career advice Archives - Page 8 of 14

Future Proof Me – Citizen Branding

July 27, 2021
by Claire

This week’s mini episode features a global branding and design icon talking about the renewed power branding has in today’s ‘social’ world to create change-making movements.

When we invited the designer, author and podcaster, Debbie Millman, on the show last year she talked about how branding has evolved in the past decade and how the power has shifted to us as consumers and citizens. She explained it in a historical context that really stuck with us and we thought it was so important, we wanted to share it with you again.

Debbie is a global authority on brands, as well as creating them, she co-created and teaches a Masters in Branding at New York’s famed School of Visual Arts.

Understanding how branding, as well as content, has been democratised and how it can be harnessed for good and even turned into social movements is important; not just for future proofing our careers but also for future proofing our planet as well.

On that note, sit back, pretend you’re in NYC and drink in Debbie’s wise words now!

Useful Links

https://www.debbiemillman.com/

Debbie’s TED talk – How Symbols and Brands Shape our Humanity

Society 6 Debbie Millman – various designs by Debbie that you can buy

How to Build Your Personal Brand – A Course with Debbie Millman

The Art of the Story – Creating Visual Narratives

Debbie’s reading list

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Mastering Your Ego

July 13, 2021
by Claire

This week’s Future Proofing mini episode is all about not letting your ego get the better of you.

We were blown away by the maturity and wisdom of young New Zealand entrepreneur, Brianne West, the founder and CEO of Ethique, the global and sustainable cosmetics company. We spoke to her on the show last year.

Brianne’s mission is to rid the world of single-use plastics and Ethique replaces bottled products like shampoos with solid bars of concentrated product.

Brianne has won all kinds of honours including New Zealand’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year and she was named an Obama Leader for Asia Pacific.

With these accolades Brianne could be forgiven for running her global business exactly as she pleases. But what’s so refreshing about this entrepreneur in her 30’s is that she’s well aware she’s never worked in any other business and so she knows she needs other people’s expertise to help her succeed.

And that’s where mastering your ego comes into it. Brianne is so authentic and open about what she does and doesn’t know.

In a world where it’s so easy for all of us to think we have to role play and claim more experience and capability than we may have, one of the secrets to Brianne’s success is that she’s learnt her business needs her to listen to the recommendations of others in order to succeed. She leaves her ego at the door when she goes to work and so do her colleagues.

Take a listen and be inspired how vulnerability really can be the best way forward.

Useful Links

Brianne’s Full Interview with us – Brianne West – Running the World’s most Sustainable Cosmetics Company

Ethique Website

Brianne on Instagram

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – What Great Ideas Need

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021
by Claire

This week’s Future Proof mini episode is all about what it takes to get a big idea signed off.

We’re excited to share very wise advice from senior Microsoft exec, Mitra Azizirad, who heads up their AI and Innovation division. Mitra speaks about what you should do when that fantastic idea or innovation you have gets knocked back. (Hands up who knows that feeling!)

Mitra is someone who’s had plenty of practise selling-in new ideas and approaches, and one of her top pieces of advice from our conversation was all about how you should react to being told “no” when you pitch an idea in a big corporate.

It’s important advice and we’re excited to revisit this with you here. Enjoy!

Useful Links

Mitra’s Full Interview with us – Mitra Azizirad – How Resilience and Persistence Can Make All The Difference

Mitra on LinkedIn – see her speeches here too! Well worth a watch!

Microsoft Innovation – Mitra’s team

Microsoft AI – also Mitra’s team

Mcirosoft’s AI Business School – Free Course

Interview

Allison Kent-Smith – Not your Typical Entrepreneur

June 22, 2021June 29, 2021
by Claire

Our episode this week features an American woman who abandoned the security and prestige of working with some of the world’s most sought after ad agencies to start her own businesses.

Her name is Allison Kent Smith and one thing that really stands out about her is that she has consciously refused to pretend to be someone she’s not when trying to find VC investors for her startup.

That startup, giide.com, is a new platform for creating rich audio learning experiences featuring a host of multimedia options such as links, articles and graphics.

In our conversation you’ll hear how

Allison has experienced a few seminal moments when she just knew she had to leap out of her comfort zone work-wise
What a Silicon Valley VC told her when she met with him for funding that nearly made her give up
Why she asks herself how can she do less when she wakes up
And how she’s found her tribe of investors and supporters by staying true to herself

So sit back and enjoy this episode with the not so typical entrepreneur, Allison Kent Smith.

Useful Links

Giide Website

iOS app in the app store

Allison on LinkedIn

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Courage for All Things

June 16, 2021June 17, 2021
by Claire

Our mini episode this week is packed with wisdom from one of our most thoughtful guests.

Social entrepreneur, author and one of Forbes Magazine ‘100 Greatest Living Business Minds’, Jacqueline Novogratz, blew our socks off with her inspiring purpose and thoughtful wisdom when we spoke with her last year.

We particularly loved how Jacqueline spoke inspiringly about courage and creating change, and she uses the analogy of bulls and doves in a brilliant way. At the time she was releasing her latest book, Manifesto for a Moral Revolution.

Jacqueline starts by stressing how important it is not to spend ages thinking about doing something but to make a start, even if it scares you.

You’ll also learn how she channels her inner bull and dove and how she overcame her fear of public speaking.

Enjoy this episode.

