Leadership in Business - podcast with Klaudyna Smit

Bill Gates once said: "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning". Customer service is something that we experience and that we are a part of every single day. In this podcast episode, Klaudyna and her guest explore the nuances of customer service in the context of cultural differences. They discuss the challenges of providing effective customer service in a globalized world where customers come from diverse backgrounds and have different expectations. You will hear some interesting reflections, stories and perspectives of both Klaudyna and her guest - Don, who have international experience and have a lot to share on this topic. In this episode you will get some insights on how to navigate cultural differences in customer service, including the importance of understanding cultural norms, customs, and communication styles.    Tune in & Enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com Follow this podcast and Klaudyna on Instagram - @klaudynasmitconsulting and on LinkedIn - @Klaudyna Smit

"The best leaders are those most dedicated to creating new and better ways." - Rosabeth Moss Kanter Why is it so important that leaders are familiar with the most recent technology tools and methods? Why is often so hard for leaders to embrace technology driven solutions? Why some leaders fear technology? Why is data-driven decision making the most powerful tool if you seek fast and proven results? Leading effectively in a technology-driven culture requires a combination of skills, knowledge, and adaptability. Listen to this episode to hear the answers to the above questions and learn some strategies that leaders can use to succeed in this technology-driven environment.   Tune in & Enjoy!   www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting (Instagram); @Klaudyna Smit (LinkedIn)

Why was Machiavelli wrong? How to manage emotions at work? Does everyone’s upbringing at home really influence what kind of leaders they become? What are the three types of empathy? Tune in to the episode today to listen to Klaudyna's conversation with her next guest Dr Adam C. Bandelli who is an organizational psychologist and leadership advisor with over twenty years of corporate consulting experience. In his latest book Relational Intelligence: The Five Essential Skills You Need to Build Life-Changing Relationships, he details the five critical skills senior executives must practice to lead financially profitable organizations. He is the Visionary Founder and Managing Director of Bandelli & Associates where he and his team of consultants help leaders use relational intelligence to identify, embrace, and unleash their true authentic selves. Klaudyna and Adam talk about relational intelligence and how Adam discovered this topic - he openly shares his story about going through lows and highs of his life including academic and career successes, but also depression, diagnosis of bipolar disorder and all of that which led to suicidal thoughts. He describes how relationships help battle anxiety and depression, how they help us cope with life and how they enable us to overcome obstacles. In this inspiring on so many levels conversation, Adam also talks to Klaudyna about how leaders can use emotions to effectively lead people and organizations and if empathy is something we can learn. Together they also attempt to answer a question whether a true leader is born or made. So much to say about relational intelligence in context of leadership and all of the above is just a flavor of this episode, so...   Tune In & Enjoy!   www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting (Instagram); Klaudyna Smit (LinkedIn)

We all want recognition in some way for our accomplishments in the workplace. Perhaps you enjoy surprise gifts, financial perks, public attention, kind words, added responsibilities, or title promotions, perhaps something different? Employee recognition is important for ay leader, any organization and most of all, for any employee… It is the act of publicly acknowledging your people for who they are and what they do. With employee appreciation, workers recognize each other and make the workplace feel more inclusive and human. Why is recognition important? Recognition helps employees see that their company values them and their contributions to the success of their team and the company overall. This is particularly key when organizations grow or change. It helps employees build a sense of security in their value to the company, motivating them to continue great work. When employees feel appreciated and recognized for their individual contributions, they will be more connected to their work, their team, and your organization as a whole. Here are a few other benefits of employee recognition: Increased productivity and engagement. Decreased employee turnover. Strong employee recognition programs reduce turnover rates by 31%. Employees who are recognized are almost six times more likely to stay at their jobs than those who aren't. 37% of employees report that the best way to improve their engagement is for their superiors to give them recognition. Listen to the episode today to learn more about the methods of effective recognition, to get an advice on how to deliver it and to hear some real examples.    Tune in & Enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting (Instagram); Klaudyna Smit (LinkedIn)

