hgkc’s ‘Finding Your North Star’ Podcast Series
The Finding Your North Star podcast series involves hgkc consultants interviewing business experts from various different industries. The podcasts focus on relevant business topics including:
Leadership
Innovation
Finance
Exit Planning
We also have recorded podcasts with:
hgkc Clients
Find and listen to the right podcast for you below.
Leadership:
People are the Key: Kim Jones talks to Jeremy Marchant about conflict in the workplace
People are the Key is a collaboration between hgkc, Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace and DISCsimple, experts who work with businesses and other organisations that have issues with conflict and employee engagement.
In this prerecorded conversation, Kim Jones and Jeremy Marchant explore why conflict can sometimes be perpetuated within the organisation when the cause of it is outside; what is meant by trust and trustworthiness, and why for some people it is so difficult to make that first step towards trust; conclude that without any conflict – grist in the mil – decision making becomes ineffective; and discuss the difference between stress and pressure.
Carol Massay - A Passion For Building Things, Numbers, and Diversity
Peter Quintana from hgkc talks to Carol Massay, Head of Construction at the Access Group, about her career in construction stretching over 30 years, the challenges she has faced in becoming recognised for what she knows, and her drive to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in a sector that has traditionally been dominated by white males.
Kim Jones Joins Juliet Morris in Her Conversations With Quiet Leaders
hgkc's Kim Jones was invited as a guest to join Juliet Morris in her podcast series Conversations With Quiet Leaders where Juliet speaks with business leaders and experts who share their insight on introverted and quiet leadership.
In this podcast Kim Jones shares her career journey and highlights the importance of personal enquiry, the cost to do extroverted things, how introverts have no less ambition, how extroverted behaviours are rewarded, and finding your expertise and more.
Andrea Meets...Kim Jones
Many thanks to Andrea Sexton, of AdmirePR, for hosting this interview with Kim Jones, of hgkc, about planning and resilience on times of uncertainty, and for agreeing that we can share it as part of Finding Your North Star. Kim talks about how important it is to care - not just about your people, but also about yourself.
Courage To Lead With Compassion And Conviction
Mark Colbourne talks to James Short of hgkc about his journey of personal challenge and courage from the world of elite sport into business life. His enthusiasm and drive are infectious as he shares his insights on building confidence, mindset, and wellbeing from his earliest days through to his world record breaking achievements at the 2012 Paralympics and his international speaking career.
To find out more about Mark’s story, visit www.markcolbourne.com or follow him on Twitter - MarkColbourne.
Leaders Need To Spend More Time With Their Workforce To Nurture, Build Trust And Rapport, And Grow Employee Engagement
Sarah Owen of DISCsimple speaks to Kim Jones of hgkc and the most important cultural and people characteristics clients must have and how crucial it is that leaders keep thinking about the long term for their people.
Plan And Reframe To Protect And Grow Social, Financial And Emotional Capital Reserves
Sarah Owen of DISCsimple is in Conversation with Peter Quintana of hgkc about the impact significant disruptive change can have on the social, financial and emotional capital reserves of a business, and the urgent need for leaders to embrace planning as part of the solution.
Planning In Uncertain Times
We are living in complex times. People are becoming comfortable with digital communication and collaboration platforms; remote working and reduced social interaction are becoming the norm. In this webinar, hosted by Weston Chamber of Commerce, Peter Quintana and James Short of hgkc talk about the challenges of planning in uncertain times, why we believe it is critical that you do plan, and offering you some tips on how to do it.
Virtual Leadership
Ed Palmer of 212 Radio interviews James Short, the late Director of hgkc, about the key to virtual, but not remote, leadership - courage, confidence and communication.
It's All About The People
Leading an SME, managing people in difficult times, staying legal, keeping people safe and staying in business are the topics in our Risk Management in a Crisis podcasts for leaders of businesses.
Kim Jones runs a Q&A session with an expert panel that is packed with insights, hints and tips for dealing with the current situation and some thoughts about the future. Sarah Whittock, of Whittock Consulting, gave us some practical guidance and insight to ensure stay within the law and follow good practice; Lisa Jones, of HeadStrong Training, helped us understand how best to look after our employees, managers and our leaders experiencing stress; and Simon Kelly of Excellect encouraged us to review our existing employee benefits and activate them for our employees and think about the future. The powerful thread running through our conversation was communication and listening to your people. Being proactive and responsive, consistent, factual and fun.
