What's Next! with Tiffani Bova

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week, I'd like to go back to a conversation I shared a while back with Bill Macaitis. Bill served as the go-to-market executive for three of the fastest growing SaaS companies: Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce. He achieved five exits and now enjoys helping other companies achieve hyper-growth by leveraging his cumulative knowledge and helping build go-to-market playbooks and teams. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who is looking to turbocharge business performance. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… customer experience plays a bigger role than you think in your company's growth. You have to start with two key things: 1) Understand the top reasons your company is recommended 2) Then….understand why it isn't. Your brand is the sum of every customer touch point, which means everyone, whether they are a salesperson, a customer service agent, a marketer, or in an entirely different group – everyone must have a clear understanding of the value they bring to a customer's journey. Once everyone is moving forward in the same direction, then it's a good time to discuss shared metrics and incentives. WHAT I LOVE MOST… it's always helpful to put yourself in someone else's shoes. If you are in marketing, go on sales calls. If you are in sales, see what goes into creating the next lead generation campaign. Regardless of where you work in the company, listen in on customer service calls. When the entire company works together toward a shared goal, it will become more effective and the brand will be stronger for it. Running time: 32:47 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on Social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Bill On Social: LinkedIn Twitter

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week I'm thrilled to bring you an episode of What's Next! Podcast with a powerful duo, Catalina Daniels and James Sherman who are co-authors of Smart Startups: What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know. Catalina spent the first 17 years of her career at McKinsey, where she became a partner. She left McKinsey to become an entrepreneur and eventually an angel investor. She is a venture partner at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, a prominent New York-based tech accelerator where she mentors U.S. entrepreneurs and helps non-U.S. entrepreneurs expand into the U.S. James started his career at Bain as a consultant and then spent several years working in media with Time Inc. and Pearson. In 1997, he launched the Internet division of Martha Stewart Living. He then became a serial Internet entrepreneur and an active angel investor in New York startups. He's been a mentor to entrepreneurs and sits on the board of Harvard Business School's Alumni Angels of New York. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anybody looking to gain some pearls of wisdom about entrepreneurship. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… entrepreneurship is a challenging journey and real experience from fellow founders is the most useful advice. Catalina and James interviewed eighteen HBS graduates and entrepreneurs who shared real-life experiences founding businesses. In this conversation, they share some of their findings - from the power of a great business model to strategies for scaling. WHAT I LOVE MOST… using an ideation triangle to determine whether an idea is viable and assessing these criteria: size of the opportunity, relevant skills, and passion. Running Time: 28:20 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on Social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Catalina Online: LinkedIn Find James Online: LinkedIn Catalina + James' Book: Smart Startups: What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know

Tendayi Viki, an academic and innovation expert, discusses how big companies can act like startups. He emphasizes the importance of creating an innovation thesis, understanding key trends, and aligning everything with the innovation goal. The podcast also explores the definition of innovation, challenges faced, and the significance of applying lean startup techniques. Another important topic is the role of diversity in innovation teams and fostering creative tension for effective ideation.

Matt Abrahams, leading expert in communication, shares practical tips to become a good speaker in the moment. He discusses utilizing AI and human skills, improving listening skills, asking better questions, and the evolution of communication styles.

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week I'm bringing back an interview with Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. Nir is an entrepreneur and has taught at Stanford School of Business. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… companies who want to change consumer behavior. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… most of what you do throughout the day is because of a habit, the impulse to behave with little or no conscious thought. You choose Google as your search engine out of habit, don't you? If you are a business owner, you want to make sure that your product is what consumers use because of a habit. When you understand how to create habits, you can generate a tremendous amount of economic and customer value and keep customers coming back. Of the four steps that define a habit — trigger, action, reward, and investment — the investment phase is the most critical. It is in this phase where the company gets the user to do something that increases the likelihood of returning. How do you get repeat customers? It is no longer about traditional advertising. It is more about exposure. Exposure has to be a new and exciting user experience that understands the customers' wants and needs. WHAT I LOVE MOST… if you want to start understanding your customer's psychology, understand their emotional triggers. Every customer has a pain point usually associated with a negative emotion, like fear, loneliness, uncertainty, or boredom. Your product has to scratch that user itch and alleviate it through every successive interaction. Running time: 29:36 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on Social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Nir Online: Website Twitter Medium Nir's Book: Hooked

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. Settle in for an exciting episode of the What's Next! Podcast with Jonah Berger. Jonah is a Wharton School professor and internationally bestselling author of Magic Words, Contagious, Invisible Influence, and The Catalyst. Millions of copies of his books are in print in over 35 countries around the world. He's also a world-renowned expert on natural language processing change, word-of-mouth influence, consumer behavior, and why things catch on. He's published over 80 articles in top-tier academic journals and teaches one of the most popular online courses. But I think one of my favorite things about Jonah, and this is a first for a guest on this show, is that his work was actually a Jeopardy question. It said, "Jonah Berger says this three-word person-to-person interaction works ten times better than traditional ads. What is it?" The answer was "word of mouth." How fitting! THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone who wants to take greater power of language and words. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… language matters. It can motivate others, impact the way they feel, and lead to action. In this conversation, Jonah addresses the hot topic of large language models and how machines will change communication. But he also takes it back a few steps and reminds us that at the core of any type of communication is an understanding of what drives human behavior. WHAT I LOVE MOST… Jonah's practical breakdown of the use of the word "should" versus "could." He shares a study that found that those who were asked what they could do instead of what they should do found more creative solutions. This is a small but powerful example of how important language is. Running Time: 25:18 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on Social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Jonah Online: Website LinkedIn Twitter Jonah's Book: Magic Words

