“If it's a bigger organisation, you find out who's doing the financial you'll probably notice it will be coming around reports from someone, you can build a relationship with that person”Chris Mitchell This month…We're pushing into the theme of innovation and trends and drivers of growth, both for organisations and intrapreneurs as leaders on a more personal level. In this episode you’ll hear about…How Canstar steered its transformation from a small B2B research business into a huge digital marketplace as one of Australia's biggest financial comparison sites, turning it into a brand that over 10 million Australians use every year.Revolutionising digital business: Driving scale and growth by empowering consumers to save time and moneyMatching Consumers desires into seamless Digital SolutionsMaximising finance potential amidst commercial leadership constraintsAligning personal passion with your business goals   The need to adapt to trends: navigating the process within your teamFostering innovation by facilitating collaboration within your organisation Key linksCanstar Chris Mitchell on Linkedin Canstar on LinkedinJD PowerAbout our guestChris Mitchell is the CFO of Canstar, Australia’s biggest financial comparison site. Chris has been with Canstar since 2007 and has co-piloted its transformation from a small B2B research business into a B2B2C digital marketplace.Canstar is Australia’s biggest financial comparison site, comparing over 300 brands in banking, insurance and superannuation. We’ve grown the business from a specialist research company into a mainstream Australian brand used by over 10m Australians each year. Canstar Blue was launched in 2010 to compare telco, energy and other consumer products. Deloitte Fast 50. AFR Fast 100. Great place to work 5th in Australia 2021.Prior to Canstar, Chris held senior financial and commercial roles in advertising in London and hospitality in Canada. With over 25 years’ experience, Chris started his career in audit in NorthQueensland, having grown up in the bush and completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree at James Cook University in Townsville. Chris has been a CA since 2000 and has completed the AICD company directors course (2013).About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find meaning, impact and positivity.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“Young people will do things or do behaviours that perhaps, you know, aren't in line with their core values and their belief systems. But it's because what they see other people doing that they think they need to do those things in order to fit in.”Joel Hines In this episode you’ll hear aboutHow the world of work needs to change to enable more gender diversity, safety, and positive environmentsHow role models play a crucial role in shaping behaviour, particularly in the teenage yearsAuthenticity and self-discovery and their importance in the workplaceHow to create a safe and open environment for conversations about emotions and personal experiencesHow taking time for reflection and considering alternative perspectives can lead to more creative and effective solutionsHow personal criticism should be approached with curiosity and a willingness to understand one's own reactionsKey linksBeing Human: https://www.beinghuman.net.au/about  Joel’s book ‘Holding Space’: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CM9LQBKL?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 Joel’s TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/-QpGJNtuYZo?si=rHYdEqgxD3Izg5l5 Rites of Passage Institute:  https://ritesofpassageinstitute.org/Man Cave Global: https://themancave.life/KAOSPILOT: https://www.kaospilot.dk/  About our guestThroughout a career spanning over 25 years working in Mental Health, IT, Training, Educational Leadership and Group Facilitation, there has been a common theme of guiding others to explore the shared experience of being human.With his finely honed skills of empathy and compassion, Joel is at his absolute best when he is holding space for others. He naturally adapts to the situation at hand and exercises deep listening and presence with a calm and considered energy.Exemplifying integrity and authenticity, Joel motivates and enables leaders to cultivate engagement, foster collaboration and empower others.Joel's natural gift for storytelling, combined with his calm and approachable demeanour, fuels his passion for enriching workplace connections and fostering the growth offacilitation skills and confidence.Simultaneously, he diligently addresses the essential human needs of belonging and purpose. He firmly subscribes to the notion that collaboration, agency and empowerment stand as pivotal factors in allowing individuals to not only survive but truly thrive.https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-hines-22a1121b/About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find meaning, impact and positivity.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

