The Business Elevation Show With Chris Cooper - Be More. Achieve More

In life and business we frequently experience both the presence and absence of kindness. During this show I will be interviewing Nicholas Haines the creator of The Vitality Test. Nicholas describes himself as a Kindness Ambassador & Life Architect: Someone that is dedicated to spreading kindness throughout the world while supporting individuals and organisations to design and build structures that support our success and coexistence. From my experience of Nick he is somebody who so well embodies the principles of kindness while having achieved exceptional results in his working life. With one of my clients recently sharing with me the importance of kindness and its application in business I thought I must have Nick on the show. Join us in understanding the true value and practice of kindness in the real world and how you can apply it to your business and life for greater happiness and results.

Few businesses achieve significant growth without help from a business mentor or mentors. This interview is for anyone seeking to understand what business mentors know about business growth or anyone keen to be of greater service as a business mentor. My guest Richard Pitt has had an extensive background in the insurance industry and today leads the largest network of independent insurance brokers in the UK. As a business mentor who has run small business he knows that setting up and running your own can be incredibly empowering and energising. However it also requires a real change of mindset and support to overcome those feelings of isolation. Join us to understand the key components for business growth as well as tips to sharpen your wisdom when advising clients about moving their business to the next level.

Imagine having the privilege to host 250 hours of unique interviews with high performing business, thought leaders and high achievers from around the world. Would you have some valuable messages to share? With occasional repeat shows ‘The Business Elevation Show’ has now aired an incredible 300 times including 250 completely unique shows! During this show Chris Cooper will be interviewed by Marketing and Communications expert Tracey Wright. She will be exploring the key messages and thoughts about business and life that have really impacted his life and his listeners from almost 6 years of broadcasting. Chris helps organisations, leaders and teams to elevate their performance to the next level. He is also co author of ‘The Power To Get Things Done (Whether You Feel Like It Or Not) published by Penguin Random House USA’. Join us for this milestone show and leave with ideas that will help you elevate your results whatever your business and personal endeavours.

Do you offer a range of different products and services? If so do you manage them very effectively as business units and customise them to satisfy your customer needs? During this interview, I will be talking to two Category Management and Marketing experts Mike Dickson and Lynne Prescott. Mike has a wealth of experience across brand, commercial leadership & shopper marketing, having worked for major Fast Moving Consumer Good (FMCG) clients in a variety of senior roles. 7 years ago he co-founded a growing agency called Melli UK that helps clients communicate to retailers, shoppers & their in-ternal teams. Lynne Prescott has over twenty years experience in Retail and FMCG, working in Senior Sales and Category Leadership roles. In both Mars and Kellogg, Lynne set-up European Category Leadership functions reporting into the Board. Join us to find out how your products and services can better satisfy your customers and generate astonishing sales growth.

Would you like to win more business? Are you letting countless opportunities pass you by due to a fear of being too pushy? Whether you are a sales person or in a non-sales role, we all have to sell. During this interview, I will be talking with Phil M Jones, best-selling author, multiple award-winner and one of the most sought after speakers and sales trainers. From training more than two million people worldwide to coaching some of the biggest brands in the world, Phil’s mission to “teach the world to sell” has resulted in his expertise being globally recognized. Phil is also a really inspirational person who has created a fascinating life living between the UK and US. Whether you are experienced in sales or a non-sales person, join us for what will be a very valuable, thought provoking interview.

Most leaders recognize that without a sustainable planet we are setting up future generations to fail. Some say the world is on a knife edge. However, how do you contribute to this essential global issue when you have short term business improvement and growth or even political votes on your mind? On this show, I am delighted to welcome Steve Gray the Chief Executive of Earthwatch in the UK, Europe & Middle East. Also, Stuart Pickles ex Chief Financial Officer of Fosters and now a Leadership Development Coach with a passion for sustainable leadership who has worked and lived in Japan, Australia and Asia. True sustainability experts with a global perspective. Join us to think through how business can really become part of the solution and not the problem!

If you own or run a business then you know that to drive business growth you need to attract, keep and engage more customers. Every day your customers are faced with more and more choices which means that every day those same customers need to reminded Why You? Why should they do – or continue to do – business with You? Five-time award winning business owner and member of the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame, Toni Newman is passionate about helping you get more of the results that you want in your business. A highly sought after business speaker and Innovation Catalyst, Toni has an uncanny ability to help her clients turn inspiration into innovation and ideas into results. Join us for an interview where Toni will share with you some simple, yet powerful tools that you need to attract, keep and engage more customers, more often, so that you can grow your business.

