We start this conversation describing the thrill of riding off piste as a ski instructor, when the fear and exhilaration that comes with riding the risk transcends into magic. So much of life happens in “the gaps”. Some of us prefer a quiet, predictable life while others seek challenge and constant evolution. My next guest, Paul Ruppert, is definitely in the second group. What Paul brings to the table is range is a rare quality to bring to a business - range is the ability see patterns, identify predictable characteristics and make sense of fast moving, fragmented markets. While specialists may build out the building blocks of technology industries, it’s those with Range that have their eye on where that technology is taking us. From his early experiences selling hi-fi on the east coast to building out billion dollar messaging startups that spanned the US and Asia, Paul’s career has been one of constant evolution… and surprises. Every time I talk with Paul and dig into his story, I discover a new rabbit hole... he met 4 US presidents, graduated from Harvard, holds 2 interoperability patents in messaging… and a few more that you’ll also enjoy in this podcast.

3 Netflix Execs recently took to Slack to air their grievances about the company’s culture and leadership. This was, after all, the same Netflix that advocated “Radical Transparency” in a 127 slide public presentation. The Execs were fired, not because of what they said but how they said it. According to Netflix, everyone is allowed to complain as long as they do it to the leader’s face. That’s not how company cultures work, argues my next guest Paul Glover, a No-BS performance coach. He argues Radical Transparency is a myth. Most employees are not engaged with their leadership and companies, a fact exacerbated by the pandemic and gradual shift towards the “Great Resignation”. The problem companies face today in disengagement and attrition are fundamentally communication problems. Leaders overestimate their ability to communication, influence and engage. Paul should know, he used to be a court room trial lawyer who learned his craft challenging facts and influencing juries. “People will make decisions on emotion and later justify with fact”, he said in our podcast. This applies as much to juries as it does to employees. Great communicators know how to use story, not powerpoint presentations, to communicate engagement and meaning. And often, this starts with being open to truths and allowing their people to speak that truth to power. Open, transparent cultures can be places of joy, but they require a lot of work and vulnerability. In this podcast conversation, we discuss just how leaders can create that culture.

With 600 million people and over 30,000 islands, the region of Southeast Asia presents both vast opportunities and challenges. How does a Durian fruit farmer in Thailand ship orders to buyers in Jakarta Indonesia? Regional logistics are evolving fast to cope with managing the supply side infrastructure challenges and growing middle class consumer expectations about delivery times.Bernard Hor of Hatio is well positioned to address these challenges. A 5 hour flights from their Kuala Lumpur headquarters in Malaysia, can reach half the world’s population or 3.5 billion people (a similar flight from SFO will reach only 700 million). From this vantage point, Bernard is working to deploy digital warehousing solutions to take the region’s small businesses (Mom and Pop stores) through the digital transformation process and ready them for the demands of regional ecommerce. This is not a goal you can achieve successfully through powerpoint presentations and live demos of logistics software like many tech companies, but by starting with a more human approach - start with the problem. In this podcast, Bernard discusses how they tailor the sales process of their logistics software to the language of those Mom and Pop stores. We also discuss the evolution of logistics in Southeast Asia, the development of “Dark Stores” and “MFCs” (Micro Fulfilment Centres), how Asia will evolve in this decade and what innovations are driving logistics in the region.