"I love the advancements of technology, but when it comes to connection, I'm very conflicted about it."In this episode you’ll hear about:Balancing radical candor and ruinous empathyConnections, networks and the role they play in your successFeedback and how to use it for professional growthObservation and listening to identify areas for improvementTiming of feedback to ensure it is well-receivedTaking a genuine interest in people's lives to form deeper connectionsKey linksDesign OutlookXeroWeb Directions SummitLadies that UX MelbourneNABBelongKim Scott’s TED Talk on Radical Candour Shasta NelsonThe Year of Living DanishlyTim Duggan - Work BackwardsGallop Clifton Strengths testAbout our guestBerlin Liew is an aspiring design leader, who is deeply passionate and driven to activate ideas, create meaningful relationships, and question how we do things to see if there’s a better way (spoiler alert: there always is).After graduating with a degree in linguistics and spending 6 years working in media, she career-changed into the world of design and dived headfirst into large product organisations, such as NAB, Belong, and Xero. She’s currently a Senior Product Designer, and despite the job title, she believes you don’t have to wait to be ‘at the top’ in order to drive change and impact for your customers, the business, and for those who work with you.Outside of work, Berlin is an active contributor to her local design community, having emceed Design Outlook 2023, co-curated Web Directions Summit 2023, led Ladies that UX Melbourne, and spoken at various design meetups. About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find impact and positivity.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

‘’Over the years I've built toolkits, ways of processing…sure I still get nervous like anybody else when something unexpected gets thrown at me,  but I've come to realise that it'll be okay. I've always managed to come out the other side with either success or just a small handful of bruises.’’ - Amir AnsariIn this episode you’ll hear about:The unpredictable moments in Amir’s career, his path and the twists and turns along the way. ‘’life's full of ambiguity and I need to be comfortable with it’’How to cope with decisions made out of your control and how to regain control of the situation.The positive impact of being able to manage change as leaders in organisation: Being a conduit, remaining unified and connected in the face of change.Asking questions to build mental models: assessing the situation and the circumstance to understand the outcome needing to be fulfilled.Building situations out by looking at as much core information as possible: assessing who you can go to for advice and mentoring for stories, questions and historical insights.Navigating strategic trends in business: going back to first principles, patience and prioritisation.  Letting go of your pride and reputation: accepting that in certain situations, you might not know all the answers and will need to search for guidance and mentorship.Key links Amir Ansari Academy XiEdward de Bono's Six Thinking HatsAbout our guestAmir is the Chief Experience Officer and Head of Applied AI at Academy Xi - an Australian-owned education company with a mission to transform the world through education. He has been in the field of product design and user experience for over 25 years as a practitioner and leader, building and scaling design capability and teams with companies and agencies, and delivering award-winning digital products. With a passion for human-centred design, he is well-versed in building functions, processes, and operations to fast-track and grow design maturity for companies of all sizes and operating models. He is passionate about inclusion and digital accessibility and democratising the craft of design - doing it with a smile and a hug.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find impact and positivity.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

‘’What matters to me is helping businesses realise their full potential to be a force for good in the world. Because I truly believe that this is the untapped potential of business.’’-    Carolyn Butler-MaddenIn this episode you’ll hear about:-   Carolyn's career journey: Carolyn delves into the roots of her beliefs and lets us into the key experiences that inspired her to champion purpose driven approaches in business. -   The missing role of love in business: An opportunity for untapped potential, to connect things you love and enjoy into your world of work. -   Transitioning from marketing to purpose-driven strategy: Recognising the power that businesses and brands have to solve society's biggest challenges and in turn attract people that want to support them. -   How to start these bigger conversations: Turning passion and strategy into action by taking the first step.-   Connecting to the why: Identifying your unique identity, looking beyond short-term marketing strategies into building a long-term authentic purpose strategy.  Key links;   Carolyn’s book, For Love and Money https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Money-profit-purpose-business-ebook/dp/B09JK9JM52 South by Southwest https://www.sxsw.com/Danielle Owen Whitford https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-owen-whitford/?originalSubdomain=auPioneera https://pioneera.com/Melanie Greblo https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniegreblo/?originalSubdomain=auScriibed https://scriibed.com/Dr. Kyle Turner https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-turner1111/?originalSubdomain=auPearlii https://www.pearlii.com/aboutBea Boccalandro on Job Purposing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqzkhdmkod0Carolyn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynbm/?originalSubdomain=au) believes in a world where business is a force for good and brands drive profit through purpose. An inspiring speaker, award-winning author, podcast host, and a contributor to media publications including Forbes Australia, CEO Magazine, CEO World Magazine, CMO, Marketing, B&T, Smart Company, Women’s Agenda, Retail World and Inside FMCG; Carolyn’s mission is to make meaningful purpose vital in business. Her second book “For Love & Money” was awarded best Social Responsibility book in the 2022 Australian Business Book of the Year Awards. Her first book, Amazon bestseller, Path-To-Purpose, was Australia’s first on Cause Marketing.Carolyn walks the talk. Through her B Corp Certified Consultancy, “The Cause Effect”, she helps businesses of all types and sizes navigate their path to purpose and unlock the full potential of their people, organisation and brand.Our host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