"Remember: a meeting with a customer or a prospect over a meal is not a social event - it is a business meeting and sales call. Pure and simple." Tune in to Klaudyna's podcast today to listen to the new episode. Klaudyna hosts Tom Black, a highly successful banking CEO, a renowned motivational speaker and author. Tom is also a celebrated wine aficionado, he is an international wine personality recognized by the world’s greatest wine makers, chefs and wine critics. Tom shares with Klaudyna invaluable guidelines on how to properly do business at the table. Tom wrote a book on that same topic, so Klaudyna and Tom have a lot to discuss today. You will learn a lot about mindset for sales, storytelling, why is it important to always read the room. You will also understand why the timing is everything.    Tune in & enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting (Instagram); Klaudyna Smit (LinkedIn)

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. Agree? Anyone disagrees? In current world we specialize - we have our specific hobbies, we like particular topics we dive into, we get promoted and recognized for being subject matter experts, we hire people for tasks based on their experience in a certain field. Yet, as we rely on specializations, collaboration as a practice becomes more important than ever.  Collaboration has become some sort of a corporate buzzword (#collab), hence it can potentially create negative feelings related to the true value of it, assuming it is just an empty cliché. Thankfully, it isn't. Collaboration in any workplace is what makes teamwork successful. It is what makes any organization successful. It’s not easy, but it is really that simple. Teamwork can be really powerful, yet a lot of leaders and their teams struggle with it. Harvard Business Review research reveals that the top reasons for collaboration failure include silos (67%), no collaborative vision from leaders (32%), and senior managers not wanting to give up control (32%). What is collaboration really about and why some leaders and organizations struggle with it?   Tune in & Enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting

"Sometimes it is not about you not being right for the company, sometimes it is about the company not being right for you". Does the first job really matter? At what point of your career your decisions decide about its future? What’s important during an interview? Why is asking any interviewee for their vision of the next 5 years a silly question? Is it ever a good idea for a career transition and is it ever too late for that? What does experience really mean? And...what does Kentucky Derby have to do with it all? In this episode Klaudyna is hosting Peter Cosco who has served as a C-suite operator, interim executive, and consultant/advisor to public and private companies at all points in their lifecycle. A majority of his career has been spent in and around the media & entertainment sector - most prominently in digital media, advertising, cable/broadcast, publishing, sports, and eSports. The center point of his expertise is in growth – both organic and inorganic. He has supported dozens of companies in a myriad of scenarios ranging from slow growth/turnaround to early-stage, high-growth situations. Klaudyna and Peter talk about career - the choices we make, the importance of networking and not giving up throughout the whole cycle of our careers. They also talk about how with career it is like in life - sometimes we just have to let it unfold...   Tune in & Enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com Instagram: @klaudynasmitconsulting LinkedIn: Klaudyna Smit

Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in our charge. -Simon Sinek This quote is only one of those I talk about during this episode. It is only from one of many books I highly recommend to all the leaders, entrepreneurs and CEOs out there. Today, on the eve of the next... 2023 year I am bringing you some amazing business and self-development literature. Best books I have read, listened to and the most impactful for me, my growth, my leadership, entrepreneurship and my career. Keen to get inspired, become a better leader, embrace a new perspective? Tune in & enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting (Instagram)   P.S. Happy New Year!

"Trust your instincts. Bet on yourself." Do you work for someone, for some company and are thinking about starting your own business? Are you an entrepreneur? Have you ever wondered what would it mean to go on your own and launch a business? Do you want to be your own boss, but are afraid of the risks? This episode is for you! In this episode Klaudyna is hosting someone you are familiar with already from Season 1 - Aaron Harper, an entrepreneur and an expert in building relationships and developing franchise brands. Aaron got into franchising years ago as a Franchise Development Director for Chem-Dry. In his franchising career, he has awarded over 400 franchise territories across 2 brands. He is now a rising entrepreneur, so in this episode we are having a conversation about making a decision to go on your own, starting a business and we are talking about what it really means.  From an entrepreneurship perspective, Aaron talks speaks about the importance of a vision while creating a business - how it's never going to be perfect and how you will never have it figured out. He uncovers how a part of the decision of launching a business is being uncomfortable to achieve success. Aaron and Klaudyna also talk about 'golden handcuffs' - a stable and secure job with a salary coming in, benefits provided and how a lot of us are handcuffed to a job where ultimately there is a ceiling, when there comes a point where you cannot make anymore money, you cannot get anymore skillset. Why working for somebody else when you could do the same on your own? Listen to this episode to get inspired with a new perspective on entrepreneurship and to hear why taking risks when all is unknown and uncomfortable may be the biggest reward and satisfaction for you in a long run! "You have to trust your instincts. When you decide to launch a business - go and bet on yourself."   Tune in & enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com Instagram: @klaudynasmitconsulting

