Podcasts about ralf specht

Join host Dane Groeneveld on The Future of Teamwork podcast for an insightful conversation with Abeed Janmohamed, a renowned business strategist. In this episode, they delve into the intricacies of mergers and acquisitions, the art of identifying your business's unique niche, and the innovative approach of sourcing talent from unconventional places. Dane and Abeed will share valuable insights and strategies to help your business thrive in today's competitive landscape, emphasizing the importance of a diverse and adaptable team in driving success.Key Takeaways: Dane Groeneveld, CEO of HUDDL3 Group, hosts The Future of Teamwork podcast and is joined by Abeed Janmohamed, founder and director of Volando, an M&A and growth advisory for technology businesses. They discuss values, culture, and people in growth environments. Abeed took a different route to get into M&A, starting in digital advertising sales and then moving to start-ups before transitioning to a central role in corporate development and partnerships. The speakers discuss the importance of team dynamics and cultural alignment when navigating complex deal structures. Understanding the people involved, whether on the buy or sell side, is key to achieving successful outcomes. Culture is critical to a company's success and cultural alignment is essential for growth, investment, and M&A processes. Ultimately, success comes down to people.When expanding into new markets and cultures, a strong company culture and value set is crucial. It's important for founders to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their teams, and build teams accordingly.Understanding the type of business you are in is crucial for success. Businesses can be head-to-head, big fish in a small pond, or creating a new game. Each type has its own risks and benefits. Abeed discusses the importance of reassessing a company's culture and values to ensure they are still relevant and effective in current times. Abeed mentions the need to consider factors such as a shift in leadership, changes in the workforce, and evolving business environments. He believes that a strong culture and value set is crucial for business success and cites Ralf Specht's book, "Building Corporate Soul," as a resource on the topic.The conversation discusses the gig economy for professionals and fractional legal support, which is a business that provides commercial work for lawyers who want more freedom in their lives.There is a misconception that working with top law firms is necessary for growth and scale-up stages, but many professionals who had worked for these firms before and now have children or want more autonomy are still competent and could work on a project basis.The conversation also touches on the importance of corporate soul and attracting graduates or returning mothers to help build talent and capabilities.Abeed Janmohamed and Dane Groeneveld also discuss Volando, Abeed's tech business that helps other businesses take their tech to Europe.Where and how to find Abeed.

Today's episode of The Future of Teamwork, hosted by HUDDL3 CEO Dane Groeneveld, features a conversation with Ralf Specht about finding the soul of a company and shaping your desired corporate culture by eliminating unwanted values and behaviors while ensuring your ideal culture remains in place. The two discuss Ralf's path from working in publishing, to becoming a startup founder, and his writing endeavors as an author. Ralf has written two books, 'Building Corporate Soul' and 'Beyond The Startup,' both focused on helping leaders build companies with soul. In this talk, Dane and Ralf cover why "soul" is so important to Ralf and the three levels of The Soul System for creating a company culture with a soul, happy and engaged employees, and a sense of belonging, that ultimately outperforms other companies.Key TakeawaysIntroducing Ralf Specht, author, consultant, and founderLoyalty between clients and agencies, an agency where both parties have equal rights and transparencyLeadership and accountability, collaboration and preventing internal competitionCollaborative organizations, designing the company to prevent competitionDiscussing the bare minimum of conducting surveys and collecting useful feedbackEvaluation and confrontation, discussing The Soul System and clarity around who you want to be as an organizationExamining LinkedIn, their values and transformation alongside acquisition by MicrosoftLanding on Soul, driving a culture that is in sync and discussing motivations for leaving companiesManifesting a positive outcome, discussing the quality of leadership and the impact on teamsFind Ralf online

Ralf Specht is a visionary business leader and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and shared purpose. As a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership as CEO to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees. Previously, Ralf consulted with global companies and brands for more than two decades with McCann Erickson. During his 25 years in executive roles, one key question kept him awake at night: How do we build and sustain a human-centric performance culture? Ralf's driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!   Connect Ralf Specht: Website: www.buildingcorporatesoul.com Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ralfspecht LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529/

In this episode, Thomas welcomes Ralf Specht, the author of 'Building Corporate Soul' and 'Beyond the Start-up'. After a long career in advertising, where he co-founded and led Spark44 after senior roles with Momentum Worldwide and McCann Erickson, Ralf is on a mission to "make soulless companies a thing of the past". He shares his framework for align on purpose, behavior, and understanding to ensure words match actions. Ralf outlines the questions leaders should ask and highlights examples from LinkedIn, Hilton, and Lego to demonstrate how shared purpose, understanding, and behaviors can improve belonging, employee engagement, and propel organizations to grow three times faster than their competitors.

Ralf Specht is the author of “Building Corporate Soul”. He developed the Soul System™, a framework that powers culture and success for any business. After two decades with McCann Erickson in various executive roles, he was a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover. Under his leadership as CEO, Spark44 grew to a 1,200 people business in 18 countries. His second book “Beyond The Startup” shares the operational innovations that drove Spark44´s growth before it joined forces with Accenture. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past. “don't take yourself too serious. Entrepreneurs need to have a huge commitment to what they are about to be doing. And every now and then you can think that there is nothing else in the world but definitely there is… There is lots outside that. So don't take yourself too serious, and find a good balance in your private life because you will need that to manage the difficult days and nights that are up there and there will be some ”…[Listen for More] Click Here for Show Notes To Listen or to Get the Show Notes go to https://wp.me/p6Tf4b-nlu

