Human Innovation with Jens Heitland

Jens Heitland
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Long form conversations with CEOs and senior leaders on leadership, decision making, and innovation inside complex organizations. Hosted by Jens Heitland, CEO of Heitland Media Group and former Global Head of Innovation at IKEA Centres. © The Jens Heitland Show - Heitland Media Group

  1. 5d ago

    EP268 - The Real Challenge Starts After the Training Ends with Amit Kasliwal

    In this episode of the Human Innovation Podcast, recorded in The Hague, Jens Heitland sits down with Amit Kasliwal, founder of Dehurdle and former head of corporate sales for Ford Motor Company in India. Highlights: 00:00 Welcome to the Netherlands 01:04 Networking Mindset Basics 02:14 Introduce Yourself Right 03:23 Energy and Presence 04:57 Teaching Kids by Example 07:31 Work Life as One 09:05 Leaving Corporate Behind 10:11 INSEAD and Self-Awareness 12:39 Resigning After TEDx 14:12 Early Founder Survival 15:47 Finding the Startup Idea 18:10 Pivots and Building Team 19:34 Hiring for Values Fit 19:53 Hiring By Trying 20:43 Going Global Intentionally 22:56 Corporate Lessons Ford 24:56 Drive To Make Impact 27:29 One Minute Product Pitch 30:33 Use Cases And Differentiation 31:55 Growth Targets And Markets 33:35 Cultural Intelligence Feature 36:24 AI Hype Versus Real Demos 38:02 Advice For New Founders 40:43 Closing Thanks And Wrap LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitkasliwalofficial/ Website: www.dehurdle.com Connect with Jens: https://www.jensheitland.com/links

    EP268 - The Real Challenge Starts After the Training Ends with Amit Kasliwal

  2. Sep 22

    EP267 - Julia Wagner: Building Community Into Every Business

    Julia Wagner has planned her life for decades, since she was eighteen. In this episode, she talks with Jens Heitland about building a coworking space and software company in Spain, why Europe undervalues failure, and the long-term vision that shapes her thinking about family, community, and business. Timecode: 00:00 EP. 267_Podcast_Jens_Julia Wagner 00:03 Early Banking & Real Estate 05:30 International Career & Moving to Spain 09:25 Starting the Coworking Business 11:46 Lifestyle & Community 20:22 Two Businesses: Coworking & Software 25:42 Future Vision 31:51 Understanding Your Talent Guest: Julia Wagner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliawagner-salesqueen/ Website: https://rundesk.me/ Connect with Jens: ⁠https://www.jensheitland.com/links⁠

    EP267 - Julia Wagner: Building Community Into Every Business

  3. Sep 17

    EP266 - The ROI of communication with Ben Timpson

    Ben Timpson spent thirteen years in the Royal Navy before building a career teaching CEOs and their teams how to communicate under pressure. He and Jens Heitland discuss what military briefing culture gets right that most businesses miss, why leaders are buried in unfiltered information, and what changes when a team learns to prepare a message before it reaches the top. Highlights: 00:00 EP. 266_Podcast_Jens_Ben Timpson 02:53 Ben's Background & Bosnia 08:29 Preparing Leaders for High-Stakes Meetings 25:27 The Gift-Giving Empathy Story 27:54 AI's Impact on Briefing 35:10 The Briefing Course 45:01 How to Reach Ben Guest links: Connect with Ben Timpson: Website: https://thebriefingcourse.com/index.html LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentimpson/ Connect with Jens: https://www.jensheitland.com/links

    EP266 - The ROI of communication with Ben Timpson

  4. Sep 15

    EP265 - From Using AI to Influencing AI, with Ross Rafahël

    A shared apartment in Johannesburg. A career built across four continents. And a question that now shapes how organizations think about AI. Ross Rafahël sits down with Jens Heitland to talk about the difference between using AI and influencing it, why structured unlearning matters more than another degree, and what gets lost when decisions are made without clarity of intent. Timecode: 00:00 Reunion and Setup 00:46 Brotherhood in Johannesburg 01:59 Global Moves and Career Leaps 05:36 First Steps with AI Tools 08:32 From User to AI Influencer 10:21 Market Flooded Human Gap 12:19 Relevance Jobs and Purpose 16:02 Human Decision Infrastructure 19:04 Structured Unlearning with AI 21:37 Organizations and Untapped Markets 27:33 Future You Program Explained 30:00 Governance and Decision Conditions 32:49 Benefits for Business and Society 35:05 Practical Tips and How to Engage 38:12 Closing Thanks Guest: Website: https://www.rossrafahel.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossrafah%C3%ABl/ Connect with Jens: https://www.jensheitland.com/links

    EP265 - From Using AI to Influencing AI, with Ross Rafahël

  5. Sep 10

    EP264 - Tobias Tanner: Why Retail Is Becoming Hospitality Again

    Tobias Tanner, founder of the co-retail platform Le Magasin, joins Jens Heitland to talk about the return of physical retail. The conversation covers his path from running a jazz label in New York to building a hospitality-driven retail model in Berlin, the pattern behind Le Magasin and its Dry Bar concept, and what makes a community durable enough to bring people back through the door. Guest links: Connect with Tobias Tanner Website: https://lemagasin.store/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiastanner/ Connect with Jens: https://www.jensheitland.com/links

