Fauteux firmly believes in the responsibility of leaders to contribute to the preservation of our world. In his words, “I believe that everyone in a leadership position has the responsibility to ensure we are protecting nature and acting sustainably. Without it, little of what we do or achieve holds significance or meaning. After all, we have to ensure that we have a place where others following in our footsteps have the opportunity to achieve their own goals.”

Fauteux’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree earned in 1995 from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. He also pursued further education, completing a Management Certificate from the American Management Association of International in 1999 as well as an Indigenous Studies Certificate from the University of Alberta in 2017. 

In this capacity as Senior Director of P3 at EQUANS Services, he’s responsible for managing the strategic delivery operations of multiple P3 contracts in both Canada and the United States. His areas of oversight encompass transit, healthcare, transportation, and cultural infrastructure. 

What does your day-to-day generally look like given your position?

Contract, Vendor, and Client Management are the activities that take up most of my day.  Making sure we are delivering on our commitments and serving our clients in the best, most sustainable way we can.

What initially inspired you to get into the field you’re in?

Leadership has always been the thing that I’ve gravitated to normally and environmentalism and sustainability are things that mean a lot to me personally. So being able to lead and contribute in those important areas has been great.

What do you think makes a great leader?

I generally subscribe to servant leadership so listening is where everything starts.  As a generalist, I believe strongly in putting the right people in the right places and then making sure you can support success, help them grow, and clear barriers for them. I also believe strongly that what gets measured, gets done so I am a big proponent of having accountability systems in place to track success.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

The biggest misconception is that environmentalism and sustainability are only for environmentalists and that simply is not true. Everything we build, operate, occupy, use, etc. can be better more sustainable, and less harmful to the environment around us.  Keeping this in mind, ALL of us are responsible for this, not just the environmentalists.

What do you believe your future career is going to look like five years from now?

I imagine that I will be leading sustainably in whatever industry needs me. 

The post Our Interview With Brad Fauteux, senior director of P3 Management at EQUANS appeared first on CEO Medium.

What is your entrepreneur story? How did you come about building your business?

I worked in banking for over 10 years and I wanted to be my own boss one day. Unfortunately, I became an entrepreneur through tragedy. I lost my husband in 2010 to murder. Our story made worldwide news as it was considered a massacre. Through my pain, I started writing books. With my experience and training, I started assisting others with the publishing of their books. Soon, I developed my own publishing company.

What is your business model — how were you able to grow so fast?

Because of my background and story, people started to contact me to help assist with their books. I did not expect my business to grow as it has. My business took a complete turn when I worked with Grammy-Award Winner and reality star Stevie J, I worked with Genise Shelton from the show Married to Medicine on Bravo and I co-authored in a book that was created by Actress and Comedian Kim Coles.

Can you give me an overview of who you are, what is your educational or overall background? What are some of your achievements?

I was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. I have 2 amazing children. My background is in banking, but my MBA is in healthcare management and I have an MBA in business. I’ve received so many awards for my business including 2013 Utopian Euphoria Making a Difference, 2016 Metro Phenomenal Women, 2016 Black Women Are Award for Survivorship, the 2016 IALA award for Memoir of the year, the 2016 Rising Star Award, the 2018 and 2019 Best of McDonough Award for my publishing company and 2019 Author of the Year.

What have you learned through your experiences as an entrepreneur that can be used by aspiring business individuals?

Entrepreneurship is not an overnight success. It takes hard work and consistency to be successful. One minute your business can be up and the next minute your business can be down.

What makes your business so unique and successful?

I think my business is unique and successful because of my creativity and my relationships with my clients. I am honest with them about everything, I listen to my client’s needs and I execute their vision.

What have you learned through your journey as an entrepreneur?

I have learned that there will be good days and bad days. Keep pushing for success and never give up.

What skills and attributes make you as successful as you are?

I feel that life experiences, training, and customer service skills have helped me make my business a success.

Why is online business, marketing, etc important?

Online marketing and promotions are the eras that we are in today. With the internet and social media, we have access so so many people. I receive over half of my clients from social media. It is a great tool if used properly.

Is there anything, in particular, you’d like me to add in the articles?

I just released my 6th book called Living My Best Life On My Own Terms.

