Episode 58. We all complain about our jobs sometimes, its a part of the world of work. But much of our enjoyment comes from the culture within the organization we work for and can make a huge different in our personal job happiness and satisfaction.

This episode guest is Chris Dyer, an entrepreneur who started his business and found himself leading a culture that wasn’t perfect. After selling his business he realized that many of the things that make a great company is a great culture and he was determined to understand the ingredients for this success. Chris took everything he learned and put it in his book “The Power of Company Culture: How Any Business Can Build a Culture that Improves Productivity, Performance and Profits.”

He uses his knowledge to teach the fundamental things companies can do to improve their company culture to not only impact their bottom line, but to also become a business where people are happy to work.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• The accidental titles Chris identifies with and how being curious led to that.
• Why he decided to leave the world of HR to pursue something new.
• How Chris showed his entrepreneur skills from a young age.
• How his business became unscalable and what he did to fix it.
• The biggest challenge he faced after selling his business.
• The word that made him realize his true passion for keynote speaking.
• How Chris became an expert in company culture and why he teaches it now.
• The seven pillars Chris teaches in his book and why it works for any business.
• What most CEOs are good at versus what they tend to need help with.
• Signs of a great company culture (and signs that it’s not so great).
• What your perspective about your team really means and why it matters.
• Why yearly surveys are not the answer to better company culture, and how to do better.
• The responsibilities of a leader and how they can prevent problems before they start.
• Why some people don’t love their job and what their next move should be.

Episode 57. There are lessons to be learned from everywhere in life, and they’re really fun when coming from a former fighter pilot.

This episode’s guest is retired fighter pilot and business consultant Jim Murphy. After his dream of being in professional baseball disappeared Jim went into sales, but didn’t love it. Inspired by the movie Top Gun he joined the Air Force, where he retired after 12 years. Afterwards Jim turned to business and today is the founder of Afterburner Inc, a business consulting firm. While in the military, Jim went through training that resonated with him in a very powerful way. Now, he brings those same principles to the consulting world through his signature framework Flawless Execution. You can apply this framework to your business, career or anything in between.

Jim truly believes in the power of planning. When done well, you can align all levels of an in both culture and mission. While he’s stepped away from working inside Afterburner Inc’s day-to-day operations to focus on Afterburner Capital, he’s proud of building a business that has stood the test of time.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• How he got into management training and consulting.
• What inspired Jim to become a fighter pilot.
• The signature framework he came up with and what it teaches.
• Qualities and personality traits that make for a good fighter pilot.
• The importance of culture inside businesses of any industry.
• Why Jim decided to move on from the US Air Force and what he did next.
• How his parents helped instill a strong work ethic in him.
• How his “dream team” encouraged his journey into entrepreneurship.
• The role that helped Jim learn to sell, and how it helped him prove his model.
• Why you need simple and standardized planning for a successful execution.
• How to inspire and compel people in your organization to take action.
• The book that helped Jim scale his business (and why he reads it every year).
• Why he decided to pivot his focus from Afterburner Inc to Afterburner Capital.
• How to apply the Flawless Execution framework to grow your career.

Episode 56. There is the typical way to advance in a law career, and then there’s the approach Niki Avraam took.

Niki is a legal entrepreneur, speaker, and the co-founder of Howat Avraam Solicitors. When she saw room for societal growth and change, she decided to pivot from focusing on commercial law towards employment and discrimination. Her approach to her legal career is different than most. Instead of the traditional, she has focused on the future.

Niki is working on answering some important questions: How do we shape the workforce of the future, how do we ensure people feel significant within their organization, and how can leaders support that? She’ll share why she’s so passionate about the work she does, plus where her desire to encourage agency in the workforce comes from.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• Niki’s career background and the many hats she wears now.
• How Niki came to build employment and discrimination departments.
• The power of autonomy and how having a personal stake changed her career trajectory.
• The difference that serving clients with empathy can make.
• Why becoming an entrepreneur in the legal space felt natural for Niki.
• The importance of operating outside of traditional perceptions in your work.
• Niki’s desire to make an impact and how that’s informed her professional growth.
• The evolution of the workplace and why it’s important to remember to be of service.
• What the research shows about what actually brings us joy.
• What we can do to prepare for the integration of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
• Niki’s struggle with the work-life balance and how she manages to make it work.
• Why it’s important to bring your individuality to your industry.
• The interesting way you can go about building your leadership mindset.