"Follow the process, follow the methods, and then you're not going to fail in your project. You're going to fail throughout your project. Small constant failure is part of what it is.”Fabio OliveiraIn this episode you’ll hear about:Defining innovation in 2024: Breaking down the definition of innovation and its associated expectations and misconceptions and understanding how innovation fits differently into the contexts of large and small organisationsManaging innovation and idea generation: Methods for accelerating employee engagement, investment and idea generation while maintaining order and process in receiving and processing innovation ideasConducting research in innovation: How to gather the necessary information for innovation, keep focus on relevant subject matter and shape project briefs effectively to ensure targeted research effortsPhysical and digital integration: Exploring innovative experimentation blending physical and digital elements and what we can expect from the future of in-store/retail technology Maintaining a wholesight organisation view: The importance of staying connected to your organisation's strategic direction and challenges through innovation and keeping perspective within your role to ensure effective and meaningful work that aligns to business goals and addresses relevant problemsKey linksKmart Australia https://www.kmart.com.au/Amazon Walkout Tech https://aws.amazon.com/just-walk-out/RFID https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/rfid.htmDr Tim Baker framework https://www.mindtools.com/a7em9zg/the-five-conversations-frameworkBasecamp’s Shape Up Methodology https://basecamp.com/shapeupDesignful Company by Marty Neumeier https://www.martyneumeier.com/the-designful-companyAbout our guestFabio Oliveira (https://au.linkedin.com/in/fabiosoliveira) is an innovation leader specialising in establishing innovation practices within large companies. Known for his ability to build multidisciplinary teams from the ground up, he has successfully cemented innovation strategies at prominent Australian brands – notably Kmart and WorkSafe Victoria – delivering significant outcomes.Currently the Head of Innovation and Service Design at Kmart, Fabio is leading several initiatives that are building the future of store operations and customer experience.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“We are all young wounded children in adult bodies, walking around, bumping into each other and then blaming each other when our wounds get touched on or when our traumas get activated.”Lael StoneIn this episode you’ll hear about:Parenting and leader parallels: Drawing parallels between effective leadership and conscious parenting, highlighting the similarities in communication strategies and nurturing supportive environments in how we lead as parents and in businessUnderstanding human behaviour in the workplace: Exploring the deeper motivations behind people's actions and behaviours, emphasising the importance of curiosity and empathy in engaging with co-workersHow your childhood affects your working style: The way in which unresolved childhood traumas, emotional wounds and even just the parenting styles in our childhood homes can influence adult behaviours and interactions in the workplace.Fostering authenticity and vulnerability: Recognizing the value of being authentic and vulnerable in expressing needs and concerns and how to cultivate a work culture that enables such expressionThe role of conscious leadership: How to grow in conscious leadership and see transformation in fostering work environments where individuals feel valued, empowered, and able to thrive personally and professionallyKey linksLael’s TedX Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/lael_stone_how_to_raise_emotionally_intelligent_childrenLael Stone https://laelstone.com.au/Woodline Primary School https://woodlineprimary.com.au/The Resilience Project https://theresilienceproject.com.au/Raising Resilient and Compassion Children https://www.amazon.com.au/Raising-Resilient-Compassionate-Children-Understanding/dp/0645551562/About our guestLael Stone (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laelstone) is an educator, TEDx speaker, author, mother, and parenting counsellor who has worked with families for over 20 years. Her work as a birth educator, postnatal trauma counsellor, and parenting educator has seen her work with thousands of families consulting about newborns all the way to the teen years. She spent over 5 yrs in secondary schools working with teens around sexuality, well-being, and relationships and her great aim is to empower parents to create connections and stronger relationships with their children.She is the co-creator of Woodline Primary School, an innovative new school based on emotional well-being and connection. Lael was the co-host of The Aware Parenting Podcast and a sought-after public speaker who talks candidly about her experiences and her great passion for creating wellness in adults through connection and communication.