Please get in touch if you'd like to talk about how to survive and thrive through this crisis.
Risk Management In A Crisis
We recorded the late James Short, an expert in strategic planning, leadership and change management, talking from his experience about successful risk management and leadership in times of a crisis. James joined hgkc after being tempted out of retirement, having spent several years sailing around the world. He rose to Major General in the army following a highly successful military career in which he was honoured with CB and OBE; he was a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management, and founded his own advisory business after leaving the army, which he successfully navigated through the 2008 financial crisis. He is fondly missed.
Leadership In A Crisis
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, James Short of hgkc talks about leadership and how important it is to differentiate between leadership and management. Leadership is transformational, and the key quality of a leader is the ability to communicate.
Crisis Management In Challenging Times
James Short of hgkc offers practical advice and guidance on how to survive a crisis with your business intact. Every business must find a way of continuing to do business, and vital to this is a SOAP - Strategy on a Page - and a Communications Action Plan.
A Shining North Star That Gives Real Purpose And Makes Anything Possible
Jeremy Hymans, CEO of the Claims Consortium Group talks about how empowering people, with the right training tools and innovative technology, can disrupt the household claims sector and establish a new benchmark for how employees and customers are treated.
Be Impressive, Be Influential And Get Beyond The Definition Of Your Role
Andy Bounds is a leading author, consultant and communication expert. In this interview, he focuses on how leaders can communicate better and confidently get people to ACTION by finding their “AFTERS”, from asking great questions to top tips on effective proposals, emails and meetings using a simple ABC method. To find out more visit https://www.andybounds.com/.
Innovation:
Giving Your Money A Voice - Investing For Positive Impact
Peter Quintana talks to David Macdonald, founder of Path Financial, a wealth management firm that only invests client money in funds committed to positive impact. In a wide-ranging and inspirational conversation, David talks about the moment he realised he could no longer continue what he was doing and remain true to his values, how the Path is firmly focused on doing good for the planet and earthlings, his thoughts about the future of impact investment, and the problem that is green-washing.
Sustainability and a Strong Brand
Peter Quintana from hgkc talks to brothers Andy and Tim Fussell about their farming heritage, their pioneering move into producing cold-pressed, virgin rape seed oil and earning a place for it alongside olive oil in the culinary world, how buying steel is like buying a coffee, and why there is only one ‘l’ in fussels fine foods. The way that they have developed the fussels brand, to the point that is has become associated with rape seed oil, is an excellent example of the power that brand can have for your business.
ZiaBia - Reimagining Events
The dynamic team heading up ZiaBia embraced digital disruption in their corporate events company with the same creativity and “can do" approach that has fuelled their business since starting out in 2012. They have re-imagined events for clients and introduced new clients to the world of hybrid and virtual formats. Creating events that have an impact and their client’s love, from a mind-reading magician, escape rooms and cocktail making to whole company corporate conferences, events and charity fundraisers. A pacy conversation filled with hints, tips and insights about events and running a successful business.
Releasing Trapped Value In Your Business, The Power Of People And A Culture Of Innovation And Renewal
Peter Marchbank MD of Rotary Precision Instruments was interviewed by Kim Jones from hgkc as he reflects on his four-year journey at RPI UK, bringing a specialist engineering company with a long history of innovation in rotary measurement into its next generation – of products and people. He generously shares his lessons learned along the way and some of his blueprint for success. His enthusiasm and lifelong passion for engineering shines through this interview as does his desire to inspire and invest in the next generation of engineers and innovators.
Re-Framing The Future - Leading A Digital Disruption In The Nation's Heating
Kim Jones from hgkc speaks to Helen Isherwood is the Innovation Director at Adey, Queen’s Award-winning company recognised for their pioneering work in maintaining and protecting central heating systems in the UK and around the world. Helen leads an ambitious team focused on product development and commercialisation of new products and services. It’s an exciting time at Adey’s and Helen shares their secrets of success and how they are re-framing their innovation for a more disrupted future; from the customer-centric orientation of the business working with engineers and consumers to the collaborative and engaged mindset of the people at Adey. It’s a case study on the benefits of putting innovation at the heart of your culture.