Today's 5-Star Guest is Ralf Specht, best-selling author and business visionary.  FastCompany have called him “a visionary business leader”: Ralf Specht is the author of amazon – bestseller “Building Corporate Soul” and “Beyond The Startup”.He developed the Soul System™, a framework powers culture and success for any business. His books introduce a new language of success into the world of business based on his mission to make the leadership behaviors which build soul synonymous with the behaviors which build success.After two decades with McCann Erickson in various executive roles, he was a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover. Under his leadership as CEO, Spark44 grew to a 1,200 people business in 18 countries.His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past.Connect With Ralf/Links to Books: https://ralfspecht.com/Business Soul Check Here: https://buildingcorporatesoul.com/Support This Podcast! Make a quick and easy donation here:https://www.patreon.com/dogoodbetterSpecial THANK YOU to our sponsors:Donor Dock - The best CRM system for your small to medium sized nonprofit, hands down! Visit www.DonorDock.com and use the Promo Code DOGOODBETTER for a FREE month!One Cause - The most intuitive event and online fundraising software available! Visit www.OneCause.com to help make your busy event-planning life less stressful and more successful!Brady Martz - The Nonprofit Audit Specialists! Visit www.BradyMartz.com to connect with folks to make your fiscal life a heckuvalot easier!iTunes: https://apple.co/3a3XenfSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2PlqRXsYouTube: https://bit.ly/3kaWYanTunein: http://tun.in/pjIVtStitcher: https://bit.ly/3i8jfDRFollow On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoodBetterPodcast/Follow On Twitter: @consulting_do #fundraising #fundraiser #charity #nonprofit #donate#dogood #dogoodBETTER #fargo #fundraisingdadAbout Host Patrick Kirby:Email: Patrick@dogoodbetterconsulting.comLinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fundraisingdad/Want more great advice? Buy Patrick's book! Now also available as an e-book!Fundraise Awesomer! A Practical Guide to Staying Sane While Doing GoodAvailable through Amazon Here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1072070359

Ralf Specht is the creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and purpose.As a founding partner of Spark44, Ralf was the architect of a joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership to a global revenue of $100M+ and 1,200 employees before it joined forces with Accenture Interactive in 2021. Previously, Ralf consulted with global companies and brands for more than two decades with McCann Erickson.During the interview we discuss…transforming a startup into a thriving businessemployee value propositions that attract top talentmanaging fast growthcurating company culture when the size and breadth of your company fluctuatescreating a human-centric performance cultureKPIs that incentivize performanceconnecting with leaders globallydesigning a purpose-driven organizational structureConnect after the interview…Website: https://ralfspecht.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529Read Ralf's books…Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ https://www.amazon.com/Building-Corporate-Soul-Powering-SystemTM/dp/1639080023Beyond the Startup: Sparking Operational Innovations for Global Growth https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Startup-Sparking-Operational-Innovations/dp/1635769000Claim your free gift!We're giving away a one-year membership to the world's #1 business book summary service for leaders! Our gift will help you stay on top of the latest ideas, decide which books to read next, and engage your teams.To get your gift:Leave a rating or review on your favorite listening channel.Take a screenshot of your review.Share the screenshot on LinkedIn, and mention either “Allison Dunn” or “Deliberate Directions” and the “Deliberate Leaders Podcast”.=============Allison DunnExecutive Business CoachDeliberate Directions + Executive Business Coaching + Training Center3003 W Main Street, Suite 110, Boise ID 83702(208) 350-6551Website https://www.deliberatedirections.comLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisondunnPodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deliberate-leaders-podcast-with-allison-dunn/id1500464675

Ralf Specht is the retired CEO and Founding Partner of Spark 44 and Author, Building Corporate Soul.EPISODE LINKS:- Building Corporate Soul: www.buildingcorporatesoul.com- Get the Book: https://buildingcorporatesoul.com/get-the-book/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ralf_specht- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529/PODCAST INFO:- Podcast website: https://languageofleadershippodcast.com- Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/language-of-leadership/id1624632468- Spotify podcasts: https://sptfy.com/KalQ- Ximalaya: https://www.ximalaya.com/zhubo/215321373- RSS Feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/language-of-leadershipSOCIAL:- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/languageofleadership/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LofLeadership- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhauge/- Web: https://hau.geCONTACT:- languageofleadership@gmail.com

Ralf Specht is the author of “Building Corporate Soul”. He developed the Soul System™, a framework that powers culture and success for any business. After two decades with McCann Erickson in various executive roles, he was a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover. Under his leadership as CEO, Spark44 grew to a 1,200 people business in 18 countries. His second book “Beyond The Startup” shares the operational innovations that drove Spark44´s growth before it joined forces with Accenture. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past.   [00:00 - 09:09] Opening Segment • Who is Ralf Specht in the field of business culture and leadership? • Check out Ralf's book, "Building Corporate Soul" • The corporate soul framework: purpose, shared words, and shared purpose.   [09:10 - 18:00] The 3 Levels of Company Culture • Shared Purpose, Shared Understanding, and Shared Behavior • The importance of having a company with soul • Leaders need to communicate the importance of having a company with soul to employees   [18:00 - 27:12] How to Convince Employees to Join your Startup • Starting a company from scratch can be an experience of a lifetime, but it can also be challenging. • How a story and not a sales pitch convinces people to join a company • Ralf tells the story of his startup journey   [27:12 - 35:45] From Start Up to Large Company • A small startup can quickly grow exponentially • As a company grows, it becomes harder to maintain the culture and keep everyone on the same page • Why You Should Hire Outside   [35:46 - 44:23] Bigger Office, Bigger Challenges • The text discusses how Ralf's team went from two 50-person offices to seven 50-person offices over a period of one year. • Ralph established an evaluation system which required team members to have conversations with each other every quarter. • The evaluation became a way to assess how team members were adhering to the company's values. • HR was involved in the process of aligning leaders with the company's values, and was also responsible for conducting client reviews.   [44:23 - 47:54] Closing Segment • Take the 5-minute quiz that helps entrepreneurs reflect on their company culture and how it has affected sales.   Connect with Ralf through www.buildingcorporatesoul.com and LinkedIn.   "You have to start when things are alright because as we all know in business, things might be alright today but they might be very difficult tomorrow." - Ralf Specht   "When building a company with soul, that is what I call spirit. And to me spirit is the intended [company] culture." - Ralf Specht   If you liked my show, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!   WANT TO LEARN MORE?   Learn the 5 Steps to becoming a high-performing CEO. Get a complimentary copy of Optimize Most entrepreneurs are up 80% more sales on the table. Are you? Schedule a Rev Up Your Revenue Audit to find out. Connect with me through Emi Kirschner Business Coach, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Check us out on https://emikirschner.com/podcast/ Thank you for tuning in!  

