Speakers Corner Book Club | Inspirational Business Strategies to Succeed in the New Decade

There’s nothing like bold strategy planning to prepare for the decade ahead as businesses adapt and refine their strategy for today’s changing world. We’ve seen such a strong correlation between the benefits that external speakers have for a company, and that company’s success in changing and adapting their processes.

As common themes among companies begin to emerge regarding change vs uncertainty, Brexit and the fluctuating political atmosphere, climate change and a new generation entering the workforce, experts are brought in to bring light on. There is no better time than now to strategize for the year and decade ahead.

Our pages this month are filled with ideas from thought-provoking speakers David Coulthard, Sophie Devonshire, John Izzo, Jeff Vanderwielen and Debra Corey with tried and tested strategies to survive and thrive in this decade.

Aimee | The Winning Formula by David Coulthard

The Winning Formula by David Coulthard  shines light on this in 10 easy to read chapters, sharing behind the scenes tales of when teamwork is at its best.

David talks candidly about his childhood and family and how their dedication to the family business and their devoted support to his career was what he needed to achieve greatness. Each chapter covers a different leadership style type or a learning on teamwork told through stories and nuggets of wisdom from Motorsport legends such as Ron Dennis, Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell and Christian Horner.

It follows the team’s triumphs, the horrific accidents, lessons on developing personal brand, team failures and how they always looked at how to move forward together to be the best. One of my favourite racing “bloopers” would be David racing in the 1995 British Grand Prix at Silverstone and a local cab company came onto David’s radio frequency and he was asked to do a 2.30pm pick up in Towchester. It would be the quickest cab ride for that lucky customer!

This would be a great book for not only a motorsport audience, but it is an incredible insight into team building, strategy and leadership within the fast-paced realm of Formula 1, with captivating stories that you remember.

Ron Dennis - “Why decide today if you don’t have to DC? Make sure you have all the very latest and most useful information before you decide”

Lydia| Superfast Lead at Speed by Sophie Devonshire

Superfast Lead at Speed by Sophie Devonshire filters through different aspects that companies should consider when leading a company, testing performance and applying lessons through their employees and processes.

There was a diverse collection of ideas and theories explored throughout the book, with intriguing case studies and examples showing how they are adapted in today’s society. One standout example was that of Apple, and when Steve Jobs set up their headquarters. He intentionally only positioned one set of toilets within the whole office space to bring together employees who would not normally connect or communicate to each other. This ensured that different departs would interact with one another even if it was only for a brief second. Brilliant!

This book would be great for directors of start-ups or small businesses who want to change and think of new ideas within their company. It is a nice easy book to read and it is interesting to see what other high performing companies are currently implementing within their working culture. It would give inspiration and a thinking of thought of other routes a company could go down.

‘Fast doesn’t always mean being first’

Natalia | The Purpose Revolution by John Izzo & Jeff Vanderwielen

A clearly defined and easily shared purpose is quickly becoming the competitive edge for standing out in business. Dr. John Izzo and Jeff Vanderwielen break down how to identify and refine your purpose in their book The Purpose Revolution.

Their book explores purpose through how to truly connect to your customers and employees, and how to reconstruct your businesses' culture to continue to feed and manifest your purpose for long-term and meaningful success. If you’re questioning why a purpose is important and want to begin refining what is important to you and your success, then this is the book to read.

Entrepreneurs and managers will find the real-world examples and practical advice useful, especially if they are going through a period of change and are looking at how to redefine individual and company purpose.

"Recruiting top talent starts with giving candidates a compelling mission and purpose that motivates them to work for you-not a description of what they will do but an inspiring image of how they will find meaning and help you change the world."

Debbie  | A Rebel Playbook by Debra Corey

A Rebel Playbook by Debra Corey brilliantly illustrates how the old way of treating people at work has failed due to a huge percentage of disengaged employees. It runs on the simple fact that if staff are engaged and feel valued and trusted they will innovate more, deliver better service and your company will out-perform the competition. It is not rocket science – just about treating people like human beings with open and honest communication!

Exploring the ideas of engaged employees through performance, communication, creating a culture of continuous recognition and opening the channels for more collaboration can result in increased performance among company’s competition.

Some of my favourite takeaways include making sure values are explain in order for then to be embedded within the culture, communicate openly and own mistakes, trust people, take care of people, recognise big wins, small wins and hard work and finally, lose the swim lanes where everyone’s job is clearly defined and you don’t stray in to someone else’s lane.  It’s becoming more and more common for employees at all levels to contribute to the business and the bottom line.

If you are wanting to challenge the status quo, this is the perfect book for companies to build, develop and be inspired by strategies to build and create a company that will stand the test of time and continue to remain competitive.

Whether it’s winning formulas to business, leadership, finding purpose or engaging employees, these insightful stories share the strategies that leading industries are using to stay ahead of the game.

For further information call us on   or email  info@speakerscorner.co.uk .

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