10X Growth Strategies

E35 - The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs (Author- Carmine Gallo) - with Connie Kwan

Powerpoint presentations rule our lives (and we are not being dramatic about it). We all, at least once in our lifetime, had to present something to an audience while curbing our growing dread. No more of that! Presentations can be fun, interesting, and full of passion where both you and your audience are excited about it. “How?” you might ask.

We give you an insightful discussion with Connie Kwan on The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs (Carmine Gallo), one of the best books on how to enthral your audience with your story. Connie is the founder/CEO of Product Maestro and a phenomenal storyteller. Connie was the best person to talk to us about this book. She spoke about what lessons from the book she infuses into her storytelling and shared some of her own best practices. 

Tune in to listen to this episode on how you can deliver presentations like Steve Jobs, the master storyteller himself.

E34 - Enhance Employee Engagement - with Author Nicole B.Mason

In this episode, our host Preethy Padmanabhan, Sr. Dir, Platform Product Marketing at Freshworks spoke with Nicole Mason who is a technology executive and author of the book “Enhance Employee Engagement: Future Proof Company Strategies”. Nicole is a visionary who advocated for remote work and distributed teams several years before the COVID-19 pandemic  forced people to adjust to the new normal. 

In this podcast, Nicole shares the ENHANCE framework which provides a flexible engagement model and has proven to boost companies' bottom line by up to 30%. Her book is a great resource for CXOs, leaders and HR executives on how to attract, recruit and retain talent in an increasingly competitive market. The book highlights the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and eliminating bias which is a key conversation for International Women’s day this year.

E33 - Ikigai (Authors - Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles) - with C Shikha

The book Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles is an interesting book to read for just about anybody trying to navigate life. Ikigai is the Japanese concept that teaches us about living life with purpose and fulfilment. It is finding the balance between – (1) What you love (2) What you are good at (3) What you get paid for (4) What the world needs – to lead a long, healthy and happy life.

 

In this episode, Madhavi Ravanan, Services R&D Leader at Nokia speaks with C Shikha, Commissioner, Karnataka State on how to embrace the Ikigai lifestyle.

E32 - Thinking in Systems (Author- Donella Meadows) - with Ram Parasuraman

In this episode, our guest host Jake Burns, Enterprise Strategist at AWS had an insightful discussion with Ram Parasuraman, Sr. Director Product Management at Cohesity. Ram draws parallels between his career experiences and  the book “Thinking in systems” by Donella H. Meadows.

Why is systems thinking important? How to develop critical thinking in chaos? How to thrive in the information economy by connecting dots between inputs and outcomes?  How to succeed by balancing input, output, and feedback loop within a system? Learn the art and science of data dynamics to deliver the desired outcome and gain 10X growth in your career and life.

E31 - Made to Stick (Author- Chip & Dan Heath) - with Alina Fu

It was wonderful sitting down with Alina Fu, VP of Product Marketing at G2 and discussing the book, Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Alina’s energy is infectious and it was great to hear her talk about the concepts in the book. She shed light on the ‘Curse of Knowledge’ i.e. the inability to empathise with our listener’s state of mind because it is hard to imagine what it was like not to know a certain knowledge. She summarises the six principles of stickiness: the SUCCESs template and how it can help marketers create compelling messaging. 

Made to Stick is an incredible book that helps you understand what makes an idea memorable. Listen to this podcast to gain insights for 10X growth in your career.

E30 - Lean In (Author- Sheryl Sandberg) - with Jayashree Rajagopalan

In this episode Madhavi Ravanan, Service Delivery Head, Nokia had a thought provoking conversation with Jayashree Rajagopalan,Sr.Mgr, Software Development, Amazon. A few ideas discussed from the book include fighting stereotypes, choosing an equal partner, the likeability factor that women are constantly judged on, and the need to ‘lean in’ as you juggle the demands of family and work at the same time. 

Tune in to listen to Jayashree get candid about her life and how she navigated the jungle gym of the corporate world. 

E29 - Principles (Author- Ray Dalio) - with Jake Burns

In this episode, Jake Burns, AWS Enterprise Strategist and host for the AWS Conversations with Leaders podcast shares how Ray Dalio’s book Principles resonated with his core values. 

What is hyperrealism? How can you gravitate towards being a reality creator? Why is it important to understand how others see you? How to practise the success mantra Pain + Reflection = Progress? Listen to this podcast and gain insights for the 5-step process to get what you want in your life and achieve 10X growth in your career. 

E28 - Career Interrupted - with Author Reena Gupta

In this episode I had a candid conversation with Reena Gupta, Founder of Mom Relaunch and author of the book Career Interrupted: Navigating Career Crossroads and Defining Success on Your Own Terms. Reena shared her journey to write the book as a guide to realize, reinvest and relaunch careers. 

What will it take to define our career paths? How do we create success in our own terms? How do we achieve work life harmony? Listen to this podcast to gain insights for 10X growth in your career.

E27 - Antifragile (Author- Nassim Nicholas Taleb) - with Shaloo Garg

A must listen podcast for a dose of energy, positivity and facing uncertainties! In this episode, I had a full of energy conversation with Shaloo Garg , Managing Director at Microsoft about one of her favorite books - Antifragile by Nassim Taleb. When we first met, I still recall our intense conversation about calamities in the economy and the world in general as a result of COVID-19. The author of the book defines the term antifragile this way: Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty.

In this podcast, Shaloo and I go down the path of core attributes of Anti Fragility, volatility and uncertainty as key catalyst for change, her philanthropic work in social impact space, key strategies to succeed amidst the uncertainty  and how startups prepare for the future and increase their odds of success.

Top 3 take away to pave the way for your 10x growth:

1. Fragile breaks with stress,  antifragile becomes stronger
2. Embrace chaos and take risks to fuel progress
3. Skin in the game is the name of the game

E26 - My Life in Full (Author- Indra Nooyi) - with Payal Koul Mirakhur

My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future by Indra Nooyi is nothing short of brilliant. The biography of PepsiCo’s former CEO gives a glimpse into how a woman of color in corporate America rose to take on an esteemed leadership role and thrived in it. 

In this episode, Payal Koul Mirakhur, Former VP at IBM, sat down with Madhavi Ravanan, Service Delivery Head at Nokia to discuss how relatable she found the book. Payal got candid about what it means to be a working mother, her support system over the years, and how she combated gender bias at work. Tune in to the podcast to know why Payal highly recommends the book and what her key takeaways were.