Unleashed - How To Thrive As An Independent Professional

David Minifie is the Chief Experience Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Centene Corporation. Centene is a Fortune 500 company that provides a portfolio of services to government sponsored healthcare programs. In this episode, David explains to me the role and responsibilities of a Chief Experience Officer, which includes and expands the responsibilities he previously held as the Chief Marketing Officer. You can learn more about Centene on their website, centene.com And you can see more of David’s background on his LinkedIn profile – a link is in the show notes. https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-david-minifie-50250a/ Each week we send an email with summaries of the latest Unleashed episodes, transcripts of each episode, and bonus materials. To subscribe, email unleashed@umbrex.com To connect with Will Bachman on LinkedIn, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/willbachman/  

What should you say when you are meeting for the first time with an individual at a client you are already serving? Here's the approach I've used the past few years:  “I’d be happy to provide context on the project, but I don’t want to go over material you are already familiar with. What have you already heard about this effort?” In this episode, I explain why I use that question. Every week I send out an email with summaries of each Unleashed episode, transcripts of each episode, and often some bonus material. If you’d like to receive it, send me a note at unleashed@umbrex.com  

I was chatting with an independent consultant at an event last night, and he told me, “I’m having a hard time finding project opportunities, and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve got three decades of experience, so usually if I sit down with someone and talk to them about their business, I’m able to find a way that I can be helpful, but I’m not getting the opportunity to have those conversations.” This short episode was my response. Every week I send out an email with summaries of each Unleashed episode, transcripts of each episode, and often some bonus material. If you’d like to receive it, send me a note at unleashed@umbrex.com

In this episode, Will Bachman explains how to source experts to interview for a consulting project. The episode covers: 1) How to work with expert networks such as AlphaSights, GLG, and Third Bridge and 2) How to source experts on your own using LinkedIn and other channels We cover: - How to identify the populations to be sourced - How to work with a researcher to generate a list of targets - How much to pay experts - Whether to record the call - Detailed tips on a Google tracking sheet Bonus material: To receive a sample tracking sheet, sign up for the weekly Unleashed email by emailing Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com

Umbrex member Ushma Pandya is the Co-Founder and Partner at Think Zero Inc, an environmental consulting firm supporting businesses' waste reduction and diversion goals. In this episode, Ushma walks me through the stages of a typical waste reduction project, and shares some of the surprising things she has found in the recycling bin. You can learn more about her firm at: https://thinkzerollc.com/ To receive the weekly Unleashed email that includes a summary of each episode, transcripts, and bonus features, send Will Bachman an email at unleashed@umbrex.com  

In this episode Will Bachman covers: Which type of LinkedIn Premium subscription should you get Tips on posting LinkedIn articles and posts Recommendations on each element of your LinkedIn profile, including: Photo Name Headline Contact info Summary section Summary section attachments Experience  Experience section attachments Education Skills Interests Recommendations received and given For more on LinkedIn, check out the LinkedInformed podcast with Mark Williams.  Episode 242, covering effective LinkedIn posts, is a great place to start: https://linkedinformed.com/episode242/   Will has summarized all these tips in a checklist - email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com and he'll send you a copy of that checklist and add you to the weekly Unleashed email, which includes a summary of each episode, transcripts of each episode, and other bonus features.

McKinsey alum Raghav Nandagopal is the Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Mergers and Acquisitions at Ascensus Incorporated. In today’s episode, Raghav explains how he build an M&A group to complete acquisitions at scale at Ascensus. Ascensus is the largest independent retirement and college savings services provider in the U.S. with over $163 billion in assets under management, you can find out more about them at ascensus.com You can find out more about Raghav’s background on his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raghavnandagopal/ If you’d like to receive the transcript of each episode plus other bonus features right in your inbox, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com  

Tom Schwab runs Interview Valet, a firm that helps its clients get booked on targeted podcasts where they can speak directly to their ideal customers. In this episode, Tom shares his perspective on why being a guest on a podcast is a great way to raise your visibility How to prepare for an interview How to promote the interview How to work with a podcast interview booking firm like his And How to get invited on shows if you want to do it yourself You can learn more about Interview Valet on their website, https://interviewvalet.com/ And if you want to connect with Tom, his LinkedIn URL is in the show notes https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmschwab/ If you'd like to receive Unleashed bonus features, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com to receive the weekly Unleashed email.

Jake Jorgovan turns consultants into thought leaders through content marketing. Jake’s firm, Content Allies, works with consultants who have deep industry or functional knowledge, but who simply don’t have the time to sit down and get that knowledge onto paper. A writer from his team interviews the client to get a brain dump on a particular topic, and then they write the blog post or the white paper for the client. Let’s say you’ve got a lot of industry knowledge and experience, but you  You can learn more about Content Allies on their website, contentallies.com And you can learn more about Jake on his own website, https://jake-jorgovan.com If you'd like to receive Unleashed bonus features and summaries of each episode, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com

Our guest today is Tanya Kleindienst, a culture and leadership coach based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to starting her independent consulting practice, Tanya was the Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Culture at Fifth Third Bank. In this episode, Tanya describes the roles and responsibilities of a head of corporate culture. You can connect with Tanya via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-kleindienst-6274541b/ If you'd like to receive Unleashed bonus materials in our weekly email, shoot Will Bachman a note at unleashed@umbrex.com

Our guest today is Michael Fertman, a marketing consultant who runs The B2B Marketing Group based in New York City. In today’s episode, Michael explains the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If you are looking to have your website ranked higher in search engine results, and SEO is a bit of a black box to you, then this episode could be a good place to start. You can learn more about Michael’s work on his website, theb2bmg.com and you can find Michael on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fertman/ To receive Unleashed bonus material, subscribe to the weekly email by emailing Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com  

Our guest today is Annie Scranton, the Founder of Pace Public Relations,a full-service media relations and communications agency based in New York City. If you want to raise your visibility by getting interviewed on TV or by print journalists, this is the episode for you, since Annie explains to me the basics of how public relations work. You can find out more about Pace Public Relations on their website, pacepublicrelations.com Annie’s LinkedIn URL is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniescranton/ and you can follow Annie on Twitter at @anniescranton Finally, we'd like to welcome listeners Aliyak K, James M, Aidan K, Burnes H, and Hussein A.  who have recently signed up for the weekly Unleashed email. If you’d like to receive the transcript of each episode plus other bonus features right in your inbox, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com.

