About the Episode Today's episode is small and mighty! Tom Goodman is one of our favourite people and leaders and we're thrilled to have had him on the show. We talk about: ** leading culture through well-defined, understood and embedded values, including shaping your people team from the start and your interview process around these values ** recruiting for values alignement and culture "addition" rather than culture fit ** providing a space for belonging and voices to be encouraged and heard ** leaders showing up every day, authentically and willing to listen, learn, fail and improve ** providing support and resilience to allow people to try innovative ideas with the security of knowing each success AND "failure" provides a learning opportunity ** placing personal development at the core of the business practice ** investing in young leaders with high potential About Tom Tom Goodman is the Director of Customer Operations at Goodlord. He's also a Man City fan so feel free to connect with him to talk footie as well as Customer Success and interpersonal leadership! How to connect with Tom and his initiatives LinkedIn: Tom Goodman Email: Tom Goodman

About the Episode Another gem of an episode! Today, we talk with Morika Georgieva around the neuroscience perspective and impact on business today. She loves the discipline of Customer Success so much that she finds it difficult to shut up about it and can be found discussing as part of her day job, her involvement with the CSN community and in conversations with connections within and beyond Customer Success. She's also passionate about finding ways to extend the reach and depth of Customer Success, not just as a field but as an embedded organisation-wide philosophy, to ensure success for all involved as well as progressing customer relationships to strategic partnerships rather than just as a vendor-supplier situation. We really enjoyed hearing her perspective on these topics, including some really tangible steps to creating and promoting an open, inclusive and proactive culture. About Morika Morika Georgieva is Customer Success Lead, EMEA at Permutive and heads up the digital events team at The Customer Success Network (check them out on Linkedin and YouTube).  Her career focuses on Customer Success for enterprise B2B SaaS start ups in a multitude of industries, including advertising, recruitment, and hospitality.  She is passionate about Customer Success, not only as a key part of business growth, but also as a corporate philosophy that should guide how companies conduct business with their customers and partners as well as how they approach their culture and employees. She has also just been voted one of the Top 100 Customer Success Strategists 2021! How to connect with Morika and her initiatives LinkedIn: Morika Georgieva Join the Customer Success Network here!

About the Episode I love this woman, her mission and chatting with her about all things business, leadership, culture and communications. If you're reading this/listening before October 22nd 2021, make sure you join her #BirthdayBonanza in her FB group (link below) for lots of incredible prizes and thoughtful questions. On this occasion we talked about authencitity, collaboration vs. competition, working to your strengths and within your zone of genius. All the things about which I'm passionate. Take a listen, connect with Sara and listen to the recommended TEDx Folkestone talk (linkes provided below) and let us know your thoughts. About Sara Sara is a rebellious optimist: an entrepreneur driven by her desire to help other purpose-led changemakers to make a difference, make a living and change the world. After 5 years of studying politics at Exeter, the LSE and at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Aix-en-Provence, Sara began her career in the Westminster Parliament. There she learnt about the corridors of power; how deals were made in smoke-filled rooms and that the ability to communicate is THE core skills required to truly make a difference and create change. Since then Sara has dedicated her entire career to helping people, organisations and brands to communicate better. Over 26 years in PR and campaigning, she has advised some of the largest companies and charities in the world from UNICEF to Avon, from Kellogg’s to Variety – and start-ups including fledgling space missions and challenger bank Starling. Sara is no stranger to the impact of crisis, chaos and global uncertainty on life, a career and a business. She managed to progress her career – reaching the UK Board of one of the world’s largest PR agencies - whilst navigating through divorce, cancer, at least three recessions, bereavement and a horrific accident that left her with injuries requiring multiple surgeries. She also co-founded her first entrepreneurial business in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash - and grew it into a profitable independent communications consultancy with revenue over 7 figures in just 12 months - in spite of a global economic meltdown! Sara now works exclusively with purpose-led entrepreneurs, business owners and coaches through her new company Actually. Sara uses everything she has learnt in her career, plus her coaching and training skills, to help you to harness the right mindset, skills and support you need to make a difference and change the world. How to connect with Sara and her initiatives LinkedIn: Sara Price LinkedIn: Actually Website: Actually.world Facebook: Actually Making a Difference Take the Communications Superpower Quiz! "Love your Competitors" TEDx Folkestone talk (Alex Smith)