Think Positively, Innovate And Plan To Meet The Needs Of Clients Now And In The Future
Sarah Owen, founder of DISCsimple, talks to James Short of hgkc about how he brings his experience of leadership and planning from the military and also from his own business that he set up and ran profitably throughout the last financial crisis in 2008. This advice is individually tailored to help hgkc clients battling with the current crisis.
Re-Framing The Future - Reflections On hgkc Research
Kim Jones shares insights into the research that she's been doing into how business owners are approaching the need to innovate in a world that's changed not only by technology, but also by these extraordinary circumstances of social and commercial upheaval.
Reframing is about having a plan for a disruptive future at the same time as delivering in a disruptive today.
Kim’s insights include how business leaders and their workforce are getting more comfortable with making decisions to flex, becoming more human centric - putting people first – and then deploying technology at speed to innovate at scale. In doing so, they are developing workplaces and market offerings that really resonate with workers and consumers.
Opportunity Out Of Adversity
Experiencing more than a 90% drop in turnover overnight would be daunting for any business owner. Graham Preston of SFL Group talks candidly about their experience as an events production company facing exactly this situation, and how they have not only survived, but found new ways to do business with their clients. Viewing risk as an opportunity instead of a threat doesn’t mean being reckless, but moving forward carefully to ensure survival into the future. This interview was recorded at an hgkc round table on Business Risk, and was not conducted live for this podcast.
People-Centred Design For The Business Of The Future
As a founding Director of a digital creative agency, Gavin Jones shares his insights from the early days of a graduate start-up to a fully-fledged firm. Elixel has a highly collaborative way of working. Through design-led thinking, they create powerful digital experiences in websites and apps for their clients.
Our conversation is a people-centred approach, exploring creative thinking, collaboration, problem- solving, trust, decision-making and that digital is not always the answer. Gavin and the team have grown a strong network of partners and a skilled local talent pool in Plymouth has enabled a thriving ecosystem to develop around them. Sharing the challenges of selling a digital product.
Technology Propelled And Hyper-Relevant, Delivering Success For Their Clients And Their Agency
Modern have only ever known digital disruption and embrace the twin drivers of being technology-propelled and hyper-relevant to deliver success for their clients and their agency.
How Modern is run is at the heart of their success. Kim Jones of hgkc, in conversation with Nicola Ray MD, used the seven strategies of high performing businesses from Accenture’s recent book “Pivot to Future” to frame our discussion. They have a well-balanced approach of being customer-centric and working collaboratively, a talented team supported by strong internal processes and a culture of innovation and experimentation. A focused and energetic peek into an exceptional business.
A Start-Up's Pivot To The Future
Brent Oldfield, co-founder and Head of Operations at Voltric Electric Vehicles shares with hgkc's Kim Jones his vision for transport of the future and how their business’s customer centric strategy has enabled Voltric to flex their business model and keep their pilot project on track. Brent is focused on operations and strong processes to support the intrapreneurial team at Voltric as they enter a fiercely competitive marketplace with energy and determination. Their innovative and collaborative approach has secured them partnerships with private and public organisations as they embark on their pilot project.
A Builder Of Businesses In Tech
Kim Jones talks to John Rees, Head of New Technologies at Novel Engineering, who shares a personal reflection on scaling a robotics start-up and his take on how it can apply to any business.
A strong engineering background made John a “builder at heart”. As a co-founder of Reach Robotics he shares in this engaging conversation how much he likes building businesses and the critical factors that make a tech business successful. He doesn’t shrink from the challenges and shares his learning with candid insights.
Innovating Through A Crisis
Investing in data and technology to help clients optimise building performance - Phil Warren of ETS talks about improving building connectivity, healthy buildings, employee productivity and customer experience, and greatly easing the process of mothballing buildings and then bringing them back into service as we come out of lock-down.
Helping Entrepreneurs Achieve Success And Changing The Face Of Capitalism
Zak Daud, founder and CEO of Eazi-Apps, talks about his mission to help entrepreneurs establish and build their mobile app businesses using an innovative drag and drop, ‘business in a box’ platform and a comprehensive package of support services, the satisfaction that he gets from seeing his partners successful, and his drive to change the very essence of capitalism for good.
