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

According to the Gallup Engagement Index, a staggering 87% of employees worldwide are not engaged at work. With a backdrop of a world where we seem to have a crisis of engagement, disengagement within organisations is also very serious and has potentially long-lasting repercussions. As someone who is passionate about engagement, I wanted to introduce you to fellow engagement expert Paul ter Wal who is an internationally sought-after employability expert & work health architect living in Holland. For more than 20 years he has been in the speaking, consulting & training business for executives, HR directors & employees. Paul works on both sides – employer & employees – to create work happiness & loyalty. His concept is based on finding the “Non-Negotiables” & the core values of the individual as well as the company. Join us for this week’s show where I will discuss with Paul, his perspective on how you can achieve more employee engagement and happiness, for a more profitable business!

How are you spending your precious 90,000 hours at work? I am delighted to invite you to listen as I interview The Boardroom Poet, Libby Wagner about how to become the best version of yourself by spending your time in work in a way that inspires you and makes you proud. Libby came very highly recommended to me by my network as a true inspiration. She is a poet, author & speaker and one of the only former poetry professors warmly invited into the boardroom. As a trusted advisor for presidents, CEOs & exec directors Libby has positively influenced the cultures of numerous well known Fortune 500 clients. As a best selling author we will be discussing her latest book - What Will You Do With Your 90,000 Hours? Join us for some true wisdom to help you utilise your precious hours at work, well!

Want to lead with 'Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise'? During this show I will be talking with Peter Cook about the ideas from his latest book published by Bloomsbury. We will discuss the art and discipline of creating great ideas and converting them into even greater innovations in business, society and the world. This will also include wisdom from his interviews with the likes of Richard Branson and James Dyson. Peter Cook is a fascinating leader whose passions offer a unique blend of science, business and music. He delivers keynotes around the world that blend business intelligence with parallel lessons from music via The Academy of Rock. He is author of and contributor to eleven books on business leadership, acclaimed by Tom Peters, Professors Charles Handy and Harvey Goldsmith CBE. Join us for a fascinating interview which will also include inspiration from Peter's passion for music and his rock star connections.

Would you like to learn how to best position yourself and have influence in your marketplace? My guest Mark Levy, says that your marketplace position drives all your initiatives. It’s your point of differentiation, your competitive advantage. It’s why clients choose you instead of a firm that’s bigger, faster, closer, and cheaper. So how do you pick the proper position? Mark Levy is the founder of Levy Innovation LLC a positioning firm that helps consultants and 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. Join us and find out how Mark has helped his clients position themselves and massively increased their fees and influence.

How confident and effective are you on camera? Smartphones and webcams now enable anyone to connect face to face across the world for business and personal promotion. But how well do you present on screen? During this interview, I will be talking to Lottie Hearn about overcoming your fears, learning what works for you and how to get your message across with confidence, credibility and charisma. Whether you're the expert in your field, the face of your team or attending an online interview, according to Lottie you must be real for your viewer. Lottie is the Confidence on Camera Coach who helps you to be the best presenter you can be. Through her unique presenter programs thousands of presenters have been empowered by her playful style and on screen smile. Join me with the author of 'Confidence on Camera' to learn how to do just that!

Have you ever considered whether Social Media is simply a fun distraction - or a serious business tool that can skyrocket your business? My guest Philip Calvert is a Social Selling expert and the founder of a thriving niche social networking site, who will reveal little-known secrets to winning new customers through LinkedIn and Social Media. He is the founder of an award-winning niche social networking site, whose expertise in Social Media is in demand at conferences and events worldwide. Philip is a recognised expert on how to use LinkedIn as a powerful sales, marketing and communication tool, with many of his clients reporting new customers the very first time they used the online networking techniques he teaches. Having attended one of Philip's programmes, I can assure you that this will be an interview of great value and one where note taking is a must!

Effective listening produces change and creates possibilities. It is one of those skills that many people in business undervalue at their peril! My guest Stephanie Winters is an expert at illustrating the power of listening and helping us to explore ways to Listen Differently®. After more than two decades of playing the cello for thousands of people across the globe, Stephanie came to understand that listening like a musician is a valuable skill that transfers to work as well as everyday life. She created Listen Differently®, a collection of keynotes, workshops and concerts, so that anyone can access the power of their listening and get the listening edge. Join us to find out more about how you can Listen Differently® and build a vital skill that can give you and your business a vital competitive advantage.

