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Future Ready Podcast

Newly Released

Upskill with the world’s most influential books in bite-sized lessons.

Insights On Team Management

Insights On Leadership

Insights On Personal Development

Financial Management

Insights On Communication

INSIGHTS FROM BEST-SELLING BOOKS

Upskill with business leaders, subject matter experts and faculty from top universities.

Leadership Essentials

Lessons On Personal Development

Lessons On Communication

Business Planning

Lessons On Productivity

INSIGHTS FROM FACULTY & EXPERTS

Stephen M.R. Covey shows why trust is all-important in a productive business. This series delves into his bestselling book The Speed of Trust to show all the vital elements of trust, from how to build and retain it, to regaining lost trust.

Among other lessons from the 9/11 tragedy is the fallout of trust under question. Stephen M.R. Covey effectively uses this powerful example to show what happens when one crucial element comes under a cloud. Find out why low trust means high cost and vice versa in business terms.

Like all changes, building trust begins with the self, says Stephen M.R. Covey as he describes the five waves of trust. This episode focuses on the first wave: self-trust. And, he has seven questions he wants you to answer to gauge your trustworthiness.

Four core values of building trust: Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, Results. The first two stem from character and the other two indicate competence.

The first core value of building credibility, integrity, can be honed and Stephen M.R. Covey shows you exactly how. It is not something inherent, he insists. Committing to something, whether to yourself or to others, and delivering on that promise goes in step with trust.

Making and keeping commitments all the time can help build trust. Do not promise something you cannot deliver.

The focus shifts to intent, the second core value of trust. Learn how a lack of information on intention can lead to a diminished sense of trust. Improving on this aspect can be hard, but Covey's tips help.

Matching your intent with your behavior is vital to appear consistent to others. Be vocal about intent without allowing room for misinformation.

Covey has the perfect formula for improving competence. Yes, the two key ingredients are capabilities and results. In this episode, you will learn how to enhance both.

Competence develops from capabilities and results. To improve the first, focus on building strengths, keep yourself updated and be clear about goals. To improve results, take responsibility for the outcome and not activities, and always expect to win.

For others to be able to trust you, you have to show consistent behavior and learn to act and interact in ways that enhance this confidence. Covey elaborates on five behaviors based on the characters you need to perfect for this.

Second Wave: Relationship Trust Through Character

Five behaviors that build trust through character: Talk straight, demonstrate respect, create transparency, correct mistakes, and show loyalty.

Eight behaviors build relationship trust and they are based on competence. Whether it is by delivering results or confronting reality, Covey shows why these actions can send your trust scores soaring with others.

Second Wave: Relationship Trust Through Competence

To build relationship trust: 1. Deliver results, 2. Keep improving, 3. Face reality, 4. Clarify expectations, 5. Be accountable, 6. Listen, 7. Keep commitments, 8. Extend trust.

At the organizational level, trust continues to be a two-way street. As a leader, the onus to build trust within the organization is yours. It makes business sense as it lowers costs and creates value. Keep watching for Covey's formula to measure trust.

Eliminate trust taxes to reap trust dividends by using positive symbols and be careful about negative symbols.

The fourth wave reaches out beyond the self and organization to external partners. This episode explains how market trust is established. It is especially for those looking to build their brand.

Use the four core values of integrity, intent, capabilities, and results to diagnose problem areas. Determine if character or competence needs to be worked on to fix it.

Covey uses the poignant example of McDonald's to demonstrate how society can be affected by your actions and that can ultimately build, or break, trust. If you mean more than mere business, it is time to give back.

Giving back to the community creates value for the business. Going beyond customary contributions and making an impact boost trust levels.

Now that you know the importance, process, and how to retain trust, the focus shifts to regaining it once lost. Covey assures it is possible in most cases. He offers two simple steps to restoring lost faith.

Two keys to regaining trust: 1. Don't assume and judge, 2. Be quick to forgive to enable moving on from the incident.

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella has remained true to the tech giant’s core vision: ruthlessly removing barriers to innovation. This series brings you the core principles from the cricket-loving CEO’s book Hit Refresh that can help build a future full of promise.

