Growth Igniters Radio Growth Igniters Radio

As opportunities for doing business in Africa continually evolve, Dr. Deanne De Vries, a member of our Growth Igniters® Community, has major news. Her book “Africa: Open for Business,” just won “Africa Business Book of the Year” award from the Business Council of Africa (BCA).

This week, we speak with with Deanne about the award, the significance of her book, and why it was honored. We discuss using insights from the book to shape decisions about doing business in Africa as the world keeps changing. We also explore immediately useful ideas for staying current on Africa and deciding what’s best for us and our businesses in real time.

Deanne has spent much of the past thirty years living across Africa and working for startups (including her own), global non-profits and international organizations, venture capital firms as well as one of the world’s top ten logistics firms. Deanne has had her ideas featured in the World Economic Forum Africa, the Economist, the Financial Times, and CNBC Africa as well as on university campuses and at local tech or entrepreneurs’ gatherings. Her second book in the Africa series is Africa: Reframing Political Leadership.



When you look at the top 10 countries that are actually growing their economies this year, six of them are in Africa. This shows how much the world actually needs Africa. — Dr. Deanne De Vries



This week on Growth Igniters Radio:



* Why the Business Council for Africa (BCA) selected “Africa: Open for Business” as their inaugural “African Business Book of the Year”

* Deanne’s biggest new insight about doing business in Africa since her book was published in early 2022

* A top assumption to regularly challenge about growth opportunities in Africa as the world changes

* Three immediately useful ideas for for staying current on assessing business opportunities in Africa



Resources for This Episode:



* Deanne De Vries’ website and LinkedIn profile

* Read article with photos about the 2023 Africa Business Book of the Year, “Africa: Open for Business”

* Visit the Business Council for Africa’s Page with the 8 nominees for 2023 Africa Book of the Year

* Read about Deanne’s book, Africa: Reframing Political Leadership

* Listen to our previous podcast conversations with Deanne about her first book and her second book

* Read the World Economic Forum Report: “A new era for global business and investment in Africa“

* Find out more about Pam’s keynote “Break Orbit: Achieving Long-Term Growth in a Short-Term World”



Accelerate to YOUR Next Level of Success

Thanks for listening to Growth Igniters® Radio. If you enjoyed this episode, spread the good word!

What does it mean to ‘change the game?” Game-changing growth involves leading in a dramatically different direction to create new value. It could be to create new value in new markets, or improving your value in existing markets. The secret of leading a game-changing vision in the face of ambiguity? One is to become aware of how established patterns need to change to create new value.

This week, we revisit our Fan-Favorite discussion about disrupting established patterns in your company and market. This can open the doors to creating game-changing opportunities for growth. We discuss the importance of helping yourself and  others in your organization become mindful of patterns that are no longer relevant. Pam shares the story of how she used different kinds of games in an advisory engagement. This  helped change thinking patterns and behavior in a company whose leaders needed to increase commitment and collaboration after a merger. We also share three immediately useful ideas you can use to change established patterns and create new value for your markets.



Changing patterns of feeling, thinking, and action can lead to creating game-changing value for everyone

– Pam Harper



This week on Growth Igniters Radio:



* What we mean by “game-changing” business growth

* How changing established patterns can create new value for your markets

* The power of using games to inspire new feelings and create new thinking

* A story of how changing established patterns enabled a company to change their game

* Three immediately useful ideas for changing established patterns to create new value



Resources Mentioned:



* Find out about Pam’s keynote address at Pam Harper Speaks

* Curious about “Spelling Bee?” Check out the Spelling Bee Forum

* Related episode: Using the Power of Games to Inspire Strategic Thinking with Shari Spiro, CEO of Ad Magic & Breaking Games





Accelerate to YOUR Next Level of Success

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Growth Igniters Radio. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.



Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content and information, visit our website

The implications of the rising use of AI in Business and all aspects of society are still very much at the forefront of conversations among top leadership. Are you among the many CEOs who see the game-changing potential of ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI?  What are the current and emerging issues that can make the CEO – AI partnership tricky?

In this Fan-Favorite episode, we revisit our discussion of the strengths and limitations of the CEO – AI partnership with our guest Paul Rulkens. His TEDx Talk “Why the Majority is Always Wrong” has received over 6 million views.  We also discuss ways CEOs can best partner with AI.

Paul is a speaker, author and boardroom advisor who is an expert in unconventional strategies to get extraordinary results. Originally trained as a chemical engineer, Paul’s work is based on deep knowledge and extensive experience in the practical business applications of behavioral psychology, neuroscience and, especially, common sense. He has worked more than 20 years as a corporate leader on the frontline of global business. His clients include companies such as McKinsey, UBER, Siemens, Nestlé, and Johnson&Johnson. Additionally, he serves as a Senior Fellow at the Conference Board. (read more on his bio below)



“If you want to innovate, listen carefully to AI and then use your judgement to decide if it makes sense to do exactly the opposite” – Paul Rulkens



This week on Growth Igniters Radio:



* Paul’s view on where AI is strongest and where it has limitations

* How finding questions AI can’t answer can point the way to breakthrough opportunities

* Three immediately useful ideas for CEOs to partner with AI to achieve extraordinary performance



Resources for This Episode:



* Paul Rulkens Biography, website and LinkedIn profile

* Watch Paul’s popular TEDx talk, “Why the Majority is Always Wrong“

* Find out more about Pam’s keynote “Break Orbit: Achieving Long-Term Growth in a Short-Term World”



Accelerate to YOUR Next Level of Success

Thanks for listening to Growth Igniters® Radio. If you enjoyed this episode, spread the good word! Just leave a quick review wherever you get your podcasts and share on LinkedIn or Facebook.



Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content and information,

Many CEOs of established companies tell us that making high-quality decisions at warp speed requires a special skill set. But there’s also a lot of art in balancing the often competing needs of employees and other stakeholders.

In this Growth Igniters® Quick Take, we discuss the key to increasing high-quality decisions at warp speed. When the stakes are high, it’s tempting to assume everyone knows what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what needs to happen next. But as your company and stakeholders are changing faster than ever before, it can be a special challenge to stay in synch. Checking the accuracy of your assumptions even more often is the key to increasing high-quality decisions when the pressure is on.

For example, Scott and I discuss the story of what one CEO and C-suite team discovered about the impact of their assumptions as they led their company for dramatic transformation and growth.

One way to discover even more assumptions is by using our free strategic checklist, “Five Questions To Ask When You Need To Move Even Faster.”  We also discuss three particular times these questions can be especially impactful.

Increasing high-quality decisions at warp speed requires you to check assumptions even more often – Pam Harper

This week on Growth Igniters Radio:



* The special challenge of making high-stakes decisions at warp speed

* What one leadership team discovered about their assumptions and the impact it had on their decisions for growth

* Three ideas for using our free checklist for discovering leadership assumptions  when you need to move at warp speed



Resources Mentioned:



* Download Our FREE strategic resource: 5 Questions To Ask When You Need to Move Even Faster

* Find out more about Pam’s keynote speaking at Pam Harper Speaks



Accelerate to YOUR Next Level of Success

If you enjoyed this episode of Growth Igniters® Radio, please spread the word. Subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.



Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content, join the Growth Igniters® Community.

 

What does it mean to lead a happy company in the face of uncertainty ? And for that matter, whose happiness should we be most concerned with?  It’s time to change the narrative on leading a happy company.

In this episode. we speak with Edwin Edebiri, MBA, about the importance of CEOs taking on the role of  “Chief Happiness Officer” (CHO). Edwin is a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, and coach who has dedicated much of his career to promoting happiness worldwide. He is the founder of the Happy Neighborhood Project and the I am Happy Project, which has over 70,000 members, across 64 cities in 19 countries.

Edwin’s work as the “Chief Happiness Officer” has made a significant impact on communities worldwide. By prioritizing happiness and well-being, he has helped people lead more fulfilling lives and inspired others to do the same. Edwin has been featured in a PBS documentary about happiness, and in 2014, his work on promoting happiness was recognized by the United Nations. He also serves on the board of various profit and non for profit organizations. (Read more about Edwin by clicking the links in “Resources,” below)

We discuss Edwin’s expansive view of where “happiness” comes from, how he became a “Chief Happiness Officer,” and why he believes that promoting happiness in a business should expand beyond the traditional focus on employees to embrace a wide range of stakeholders, including top-level executives.



When you think about a happy company, don’t just narrow it to making your employees happy. Including all stakeholders is how you build a foundation for a truly happy company. — Edwin Edebiri



This week on Growth Igniters® Radio:



* Edwin’s views on the nature of happiness

* How Edwin developed the concept of how CEOs can also become “Chief Happiness Officers”

* The power of committing to happiness, especially in tough times

* Three immediately useful ideas for fostering happiness in yourself and your company



Resources for This Episode



* Read more about The Happy Neighborhood Project

* Connect with Edwin Edebiri on LinkedIn

* Watch Edwin’s TEDx talk, “Happiness As A Default PositionHappiness as a Default Position“

* Listen to our conversation with Natsuyo Lipschutz, who introduced us to Edwin: “The Secret of Leading to Connect across Cultures“

* Visit PamHarperSpeaks.com to find out more about Pam’s insights on game-changing leadership in her new keynote “How Growth Igniters® Lead for Tomorrow, Starting Today”



Accelerate to YOUR Next Level of Success

Thanks for listening to Growth Igniters® Radio. If you enjoyed this episode, spread the good word! Just leave a quick review wherever you get your podcasts and share on LinkedIn or Facebook.

a href="https://www.stitcher.

These days it’s the norm to lead your company in the face of ambiguity. This applies whether you’re dealing with evolving technology, trade wars, workforce change, environmental issues and most anything else. So what’s the key to making game-changing decisions when the signs point in all directions?

In this “Quick Take” episode, we share what we’ve learned about the keys of leading to make game-changing decisions in the face of ambiguity. We describe one of the components of what call the “Three Growth Igniters® Paradoxes.” We share the story of how this helped a visionary leadership team embrace ambiguity at a critical point in their growth journey. And we share three immediately useful ideas to help business leaders promote a culture that can foster open conversations under the toughest conditions



In the face of ambiguity, it’s important to embrace a variety of viewpoints

— Pam Harper



This week on Growth Igniters Radio:



* How a wide range of viewpoints can help you lead a bold vision in the face of ambiguity

* One of the fundamental elements of the “Three Growth Igniters® Paradoxes”

* Three immediately useful ideas to positively reinforce open conversations as part of your company’s culture



Resources Mentioned:



* Take a closer look at our photo of the ambiguous “bus detour” sign

* Learn more about Pam’s keynote address at Pam Harper Speaks



 

Accelerate to YOUR Next Level of Success

Please spread the word if you enjoyed this episode of Growth Igniters® Radio. Subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.



Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content, join the Growth Igniters® Community.