A recipient of the 2013 Utopian Euphoria Making A Difference, 2016 Metro Phenomenal Women, 2016 Black Women Are Award for survivorship, the 2016 IALA award for Memoir of the year for her book, My Testimony, I Don’t Look Like What I’ve Been Through, 2016 Rising Star Award, 2018 & 2019 Best of McDonough award for her publishing company and 2019 Author of the Year and Women from ACHI Magazine. Her experiences led Tanisha to write several books, write for several magazines and appearing on several radios and television shows. Tanisha has been in several magazines, including gracing the cover of Writers Life Magazine and Glambitious Magazine. Tanisha released her last solo book, Living My Best Life on My Own Terms, on April 24th on her 40th birthday.

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Social Media:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tanishamackinpublishing

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tanishamackin

The post Publishing Evolution and it’s Award-winning Founder and CEO: Tanisha Mackin. appeared first on CEO Medium.

Tell us about yourself?

I’m George White -The Speaker, a keynote speaker and the author of the book “24 Phases Of Life. I live in Dallas, Texas. I motivate, encourage, and inspire people to become a better version of themselves and help them understand, that they have a purpose before anyone had an opinion.

Where did your entrepreneurial drive come from?

G.I.N.C. Productions (God Is In Control) is the medium to create a big impact, so everybody wins together. We are currently working on speaking engagements, interviews, podcasts, etc to reach more audiences. G.I.N.C. Productions offer video editing, photography along with my keynote speaking. You can reach us at www.gincproductions.org.

Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation?

Trying to get provided an opportunity to showcase my skills and stay positive and trusting the process. Never give up on your dreams. The hardest part isn’t reaching your dreams but staying above your dreams once you have reached them.

Tell us your future vision about the brand?

My goal is to build a brand that can be passed on from generation to generation and becomes a household name that people can turn to for encouragement.

George White, a keynote speaker and the author of the book “24 Phases Of Life” is the CEO of and lives in Dallas, Texas.

Follow George White on Instagram, Twitter.

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There are the three groups of capability that differentially enable an organization to thrive in the dynamic context of 4IR:

1. The level of Dynamic Capacity is determined by the combination of three capabilities, determining the capacity of an enterprise to pivot and adapt in a timely manner to the future as it unfolds.
   • Sensitivity to the forces and events that could drive change (and the ability to make-sense of these, to distinguish which are most important to pay attention to).
   • The ability to quickly decide how to respond and to implement actions that seize on an emergent opportunity, combined with the ability to rapidly scale-up and replicate these initiatives elsewhere.
   • The ability to adjust the activities and assets of the corporation, how they are configured, what is within and what is outside the boundaries of the enterprise, and how they collaborate externally.

2. The desire and ability to develop Dynamic Capacity is driven by a strategic outlook that is forward-leaning; a hunger for the ‘to be’ rather than comfort with the ‘as is’. This also has three identifiable components.

1. • A clear, ambitious vision for the future that aligns and energizes stakeholders. Often such visions are based on the pursuit of a societal impact (Purpose-led).
   • Empowering managers to own and to resolve seemingly conflicting goals; such as enhancing operating efficiency and also seeking greater flexibility, or the tension of delivering on current period budgets and forecasts whilst building the capabilities and processes for tomorrow.
   • The organization needs to be energized by continuous adaptation and adjustment. Organizations can become ossified due to their existing practices and organizational structures; departments optimising their performance at the expense of overall, total firm performance.

3. The ability to leverage and maintain the Dynamic Capacity is dependent on being effective in developing and deploying 4IR capable talent. In 2020, the World Economic Forum predicted that 50% of employees in developed economies will need to reskill, adopting 4IR relevant skills, by 2025. There is a significant and growing deficit of the skills required for 4IR, both technical skills and managerial and leadership skills. Most people haven’t had the relevant education or experience to manage in 4IR. Three key shifts in talent management are essential to operating dynamically:

1. • The ability to continuously upskill and reskill, at pace, across large proportions of the workforce.
   • The ability to deploy talent fluidly and flexibly. In particular, the ability to form, perform and reform in teams, creating opportunity and career mobility.
   • The adoption of human-centered workforce practices that promote employee well-being and support appropriate flexibility.