Ralf Specht is a visionary business leader, highly sought-after speaker, and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding & shared purpose.More about our guest:Ralf Specht is a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees before it joined forces with Accenture Interactive in 2021. Previously, he consulted with global companies and brands for more than two decades with McCann Erickson. He is the author of 2021's Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ from Fast Company Press, as well as his newest book, Beyond the Startup: Sparking Operational Innovations for Global Growth. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past.------------------------------------------------Episode Guide:1:40 - What is Innovation?3:29 - What isn't Innovation?5:24 - Advertising: Changing the game and creating something new7:53 - The Procter and Gamble Experience9:30 - Innovation: Shaping and Molding Careers11:11 - Disrupting the normal17:29 - Business Development Process and Staffing20:04 - Becoming the CEO22:26 - Creating Job Titles25:07 - "Building Corporate Soul"29:07 - Having a shared purpose31:37 - Benefits of spending time on Culture32:38 - Advice to Innovators--------------------------OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli speaks with Ralf Specht, author of Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System. After two decades with McCann Erickson, Ralf Specht became a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover. Under his leadership as CEO, Spark44 grew to a 1,200 people business in 18 countries. In the conversation, Ralf Specht shares how organizations can create an environment where people do their best by developing their company soul.Some highlights:-Ralf Specht on corporate soul and its origins-The difference between organizational culture and soul-How leaders can plan for corporate soul-Ralf Specht on It's not up to the CEO to decide whether the organization has a soul-Be clear about how you incentivize people, which behaviors you reward and those you don't, and ensure your incentives and measures align with your stated values-Ralf Specht on Adobe's Little Red Box of Innovation-The importance of modeling to corporate soul-Ralf Specht on the origin of the Soul Index Connect with Ralf Specht:https://ralfspecht.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529/https://twitter.com/ralf_spechtBuilding Corporate Soul on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yc83k7dzConnect with Mahan Tavakoli:https://mahantavakoli.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahan/ More information and resources are available at the Partnering Leadership Podcast website: https://www.partneringleadership.com/