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord)For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“Design's not in its infancy anymore but we can still find it hard to communicate our value.”Kris WashusenIn this episode you’ll hear about:Adopting a Lean-UX approach: Why you should value rapid prototyping over extensive upfront discovery and what you can do to implement quick and experimental change cycles.The stickiness of design work: Addressing the challenges in implementing and achieving longevity in design work… and how to avoid design projects going nowhere.Impact of the ‘pandemic tools’: The way tools and technologies developed during the pandemic have continued to accelerate and impact design processes, enabling faster synthesis of data and more efficient collaboration among design teams.Role of stakeholder engagement: How to ensure the successful implementation of design recommendations and strategies through ongoing stakeholder engagement and consultation.Balancing creativity and methodology: Exploring the tension between structured design methodologies like the double diamond approach and the need and value in creative spontaneity and quick decision-making in design processes.Key linksGareth Rydon interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMp6qbgTtu4Dovetail AI https://dovetail.com/launch/magic/Otter AI https://otter.ai/NAB https://www.nab.com.au/FigJam https://www.figma.com/figjam/Swaggle https://swaggle.com.au/About our guestKris Washusen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-washusen/) is a Strategic Designer and Design & Product Practitioner based in Melbourne, Australia. Along with his UX, CX, product and strategic design roles, Kris's career in advertising and as an entrepreneur building, running and exiting successful businesses has allowed him to develop a unique problem-solving skill set. From research, strategy and transformational change design for both the private and public sectors through to product strategy and design for tech and startups, Kris has helped some of Australia's most respected organisations navigate some choppy seas.Kris's passion lies in implementing human-centred and Lean-UX principles to navigate ambiguity, explore the behaviours and motivations of the users of products or services and create delightful, intuitive, and accessible experiences that solve complex organisational problems.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“We need to consciously become aware of our patterns and our behaviours before we change them  and understand how they’re serving us in the first place.”Celine WatersIn this episode you’ll hear about:The practice of somatic design: How to create deeper connections between our mind, body and spirit and experience the transformative benefits of somaticsHarnessing inner resilience: What it means to cultivate inner resilience through recognising your own capacity to adapt, bounce back from setbacks and find strength in adversity Understanding the impacts of trauma:  Unpacking the somatic experience of trauma, and how historic trauma can become stored in the body and have deep physical consequencesCreate safe spaces for emotional expression: How to set up safe spaces for vulnerability and expression within the workplace and more broadly to enable personal growth, healing and emotional wellbeingTransformative leadership: How to drive positive organisational change and foster a culture of resilience and collaboration through prioritising emotional wellbeing, growth and collective transformationKey linksImmunity to Change by Robert Kegan https://www.mindtools.com/a4l75hx/immunity-to-changeStrozzi Institute https://strozziinstitute.com/Eduardo Galeano https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/15/eduardo-galeanoSapiens book https://www.amazon.com.au/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095Tall Poppy Syndrome https://harpersbazaar.com.au/tall-poppy-syndrome-wellbeing-mental-health/Amy Cuddy TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are?language=enAbout our guestCeline Waters is a human-centred designer and somatic coach committed to individual and collective transformation. She started out in biochemistry and following a post-grad in computer science, moved into business consulting in Australia and Ireland, working across big organisations. Her current focus is in the research of the intersection of design and somatics, bringing body intelligence into her work. She studies body psychotherapy and somatic coaching for social justice.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“Innovation really lives on the edge of ridiculous, and in order for us to come up with innovative solutions to solve the world's biggest problems, we've got to take risks. Play is an incredible way to help us do that.”Dara SimkinIn this episode you’ll hear about:The importance of mixing play and work: Why bringing play into the workplace can be a powerful tool for creativity, connectivity and innovation and radically shift organisational cultureHow to integrate play into the workplace: Key strategies for intentional design for implementing play intentionally and effectively to achieve valued outcomesThe evolution of work culture: Unpacking how priorities within work environments have and continue to shift and what is needed as the focus of work cultures now Questioning conventional business constructs: How to develop a healthy approach to scepticism of traditional business practices and be active in questioning and challenging established norms and assumptions that may be preventing growth Reactive vs. responsive businesses: Recognising how your business or specific team approaches organisational change and adjusting the culture to one of proactively addressing emerging challenges Key linksCulture Hero https://www.culturehero.co/Dr. Stuart Brown https://www.nifplay.org/about-us/about-dr-stuart-brown/Kaospilot https://www.kaospilot.dk/Microsoft Trends Index https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-indexIDEO https://www.ideo.com/John Cleese on open and closed modes https://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/L004957/Amy Edmonson https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451About our guestDara