Acceleration officer is the executive who, looking across the organisation, helps to identify where and how the agility and speed of the enterprise can be increased; they look across the breadth of evolving technologies, the opportunities for upskilling, adjusting business models and key processes to identify how to increase Dynamic Capacity. The Acceleration Officer looks outward to understand what are the developments that could have most relevance for the corporation and they look into the corporation to coordinate and enable continuous evolution. The role may be incorporated within the position of the Chief Operating Officer or Chief Innovation Officer or similar, or may be a dedicated person. It should not be viewed as a singular programme of change or transformation, but rather an ongoing requirement. The Acceleration Officer plays an important role in navigating evolution. They peer intently into the fog of the unknown future, providing insights and assessments for the executive team; they are responsible for helping to formulate the evolution roadmap. They also provide governance of the evolution journey, coordinating across all the different initiatives that are being pursued at any one time. The Acceleration Officer promotes the culture that change is constant and the mindset to ‘never settle’ but rather to always be seeking new ways to adapt, evolve and accelerate; building and leveraging Dynamic Capacity.

The Dynamic Capacity of the organisation is the measure of the company’s ability to adapt and adjust in a timely manner as the future unfolds. Dynamic Capacity is of increased importance the faster evolving or less stable the context of the firm. It is a leading indicator of future performance that can be measured. The Acceleration Officer supports the leadership to identify and implement actions that increase and effectively leverage the Dynamic Capacity of the corporation for competitive advantage.

Management and Leadership in the 4th Industrial Revolution by Stephen Wyatt is published by Kogan Page, priced £19.99, available online and from all good bookshops.

The post Why you need a Chief Acceleration Officer appeared first on CEO Medium.

Holly created the podcast Culture Factor 2.0 to address the framework of business in the new normal. To explore culture as the strategy, she looks in places we haven’t before. Holly believes that to understand the human side of company culture and the new shape it is taking we have to look at culture from start-ups to venture capital to the gig economy and beyond. She scaled Culture Factor to be in the Top 2.5% globally in a pool of 2.4+ million ranked podcasts. It is ranked in the Top 10 in Workplace and Company Culture podcasts.

Holly Shannon is the Author of Zero To Podcast, it hit #1 on AMAZON in Hot New Releases in 2 categories and also made the Top 10 AMAZON Bestseller list in 3 categories. It is carried in the UChicago Co-op Bookstore

Which came first?  The podcast.  It’s where I learned the strength of the medium and the evergreen content that is produced. Evergreen meaning that your podcast episodes live in perpetuity on all platforms.  You can listen to Joe Rogan or Holly Shannon 4 months after downloading our podcast.  Also, the idea of creating one was not a far reach for me because I’m a podcast junkie! If you get to know me, I’ll certainly recommend one or two you should listen to.

I created my business, Holly Shannon, to build podcasts because I saw the immense power they have in the business ecosystem.  Can you imagine getting in the ears of 100’s of thousands of people? We fight with algorithms on Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Do people see your business? Do they see you? Is your brand on people’s minds? Are you finding new clients or just regurgitating your elevator pitch to the same followers day in and day out?

What if you could share your expertise with the world (literally, the world) and become seen as the thought leader that you are? It could lead to keynote speaking engagements, why not Ted talks? Stepping into your power, sharing your brand, your mission through spoken word. The language was our first communication tool on earth and continues to beguile us with its nuance. The ability to create community, to bring new listeners to your website, build the ‘know, like and trust factor. This is what the podcasting medium can do. Remember, people will log off their computers, but they are always listening to something on their phones. In fact, In 2019, the podcast industry reached 645 million monthly listeners globally, according to PwC, which predicts the industry’s revenues will more than double between 2019 and 2024. 

Many people can build a podcast. The differentiating factor about my brand, Holly Shannon, is that I look into your business strategy.  Why do you want a podcast? What’s your vision game? Do you want lead generation? To build a community? To be seen as a thought leader? To monetize through e: books and mastermind conferences? Once we determine your why (and there could be more than one), we can build you a podcast that scales the way your B2B needs it to. My background includes large-scale or curated, exclusive events, so I’m capable of executing the whole picture.