Useful Links

Our full interview with Jacqueline Novogratz

Acumen Website

Jacqueline’s Books:

Manifesto for a Moral Revolution – Practices to Build a Better World

The Blue Sweater

How To Episode

How To Be A Great People Person

June 9, 2021
by Claire

This week’s episode is all about becoming a great ‘people person’. It’s something we believe is probably the most important trait of a great leader.

Of course, it’s not always easy to do, particularly these days when many of us are working from home at least some part of each week.

Thanks to Covid, we’re all losing a bit of ‘muscle tone’ when it comes to building and maintaining healthy working relationships with our colleagues, direct reports and networks.

But fear not as we have just the info you need to hear to reinvigorate your working life!

In this episode you’ll hear:

How one CEO was advised not to think she was running a company and instead to think of it as managing a group of individuals;
Great advice on the key ingredients for strong working relationships even when everyone is working remotely;
What mistake younger women make in particular when it comes to interactions at work;
And the one special ingredient you need to build enduring relationships in ways that are otherwise impossible.

So rediscover the ‘people person’ you want to be, and enjoy this episode!

Useful Links

Link to Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas Interview

Link to Connie Mckeage Interview

The Trust Equation by Charles Green

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Ask for What You Want

June 1, 2021June 14, 2021
by Claire

This week’s Future Proof Me mini episode is all about asking for what you want.

It sounds so simple in theory but it’s not always easy to do is it?

Listen up for great and pragmatic advice on asking and negotiating from the unique and gutsy former advertising CEO, Cindy Gallop. She’s now a Founder and international speaker and she’s passionate about women being treated equally in business.

You’ll hear Cindy initially talk about being posed a great question about what she wanted to do by an old boss at the famed ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty that really got her thinking and changed her career. Then you get to hear her invaluable advice on promoting yourself and things you can do if you need to negotiate your salary.

Enjoy this mini episode.

Useful Links

Link to Cindy’s full interview with us

Ask Cindy Gallop Chatbot

Connie Mckeage – Resilience and Perspective

May 25, 2021May 25, 2021
by Claire

This week, we’re really thrilled to be able to share our conversation with experienced founder, CEO and all round impressive operator, Connie Mckeage.

Connie recently sold OneVue, the listed fintech business she ran in Sydney for 14 years. It was a dramatic journey at times, particularly when OneVue was left being owed $31 million dollars by another company which had collapsed.

Connie is Canadian and has spent most of her career in financial services. With OneVue she and her 200 employees were looking to disrupt the funds management market by creating a new digital model that aimed to cut out the middleman and reduce fees for end investors.

Connie has an impressive list of awards to her name including being awarded the Centenary Medal for contribution to Australian business leadership; as well as twice being named CEO of the Year at the Women in Finance Awards, including last year at the same time she was fighting to keep her business afloat when it was owed $31 million.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Connie started her career in financial services by accident
How she dealt with her husband’s vehement opposition to her business for years on end
What she learnt from the hardest 18 months of her career; and
Her advice if you’re looking to disrupt an industry.

So get comfy and listen now because Connie has such wise and thoughtful insights on so many topics …

Useful Link

Connie on LinkedIn

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Facing Failure

May 18, 2021
by Claire

This week’s mini episode is all about facing your fears and not being held back in life by the fear of failure.

It’s important to know that we don’t always recognise how we’re feeling as ‘fear of failure’ when we hesitate or say no, but often that’s what lies behind any hesitation.

In this episode we hear again from Kat Dunn. Kat was running Grameen Australia when we spoke a year or so back and these days Kat is working for herself and very much still focused on social ventures.

Kat has thought a lot about failure and has held numerous failure-themed events in the past, and as a result, she has all kinds of wisdom to share as you will hear in this future-proofing, mini episode.

Extra Info

Here are the 4 different lenses we shared at the end of this episode that can help when you’re worrying about failing. . .

1. Growth Mindset – overcoming a fixed mindset and embracing the prospect of growing and learning;

2. The practise of Gratitude – to be more positive;

3. Purpose – instead of focusing on what you’re afraid of, think about what are you moving towards?

4. Play – we underestimate the power of play in the adult world to really unlock creativity and get us into a state of inspiration and action, the perfect antidote to failure-inspired hesitation and inertia.

Links

Kats Full Interview

Kat on LinkedIn

Kat on Instagram

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Founders’ Reality

May 4, 2021June 1, 2021
by Claire

This week we look at the realities of being a startup founder. Becoming an entrepreneur and a founder is increasingly popular, even with school students where a recent survey showed that 40% of them now want to be entrepreneurs when they complete their studies.

But it’s not all fame, fortune and delightful autonomy if you intend to build a business that will scale and survive. And we figured, who better to hear what being a founder is really like than one of Australia’s most successful female entrepreneurs, Cyan Ta’eed, the Co-Founder of the hugely successful digital marketplace, Envato (valued at over a billion dollars).

Cyan is also the founder of the ethical chocolate company Hey Tiger and go milkshake, an app for Instagram influencers.

In this episode she shares with us just how hard she and her co-founders worked to get Envato off the ground. It didn’t mean that they couldn’t choose where they’d work those long hours as you will hear in this fascinating insight into this Founders reality.

Enjoy this mini episode.

Useful Links

Cyan Ta’eed’s full interview

Cyan’s personal Instagram

Hey Tiger Instagram

Hey Tiger website – order your chocolate here (delivery to Australia, NZ & US for now)

Milkshake Instagram

Envato Instagram

Envato website