Our guest today is Clark Beecher, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Beecher Reagan, the largest U.S. executive search firm that exclusively focuses on current and former consulting talent. In this episode Clark provides tips on how to best work with executive recruiters – both when you are looking for a new role and when you aren’t. He also provides his perspective on how recruiters and employers view a stint as an independent consultant. So if you are an independent consultant considering a return to the corporate world, his tips on how to position your recent work may be particularly relevant. To learn more about Clark’s firm, visit https://www.beecherreagan.com/ If you are seeking an independent consultant to support a project at your firm, or if you are interested in joining our global community of independent management consultants, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com    

A five-minute investment in sending a recap email can significantly improve the effectiveness of meetings and the overall outcomes on a project. In this episode, we discuss two flavors: #1: The post-meeting recap email #2: The weekly recap email If you are interested in hiring an independent consultant for one of your project needs, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com

Our guest today is Avish Bhama, the CEO of Sonia, where the mission is to build Artificial Intelligence that interprets human intent, and use it to democratize access to information-flow at work. Sonia builds tools that empower you to focus on the interesting and creative nature of your work rather than the repetitive and mundane parts. When you sign up for a plan with Sonia, you get an AI tool that can dial into your phone calls, take notes, identify the action items that are agreed to in the meeting, and then send an email afterward. While this sounds a bit sci-fi, it seems that it won’t be long before this sort of AI involvement in the work flow of knowledge workers will be the norm. Learn more about Sonia at Sonia.ai To request to join our global community of top-tier independent professionals, email host Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com  

Custom-made shirts and suits for men may cost a bit more than clothes off the rack, but are a much better value. Technical fashion designer Kazuki Kozuru-Salifoska explained the economics to me. For the last six years, I've bought all my shirts and suits from Latesh Kewalramani, who goes by Harry. He is making his annual swing through the United States to take measurements and orders for shirts, suits, and jackets for men. You can download his itinerary here. If you'd like to book an appointment with Harry, email him at galleria@loxinfo.co.th or call him at 662-639-1401. If your schedule doesn't permit a visit this year, email him to get added to his mailing list. Harry will be in the following cities: New York City: Sept 9-12, 2019 Philadelphia: Sept 13-14 Washington, DC: Sept 15-16 Fort Lauderdale, FL: Sept 17-18 Boston, MA: Sept 19-20 Atlanta, GA: Sept 21-22 Chicago, IL: Sept 23-24 Scottsdale, AZ: Sept 25-26 Houston: Sept 27 Dallas: Sept 28-29 Los Angeles: Sept 30-Oct 3    

Our guest today Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, which has been a huge bestseller and is considered a must-read book in Silicon Valley. Nir’s latest book is Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, which is being released on September 10. I’ve read a review copy, begun putting his recommendations into effect, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been distracted. In today’s episode, Nir shares highlights from the book, and gives a summary of his four-part approach to becoming indistractable. Nir has a bunch of free downloads that go along with the book on his website at: www.NirAndFar.com/Indistractable While you are on his site, definitely sign up for Nir's weekly email - I love it. The schedule maker tool that Nir mentions in our discussion is at: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/ And distraction guide here: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/ If you are interested in joining a global community of top-tier independent prof

The New York Phi Beta Kappa Association asked me to share some tips with recent graduates in the New York City metro area as a panelist at an event this evening. I came up with a list of 48 tips and figured I'd share them here first. Some tips are probably obvious; some non-obvious tips may also be not helpful. I hope the set of non-obvious + useful tips is non-zero. To get the weekly Unleashed email that includes a summary of recent episodes and bonus material, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com  

Our guest today is Rima Nair, a McKinsey alum who is a Principal at IRI, a leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help CPG, retail and media grow. In this episode, Rima explains why the largest consumer packaged goods companies subscribe to IRI’s information sources, and how the world of customer insights is evolving. You can learn more about IRI at https://www.iriworldwide.com/en-US/ And if you want to reach out to Rima, Here LinkedIn profile is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rima-nair-bb57295/ Have a questions about independent consulting? Email host Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com  

Our guest today is Josh Spodek, who last joined us on Episode 25 of this show. I was very pleased that Josh agreed to return to discuss his new book, Initiative: A Proven Method to Bring Your Passions to Life (and Work). In today’s episode, Josh shares some of the exercises from this new primer on how everyone can make change happen in the world. Josh is a busy professional: In addition to writing books, he writes a daily blog He is also the host of a podcast, Leadership and the Environment, with over 200 episodes, that feature an A-list of guests including Seth Godin, Dan Pink, Dominic Barton, Sir Ken Robinson, Ken Blanchard, Marshall Goldsmith, David Allen, Jonathan Haidt, and many other luminaries. To find links to all of Josh’s activities, visit http://joshuaspodek.com/ To receive a weekly round-up of the most recent Unleashed epsiodes, plus bonus material, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com