I host Clubhouse rooms often and invite anyone to join the club, Zero To Podcast.  It is named after my book and is designed to help businesses and individuals tap into their ideas. I workshop with companies there to start the conversation and then move them over to my business as their consultant. I stay for the short-term or long-game, depending on what their goal is.  I’m hired for a project to build a podcast or marketing plan but I’m often asked to stay on retainer as a fractional CMO to guide the process and keep the ship on course.  It also allows us to grow together and monetize through things like conferences for example. Podcasting is an undertaking and if done well, it puts you in front of a global audience. If neglected, it’ll go nowhere. I’m happy to scale it for your business.

The challenge that befalls any small entrepreneur is the sheer strength it takes to play many parts to have your company succeed.  Sometimes the effort feels Herculean. I find my best way to conduct my work is by deploying an offense/defense strategy. 

The offensive part of my day starts with me. It consists of a great cup of coffee, exercise, and meditation.  Still in offensive mode, I work on client’s podcasts, research and source interviews for my podcast, create content, ghostwrite, record, and work on strategic plans. I then move into a building mode. Ideating on business ideas, articles, and content batch production for social media.

The defensive part starts when I check my email. It changes the order of how I conduct my work if I do it first thing. So giving myself time to stay offensive as long as possible to maintain a flow state and finish projects is critical. But being defensive does not mean anything negative to me.  It’s where new business awaits in my inbox.  It’s to participate in social media to respond to DM’s and build community. It is scheduling the work that comes in and starting the process with companies that are ready to have their idea on iTunes. 

I’m 100% bootstrapped.  This was intentional. The creative process is mine.  That said, it was important to me to establish myself first.  Now I’m beginning to look at growth, collaboration, and partnerships.  Either with investors or with other entrepreneurs building a virtual full-service agency.  As for charging, I have consulting rates for the business that wants help.  I have a ‘Done For You’ model for those that just want to hand over the keys to the car! And lastly, I have a retainer for those that want a fractional CMO for a while as they build.  We can craft the seasons of your podcast to ensure you create community and eventually can spin it off into conferences or e: books, whatever your vision.

I believe I will build more podcasts for myself because I’m curious and love the medium.  I’ve already begun building Zero To Podcast. This summer I will produce and publish it. I will continue to help B2B.  I’m also looking at scaling podcasts and then selling them to businesses or enterprises to have a fully realized podcast that has downloads, community, traction, and a high rating. I’m presently selling Culture Factor 2.0.  I think businesses would love to have a podcast that has a built-in audience and is ready for sponsorship and other monetization without having to start from scratch. Why not buy a podcast that is top-rated? Maybe that is a more interesting prospect for an enterprise to acquire a brand.

Entrepreneurship is built only for the passionate. If you wake up and go to sleep every day believing that your idea or product has legs, then you are definitely built to create a successful business.  But it is lonely, you make all your own decisions.  Sometimes they are wrong, so thick skin helps!  Most of the time podcast if your idea and passion line up it is gold.  Success looks different to us all.  It may not even be about the money for you.  It may just be a life goal! You can be an entrepreneur.  The successes and failures are part of the process.  You will be stronger for it. This is just me speaking the truth into the microphone.  And mine is a Samson Q2U if you are a future podcaster and want to know!

Reach out to me, I hope to see you in my inbox at holly@hollyshannon.com

Other Links:

Holly Shannon’s Website

Holly Shannon, Linkedin

Holly Shannon, Instagram

Culture Factor 2.0

Holly Shannon, Clubhouse

Culture Factor Club on Clubhouse

Zero To Podcast Club on Clubhouse

The post Be the Thought Leader and Do it with a Podcast appeared first on CEO Medium.

The biggest block for any relationship will always be poor communication. This is by far the most common thing that couples fall down on, and when this happens, the doors are open for all sorts of difficulties to arrive. 

Good communication is something that is often at taken for granted and yet in all honesty, is one of the hardest things to achieve. 

We might think that as long as we are talking to each other, we are good communicators, but there is far more to it than just that. Being able to understand our emotions and express them to our partner at all points of the relationship is essential, but this becomes so much harder when we enter into a period of conflict or difficulty. At these times it is easy to get into bad habits such as shouting, bickering, arguing, sulking, or thinking that the other one should know what we are thinking or feeling without explicitly expressing it. 

