612: Building Corporate Soul with Ralf Specht

In today's episode of the As Told by Nomads Podcast, join me and Ralf Specht as we discuss the different elements that answer whether your business has a soul or not. Technically, every business is a people business. How? As you tune in, Ralf lays down his thoughts on how crucial work culture and employee empowerment are to a business's success and how he breaks down the whole discussion in his book, Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™.

What Drives a Business's Success?

No sense of belonging and not being valued by the organization is probably at the top of the list of why employees leave their companies. That aside, not having enough opportunities, a lack of a supportive work system, and inadequate compensation. If you're a CEO, gaining a sense of commitment from your people is critical above all. But if your only means to do that are through 'numbers,' then that's the hole in your business right there.

About Ralf Specht:

Ralf Specht is a visionary business leader and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and shared purpose. 

As a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership as CEO to global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees before it joined forces with Accenture Interactive in 2021.

Outline of the episode:

• [02:45]Ralf Specht – on wanting to become a journalist
• [05:02] The book, Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™
• [08:17]What does 'shared purpose' mean?
• [12:34]Employers are not understanding why their employees are leaving 
• [16:38]Are the numbers of a business what drives success?
• [20:46]How interesting Airbnb, Hilton Hotels, and IKEA have been on the issue?
• [25:27]Who gets to say if your company/leadership has soul?
• [26:56] Diversity as a plus and not as a constraining factor
• [31:11]Focusing on numbers only loses a business' humanity
• [32:14] What do the companies at the top of the Soul Index ratings reflect?

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529/recent-activity/posts/

Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Corporate-Soul-Powering-SystemTM/dp/1639080023/

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