Simkin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dara-simkin-culture-hero/) is an expert facilitator, learning designer and Australia's leading play at work specialist. As the founder of Culture Hero, a norm-busting consultancy driving cultural change and experiential events, Dara's mission is to bridge the gap between work and play. She's worked with organisations like The LEGO Foundation and McKinsey & Co., as well as world-renowned play researcher Dr Stuart Brown and Silicon Valley's IDEO Play Lab. She is certified in the Danish learning methodology, KAOSPILOT, known for its innovative and dynamic approach to education and training. She is currently involved in a research collaboration with RMIT University, uncovering the benefits of a playful mindset in business as it relates to adaptability, teamwork and belonging. About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product ManagementFor weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

"You really want it to get into people's heads what the change is. You want it to be their new reality or the new normal. Storytelling is effective because stories are shared from generation to generation, remembered for a reason… because they stick in your brain."Agnes SoIn this episode you’ll hear about:Improving support levels & customer satisfaction: How to win customer loyalty through understanding frontline perspectives, fostering collaboration & aligning organisational goals with customer needsThe power of storytelling: Exploring storytelling as a powerful leadership tool for driving change and how the way you use stories can change how you inspire, communicate complex ideas, and drive cultural shifts within organisations.Adaptive leadership: Setting up and managing a team where members are enabled to implement effective solutions and drive positive outcomes and you can remain flexible and freeLean approaches in startups: The necessity of lean approaches in startup environments, and strategies to improve resourcefulness, efficiency and flexibility to navigate challenges and foster growthStrategic prioritisation: The key to understanding when and where to focus time, energy and resources and identify quickly initiatives that will deliver the most significant impactKey linksHotDoc https://www.hotdoc.com.au/Tino Sehgal https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/62-tino-sehgal/This Progress at Guggenheim https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/22502GROW Framework https://www.coachingcultureatwork.com/the-grow-model/Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Camel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uWKEG0s9KcAbout our guestAgnes So (www.linkedin.com/in/agnes-so/) had gained over 10 years of customer service experience prior to joining HotDoc in 2017. Agnes' main expertise include developing Customer Experience (CX) strategies, aimed at reducing churn and maintaining high customer satisfaction levels. Her work also informs and leads Go To Market events, ensuring the successful implementation and adoption of products for customers and employees.By focusing on technology and self-service techniques, Agnes empowers customers to seamlessly utilise and learn new products. Her leadership experience extends to refining customer journeys based on insights, and fostering impactful brand interactions.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

"I think what events should be doing is playing that role of fostering community, fostering connection and really thinking about what they're looking to do, what's their mission." Grant ShowIn this episode you’ll hear about:Crafting compelling presentations: Exploring the art of crafting presentations that captivate your audience and how to use storytelling techniques borrowed from film and TV to spark engagement in the workplaceHosting purpose-driven events: The power and role of events to bring people together, network, turbocharge learning and leverage influenceChallenging the status quo: How to embrace a mindset and active approach to stepping out of your comfort zone, pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo through innovationRadical optimism: The key to staying optimistic in the face of challenges and how leveraging extreme resilience and positivity can transform your workplace adversityCreating community and connection: How to foster genuine community in the digital age, maintaining authentic motivations and enabling value for all parties Key linksCliftonStrengths model https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspxWest Wing Walk and Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmv07XfeC1EDesign Outlook https://www.designoutlook.com.au/Do24 https://www.designoutlook.com.au/event/do24The Lateral Lens Blog https://charleslambdin.com/thelaterallens/South by South West https://www.sxsw.com/Flight with Denzel Washington https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1907668/Purpose Conference https://www.purposeconference.co/StoryBrand https://storybrand.com/About our guestGrant is a multi-disciplinary design leader, traversing visual communications design, experience and service design, strategy, and development. His style is visionary, inclusive, and brimming with positivity. His passion for action is contagious and he’s famous for getting a lot done.Grant is Founder of Design Outlook, and was formerly Head of Design at Frog, and Director of Experience Design at Deloitte. He's also working towards a Masters in Design from RMIT.