Is your agency purpose-driven? A shared purpose is something your employees will rally around and identify with. It is critical to create a sense of belonging and have their buy-in. Today's guest built a successful agency with a great culture his employees really appreciated. When he exited the agency, he felt so inspired by the outpour of messages from those impacted by its culture that he decided to write a book on creating an agency with a purpose and a soul. Ralf Specht is an author and business leader dedicated to making soulless companies a thing of the past. As the CEO of a global digital agency, he focused on building a culture focused on connecting the different teams. Years later, he received many messages thanking him for the agency culture he had created. In this episode we'll discuss: His proven framework for building culture. Why you should have a purpose if you want a successful agency. How he made culture a hard fact. Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design and development agency that has provided white label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio | Stitcher | Radio FM Building a Global Agency When Ralf accepted the challenge of creating a global agency, it started with offices in four countries and 80 people. It was certainly a challenge but he remembers it as the highlight of his career. He focused on creating a sense of belonging and a culture that really motivates employees. All companies should have a purpose and a soul and that should come before any revenue goal you may have. You should also have core values that speak to the behavior you want to see in your agency. This will be the way to establish yourself and really start growing. By the time he left years later, Ralf had grown the agency to 19 offices and 1200 people. When he retired, he received many messages thanking him for the culture he had created for the agency. He felt this message was too valuable to keep it to himself, so he was inspired to write Building Corporate Soul and Beyond The Startup. 3-Step Framework for Building a Great Agency Culture Hiring based on beliefs, attitudes, and soft skills are buzzwords that get thrown around a lot these days. In their beginnings, Ralf and his partners sat down to think about the culture and values they wanted to see in their agency. At first, they set out to write a list of the behaviors they wanted to see in the agency. This proved to be difficult so they changed their approach to list the behaviors they did NOT want to see. It was easy starting from there and it also helped them shape an idea of who they wanted to become. This exercise eventually led them to figure out their purpose. It's an exercise he recommends to all agency owners because answering the question “why are you here?” will be crucial to implementing this framework: Shared Purpose (Being): We've been discussing purpose in the agency world for years. However, Ralf believes that if the end game of a purpose conversation is a great PowerPoint deck, then you achieve nothing. He prefers to talk about shared purpose, which has to be a.) shared by the company's leadership and b.) shared with all stakeholders. Shared Understanding (Believing): This includes all strategic elements like the mission, vision, and values plus an often overlooked fourth element “spirit.” For Ralf, spirit speaks to the intended company culture. As the agency leader, what sort of culture do you want to see in the organization? Shared Behaviors (Belonging): Studies show that the number one reason why employees are now leaving their workplaces in spades is that they don't have a sense of belonging. The real work will start after you have shared purpose and shared understanding defined on paper. Up to that point, it is all about strategic thinking. Now you have to actually make sure that the behaviors in your agency reflect what you wrote to establish shared behaviors. Agencies are not any different than any other company in the sense that they very much need to implement these principles as much as they would recommend their clients to do so. Creating Consistent Culture Across Different Agency Offices Ralf's agency started as a global agency, which posed the challenge of building a culture where the different teams felt part of a whole. To address this, he and his partners enforced a single P&L mindset and a mantra of better, faster, cheaper, with an emphasis on better always being #1. With that, everything within the organization was set up to support collaboration rather than competition between offices. They also designed complementary roles across the four offices. Therefore, the offices had to work together or they would not be able to deliver on the various client briefs. As to the belonging element, Ralf believes if a CEO tells you his agency has a soul, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. If you want to know whether or not a company has a soul and a great culture you don't need to ask the CEO. You should ask the employees  - they are the soul of the organization. This is why he implemented a formal evaluation structure four times a year. Under this structure, every manager talked to their team to understand what mattered to them. This evaluation included which parts of the company worked for them and which didn't. Those evaluations included a score and financial benefit depending on the score and worked very well for them. Finally, they implemented exchange programs to encourage better communication between the different offices. This way, employees had the opportunity to make connections and understand other work cultures. A Great Culture Gets You Through Difficult Times In his book, Ralf studies cases of companies that do culture right. There's so much to learn from companies like Airbnb and Salesforce that place belonging at the center of their operations. As we know, culture really shows when things get difficult. It's always easy when things are going well and everybody feels good. However, not every company has a culture that can get them through the bad days. Airbnb gave a great example during the pandemic when the hospitality industry went through some really difficult times. You may not know that this company had to let go of 25% of its workforce. This is because they did it the right way. We all learned of similar cases where the companies, unfortunately, did everything wrong (like firing hundreds of employees via a Zoom call) and the whole world knew within a few hours. Airbnb had been honest with its staff since the beginning of the pandemic. It was unknown territory for everyone, after all. They sent several memos throughout the year with updates and finally sent a written communication notifying them of their decision and detailing their reasons. The main reasons this was such a great example in protecting culture through difficult times is: The company made sure the people who had to leave didn't leave with a trauma. Those who stayed understood those who were leaving were a critical part of the company's success thus far. The people who had to leave received a lot of support from the company. All in all, it was a master class in ensuring that your company's soul remained intact after such a difficult time. Why Internal Culture is #1 in an Agency's Reputation When we talk about culture, there is this perception we're talking about an airy and soft thing. Ralf made it a hard fact. This is why his book contains real-life examples of companies with souls. Employee votes really matter more than anything else when it comes to the companies' soul index. When it comes to agencies, they are companies like any others and should strive to have strong cultures. However, it is common to see an agency's value propositions do not match its external value propositions, which are usually about what they do for their clients. In fact, very often there is no internal value proposition. There should be one and it should be in sync with the company's external value proposition. Studies indicate that internal culture is one of the most important factors of a company's reputation. You can't fake it. It has to be real and it starts with a shared purpose. To create a sense of belonging: Ask yourself, what does it feel like to belong in your agency? How can you create belonging and help others feel like they belong there? Some people want to build a $100 million agency and have no purpose beyond that. As someone who's run a very successful 8-figure agency, Ralf says you don't get to that level of success without a purpose. Remember without a purpose and something they can get behind employees will not feel identified with the company or feel empowered to make decisions. This way, the company will never run without you, which should eventually be one of your goals. Want the Support of Amazing Digital Agency Owners? Do you want to be around amazing agency owners that can see you may not be able to see and help you grow your agency? Then go to the Digital Agency Elite to learn all about our exclusive mastermind.

Today I'm joined on the show by Ralf Specht from Building Corporate Soul. Ralf is a business leader, speaker, and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding & shared purpose.  As a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees before it joined forces with Accenture Interactive in 2021.  Previously, he consulted with global companies and brands for more than two decades with McCann Erickson.  He is the author of Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™, as well as his newest book, Beyond the Startup: Sparking Operational Innovations for Global Growth. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past. For show notes and to see details of my previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast WANT MORE CUSTOMERS OR CLIENTS? Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Check out: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Services. WANT TO START AN HR BUSINESS? Want to launch your own consulting business in the broad Human Resources sector? Check out the guide and the new online course: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/blog/How-To-Start-An-HR-Consulting-Business.

We had such great feedback from the author and businessman, Ralf's Specht last conversation with me on the themes from his book, Building Corporate Soul that In this week's episode of Reset the Podcast, we discuss his next book Beyond the Startup. Ralf shares with us his learnings around the importance of strong teamwork within … Continue reading "Ralf Specht – How to think and behave beyond the Startup"

Featuring Ralf Specht, a Founding Partner and Former CEO of Spark 44, a different kind of ad agency.  He is the author of of the recent best selling, Building Corporate Soul. (Recorded 4/7/22)    