Hit Refresh By Satya Nadella With Greg Shaw And Jill Tracie Nichols

Microsoft has only had three chief execs in the organization’s 45-year history. Find out how Satya Nadella fits into this equation.

Nadella's Refreshing Approach To Leadership

Culture is a product of the collective mindset. Since taking charge, Nadella has focused on renewing the company culture beginning with the weekly senior leaders meeting.

Connecting your personal passion with your company's purpose will contribute to a culture of innovation and productivity.

Did you know that Nadella nearly missed out on the chance to work with Microsoft because he didn't show enough empathy during his interview?

To be an empathetic leader, you need to be out in the world seeing how people live and how your products affect their daily activities.

You will not always fit into a stereotypical leader mould, and that might be a good thing! Nadella says while it is important to show your hunger, you have to be true to who you are.

Consider your genuine abilities and interests and live up to them as best you can. By staying true to yourself, you will get noticed.

As a cricket player in school, Nadella picked up many of his leadership lessons from the sport. Here are three principles from his playing days that he applies to his work and life even today.

Lessons from cricket: Have respect for your competitor, but not awe. An individual, no matter how brilliant, who does not put his side first can destroy the entire team. Bolster the confidence of the people you’re leading.

Upskilling as you climb the ladder of success will stand you in good stead. Remember, your current job is only preparing you for what is to come.

The Importance Of Learning Skills On Your Way Up

Every role we play when rising up the corporate ladder trains us for larger responsibilities.

Good leaders spend more time listening. Nadella paid heed to what Microsoft leaders and employees had to say in the first few months of taking charge as the CEO, and that has proved invaluable.

Listening may be the most important thing you accomplish each day. What you hear may form the platform on your leadership.

Nurture the growth mindset of your team just like Satya Nadella does. Learn the three rules that leaders follow in Microsoft to make things happen.

Leaders should have what Satya Nadella calls a growth mindset - they should not be held back by hurdles, but try and overcome them on their own.

Understand the wisdom behind coexisting as you compete. Follow Steve Ballmer's 3 Cs that brought Microsoft closer to old rivals Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

Satya Nadella has a unique equation for trust that he has created by digging into the knowledge he received from his mother, a Sanskrit scholar.

Trust is a key determinant of success, allowing all parties to perform. Empathy, shared values, safety and reliability create trust over time.

Wharton professor Adam Grant's Think Again builds a compelling case for pondering upon something before making up your mind. Questioning yourself can yield unforeseen breakthroughs. Explore how to do this successfully in this series.

How to make informed decisions? Once you have made up your mind, is it worth revisiting the option? Adam Grant says, yes! There are at least three reasons and that is why you should be watching this.

There are two reasons why humans are averse to change. Find out how you can override the defaults at work to open up a world of possibilities. Also, understand how confirmation bias can affect your computing skills.

You are more likely to resist rethinking if you are smart. Confirmation bias makes us see what we expect, while desirability bias makes us see what we want to see, and thus can make you averse to change.

You can help someone open up to another view by just being a good listener. Here are four ways to get started with this focused listening approach called motivational interviewing.

Motivational interviewing helps find out what can inspire someone to change. The trick is to get them to rethink their opinions. Try asking open-ended questions, reflective listening, and summarizing what you hear.

It can get unpleasant if convincing someone means locking horns with them. This episode is for you if you need help with an approach that is effective without leading to a confrontation.

Find common ground to engage in a healthy debate and avoid confrontation. Negotiate and ask questions to understand the other's views.

Research shows a majority of us have experienced imposter syndrome at some point in our lives. Learn how to make the most of this insecurity without feeling daunted.

Imposter syndrome brings self-doubt and insecurity. On the upside, it helps to rethink, inspires to work harder and smarter. Not only does it make us better learners but also open to acknowledging our shortcomings.

If you don't like being proven wrong, you need to revisit your stance. Getting attached to your beliefs makes moving forward difficult when proved wrong. You can practice detachment in these two ways.

