The Zone Way: Recent Episodes
Liam Forde
Over 20 years and across 30 countries, empowering people to find the space where happiness and high performance co-exist...this is The Zone Way. On this podcast, Liam Forde has deep and meaningful conversations with thought leaders about life, work, and how to find happiness in both.
π· Daniel and Liam are in New Zealand and on lockdown. 01:35
π They met through the Young Presidents Organization, where CEOs support each other. 02:17
π YPO network is international, and they help each other worldwide. 05:00
π¨βπ Not a practical bone in his body: an engineering degree from Cambridge, UK. 07:50
π Following his gut and heart: Leadership was a natural thing for Daniel. 08:44
π¨βπΌ Becoming the CEO of Mobile Mentor and growing it into a global footprint business. 10:54
π Working in global corporate companies vs. privately run businesses is often dependent on the founder. 11:50
βοΈ Learning about how private businesses tick. 13:14
𧱠Chief Culture Officer: three things that build culture. 14:46
π― Need for learning in tech: tech serves people, but humanity is the priority. 16:36
π€ Culture in recruiting, talking about values, and rewards according to values. 18:35
π The massive growth in pandemic years: match technical and cultural alignment. 22:06
π¨βπ« Most businesses don't invest enough in the training and development of their teams. 25:21
π§ Neuroplasticity and neurochemical bias: How adults and how young people learn. 29:00
π You canβt apply a corporate pattern in smaller companies: flow, transition, and learning curves. 33:06
π CEOβs influence: Be the silent person in the room and listen to the intelligent people around you. 37:10.
πThe Microsoft award: Looking after an organizationβs endpoints - interface and safety.
39:08
π€©Being a better leader: Be passionate about serving your team and customers. 41:29
β You lead a culture, and it's always a journey on which you can always do more. 43:40
Connect with Daniel: www.linkedin.com/in/danielgmccarthy
π― Connect with Liam: www.thezone.co
Notes
π€ Paul and Liam met in 1995. 01:47
π Nickβs business journey: resurrecting the sales channels of the Telecom mobile performance and its culture. 03:24
π Bringing in the cool culture vs. lipstick on a pig approach to culture. 06:51
π Why are contracts the size of an old telephone book? 08:43
π₯³ Nick got invited to lead Sparkβs largest reseller in the country. 09:41
π Changing the sales model for success by fixing issues with high disengagement and investing in people and values. 11:01
2οΈβ£ Two reasons Nick chose to invest in people even though he didn't have to. 14:28
π Award for most improved business in terms of staff workplace engagement. 15:55
πΆββοΈ The first time Nick walked out of a company and its reasons. 18:30
π Deciding to become an entrepreneur and start Salesfactory: developing tools and processes. 20:50
𧱠βSelling is a system. You need to have a system that sits behind you.β 23:00
π€ Seeing the issues in organizations: get the relationships right, and sales will flourish. 24:08
π No Asshole Rule and when Nick used it. 25:42
π― A Target Drift: being deliberate about your choices rather than drift into the outcomes. 27:27
π§ Helping business owners who are mindful enough to know that they've got some blockages in their revenue. 30:12
π§ βIn order to understand the problem, we've got to identify the pain points.β 32:27
Connect with Nick: www.linkedin.com/in/nick-paul-0a543b27/?