For the past 30 years, business leaders have been exhorted to move faster and adopt a “ready, fire, aim” approach to the growth of their business. As the level of change and turbulence increases in all markets, all organizations must adapt—quickly!—or risk decline and decay. But what are the real behaviors, processes, and techniques that are critical to lead your organization at pace without creating confusion, frustration, and unnecessary risk? My guest Stuart Cross is a consultant, coach, speaker and author who helps world class companies dramatically accelerate profit growth. Since its launch in 2006 his firm, Morgan Cross Consulting, has attracted clients including Avon Cosmetics, Alliance Boots, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Aimia Inc. Join us for a show where Stuart will share powerful strategies and pragmatic tools from his late book ‘First and Fast…’ to enable you to increase the pace of your business and accelerate growth year after year.

Simon Sinek told us to ‘Start with Why’ but HOW do you turn that into sustainable business results? Brands that achieve rapid growth have a clear sense of purpose and successfully translate that into a great experience for their customers and employees. During this show my guest Shaun Smith, will share examples on how to do this from leading brands, such as LEGO, Zappos, Lush and Nissan. Shaun has been a leader in expanding management attention from the narrow focus on customer service to the wider, more strategic drive towards customer experience. He is the founder of Smith+co the leading UK based customer experience consultancy. He is also co-author of five ac-claimed business books, his most recent being, ‘On Purpose, delivering a branded customer experience people love’. Shaun has spoken to audiences across the world. Join us and experience the wisdom of one of the leading international thought leaders on customer experience.

What would you learn if you worked with the best of the best? Can you imagine the wisdom you would acquire, not only managing and sailing some of world’s most exclusive yachts, but also learning from some of the most elite businessmen in the world? My guest Paul Adamson has done this. As a professional yacht skipper his services became so in demand that Former Formula 1 Team Boss, BBC F1 Analyst and Business Tycoon, Eddie Jordan head-hunted Paul and asked him to manage the build of his new £6m Super-Yacht and Captain it around the world sailing 38,000 miles through 5 oceans! Today, Paul teaches his concepts in Leadership, Self-Development and Success through speeches and corporate training across Europe. Join us to gain a rare insight into the mind-set and practices of some of the world’s leading business tycoons.

During this interview we will be exploring the parallels between aviation and corporations and how human failure follows a dire logic. Whether it be a disastrous plane accident or a bank accidentally giving away 320 million to an insolvent US company! With my guest Peter Brandl we will be looking at when it is time for the warning lights in the ‘company cockpit’ to come on. Peter Brandl is an internationally sought-after communication expert, professional pilot and flight instructor from Germany. He has had speaking engagements in 14 countries on 3 continents and authored multiple books. “Crash Communication” is published in English by Morgan James Publishing New York. His book “Hudson River: The Art of Making Tough Decisions” was selected as one of the best career books in Germany. Join us for a fascinating show that could help you avoid some disastrous mistakes.

Delighted to welcome you to my 200th 'Business Elevation' show on Voice America and welcome back one of the UK's leading coaches Martin Palethorpe. During this show, I will share some key insights that have stuck with me from 200 interviews with experts and high achievers. Then focus in with Martin on his thoughts about getting our minds out of the way to enable us to realize our potential in business and life. Martin is a published writer & an inspirational conference speaker on High Performance. He has also raced to the Magnetic North Pole and run across three of the world’s most remote deserts. Join us to celebrate 200 shows and learn from our remarkable guest.

So what is intrapreneurship and how can it improve your business performance and stop talented people leaving your organisation? My guests are business transformation expert Gareth Bullen and the UK thought leader on Intrapreneurship, Jamil Ahmed who work together at the Centre for Enterprise, helping organisations increase engagement, performance, customer service and innovation through building energising, intrapreneurial cultures. During this show, they will help us understand it and explain how disruption is leading to a greater need for intrapreneurship and engagement. Also, the fascinating story of how they met and how their different strengths and backgrounds make their business more successful. In addition we will discuss why they are building an organisation in a once troubled part of the United Kingdom (Harehills, Leeds) and their vision of bringing wealth and opportunity to it. Join us to learn about intrapreneurship and how you can benefit.

Business is certainly changing at a pace today and one of the big questions I have been asked on several occasions is - how do we navigate it? I am therefore delighted to welcome Peter Comrie to the show. Peter is an entrepreneur, lecturer, scholar and specialist in human dynamics. When I first spoke to Peter, he called me from his home in beautiful British Columbia and we instantly struck up a great rapport and within minutes had entered a fascinating philosophical discussion on the changing world. I also soon realized that Peter was the man to give us a unique perspective on this question. He has been an international public speaker for three decades and a motivational attitudes seminar and work-shop facilitator. He is also very philanthropic in his outlook. A quality I always admire in business leaders. Expect a fascinating interview with lots of ideas to help you navigate the new business paradigm.