What can we learn about leadership from elephants, leopards and lions and their parallels to the business world? I am delighted to welcome on to this week’s show Kerstin Plehwe, an entrepreneur, speaker & bestselling author born in Munich, Germany. Kerstin is an international business expert and thought leader who has worked with top politicians, Olympic athletes & corporate executives. Her busy life as a keynote speaker, company owner & philanthropist has brought her to more than 25 countries including South Africa, Japan and the USA. In her early 40s she followed her core passion and became a Ranger in the South African wilderness, leading to a bestselling book that has inspired thousands of readers to refuel their passions and grow beyond their comfort zone. Join us to learn more about how to communicate successfully in adverse environments and discover instruments to conquer fear, increase trust levels and lead teams through dangerous situations.

How do you build engagement for major and potentially contentious projects such that they offer a win win for all parties? Then how do you take that project and ensure it is delivered on time in full? My guest Kevin Routledge, blends an extensive senior engineering and business leadership background with a passion for Basketball. During this interview, we will focus on how Kevin’s lessons from his extensive career involving major build projects have brought enormous value to his local community through the delivery of a major sports arena in Leicester, England. Also, how as Chairman of the Leicester Riders and Director of Leicester Arena those lessons have helped the men’s senior team attain back to back victories in the premiership of men’s basketball in the UK (the BBL). Join us for what will be an inspirational insight into elevating results in the world of business, community engagement and high performance sport.

Over time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it. This week's guest, Lolly Daskal, is one of the most sought-after executive leadership coaches in the world. Her extensive cross-cultural expertise spans 14 countries, six languages and hundreds of companies. As founder and CEO of Lead From Within, her proprietary leadership program is engineered to be a catalyst for leaders who want to enhance performance and make a meaningful difference in their companies, their lives, and the world. Join us on Friday when Lolly will discuss how leaders embody seven archetypes and how each archetype has powerful abilities and hidden impediments, and will share a remarkably powerful system she uses to help top executives harness the virtues of their leadership style!

What can we learn about elevating our businesses from the Business of Sport? During this show, I am delighted to be talking to Wasim Khan MBE the CEO of Leicestershire County Cricket Club who was the first British born Pakistani to become a professional cricketer in England. We will learn how Wasim, who from humble beginnings (he carved his first cricket bat from a fence panel) became not only a professional cricketer, but also a businessman humbled with a special award and private dinner with Queen Elizabeth II. During the discussion, we will talk about the many lessons Wasim has learnt from the Business of Sport. – How to handle politics, how to lead people and truly engage your customers. Join us for what will be a fascinating encounter with a man, who I can assure you, is an inspiring presence and someone that anyone who sport and business must experience!

How do you build a really engaging company that stands out from the competition? During this interview, author of Strategy on a Page, renowned global entrepreneur and speaker, Deri Llewellyn-Davies, will turn the table on show host Chris Cooper by interviewing him on ‘The Magic of Engagement’. This time Chris will be in the hot seat as we explore what is engagement, why is it so essential today, how do we measure it, what are the key components and ideas companies at the fore-front of engagement are applying to add rocket fuel to their performance? Chris founded and has hosted the Business Elevation show since 2011, engaging audiences in over 50 countries. Concepts learned have helped him build a successful business that develops engaging leaders and engaged teams who get the important things done. With a global authority on strategy hosting the show, listen in to hear them discuss and trade breakthrough ideas that can take your business engagement and results to the next level.

Amidst the deluge of advice for business people, there lies an overlooked tool, a key to thriving in today’s fast-paced, unpredictable environment: improvisation! Bob Kulhan is the Founder, President & CEO of Business Improv®, a world-class leader in creating experiential training & development programs for corporations of all scopes & sizes. Kulhan serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business & Columbia Business School at Columbia University & teaches regularly as part of the Executive Education programs at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Do join us for a show where Bob will be Drawing on principles from cognitive and social psychology, behavioral economics, and communication, and will teach us how to think on our feet and approach the most typical business challenges with fresh eyes and openness!

