Category Archives: Interviews
Who is Josh Miles? Josh Miles is a self-proclaimed caffeine and Twitter addict. Professionally, he is the principal and founder of Miles Design, LLC where his role consists of driving brand strategy, business development, and firm-wide marketing. Earlier this year, Josh authored the new Content Marketing Institute book, Bold Brand: The New Rules for Differentiating, Branding, and Marketing Your Professional Services Firm. Let’s learn more about Josh… On Following Your Dream “I’ve been drawing and doing art since I was … More
What is your job? It seems like a simple question, but how would you respond if your boss asked you that question? Joe Chernov, VP of Content Marketing for Eloqua, shared an exchange with his boss that he never forgot. An important lesson for everyone to learn… “I was working at a PR firm and my boss, Amy Kavanaugh Mason (who now runs communications for Taco Bell) asked me, ‘What’s your job?’” Chernov said. “I said something about getting press … More
“Having graduated with a degree in Art and Physics, I do not come from a traditional business education,” said Adam Becker, Sales Director of Tinderbox. “However, I have pulled advice from my personal experiences and interactions that have proven to be invaluable as I have grown in my career. The first and most important lesson I natively inherited from my mom, who is also an artist, is to ALWAYS have a critical eye when viewing your work. I remember doing … More
In Part 1, I introduced the notion of the fit between ‘person, role and environment’ as being key to career advancement. Click here to read Part 1. Considering the ‘person’ aspect, you need to have a reasonably clear sense of what success looks like for you (or the destination/direction). Then, you need to look to identifying what gaps there are in how to realise your aspirations. Next, you should understand your capability, motivation and current reputation. To develop a clear … More
High do I become a high performing executive? How do Olympic Athletes become the best in the world? In Procurement, we are so often stuck between senior management and being perceived as potential board material. How can we bridge that Gap? Keith Goddard, Managing Director of Kameleon Solutions, is an expert in coaching High Performing individuals including some GB Athletes and their coaches. He offers the following advice: So, you want to get more senior in your organisation or advance … More
“When I attended a conference early in my career, I had a mentor who told me not to worry about the competition,” said Sherry Gordon, President of Value Chain Group, LLC. “Instead, he inspired me to focus on what I am doing and how I can make my business successful.” You should always focus on new getting customers and keeping them happy. It’s not always about the other software companies and investors out there. Pursue your own customers. Allow them … More
Mendy Werne, President of BLASTmedia, learned from an early age that if you work hard, respect others and can find a good work-life balance, you will be successful in life. Mendy’s parents always taught her to be the first one in and the last one out; people will notice you when you go the extra mile. She believes that the work-life balance gets easier with age, but if you are happy at work you’ll be happy in life and vice … More
Not everyone can afford a Park Avenue address, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat your current property like anything less than prime real estate. Mukund Krishna, CEO of the global technology consulting firm, Suyati, says “You aren’t maximizing your website’s potential if you aren’t managing it like a good real estate property. Like real estate, good websites are attractive and can be reached in many ways, from many different places.” He continued his real estate metaphor by comparing a … More
Ron Bedwell from KMS Systems spoke with me last week about his opinion on the key drivers for achieving success. KMS Systems is a leading provider of industrial material handling equipment solutions and Ron has been there for more than 15 years. “There’s a lot of things you have to do to be successful in any given situation, “ Ron said. “But there are a couple of things that you should always do no matter what you’re working on. One … More
With a new year upon us, I hope you’re all taking the opportunity to assume a few risks, embrace some stretch goals, and try out a some fresh strategies to take yourself and your organization a little further than you went last year. As everyone revs into high gear to launch their 2012 initiatives, it’s a perfect time to incorporate some knowledge and experiences from those who have gone before you. With that in mind, we here at Iasta are … More
Greg Henkin Managing, Partner iXchange, has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. He has held senior management positions in several major insurance brokerages, owned his own brokerage and risk management consulting firms, and now owns and operates the iXchange. In his experience, reverse auctions in the insurance space are most successful when the sourcing event follows these six steps: Establish goals and parameters. Agree on the timing and date of the auction. In addition, you should … More
During the first half of 2011, more than 4,100 merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions took place, according to a recent article on Open Forum. These transactions were valued at more than $620 billion. In the second quarter of the year alone, more than 2,000 M&As were successfully completed, with a transaction value exceeding $260 billion. You don’t see only big companies participating in M&As, either. According to the article, “People are attracted to larger numbers and that’s why those deals … More
Don’t forget to register for Iasta’s Webcast next week featuring Andy Bartels from Forrester Research and Seth Balsam from Ciena, Using Spend Analysis to Smooth the M&A Path: 4 Steps to Consolidate Your Purchasing Power, on September 21, 2011 at 11 AM – 12 PM EST. You will learn how to: Expedite M&A decisions through use of spend analysis Determine the taxonomy system that best fits your organization Tackle complex issues associated with importing data from multiple ERP systems, locations & … More
How can CPOs help their organization deal with supply chain disruptions, talent shortages, communication gaps, globalization, increasing commodity prices and many other challenges invading their supply chains? Iasta recently sponsored an Aberdeen Group report that investigates this question. The report titled, “Dynamic Procurement: The CPO as a Collaborator, Innovator and Strategist,” is written by Constantine Limberakis. You can download the full report at no charge for a limited time. More than 120 finance, operations, procurement and supply chain professionals were … More