Have you checked the Soul Index? One of the most pressing questions for corporate leaders today is how do I build and sustain a human-centric performance culture? At a time when 10,000 baby boomers retire every day, 79% of employees quit their jobs because they don't feel appreciated at their workplace, and 69% of millennials see a lack of potential for leadership development in their companies, Building Corporate Soul sets out to transform the performance and value of organizations―and to make soulless companies a thing of the past.  In this episode, Ralf Specht shares his unique framework, The Soul System™, that aligns value-creating employee behaviors with corporate strategy through shared understanding and shared purpose and how every leader, no matter the industry, can ignite (or re-ignite) the corporate soul in their firm. Based on the latest research and real-life cases, this actionable framework shows how to build a culture at the workplace that is both human centric and success driven. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've heard of company culture. What about corporate soul? We know most employees quit their jobs not because of compensation, but because they don't feel valued. Ralf Specht joins Kevin to discuss the Soul System™. This is a framework Ralf developed that aligns purpose with strategy and behavior. He shares an example of a company with a soul. Further, companies that operate in this framework are more successful and see higher ROI. Key Points Ralf Specht describes company soul and how this differs from culture. He shares his thoughts on purpose vs. mission. He advises how you can impact culture when you are not a senior leader. Meet Ralf Name: Ralf Specht His Story: Ralf is the author of Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™. He was a founding partner of the startup Spark44, a global marketing communications powerhouse. He was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which he grew to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees. Worth Mentioning: He consulted for more than 20 years with global companies and brands such as Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, General Motors, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Puma, and PWC with McCann Erickson. The title of his forthcoming book is Beyond the Startup: Sparking Operational Innovations for Global Growth. This episode is brought to you by… Unleashing Your Remarkable Potential, Kevin's free weekly e-newsletter. It's full of articles and resources to help you become a more confident and successful leader. Book Recommendations Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ by Ralf Specht Leading From The Jumpseat: How to Create Extraordinary Opportunities by Handing Over Control by Peter Docker Related Podcast Episodes Building a Powerful Culture with Patty McCord. Connecting Your Company Culture with Your Brand with Denise Lee Yohn. The Power of Corporate Culture with Chris Dyer.

Ralf Specht is a visionary business leader and creator of the Soul System, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and shared purpose. He is the author of Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System and Beyond the Startup: Sparking Operational Innovations for Global Growth. Today, Aviv and Ralf expound on the key question that has been at the forefront of Ralf's mind for years: How do we build and sustain a human-centric performance culture? Ralf speaks to his driving vision to make soulless companies a thing of the past. Aviv and Ralf explore the value in organizations cultivating a shared purpose and fostering a great corporate culture. If you can walk the talk and make that tangible, incredible results can be unlocked.    00:51 – Aviv introduces today's guest, Ralf Specht who shares his vision   07:37 – Core agreements that shaped the trajectory of Ralf's company 09:59 – Formative lessons Ralf learned as CEO  12:13 – Building and cultivating a shared purpose  18:43 – The Soul System, explained  25:14 – Fostering a sense of belonging through open conversations and connecting purpose, mission, and vision to the work you do every day  31:54 – How Ralf transitioned from a corporate to a consulting frame of mind  33:48 – Daring to be human again  38:12 – Advice Ralf would give to his younger self and two learnings Ralf values above all others  39:10 – Final words of wisdom from Ralf FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.avivconsulting.com/cnf120

This week I sit down with Ralf Specht, a man driven by a very clear and very strong mission – to make soulless companies a thing of the past. In our conversation, we deep dive into what it means to build a culture from the ground up. Having founded and run a successful creative agency for more … Continue reading "Ralf Specht – The Business of the Future Must Have Soul"

It's no secret that a shared purpose is crucial for the success and longevity of an organization; in fact, purpose-driven companies grow three times faster than their competitors, all while enjoying higher rates of customer and employee satisfaction. Yet when it comes to envisioning and creating a Corporate Soul, far too many companies are left in the dark. My first book Building Corporate Soul -Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ will be published by FastCompany Press New York soon. It offers a clear roadmap for transforming the performance and value of organizations through practical and reality-tested approaches. Combining extensive research with my real-life experience as a co-founder, COO and CEO in building a company with soul, it reveals how to align value-creating employee behaviors with corporate strategy through understanding and shared purpose. Readers will discover my unique framework—The Soul System™—which enables leaders to maximize the impact of their workforce and gain the broad acceptance of society as a whole. https://buildingcorporatesoul.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529/

Good companies have a PURPOSE. Great companies have a SOUL. So says Ralf Specht, today's guest on What's the Point?. He is the author of the newly published book “Building Corporate Soul” and he developed the Soul System™, a framework that powers culture and success for any business. After two decades with McCann Erickson in various executive roles, he was a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover. Under his leadership as CEO, Spark44 grew to a 1,200 people business in 18 countries. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past. Listen as Ralf shares his valuable insights with host Bill Ellis. You're sure to be enlightened! Connect with Bill: bill@brandingpillars.com www.brandingpillars.com www.brandingforresults.com IG - @wcellis Facebook - @CoachBillEllis LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis Book: Women Who Won   Guest info: Email: ralf@buildingcorporatesoul.com Website: www.buildingcorporatesoul.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529/ Get the book! Building Corporate Soul https://buildingcorporatesoul.com/get-the-book/   QUICK EPISODE SUMMARY Get to know Ralf Specht Bringing a spirit to your company Taking intelligent risk Shared purpose, understanding, and behavior.  Why team culture is critical for businesses A look into Ralf's journey What we can all learn from Apple and Porsche The great reshuffle The soul index and how it works Ralf's answer to - What's The Point? The soul system

Amazon-bestseller author, Ralf Specht, called “a visionary business leader” by FastCompany Press, is the creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding & shared purpose. He introduces a new language of success into the world of business based on his mission to make the leadership behaviors which build soul synonymous with the behaviors which build success.

Amazon-bestseller author, Ralf Specht, called “a visionary business leader” by FastCompany Press, is the creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding & shared purpose. He introduces a new language of success into the world of business based on his mission to make the leadership behaviors which build soul synonymous with the behaviors which build success.