π― Connect with Liam: www.thezone.co
π Insightful moments during Liamβs help in bringing Bobβs cross-functional team together. 01:32
π€© Two the Zone Way learnings Bob still carries with him. 02:26
π½ Bobβs accents are from NY, Boston, and Philadelphia. 04:28
π€ Different cultures in the USA: he thought to fit the northern New Jersey style into the Southern California style. 05:09
𧦠Getting to a meeting with one sock. 06:05
π― Bobβs unique approach to leadership: βYou need everybody's insights.β 07:47
π¬ He left a 6 billion dollar organization for a small biotech company with the newest approach to fighting cancer. 09:58
π Bob wanted to be the CEO of a publicly-traded company. 12:26
π Gearing the company up for launch and then getting acquired.13:38
π Making decisions with heart and head: Building trust and being vulnerable.14:36
π§ͺ News in medical science: A new agent in the testing process might change issues with chronic pain. 16:31
𧫠Innovation and drug testing is a long and expensive process. 18:40
π€ In a large company, you get excellent training but narrow focus, and in small biotech, you get to solve setbacks. 20:40
π Bob likes a combination of experience and resilience when hiring someone. 22:06
π Tools Liam taught Bob: what spending time together with your teammates means. 24:23
π Liam loves Seattle. 26:09
π Amazing business with a great purpose. 27:01
Connect with Bob: www.linkedin.com/in/bob-azelby-628ab51
π― Connect with Liam: www.thezone.co
π Looking at the ocean. 01:13
π€ Getting together on the theme of purpose. 01:25
ποΈ People as the connector: People found ambiguity and uncertainty challenging, not the change. 02:35
π Measure impact and value rather than initiative and task. 04:44
π§ Thinking holistically is one of a leaderβs most important traits now. 05:56
2οΈβ£ Two types of leaders: What is culture, and how leadership affects it? 08:09
π± Growing and keeping talents: T shaped skills and benefits of broadening skills towards more general ones 11:23
π Novelty is a massive trigger for flow: delivering an excellent outcome for an organisation.14:11
3οΈβ£ Three things to get things going in your organisation without investing a dime. 17:30
βοΈ Play your own game: practice and research have to be tailored for you, not the other way around. 19:55
π¦ Legendary New Zealand Hokey Pokey Icecream: You need to be your own flavor. 21:20
π Learn to accept help: Anna feels lucky to be supported by her mom and family. 22:28
π· Pandemic challenges in organisations: Create autonomy because it is a basic psychological need. 25:28
β Downsizing in organisations, but with style: be aware of how you treat people that are leaving. 27:41
π Making a difference and challenging work interests. 29:23
π£ Amazing tips for leaders - chiefs reminding-the-purpose officers. 30:55
Connect with Anna: www.linkedin.com/in/annacampbell2
π― Connect with Liam: www.thezone.co
π Following your heart: Melissa is now in NY; she moved from LA during the pandemic. 01:08
π‘ Her business journey: She couldnβt quiet her creative heart, so she learned to use both heart and mind in business. 03:32
π€ A Place Called Home: How playing with disadvantaged kids in South Central LA inspired her to help and support them as much as possible. 05:19
π§ββοΈ How miracles happen and what the kids in a Place Called Home taught her. 06:27
π How Liamβs reboot class helped Melissa find what she enjoys doing. 09:01
πΆ A dog named Missy found her new family in Melissaβs house. 10:50
π€© Leading with love is not weakness: Culture of trust and creativity. 12:39
π βWe want to be a part of organizations that do good, are good, and create good.β 15:04
π Tips for leaders of organisations and the importance of trust in an organisation. 16:30
π§ Intuitive Intelligence: Intuition is neither magic nor nonsense, but it takes courage to follow it. 18:58
π€ Doubt our doubts: Doubts are just thoughts like any other but taking action is essential. 25:35
π§ Imposter syndrome: We choose whether we will listen to those thoughts or not. 27:59
β£οΈ Leadership speaks truth and reveals vulnerability. 30:09
π Liamβs help with facilitating Young Presidents Organizationβs mastermind retreat. 31:46
π Helping women to live a life with more purpose and helping organizations who want to attract, recruit and retain excellent women. 33:41
β You are not alone! 36:33
Connect with Melissa: www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-palazzo-hart-a605042
π― Connect with Liam: www.thezone.co
π€ Michael and Liam have known each other for 28 years. 01:05
π How did you get your degree? A barrage of psychometric testing Liam put him through. 02:29
π Being in the Zone: getting exposed to the world of humans and culture. 04:14
π³ Frying pan fire moment and getting the company to the States and the importance of a good team. 06:42
β If you choose to work in a tech space, finding an excellent CTO and CIO is essential. 12:18
π Myers Briggs and understanding the people around you: βBusinesses should be made up of lots of different types of humans and you need to work in that landscape.β 14:38
π Switching to a partnership model and its unique culture: Being away from home and a need for a change. 15:50
π± Getting back to a CEO business model: The platform Comply Pro was born. 21:49
β³ Before and Now: Building successful software as a service company is more formulaic these days and VC is all about metrics, not people. 22:46
π€© The churn is very important and it comes from a companyβs voice, culture and how you serve your customers. 24:48
π¨βπ Younger generations at work: not bound and limited, different views on business, easy communication. 27:40
π€― His sales team works on the team spirit and core spirit, not commission. 30:22
π Finding talent in New Zealand is hard: using networks, funnels and friends. 31:35
Connect with Michael: www.complypro.co.nz
π― Connect with Liam: www.thezone.co