    EP264 - Tobias Tanner: Why Retail Is Becoming Hospitality Again

  6. Sep 7

    EP263 - Edouard Leeuwenburg on Change, AI, and the One Person Company

    Edouard Leeuwenburg returns to Human Innovation to update Jens on life after OneFit and the AI sales tool he has built since. The conversation moves through the mechanics of driving change inside a large organization, the psychological cost of stepping out of a high-pressure CEO role, and what it takes to build an AI executive team from a text file and a set of clear boundaries. Edouard also shares his approach to learning AI without a technical background, and why he treats new tools with curiosity rather than urgency. Guest links: Connect with Edouard Leeuwenburg Website: https://lionizer.io/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleeuwenburg/ Timecode: 01:04 OneFit CEO During Covid 02:54 Fixing the Business Model 04:34 Culture Customers Partners Reset 06:49 How to Drive Change 10:02 Results and Handing Over 12:56 Life After the CEO Sprint 15:15 Entrepreneurship Origins 18:04 AI Meets Sales and CRM 19:29 Freevent Demo and Benefits 23:28 Predictable Funnel and Cashflow 26:12 Building With Virtual Team 27:45 Adaptive Sales Assistant 28:38 News Driven Follow Ups 29:27 One Person Company Vision 30:56 Building an AI Org 33:44 Daily AI Triage Workflow 35:15 Freedom And Lifestyle Gains 38:17 Pilot Customer Workflow 39:33 Learning AI By Doing 41:53 Privacy And Local Models 43:54 Avoid Tool Hype 45:14 Pharmakon And Change 47:44 Simple Agents And Wrap Up

    EP263 - Edouard Leeuwenburg on Change, AI, and the One Person Company

  7. Sep 1

    EP262 - Christopher Filipiak: The CEO Sales Mindset Nobody Builds On Purpose

    Christopher Filipiak works with CEOs on sales, and this conversation looks at why revenue rarely comes down to tactics alone. Jens and Christopher discuss the mindset behind CEO-level selling, the idea of a best-fit client, and what it takes to bring revenue under control in a large organization. 00:03 Should CEOs Be Involved in Sales? 01:38 Mindset vs. Skillset 06:20 From Engineer to Sales 15:36 Why CEOs Should Sell 20:13 Strategy: Money Map & Best Fit Clients 34:58 Knowing Yourself Connect with Christopher Filipiak: Website: christopherfilipiak.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherfilipiak/ Connect with Jens: https://www.jensheitland.com/links

    EP262 - Christopher Filipiak: The CEO Sales Mindset Nobody Builds On Purpose

  8. Aug 25

    EP261 - Jens with Neil Pendle: Water Is the Next Business Risk

    In this episode of Human Innovation, I sit down with Neil Pendle, founder of Waterscan, in Belgium. Neil built Waterscan from a single contract into one of the UK's leading water consulting firms, working with organizations like British Telecom, Tesco, and Whitbread across nearly three decades, before stepping down as CEO earlier this year and handing leadership to his successor, Barry. We talk about the moment water stopped being a sustainability line item and became a business continuity risk. Neil describes a call one of his clients, a major brewer, received this year, informing them the water supply would be shut off within the hour. We look at why that kind of call is becoming more common across the UK and southern Europe, what businesses like Gatwick Airport have learned the hard way, and what practical steps organizations can take now, from operating boreholes more effectively to sharing non-potable water between neighboring businesses. Neil also reflects on leadership itself, drawing a parallel between his life playing international hockey and building a company from the ground up, and how his own leadership style changed over thirty years of growth. Timecode: 00:00 Hockey World Cups 00:46 Why Number 13 02:39 Sport as Balance 04:38 Coaching and Leadership 05:40 Leading a Growing Company 08:23 Hiring for Attitude 09:58 Stepping Down as CEO 11:41 No Water No Business 13:16 Water Shutdown Reality 17:17 Building Water Resilience 19:50 Gatwick Airport Case 23:21 Droughts and Demand Gap 23:53 Water Needs All Levels 24:28 Policy And Behavior Shift 26:56 Water Pricing Reality 29:46 Talent And Reputation 32:09 Careers In WaterScan 36:16 Origin Story Waterscan 38:04 Scaling And Customer Focus 40:36 Handling Setbacks Together 42:32 Future Data And AI 44:28 Resilience And Risk Mindset 47:33 Closing Thanks Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-pendle-26332227/ Jens Links: https://www.jensheitland.com/links

    EP261 - Jens with Neil Pendle: Water Is the Next Business Risk
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Long form conversations with CEOs and senior leaders on leadership, decision making, and innovation inside complex organizations. Hosted by Jens Heitland, CEO of Heitland Media Group and former Global Head of Innovation at IKEA Centres. © The Jens Heitland Show - Heitland Media Group

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