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week I'm bringing a fan-favorite episode with the awesome Dan Pink. Dan is the author of six books, including When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Thinkers50 named Dan one of the Top 15 Business Thinkers in the World, and his TED talk The Puzzle of Motivation is one of the 10 most-watched TED talks of all time. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anyone looking to improve their likelihood of success in both their personal and professional lives. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… did you know that a book about timing decisions didn't exist until Dan Pink wrote it in early 2018? When you think about it, we make multiple "when" decisions in our life: When should I exercise during the day? When should I start a product? When should I quit a project? When should I quit my job? Dan's diligent research into the foundation behind our "when" decisions led him to discover that people mostly disregard the question of when and instead focus on what and who and how. WHAT I LOVE MOST… breaks are more important than you think. We need to start thinking about breaks as part of our performance not a deviation from performance. Running time: 37:43 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani Online Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Dan Online: Twitter Facebook

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week I'm thrilled to air a Reload episode with the wonderful Roger Martin. In 2017, Roger was named the world's #1 management thinker by Thinkers50, a biannual ranking of the most influential global business thinkers. He is a trusted strategy advisor to the CEOs of companies worldwide including Procter & Gamble, Lego, and Ford. He is also a Professor Emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto where he served as Dean from 1998-2013, Academic Director of the Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship from 2004-2019 and Institute Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute from 2013-2019. In 2013, he was named global Dean of the Year by the leading business school website, Poets & Quants. His newest book is When More is Not Better: Overcoming America's Obsession with Economic Efficiency. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders looking to find a productive balance between purpose and profits. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Roger and I discuss his new book and the history of American economics. For the first 200 years of the American economy, we witnessed a truly impressive performance and the economic life of the average American family got better. But, in recent decades, growth in the economic prosperity of the average family in America has slowed to a crawl. At the same time, the prosperity of America's richest families has grown to a level never seen before. This combination of the stagnation of the average family and the enrichment of the richest Americans threatens American democratic capitalism. Roger provides a unique viewpoint on what has changed and why the helpful pursuit of efficiency has turned into a damaging obsession. He also begins to lay out how to bring about more productive balance. WHAT I LOVE MOST… getting the opportunity to talk to Roger about a phenomenon that has become more apparent than ever in recent months! Running Time: 42:20 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on Social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Roger Online: LinkedIn Twitter Roger's Book: When More is Not Better

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. My guest this week is speaker, coach, and advisor Stephen Shedletzky - or "Shed." Shed helps leaders build trust, foster psychological safety, and empower others to speak up. He spent over a decade working with Simon Sinek, helping to create an inspired and safe world for all. Shed is the author of the new book Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders who are ready to up their listening skills and want some practical advice. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… a key tenet of good leadership is creating a culture for people to be heard. In this episode, Shed offers wisdom that leaders can use to truly (operative word) listen and make the entire team feel comfortable to speak up. WHAT I LOVE MOST… Shed references this fascinating idea from comedian Craig Ferguson: "Does this need to be said? Does it need to be said now? Does it need to be said by me?" Leadership is not just about the things you say, it's also about amplifying the voices of the people around you. There may be a scenario where something needs to be said and it needs to be said now but not by you. Learning to navigate a moment like this and spotlighting the person who can speak best on a matter is a powerful skill! Running Time: 26:56 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on Social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Shed Online: Website LinkedIn Shed's Book: Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova. This week on the What's Next! Podcast, I'm joined by Lisa Bodell, one of my very first guests on the podcast. Lisa is all about simplification and productivity. She is the founder and CEO of FutureThink, a company that uses simple techniques to help organizations embrace change and increase their capability for innovation. She's got two bestselling books, Kill the Company and Why Simple Wins. THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… anybody feeling like they're in a productivity rut. TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… there's a big difference between spending time and investing time. We seldom define the purpose of things and, more frequently, just dive straight into "the what." This way of operating influences so many things, how teams are organized, the way that meetings are conducted, and even whether teams work remotely or in person. Lisa says the people who are truly productive will use time as an investment and have a clear sense of purpose behind the work. WHAT I LOVE MOST… building a culture where stopping something is viewed as important as starting something. Lisa shares the example of a client that has incorporated this into their strategic planning with a slide dedicated to things that will be eliminated in order to make space for things that are more of a priority. Running Time: 24:28 Subscribe on iTunes Find Tiffani on Social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Find Lisa Online: Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Lisa's Books: Kill the Company Why Simple Wins