TED Business

Work that's dictated by a fixed schedule, place and job description doesn't make sense anymore, says leadership expert Debbie Lovich. In light of the cultural shift towards remote work sparked by the pandemic, Lovich gives three essential tips to leaders so employees can keep their autonomy (while remaining productive), companies can let go of rigid bureaucracy and we can all reshape work to better fit our lives. After the talk, Modupe explores the benefits and downsides of attending meetings remotely.

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Computer skills aren't what's stopping people from breaking into the tech industry, says social entrepreneur Irma L. Olguin Jr. More often, the biggest hurdles are things like access to childcare, transportation and financial stability. In this visionary talk, Olguin Jr. introduces the work she's done to uplift and empower people in her community in Fresno, California -- and shows how it can be a model to elevate "underdog" communities across the world. After the talk, Corey speaks with Irma about her career, how she got started, and what she's doing next.

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As chairman of the world's largest maritime shipping company, Jim Hagemann Snabe thinks a lot about how goods get where they need to go and the impact their journey has on the planet. Leading the effort to decarbonize shipping by 2050, he shares a plan to convert green electricity into green liquid fuel to power vessels in a process called "power-to-X" -- and urges global leaders to join the voyage towards an innovative, sustainable and fast-approaching future. After the talk, Corey talks about how we can accomplish enormous, seemingly impossible goals, by breaking them down and making them manageable.

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The financial sector often talks of decarbonizing investment portfolios as a way to fight climate change. But portfolios can be "cleaned" without having any real impact on the problem, says investment expert Nili Gilbert. Bringing science to finance, she unpacks how investors can actually help decarbonize the world and ensure the climate transition is just, global and interconnected. After the talk, Corey discusses how many businesses are boasting climate-beneficial practices, and how you can vet their impact as a consumer.

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Did you know that in the US the average white family has ten times as much wealth as a black family? Ten times. But while we wait for government policies to shrink that gap, we all decide where our money goes. So how can we collectively chip away at that gap, now?

In this episode, we find out. First, through a talk by BCG consultant Kedra Newsom Reeves that follows her family through generations to understand how policy helped build this gap—and what financial institutions can do now to shrink it. Then, Modupe talks with founder Shani Dowell, the first black woman in Tennessee to raise a million dollars in VC funding, about the creative techniques that anybody can use to start redistributing wealth in America.

We'll be back from break next week, but meanwhile we hope you enjoy this favorite from the TED Business archive.

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When an organization is battered by critics, how does it usually respond? “Deny and push back, put out some sort of lame statement,” says Bob Langert, “and no progress is made at all.” But based on 25 years leading sustainability and corporate responsibility at McDonald’s, Bob proposes another way: To work with critics.

In this talk, he shares stories that take us from the Amazon to slaughterhouses, from tree huggers to corporate suits, all in the search for common ground with his greatest detractors.

While we're taking a break, we hope you enjoy this favorite from the TED Business archive.

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Confidence. We talk about it all the time. We know it matters. And still, educator and activist Brittany Packnett thinks we underestimate it. "Confidence,” she says, “is the necessary spark before everything that follows.”

In this talk, Brittany identifies the three basic elements of this elusive force, which can be especially valuable for people whose role models don’t look like them.

After the talk, Modupe shares one more technique that has propelled her year after year at work, and explores the power of finding your "superpower" at work. And, Spiderman makes a brief appearance.

While we're taking a break, we hope you enjoy this favorite from the TED Business archive—maybe it'll even help you find the confidence to pursue your most bold resolutions this year.

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You know you need a mentor to advance your career, but have you ever considered who your sponsor is? Carla Harris, vice chairman at Morgan Stanley, explains the crucial importance of identifying a person who will speak on your behalf in the top-level, closed-door meetings you're not invited to (yet). Learn why your pool of potential sponsors is bigger than you might think—and how to think carefully about how to present yourself to them.

We're taking a break from the holidays, and hope you enjoy this TED Business archive talk as you plan for the year ahead and think about who will help you get the most out of 2022.

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The end of another year is upon us, so it's time to take stock of where we've been and look ahead at where business is going. Today, Modupe talks to Harvard Business School professors and hosts of the TED Audio Collective podcast “After Hours” Youngme Moon, Mihir Desai, and Felix Oberholzer-Gee to reflect on this year’s learning opportunities and the conversations they are keeping an eye on for 2022. The trio also talk about how they got into the habit of making end of year predictions, what they’ve been wrong (or surprisingly right) about, and what and what our obsession with predicting the future says about us. Check out their full 2022 predictions on “After Hours” wherever you’re listening to this.

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Business in Africa is booming -- but international companies are missing out, says emerging markets expert Nomava Zanazo. Rushing in without knowing their customers, businesses underestimate Africans and make costly assumptions about their diversity, preferences and buying power. Sharing the basics about what companies need to know to succeed on the continent, Zanazo debunks four myths and misunderstandings about Africa and its citizens -- and invites businesses from overseas to share in its wealth ... once they've done their research. After the talk, Modupe talks with Ndidi Nwuneli, the co-founder of Aace Foods, a producer and distributor of West African food products. Aace Foods is a great example of a company that is following Zanazo's advice for how American companies can do business well with African consumers.

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