understand impostor syndrome.