Are you aspiring to be or are already a seasoned thought leader in your field? If so how should you be really effectively marketing yourself? My guest David Newman knows how. He is author of the Amazon number 1 best seller ‘Do It! Marketing: 77 Instant-Action Ideas to Boost Sales, Maximize Profits and Crush Your Competition’. He is also someone who left a real impact on me, when I saw him engage an audience at a convention in the United Kingdom. As a consequence, I had to persuade him to become a guest us on this show and share his wisdom with you. David works with executives and entrepreneurs who want to position themselves as thought-leaders and generate MORE leads, BETTER prospects and BIGGER sales. Join us to find out how you can effectively market your thought leadership, adding greater value to your clients and boosting your sales in the process.

Are you achieving exceptional sales numbers? If not, then it may well be that you are not selling with a noble sales purpose. Whether you are an executive, manager or aspirational sales or business leader this show will ex-plain how organizations driven by a Noble Purpose have outperformed the market by over 350% and what you need to do to get it right. My guest Lisa Earle McLeod's bestselling book ‘Selling with Noble Purpose’ has been a game changer at global firms like Flight Centre, Google, Hootsuite, and Roche. Lisa is the Sales Leadership expert for Forbes.com. She has appeared on the NBC Nightly News, the Today Show, Oprah.com and Good Morning America. Join us to find out how you can sell with noble purpose and drive revenue and do work that makes you proud.

Are you really making a difference? During this show I will be talking with Lindsay Levin, the founder of social enterprise – Leaders’ Quest and author of 'Invisible Giants - Changing the world one step at a time'. We will be discussing stories from some of the remarkable people she has met who have overcome lack of education and resources to re-energize their communities, while answering the question “What Really Matters?” Lindsay connects leaders to explore solutions to big global issues. She frequently works with corporate CEOs and their teams on the role and purpose of business, values and culture change. She is passionate about bridging divides between cultures, perspectives and opposing voices. For four years she was even Chair of the International Steering Committee of OneVoice, amplifying the voices of Israelis and Palestinians committed to a real transformational conversation with someone that I personally feel tremendous admiration for. One not to be missed!

Ever wondered how you could increase the value and financial performance of your business by offering additional high value products and services on the back end of services such as speeches, masterclasses, training events etc? If so, today I want to introduce you to someone who I would describe as a best kept secret. Simon Davies has worked with many high performing thought leaders and experts by helping them to deliver additional high income generating products and services with their content and material. As a highly successful and experienced copywriter and marketer he has acquired an international reputation. His clients include: Daniel Priestley, Paul Avins, The Coaching Academy, Bernadette Doyle and now myself, Chris Cooper. Join us to find out how you could add significant additional value to your clients and benefit your business with enhanced financial results.

How is it that some leaders are able to enter a marketplace and completely disrupt it? Take my soccer team Leicester City: last year bottom of the premier league and fighting for survival. 12 months later with great lead-ership, they might do the unthinkable and actually win it! The story of their star striker now attracting the atten-tion of Hollywood movie producers! According to my guest Terence Mauri, it’s time to rip up the rulebook on leadership. The future belongs to a mindset that is wired differently. Author of ‘The Leader’s Mindset: How To Win In The Age of Disruption’, Terence Mauri will discuss with me the hearts and minds of visionaries, risk takers and pioneers who pursue moonshots, the revolutionary ideas that rewrite how business is done. Terence Mauri is in high demand as an Inc. Magazine Top 100 leadership expert, keynote speaker, author & advisor to top organizations worldwide. Join us and hear directly from the man with over 65k followers on Twitter @terencemauri

The rate of change we see in the world today is unprecedented: New innovations, products & services fade to irrelevance more quickly than ever before. The constant bombardment of the vast array of information now available can easily make us, as leaders & entrepreneurs, feel overwhelmed. We know we must change, constantly and quickly, but we lack clarity about how & why. Jared Nichols is a deep futures strategist, executive advisor, speaker & coach. He provides the tools to help leaders & organizations gain competitive advantage, seize new market opportunities, drive in new revenue & in-crease profits. As one of the few people in the world to hold a Masters Degree in Strategic Foresight, Jared is sought out by leaders, organizations & entrepreneurs to help them identify & create their long-term successful future. Join us on this show to discover the art of staying relevant & being able to grow your business in an ever-changing world!