Ralf Specht is the author of “Building Corporate Soul”. He developed the Soul System™, a framework powers culture and success for any business.After two decades with McCann Erickson in various executive roles, he was a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover.Under his leadership as CEO, Spark44 grew to a 1,200 people business in 18 countries.His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past.Learn More: https://buildingcorporatesoul.com/Influential Influencers with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-ralf-specht-author-of-building-corporate-soul

Ralf Specht is the author of “Building Corporate Soul”. He developed the Soul System™, a framework powers culture and success for any business.After two decades with McCann Erickson in various executive roles, he was a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover.Under his leadership as CEO, Spark44 grew to a 1,200 people business in 18 countries.His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past.Learn More: https://buildingcorporatesoul.com/Influential Influencers with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-ralf-specht-author-of-building-corporate-soul

Ralf Specht has been called “a visionary business leader” by FastCompany Press, and he is the creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and purpose. Ralf is the author of, “Building Corporate Soul.” Corporate soul means integrity, shared purpose, shared understanding, and behaviors. Listen in to learn how “soul” can make a difference  with talent attraction and retention.   Key Takeaways [4:40] Ralf shares why it's hard to execute on value-first behaviors within the business world. [8:20] Mission, vision, and values get blurred a lot. Ralf details how soul and spirit also play a part in the overall company objective, and how you can blend them together. [10:00] Ralf defines what purpose, vision, mission, and values mean to him. [11:45] Ralf uses LinkedIn as an example of how they effectively live out each of these unique distinctions. [16:15] Ralf gives three examples of companies that were purchased because of their culture, and how they were able to maintain that culture after an acquisition. [19:40] Ralf offers ways individuals can gauge whether their company has a high level of trust within their culture. [22:35] For the corporate soul to really thrive and grow, there needs to be a certain set of principles. Each chapter in Ralf's book has “soul-searching” questions to help leaders explore these unique principles. [27:40] Ralf breaks down what the soul index is and how it was calculated. [29:45] Patagonia is often mentioned as a great example of a timeless and impactful company that lives out its company's values, but it wasn't mentioned in Ralf's soul index. He explains the reasoning behind this. [32:30] There is a great resignation happening right now. Ralf offers insight into why employees are really leaving. [35:35] Jan understands it's often hard to develop certain characteristics within people like drive and curiosity. [38:35] Ralf shares how interview candidates can vet and gauge whether a prospective company has a corporate soul. [40:35] If you're interested in a job position, ask if you can talk to three happy employees within the company. [43:00] If you're always surrounded by yes-men, you're not going to really get what you want. [44:35] Listener challenge: You need a great corporate culture to be successful in business.   Quotable Quotes “When I talk ‘purpose,' I am talking about the reason for being in business. When I'm talking ‘vision,' it's to imagine a world that does not yet exist. ‘Mission' is the overall goal and what kind of product we provide, and ‘values' are beliefs/principles that define the business.” “Corporate soul means integrity, shared purpose, shared understanding, and behaviors.” “It's the people in the company who understand whether the company has got soul.”   Resources Mentioned Theleadershippodcast.com Sponsored by: Darley.com Ralfspecht.com Ralf on LinkedIn Ralf on Twitter Grab Ralf's book: Building Corporate Soul  

Ralf is a visionary business leader and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and shared purpose. As a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership as CEO to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees. Previously, he consulted with global brands for 22 years with McCann Erickson. During his 25 years in executive roles, one key question kept him awake at night: How do we build and sustain a human-centric performance culture? His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past.

Ralf is a visionary business leader and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and shared purpose. As a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership as CEO to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees. Previously, he consulted with global brands for 22 years with McCann Erickson. During his 25 years in executive roles, one key question kept him awake at night: How do we build and sustain a human-centric performance culture? His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past.

In today's episode of the As Told by Nomads Podcast, join me and Ralf Specht as we discuss the different elements that answer whether your business has a soul or not. Technically, every business is a people business. How? As you tune in, Ralf lays down his thoughts on how crucial work culture and employee empowerment are to a business's success and how he breaks down the whole discussion in his book, Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™.What Drives a Business's Success?No sense of belonging and not being valued by the organization is probably at the top of the list of why employees leave their companies. That aside, not having enough opportunities, a lack of a supportive work system, and inadequate compensation. If you're a CEO, gaining a sense of commitment from your people is critical above all. But if your only means to do that are through 'numbers,' then that's the hole in your business right there.About Ralf Specht:Ralf Specht is a visionary business leader and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and shared purpose. As a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership as CEO to global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees before it joined forces with Accenture Interactive in 2021. Outline of the episode:[02:45]Ralf Specht – on wanting to become a journalist[05:02] The book, Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™[08:17]What does 'shared purpose' mean?[12:34]Employers are not understanding why their employees are leaving [16:38]Are the numbers of a business what drives success?[20:46]How interesting Airbnb, Hilton Hotels, and IKEA have been on the issue?[25:27]Who gets to say if your company/leadership has soul?[26:56] Diversity as a plus and not as a constraining factor[31:11]Focusing on numbers only loses a business' humanity[32:14] What do the companies at the top of the Soul Index ratings reflect?Resources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529/recent-activity/posts/Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Corporate-Soul-Powering-SystemTM/dp/1639080023/Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast on:Personal Website: https://tayorockson.comUYD Management: https://uydmanagement.com/UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collectiveLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ralf Specht is the author of “Building Corporate Soul”. He developed the Soul System™, a framework that powers culture and success for any business.  After two decades with McCann Erickson in various executive roles, he was a founding partner of Spark44, an innovative, industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover.  His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past. Introducing Ralf Specht What problem do you solve? Ralf solves how to build corporate culture that drives success while also making the workplace something employees and managers can equally be proud of. What three questions are you going to answer for us today? Why is Ralf's driving vision to make soulless companies a thing of the past? Why do leaders talk about culture but don't walk the talk? How do companies best retain key employees? Show Notes: You have the ability to instill the spirit in the company. What do you want it to be? Does corporate culture really drive success? Yes. The top three reasons that employees are leaving are that they: Don't feel valued by their organization. Don't feel valued by their manager. Don't feel a sense of belonging. Employers say that employees are leaving because: They are looking for better jobs. Inadequate compensation. Health issues. People think that if they set their purpose then everything else will fall into place, and that's not the case. You have to start with purpose. Shared purpose is the first level. Shared understanding is the second level and includes the vision, mission, and spirit. Shared behaviors is the third level. How are things done in this place? How are they done consistently so new people understand how the place works? Take clues from how LinkedIn works: Customer centricity Relationships matter Be open Be honest and constructive Demand excellence Take intelligent risks Act like an owner Align your team on what they're supposed to be doing. Find ways to include everyone in the company. Ralf Specht's Recharge Round What habit do you think has led to success in your life? Ralf's biggest habit is believing in people and giving them the opportunity to grow. It's an action that pays off big time for everyone. If you had one do-over, what would it be? Ralf would have been more clear with leaders to share his thinking. Don't surround yourself with people who will only tell you yes. You want people who have no issue saying no. Connect with Ralf: Ralf's website: buildingcorporatesoul.com Email us at feedback@goascend.biz to get info about getting Ralf's book. LinkedIn Learn more about Gary's Mastermind group at goascend.biz/mastermind/