To make positive changes to your identity, detach your present from your past. Understand that your opinions don't make you. You are not what you believe but what you value.

Adam Grant has the perfect example of a creative disagreement: the working style of the Wright brothers. While task conflicts are productive, relationship conflicts can be draining. Learn to engage in good fights, as the professor calls them.

Productive disagreement opens up different perspectives, helps solve critical differences, and enables unified progress.  Disagreeable people are good for a team as they ask more questions and foster task conflict.

The ability to voice your opinion without fear of judgment or reprisal frees you. A workplace that encourages you to be your true self also paves the way for increased efficiency. Here's how to foster such an environment.

How To Create Psychological Safety At The Workplace

Create a psychologically safe workplace by beginning with individual teams. Focus on values you seek to promote and bring together team members who show commitment towards furthering them.

In this series, discover four key skills that can help you develop your emotional intelligence. Understand the importance of emotional intelligence, why it matters, and how it can impact you in your daily life, both personally and professionally.

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 By Travis Bradberry And Jean Greaves

In this episode, discover the importance of emotional intelligence, as well as what it truly entails.

In this episode, you'll be introduced to four key skills that can help you improve your emotional intelligence. 

Learn about why self-awareness can help you utilize your other emotional intelligence skills, and discover one strategy to help improve your self-awareness. 

Discover three key strategies that will help you look inwards and practice self-awareness.

Learn about potential triggers that can impact your self-awareness.

In this episode, learn about self managmeent, what that entails, and how you can encorporate some key practices to ensure you practice self-management effectively.

Discover three strategies that will help you not react to emotions, without understanding.

Understand why your thoughts can really impact your self-management, and discover how to harness negative self-talk.

Learn about why a solid sleep regime is crucial to your own self-management. 

Understand why social awareness is an important skill when building social competence.

Learn about 3 hacks that will help you read a room in a more effective and productive way.

In this episode, learn about how to practice the art of listening, and work through an activity based on the premise of being more present.

Learn about the fourth emotional intelligence skill - relationship management.

Improving Relationship Management: Part 1 

Understand how important being open and curious is when trying to improve your relationships.

Improving Relationship Management: Part 2 

Learn about 6 key steps you can take when tackling a tough conversation.

Improving Relationship Management: Part 3 

In this episode, you'll recap  4 important skills that you've learned throughout this course. 

In this course, leadership expert Audrey Daniels teaches you how to embody the traits of an assertive leader, and how to show empathy in a way that motivates others. By leveraging the art of assertiveness, you'll learn how to lead with confidence and compel others without alienating them. As one of the most challenging traits for leaders, developing your own assertive leadership style is crucial to your success and your organization’s.

Developing Assertive Leadership By Audrey Daniels

As one of the most challenging traits for leaders, developing your own assertive leadership style is crucial to your success and your organization’s.

Assertive Leadership: Increasing Your Visibility As A Leader

A common myth is assertive leadership can be damaging to the morale of a team. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to examine the benefits assertiveness provides to your organization.

Being an assertive leader has many advantages. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to identify advantages for your leadership style.

It is critical for you to be aware of yourself and who you are as a leader if you're going to be leading others. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to improve your self-awareness as a leader.

The Importance Of Self-Awareness In Assertive Leadership

Module 3: Assertive Leadership And Emotional Intelligence

Empathy allows us to relate to others and in some cases compels us to take action. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to identify the advantages of demonstrating empathy.

Taking out the time to improve our actions helps us to respond in a positive manner.  After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to examine how altering how we manage ourselves helps us improve as leaders.

Knowing how to respond in different work situations is critical for effective leadership. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to improve your awareness of your surroundings, especially in your work environment.

Successful leaders are learners first and foremost. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to craft a learning plan for continually developing yourself.

Module 4: Communicating With Diplomacy And Tactfulness

Words can help convey or undermine what you're trying to say including the actions you want to execute. Are you effectively communicating with your team? After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to distinguish the best ways to inspire those you lead.