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“You’ve got to be quite deliberate. You have to overrule some of your automatic thinking to say, I need to deliberately step back here. I need to refresh this area.”Karl DeitzIn this episode you’ll hear about:Parallels between cooking, music & business: How lessons in one domain of your life or interests can often be applied to another, fostering cross-disciplinary insights in areas of strategy, adaptation and continuous improvementThe importance of mastering the basics: Why investing in fundamental skills, whether in cooking, music, business or otherwise, is often the most important step in setting you up for accelerated growth and creativity Balancing consistency and experimentation: How to find a balance between committing to consistency and practise for continual improvement, and knowing when and where to push into experimentation to explore new possibilitiesEmbracing discomfort and growth: Shifting your mindset to one of growth and a willingness to step into discomfort intentionally and mindfully and reaping the personal development rewards that bringsThe role of humour and engagement in education: Strategies to enhance learning and facilitation experiences by incorporating humour and cultivating lively and interactive environmentsKey LinksNick Berman Company Road Podcast episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJpkJj0sGjwMiles Davis https://www.milesdavis.com/Tall Bob https://tallbob.com/About our guestKarl Deitz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/karldeitz/) is an entrepreneur, advisory Board member and classically trained musician on both piano and trumpet - where the left and right brain work well together.Having started his career as a professional musician with the Royal Australian Navy, Karl has gone on to raise millions for Charities, founded a cooking school for Crossfit athletes and now heads up Customer Success & Strategy for Australia's fastest growing mobile communications company, Tall Bob.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

"The more immovable that your solutions are, the greater the need to invest in that kind of thinking."Andrew KendallIn this episode you’ll hear about:Designing for impact: Strategies to more accurately understand customers needs and motivations in order to design products and services that go beyond immediate user needs to create tangible, transformative impact on people’s lives Long-term design considerations: Ensuring longevity and sustainability in design solutions by designing with future scalability and flexibility in mindEnabling creativity through safe spaces: How to tap into the full creative potential of your team and drive innovation forward by creating safe spaces in the workplace in which individuals feel comfortable and conventional thinking is challengedImpactful design through storytelling: The power of storytelling in influencing stakeholders and driving organisational change, particularly in fostering a human-centred approach to designAugmenting human creativity with AI: The secret to integrating AI as a complementary tool to harness its capabilities to enhance creativity while retaining the unique perspective and empathy inherent in human-centred designKey LinksStanford d.school https://dschool.stanford.edu/Lego Serious Play course https://www.pivotalplay.com.au/Victoria's Department of Transport and Planning https://www.vic.gov.au/department-transport-and-planningConcorde https://www.britannica.com/technology/ConcordeLego Fender Guitar https://www.lego.com/en-au/product/lego-ideas-fender-stratocaster-21329About our guestAndrew Kendall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-kendall-25a09714/) believes that solving problems creatively drives better outcomes.  At age 15, he'd impressed the people at the Lego toy company so much they hired him. Andrew is now an experienced Strategic Thinker,  Consultant and Facilitator specialising in the areas of Customer Experience and  Service Design using collaborative, imaginative and creative ways to drive Customer centred design outcomes. Andrew is currently a Customer Lead at Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning.As a graduate of Stanford University’s d.school program, Andrew applies proven techniques and methods to build empathy, create customer insights and ideate these to create concepts and prototypes with stakeholders. Andrew's key strength is knowing how to engage the right strategic partnerships and stimulate conversation at the Senior Leadership level.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“When it comes to AI, we talk about augmenting not replacing. We want this to be about how do I augment the individual and give them superpowers so they can do amazing things and liberate their time? How do we make 5 people worth 10 people?”Gareth RydonIn this episode, you’ll hear about:AI adoption in 2024: Exploring the scale and speed at which AI is being adopted, the different approaches companies are taking & the key implications for organisations in 2024Evolution of AI use cases: How AI applications have evolved from basic tasks to more advanced functions and how opportunities for use are expected to continue to evolve into this year Organisation challenges in AI: The key barriers that companies are facing in adopting AI and strategies to simplify the process for efficiency & augmentationAI vs humanity: Understanding where and how AI technology still falls short compared to human abilities and where the key value of humans still lies Engaging kids with AI: The ethics of introducing kids to AI and how to do so in a way that prepares them for the future and harnesses their creativity but protects the formation of their in-person skills & human connectionsKey linksEp. 29 with Sarah Kaur https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GEMbbWssyoFriyay.AI https://www.friyay.ai/RambleFix https://ramblefix.com/Otter AI https://otter.ai/Ethan Mollick https://mgmt.