About the Episode This week, we speak with Anika Zubair, a veteran podcast host with not one but two successful Customer Success podcasts to her name (see details below). We talk about the power of appreciation and encouraging people to work to and develop their strengths to allow everyone to be the most authentically powerful person they can be, rather than forcing them to work on their weaknesses. One of the benefits of working in teams is to ensure each person plays to their strengths and achieve the best together.  We explore the concept of Learning as you Grow and how this applies to everyone, in all areas of life and each stage of life; how we progress as humans with space to learn, space to uncover and exploit those individual strengths. As leaders, it should be natural to provide this space, encourage those around us and to celebrate every win - no matter how small and in the knowledge that it costs little in time and effort and benefits the recipient exponentially. Above everything, we discussed how important it is to be unapologetically yourself. Thanks, Anika, for always being authentic, inspiring, impactful and unapologetically you! About Anika Anika Zubair, an industry thought leader, CSM LDN community co-founder, and podcast host, is currently VP of Customer Success at inSided, where she is building a world-class customer success organisation. Drawing from previous experiences at multiple SaaS B2B startups and scale-ups, Anika is no stranger to scaling Customer Success efforts and has built teams from the ground up across the APAC, EMEA, and US regions and is excited to scale the CS team at inSided. She also hosts 2 podcasts: The Customer Success Channel Podcast and The inSide Scoop on Customer Success, both podcasts are thought-provoking, and highly rated podcasts diving into important and relevant topics to help spread CS and community knowledge. How to connect with Anika and her initiatives LinkedIn: Anika Zubair LinkedIn: CSM LDN Podcast: The Customer Success Channel Podcast: The InSide Scoop on Customer Success

About the Episode The concept of doing better business for global good is a fundamental motivation and passion for this podcast. It makes sense, therefore, that we will be talking to people from the private sector, communities, leadership, inspiring individuals of all ages and experience, beneficiaries and the charity sector. Today, we talk with Megan Taylor about the differences and similarities between the private and charity sectors - in which she has deep experience of both, having founded her own small charity many years ago while also running a leadership and organisational development consulting community. We talk about the Sustainable Development Goals and their predecessor, the Millenium Goals and the increase in awareness within individuals, communitites and businesses of not only their existence but how we can each contribute to achieving this goals by 2030. We discuss the encouraging trend of organisations willing to relearn how to listen to and provide a pleasant working and collaborative environment for their people, recognising that there is no one right way to deliver or travel on this journey. About Megan Megan is co-founder and Chair of Trustees for Move the World, a small charity working in Ghana on Global Citizenship Education. She is also Director and Consultant at RISE Beyond, a leadership and organisational development consulting community.  How to connect with Megan and her initiatives Linkedin: Megan Taylor Website: Move the World Facebook: Move the World Instagram: Move the World Donate here: MTW Movers

About the Episode This is a gem of a conversation with Renata Kashiwaya Pinheiro. In this week's episode, the discussion ranges from the pleasure of hiring a great team around you and the rewards you reap, when they surprise you every day with their proactivity, authenticity, trust and respect. We talk about the ripple effects of every person's choices and decisions and ensuring everyone, at every level, takes conscious and collaborative action. Ever wondered what makes a safe space one you can actually believe in and trust? We talk at length about holding space for everyone to come to work and be completely genuine so there is no wasted energy pretending to be ok and putting up a facade. This includes driving a culture where questions are seen as neutral, perspective-finding and encouraged; mistakes are seen and actively used as learning opportunities. And finally, we explored the strength which comes from being authentic, allowing others to see every part of us so we each learn from the examples displayed around us. We share our learnings from our own personal experiences with mental health and wellbeing over the years. About Renata Renata has been working with customers for the past 11 years in one way or another, from big Corporate companies to small tech start-ups. Renata loves creating and building highly diverse, scalable and autonomous customer success teams, ensuring that as the company grows they don't lose touch with their customers. How to connect with Renata and her initiatives Linkedin: Renata Kashiwaya Pinheiro

