40 Strategy Blog

There are so many reasons a business could potentially fail. But the difference between businesses that weather the storm and those that go under is that their leaders don’t treat those “reasons” as excuses. They treat them as learning opportunities.    That’s just one characteristic of top leadership that we talk about in this week’s episode, with guest Craig T. Ingram. Craig has over 25 years of commercialization leadership and management expertise, creating and implementing effective, out-of-the-box marketing and sales strategies in the MedTech and HealthTech industries.    Tune into the full episode for more on Craig’s approach to business growth, how to stand out in a saturated marketplace, the power of saying “yes” often as a business leader, what makes a successful salesperson, and a lot more.   Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:    More about what Craig does to help the MedTech industry, and how he started that career path The big problem with hiring in the Med

The word “trauma” can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. And many might think it falls squarely in the “personal” realm, not the professional one. But unresolved trauma can actually show up in business — and can even impact what kind of success your organization is able to have.   Our guest this week is someone who has studied the brain and the science of trauma extensively — and works with extremely high-performing people to help them move past their own trauma. Don Wood, Ph.D., is an author, speaker, creator of the patented TIPP method, and Founder and CEO of the Inspired Performance Institute.    Listen to the full conversation for more on the personal story that inspired Don’s company, how our brains record and process trauma, what that process can mean for business owners, why self-sabotage isn’t actually real, and more.   Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:    More about Don’s company, the Inspired Performance Institute, plus the personal fa

More than 80% of strategic plans fail. So chances are, if you’re an organizational leader, you’re (unfortunately) part of that group. But there are ways to turn that tradition around — and actually execute on the strategies you spend so much time designing.    Our latest guest is an expert in helping companies do just that. Aric Wood is the CEO of XPLANE, a global design consultancy that serves Fortune 500 businesses and global organizations to clarify, communicate, and activate their strategies and drive change in their organizations. He is also the author of the Strategy Activation Playbook.   Tune into the full episode for more on common mistakes that companies make in their strategic planning, the importance of human-centered design in reversing that trend, how many touchpoints you *really* need with your team to actually execute your vision, how to use focus groups to understand barriers, and more.   Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:    More about Aric’s company, XP

By now, we probably all know that the concept of “work-life balance” is a myth. But there IS a better way of thinking about how we align our work with the rest of our lives (and personalities). And there’s no one better to talk about how to do that than our latest guest.   Kevin Lawrence is a straight-talking coach and author who helps CEOs and executives around the world break through business challenges, grow their companies, defy the gravity of stress, and succeed in work, self, and life.   Tune into the full episode for more on what Kevin describes as “licking toads,” the top characteristic someone needs to have in order to be a great leader, tips for effectively delegating, and more.   Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:   More about what Kevin does and how he got to this career What it means to “make it” — and why the traditional idea of making it is actually a sham How generational wealth can turn into a generational “burden”  How Kevin coaches executives t