How do leaders expand their capacity and consciousness to play their role in dealing with complex changes that are impacting our planet’s future? Simon is Co-Managing Partner of Leaders’ Quest based in London. He works with global companies and institutions to make the transformational change required to meet today’s challenges. Simon has been a serial entrepreneur, building companies in Europe, the US and Canada. He joined an Amazonian exploration, spending four years doing scientific research and aid work in the Amazon, across the Himalayas, through Mongolia, and down Ethiopia’s Blue Nile. In 2006, he became the CEO of Right to Sight developing sustainable eye care projects while living in Africa and India. Simon has spent time since 2010 exploring how to combine profit with purpose, people and the planet. Join us to hear lessons from Simon’s incredible personal journey and wisdom on how leaders can play their contribution to solving he biggest issues the planet is facing today.

When we reach the end of our lives and we look back, will we be able to say that we have given it everything? Have we lived a life of real meaning and depth? Craig Goldblatt, an Inspirational Speaker with 15 years experience has spoken at over 600 keynote presentations around the world and is fast becoming a global entity in his own right. He challenges and inspires audiences through his Inspired Seminars to be their very best and to understand that who they are is enough. Craig is also founder of ‘Giving Africa’ a charitable organisation that raised funds to build a school for the children of a small town in West Africa. Craig made a big impact when he was a guest on the show 3 years ago, So time to catch up with him again for more inspiring conversation about how to get the most out of life.

The landscape is littered with the corpses of great products and strong companies that died because of bad marketing. Why do so many fail so miserably at differentiation? Why do high-priced ad agencies and marketing firms keep spitting out stupid campaigns? One of the most in-demand Business Marketing/Branding Keynote Speakers in the world today, David Avrin, CSP is known as The Visibility Coach. With a surprisingly irreverent and entertaining style, David delivers a profoundly insightful and hard-hitting message to business audience across North America and around the world. He is author of the celebrated: It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You! (2014 Classified Press) and his latest book: Visibility Marketing! (2016 Career Press). Join us and discover how to uncover your true competitive advantages and a process to craft messages and tactics that achieve tangible results.

What often sets successful people apart is their willingness to do things most of us fear. What’s more, we have the false notion that successful people like to do these things, when the truth is that successful people have simply found their own way to do them. Andy Molinsky is a Professor at Brandeis University’s International Business School helps people develop the insights and courage necessary to act outside their personal and cultural comfort zones when doing important, but challenging, tasks in work and life. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, Psychology Today, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, NPR and Voice of America. During the show we will be talking about Andy’s new book Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge, and Build Confidence. Join us to take the thing you are most afraid of doing and make it a proud part of your personal repertoire!

So how do you build a successful company in Africa while contributing to the development of this beautiful and diverse content? While in Kenya last year, I met an inspirational business leader called Laila Macharia. A Stanford and Cornell law graduate, Laila left behind an exciting life in New York city to make a difference in Kenya, the country of her birth. She has since created and supported businesses across the region, from housing development to her current interest, a creative media and technology training college. She has also spent a decade helping reform policies in the land, financial, transport and education sectors. In my opinion, she is also an inspirational, wise and compassionate leader. The perfect person to share with us how to build business while contributing positively to Africa's development.

It is getting harder and harder everyday to rise above the crowd and get your message heard, understood, and acted upon. So how can you create dynamic and visually compelling presentations to exponentially increase the emotional impact and retention of the message you wish to convey? Known as The French Voice of Paramount Pictures in Canada Nabil Doss is a seasoned speaker and an expert in Influential Communication who scripted, voiced, directed, and produced hundreds of Hollywood blockbuster trailers. With three decades of advertising, marketing, and communications experience, a wide range of organisations and professionals have used his consulting and production services to enhance their message and establish a strong brand. Join us this week to discover the secrets of immersive cinematic and narrative techniques to zero-in on the essence of your message and get the attention it deserves!

How can you seek the inspiration you need to create compelling uniqueness in your business? Mark Levy finds that inspiration through intelligent creative techniques and visits to the most unlikely of places. Whether you are looking to tell your business story in a compelling way, seek a new compellling book title or hooks for a new sales campaign, then listening to this interview could make all the difference. Mark Levy is the founder of Levy Innovation LLC a positioning firm that helps consultants & other thought leaders to increase their fees by up to 2,000%. Clients have come from the White House, been CEO's of major organizations, from Harvard Business School, Major League Baseball and TED and TEDx speakers. He has written for the New York Times, written or co-created 5 books, and created magic tricks and shows performed in Carnegie Hall and Las Vegas, and on major TV networks. Mark made such an impact on his last appearance on the show that I had to invite him back! Do join us.