Good communication is about being able to express difficult emotions in spite of them being hard. To express hurt, sadness, disappointment and to feel that we are being not only heard but understood and valued. 

All relationships have ups and downs, but a solid, healthy relationship needs to be able to weather the storms and this can only be done when both partners are communicating effectively and respectfully with each other. 

Emotional barriers/fear of getting hurt 

This leads on from communication and can be complex in its own right. Emotional barriers are created as a way of protecting ourselves from being hurt. Here we can often look to our inner child (or teenager) to find the origin of such behaviors. 

If we have been hurt in the past, it is only natural that we protect ourselves from being hurt again. That is after all how we learn as children not to touch hot things and put ourselves in dangerous situations.  Heartache is no different and whether it be past love or a difficult family upbringing, those barriers are there for very good reason. The reality is that we can never truly find love if we aren’t willing to risk being hurt or vulnerable; trusting that even if you hurt each other, you will always love and support each other. 

Lack of trust  

I don’t see how any relationship can really go the distance if there is a fundamental lack of trust. Trust is everything in a relationship, regardless of whether that is around fidelity, honesty, or anything else. Trusting your partner and also trusting yourself, links strongly to unconditional love. When you really trust and love each other, you accept that even though things won’t always be easy, you have each other’s support. When a relationship lacks trust, that support cannot be relied on. The value of honesty and integrity is the cornerstone of most relationships. If they aren’t there, I believe the stability of the relationship is seriously compromised.  

You are not accountable for the difficulties in the relationship 

No matter what the situation, the simple fact is that there are two people in a relationship and as such both of you are responsible for the difficulties as well as the strengths. Some people really struggle with this and like to put all of the blame on just one person, but by virtue of it being a relationship, we have to consider that both people are responsible to a greater or lesser degree.           

When difficulties arise, it is very rarely 100% on one person‘s shoulders. How relationships develop over time, habits form, taking each other for granted, communication difficulties, emotional barriers, or anything else can only be managed if the communication is good and effective and if both people take accountability for where they are at. 

If you are able to do that, your relationship will likely go from strength to strength. Accountability, good communication, and trust are the building blocks to any good solid relationship. When we are able to consider that it takes two people to make a relationship as well as break it, is likely to last the distance. 

Pascale is a Therapeutic Relationship and Life Coach, the founder of the Surviving to Thriving group coaching program, and author of How to be Happy in Life and Love: A guide to living the life you Deserve. See more at: www.youfulfilled.co.uk

The post Common blockers which could be damaging your relationships appeared first on CEO Medium.

Yes, questions are important.  But, so are answers, and they have been underappreciated in the academic and applied press.  My recent book, Answer Intelligence: Raise Your AQ shines a light upon the topic of answers in business and life.  I studied expert communicators, published an academic article, and expanded upon the article in my book.  The result is a new science of answers that you can use in your next important conversation as a CEO.

To illustrate the importance of a systematic and thoughtful approach toward answers for a CEO, I will examine Town Hall and Board Presentation Answer Intelligence (AQ)™.

Town Hall AQ

Imagine you are a CEO at a Town Hall, and are asked, “What is the biggest challenge your company will face this year?”  The main finding from the AQ research is that there are six answer types (story, metaphor, theory, concept, procedure, action) that correspond to three question types (why, what, how).  Given a what-question, the most appropriate answers are a concept or a metaphor.  For example, perhaps the CEO believes the biggest challenge is employee engagement, complicated by the lingering pandemic and a hybrid work environment. 

A CEO that provides a High AQ response might define the concept of employee engagement as emotional engagement (when the company is praised in the press, employees are happy, and they are sad when the company is covered in a negative light), physical engagement (employees have the stamina to work and stay until the job is done), and cognitive engagement (e.g., they have a positive preoccupation with their work).  This three-pronged definition provides depth to the understanding of engagement. 

Additionally, a metaphor for employee engagement can be provided to create an emotional connection.  For example, a CEO may describe the company’s role in employee engagement as a magnet (a force), and the employee’s response as iron filings that are drawn to the company or away from it.  Perhaps the situation is serious, and the polarity of the magnet has been reversed, and the company is pushing its employees away, not attracting them.  In which case, the direction of the magnetic field needs to be reversed fast before employees are lost for good.