Nearly 93% of communication relates to our body language, tone, and other complex gestures and sounds. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to identify the best ways to communicate in a positive and assertive manner to get your point across.

Leaders who truly change lives have the extraordinary ability to captivate others by embracing differences and forming strong connections with employees. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to use three simple ways to get your team onboard with your vision.

Module 5: Intention Matters: Leading With Purpose

At its most fundamental level, effective communication is the exchange of thoughts, information, ideas, and messages between people or groups. When your message is clear and concise, it is easier for others to understand and respond. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to use precise language to motivate your team.

As a leader, it is important to set standards. This includes drawing the line and maintaining choices. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to be more comfortable saying "no" when needed so you can focus and say yes on what's important.

When we talk about adaptability, we often think of the platinum rule which includes taking individual's values, styles, needs and emotions, then connecting with them in a way that is effective. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to implement practices for motivating and encouraging your team.

The Power Of Meeting People Where They Are

Responsible leadership is all about having a mindset that says, “I am the person who must make this happen.” As Forbes puts it, "responsible behavior in leadership is a willingness to take charge and not shirk from decisions." After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to answer the question "Exactly what is responsible leadership?"

Two authors, Kouzes and Posner, caution organizations about hiring the most talented and the brightest individual when they do not possess the personal and social skills needed to be an effective leader. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to recognize how you behave in calm and stressful situations.

A leader is someone who inspires confidence with everyone in the organization. The idea of doing "small" things regularly over time is a powerful tool we often overlook in our hurry to show grand results now.  After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to identify three key components of being a consistent leader.

Admirable leadership starts with understanding our personality and character. Being aware of our habits helps us in positioning a positive leadership presence. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to take steps to be fully attentive and aware of your overall conduct.

Plan, intent, direction, and goals are all words to describe purpose. As leaders how we engage and motivate others often depends on how we communicate those words with our excitement for the project.  After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to communicate with enthusiasm without offending others.

Keeping your word, following through on promises, and delivering on time is important not only to your team but your reputation and the organization. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to follow three important rules to being trustworthy.

Being accountable is about being responsible for the result. Ownership is about initiative and accountability is about follow-through.  After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to acknowledge your actions and see how they affect your team members' abilities to accomplish their goals.

Being a leader is not a position but a behavior. There are certain standards to uphold when leading others. After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to provide compelling impressions of your leadership.

“Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect" — Ralph Waldo Emerson. Great leaders have to be valued in order to be successful. When employees respect you, they are more likely to work harder to accomplish a shared goal they believe in.  After listening to this lesson, you'll be able to identify key principles that leaders should keep in mind when appealing to their team.

In this video, the instructor shares a few more resources to improve your leadership skills.

The Digital Transformation Playbook is author David Rogers' reassurance to businesses feeling overwhelmed in the face of digital disruption. This course delivered by Helen Ritchie, a digital marketing specialist, demonstrates that all it takes is a willingness to recognize the disruption and adapt to it. After watching this course, you will be able to recognize the role of new-age customers, rethink your approach towards competition, foster a culture of innovation, and adapt your value proposition.

The Digital Transformation Playbook By David Rogers

Digital transformation is not about technological expertise. It is about changing your strategic mindset in five key business domains--customers, competition, data, innovation, and value. After watching this video, you will be equipped to transform your legacy businesses into digitally data-driven ones or scale and expand your existing digital business by rethinking some key strategic approaches in the five domains.

Digital Transformation As Strategic Change

Since the dawn of the digital age, one-way communication with customers no longer works. The consumer now has a more active and influential role in marketing. After watching this video, you will be able to redefine ways of engaging with customers and leverage their role as influencers.

Rethinking With The Customer Network Model

According to David Roberts, five core customer network behaviors tend to drive the adoption of digital experiences. After watching this video, you will be able to reconfigure your marketing strategy to enable faster and easier access to your digital data and create compelling, interactive, and bespoke content that offers personalized experiences.

Customer Network Behaviors And Strategies

This episode breaks down customer network strategy generation into five simple steps. After watching this video, you will be able to define your strategy objectives, identify relevant customer segments and establish which broad customer engagement strategy and concept you want to focus on.