Helping Us Understand How Similar We Are To Each Other
David Nicholson, founder and Director of DNA Worldwide Group with his partner Hannah Nicholson, talks about his driving purpose, the science of DNA, living the potential of what you do, and how through the work the company does it helps people recognise their similarities rather than their differences
If It's Not Changing, It's Not Moving Forward - Making Sure The Next Generation Is In A Better Place
Fourth generation family firm Managing Director, Martin Thatcher, talks about continuous change, the desire to win, and how innovation is shaping the past, present and future of Thatchers cider and his family.
Knowledge, Confidence and Motivation - Keys To Stepping Up Your Leadership And Innovation
Acclaimed author, innovation coach and organisation development expert Rob Sheffield from Bluegreen Learning talks about how he has helped leaders boost creativity in their teams, and how his book of the same name came to be written.
Innovation, Experience And Skills - Providing Powerful Solutions To A Demanding Sector
Pia Gonzalez-Nazareno, CEO and Managing Partner of award-winning strategic marketing, communications and business development consultancy Ideas and Action, talks about how she has led her company to success in the complex and highly competitive world of financial services.
Finance:
Helping Owners Meet The Challenges Of Struggling Companies When They Hit The Lowest Point
Kim Jones of hgkc in conversation with Sam Talby of undebt, a turnaround specialist, qualified mediator and insolvency practitioner, Sam shares his practical and thoughtful advice to help directors and owners get the best possible outcome when they hit their lowest point. We delve into the essential tests of viability, why transparency matters and options open to businesses facing failure. His compassionate approach is refreshing and reassuring when dealing with the most difficult of times.
Cash Is King, But Finances, Too, Need Planning
James Short of hgkc speaks to Mark Watts, owner and founder of Yumo Finance, about the importance of understanding the financial flows through a business, and of planning in advance even in times of uncertainty. As an independent broker with a background in banking, Mark offers invaluable advice for how business owners can improve their cash flows and shorten their working capital cycles without resorting to borrowing, but also makes the case for borrowing at a time when loans are such a cheap form of money.
Managing Your Finances During The COVID-19 Crisis
The Government announced a range of measures to support businesses during this very challenging period, but the rules are evolving, and new announcements are regularly being made. James Short of hgkc talks to Matt West of Metro Bank about the support that is available, and discusses what you can do to manage short term cash flow problems.
Making A Successful Exit Starts Earlier Than You Think
Kim Jones in conversation with Paul Netto, hgkc Associate partner, Accountant, Business Advisor and owner of Equifino.
Paul has a long track record helping independent business owners achieve their goals, and in this podcast shares his strategic and practical advice to help independent business owners realise better exits from their businesses by starting early, focusing on their goals and getting a good understanding of value and the range of options to achieve a good deal.
Making a successful exit starts earlier than you think.
Championing The Employee Ownership Revolution
Chris founded financial planning company Ovation Finance, in 2000, selling a majority to an Employee Ownership Trust in March 2018. For entrepreneurs like Chris, employee ownership is a new and innovative way of preserving their achievements. Done the right way, it will release fair value, preserve legacy and pass on control to employees without them having to raise finance. Chris talks candidly about his experience and gives some great insights into how you could prepare your company for an exit to an EOT. Find our more at https://theeternalbusiness.com/ or contact hgkc to talk about your options.
hgkc Clients:
Building Value For Customers Reaped Benefits During The Lockdown
John Dray, founder of Cloud Genius shares his insights on running a remote business during the lockdown and the opportunity this created for developing new products and services. John has a uniquely empathic approach to solving problems and helping his customers focus on what matters most to them - the relationships with their customers rather than their IT. Our conversation is peppered with stories, practical tips, and a little laughter. John has kindly created a Tip Sheet too which can be found on Cloud-Genius website.
Genuinely Caring, Ensuring Clients Are Properly Informed And Protected
Emily Kenna, founder of Sense Risk Solutions, talks about her passion for all things insurance, the mindset and attitude that drives her to deliver a level of care that is unusual in a complex and highly competitive sector, and which has led her to set up a business that embraces diversity and inclusion, and genuinely listens.
Being Ethical Helping To Advance The Practice Of Complementary Health Treatment
Kate McEwan, owner and founder of Lotus Reflexology explains why she thinks people need to love their feet, and talks about how she is working towards making reflexology a serious alternative to some traditional drug treatments.