In a similar manner, if the question is, “How will we cut the budget to survive the pandemic?” A direct response to this question would require outlining procedures and actions (two answer types). Although a CEO is not focused on the details of the implementation, without a high-level plan and critical actions, credibility will go down. 

Finally, perhaps a cautious question is submitted by an anonymous attendee: “Why should we believe you?”  This question would require a compelling story and theory (often called strategy in the context of a business meeting).


Board Presentation AQ

In a Town Hall, questions and answers can unfold like a dynamic chain where questions and answers are linked together to form a dialogue.  AQ can also help prepare the CEO for the next Board presentation.  Although interactive, many Board presentations feature a one-way delivery of information.  During these monologue presentations, answers are important, perhaps more important than questions.  Specifically, the board members still have questions, but they are not immediately voiced, requiring the presenter to anticipate questions in advance and prepare a presentation full of answers to the varied why-, what-, and how-questions.

One tip to make the preparation for the presentation more manageable and to give a coherent and singular focus to your presentation is to prepare three similar what-, why-, and how- questions using this simple approach: “What is the big idea?”  For example, employee engagement discussed in the prior Town Hall scenario.  Why is the big idea important?  In this case, an illustrative employee engagement story can be shared, and theory can be discussed (how it predicts important business outcomes such as job performance or employee turnover).  Finally, “How to implement?” the big idea can be discussed.  For example, implementation of employee engagement in terms of key procedures and actions can be presented.

An advantage of the six-answer presentation is that it does not waste time, (only six answers, no more) as board members’ time is very valuable.  It also places priority on all key questions (what, why, how) and answers, which gives the Board a full perspective to consider the proposal and to ask subsequent why-, what-, and how-questions as desired.


To learn more about Answer Intelligence (AQ)™ and 5 High AQ practices associated with expert communicators, read the book and visit www.RaiseYourAQ.com

Dr Brian Glibkowski is an Associate Professor of Management at North Central College, CEO of Semplar Science Corp and author of Answer Intelligence: Raise your AQ. Find out more: www.RaiseYourAQ.com

The post Every CEO knows how to ask questions – but can they answer them correctly? appeared first on CEO Medium.

The fastest way to succeed is to fail, a lot!  This is when we learn the most and grow the most. If entrepreneurs want to navigate the changes coming from the onset of automation and the fall out of a post-pandemic economy, they need to develop a growth mindset and find a safe place to make mistakes and fail.

A culture of perfectionism drives mistake avoidance 

Most businesspeople accept that failure is a prerequisite to innovation and that a breakthrough isn’t possible if they are not willing to take risks and when things go wrong learn from mistakes. Unfortunately, though, there is often an assumption there will be a loss of esteem, credibility, and stature, which could be seen as,  embarrassing at best or damaging to our business at worst. But what if we were able to see all of our failures as a step closer to success?

This is where the power of NOT YET comes in because then it’s not really a failure it is a learning process, e.g. “I don’t understand digital marketing – well not yet” “I can’t seem to develop enough new business – well not yet” or “My email marketing campaign isn’t working – well not yet”

Fail fast, learn fast, adjust and grow

This is not just about business leaders and solo entrepreneurs it’s also about encouraging our staff in the same way. In the experiential training, we deliver we have the mantra “fail fast, learn fast, adjust and grow. To do this it’s essential to create a safe space that invites people to experiment — it feels safe to try new things.

In my experience of working in L and D for 26 years, there are two key areas that need focus if we want to encourage our employees to fail fast.

1. Vulnerability – Instead of pushing our people to be human robots where they will ultimately keep doing the same things in the same way, we need to encourage them to embrace and acknowledge their humanness, which includes emotions and flaws. You would think this would come naturally but, from a very early age, we are taught to look confident, be assertive, and in control. Being vulnerable will need to be relearnt and practiced by everyone leaders, teams, and individuals

• Creativity – Is constantly being sighted as one of the most important skills for the 21^st century yet the processes that we put in place stifle creativity through the fear of failure. Dealing with such uncertain times requires adapting to an ever-changing dynamic reality, this will need innovation and risk-taking.