The digital age has forced businesses to look at strategic ways to work with your competition to leverage each other’s unique strengths. After watching this video, you will be able to discern how to find strategic ways to work with your direct competitors and unravel areas where asymmetric competition could prove challenging.

Digital platforms are basically channels that enable two or more parties to create and exchange value through business. After watching this video, you will be able to identify a platform offering by recognizing the distinct value it brings to two or more customer types and how it plays the role of a facilitator.

Digital technologies afford a lot of benefits to organizations including new customer acquisition and location-agnostic access. After watching this video, you will be able to assess and leverage the huge competitive benefits digital platforms offer to businesses in terms of liability, rapid scaling, and economic efficiency.

David Rogers writes about two distinct types of network effects – direct and indirect. After finishing this video, you will be able to shortlist who you need on board to make your platform work. You will also be able to formulate ways to monetize and prioritize your customers by their importance.

Network Effects And The Platform Business Model Map

As you rethink competition, you will invariably face challenges within your organization. After watching this video, you will be able to understand the value of moving forward in the face of resistance and building an open culture that encourages creativity.

Organizational Challenges Of Rethinking Competition

The role and possibilities of data in the digital age need to be seen as an intangible business asset. After watching this episode, you will be able to recognize the distinction and value of diverse data types you need to make informed decisions and apply to create innovative solutions.

Big data has been the buzzword of the data revolution, but how does it help businesses? After watching this video, you will be able to understand how to gather and organize a large quantum of unstructured data and employ it effectively to formulate innovative solutions.

This episode unveils David Rogers’ four templates for value creation to use customer data to grow business. After finishing this video, you will be able to use data to reveal critical patterns and identify and segment your customers.

Turning Customer Data Into Business Value

This episode focuses on consolidating your understanding of data concepts and looking at ways to generate value from it. This video will equip you to earmark the area of impact and identify specific indicators to measure and evaluate progress.

This episode discusses internal organizational challenges you might face when you initiate a shift towards a more data-driven approach. After watching this video, you will be able to identify the right skills and expertise for moving ahead with a data-led strategy. You will also be prepared to ensure data does not get stuck in departmental silos.

Organizational Challenges Of Rethinking Data

David Rogers draws attention to the ease of innovation in the digital age and offers seven principles that ensure you make the most out of your testing. After watching this video, you will be able to ensure cost-effective experimentation, keep your focus on the customer, and build leverage from fast iterations.

Innovating In A Digital World Through Experimentation

Rogers offers four broad paths to scale up your innovation in this episode. This video will help you choose and plan your next steps towards a phased launch or a full release of your offering into the market.

You will face internal organizational challenges when you try and build a test-and-learn culture. After watching this video, you will recognize what it takes to build a culture of innovation in an organization. You will also discover the power of celebrating and learning from failure to foster creative thought.

Organizational Challenges Of Experimentation

The digital world with ever-evolving customer needs has meant that companies need to continuously adapt their value to meet those needs. After watching this video, you will be able to chart your route to adapt to new, challenging, or even shrinking market conditions.

Rethinking And Adapting Value Propositions

This video offers a strategic six-step tool that will help you carve out your value proposition adaptation strategy. After watching this video, you will be able to detect potential threats and identify opportunities to build your value with your key customers.

Even as digital forces are transforming the way we do business, it does not mean you need to become a tech expert overnight. After watching this video, you will be equipped to identify and execute strategic changes that will help your business to adapt and succeed in the face of digital disruption.

Transformational Leadership By Reinier Starink

Adapt to Thrive: Building Resilience in a Rapidly Changing World by Derek Ariss

Leadership Foundation by Jörg Reckhenrich

Fostering a Collaborative Environment by William Thomas

The Power of Professional Relationships by Andy Lopata

The 4 Catalysts of Innovation: Building a Culture That Lasts by Derek Ariss

5 Critical Leadership Transitions for Enterprise Success by Nick Holley

In this course, longtime business owner and consultant Eric Zackrison, PhD, will show you how to critically assess sources of information and how to determine the right approach to make the best decisions. You'll also learn strategies for approaching both simple and complex problems, along with a process for taking your team through the entire life cycle of a challenging decision. Finally, you'll gain an understanding of common traps people fall into when solving problems, both individually and as a team.