Be bold, be brave, be honest. A conversation with Ralf Specht. A co-founder of communications company Spark 44, Ralf Specht has spent the last couple of years plumbing the depths of …. corporate soul! (and how to make soulless companies a thing of the past). Ralf's new book Building Corporate Soulwill launch on 2/22/2022. He was kind enough to join me for an extremely wide-ranging conversation and a bit of a sneak preview. Our 50-minute sojourn touched on soft factors, hard reality and shared purpose. Along the way, he shared some surprising insights on organizational forms and on weaving corporate fabric. An offhand remark about “exchange programs”, for example, once led to just such a thing in his company's own geographic matrix. The cost? A month's Airbnb rental. The benefits? Incalculable! Spirit, shared behaviors, belonging. Soul elements. Combining topics as mundane as flip charts (“Flip the question if you're not making progress!”) and as uncommon as soul building (“it's defined by employees,” he emphasized, “not management”), Ralf deftly tacked toward the OC Tanner waypoint before gybing downwind to his own soul index. I'm looking forward to the 22nd.Intrigued? Please come on aboard for an invigorating sail. Just press play.More about Ralf:https://ralfspecht.comhttps://audible.comHis book: Building Corporate Soul:Powering Culture & Succes with the Soul SystemTMMore about Fief:www.fiefmacrander.comfief@fiefmacrander.com

Be bold, be brave, be honest. A conversation with Ralf Specht. A co-founder of communications company Spark 44, Ralf Specht has spent the last couple of years plumbing the depths of …. corporate soul! (and how to make soulless companies a thing of the past). Ralf's new book Building Corporate Soulwill launch on 2/22/2022. He was kind enough to join me for an extremely wide-ranging conversation and a bit of a sneak preview. Our 50-minute sojourn touched on soft factors, hard reality and shared purpose. Along the way, he shared some surprising insights on organizational forms and on weaving corporate fabric. An offhand remark about “exchange programs”, for example, once led to just such a thing in his company's own geographic matrix. The cost? A month's Airbnb rental. The benefits? Incalculable! Spirit, shared behaviors, belonging. Soul elements. Combining topics as mundane as flip charts (“Flip the question if you're not making progress!”) and as uncommon as soul building (“it's defined by employees,” he emphasized, “not management”), Ralf deftly tacked toward the OC Tanner waypoint before gybing downwind to his own soul index. I'm looking forward to the 22nd.Intrigued? Please come on aboard for an invigorating sail. Just press play.More about Ralf:https://ralfspecht.comhttps://audible.comHis book: Building Corporate Soul:Powering Culture & Succes with the Soul SystemTMMore about Fief:www.fiefmacrander.comfief@fiefmacrander.com

Ralf Specht is on a mission to rid the world of soulless companies. On today's episode, he explains why it's good for business for a company to have soul, and gives great advice on how to reinvigorate your organization with the “Soul System”.

Ralf Specht is on a mission to make soul-less companies a thing of the past. He's also the author of Building Corporate Soul. Formerly, he was the CEO of Spark44, a global advertising agency, and Managing Director at McCann Erickson. On this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Ralf joins us to discuss creating an environment where people do their best, developing your company soul, a company with a really strong purpose, & more. Check out Ralf's book, Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Corporate-Soul-Powering-SystemTM/dp/1639080023 To learn more about Ralf's work, head over to his website: https://buildingcorporatesoul.com/ // Learn more about strategic planning & implementation: ► Subscribe so you never miss a video: www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrp…ub_confirmation=1 ► Get free workbook to guide you along the process: www.smestrategy.net/strategic-plann…mplate-workbook ► Learn how to successfully lead your next strategic planning process: www.smestrategy.net/strategic-plann…ng-steps-course // More strategic planning resources: ► Join our free community: strategy-and-leadership.mn.co/ ► Are you looking for someone to facilitate your strategic planning process? www.smestrategy.net/strategic-plann…ator-consultant ► Want software to track your strategic plan. Get a 90-day free trial of Cascade Strategy: www.smestrategy.net/cascade // Connect with us: Blog ► www.smestrategy.net/blog Strategy & Leadership Podcast ►www.smestrategy.net/podcast Alignment Book ► www.smestrategy.net/alignment-book Contact us ►www.smestrategy.net/contact Subscribe on YouTube ► www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrp…ub_confirmation=1 // ABOUT SME STRATEGY CONSULTING: SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster. Based out of Vancouver, BC, we've worked with organizations all over North American and beyond in various industries including nonprofits, universities & government organizations. For more information on working with a facilitator for your next strategy session: www.smestrategy.net/strategic-plann…ator-consultant

LifeBlood: We talked about creating great places to work, what's causing the Great Resignation from an employer and an employees perspective how to create a company with soul where pole love working, and a framework for putting it in place with Ralf Specht, visionary business leader, speaker, entrepreneur and author of Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture and Success with the Soul System.  Listen to learn about two companies doing it right! You can learn more about Ralf at BuildingCorporateSoul.com and LinkedIn. Thanks, as always for listening!  If you got some value and enjoyed the show, please leave us a review wherever you listen and subscribe as well.  You can learn more about us at LifeBlood.Live, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook or you'd like to be a guest on the show, contact us at contact@LifeBlood.Live.