Harnessing the power of not yet for you and your people

Below are some realistic and practical ideas to create a safe space for your employees and you to embrace the power of “NOT YET”

• Give prizes for the mistakes that have led to a breakthrough or improvement if you have a team or practice talking about them in a positive way to others if not.
• Recognize and thank people for going for it and failing fast.
• Practice appreciative enquiry – lead with questions about what has worked and what might be, this could even be used as a personal reflection for yourself, so you turn every one of your failures into a learning opportunity.
• Reward  and appreciate the effort as much, if not more than success
• Encourage the sharing of ideas and work early, one of the biggest reasons why failure should be encouraged is because it catches potential challenges quicker.
• Communication is key  – encourage openness, meaningful feedforward, and real human vulnerability, and put yourself out there by asking for feedback.
• Lead from the front and own up to your own failures and be willing to show your own vulnerability

As small children we learnt from playing, the young brain adapting and growing through trial and error. Getting on the bike and falling off again and again until the big moment of peddling down the road with shouts of encouragement from our parents.

Somewhere along the line we may have forgotten it is ok to fail and maybe as leaders or businesspeople we forgot to fall of the bike, pick ourselves up and have another go. The best way for us to develop a growth mindset is to normalise failure and discover the value of it. By accepting that it’s normal to fail or make mistakes, you will then learn that it is not an ending. Rather, it is the beginning. One of the wisest sayings I ever heard and I use this whenever things are not going the way I want them to is “Its neither good or bad because you don’t know the end of the story yet” absolutely brilliant!

Debra Stevens is a trainer, speaker, and the author of Stand Out: 5 key skills to advance your career, published by Pearson, priced £14.99

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It’s crucial to recognize that the dual dichotomies of male vs female and men vs women are not the same.  Here is where biology and psychology part ways:  We designate a person as male or female depending upon the sex chromosomes they carry and how these direct the formation of their genitalia and some hormones. 

In contrast, the experience of being a man or a woman is much more fluid; cultural concepts of what it means to be one or the other (or something in between) determine how an individual feels, acts, and consumes.

There’s no doubt that gender identity is a crucial component of a consumer’s self-concept. People often conform to their culture’s expectations about how those of their gender should act, dress, or speak; we call these sets of expectations sex roles. Thus, the state of being a man or a woman holds a much broader meaning, and our definitions of what it means to one or the other change radically across time and across cultures. 

Today we’re witnessing a particularly volatile shakeup, as our culture grapples with changing definitions.  At least in some parts of our society, it’s increasingly commonplace for a biologically born man to “act feminine” by wearing skirts and make-up, or for a biologically born woman to “act masculine” as she dons overalls and construction boots.  And that’s not to mention the legions of people who literally change their biological identity via operations and hormone injections. 

In this changing world, marketers adhere to the “old school” male vs. female dichotomy at their peril.  Just what does it mean to be male, female, agender, cis, feminine-of-center, FtM, genderqueer, third gender, or any one of numerous terms that vie today to replace the man/woman dichotomy of old? Marketers need to closely follow this conversation to be sure their messages and products sync with these evolving definitions.

This evolution is most pronounced among younger people.  Although 13% of the U.S. population as a whole identifies as non-heterosexual, a whopping 31% of Gen Z people do.  An oft-cited study by Wunderman Thompson reported that 82 percent of Gen Zers think that “gender doesn’t define a person as much as it used to,” and 56 percent say they know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns (like “they,” “them” and “ze”). 

When brands loosen up their traditional market definitions of gender, they may encounter exciting new opportunities. Products and services that used to be solely the province of one gender may now be fair game for others as well. For example, Old Spice has long been known as the brand Dad keeps in his medicine cabinet, but young women who like the scent and the relatively low price are tuning into the deodorant as well. This resurgence is a bit ironic, because the first product the company introduced in 1937 was a women’s fragrance.

The old male/female dichotomy is collapsing all around us as so-called “gender binarism” starts to morph into a more fluid definition of gender roles.  More and more people instead are becoming “gender benders” who delight in bending traditional sex roles.  Dramatic changes in sex roles as the traditional male/female dichotomy disintegrates create the potential for huge new markets as we see emerging movements including androgyny, the growing third-gender and L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and anyone else) population, and the increasing demand for “modest fashion.”  