Welcome to Season 2 of my podcast – Leadership in Business – podcast with Klaudyna Smit. It’s been a few months since I have talked to you here on this platform, however, you could see everything that I do and work on through my social media channels that always keep you up to date on my business side of things. If you don’t follow me yet, start today: LinkedIn where you will find me under my profile Klaudyna Smit, follow me on Instagram where you will find me under profile @klaudynasmitconsutling and naturally – my website klaudynasmitconsulting.com What is coming in Season 2? Leadership in Business - my podcast series launched earlier this year turned out to be a success which makes me so happy! I got so much positive, powerful and encouraging feedback from you and I want to thank you for listening to my podcast and sharing the feedback. A lot of you had your favorite episodes of Season 1 and some of you found just this one thing – an inspiration coming from each episode, motivation to keep learning and growing. What has been the most important for me was hearing that I made an impact on you! While I am so happy that you enjoyed season 1 – season 2 is just around a corner and I am so excited to share it with you. This season comes to you in a special time of the year, right for the Holidays! Join me here in a week from today, on a special Saturday which will be a Christmas Eve Day to hear the next episode of my podcast series and the first episode of this 2nd season! I hope to have you here in a week from today and every other Saturday. We will talk passion, leadership and business. Enjoy the podcast!   Tune in!

Over 65% of employees do not feel recognized at work. It is a lot! What does it mean for us, as employees? What does it say about our employers, our leaders? Moreover, what does it say about us as leaders? Listen to todays episode in which Klaudyna highlights the importance of recognition at work, benefits of people being recognized, the importance of re-evaluation, staying realistic and being transparent. Did you talk to your boss about how you feel? Are you the kind of leader people feel comfortable speaking to about their value?   Tune in & Enjoy! Work with me as your business coach. I will show you that everything is possible and that we can make it happen.  Visit my website: www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com Follow @klaudynasmitconsulting !

Mentorship is one of the most valuable relationships you can establish. Not only for your business, but also a personal growth. How does a mentor differ from a business coach? What is a true mentorship relationship about? How to pick a great mentor? How to finalize a mentoring relationship? All of that and so much more on this episode.   Tune in & Enjoy! Work with me as your business coach. I will show you that everything is possible and that we can make it happen.  Visit my website: www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com Follow @klaudynasmitconsulting !

Why should anyone be led by you? How does power differ from authority in a true and authentic leadership? Why not everyone who is in a leadership position is a leader? Why a true and a great leader is like a gardener? How do office politics impact leadership? Is office politics something we can escape? Did you know that sometimes people get fired over the office politics? Those and so many other questions are answered in an incredibly interesting way by Niven Postma - Klaudyna's very special guest of this 13th and a lucky episode.  Niven Postma is a world-known and a strongly recognized on a global arena leadership expert. She has held executive positions since she was 29, in a career that has spanned multiple sectors and roles. Before starting up her own consultancy and embarking on her PhD, her positions included being CEO of the Businesswomen’s Association, Head of the SARB Academy at the South African Reserve Bank and Head of Leadership and Culture for the Standard Bank Group (the largest bank by assets in Africa). She is a Harvard Business Review and Inc. Africa contributor, a strategy and culture facilitator for clients in industries as diverse as financial services, retail, media and manufacturing and an expert lecturer and facilitator on women’s leadership development programmes around the world. She is also the Chairman of the Board of Cotlands, an NGO that does cutting edge work in the Early Childhood Development space in South Africa and beyond. Niven is also an author of a book focusing on office politics "IF YOU DON'T DO POLITICS, POLITICS WILL DO YOU…: A guide to navigating office politics effectively and ethically. (And yes, it is possible.)".  This conversation will change your perspective on leadership and office politics. It will show you a perspective of those both topics you will not forget about. Tune in & Enjoy! Work with me as your business coach. I will show you that everything is possible and that we can make it happen.  Visit my website: www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com Follow @klaudynasmitconsulting !

