40 Strategy Blog

It’s easy for CEOs or other leaders to get stuck in the “corporate” bubble. But there are valuable lessons outside that bubble — even in unexpected places. This week, we’re talking to a gang rehabilitation nonprofit CEO who shares some of the principles that make his organization tick. From team culture to leadership and successful business ventures, there’s a lot he can teach organization leaders — or any individual who wants to make the world a better place.    This episode is also a special “giving back” episode where we spotlight a charitable organization every week during the holiday season.    Tom Vozzo is an author, speaker, and Fortune 200 executive turned nonprofit CEO at Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry organization in the world.   Tune into the full episode for more on what Tom has learned during his stint as a nonprofit CEO (and why those lessons are different from the corporate world), the genesis of Homeboy Industries, the simple solu

What’s the most important element of any successful business?   You might initially think it’s the company’s products, its market share, its sales team, its profits, or something else. All those are significant elements. But at the top of the list is…relationships. No matter your industry, you won’t find success without building the right relationships.    But how do you actually do that? Our guest this week is the expert who can teach us.   Patrick Galvin is the Co-founder and Chief Galvanizer of The Galvanizing Group, a learning and development company in Portland, Oregon, founded in 2001 with a focus on helping people build better personal and professional relationships. He’s also an accomplished speaker and author of two business parables, “The Connector’s Way” and “The Trusted Way.”    Tune into the full conversation for more about the power of relationship-building (and what many business owners get wrong about it), how to move past analysis paralysis, when to know whethe

It’s no secret that we live in a noisier (internet) world than ever. Customers could potentially need to see something about your organization a dozen times or more before even realizing that you exist — much less buy from you. The marketing world is saturated with endless messages, offers, and content. So how do you stand out from the crowd?    Our latest guest is someone who guides business owners on exactly that. Riaz Kanani is a serial entrepreneur returning to the B2B world to build a go-to-market platform for the new buyer.    Listen to the full conversation for more on the evolution of marketing over the last several years, how to make sure people actually pay attention to your emails and content pieces, what the impact of generative AI could look like in this industry, and a lot more.   Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:   More about the genesis of Riaz’s company, Radiate B2B, how it’s evolved, and what the organization does now How to stand out from the noise

As leaders, we hear about the importance of making strategic choices based on “the data.” But what if that’s not the whole story? What if there was a way to look deeper past the numbers, glean better insights, and use a more analytical approach to drive better decisions and organizational growth? What if this shift in thinking was the key to adaptation — which is now more important than ever?   Our guest this week is someone who can teach us how to think that way. As a Chief Operating Officer, Lisa Schwartz pinpoint changes in Mathematica’s business context and determine how the organization will adapt to stay strong and competitive. She drives operational excellence by overseeing day-to-day business performance, establishing and maintaining alignment across all business leaders, and tracking, monitoring, analyzing, and interpreting key performance indicators.    Tune into the full episode for more on how leaders can make better evidence-based strategic decisions, new expectations