What is the key that fuels the most successful companies in the world? Our guest this week is Ralf Specht. Ralf was a founding partner of Spark44, a global marketing communications powerhouse. He architected an industry-first joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover which he grew to $100m in global revenue and 1,200 employees. Previously, he consulted for more than 20 years with global companies and brands such as Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, General Motors, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Puma and PWC with McCann Erickson. In this episode, we discuss the secret ingredient that contributed to his success – building corporate soul. What is it, how do you know if you've got it – or don't – and what it means for your business going forward. Ralf Specht, called “a visionary business leader” by Fast Company Press, is the creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding and shared purpose. He introduces a new language of success into the world of business based on his mission to make the leadership behaviors which build soul synonymous with the behaviors which build success. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past. What We Discuss with Ralf Specht in This Episode The story behind Building Corporate Soul How leaders know whether or not they have corporate soul What's fueling the Great Resignation Change is inevitable The importance of self-reflection as a leader Human Capital as a key to our success Glass Door indicators What people are saying who work inside your company The Soul System™ Defining your shared purpose Translating shared purpose into shared understanding Making it real through shared behaviors How to gain and retain commitment from your team Establishing a solid foundation for success The role of HR as a consulting force The Soul Index Favorite Quote “You have one resource that comes free of charge, and that is commitment.” ~ Ralf Specht Episode Show Notes: https://tinyurl.com/2p8zvr8c 

https://www.alainguillot.com/ralf-specht/ Ralf Specht is a visionary business leader and creator of the Soul System(TM). His book is Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ Get the book here: https://amzn.to/33n9GiI

Today I'm joined by Ralf Specht. Ralf is co-the founder Spark44, a global marketing communications company that he grew under his leadership to $100 + million in revenue and 1,200 employees. He and his fellow co-founders built a company with a high level of creative performance as well as strong employee engagement and satisfaction. He is the author of a new book coming out this year called Building Corporate Soul with the expressed purpose of making soulless companies a thing of the past. If you are a long-time listener of this show, you know I often talk about the soul-sucking nature of many corporate jobs. So, I'm excited to have him on the show to talk about this very interesting topic. Building Corporate Soul book _____ Purchase my latest bestselling leadership book now All in the Same Boat - Lead Your Organization Like a Nuclear Submariner Visit our sponsor Bottom Gun Coffee Company use the discount code "DEEP" Become a leader worth following today with these powerful resources: Purchase my bestselling leadership book "I Have the Watch: Becoming a Leader Worth Following" use the discount code "DEEP" Subscribe to my leadership newsletter Follow Jon S Rennie on Twitter Follow Jon S Rennie on Instagram Follow Jon S Rennie on YouTube Follow Jon S Rennie on Substack The Experience of Leadership book

RALF SPECHT is a visionary business leader, highly sought-after speaker, and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding & shared purpose. As a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which he grew to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees before it joined forces with Accenture Interactive in 2021. Previously, he consulted with global companies and brands for more than two decades with McCann Erickson. He is the author of Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ from Fast Company Press, and the forthcoming, Beyond the Startup: Sparking Operational Innovations for Global Growth. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past. Ralf connects with Lou and discusses how the Soul System™ can apply to any organization on Thrive LOUD. *** CONNECT TO LOU DIAMOND & THRIVE LOUD

In this episode, Ralf Specht, Author, and Entrepreneur explores his book, "Building Corporate Soul", with us. Ralf Specht, called “a visionary business leader” by FastCompany Press, is the creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding & shared purpose. He introduces a new language of success into the world of business based on his mission to make the leadership behaviors that build soul synonymous with the behaviors which build success. Ralf was a founding partner of the startup Spark44, a global marketing communications powerhouse. He was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover. During his time as COO and CEO, he successfully focused on the interdependence of the creative output with employee engagement and satisfaction. Previously, Ralf consulted for more than 20 years with global companies and brands such as Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, General Motors, and Puma. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past. Tune in to learn more about building corporate soul.

One of the biggest shifts brought on by the pandemic is the number of people who have opted to quit their jobs.The media has handily named this the ‘Great Resignation' and whether the number of people leaving their posts is quite as high as the headlines imply, there has certainly been a surge in the number of people who are disgruntled and find their work - well somewhat soul crushing.  Have so many companies become terrible places to work?  Or have employees simply raised their expectations as to what work should be like?  Either way, what can today's leadership do to reduce turnover and create a work environment that supports people - and productivity?To gain greater insights into the current situation that's driving workplace turnover, I reached out to Ralf Specht, creator of the Soul System and author of  Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System.Ralf was a founding partner of Spark44, where he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees. In this episode, Ralf talks about:- How companies can build stronger relationships with their teams and reduce employee turnover.- Why it's possible to have a workplace environment that's both competitive and supportive.- How to build a company that has a ‘soul'.USEFUL LINKS:Learn more about SPINEXPO:  https://www.spinexpo.comConnect with Ralf Specht:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-specht-b21b8529/Building Corporate Soul website:  https://buildingcorporatesoul.com A Seat at The Table website:  https://seat.fmContact us at A Seat at The Table:  https://seat.fm/contact-us/