Yesterday I gave a seminar to the MBA students and alumni at Cracow Business School. I was invited as a special guest to share my knowledge and experience as a leader. The topic we covered was about leading a change in small and large organizations. The session was so interactive, I got so many questions, we got into so many interesting conversations and even though I knew that leading a change is a topic that is so important, the session made me realize that there needs to be definitely more awareness around it too. I am happy to bring to you this episode in which I cover: Defining a change and its impact on people and the organization;Leadership of the people through the change – the lifecycle of a change;Influencing and leading a change – effective change leadership vs change managementImportance of strong leadership among organizational changes;Cultural impact on change leadership. Be the leader for your people who leads them through the change, understand the difference between leading a change vs change management.  Tune in & Enjoy! Work with me as your business coach. I will show you that everything is possible and that we can make it happen.  Visit my website: www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com Follow @klaudynasmitconsulting !

Imagine that you are on a beautiful island, spending there an amazing day with your favorite person in the world, just enjoying the day.  Now... did you mind take you there as you were reading it? Were you able to put yourself in this story? Storytelling is very powerful. In a story, we can make anything happen. If that's the case, why not bring it to business? Why not leverage a power of storytelling in leadership? In this episode Klaudyna hosts a special guest, Magdalena Petryniak. Magda is a CEO Story Seekers Poland and Leadership and Communication Consultant & Trainer. Klaudyna & Magda, both so passionate about leadership go into a deep dive conversation around true and authentic leadership and what it comes down to. They talk about the importance of trust and empathy and a power of storytelling and... Tune in & enjoy!   Work with me as your business coach. Everything is possible, we can make it happen.  www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting

The fact is that 90 000 hours is what we spend at work. That's 10 long years of our lifetime. If you don't have a job that you love, it's time to change it. Find something that you do indeed love, be great at it, achieve success! I know - it's not as simple as that. How to do it then? Listen to the episode to get an inspiration about finding the job you love, to understand the importance of it and to get some ideas on where to begin and how to make it happen. Tune in & enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting

"No job is too small for you" - Brian Lynch. Do you have to plan your career in order to achieve success in business? How can your career look like in a financial industry? Does a career in a corporate world differ from planning a career at a start-up? What are the differences between big corporations and start-ups from a business career stand point and how do you transition from one to another? Is there a personality type that fits a start-up environment but not a corporate one? Listen to this episode to get all the answers to those questions and so much more! In todays episode Klaudyna is hosting Brian Lynch, the President of the U.S. Business at SteelEye - an incredibly successful person who knows all about fintech world and will share his perspective on this business with us today. After 25 years in financial industry working in global corporations and then moving on to start-ups, Brian talks to Klaudyna about a successful transition from a corporate to a start-up environment,  what the transition really entails and how much it surprised him. Brian uncovers how an unplanned career can turn into a successful and satisfying path, what does "working for the men" mean, how does a day-to-day at a start-up look like and how different it is from a well-oiled machines like big corporations. This conversation is going to inspire you so listen to it now! Tune in & enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting

Did you know that 65% of employees want more feedback? Did you know that people on the end of receiving feedback feel more comfortable than those who share it? Feedback is a critical factor for growth. Klaudyna talks all about it while sharing interesting experiences and stories. She is also noticing how we judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior. Listen to this episode to understand the importance of sharing feedback, to learn the rules of effective and valuable feedback sharing conversations.  Tune in & enjoy! www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting

How much of information do you think you retain from your conversations with people? What is your speaking to listening ratio? Do you multitask while speaking with your team? Do you think you listen with an intent to listen or with an intent to reply? Is listening to our people as leaders the same as hearing them out, and what does Kodak, Blackberry and Boeing have to do with it all? Listen to this episode to get all the answers and inspiration for yourself as a leader.   Tune in & enjoy!   Partner with me as your business coach, mentor & consultant. www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting

Do you ever doubt yourself as a leader? Do you question your actions, your decision-making process? In this episode, Klaudyna talks about self-doubt in leadership; what it really means and whether it is healthy and helpful to have self-doubts being a leader.  Tune in & enjoy!   Partner with me as your business coach, mentor & consultant. www.klaudynasmitconsulting.com @klaudynasmitconsulting