Most social scientists have always viewed sexuality as a continuum rather than a dichotomy.  Masculinity and femininity are social constructions that vary across cultures and historical periods.  However, in Western culture we seem to have reached a watershed moment when people question even the anchor points of this continuum. 

The cage that separates men and women has never been more fragile.  Don’t get left behind as this gender revolution picks up speed.   

Michael Solomon is a Global Consumer Behaviour Expert and the author of The New Chameleons: How to Connect with Consumers Who Defy Categorization, published by Kogan Page priced £14.99

The post Male, Female, or “Other”: Why Binary Gender Marketing Could Be Damaging Your Business appeared first on CEO Medium.

We caught up with Pranita for the launch of her new book, Vitality: A Healthy and Happy Heart to hear more about her work.

Can you please start by telling us a little bit about who you are, and what you do:

I am a preventive health consultant and have two decades of clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist and Preventive Cardiology Specialist, which includes working for the National Health Service in the UK.  I have worked with many people on both sides of healthcare – prevention and reactive. 

With my practice using the Vitality Mind-Body-Connection (MBC) approach; I have helped many people to lose up to 5 stones of weight, reverse type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, control high blood pressure, improve lipids level, enhance energy, improve their cognitive skills, increase productivity, and generally made them feel much more youthful and happy. 

In essence, my work is to help people have a strong mind and a healthy heart that beats stronger for longer. 

Why did you decide to write a book?

I started my wellness service with one major goal: to inspire, educate and empower 100k people to transform their lifestyle, so that they can enjoy life to the fullest, fulfill their purpose and leave their unique legacy on planet earth.

I soon realized that if I was going to fulfill my mission and purpose, I would have to find a medium beyond my personal services. People may not know me personally, but if they can read my book and implement the tools I discuss there religiously, they will get the results. This was my inspiration to write the book.

You have helped hundreds of people throughout your career. What are the major issues that they commonly struggle with?

There is a multitude of problems people experience when they first discuss with me.

On the physical side, they may be dealing with being overweight and unable to lose weight despite trying numerous diets, shakes, pills, or attending weight loss groups. Sometimes they have a recent health scare, like heart diseases or their doctor warning them they are at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, or a stroke. These conditions also increase the risks of COVID-19, so lots of people have been particularly concerned over the last 18 months or so.

On the emotional and mental side, they are usually experiencing anxiety due to the demands of work or life, or even fear of ill health. The current global pandemic has increased the stress levels of many people as they are witnessing such uncertainty, or maybe even experiencing the loss of their family members.

As a result of physical and emotional distress, their productivity gets affected and they are unable to perform at their highest level at work and even struggle to engage in meaningful hobbies or projects.

Innately, every human being wants to progress. Optimum health and happiness are the foundation for progress, so I aspire to just be an instrument in helping them to achieve that.

One of the areas you cover in your book is mindfulness and meditation. Why do you think more people are now rediscovering these ancient philosophies?

Techniques such as breath-work, yoga, meditation, fasting have been practiced in Eastern cultures, including India, for centuries. It is only more recently that Western science is now proving them to be beneficial with research. Although Indian philosophers and yogic scholars have using these practices to prevent and cure many illnesses, unfortunately, they were often disregarded due to lack of data. 

Modern medicine is now awakening to the importance of Mind-Body connection, and many people are realising the limitations of drugs when it comes to preventing the diseases. Millions of people are now more open to embracing change, and it is a positive shift we should all welcome with an open heart.

Tell us about your future vision for you and your brand. How far do you want to take it?

My aim is to inspire and positively influence more than 100,000 people with my message, “Health and happiness is the foundation for a successful life.”

In the future, I would like to work in partnership with other medical professionals, organisations, communities and charities to create products and services using technology. I believe that this is the way we can create a healthy and happy world together.

If you could share one key piece of advice with our readers, what would it be? 

“You are more powerful than your genes”.

Although your genetics contribute to your health, emerging epigenetic science is showing that our thoughts and lifestyle can influence how these genes present in our life. Will they remain dormant, or develop into disease? Many chronic disease risks are strongly lifestyle-related and preventable. So, cultivate a positive lifestyle, supplement it with nourishing thoughts and engage in your choice of spiritual practices.

The post Meet Pranita Salunke: Helping People Have a Healthy, Happy Heart appeared first on CEO Medium.