Critical Thinking And Problem Solving By Eric Zackrison

In this course, longtime business owner and consultant Eric Zackrison, PhD, will show you how to critically assess sources of information and how to determine the right approach to make the best decisions.

One of the biggest barriers to thinking critically is unrecognized biases. After watching this, you will be better able to put your biases aside and get at what is actually being said.

The better able you are to get the message, the better prepared you'll be to actually evaluate it. This lesson sets you up for success by showing you how to remove barriers, both internal and external.

Questions are one of the most powerful tools for better listening, better understanding, and better analyzing. After watching this, you'll have more tools in your toolbox for using questions effectively.

The information we get is not always based on solid data. This lesson sets you up to better assess the information you are getting to make sure it's reliable.

An odd contradiction of problem-solving is that clarity on restrictions actually leads to more freedom. After this lesson, you'll be able to assess the parameters of your decisions leading to a clearer path to solving problems.

Research shows that even a little structure leads to better decisions. After watching this, you will have several simple problem-solving models that you can apply to your own decision-making and problem-solving.

Sometimes a simple model is not enough. This lesson gives you a tool to work through large complex problems that lead to better solutions that last.

The first step to solving any problem is to first make sure that everyone on the team truly understands what they are trying to solve. After watching this, you will be able to set your team on the right path by guiding them to a full understanding of what they are trying to solve.

Too often solutions are adopted that do not truly solve the problem. After this lesson, you'll be able to guide your team in establishing criteria for success so you have something to compare options to.

The more ideas you have on the table the more likely you are to have the best solution on the table. After watching this, you will have several actionable skills to use in generating potential solutions.

It is not enough to just have ideas, good problem-solving uses processes to limit your choices to the best option. After watching this video, you will be able to guide your team in assessing the various choices and limiting them to the most appropriate option.

The work does not end when the decision is made or a solution is identified. You also have to implement the solution or decision. This lesson sets you up for making your implementation long-lasting and effective.

There are a number of common ways that we can be fooled by things that sound logical on the surface but are flawed. This lesson will help you identify some common fallacies and be able to counter them.

The way that data is presented can be misleading. After watching this, you will be able to recognize some common data manipulation techniques and better assess the data you get.

Groups are a great way to reach high-quality solutions but also come with some common pitfalls. This lesson identifies some common pitfalls and gives you some tools to avoid them.

In this episode, Eric discusses further resources to help you be better at critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

There's no arguing the importance of data and numbers in our daily lives. In Making Numbers Count, Chip Heath and Karla Starr set out to showcase why it is important for everyone to be able to interpret numbers and statistics effectively and appropriately, as well as communicate via data. Through this series, you'll learn about 13 important rules to help you when communicating with numbers. 

Making Numbers Count By Chip Heath And Karla Starr

In this introductory episode, you'll get an overview of what this series will cover, as well as a brief understanding of the importance of data and being able to effectively collate and comprehend numbers. 

In this episode, you'll discover what translation is, and why it's important for everyone to master this skill. 

What Are Translations And Why They're Important

Understand what the main goal of translation is, and practice the art of translation through a few guided exercises. 

In this episode, you'll be guided through some exercises to understand the 2nd rule when it comes to translations: the importance of one. As a result of this video, you'll know how to make a staggering number more approachable.

My Product Management Toolkit By Marc Abraham

My Product Management Toolkit By Marc Abraham

My Product Management Toolkit By Marc Abraham

Episodes

1. A Useful Product Management Handbook

2. The Foundations Of Product Management

3. What Makes A Good Product Manager

4. What A Good Product Manager Is Not

5. Understanding Customers Better

6. Start With A Vision Statement

7. Prioritizing Product Management Tasks

8. How To Manage People Effectively