Umbrex

Take a Step towards Magical Leadership Transformation Dr. Ladan Foose shares an article designed to help leaders step out of their comfort zone and face challenges with ease. Have you ever looked at a challenge head on and thought, “that’s huge… it’s going to knock me over”? In your mind, it may have held the power of a tsunami wave. But what if a shift in perspective allowed you to reframe that challenge? The wave hasn’t changed, but something has changed in you allowing you to see the power you could truly bring to the situation. What if that wave then felt like something gentle you could wade into and even have fun with? Read the full article, Leadership perspective: How to transform your tsunami into a toe tickler, on LinkedIn. https://lnkd.in/gQqyPX7N

How to Make Clients Choose Your Consulting Firm In this article, David A. Fields shares actionable insights on how to make your consulting firm more attractive to clients. "In addition to your experience and expertise, (which are both crucial, of course), there are at least seven easy, tactical, practical practices that will make it more likely clients will discuss engagements with you and hire your firm." Access the seven practical practices on DavidAFields.com. https://lnkd.in/gQhnx8Jj

How to Excel with Experiential Learning In this article, Marja Fox explores the benefits of experiential learning, shares four steps to gain results, and steps that will maximize the impact. Experience is often assumed to be measurable in years, but it is actually a type of learning that involves waking up every day, trying things, succeeding and failing, and moving on to the next thing. Experiential learning is different from school learning, as it requires being in the driver's seat and following the Experiential Learning Loop. This process consists of four steps: do something, get feedback on the experience, reflect on the feedback, and embed the feedback into practice. Access the article on MarjaFox.com. https://lnkd.in/gSQZE936

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Cenk Bulbul. Cenk is an accomplished Senior Marketing Leader with 20+ years of global experience. Cenk recently started his independent consulting practice after holding senior marketing leadership roles at Google including Head of Marketing for YouTube Shopping building the marketing function ground-up, Global Head of YouTube Ads Marketing overseeing 2X+ revenue growth and Global Head of Strategy, Insights and Analytics for YouTube Marketing. Before Google, Cenk held senior consulting roles at McKinsey & Company and Ogilvy leading digital marketing transformation, brand strategy and full-funnel marketing strategy and planning for mid-size growing businesses as well as marquee Fortune 100 brands. Cenk is adept at leading cross-functional teams to turn marketing into a powerful driver of business growth with resilient problem-solving and award winning creativity. Cenk is open to consulting projects and advisory roles in brand positioning and strategy, value prop development, growth strategy with integrated marketing, B2B and B2C, global and regional GTM, digital, social, influencer marketing as well as research and analytics. Cenk holds an MBA in Finance from Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD in Marketing from New York University.

Inspiring Leadership, Business Acumen, and Philanthropy In this post, Boris Galonske shares a link to a keynote speech and roundtable discussion on business acumen applied to philanthropy by Bill Gates. The future of philanthropy is influenced by small business trends, where a significant number of organizations have limited capacity for major investments in technology or management. Small businesses, like nonprofits, have a broad base at the bottom and a narrow top, with business closures being a common occurrence. Entrepreneurial philanthropy involves applying business principles to philanthropy, seeking a return on investment and focusing on high-value programs that can make a significant impact on society. Access the post, key note speech, and roundtable discussion on LinkedIn. https://lnkd.in/gmYitt9v

How to Grow Groups into Teams Pam Fox Rollin shares an overview of the book, Growing Groups into Teams: Real-life stories of people who get results and thrive together, she co-authored with Koby Bogaert and the team at Altus Growth Partners. https://lnkd.in/gRsbks7s

A Case Study on Improving Same-store Sales Brent Gaisford shares a case study on improving same-store-sales and building an algorithm to identify ideal locations for the expansion of a 150-store grocery retailer. A private equity-owned grocery chain sought to expand by opening new stores and increasing sales at existing locations. A linear regression model was created using internal and external data, including store offerings, performance reviews, and customer surveys. The model explained 70% of store performance variance using eleven variables. The model was used to create improvements for store managers and predict store performance across multiple states. The expansion plan was successful, leading to a profitable IPO for the PE fund. Access the case study on Opal-data.com. https://lnkd.in/ge263kkP

A 360-Approach to Digital Transformation Robin Duquette shares an article on the necessity of digital transformation and the often overlooked aspects needed for success. Traditional organizations in sectors like materials, utilities, consumer goods, and financial services often rely on traditional IT systems. To stay competitive, they adopt an analytical approach to digital transformation, sizing the prize to demonstrate the potential value of data structuring, analytics, and AI. However, this approach often overlooks the softer aspects of digital transformation, such as potential adversarial relationships and hiring top talent. A more successful approach involves identifying areas where digital can add value and creating a "start-up" environment that fosters collaboration, innovation, openness, and continuous learning. Over time, top management can scale this model to address remaining inefficiencies and complete the transformation, ensuring the digital transformation aligns with the organization's strategic goals. Read the article on Medium. https://lnkd.in/gaYMdmav

An Interesting Trend on Fractional Leaders Kelly Luckasevic shares a post on an interesting trend she has observed. Organizations are increasingly integrating fractional leaders into their teams to add focused capacity, level up talent, and accelerate action. Part-time advisors provide an outside perspective and can dedicate focused effort without being tasked with day-to-day operations. Working with fractional FTEs allows companies to hire more senior leaders and adjust job descriptions to suit their needs. This approach is particularly beneficial for early-stage companies looking to quickly establish functions and processes. Access the post on LinkedIn. https://lnkd.in/gG78derq

When to Pilot and When to Proceed with Transformation Tiago Garjaka shares an article designed to safeguard the success of transformation projects. Piloting before full deployment is crucial for a company's transformation initiatives. It helps in risk management, stakeholder alignment, technology integration testing, regulatory compliance, training and readiness, quick learning, and cost efficiency. Pilots provide immediate feedback, allowing teams to iterate quickly on designs or processes, shortening the time to reach optimal solutions and enhancing the overall effectiveness of the deployment. Skipping a pilot may be necessary when project timelines are tightly constrained by fixed event dates, market pressures, or contractual obligations. In markets where being the first can significantly impact success, the benefits of capturing the market early can outweigh the risks associated with skipping the pilot. Additionally, conducting another pilot may be redundant for incremental adjustments to systems that have already proven effective. Overall, piloting is a strategic decision-making tool that can safeguard the success of transformation projects by identifying potential issues early and allowing for adjustments in a controlled environment. https://lnkd.in/gYC5iSH5