About the Episode If you've got a twinkle in your eye about a book within you which needs to be birthed, then listen to independent publisher Alison Jones talk about how authors are leaders and the similarities between creating a book and a business. We talk about authors as leaders, experts and facilitators of personal and professional development. Books as a means to listen in on the conversations which are emerging in the world, at any point in time, as well as understanding that writing any book is the same as starting a business - through synthesising and differentiation. Core values are highligted, such as transparency, authenticity, trust and respect, in the realms of creating a positive, fulfilling, proactive and motivating workplace culture. In addition, this week (w/c 13th September 2021) also marks the start of Alison's latest Book Proposal Challenge, whereby each participant takes that twinke in the eye to a fully formed book proposal which is ready to be sent out into the world of publishers to catch a book deal. As if that wasn't enough, one lucky person will get themselves a full publishing deal with Practical Inspiration Publishing (aka Alison)! What are you waiting for? Sign up now About Alison Alison Jones is founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing, a pioneering publishing partner for businesses, and host of The Extraordinary Business Book Club, a podcast and community for writers and readers of extraordinary business books.  A veteran of the publishing industry, she worked for 25 years with leading companies such as Chambers, Oxford University Press and Macmillan (as Publisher and then Director of Innovation Strategy at Palgrave Macmillan).  She regularly speaks and blogs on the publishing industry, is on the board of the Independent Publishers Guild and Head Judge of the Business Book Awards. She has written and edited several books, most recently This Book Means Business (2018). How to connect with Alison and her initiatives LinkedIn: Alison Jones LinkedIn: Practical Inspiration Publishing Instagram: @bookstothesky Twitter: @bookstothesky Website: Practical Inspiration Publishing Website: Alison Jones Website: The Extraordinary Business Book Club (EBBC)

About the Episode Today's episode is released on the 6-month anniversary of International Women's Day 2021. This year's theme was "Choose to Challenge" and Marija Skobe-Pilley is certainly delivering on her pledge, which she made publicly on her podcast and a Gender Diversity in Customer Success panel discussion back on 8th March 2021! Marija is a full-time and passionate Customer Success professional, a proud mother of two, host of the Women in CS podcast and part of the founding leadership team for the Women in CS Network - I don't know where she finds the time! She believes in making connections at the purest level, that everyone is a leader - no matter your job title or age, there is huge power in leaders who focus on serving those around them and creating an environment for learning based on trust. I truly enjoyed my conversation with Marija and I hope you enjoy listening just as much. About Marija Marija Skobe-Pilley is the Founder of Women in Customer Success Podcast & Network, Customer Success Enthusiast. She’s a classical musician who has transitioned into the world of technology. Having spent her education years as a music performer and educator, Marija discovered her passion for tech. and business after completing her graduate research on using arts to develop business competencies. She realised that future of business needs more human touch and her unique skillset and artistic mindset are in demand.  Soon, she found a new home in Customer Success. During the pandemic, Marija started the Women in Customer Success Podcast to provide a platform for women to connect, inspire and champion each other. She is committed to bringing remarkable ladies to the show, from all career stages and backgrounds, to share their inspirational story and practical tools to help others succeed and make an impact.  Marija holds degrees from the University of Zagreb (BA Music, MMus) and University of Cambridge (MPhil in Education). How to connect with Marija and her initiatives LinkedIn: Marija Skobe-Pilley LinkedIn: Women in CS podcast Instagram: @womenincspodcast Website: Women in CS podcast Join the Women in CS Network, on Slack, here!

This is an introduction to the Inspiring Future Leaders podcast. A podcast where I plan to have conversations with many individuals about positive business cultures, frameworks and leaderships styles. I'm particularly interested in exploring how positive business cultures can promote more conscious business styles and individual motivations towards community-led business practices and more active participation in being global citizens. Get in touch if you have thoughts, insights and/or suggestions as to who I should invite on the podcast!