The Melting Pot with Dominic Monkhouse Dominic Monkhouse

Hiring top talent –the right talent– is crucial to growing a business. Yet, so many companies get their recruitment process wrong. Clarity on what an A-Player looks like, and transparency with candidates in the process are just some of the missing elements that our guest this week noticed in many companies after falling into the world of recruitment.



This week on The Melting Pot, we learned from Ross Lauder, founder and CEO at Single Focus Talent. Before becoming the talented headhunter he is today, Ross was a tech sales manager, working for big firms like Dell and Hubspot. Today, he recruits salespeople across Europe and North America.



In this episode, we wanted to learn more from him about sales, and how the role of a salesperson has changed over time. Ross also shared his approach to recruitment and how he’s helping candidates in their careers. Also, what are people thinking about returning to the office, remote and hybrid work, and what's happening in the labour market. Is the tech world awash with talented people after the big tech layoffs?



A great conversation.



Make sure to download and listen today!



On today’s podcast:



How the sales process has changed over the years

Moving from sales to recruitment

A transparent and honest approach to recruitment

What's going on in the current labour market

Remote or office? What candidates prefer

Building trust is at the heart of a high-performing team and a great culture. Sometimes, that trust comes from allowing vulnerability and honesty into the room and acknowledging our flaws, as well as our geniuses. Our guest this week is a huge advocate of using that vulnerability to strengthen the relationships in leadership teams.



On this week's episode of The Melting Pot, we learned from Ronan Harrington, an expert in the neuroscience of resilience. After receiving a Master in Public Policy from Balliol College, Oxford University, Ronan then became one of the youngest executives in the City of London, as Director of Futures and Strategy at RPC. At the age of 24, he authored a report on the world of 2030 and how the British Government should respond.



In this fascinating episode, Ronan shared his views on what it takes to develop a great business culture, how allowing vulnerability can help build trust in teams, and how power can impact cultural change in an organisation. He also talked about his experience working with Extinction Rebellion and how ethical power plays work in politics and business.





Download and listen to learn more.



On today’s podcast:



Developing a conscious culture

How competing commitments affect culture

Building trust through vulnerability

Working for Extinction Rebellion

Defining resilience and dealing with burnout

The definition of value creation is giving something valuable to receive something else that’s more valuable to you. In today’s fast-paced economy, every business owner should strive to make his company as valuable as he can, and optimize wherever possible to provide value.


Isn't it all about profit? It may be true for large company stockholders, but it is less true for small business owners. A major corporation's stockholder may be exclusively concerned with earnings. It's part of their investment portfolio, and its sole purpose is to increase their wealth. However, a small company would be more interested in communicating a mission and vision that attracts the world, creating a product or service that adds value to both customers and shareholders, and creating value through optimizing processes and finance. Some investors have advanced to impact investing because they seek more than just profits from their investments. As a result, B-corporations are becoming increasingly common. Impact investment and B-corporations seek to maximize financial returns while also providing a public benefit and creating long-term value.


Today, on the Melting Pot, we are joined by Patrick E. Donohue, an expert in valuation, business angel, and financial advisor for entrepreneurs. He started his adventure at a very young age when he showed interest in stock shares and making money at only 10 years old. His passion lies in helping small businesses grow in a way that generates value and has a lasting impact on the community. He firmly believes that business owners shape the world by providing solutions to the complexities of human life.


In his book “Breakout Valuation”, he breaks down complex financial concepts and shares them in plain easy English. His aim is for every leader to be able to understand financial intelligence and apply it in actionable plans to drive sustainable growth.

The best CEOs have to master six core things to become great, says New York Times best selling author of CEO Excellence, Scott Keller. Don’t miss Scott share the methodology they used to narrow down their list of CEOs from 7,800 to 67, and the six things they found were the core of every great CEO.

Key takeaways:
Why we need to own our goals
How hard it is being CEO
Great CEOs have humility
The decathlete analogy
The six core elements of the CEO role
The link between mindset and CEO excellence

If your business is struggling to innovate, or is resisting innovation all together, then don’t miss Anthony Rose, founder and CEO of SeedLegals talk about the jobs that only the CEO should do, including the CEO’s role in innovation, and building company culture. This is a truly insightful episode and a must listen for all leaders of startups looking to grow their companies.

Key takeaways:
Making lawyers redundant
The CEO’s role in innovation
How to innovate
Why CEOs are responsible for culture