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/emollick/Llama by Meta https://llama.meta.com/DALL·E 3 https://openai.com/dall-e-3Napster https://www.napster.com/Ep. 23 with Dr. Gus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25jctgmeEVIAbout our guestGareth Rydon (https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethrydon) works as a service designer, applying this to building generative AI tools for clients. His happy place is when he is talking to and learning from people so that he can help them solve their problems in sustainable, creative ways.Having previously held roles at Stone & Chalk, Rightpoint and the ATO, he is now the co-founder of Friyay.ai, a generative AI studio which identifies the human experience to augment and then design generative AI solutions.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in Innovation, CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“I’m 46 and I'm going to continue to do new stuff constantly my entire life. It's going to challenge me. I'm going to be uncomfortable with it. And the neurons in my mind will keep developing the ability to be adaptable if I keep challenging myself.”Nick BermanIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Balancing personal & professional life: How to regularly assess emotion states, seek equilibrium and create space for introspection to live in balance and mindfulnessNick’s primary philosophy on self-growth: Understanding the choices you have available in life & learning to take ‘left turns’ to continuously push personal boundaries and growth through discomfortDetecting & dealing with overwhelm: How to recognise early states of overwhelm and take actional steps early to avoid breakdownBuilding trusting & authentic relationships: Steps to establishing trust with yourself, and those around you in a professional social contextChanging ahead of change: Acknowledging the changing state of the world and learning how to actively make changes to your life, routine and mindset to adapt in advanceKey linksVipassana Silent Retreat https://www.dhamma.org.au/Brené Brown https://brenebrown.com/Tony Robbins https://www.tonyrobbins.com/Qigong https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/qigong-what-you-need-to-knowHireGround https://www.hireground.co/Breathwork https://health.clevelandclinic.org/breathwork/About our guestA self-titled ‘specialist in being nice to people’, Nick Berman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/batmanbeard/) is a purpose career coach and founder of HireGround. With over 15 years experience in recruiting for creative roles, from graphic designers to marketing managers, he started his current business to ensure that the work he does can offer “true career guidance, honest connections and long-term support.”About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in Innovation, CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“In fact, there’s nothing normal. Everything is what we make of it to a certain extent.”Dr. Marco MottaIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Data storytelling: How to present data in a means to create shared understanding across an organisation and use narrative techniques to make it personable, digestible and immersiveMitigating data literacy: Establishing an evidence-driven culture by bridging the data literacy gap in an organisation and increasing the capacity for informed decision-makingThe responsibility of data stewardship: Delegating roles for data management and ensuring privacy, confidentiality and integrity is maintained when utilising dataData visualisation: Why the visualisation of data can completely change how it’s received & top dataviz strategies for ensuring it achieves the purpose you’re afterThe power of philosophy and critical thinking: Why its valuable to deploy philosophical techniques into consulting and data analysis to ensure decisions are rooted and strategically consideredKey LinksHeidegger: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/heidegger/Phenomenology: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/phenomenology/Arnold Hauser: https://arthistorians.info/hausera/Sapiens book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/Transport of Main Roads: https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Hamlet’s Mill: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1439Translink: https://translink.com.au/About our guest Dr Marco Motta (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mottamarco01) is the Managing Director of Motta Consulting, a boutique organisation that specialises in data analysis and visualisation. He has a strong track-record transforming the performance reporting culture of large organisations, using data storytelling to craft business stories that break silos and support good decisions. He marries this with a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Queensland and uses his background in critical thinking to help organisations and clients identify, define, break-down and solve complex business challenges.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in Innovation, CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“The level of power that consumer facing Gen AI offers with such intuitive accessibility for such essentially a low cost for that high powered tool… is unprecedented.”Sarah KaurIn this episode, you’ll hear about:AI as an enabler: How AI can be used to enable and empower unique work processes and scenarios, including key examples of how it it can enable design thinking and transformation workDigital divide and inequity: Confronting the challenge of digital inequity and strategies for evening the playing field of technology across the workforceAI's efficiency vs human value: Balancing the use of AI technology with traditional human work and where and how both are most valuableChatGPT in design workflows: Analysing how chatGPT has changed the approach to design, how it will continue to do so and how human participation and perspective must be recentered for continued valueAI upskilling and ‘Shadow AI’: How ‘Shadow AI’ is allowing for expanded creativity and creating opportunities for upskilling the workforce and why you should be taking advantage of itKey LinksMax Kalis episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_fTrmruTPkShadow AI: https://www.forbes.com/sites/delltechnologies/2023/10/31/what-is-shadow-ai-and-what-can-it-do-about-it/?sh=1b4aa39b7127ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/Data61: https://research.csiro.au/data61/Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com/Lorraine Finlay, Australian Human Rights Commissioner: https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/commission-general/human-rights-commissioner-ms-lorraine-finlayAbout our guest Sarah Kaur (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-tamara-kaur/) is a Strategic Designer and Human-centred Design Researcher. Her passion is supporting the creative work of teams across disciplines to collaborate, and come up with smart ways to create impact through using participatory design. She now works as a Design Thinking Practitioner at CSIRO's Data61, where she focusses on research into Responsible AI, and embedding human insight in machine learning and AI research and product development.She holds a Master of Business Analytics and a Bachelor in Fine Arts, and 12 years of professional experience supporting NFP, Government and Private organisations realise their business objectives by placing humans and quality data, at the centre of their decisions and investments. About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in Innovation, CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

“One thing led to another and some things came up and actually it just broke really quickly and was quite a shock. It was quite disruptive and it was one of these situations where you think, okay, what has just happened?”Sarah WilkinTransforming personal adversity to professional opportunity: Sarah shares her journey overcoming a major and very sudden struggle in her personal life… and how it led her to greater successAddressing gender bias: How to challenge the issue of gender bias within male-dominated industries with language and representationResilience in the face of change: Unlocking and developing resilience to stay firm and excel within the modern disruptive and ever-changing working landscapeConnectivity in remote work: Strategies for staying motivated, connected and taking advantage of remote workingThe power of radical honesty: How being honest, and radically so, can unlock powerful relationships and working opportunities Key LinksNissan LEAF: https://www.nissan.com.au/vehicles/browse-range/leaf.htmlFly Green Alliance: https://flygreenalliance.org/Booking Cares https://www.sustainability.booking.com/aboutAlan Partridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_PartridgeCircular Economy https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overviewKundalini https://www.healthline.com/health/kundalini-meditationLainey Molnar https://www.instagram.com/lainey.molnar/?hl=enAbout our guest Sarah Wilkin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahwilkin/) is Founder & CEO of Fly Green Alliance, and was a Booking.com grantee in 2018 when she gained a sustainable travel grant to work on the R&D of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) which was a milestone for SAF awareness, being the first time the tech had been given attention outside of the aviation industry. She went on to pioneer the tech and is globally recognised as an expert, thought leader and now speaks on panels such as at The Economist, S&P Global and is quoted in BBC and other publications. About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

"I'm a big believer that innovation is not the result of some sort of inspired genius, right? It's not an innate talent but a process and a handful of repeatable activities that can be learned.”Jacob DuttonIn this episode, you’ll hear about:The democratisation of innovation: How individuals can practically learn innovation as a skill & readjust limiting mindsets to do soFostering entrepreneurial mindsets: Why developing entrepreneurial mindsets within your people is crucial in encouraging innovation Open vs closed innovation: Balancing forms of innovation & the secret method to employing both for optimal successIdentifying the need for change: Signs to look out for in knowing when and why it’s time for your organisation to enact change Staying motivated within failure: How you can remain energised and excited in the face of seemingly continual innovation failureKey LinksFuture Foundry https://www.future-foundry.io/Co-founder Katy https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-sephton-81451315/Holy Grail https://www.britannica.com/topic/GrailMuseum of Failure: https://museumoffailure.com/About our guest Jacob Dutton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobdutton/) is the Co-Founder & CEO of Future Foundry and the creator of the Velocity™ innovation method. He's spent almost two decades helping companies like Hilton, NBC, Walgreens, HSBC, and Microsoft accelerate, de-risk, and systematise the discovery of over one hundred breakthrough businesses, products, and services. His deep-rooted belief is that innovation is a learned skill, not an innate talent and that with the right people, processes and platforms - every corporation on the planet can innovate with more speed, focus and impact. About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/